butternut squash and crispy kale noodle salad

Overview

Time: 35 minutes
Dishes: medium pot with lid, air-fryer, measuring cup, salad spinner

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

If the thought of peeling and chopping a butternut squash strikes fear in your heart, join the club. The winter squash is indeed intimidating, but with a few tips, maybe you can give it a chance:

1) Use a peeler to peel the squash - the first pass, just remove the outer skin and then make a second pass to peel until you see orange.

2) Treat the squash as two separate entitites - the neck portion is easy eanough, it is the seed portion that offers trouble. cut the squash in two - the neck portion and the seed portion. 

3) The neck: cut off the stem part and then cut into 1/2-inch slices and then cut the slices into 1/2-inch pieces and then into 1/2-inch  dice.

4) The seed portion: cut the bottom off and then cut off 1/2-inch slices from the bulb, going around the outside of the seed section. Do not cut it in half because then you have to deal with the seeds - instead, cut off slices from the bulb-seed portion and then discard the entire seed bulb when done.

Back to this meatless, vegetarian and vegan recipe: truth be told, this is for a confidant palate, but the flavors are awesome and the textures are unique. The dressing is slightly sweet and spicy (use 1/2 grated fresh garlic if avoiding any spice), but has no oil. The fresh ginger and roasted peanuts tie the whole thing together. It sounds like a lot is going on - but I had this on the table in 35 minutes, including chopping that squash from scratch.

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• Put the water on for the pasta before grabbing the ingredients.
• Use a lid while heating the water.
• Preheat the air-fryer.
• Peel and chop the squash into 1/2-inch pieces. Take the time here to avoid an extra 15 minutes of baking.
• Make the dressing while the squash and pasta cook.
• Add the beans to the pasta water, right before you drain it, to heat the beans to allow them to absorb some of the flavors of the dressing. 

 

Butternut Squash and Crispy Kale Noodle Salad

Makes 4 servings 

moderate

Preheat air-fryer to 400-F or oven to 450-F

1. Pasta: Cook the pasta in a medium pot of salted boiling water, until   al dente. Add the beans right before draining the pasta. Add 1 tablespoon of Dressing to Pasta after draining.

4 ounces spaghetti

1 cup white beans

2. Squash: Peel and chop the squash. Spray with oil and season with salt, add to air-fryer. Cook for 13 minutes or until almost tender.

1 medium butternut squash (4 cups, 1/2-inch cubed)

3. Dressing: mix the dressing in a measuring cup. Stir until sugar dissolves: 

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon tamari

1 teaspoon sambal oelek

1 tablespoon sugar

1-inch ginger, grated

4. Kale: add the kale to the Squash. Spray with oil and season with salt. Cook for 7 more minutes:

1 bunch kale, tough stem removed and chopped

5. Peanuts: add the peanuts and garlic to the Squash (remove any kale that is getting too dark). Cook for 3 more minutes. 

1/2 cup peanuts

3 garlic cloves, minced

6. Salad: Remove the large crispy Kale pieces to the side. Add the Squash mixture to the Pasta. Mix with a tablespoon of Dressing. Serve the Squash-Pasta mixture over the greens, sprinkle with the green onions and the reserved crispy Kale. Serve with the rest of the Dressing.

6 cups chopped lettuce

2 green onions, minced

© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

vegetable korma

Overview

Time: 30 minutes
Dishes: large, shallow pan, blender (or small blender) 

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

I'm missing Indian restaurants, so I decided to make ONE Indian meatless, vegetarian and vegan dish - Vegetable Korma. This is a coconut-type of dish with lots of vegetables and is quite delicious, so I thought, why not? Then I thought it would be even better with some naan. I have a naan recipe in Everyday Vegan Eats, which is pretty easy, so, yeah. With naan.

Then it hit me: what about some protein? A dal? Sure! So I made a lentil dal with spinach. By that point, there was no reason to let the yogurt and cucumber in the fridge go untouched, so I made the piece de resistance: Raita, which is also in that same book (which, btw, has a killer Tandoori recipe). 

So, my easy Korma dish turned into a feast. It only took about 1.5 hours to prepare, including cooking the naan (which you have to start to prepare early in the day because it needs to rise in the fridge), but it was SO worth it! You, however, can get away with the Korma and some flat bread... or rice. I knew I forgot something.

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• Peel the potatoes and carrots and chop, while the coriander toasts. Add them to the pan with the water.
• Then prepare the green beans and add to the pan to cook.
• Use a lid to cook the vegetables.
• Then get the other ingredients out.
• Make the onion-coconut paste.
• Chop the zucchini and tomato last.

 

Vegetable Korma

Makes 4 servings 

easy/moderate (Ingredients list kicks it to moderate)

Serve with: Dal, Rice, Raita and/or flat bread, such as Roti or Naan

1. Spices: Heat a large shallow pan over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds and toast until they pop. Stir as needed.

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

2. Add the garam masala to the Spices and IMMEDIATELY add the water:

1 teaspoon garam masala

3 cups water

3. Vegetables: Add the vegetables to the Spices. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes over high heat.

2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 large handfuls green beans, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

4.Onion-Coconut Paste: Blend in a blender as soon as possible:

2 garlic cloves

1 green chile (or 1/4 bell pepper)

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

1-inch piece ginger, chopped

1/2 cup dried coconut shreds

1/2 cup water

5. Zucchini or Peas: Add the zucchini (or peas), the tomato and the Onion-Coconut Paste to the Vegetables. Cover and cook for 8 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender, over medium-high heat.

1 large zucchini, chopped or 1 cup green peas

1 medium tomato, chopped

6. Serve: Taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in the cilantro, if using, and serve: 

3 tablespoons minced cilantro (optional)

© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.