One vegan meal a week challenge... (this is an easy peasy squashy one)

Here's one I made earlier:

My lovely Squash Salad with a Sweet Balsamic Glaze

To serve two you'll need something like:


1 butternut squash
100g baby leaf spinach
6 cherry tomatoes
1/2 cucumber
1 yellow pepper
1 carrot
2 small beetroot
4 spring onions
handful of grapes
1/2 a small tin of sweetcorn

For the dressing:
A generous splash (30-50mls or so - I generally just swirl a bit into the pan) in equal quantities of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and maple syrup/agave nectar/other plant based sweetener

Preheat oven to 200 Deg C, cut squash in half, scoop out the seeds.  Place on oven tray and drizzle with olive oil.  Cook for one hour.  Allow to cool a little.

Make the salad - share the spinach between two plates, chop the cherry tomatoes (I like to do mine in 4 so I get more cherry tomato bits), cucumber, pepper and spring onion.  Grate the carrot and beetroot, sprinkle the sweetcorn and grapes on.

To make the dressing:
Pour your balsamic vinegar, sweetener and olive oil into the pan and heat gently.  Keep stirring and allow to thicken slowly.  You're looking for a still pourable dressing but a little thicker and stickier than it was when you poured it into the pan.  Remove from heat and allow to cool (it'll thicken a little now also so take off heat a bit before you think it's ready - you can always put it back on if need be).

Score lines on your butternut squash so when you scoop the flesh out of the butternut squash skin it comes out in more cube like shapes (or just scoop it if you want more of a rustic look), put on top of the salad and drizzle the dressing over both plates.

Vegan meal a week challenge - Tagliatelle with Pan Fried Pumpkin and Red Pepper Oil

Helloooo!

It is my intention to trial these recipes that I share however this week I'm doing a juicing detox (actually the http://www.worldsbiggestjuicedetox.com/) so am feasting on yummy, life enhancing juices - feeding and cleansing my body at the same time. Having quit caffeine several years ago, been involved in actively reducing sugar to just about zero and largely removed wheat from my diet I've been lucky not to have been experiencing the withdrawal symptoms from these.  However it's worth going through them if you've not reached that point - it rocks to get to the other side!

Today's recipe looks fantastic and is a definite on my list of ones to make once I've juiced and done my raw food challenge (more about that another time). This is from a lovely book (easy vegan; simple recipes for healthy eating) that I picked up at Salts Mill the day after my sister's wedding earlier this year.  It reminds me of my number one favourite ever meal - eaten on a warm evening at a pavement table in Melbourne, Australia. Delicious pumpkin and pasta - and this looks like a great vegan, potentially wheat free alternative - win, win!

You'll need:
1 tblsp light olive oil
1 lb/450g pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped
14oz/400g vegan friendly tagliatelle (or spaghetti - you can make it wheat free too if you use a pasta such as corn and rice spaghetti)
finely grated peel and juice of 1 lemon
a large handful of rocket
a large handful of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the red pepper oil:
1 small red bell pepper, sliced
6 large chilies
1 small red onion, sliced
 4 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 cup/65ml olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C/Gas 4

Put the red pepper, chilies, onion, garlic, cumin seeds and 2 tblsps of olive oil in a roasting pan.  Cook in the preheated oven for an hour, turning often.  Transfer the contents of the pan to a food processor while still hot.  Add the remaining oil and whizz until smooth.  Let cool, then pour the mixture into a clean and dry screwtop jar.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet/frying pan set over high and add the pumpkin.  Cook for 10 minutes, turning often, until each piece is golden brown all over.  Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package instructions and drain well.  Put it in a large bowl and add 2-3 tblsps of the red pepper oil.  Add the cooked pumpkin, lemon peel and juice, rocket and parsley and toss to combine.  Season with the salt and pepper and serve immediately.


The remaining red pepper oil will keep for a week when stored in an airtight jar in the fridge.  It can be used as a dip for baked potato wedges ot the enrich tomato based sauces and soups (or really whatever you'd like to eat it with!)

Let me know how you get on...

Our halloween Warlock's Wife pumpkin (probably not the most tasty type for this dish though - steer towards less stringy pumpkins or butternut squash for a yummy result)