This one pot rice dish is a staple for fall cooking in my home. Sauté onions and garlic, add in the other ingredients, cover, and let sit for 45 minutes. After that, all that’s left is to eat! The original version of this dish is based on this paella recipe but I’ve morphed it into a stove-top casserole dish as an easy adaptation. Rice and tomatoes cooked together can leave you with al dente rice but the secret is to make sure the rice is well coated with oil before adding the tomatoes. As a side note, our toddler also loves this one pot rice dish (as long as I use a mild curry powder)! Read more and see the recipe.
The post One Pot Rice and Curried Butternut Squash appeared first on Naturally Ella.
Last weekend we went to a crayfish potluck party in a friend’s garden. Vegetarians at a crayfish party might sound awkward but the crayfish are actually just an excuse to spend an evening with your friends, sitting outside until dark, drinking, eating, singing songs and wearing silly hats. Life in its very essence.
Since we don’t eat crayfish, we made a couple of salads and baked a large, round version of this butternut quiche. We have been talking about making a butternut quiche ever since we first tried it, two years ago at a café in Bondi outside Sydney. Their version had large chunks of salty feta cheese and a slight tartness from vinegar that balanced the sweetness from the pumpkin perfectly, so we made ours the same way. We also used our favourite oat & almond pastry which added a nice nuttiness to the quiche. The addition of kale to the filling makes it a little greener and more substantial and the pieces on top crisps up into chips. I guess it’s not our most unique recipe but a really good one to keep up your sleeve for picnics and late-summer parties.
When we recreated the quiche the other day, we also shot this video below. It all came together in a rather stressful hour between soccer practice and dinner time and we didn’t have much light to work with either, so please excuse the blurry quality here and there.
You can probably veganize this by leaving out the eggs and replacing the feta cheese with tofu, a squeeze of lime and nutritional yeast. The pumpkin makes it very rich and creamy on its own, but since we wanted to recreate the butternut and feta quiche from our travels, we didn’t try a vegan version ourselves this time. Do let us know if you succeed with it!
Butternut, Kale & Feta Quiche
Pastry 3/4 cup / 100 g oat flour (or 1 cup / 100 g rolled oats mixed into flour in a food processor) 1/3 cup / 50 g rice flour 1/2 cup/ 50 g almond flour 2 tbsp potato starch or arrowroot 1/2 tsp sea salt 100 g / 3 1/2 oz chilled butter or solid coconut oil, cut into dices 3-4 tbsp ice-cold water
Butternut & Kale Filling 1 small butternut squash/pumpkin a drizzle of olive oil or coconut oil 2 sprigs fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary sea salt & black pepper 1 onion 2 cloves garlic 2 large handfuls (100 g / 3 1/2 oz) tuscan kale / black kale or regular kale, remove stems and chopped (if you can’t get kale use spinach instead) 2 tbsp unfiltered apple cider vinegar (or balsamico) sea salt & black pepper 1 cup milk of choice (we use oat milk or almond milk) 2 eggs 150 g / 1 block feta cheese, crumbled
Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C. Prepare the pastry: Add oat flour, almond flour, rice flour, potato starch and sea salt to a bowl and toss until combined. Add the diced butter to the flour and use your fingers to mix the dough into a rough breadcrumb consistency. (These steps can also be made by pulsing the butter with the flour in a food processor.) Add the water, little by little, and work it together into a dough. Flip it out on a floured workspace and shape it into a thick disk. If it feels crumbly, add 1-2 tbsp extra water. Gather the dough into a disk, wrap in clingfilm and chill for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the filling.
Prepare the filling: Line a baking tray with baking paper. Peel the butternut, discard the seeds and cut into 1 inch / 2,5 cm dices and place on the tray. Drizzle with oil, add the spices and toss to combine. Roast in the oven for approx. 20 minutes or until it starts to brown and soften. Set aside. This step can easily be prepared ahead and stored in the fridge for up to a couple of days before baking the quiche. While the pumpkin is in the oven, heat oil in a skillet on medium heat and stir-fry the onion and garlic for 10 minutes until transparent and soft. Add the chopped kale, stir around and stir-fry for a few more minutes, add the apple cider vinegar and season with salt and pepper and leave for two more minutes. Set aside.
Assembling the quiche:Place the chilled dough between two baking papers and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough until you got a rough circle, about 1/8 inch / 5 mm thick. Carefully transfer it to a 10 inch / 27 cm tart pan (or rectangular as in the video). You can also press out the pastry dough directly into the pan. Trim off any excess dough then use a fork to prick it a few times. Blind-bake for 10 minutes to prevent the crust from getting soggy. In a large bowl, whisk together milk and eggs. Add onion and kale, crumbled feta cheese and half of the baked butternut to the egg mixture and gently combine. Pour into the blind-baked quiche crust. Press extra roasted butternut into the quiche if there is still space (any leftovers can easily be used in a delicious salad or inside a sandwich). Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden. Serve the quiche warm with a light salad on the side.
PS. We have also been celebrating this little 2-year old smoothie maniac and kitchen helper throughout the week. Happy birthday Isac!
If you’re still looking for a showstopper vegetarian main dish for your holiday meal, you’ve come to the right place. My family started off with quiche as an integral vegetarian holiday dish but I’ve since moved beyond to galettes. They’re beautifully rustic, easily filled with hearty vegetables, and in my mind, the perfect addition to any holiday table. I’ve made a lot of galettes over the years but this squash galette is by far my favorite. It’s one of the more labor/time intensive meals but most of it can be made ahead of time. In fact, I’ve gone so far to assemble it the day before and then bake it before serving. Also, in need of more holiday inspiration? I have a few more holiday meals up my sleeve. continue reading
I am not a meticulous person. I’m moving too fast, have too much on my mind, or just too many ideas swirling around. My attention to detail is mediocre at best and I’m okay with stopping at things that are good enough. With recipes, I know many could be even better if I took a lot of time/years to craft each ingredient and while some recipes organically do this, some I’ve been making the same way for a decade. If a recipe tastes good (even if it could taste better), I call it and if I really like it, I don’t think twice about improving it again. However, there are times that improvement, tweaking, and change are good.
Back in the summer, I was asked to be the guest chef at a restaurant here in Copenhagen for the upcoming fall season. But not just any restaurant: a hyper-local organic restaurant sourcing 95% of their ingredients from within 200 kilometers of their front door, and one that holds classes to educate and inspire city dwellers to eat sustainably all year round. Oh, just kind of up my alley. And it is run by a woman who I clicked with instantaneously, our first conversation touching on everything from mushroom foraging to manifesting one’s own reality through the power of positive thinking. I said yes because I was so moved by her ultimate mission, what the restaurant stood for, and not really taking into account that I hadn’t cooked in a professional kitchen in many years. But after giving me permission to call the event “The Grand Pumpkin Orgy”, how could I possibly say no?
Fast forward a few months to a couple weeks ago. I am standing at the cutting board preparing vegetables for soup. The soup to be served at the restaurant, which will be full of guests, all there to eat my food. I feel confident and excited, using all of my pumpkin comprehension to develop a menu of stellar proportions, and not letting the true weightiness of the event bog me down. Once cooked, everything goes into the blender. I puree it. I taste it. And it’s delicious. Without any major adjustments at all, it is exactly what I wanted it to be: clean and pure and tasting of the ingredients it is made with, only better.
Then the doubt creeps in. Wait a second. That was easy. Is this really good enough? How can I serve such a simple dish to all these people with undoubtedly high expectations of what this dinner is supposed to be? Why did I ever think I could do this in the first place?! BAH!
I brought my recipes in for the chef to review, sheepishly handing them over as if there was something wrong with them; not impressive enough, flashy or complex – just what I believed to be delicious. After a raised eyebrow, he said that he wasn’t sure apple and butternut squash would go together. I gulped, but told him as confidently as I could that I believe in the intelligence of the season, and trust that whatever grows together, goes together. Right?
The soup was a hit. Clean and pure and tasting of the ingredients it was made with, only better. Not only was the chef impressed (and later excused himself for judging my soup before making it himself), but the guests as well. As I went around to the tables asking everyone how it was, they all reaffirmed my belief that my instincts are not completely out of whack, and that, quite simply, good ingredients make great food. After several years eating locally-grown, seasonal produce I’ve learned that you can pretty much step back and let the ingredients do the work for you, since true deliciousness needs little intervention. Cooking like a pro, to me, means respecting the ingredients and doing as little as possible to bring out their tastiness.
So, this soup is that soup. The one I served at the restaurant to all of those people that scared me, but also reminded me that simple is best. It is a deep and delicious love song to autumn. The ingredients are inexpensive, widely available and the process is foolproof. It’s an oven soup! That’s right: everything cooked together right on a baking sheet so there isn’t even a pot to wash. Me likey.
Butternut Squsah: the Nutrient Storage Facility
Winter squash rocks because it is a virtual storehouse of nutrients. Unlike summer squash (re: zucchini, crooknecks, pattypans), winter squash has had a lot more time to develop and pump itself full of vitamins and minerals throughout its lengthy life on the stem. We’re talking oodles more vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), vitamin C, manganese, potassium, and even some extra dietary fiber thrown in. This combination of nutrients spells good news for asthma sufferers, those with heart disease, elevated cholesterol, or inflammatory conditions such a rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.
Nature designed summer squash to be rather delicate, with a high water content for those hot summer days when we need a cool down. Naturally, their shelf life is rather short during our abundant harvest season when produce is plentiful. On the flip side, winter squash has a tough outer skin and lower water content, which allows it to be stored for a very long time – some varieties up to six months. This means that we can keep these vitamin bombs around for a long time after the first frost to provide our bodies with the nutrition we need to see us through the long months of winter when there is nothing fresh in sight.
Put that in your oven and roast it!
The Garlicky Rye Bread Croutons, although an additional element to create, are the crowning glory of the dish, and really make it special. If you’re not into bread, try toasting some pumpkin seeds for the top, or something else crunchy to add contrast to the silky smooth soup.
It begs mentioning that the apple cider vinegar in this recipe is not optional. Why? Because it adds acidity. Acidity is the one thing missing in almost every home cook’s food because, well, we are never really taught about its importance. If you read the introduction in my cookbook, I have a section called “The Holy Trinity of Flavour” explaining that salt, sugar and acid are the three foundation flavours of any successful dish. Adding just a touch of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to almost anything you make (no kidding!) heightens and brightens the other flavours and creates a surprising balance of tastes. Try it and see for yourself.
Butternut Squash, Leek and Apple Soup with Garlicky Rye Bread Croutons Makes at least 2 quarts / 2 liters, Serves 4-6
Ingredients: 2 Tbsp. melted coconut oil (or ghee) 3 leeks 1 medium onion 5 cloves garlic 1 large butternut squash (mine was about 2 lbs. / 1 kg) 1 large, tart apple 4 – 6 cups / 1-1½ liters vegetable broth, as needed 1 tsp. fine grain sea salt 1 tsp. ground cumin ½ tsp. ground cardamom ½ tsp. ground star anise apple cider vinegar to taste (start with ½ tsp. up to 1 Tbsp.) 1 batch Garlicky Rye Bread Crouton (recipe to follow)
Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400°F / 200°C.
2. Prepare all vegetables: chop leeks and onions, peel garlic (but leave it whole), peel butternut and cut into cubes, chop apple.
3. Place all vegetables on a baking sheet with the coconut oil, toss to coat, and set in the oven to roast for 25-35 minutes until tender.
4. Transfer roasted vegetables to a blender and add the spices and hot vegetable stock (you may need to work in batches). Blend on high until completely smooth. Taste, then add salt and apple cider vinegar, blend and taste again. Adjust seasoning to your taste, and add stock until the desired consistency is reached: I like mine quite thin so I use the full 6 cups / 1½ liters of stock.
5. Transfer soup to a large cooking pot over medium heat to warm, if necessary. Divide soup equally among bowls and serve with the Garlicky Rye Bread Croutons and freshly cracked black pepper.
Garlicky Rye Bread Croutons Serves 4
Ingredients: 2 cups / 200g stale dark sourdough, cut into generous cubes (any bread here would work, but make a healthy choice) 1 Tbsp. coconut oil or ghee (ghee is definitely the tastiest) 2 fat cloves garlic, finely minced or grated on a microplane a couple pinches flaky sea salt
Directions: 1. Melt oil in a small saucepan over low heat. When it is melted, add the garlic and stir to combine. Cook just until the garlic starts to simmer, immediately remove from heat and let cool slightly. Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C.
2. Cut bread into generous cubes and place in a medium sized bowl. Pour the garlic oil over the top and toss to coat, using your hands to squish the oil into the bread. Spread out bread cubes on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with salt and place in the oven. Toast for 15-20 minutes, tossing a couple times during cooking. Croutons are ready when they are crisp and golden around the edges. Once cool, store leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days.
You guys. I’m making app! It’s almost ready! I can’t wait!
The My New Roots iOS app will include your favourites from the blog, plus 5 exclusive app-only holiday recipes, perfect for the upcoming season. Click the link below to go to the App site where you can sign up to be notified when the app is out (soon, I promise!) and receive my brand-new recipe for Crispy Sweet Potato Shoe String Fries with Miso Tahini Gravy, like right now.
Thank you for all for encouraging me to do this, and your ongoing support. I like you very much.
For whatever reason, I nearly always cube my butternut squash before cooking (whether it be roasting, steaming, or pan frying). It’s rare that I cook the squash whole. I think it’s because in my mind, the whole squash takes longer to cook but in the end, it’s less preparation and really, not much more time. However, when I do cook the whole squash, I steam roasted squash (putting cut side down in a roasting pan with 1/4″ of water). It’s how I saw my mother always cook acorn squash and so it stuck with me. It leaves the squash really nice and soft, perfect for a sauce!
Last year my dear friend Karly mentioned that she started seeing a business coach. She was struggling to find balance with her quickly growing career while juggling a busy personal life, and found some much needed support and accountability with a coach. Consider me intrigued! I admire her for taking the initiative to get outside help with running her own business, and for gently planting the seed in my own mind. As I wrote in my last post, asking for help has never been my forte, but I’m lucky to be surrounded by many self employed friends who are always eager to share their sanity-saving tips.
Life got busier than ever with our new family and work. The business coach idea fell off my radar, as I didn’t think I could add one more thing to an already full plate. Looking back, it probably would’ve helped me more than it didn’t, but recently, it was as if the universe was giving me a gentle nudge to go for it. Don’t you love when that happens? First, our friend Chris mentioned his business coach, and what a great experience he’s had over the years. Then, I saw Karly recently and she told me she’s been seeing her coach for over a year now with amazing success (and I’ve noticed the positive changes, too). Well, that was it. In the words of my girl crush Mindy Kaling, Why not me?! I decided right then and there that I would make time to give it a shot.
Our first session started with an exploratory exercise. My coach presented me with “The Wheel of Life”. It has various labels on it like “career”, “fun”, “personal growth”, “money”, “significant other”, “health”, “friends/family”, etc. Then I rated each one on a numerical scale from least to most satisfaction. The poor little wheel was so imbalanced by the time I was finished. I wasn’t the least bit surprised since I’ve felt like a wagon with 3 wheels for a while now, but this exercise helped me decide on a few areas to improve. Even though my original intent was to focus on business, I realized that personal growth, or lack thereof, impacts every single area of my life. I think it makes sense to start with this area as I’m sure it’ll have a positive impact on all the other areas too. I’m in my early thirties, but I occasionally feel like my personal growth is stuck in the last decade (or on bad days, maybe my first decade of life, hah). Is this just me, or can you relate to that feeling?
I can’t even tell you how many insights I had in our first session. We set some goals in a few categories, and I came up with some potential solutions to issues. Before we met, I decided that I wasn’t going to sugar coat things or make excuses for myself; as a result, our conversation was authentic, passionate, real, and inspiring. One thing I love is the accountability that I now have to follow though with goals. Rather than simply saying, “oh I’d love to hire a team some day…”, I’m actively moving forward with the goal! I don’t want to stand in my own way anymore. It’s amazing how much we can hold ourselves back by telling ourselves the same stories each day. The question is – what would YOU do if you got out of your own way?
This is my favourite method for cooking butternut squash – chopping it into small cubes, and roasting until it’s browned and slightly caramelized. I have to exercise some serious restraint not to eat the whole pan straight from the oven! I also include an easy recipe suggestion if you’d like to create a very simple fall salad. Roasted cubes of butternut squash are layered on a base of fluffy quinoa, and topped with creamy chopped avocado, sea salt, and a squeeze of lemon or lime juice. It’s simple, but delightful. Thank you to my friend Karly for inspiring this recipe. She brought this salad to a recent get together, and I knew I had to try recreating it at home. Lastly, my biggest tip for this dish is to make sure you season it properly. Quinoa and roasted squash will fall flat without a generous seasoning of sea salt, so don’t be shy. I also like to keep some Herbamare on hand when serving so others can season with additional salt if desired. Be sure to see my tips below on the many ways that you can change up this salad!
Yield 4-6 servings
Prep Time 25 Minutes
Cook time 50 Minutes
Total Time 1 Hour, 15 Minutes
Ingredients:
For the roasted butternut squash:
1 large butternut squash (about 3-3.5lb) peeled, seeded, and diced (1/2-inch cubes, 8-9 cups chopped)
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil, or oil of choice
Fine sea salt, to taste
For the salad:
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 large avocado, pitted and chopped
Fresh lemon or lime juice, to taste
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
For the squash: Preheat the oven to 400F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Spread the chopped squash onto the baking sheets and drizzle on 1 tablespoon of oil over top each. Toss to coat. Spread the squash into an even layer, being careful not to overcrowd the squash, and garnish with a few pinches of sea salt.
Roast the squash until the bottoms are just starting to brown. For my oven, this takes about 50 minutes, but your time may vary. I recommend checking on it after 30 minutes, and then every 5-10 minutes after that. I don’t bother flipping it halfway through, but I do rotate the pans once half way through roasting as I have a hot spot in my oven. I find the squash tastes best when the bottoms are slightly browned (more than the photo shows).
For the salad: Prepare the quinoa once you have about 25 minutes left of roasting the squash. Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve and transfer to a medium pot. Add 1 3/4 cups water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and cook for 13-16 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender and fluffy. Once cooked, fluff with a fork and remove from heat. Season the quinoa to taste with a generous amount of salt and pepper and stir to combine. Keep the lid on until ready to use so it stays warm.
Pit and chop the avocado and have it ready to go just before assembly.
When the squash is finished cooking, spread the warm quinoa onto a platter (or you can simply combine everything in a large bowl). Top the quinoa with all of the (hot out of the oven) roasted squash, and finally the chopped avocado. Garnish with a couple more pinches of salt, and a small amount of fresh lemon juice (or lime juice) drizzled over top (or you can try lemon or lime zest for a twist). I use a light touch with lemon juice as it can quickly overwhelm the other flavors. Serve immediately.
Want to change this dish up? Here are some ideas on how you can create a new dish!
– Add some minced garlic to the cooked quinoa for a subtle garlic flavour
– Sprinkle on some garlic powder or nutritional yeast
– Add black beans, chickpeas, or any bean of choice for a boost of protein
– Try experimenting with spices like cumin + chili powder + cayenne; cinnamon + nutmeg; curry powder + coriander, etc.
– Switch it up and use lemon juice instead of lime juice, and vice versa
– Try sprinkling fresh minced herbs to finish, such as parsley or cilantro
– Switch up the grains – I think a small amount of rice would pair really well here
– Skip the avocado and sprinkle on my pecan parmesan for a nutty crunch
– Add finely shredded kale, chard, or spinach for a boost of green power
Recipe originally published on September 28th, 2012. Last updated on September 20th, 2015.
I am always fascinated by my changing taste. There are so many foods I love now but as a child, I wouldn’t have touched with a ten foot pole. Looking back, I was an extremely picky eater. Then again, I was also a fast food junky at an early age. I was particularly fussy when it came to cheese. Mozzarella and cheddar, both highly processed single servings were what I was after in terms of cheese. Anything else seemed too far fetched. I think the day I realized Parmesan came in giant wheels and not plastic bottles was a game changer.
I have a very vivid memory when my family and I were at a local Mexican restaurant. For one reason or another, I had left my comfort zone of chicken strips and fries (believe it or not, there was a day when I wouldn’t eat Mexican), and I had ordered tacos. The tacos arrived with this white cheese on top and I began to question my order, wondering if it was too late to turn back.
My father took one look at my tacos and managed to aid my paranoia with one sentence, “you know that cheese it actually goat cheese, right?”
I freaked out, even with my mom trying to reassure me that the cheese on my tacos was in fact shredded mozzarella (which it was, my dad liked to tease me). To my younger self, the thought of anything goat cheese related sent me running to the hills. For years after that experience I questioned every cheese on my plate. I wasn’t going to be fooled again. Fast forward to now and you will find me adding goat cheese to almost everything. I find that goat cheese pairs well with a lot of the dishes I make and I often have to stop myself because I forget not everyone loves it like I do.
I’m over winter, but winter definitely isn’t over. Although I really can’t complain about the balmy temps here in Denmark, it’s dark and damp and I would probably pay a lot of money to see the sun right about now. And my heart does go out to all my family and friends freezing their tooshies off stateside. Yikes! I’m here to help. Or at least, this recipe is here to help.
Like most kids, I ate a lot of macaroni and cheese growing up, the kind that came in a blue box with the magical, neon orange flavour powder. Sometimes my mom would toss in a few slices of bell peppers and cocktail wieners and my brother and I felt like kings. Kings! Those were the days. In fear of falling short of that level of awesomeness, I haven’t actually attempted to make mac ‘n’ cheese on my own past the days of high school. Until recently this winter, a gnawing hunger for warmth, comfort and nostalgia took hold and just wouldn’t let go. If you’re anything like me (a human) you’ll love tucking into this tasty meal every week until spring hits.
So, what makes this mac ‘n’ tease a tease? It’s vegan! Not one speck of cheese or milk or butter or cream in sight. Nope. Instead the delectable sauce is a winning combination of roasted butternut squash and garlic, creamy butter beans, and cheesy nutritional yeast. Although not exactly like the cheese sauce of yore, it is still completely smooth and creamy, rich, unctuous, and deeply satisfying when combined with fat noodles and the most amazing non-breadcrumb-topping made out of sunflower seeds. That’s right.
Nutritional Yeast: A Cheesy Tease Although the name is slightly unappealing, nutritional yeast is a delicious and versatile seasoning to have in your pantry. Made from a single-celled organism called, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, the yeast is grown on cane or beet molasses, fermented, then deactivated with heat to stop the growing process. The yeast is sold both as flakes and powder (use half the amount of powder if a recipe calls for flakes). The natural colour of nutritional yeast is vibrantly golden. The flavour is often described as cheesy, which makes it a perfect substitute for dairy products in dressing and sauces. I sprinkle nutritional yeast on popcorn, salads, sandwiches, soups, blend a little into hummus and other savory dips. Because of its high nutritional content, many people treat nutritional yeast as a food supplement.
First and foremost, nutritional yeast is an excellent source of B-vitamins, and in many cases B-12 (though not all brands, read the label to make sure). Our bodies need B-vitamins to convert food into energy, keep stress at bay, alleviate insomnia, nervousness, fatigue, PMS, and mood swings (so, kind of important). Nutritional yeast also contains high amounts of protein with 4 grams per tablespoon, and contains 18 amino acids. It is a good source of dietary fiber, folic acid, selenium, and zinc. It is gluten-free and vegan.
In North America nutritional yeast is available at natural grocers and bulk food stores. In the UK, it is sold under the brand name Engevita; in Australia, it is called savory yeast flakes; in Scandinavia it is sold as yeast flakes or B-yeast / B-gær (due to the high B-vitamin content). Among cool kids, nutritional yeast is referred to simply as nooch. Drop that bomb at your next vegan potluck for major street cred. It should also be noted that nutritional yeast is not the same as brewer’s yeast, dry active yeast or baking yeast. Do not use these as a substitute for nutritional yeast in any recipe. It will be gross.
If you suffer from Candida or suspect that you have yeast issues, not to worry. Nutritional yeast is totally safe and will not infect you or exacerbate yeast conditions. It should be avoided however by those that are allergic to yeast and yeast products, like bread products, grapes and beer.
The shape of pasta you use for this really matters. I chose a large, deeply ridged, tubular pasta that said “macaroni” on the package, but it’s much closer to rigatoni if you ask me. Rigatoni, penne, classic macaroni, ziti, or even conchiglie (shells) would work here, as the ultimate goal is to get as much sauce in and around each noodle as humanly possible. In fact, I guarantee when you make the sauce you’ll be questioning my recipe amounts – there is a lot of it, people. But once you pour it over the cooked pasta and start stirring, it magically disappears into the nooks and crannies only reappear later in your mouth, like a rich and savoury flavour explosion from heaven. Tubes work best for obvious reasons, but I’ll let you decide how you want your sauce delivered. And I hope that it goes without saying that you should make an effort to find the most high-vibe pasta you can. There are so many on the market these days, even at regular grocery stores, so no excuses! No white pasta!
And yes, there is topping. In keeping with the gluten-free theme I went with a Sunflower Crumble Topping that I am quite chuffed about. It’s savoury, crunchy, and totally takes this meal to the next level – better than breadcrumbs I tell ya! And it’s delicious not only on mac ‘n’ cheese, but garnishing avocado toast, grain salads, and roast veggies. You may have a little extra of the topping, but my casserole dish is relatively deep and narrow compared to most, and I wanted to make sure you had plenty to cover the top of yours. If you want to save time and skip steps, the pasta and sauce alone is super delish all on its own. But. The topping.
After cooking up this meal, I looked around the kitchen at the dish carnage and shrugged my shoulders. You know why? So worth it. Yes, you will use pretty much every cooking element and piece of equipment you own, but make it a Sunday project, invite some buds over and have them clean up. You did cook them a totally awesome meal after all, it’s the least they can do.
Deluxe Butternut Macaroni ‘n’ Tease Serves 6
Ingredients: 1 large butternut squash (mine was 1.25kg / 2.75 pounds) 4 cloves garlic 1 Tbsp. coconut oil 1 ½ cups / 250g cooked butter beans (about 1 can) ¾ cup / 45g nutritional yeast flakes 1 tsp. Dijon mustard 1 ½ tsp. fine grain sea salt 2 tsp. paprika 2 Tbsp cold-pressed olive oil 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar 2 – 3 cups / 500 – 750ml plant-based milk, as needed (I used rice milk)
Sunflower Crumble Topping 1 cup / 130g sunflower seeds 1 Tbsp. coconut oil 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes ½ tsp. fine grain sea salt ¼ tsp. garlic powder ¼ tsp. ground paprika
parsley for garnish, if desired
Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C. Peel and cube butternut squash, peel the garlic cloves, and place everything on a baking sheet with the coconut oil. Place in the oven to melt coconut oil, remove from oven and toss to coat, then set them back in the oven to cook, about 15-20 minutes. The butternut should be slightly blistered and tender. 2. While the squash is roasting, make the Sunflower Crumble Topping. In a large dry skillet over medium heat, toast the sunflower seeds, tossing often so that they do not burn, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer the seeds to a large plate to cool. Place them in a food processor with the remaining topping ingredients and pulse several times to combine and chop up some of the seeds. Season to taste. Set aside. 3. Transfer the roasted squash and garlic it to a blender with all ingredients except for the milk. With the motor running, add the milk until the desired consistency is reached: you are looking for a very thick, yet pourable sauce. Add milk until the blend is smooth, creamy and just the right consistency. 4. Set a pot of water on to boil with plenty of salt. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, and return to the pot, drizzle with a little olive oil, toss to coat, and keep the lid on to retain the heat. 5. Pour sauce over the pasta in increments and keep stirring so that it folds into all of the nooks and crannies. You should be able to use up all of the sauce, but if you have any leftovers serve them with the finished dish or store in the fridge for up to 3 days. 6. Turn down the oven temperature to 325°F/160°C. Transfer the pasta to a casserole or baking dish. Sprinkle the top generously with the Sunflower Crumble Topping. Bake until warmed through and golden on top, about 20 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired. Serve hot.
