Vegan Archives - Amie Valpone

Curried Squash Soup

Amie — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 19:38:11 +0000

I ate my first kabocha squash this winter and fell in love with the mild yet cozy flavor. Prior to this I’ve always stuck with butternut or delicata squash because they look less intimidating. But, you know me. I’m all about going out of my comfort zone and trying new ingredients in my kitchen so here we are with a kabocha squash soup that’s creamy, comforting and has a fabulous kick to it from the combination of cinnamon, curry powder and cayenne pepper I tossed in.

Soup feels like such a winter food yet as we near the end of March, the weather in Manhattan already feels like April in the 60’s with lots of sunshine, so I’m finding myself really wanting soup. And not just any soup- pureed creamy soup because it’s so easy to digest and it leaves me feeling so darn good.

Before you jump into this recipe, I highly suggest making sure your spices are fresh, meaning they’re not expired because the cinnamon, curry and cayenne literally make this soup. Check your expiration dates because there’s nothing worse than making a recipe with expired spices that yield really flat and tasteless recipes. I don’t want you experiencing this because it’s not fun. It’s easy to just toss spices into the back of our cabinet and forget about them for years but trust me, when you taste fresh spices in a recipe, you won’t need to add sugar or other inflammatory ingredients often used in soups to amp up the flavor.

Bon appetit.

And, before you go … I recently made this Peppered Kabocha Squash Soup over on my new website, AmieValpone.com if you’re looking for yet another kabocha squash soup recipe!

Curried Squash Soup

Making a creamy squash soup is quite easy because roasted squash yields a tender, flavorful and thick consistency, which here only needs unsweetened almond milk and spices to make it a meal.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword soup, butternut squash

Prep Time 0

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1

Servings people

Calories 101kcal

Author Amie

Ingredients

1 large kabocha squash
olive oil for rubbing squash
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
2 1/2 cups filtered water
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper plus more to taste
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. cinnamon plus more to taste
2 tsp. fresh herbs such as oregano for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Rub the squash with the olive oil to cover the entire surface and use a fork to poke holes in the skin. Place the squash on the prepared baking sheet and roast for 1 hour or until the squash is tender when you press on it with your hands.
Remove from the oven and use a sharp knife to slice the squash in half. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes then use a spoon to discard the seeds.
Scoop the squash flesh into a high speed blender along with the almond milk, water and spices. Puree until very creamy. Season to taste as needed. Garnish with oregano and serve warm.
Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Nutrition

The post Curried Squash Soup appeared first on Amie Valpone.

Butternut Squash Lasagna with Walnut Ricotta

Amie — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 13:00:55 +0000

I’ve never made lasagna and to be clear, I’ve never had the slightest desire to make it – even coming from an Italian family who loves Italian food. The idea of lasagna seemed complicated and exhausting and I’d find myself thinking, “Why bother”? Most of my food for so many years has been about ease and convenience because I barely had the energy to boil water but now, it’s time for a whole new way for me to cook and actually enjoy my food.

There’s something so comforting and delicious about pureed squash because it gets so thick and creamy. Whether you’re using it for a soup, sauce or this lasagna recipe, pureed squash feels like a big warm hug when it’s freezing in Manhattan and that’s exactly what I needed with these chilly temperatures the last few weeks.

For this recipe, you’ll need a large butternut squash, your favorite lasagna noodles and walnuts along with a few other odds and ends. We’re roasting the squash until it’s tender and pureeing it in a food processor. While the squash is in the oven, we’re making the ricotta cheese, dairy-free, of course, with walnuts and a few other ingredients in a mini food processor. Then, we’re layering the squash, the walnut ricotta and the noddles in a baking dish and tossing it into the oven until it’s bubbling and golden brown.

The cumin dusted butternut squash, creamy walnut ricotta, slightly charred caramelized onions, tender noodles and a few flecks of fresh oregano all piled onto my fork was nothing short of the greatest comfort food I’ve ever made. I think you’ll agree.

When you’re buying butternut squash, make sure you purchase a squash that feels heavy when you pick it up. I suggest one with a thick neck and a small bulb, which will yield the most “squash meat” and less seeds. As with any vegetable, make sure there are no cuts, bruises or mold on the outer skin.

In terms of the walnut ricotta, you’ll want to spoon it into your mouth over and over again and use it for various other recipes, as well. So, why use walnuts when making my diary-free ricotta? Why not? I’m a big fan of walnuts because they lend a nice creaminess when pureed so you don’t even miss the dairy.

When making any dip or sauce or dairy-free cheese, I highly recommend using a mini food processor because the recipe will not work in a large food processor – the texture won’t be creamy because there will be such a small amount of food in such a large processor and the blade won’t be able to whip it up as well as a smaller food processor. Here’s the mini food processor I use.

For the lasagna noodles, I’m using these gluten-free noodles, which are no-boil.

Lastly, don’t skip the fresh oregano or thyme on top. It makes the ENTIRE dish complete.

I made a similar Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna with Basil Almond Ricotta recently on my new website, if you’re in the mood for a variation.

Butternut Squash Lasagna with Walnut Ricotta

Ribbons of chickpea noodles add a delightfully hearty texture to this butternut squash lasagna.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword lasagna, butternut squash

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 55

Total Time 2 10

Servings people

Calories 598kcal

Author Amie

Ingredients

Lasagna

1 large butternut squash (at least 4 pounds), halved and seeded
2 Tablespoons olive oil
sea salt to taste
2 large red onions (1.5 pounds), thinly sliced
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 package gluten-free lasagna noodles no-boil
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme or oregano leaves optional, for serving

Walnut Ricotta

2 cups walnuts
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. sea salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper to roast the squash. Also, prepare an 8 x 11-inch baking dish with olive oil and set aside for the lasagna.
Drizzle the squash with 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Use your hands to rub the oil into the squash until glossy. Sprinkle the cut-side with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Place the squash cut side down on the prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven for 45 minutes or until very tender.
Meanwhile, to make the caramelized onions, add 1 Tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet over medium-low heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. Toss the onions in the oil and spread the onions evenly in the pan with a spatula, cover, and scrape the pan every 5 minutes to ensure the onions start to brown and become very tender. Continue to scrape the pan with your spatula and cook until the onions are a deep brown color. Allow the onions to cook for 25 minutes or until the onions are browned and very tender.
Make the walnut ricotta by combining all the Walnut Ricotta ingredients in a mini food processor and puree until very thick and creamy. Season to taste with sea salt. Set aside.
Remove the squash from the oven and set aside to cool for 5 minutes or until it's cool enough to touch. Using a spoon, scrape out the squash flesh and transfer it to a large food processor with the sea salt and cumin. Discard the squash skin. Puree until the squash is creamy. Season to taste.
Lower the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat bottom of the prepared baking dish with 1/2 cup of the squash purée then two the lasagna noodles width-wise followed by the ricotta and onions and continue to layer until you use up all of the ingredients. The top layer should be the squash puree. Sprinkle the cumin over the top layer and add a few dollops of the walnut ricotta on top, if desired.
Transfer the lasagna to the oven, covered with parchment paper, for 50 minutes or until the noodles are tender. Remove from oven and set aside for 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm with fresh thyme or oregano garnished on top.
Store leftovers in a sealed glass container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition

This article may contain Amazon or other affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase by clicking those links.

The post Butternut Squash Lasagna with Walnut Ricotta appeared first on Amie Valpone.

Cauliflower + Butternut Squash Bake

Amie — Sat, 20 Nov 2021 13:00:13 +0000

I was inspired to create another holiday recipe for Thanksgiving next week and I couldn’t seem to get my mind off of cauliflower and butternut squash because when squash is roasted to it’s tender perfection and cauliflower is steamed and pureed, they are quite the heavenly pair. I didn’t want to make another pureed vegetable soup so I went out of my comfort zone here to create a three-layered recipe with ever-so-sweet butternut squash, salty and tender caramelized onions and fluffy cauliflower. The result was absolutely delicious and I ate most of it with a spoon standing over my stovetop just minutes after taking it out of the oven.

This recipe is quite simple, like all my recipes, and it only uses three ingredients: butternut squash, red onion and cauliflower. You’ll need some olive oil, sea salt and pepper but other than that – this is quite a basic recipe with minimal prep and ingredients – something we all long for when we’re cooking for the holidays.

I topped this recipe off with toasted quinoa on top, however, it’s optional and you can easily use any fresh herb such as rosemary on thyme sprinkled on top for garnish instead. Enjoy.

Cauliflower + Butternut Squash Bake

Cauliflower and butternut squash are equally tender vegetables when roasted and pureed. Here, I'm layering them with caramelized red onions and topping it all off with toasted quinoa.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword cauliflower, butternut squash

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings people

Calories 129kcal

Author Amie

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt divided
2 large red onions thinly sliced
1 large cauliflower cut into 1-inch florets
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper to taste
2 teaspoon quinoa optional for topping

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8 x 11 inch baking dish; set aside. Prepare one large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Slice squash in half lengthwise and drizzle with 1 Tablespoon olive oil using your hands to coat the squash. Add more oil if needed. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt and pepper and place cut-side down on the prepared rimmed baking sheet. Make sure to spread out the squash so it's not touching. Roast for 60 minutes or until tender.
In a large skillet over medium heat, add the remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil with the red onions and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. Caramelize for about 30-35 minutes lowering heat as needed until the onions are very tender and dark golden brown. Set aside.
Meanwhile, steam the cauliflower florets on the stovetop over high heat in a steamer basket until very tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat, finely chop the steamed florets with a sharp knife and set aside.
In a high-speed blender, add the steamed cauliflower, water, sunflower seeds, 3/4 tsp salt and pepper. Puree until very smooth. Season to taste.
To toast the quinoa for a topping (optional): Add the quinoa to a large dry skillet, stirring or shaking the pan occasionally, until the quinoa is lightly dried out and toasty, about 12 minutes or until you hear the quinoa popping. Set aside.
Remove the butternut squash from the oven and set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Scoop out the flesh with a large spoon and discard the skin.
Transfer the squash flesh into the base of the prepared baking dish spreading it out to cover the entire surface. Layer the caramelized onions on top followed by the top layer of puréed cauliflower. Transfer to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle the toasted quinoa on top, if desired. Scoop with a large spoon and serve warm.
Store leftovers in a sealed glass container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Nutrition

This article may contain Amazon or other affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase by clicking those links.

The post Cauliflower + Butternut Squash Bake appeared first on Amie Valpone.

Honeynut Squash Tart with Hazelnut Crust

Amie — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 19:15:51 +0000

This was my first time roasting (and eating) honeynut squash. I must say, it’s divine. If you’re not familiar with honeynut squash, they look like baby butternut squash but much smaller. They are so tiny and so adorable you’ll want to buy a few of them. I opted for two at my farmer’s market here in Tribeca because I couldn’t resist. Because of their petite size, they’re much easier to prepare versus larger varieties of squash. That said, if you can’t find honeynut squash in your food store, you can easily use any other variety of winter squash for this recipe such as butternut squash or acorn squash, however, you’ll most likely only need one of the larger varieties since they’re double the size of honeynut.

This recipe is unique in that it doubles as a main dish and also a dessert. There’s no added sugar of any kind here however the squash is so incredibly sweet that this recipe tastes as though there is honey or some type of sugar swirled inside. I’m making this recipe at my family’s home next week for Thanksgiving as a main dish but you can serve it however you’d like.

I’m using hazelnut flour in this recipe but don’t be intimidated by it because you can surely use almond flour, if it’s more convenient. I happen to love the taste of hazelnut flour so I prefer it over almond flour any day. This is the 10-inch tart baking dish I’m using, as well, in case you’re curious as to the best way to present this tart on your holiday table.

Lastly, I’m using fresh sage leaves and fresh thyme for the garnish to add a pop of beautiful color. You can also use fresh rosemary or any other hearty winter herb. Enjoy.

Honeynut Squash Tart with Hazelnut Crust

This tart is a spin on the classic pumpkin pie without any added sugar, gluten or dairy. It's one of the easiest recipes you'll ever make with less than five ingredients. The result is a naturally sweet and delicious tart that can be served as a main meal or as a dessert.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword tart, squash

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 10

Total Time 1 20

Servings people

Calories 74kcal

Author Amie

Ingredients

Tart Crust

2 3/4 cups hazelnut (or almond) flour
1/2 tsp. sea salt
4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large egg well beaten
pinch cumin

Squash Filling

2 honeynut squash
sea salt to taste
fresh sage or thyme for garnish

Instructions

Tart Crust

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 10 inch tart baking dish (see above for the one I use for my tarts) with olive oil. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.
In a large bowl, combine the flour with the sea salt. Mix well, then add the oil and mix well until clumps form. Add in the beaten egg and continue to mix well until it resembles a dough consistency. Transfer the dough to the prepared pie dish. Press the dough into the base of the pie dish and up the sides using your fingers until it is evenly distributed. Sprinkle ground cumin on top.
Use a fork to poke holes in the dough on the base and up the sides to allow for air flow. Transfer to the oven on the rimmed baking sheet for 20 minutes or until golden brown. You will see some of the olive oil bubbling up but don't worry because this crust will be baked once again with the filling inside (I tried baking the crust with less oil and the sides crumbled so the amount of oil called for in this recipe is needed).

Squash Filling

While the crust is baking, prepare the squash. Slice each squash in half lengthwise with a sharp knife and remove any seeds and discard. Place the four halves on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper face up and drizzle the squash and cavity with olive oil, sprinkle with salt.
When the crust is finished remove it from the oven and let it sit on the counter to completely cool and harden. Raise the temperature of the oven to 425 degrees F and roast the squash until very tender, about 25-30 minutes. It is important that the squash is very tender and not hard because this is the tart "filling".
Remove the squash from the oven and set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Scoop out the flesh using a large spoon and transfer to a small food processor. Purée until smooth and season to taste with salt, if needed. Spoon the squash puree into the pie crust and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for another 25 minutes at 400 F or until the crust is a deep golden brown and the squash is set.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving with fresh sage and/or fresh thyme. Season to taste with salt and serve.
Store leftover tart slices stacked on top of each other in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month in a sealed glass container.

Nutrition

This article may contain Amazon or other affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase by clicking those links.

The post Honeynut Squash Tart with Hazelnut Crust appeared first on Amie Valpone.

Celery and Yellow Carrot Salad with Green Tahini Sauce

Amie — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 12:00:26 +0000

I made this delicious green tahini sauce recently and fell in love with it, which means I’ll be using it again in another recipe very soon because it is absolutely delicious. The best part of making an incredible sauce or dressing for any salad or vegetable dish is that you don’t need to fuss over creating an extravagant meal when your sauce is the star.

For this recipe I’m combining shaved yellow carrots (I know you love your carrots thinly shaved because you loved this carrot salad recently), crunchy celery, cucumbers and rosemary with a few sprinkles of hemp seeds for a touch of protein and Omega 3 fatty acids to help support your wellbeing. All you need to do is toss these few veggies together in a large serving bowl or on a large serving dish and add the green tahini sauce on the side or gently tossed amongst the veggies.

However you prefer to serve this sauce, you’ll want to make it again and again. It’s equally as delicious served with roasted squash or any other vegetable of choice.

SHOP the RECIPE

Celery and Yellow Carrot Salad with Green Tahini Sauce

This is one of those simple salads that feels so refreshing on a warm day. I love the lightness of the vegetables paired with the heaviness of the dressing (or sauce); it's filling as a light lunch or as a side with dinner.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword salad

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 0

Total Time 10

Servings people

Calories 148kcal

Ingredients

Green Tahini Sauce

1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup filtered water
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 large garlic clove
2 Tbsp. fresh tarragon
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Salad

1 head celery thinly sliced
3 large yellow carrots peeled into strips
2 large cucumbers sliced
2 tsp. hemp seeds
1 tsp. fresh rosemary

Instructions

Combine all the Tahini Sauce ingredients in a small food processor and blend until creamy. Set aside.
Combine all the salad ingredients on a large serving plate. Add a dollop of the Tahini Sauce on top or use salad tongs to gently toss the sauce with the salad and serve at room temperature.
Store leftovers in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

This article may contain Amazon or other affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase by clicking those links.

The post Celery and Yellow Carrot Salad with Green Tahini Sauce appeared first on Amie Valpone.