Yield: approximately 32 gnocchi or 4 small-ish servings

Quite simply, this is possibly the best version of this type of”dream meal” I have ever tasted, much less prepared.  And, once the squash is roasted, it is surprisingly quick and easy.  I sage in the dough and the sauce, rubbed in the former, fresh in the latter.  But, I didn’t have fresh sage (a frost got mine), so I used a pinch of the rubbed in the sauce and derived plenty of green color from the wilted greens.

*Do ahead: roast butternut squash

Vegan Browned Butter

*1 cup roasted butternut squash (I roasted cubes for about 30 minutes at 450 degrees with a little olive oil and sea salt)

1 cup all purpose flour (I used white whole wheat) + another 2 to 3 tablespoons for rolling

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Lightly wilted spinach or your favorite green

Garnishes: Dollop of your favorite creamy nut cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds or other nuts

Vegan Browned Butter

2 tablespoons vegan butter

Optional (but recommended): 1/2 teaspoon nutritional yeast

1/8 teaspoon rubbed sage (or 2 to 3 fresh sage leaves, rolled, and sliced, i.e. chiffonade)

1/8th teaspoon garlic salt

Optional: a few drops of olive oil

In a cast iron skillet over medium-high, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and, stirring frequently, cook until it begins to brown, about 5 to 8 minutes.  Stir in nutritional yeast, if desired, sage, and garlic powder, and stir for about 30 seconds while nooch and garlic powder toasts and sage leaves wilt.  Reduce heat to low and stir in a drop or two of olive oil if a slightly thinner sauce is desired.  Keep warm over low heat.

Vegan Butternut Squash Ravioli

In a medium-large bowl, mash roasted butternut squash with a potato masher or a fork.  Using fingers, gently combine mashed squash with flour, 1/4 cup at a time, just until you achieve a moist but stiff dough, that is very easy to handle.  (Depending on the moisture content of your squash, it may require more or less flour.) Avoid over-mixing.  Divide dough into thirds and, on a lightly floured work surface, roll each third into a rope about 1-inch in diameter.  With a sharp knife, cut ropes into 3/4-inch pieces.  Press tops gently with the tines of a fork.

Cover two of the ropes with a dish towel and simmer the gnocchi cut from the third rope for 2 to 3 minutes or until they rise to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain quickly over pot, and then transfer to skillet with browned butter.  Add the gnocchi cut from one of the other ropes to the simmering water and while they cook, saute the cooked gnocchi a couple of minutes with the browned butter, stirring frequently, until golden brown in spots. Remove to a covered dish to keep warm.  Repeat cooking process with remaining gnocci until all have been simmered and sauteed.  Serve over wilted greens and top with a dab of  nut cheese and a sprinkling of roasted pumpkin seeds.

Yield: 4 servings

Ever since my husband suddenly passed away on July 30, friends have thought of the loveliest ways to nurture me, mind, body and soul.

Janie Jacobson Craig, known for her healthy cooking classes once taught out of the Kitchen Barn and now out of her stylish contemporary beach home, wanted me to join her to make this cleaned-up carbonara using corn cream.

I was intrigued, but I asked her if she would come to our house because leaving home some days made me feel untethered in an unplesant way.  So, she loaded up her basket with the ingredients and over she came.

The idea for the “cream” is a sensation; thank you Tim Maslow!  As for the rest of the recipe, which called for bacon and crab, we substituted vegan bacon and pinenuts for their pale color and sweetness.  To suggest a briny hint of the sea, we chose a sprinkling of dulce flakes.

I will definitely be makign this easy, elegant dish again and I hope you will.

1 pound pasta (we used a quinoa variety from Whole Foods)

7 ears corn, uncooked

2 tablespoons vegan butter

1/4 pound vegan bacon, chopped and cooked or crisped according to package directions; set aside

2 shallots, minced

2 large cloves garlic, sliced

1 tablespoon lemon juice + zest of 1 lemon

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Olive oil

1/2 pound pine nuts

approximately 2 teaspoons dulce flakes

In a large stock pot over medium high, heat generously salted water to boiling.  Add pasta, return to a gently boil, lower heat, partially cover, and cook until al dente (time will vary depending on the type of pasta).  Drain, reserving 2 cups of pasta water.

Meanwhile, make sauce.  Slice kernels from cobs and place in a food processor.  Run the blade of the knife along the cob over the food processor bowl to remove any remaining milk.  Process corn until smooth and then pass through a seive, pressing on solids. Reserve cream and save pulp for another use.  In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high, melt butter.  Add shallot and saute, stirring, for a couple of minutes or until softened.  Add garlic and continue sauteeing and stirring for another 30 seconds.  Add cooked pasta, corn “cream,” 1 1/4 cups water, and lemon juice.  Cook 3 to 5 minutes or until creamy and thickened.  Add more of the pasta water if necessary to reach the desired consistency.  Fold in vegan bacon and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve lightly drizzled with olive oil and garnished with pine nuts, lemon zest and dulce flakes.

Yield: 4 servings

I know it’s the first day of spring, but if you’ll allow me one more fleeting cold weather recipe, I think you’ll be glad you did!

This is my final taste test and recipe inspired by a bountiful box of vegan cheeses sent to me by the good folks at GO Veggie!  If, like me, you thought all of their products were vegetarian, but not vegan, we were wrong.  Just look for the purple label and consult their store locator on their website.

I had used the GO Veggie! Dairy-Free Parmesan Grated Topping in my luscious Vegan Cheesy Artichoke Dip with Greens, Mushrooms, and Water Chestnuts, but there it was mixed with other cheeses.  Here, it is the only cheese, so its flavor had to be exactly right and it was!

A very few other recipe notes:

1)  Use any kind of pasta you choose for this recipe.  I love orecchiette  because each little ear-shaped piece of pasta is like a miniature cup to hold the scrumptious sauce.  But if you have other pasta on hand, you needn’t purchase more.

2)  Butternut squash is creamy, delicious, and helathful, but a whole fresh one can be a bit unweildy to prepare.  I find that a serrated knife can sometimes be more effective than a chef’s knife for removing both ends because the “teeth” really bite in.  And the skin is most efficiently removed with a vegetable peeler rather than a knife.  I cut off the neck of the squash and deal with the neck and bulbous base separately.  For this recipe I used only the neck flesh.  I seeded the bulbous base with a spoon, cut it into wedges, stored it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and roasted it a few days later for a delectable Coconut-Red Curry with Roasted Butternut Squash and Tofu.

3)  Finally, just remember to save some of the pasta water when you drain the pasta, as that starchy water is the magic sauce thickener/silkener.

Enjoy!

8 ounces orecchiette  (I usually cook the whole 12 ounce box and remove one-third of the cooked pasta for pasta salad)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash

Sea salt

1/2 large bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced

2 large cloves garlic

1-14 to 15 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes with juice

1 to 2 ladlesful pasta water

1/4 cup plain nondairy creamer (soy or coconut milk)

2 tablespoons dry white wine (I use Pinot Grigio)

2 cups firmly packed baby kale leaves

1/4 cup GO Veggie! Dairy-Free Parmesan Grated Topping plus extra for topping if desired

Freshly ground black pepper

4 sprigs fresh basil

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over medium high.  Add pasta, stir, partially cover, return water to a gentle boil, and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook pasta according to package directions, usually 8 to 12 minutes.  Remove 2 ladlesful (about 1 cup) of pasta water into a heatproof bowl and set aside.  Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high in a large cast iron skillet.  Add butternut squash and a pinch of salt, toss to coat, and then spread into a single layer.  Cook approximately 12 to 15 minutes or until squash is tender but still holds its shape and starts to develop a little caramelization, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.  Add bell pepper, and saute, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes or until softened.  Add garlic and saute, stirring, for about 30 seconds.  Stir in tomatoes and heat through.  Stir in 1 ladleful (about 1/2 cup) of pasta water and heat mixture until simmering.  Stir in creamer and white wine, heating through.  Thin sauce, if desired, at any point with remaining ladleful of water.  Sprinkle kale on top of mixture and allow it to start to wilt.  Then gently fold it into the sauce along with 1/4 cup GO Veggie! Dairy-Free Parmesan Grated Topping and the drained pasta.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately topped, if desired, with additional parmesan cheese and a sprig of fresh basil.