This evening for dinner I had planned to eat the leftover Dal Curry with Spinach and Brown Rice that I had made a few nights ago. But, for lunch today, I attended the Annual Vegan Chili Cookoff and couldn’t seem to muster the strength for another meal consisting almost exclusively of legumes. I needed veggies. STAT.

So, I started rummaging. Somehow, through some amazing intervention of the Leftover Food Gods, this was literally all that I had left in my produce bin. Well, okay, I also had some tomatoes, a russet potato, and a pear. But, other than that, this was what I had left. Actually, now that I think about it, I should have thrown the pear into this salad as well. It would have been amazing. Oh, well. Maybe next time.

And, yes, there will be a next time.

This salad was a beautiful, perfect combination of crunch from the veggies and soft suppleness of young coconut flesh. The flavors melded smoothly with the sweetness of the ginger and maple and the tang of the vinegars. The umeboshi plum vinegar provided a lovely splash of saltiness, and there with a subtle kick with the last minute addition of chili garlic sauce.

In order to make this dish raw, (obviously) leave out the chicken, use untoasted sesame oil, and replace the caramelized ginger with 1 Tbs. grated fresh ginger. If you would like a little extra protein, throw in some slivered almonds. Also, you can use agave nectar in place of the maple syrup and apple cider vinegar in place of the other vinegars. Unfortunately, you will have to leave out the chili garlic sauce altogether, but if you throw half of a minced jalapeno in with the veggies, I’m sure you won’t even miss it.

If you are new to the magic that is the young coconut, here is a tutorial on how to open it and get to the meat. And, don’t forget to save the coconut water inside. That stuff is the nectar of the gods. Seriously.

CABBAGE SALAD WITH YOUNG COCONUT NOODLES AND CRYSTALLIZED GINGER
serves four

For the Salad:
3 cups shredded red cabbage
1 cup shredded Napa cabbage
1 cup shredded cooked chicken, optional
meat from 1 young coconut, sliced thinly into “noodles”
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 carrot, diced or shredded
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
2 Tbs. each black and white sesame seeds

For the Dressing:
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
3 Tbs. maple syrup
2 Tbs. brown rice vinegar
1 Tbs. umeboshi plum vinegar
1 tsp. Asian chili garlic sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. Himalayan salt, or 1/2 tsp. sea salt

1. In a large bowl, combine all of the fixins for the salad.

2. Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing in a jar and shake it up until it emulsifies. Or, just whisk it all together in a small bowl. You may need to tweek the amount of each ingredient to find the balance that is just right for you.

3. Pour the dressing over the salad, mix it up, and dig in.

OTHER CABBAGE SALAD RECIPES FROM AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE:
Tassajara Warm Red Cabbage Salad at 101 Cookbooks
Red Cabbage Salad with Braeburn Apples and Spiced Pecans at Serious Eats
Thai Cabbage Salad with Chicken at Eat This.
Swiss Chard Cabbage Salad with Garbanzo Beans, Broccoli Stems and Cottage Cheese
Red Cabbage and Dried Figs Salad at Chocolate and Zucchini

Short ribs are a perfect option, not only because they are a super inexpensive cut of meat, but also because they require some serious slow and low cooking. Putting them in the Crockpot allows you to cook these guys as long as they need to without having to be in the house to do it.

Believe me, this is an awesome meal to come home to after a long day at work. And, it would make a really great dish to serve for guests. It’s impressive, super flavorful, and the best part is, you hardly have to do anything to make a great dinner. Just whip up some Wasabi Mashed Potatoes, saute baby bok choy with some sesame oil, salt and pepper, and voila! You’ve got an awesome dinner!

And, for those of you who are considering bringing a new addition home to your kitchen appliance family, here is a little more incentive.

ASIAN SLOW COOKER SHORT RIBS
serves one

1# grass fed beef short ribs

Marinade:
1/2 cup mirin
1/2 cup GF tamari
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 Tbs. brown rice vinegar
1/2-1 tsp. Asian chili garlic sauce
1 small garlic clove, minced on a microplane
1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced on a microplane

Garnish:
sliced scallion
white and black sesame seeds
cilantro leaves

1. Place the short ribs in the Crockpot
2. Whisk together the marinade and pour it over the top of the ribs.
3. Cook on high for about 4 hours or low for 6 hours.
4. When the ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender, transfer the sauce from the bottom of the Crockpot to a small saucepan. Simmer the sauce over medium high heat until reduced almost to a glaze, about 8 minutes.
5. Spoon the sauce over the ribs and garnish with scallion, sesame seeds, and/or cilantro.

MORE SLOW COOKER RECIPES FROM AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE:
Chicken Makhani in the Crockpot
Agave Hoisin Chicken
Split Pea Soup with Chicken Sausage and Carrots at Kalyn’s Kitchen
White Bean Chili at Fat Free Vegan
Apple Brown Betty at Slow Cooker Collection

This evening, I was standing in that old familiar position: head in the fridge, just staring, wondering what the heck I was going to make with all these random bits and pieces. I knew that anything requiring more than a few minutes of cooking was out of the question. I’ve been cooking a ton the last few days, and just didn’t have the energy to whip up something fancy for myself. Eventually, I spotted the sweet potato on the counter, the sprouts at the bottom of the veggie bin and a lone egg staring back at me, begging to be released from its shell.

This meal makes such a great weeknight vegetarian dinner. In fact, ever since I found Vital Farms Eggs I’ve been topping lots of things with fried eggs – steamed spinach, pumpkin cornbread, even roasted asparagus – to make simple, nutritious, and fast meals. They are the only eggs that I have found that I can eat with very little to no allergic reaction. I don’t know why I seem to be okay with these eggs and not any others, but I sure am glad I found them.

BLACKENED SWEET POTATO AND BRUSSELS SPROUT HASH WITH A FRIED EGG
makes two to four servings
Feel free to prepare these eggs however you like. I prefer sunny side up, but you can make them over easy or poach them. Part of the joy of this meal is eating the veggies covered in runny, gooey yolk, so I would recommend that however you prepare the egg, the yolk remains soft.

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium sized sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1/2″ cubes
about 15 to 20 Brussels sprouts, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 Tbs. blackening spice
salt, to taste
1 fried or poached egg per serving

1. Place a 10″ cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, let it heat up a bit, and add the sweet potatoes. Add the blackening spice and stir to evenly coat the potatoes. Stir the potatoes occasionally, but not too often so that they can brown.
2. When the potatoes are almost cooked through, add the shredded Brussels Sprouts. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked and the sprouts are softened and browned.
3. Season the hash with salt and/or more blackening spice. Divide the hash evenly on serving plates and top each serving with an egg.

Oh, and I almost forgot. Look who I got to meet this weekend:

He’s so cool.

Anyhoo….Here are a few more…

EGG-TOPPED FOODS FROM AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE:

Poached Eggs Over Rice at 101 Cookbooks
North African Pepper and Tomato Stew at Field to Feast
Frisee Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette and a Poached Egg at Gluten Free Girl
Breakfast Pizza at The Kitchn
Corn Pancakes with Broccoli, Carrots and Basil at What Did You Eat?

But, I’ve recently come up with a few tricks that keep my time spent in the kitchen and food sent to the compost bin to a minimum. Here are a few ideas:

* Make large batches of rice and freeze them in portion sized containers. Pull them out later for almost instant rice pudding or, in this case, to serve with some tasty curry.
* Soak beans overnight. In the morning, drain them and put them in the Crockpot with enough water to cover by at least 2 inches. Add a few pinches of salt, turn on low and let them cook while you are at work. When you come home, use some of the beans to make, say, a curry perhaps, and freeze the remaining beans (with enough cooking liquid to cover the top of the beans) in portion sized containers for later use.
* Make four servings of your favorite dish and package them each in individual containers. Find 3 single friends to do the same and trade. Voila! Four different meals for the price of one.
* Buy tomato paste in a tube instead of a can. It might cost a bit extra, but you can easily use a tablespoon at a time without trying to figure out how to use the rest of the can in a hurry.
* When you make a pot of soup or stew, freeze at least one portion. If you do this once a week for 2 months, you will have 8 single serving meal options stocked up. This is a great way to ensure that you always have variety.

CHICKPEA AND CHARD CURRY FOR ONE

2 tsp. coconut oil
3 Tbs. finely diced yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced on a Microplane
1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced on a Microplane
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. turmeric
5 cherry tomatoes, diced, or about 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup Swiss chard, chopped
few pinches salt
1 Tbs. cilantro, minced

1. In a small sauce pan, heat the coconut oil over medium high heat until melted. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook until onions are just soft, about 3 minutes.

2. Add the spices and stir to thoroughly coat the onion mixture. Immediately add the tomatoes and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any spices or ginger that may be sticking. Add the coconut milk and lower the heat so that the mixture is just at a simmer.

3. Add the chickpeas, chard and salt. Stir, lower heat even more, cover and cook until the greens are just wilted, about 2-3 minutes.

4. Pour curry into a serving bowl and garnish with cilantro. Serve with brown Basmati rice on the side.

Tips and Thoughts About Dining Alone from Around the Blogosphere:
Cooking for One, a Pleasure or a Trial? at Tea & Cookies
Going Solo in the Kitchen: A Cookbook
Living Alone Recipes from Katie Lee Joel
Thai Red Curry Recipe at Whole Foods Market
Pumpkin Gnocchi at Closet Cooking

Buffalo meat has 70-90% less fat, 50% less cholesterol and yet 30% more protein than beef. It’s also much higher in iron, which is great for women, and has a great ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 acids. In fact, the amount of Omega fatty acids is comparable to that found in Salmon. To top it off, there are no known allergies to bison meat!

And, the taste! OMG! To.Die.For.

This recipe is a fantastic introduction to the world of bison if you’ve never tried it before. And, if you have, it’ll be another go to recipe in the arsonal for sure. I found the original version while hunting around on one of my favorite blogs. I whipped up this altered version for dinner, and between Luke and I, the entire loaf was gone by the next evening.

BBQ Bison Meatloaf
adapted from this recipe by Ree Drummond
makes one loaf that feeds four to six people

2 small bell peppers, any color you would like, diced small
1 onion, diced small
3 ribs celery, diced small
5 garlic cloves, minced
Ener-G Egg Replacer equivalent to 2 eggs, or 2 cage-free eggs
3 Tbs. butter or EarthBalance
about 1 cup Almond Flour or breadcrumbs
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne, or to taste depending on how spicy you like your food
1/4 cup milk of your choice (I used almond milk)
1/2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce (This has gluten, so only include it if you do not have a sensitivity.)
1 1/2 cups of your favorite BBQ Sauce, or 1 batch of The Best Sugar Free BBQ Sauce EVER!, recipe follows
1 1/2 pounds ground bison

1. In a large saute pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. When it melts and gets foamy, add the bell pepper, celery, onion and garlic. Add some salt, pepper and cayenne and let cook for a few minutes until the vegetables start to get soft. You don’t really want them to brown, just soften.

2. Add about 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce. Cook down for a few more minutes and add the Worcestershire sauce and milk. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in about a half cup of almond flour or breadcrumbs with a rubber, heat-resistant spatula. Keep adding more almond flour or breadcrumbs until you get a consistency like a thick paste. Let this mixture cool for a few minutes.

3. Meanwhile, combine your ground bison and “eggs” in a large mixing bowl, and preheat your oven to 400 degrees. When your oven is hot and the vegetable mixture has cooled a bit, add it to the bison mixture and mix it up. If you try mixing this with a spoon, I promise, you will immediately abandon it and opt for digging in with your hands or as I like to call them, “Nature’s Perfect Utensils”. So I say save yourself from dirtying another dish and just dive in.

4. Form the meatloaf mixture into a meatloaf shape (about 1 1/2 inches tall and 7 inches wide) on a lightly oiled sheet tray. Slather the remaining BBQ Sauce all over the tops and sides of the meatloaf. Pop it in the oven and cook it for about 30 minutes or until the drippings around the meatloaf are blackened and bubbling, like in the above photo.

I served this with Mock Mashed Potatoes (Mashed Cauliflower) and my ever faithful side dish – Sauteed Kale with Garlic and Red Pepper Flakes.

The Best Sugar Free BBQ Sauce EVER!
makes 1 1/2 cups
adapted from a Cook’s Illustrated recipe

2 Tbs. butter or EarthBalance
1/4 cup onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 cups tomato juice
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. stoneground or Dijon mustard
3 packets of Truvia or 2 Tbs. molasses or agave nectar, or to taste
1 tsp. liquid smoke
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute for a few minutes. Add garlic and chili powder and stir. Add the tomato juice, vinegar, Worcestershire, mustard, sweetener, liquid smoke, and salt. Bring this mixture to a simmer and reduce the heat to medium low. Allow the sauce to simmer and reduce down to about 1 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes. Add more sweetener, liquid smoke, salt and pepper as needed.

In my hunt for finding the newest, hippest, coolest, and most cutting edge crockpottery websites and blogs, I ran across A Year of CrockPotting and fell in love. Honestly, it was just refreshing to find another CrockPot-obsessed young lady who is totally okay with the fact that she may not have the healthiest relationship with one of her kitchen appliances. Sometimes it’s just nice knowing you aren’t alone in the world, you know?

In addition to making me feel like less of a culinary outcast, Stephanie aka CrockPot Lady, posts some fabulously creative and delicious slow cooker recipes. This is my take on her Chicken Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken) recipe.

Chicken Makhani
serves two to four
For the best results, always buy your Indian spices at an Indian market. Regular grocery store spices will certainly work, but the authentic Indian spices taste so much better.

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 Tbs. butter or EarthBalance
1 Tbs. garam masala
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. cayenne, or less if you can’t take the heat
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 can coconut milk
1 (6oz.) can tomato paste
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 cup plain cow, goat, or soy yogurt
2 Tbs. chopped cilantro
salt, to taste

1. Throw everything except the yogurt and cilantro in the CrockPot and give it a good stir. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
2. Stir in the yogurt and cilantro just before serving. Taste and adjust spicing as needed.

I served this with some simple sauteed kale and broccoli to keep it low carb. However, this would be great with some steamed brown basmati rice or Whole Wheat Naan.

Other great CrockPot recipes across the Blogosphere:
Fiery Jamaican Influenced Chicken Chili at Coconut Lime
Homemade Yogurt in a CrockPot at Eating Etc.
Low Carb Thai Red Curry Chicken
Bumbleberry Cobbler at Something’s Burning…….

The only bummer about this recipe is that hoisin sauce does contain a bit of wheat and sugar. If you’d like to avoid this stuff, I would just use a bit more tamari and about a teaspoon of agave nectar in place of the hoisin in the recipe. It won’t taste quite the same, but it’ll still be mighty tasty.

Unfortunately, I’ve got to keep this post short and sweet. I’ve got to go pick up the still sick kitty from the vet. So, I will leave you with this link to a very interesting article about salmon. It includes just about every piece of information you could ever want regarding these upstream swimmers including health benefits, how to choose eco-friendly fish, and links to research studies.

Enjoy!

DIJON-HOISIN GRILLED SALMON
serves four

4 (6 oz.) Salmon fillets, skin removed
3 Tbs. hoisin sauce
1 1/2 tsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. wheat free tamari
1/2 tsp. white pepper
canola oil spray

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the hoisin, dijon, tamari and white pepper. Place the fish in a 9×13 inch glass dish and brush some of the marinade on each side of the fillets. Allow the fish to sit and marinate at least as long as it takes to fire up the charcoal grill (about 30-45 mintues) or up to 2 hours.

2. When the grill is nice and hot, spray both sides of the fillets with canola oil spray and grill the fish for about 3 minutes on each side or until cooked to your liking. While the fish is cooking, baste each side with the remaining marinade.

3. When the fish is cooked, remove it from the heat and serve it with a brown rice pilaf and your favorite sauteed green veggie.

Other Grilled Salmon Recipes Around the Blogosphere:
Grilled Vegetable and Salmon Salad with Cashew-Tamari Dressing
Grilled Wild Salmon with Preserved Lemon Relish at Simple Recipes
Grilled Salmon with Mushrooms, Sweet Onions, and Pinot Noir Sauce at Muse in the Kitchen
Grilled Salmon Vera Cruz at Serious Eats
Grilled Salmon with Maple Syrup Glaze at Kalyn’s Kitchen

P.S. I know I found this recipe or one similar to it somewhere online, but I didn’t write down where I found it. If this resembles a recipe that you have posted, let me know and I will give credit where credit is due.

Millet is a very popular gluten free grain used in Indian and African cuisine. It has a somewhat nutty flavor and a nutritional profile that is very similar to whole wheat, making millet flour an excellent substitute in gluten free baking. It is super diverse and can be used in savory and sweet dishes. Admittedly, I’ve not taken full advantage of all the ways this wonderful grain can be used, but I’m so obsessed with it at the moment that I’m sure you will be seeing much more of it in posts to come.

So, now that I’ve gone on and on about the side dish of this meal, let me tell you that the stew itself is a healthy, comfort food knockout. I’m kind of a sucker for one pot meals with loads of veggies in them, especially when they have some sort of ethnic flare, so when I saw this recipe, I was totally on board.

The combination of millet and chickpeas contains all of your essential amino acids, so you vegans and vegetarians out there can eat this meal knowing that it is providing your body with complete proteins. Plus, with the addition of butternut squash and spinach you are getting tons of antioxidants and minerals to keep your body nourished and strong through these colder months of the year.

SPICED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CHICKPEA STEW WITH TOASTED MILLET
serves two hungry folks
adapted from a recipe by the Food Network Kitchen

For the stew:
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, small diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14.5 oz.) can crushed tomatoes (my favorite is Muir Glen Fire-Roasted)
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. cumin
1 small butternut squash, cut into 1 inch pieces (learn the easiest way to cut up a butternut squash here)
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 lemon juiced and zested
1/4 cup raisins
4 cups baby spinach
1/4 cup sliced almonds

For the millet:
1/2 cup millet
1 1/2 cups chicken stock, vegetable broth, or water
1 tsp. lemon zest
2 Tbs. raisins
salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a medium sized pot, saute the onion in olive oil over medium high heat. When it begins to soften, add the garlic. Cook for about 1 minute before adding the spices and crushed tomatoes.

2. When the cinnamon stick just begins to unfurl, add the squash, chickpeas, broth, lemon zest and raisins. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, covered, until the squash is soft, about 25 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, bring the broth for the millet to a boil in a small saucepan.

4. In a dry saute pan over high heat, toast the millet until it begins to smell nutty. Add the toasted millet to the boiling broth and lower the heat to a simmer. Add the raisins, cover, and cook for about 30 minutes or until the millet is fluffy and looks like cooked couscous. When the millet is done, stir in the lemon zest, season with salt and pepper and keep warm while you finish the stew.

5. When the squash is soft, stir in the spinach and add the lemon juice. Continue to stir the stew over low heat until the spinach is just wilted.

6. Serve the stew with the toasted millet on the side and garnish with sliced almonds.

Other Millet Recipes in the Blogosphere:
Vegan Pumpkin, Millet, and Chocolate Chip Mini-Muffins at Eat’n Veg’n
Grandma’s Grain at 101 Cookbooks
Allergen Free Pumpkin Waffles at Karina’s Kitchen
Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Espresso Cookies at Karina’s Kitchen
Millet Pie with Spinach and Feta at Serious Eats

I don’t know. For some reason, it’s always just seemed so wrong to cook stuff with a Crockpot. When I think of slow-cookery, I get visions of ‘The Golden Girls’, ‘Better Homes and Gardens’ and spiral-bound church community cookbooks, and I so don’t want to be that kind of chef. But, recently I came across some pretty hip slow-cooker recipes that inspired me to pull the ol’ Crockpot out from the depths of my pantry.

And, I’m so glad that I did!

You see, I’ve got plenty of time early in the day to prepare food, but when I come home from preparing, serving, and cleaning up dinner for someone else, the last thing I want to do is make an elaborate meal for Luke and I. Here’s where the Crockpot saves the day. I can throw everything together in the morning and have most or all of dinner made by the time I walk in the door that evening.

Believe it or not, the foundation for this recipe came from one that I found on Crockpot’s own website. The chicken came out so flavorful and so moist it was unreal. All I had to do when I came home from work was saute some kale and dinner was ready!

SLOW-COOKED AGAVE-HOISIN CHICKEN
serves four

2 huge bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
1/4 cup hoisin sauce (usually contains a very small amount of wheat)
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup mirin
1/4 cup wheat-free reduced sodium tamari
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
2 Tbs. sesame seeds

1. Place chicken in the Crockpot. Stir together agave nectar, mirin, tamari, salt, pepper, ginger, and sesame seeds. Pour the sauce over the chicken and cook on low for about 4 hours.

2. When the chicken is cooked and can easily be shredded off the bone, transfer the sauce in the Crockpot to a small saucepan. Place the sauce on the stove over medium-high heat and simmer until it reduces down to a nice sauce consistency, about 5 minutes or so.

3. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve with something green on the side.

Typically, this is what happens. After using what I need, I transfer the remaining 90% of the can into a mason jar and stick it in the fridge. At this point, it inevitably gets lost in the far reaches of the top shelf only to be re-found a month or two later with a lovely patch of penicillin right on top. I hate wasting so many wonderful organic products, but, seriously, how much tomato paste can one use in a week? Those cans should should be an ounce or two MAX, but I digress…

Most of my woes have been averted since I discovered tomato paste in a tube, but last night I made some Vegan Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream (We’ll have to get to that some other time. All I have to say is, O.M.G.), and I only used half a can of pumpkin puree. I originally had planned to make this for dinner last night, but I was kinda curried-out after having Indian food for lunch. And, then I started thinking about all those odds and ends I had floating around in the fridge and the cupboard: that half can of pumpkin, that other half can of coconut milk, those last few kale leaves, a quarter bag of my favorite rice pasta, a small square of goat gouda, and some fresh thyme.

Throwing it all together into one yummy dish was a great way to use up all those random bits and pieces of goodness. I found that this sauce was fantastic, super simple, and super quick and would ultimately be a great base to expand upon. I’m thinking in the future I may add roasted green chilies and use Mexican spices like cumin and chili powder instead of thyme and sage. Or, one could possibly adapt this to be more of a Thai dish by using some lemongrass, peanut butter, lime and tamari.

If you decide to adapt this, keep the base of onions, garlic, pumpkin and coconut milk and then experiment away! But, be sure to leave me a comment to let me know what you did and how it turned out.

Who knows, I may just have a special prize for my favorite commenter…

GLUTEN FREE PASTA WITH PUMPKIN-COCONUT MILK SAUCE AND KALE
serves 2 hungry folks

For the Sauce:
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. minced yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup shredded goat gouda cheese
1 tsp. fresh thyme, minced
1 tsp. dried sage
salt and pepper, to taste

For the Kale:
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
5 kale leaves, sliced into thin ribbons
salt and crushed red pepper, to taste

1/4 pkg. Tinkyada Penna, Fusilli, or Spiral Pasta, cooked according to pkg. instructions
chopped hazelnuts, for garnish

1. For the Sauce: Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes or until very soft. Stir in the pumpkin and just heat it through. Slowly add in the coconut milk and stir until you’ve got a nice, thick, smooth sauce. Add the goat gouda, herbs, salt and pepper and reduce heat to low. Cover the pan and keep warm while making the kale.

2. For the Kale: In a saute pan, heat the oil over high heat. Saute the garlic until it just starts to brown and add the kale. Season with a bit of salt and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring often, until the kale is wilted, but still bright green, about 3-5 minutes.

3. To Complete the Dish: Stir the kale into the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the cooked noodles and garnish with chopped hazelnuts.

Other Savory Pumpkin and Winter Squash Dishes to Check Out:

Vegan Pumpkin Tortilla Soup at The Kitchn
Warm Pumpkin Salad with Polenta and Candied Pumpkin Seeds at Epicurious
Spicy Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce at MarthaStewart.com
Curried Roasted Butternut Squash Hummus and Pumpkin Tofu Scramble at HaveCakeWillTravel