Butternut Squash, Chorizo and Polenta

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 package polenta, cubed
2 veggie chorizo sausages, diced
2 Tbsp fresh salsa
olive oil

Roast the butternut squash cubes for 25 minutes, or until tender. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a pan and pan-fry the polenta cubes over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until browned. Repeat the process in a different pan with the chorizo. Once everything is ready, add the chorizo and the squash to the polenta, add salsa and stir. Eat hot.

Notes: I used the chorizo recipe from Vegan Brunch, with dark kidney beans, a chipotle pepper in adobo and some fennel. The polenta was homemade, too, and it came out a little mushy, but the flavors in this more than make up for it.

Amazing Vegan Butternut-Polenta Lasagna

This is a remix of this recipe, made almost entirely with freezer staples and a few assists from the lovely folks at Gateway Market.



1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
8 oz. frozen chopped greens
8 oz. sliced mushrooms

Prep: heat the olive oil. Add the onion, mushrooms and greens and saute for 5-10 minutes, or until wilty and darkened.

2 cups pureed butternut squash
1-2 dashes nutmeg

Prep: mix squash puree with nutmeg and 2-3 Tbsp of the vegan white sauce (recipe follows).

1 block silken tofu
1 4-oz. container vegan pesto (or sachet of dry pesto mix)

Prep: Mash tofu. Add pesto. Stir.

1 block polenta
marinara sauce

Prep: Slice the polenta very thinly (these will be your 'noodles.' You can, of course, use no-boil lasagna noodles as well).

Vegan white sauce:
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1/2 cup light coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup raw cashews
1 tsp veggie bouillon powder
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper

Prep: Blend.

Assemble the lasagna. I generally like to keep the reddish-orange stuff together and the greenish stuff together, so you might do something like this:

polenta 'noodles'
marinara
squash puree
polenta 'noodles'
tofu-pesto mash
greens & mushrooms
white sauce

Repeat this pattern as often as necessary. Top with marinara and a drizzle of the white sauce. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Curried Tempeh-Seaweed Salad Sandwiches

The inspiration for this comes from the Chickpea-Hijiki Salad Sammiches from Vegan with a Vengeance, but tweaked to fit the ingredients I had on hand. Delish.

1 package tempeh, steamed
1/2 cup shredded carrot
2-3 Tbsp minced onion
1 Tbsp dried hijiki
1 Tbsp dulse flakes (optional)
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsp wasabi paste (optional, but tasty!)
2-3 Tbsp sweet pickle relish
3 Tbsp vegan mayo (recipe below)

Cover the hijiki in boiling water for 10 minutes to rehydrate. Using your fingers, crumble the tempeh. Mix everything together. Refrigerate for a bit if desired. Otherwise, smear on bread and nom!

Note: I steam the tempeh right in its package. You could also microwave for a few minutes it to achieve the same effect.

***

Vegan Mayo
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1 cup silken tofu
1 clove garlic, grated or very finely minced
1/4 tsp black salt
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 tsp stone-ground mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp capers (optional, but tasty!)

Blend together until very smooth.

***

Ingredient notes: Dried hijiki is a black, slightly fishy-tasting seaweed. I forget where I got mine, but Campbell's and/or Double Dragon are pretty good bets. The dulse flakes also have a slight fishy flavor. I got mine in the bulk section at Campbell's. Black salt (which, confusingly, is pink) can be found at Namaste Indian grocery. It imparts an uncannilyre eggy taste to the mayo.