Squash & Carrot Casserole

So, am I in violation of any copyright laws if I tell you this dish is really, really, really fricking "mmmm mmmm good"?

Same old story: I had some produce--squash, in this case--that needed to be thrown into a pot and cooked; I did an Internet search and found a recipe that would suffice on About.com's "Southern Food" section. Suffice? Suffice? How about completely exceed my taste buds' expectations?

Seriously. The recipe I found was called "Summer Squash Casserole." If the title reminds you of my recent blogs' discussion of summer dishes versus winter dishes, keep in mind it's only called a "summer" casserole because the yellow squash it uses traditionally could not be stored until winter. In actuality, it's a very warm casserole that I think would best be served during a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

I only had two crookneck squash ready to cook, so I actually abridged all the ingredient amounts and made a "mini"-casserole, which I put in a 9" pie pan. I replaced the recipe's call for cream of chicken soup with a can of cream of celery soup, and added in 1/4 cup of sliced mushrooms. I actually upped the amount of butter and onion, and seasoned the filling with Italian seasoning, pepper, and a hint of garlic powder. The recipe also calls for just one half of a stuffing mix, but I used a whole box of Kraft's "Savory Herbs" Stovetop stuffing mix, and in my pie pan, it was a good amount. Also, I feel that any casserole is just naked without cheese, so I sprinkled sliced mozzarella on top of the last layer and then added grated Parmesan.

So after altering the recipe so drastically, did I regret it? Not at all. In fact, I can honestly say I wouldn't change a thing. I was curious as to what the uncooked stuffing mix would be like, and it was the perfect seasoned crust to a soft, gooey, warm casserole filling. I definitely almost ate half of this sweet dish in one sitting, after questioning if I'd even like it!

This is also, by the way, my favorite squash recipe to date. If I had to choose between this and the stuffed squash previously featured in this blog, I would hands-down choose squash and carrot casserole.

When making this, be generous with your seasoning, your grated carrots (seriously, they get muffled in the sauce), and add that cheese!! Mushrooms optional--I thought they tasted great, but, after looking on the Internet, I didn't find any other squash/carrot combo that featured mushrooms, so maybe those are just my own weird tastebuds...

Also, my apologies for how blurry the picture is. I took it on my phone, and didn't realize until after the casserole was 75% devoured that the camera hadn't been still enough to get a good shot! Guess it smelled too good for me to pause...

Unique Veggie Casserole

It was a mistake. Well, lots of mistakes. But all good ones.

I had about an hour of free time this morning--only an hour. This week has been consistently tiring and fast-paced, and my cooking time has suffered because of my busy holiday schedule. So after I had to throw away a whole package of neglected baby bella mushrooms, I looked at the amount of produce in the refrigerator and said, "Sunday morning, I have to wake up early and use some of this, before it's all wasted."

I had two large eggplants and four squash begging to be cooked, so I used AllRecipes's ingredient search and found Easy Eggplant Dish, which could definitely be prepared and cooked in an hour. Glancing over it, I thought I had all the ingredients and set about dicing the eggplants and squash. To my fellow vegan cooks, a piece of advice about dicing and cubing vegetables. There are some, such as zucchini and leek, that need to be diced into bigger portions to maintain the taste; others, like eggplant squash, can be chopped into miniscule bits and still suffice for a recipe.

To clear out my refrigerator, I had decided to double the ingredients, and, to my dismay, I realized I had only half a cup of sliced mozzarella cheese, which is what the recipe initially called for, but I thought that since I was doubling the ingredients, I ought to double the cheesy topping, too. We had four other kinds of cheese--American slices, shredded Swiss, grated Parmesan, and blocks of cream cheese--so I crumbled two slices of American cheese and filled the rest of the desired one cup portion with Swiss and Parmesan. My bartending personality came out a bit--I shook the different cheeses in a cup to mix them well, the same as one would do with a cocktail shaker. The result was very pleasing! I had worried the Swiss might overwhelm the recipe, but the four-cheese mix just tasted excellent, with no particular flavor distinguishing itself from the other cheeses. I do think mozzarella alone would have been satisfying, and I would recommend using more cheese than the recipe calls for. After all, who ever heard of having too much cheese?

I also discovered that I only had one onion in the pantry, where I needed at least two in order to double the ingredients. However, I had a lone red bell pepper in the refrigerator, waiting to be used, and decided, "Why not compensate for the lack of onion by adding another uniquely tasting ingredient?" I actually think a yellow bell pepper would have complemented the recipe better, but as it was, the red made it just pop deliciously. (A side note...why is it that those pesky, meat-eating, live-in boyfriends can't ever use groceries you don't use in 99% of your recipes, i.e., onions and mozzarella cheese?! Why don't they take some of the damned crookneck squash off your hands ever?!) Another side note: I made few other adjustments to the recipe--I used bread crumbs with Italian seasoning, added in oregano and salt, and instead of buttery crackers, I crumbled up Toppers Garlic & Herb crackers.

So, how did this messy recreation of "Easy Eggplant Dish" turn out? Very un-eggplanty, which might make it more appetizing for omnivore company, who for some reason often seem to think eating eggplant is the same as swallowing rat poison. With the green chiles, the recipe was certainly spicy and did not need any pepper added. I would describe it as seasoned, spicy, and filling, and, thanks to the crumbs, textured. However, I felt that the presence of the bread crumbs and the crackers was almost overwhelming--the next time I make this dish, and I can see myself making it again, I will use smaller portions. I feel like this could easily be turned into a nice casserole, maybe by using cream of mushroom soup. The bell pepper was an excellent addition, and I actually think that adding a chopped leek and a chopped carrot would also be enjoyable. My biggest regret about the recipe is not cooking it with minced garlic; although the recipe didn't make the suggestion, I believe that's the ingredient this dish is really missing.

A suggestion: make this dish as a side for dinner some night. Soup, green beans, and carrots would all accompany this well and make for a very filling and interesting meal--with a casserole-like dish that's very, yes, unique.

Stuffed Squash

So small, and yet so filling, and so delicious. Stuffed squash is another recipe I found from AllRecipes. About a month ago, I found this recipe and thought to myself, "Do I even like squash?" Although growing up with nightly homemade meals straight from my parents' vegetable gardens, I couldn't remember ever eating squash. I'm sure that, like asparagus, it was one other food item I turned down, having never tried, only to discover in adulthood how delicious it really is.

When first trying the recipe out, I bought two typical yellow crooked neck summer squash, although if you do an Internet search for stuffed squash recipes, you'll find that acorn, pattypan, and spaghetti squash are all commonly substituted. And instead of ricotta cheese, I used mozzarella. On neither occasion have I used the "optional" jar of spaghetti sauce the recipe recommends, but I have to say, it would complement this dish awesomely, as it is a very pasta-tasting meal.

The recipe is extremely easy to make; neither time preparing it have I had any issues except I do up the seasoning quite a bit. Even after it's been cooked, I sprinkle more ground pepper on for flavor. After all, you're eating squash and spinach, here, folks...hell, give it a little spice! I'll never forget my first time trying this. I was sitting in the kitchen alone, cautiously raising the fork to my knife, afraid to offer my boyfriend a piece of this dish because I didn't know what squash tasted like and was afraid he'd hate it. And then...mmmmmmmmmmm! I couldn't believe how delicious it was--and how guilty I felt when I realized I was going to devour all of the squash before I could offer him some. So, last night was his first sampling of the stuffed squash, and he, too, became a fan. We finished off the rest of it today. A word of wisdom for anyone cooking this--play around with AllRecipes serving adjuster. It says it makes eight servings (really more like 16), so if you're just making it for two people, cut that way down. This dish is extremely hearty and filling, and believe it or not, you won't need any appetizers or sides.

Having mentioned my boyfriend, with whom I not only live, but often share my tribulations in vegetarian cooking, I'd like to introduce him formally to this blog. His name is Ty, and unlike me, Ty eats meat. Like many meat-eaters, he sees vegetarian cuisine as bland, flavorless, and unfilling--or just plain nasty. He has grown to love some of my recipes--a veggie medley on garlic bread, a New Orleans style rice dish, a cauliflower bake, and my cheesecake. But like most meat-eaters, it's hard to get him to try something that has soy products (imitation meat) or tofu in it. And sometimes I just offer him the wrong damn recipes; for example, one of my earliest feats was a baked eggplant dish. Ty tasted it and immediately crinkled his face. Apparently, he's not the biggest fan of eggplant.

So in writing "Herbivores Anonymous," I promise you, I will occasionally mention some recipes that are OMNIVORE-FRIENDLY. Stuffed squash may not satisfy the taste buds of someone who likes, say, sloppy Joes and Big Macs. But for anyone health-conscious, this is will be a delight. Also, any meat-eaters who have a refined palette or enjoy some good hearty vegetables will enjoy this, though they may want to cut their serving in half and put it next to a meat dish.

Which reminds me, when are they going to make a good meatless country ham? I've tried the sliced soy ham you can find next to the tofu in the produce section, and I'm unsatisfied...