Sweet Potato, Zucchini and Leek Frittata

Frittatas are usually a simple and pleasing way to create a filling and nourishing breakfast or dinner with whatever greens you would possibly have on hand. With a beautiful golden-orange nearby sweet potato sitting within the pantry and a pleasant fresh leek and zucchini within the crisper, it became hardly a second's thought to put them all together in this lovely thick and sturdy oven-baked egg pie. Thin slices of fried sweet potato have a satisfying sweet creaminess that contrasts fantastically with the mild crunch of gently saut?Ed zucchini. Seasoned with the easy flavors of salt, pepper and a spray of fresh thyme, this is a fantastic autumn-themed frittata.

The aggregate of greens for this frittata is pretty pleasing, however in case you don't have a leek handy you could replacement a sliced onion for a slightly sharper taste.

Other frittatas from my kitchen:

Jalape?O Frittata

Greek Feta & Olive Frittata

Potato, Onion and Stilton Frittata

Fennel and Grape Tomato Frittata with Goat Cheese

Indian-Spiced Squash, Pear and Adzuki Bean Soup with Lightly Braised Mixed Mushrooms

A as a substitute new to me idea within the kitchen is which include fruit in soups intended to be served as a part of a main direction meal. Though I have been cooking for years and experimenting with various strategies, substances and mixtures, fruit in a savory soup just did not appear right. Much like my preliminary aversion to eggplant, a touch studies and trying out ended in combinations that have graced and maintain to grace my desk. The reactions of my visitors verify my own new evaluation of such soups, like this one employing the usage of nourishing seasonal squash and pears, in addition to a preceding favorite, pear soup with homemade raspberry sorbet.

Squash is evidently sweet, especially whilst roasted to honestly bring out that goodness that pairs so well with a variety of spice combos and, in this situation, some beans and pears. No extra sweetener wished here. This stylish side is more filling than you might suppose and served with a rustic brief bread for dinner, you without problems have a complete meal. Everyone present became satisfied for hours, actually.

More adzuki bean recipes you're certain to revel in from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:

Adzuki Croquettes and Spicy Sesame Sauce

Spicy Adzuki Beans with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Mushrooms

Yunnan Stir-Fried Azuki Beans and Green Pepper

On the top of the reading stack: 1,000 Indian Recipes by Neelam Batra

Audio Accompaniment: Lazy Sunday Funerals through Marsen Jules

Roasted Butternut Squash & Cannellini Bean Soup with Spices and Toasted Pistachios

Local squashes and pumpkins are in season now, and I like to inventory the pantry cabinets with a small collection of those attractive gourds ? They keep see you later, and it's just someway comforting to have them round just in case you need to make easy cold climate vegetable fare like this colorful, nourishing and gently spiced soup. Roasting the butternut squash earlier than including to the soup enhances the flavor of the sweet orange flesh in place of turning it bland and watery, and the addition of pur?Ed cannellini beans lends heartiness and creaminess. And a scattering of crunchy toasted pistachio pieces is the right taste and texture end within the mouth at the cease of a spoonful.

Other fall and iciness soups from my kitchen:

Cranberry Wild Rice Soup

Red Bean and Squash Soup

Split Pea and Mushroom Soup

Curry-Laced Pumpkin and Potato Soup

Indian-Style Roasted Squash Curry

Making appropriate use of seasonal vegetables is an important element of my culinary adventures. Squash is my cutting-edge fetish and for some reason, in the past, I even have alternatively left out this wholesome and flexible veggie. Funny that as my brother, who used to eat no extra than about 5 or 6 different things as a toddler and could experience potatoes but infrequently some other vegetable ? Pretty literally ? Surely took to squash whilst he improved his repertoire of "suitable for eating" food. Myself, I become no longer surely a choosy eater besides while it came to meat and fish, so I bet it's miles no wonder that I have been a vegetarian for over 20 years now.

Squash is not best true for you, however unexpected filling too, greater so than most vegetables that seem on my desk. Most lately I were making soups with squash however this time around I desired a alternatively dry hot curry squash dish to serve with a mattress of rice and green peas. The only factor lacking for this meal changed into a few savory flatbreads that I did no longer get round to making. Do don't forget the usage of candy dumpling squash if you can find it. Now a fave of mine, it tastes lots like pumpkin, more than maximum squashes I even have attempted.

Roasting the squash enables preserve the nutrients and brings out the natural sweetness. You may additionally even desire to apply a pumpkin in place of the squash varieties I endorse right here as this curry might turn out simply as properly.

More delightful squash recipes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:

Roasted Butternut Squash & Cannellini Bean Soup with Spices and Toasted Pistachios

White Bean and Mushroom Soup with Butternut Squash and Kale

Butternut Squash Sambar

Roasted Butternut Squash and Herbed Cannellini and Artichokes with Fennel and Parsley Salad

Indian-Style Black-Eyed Peas with Roasted Squash

This alternatively quick and smooth curry is a super manner to take gain of wintry weather squash and a terrific excuse to turn on the oven to warm up. There is a healthy dose of vitamins in this dish and plenty of spice to help therapy ailments that's surely vital this month as the colds which might be going around are maximum chronic certainly.

Roasting the squash no longer only adds a few warmth on your kitchen but additionally brings out the herbal sweetness of this valuable vegetable. More so than years past, I were exploring and playing various kinds of squash. I am nonetheless amazed how filling it's far, particularly when paired with beans and grains.

Serve with rice and savory Indian flatbreads or, as I did, cooked quinoa for a now not so traditional pairing but genuinely your frame will thanks either manner. Lots of goodness in the meal and that is simply what this time of 12 months requires. Also a terrific choice on your excursion tables as properly. I am especially smitten with the combination and quantity of spices on this dish, however of direction, feel unfastened to modify thus to suit your palate.

More squash recipes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:

Indian-Spiced Squash, Pear and Adzuki Bean Soup with Lightly Braised Mixed Mushrooms

Roasted Butternut Squash and Herbed Cannellini and Artichokes with Fennel and Parsley Salad

Red Bean and Squash Soup

Indian-Style Roasted Squash Curry

Roasted Squash with Tahini and Za'atar

If you enjoy roasted winter vegetables as much as I do and the tastes of the Middle East, then this recipe really needs no introduction. Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi's latest book Jerusalem , this substantial and easy-to-prepare vegetarian main is an ideal nutty and earthy dish with a most pleasing layering of creamy textures and flavors to warm up the kitchen and the diners at the table. Serve anytime of year with your favorite variety of seasonal squash to nourish the body and mind.

Zahtar, a wonderfully tangy, zesty and salty combination of herbs, spices, seeds and nuts that's quite hearty and frequently served with olive oil lined bread, is straightforward to prepare at home and keeps for numerous months if saved in the fridge in a properly-sealed glass box.

Other Middle Eastern recipes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:

Zahtar (Dukkah)

Turkish Black-Eyed Pea Salad with Pomegranate, Walnuts and Zahtar Dressing

Ash-e Anar (Persian Split Pea and Pomegranate Soup)

Mesopotamian Barley, Chickpea, Lentil, Tahini Soup

Pumpkin Gingerbread Waffles

There's nothing lots greater enjoyable on a chilly winter morning than a warm cup of coffee and a massive clean-cooked pumpkin gingerbread waffle hot out of the iron and smothered with butter and heat maple syrup. The heavenly aroma of these waffles toasting on the griddle iron might be well worth the problem of making them by myself. Once they're on the plate, you may want to delight in the mild and chewy feeling for your mouth and permit the impossible to resist flavors of darkish molasses and gingerbread spices linger for your tongue for so long as you may. These might be the tastiest waffles you may have ever eaten!

Other pancake and waffle ideas:

Spiced Pumpkin Waffles

Ginger Molasses Pancakes with Mixed Dried Fruit

Buckwheat and Molasses Pancakes

Pumpkin and Carrot Split Lentil Soup

It's soup season and just in time a new cookbook arrived at my door that I can't wait to explore in more depth. Great Homemade Soups: A Cook's Collection by Paul Gayler ought to keep me going all year round when I'm in the mood for soup, whether it be a cold wintery day or a sweltering hot one.

It truly is a soups masterclass and everything you ever need to know about the basics are pretty much covered in the book, complete with gorgeous photos and gourmet soups that are far easier to make than they look. Learn all about making perfect stocks, garnishes and toppings, and refined and subtle broths. Consommes, smooth and creamy bowls of goodness, hearty and wholesome, wild and exotic and traditional and chilled too are on the menu. And not only do we get Chef Gayler's expert instructions and recipes, he also features some choice soups from fellow chefs. Over 100 nourishing soups from around the world are served up with distinction and they won't break your grocery budget either.

As the chef notes, making a fantastic soup is an art and often the cook's reputation is on the line when soup is served up. There really is no reason to be apprehensive about soup making though, and with a few tips and some basic kitchen tools you'll wonder why you ever bought canned and pre-prepared soups.

Being autumn and pumpkin time, the first soup I tried and adapted was a carrot soup with seven spices that I turned into a creamy pumpkin soup with some toor dal added for some additional nutrients and texture. Toor dal can be found at any Indian grocery store but if you can't find it or don't have it on hand, feel free to use channa dal or yellow split peas instead. For that matter, any lentil you fancy would be lovely in this soup or leave them out entirely if you choose.

I've also got my sights on a Chestnut and Fennel Soup with Sherry and Goat's Curd Gougeres, Moroccan Vegetable Soup with Green Harissa and Couscous, Creamed Wild Mushroom Soup with Cocoa and Black Bean Soup with Salsa Sofrito to name just a few of the mouthwatering bowls of goodness waiting to be simmered up.

This giveaway is now closed.And now some exciting news for my readers: I am offering a copy of Great Homemade Soups to one lucky winner in Canada or the US. Though the book does include meat and fish, vegetarians and vegans alike will find plenty of fantastic ideas to grace their tables and, with some tweaking, many of the recipes that aren't vegetarian can be adapted for your diet.

All you need to do is leave a comment on this post, citing your favorite soup. If you don't have a blog or a contact associated with your webpage, please make sure you leave an email address in the comment section so I can contact you should you win the cookbook. It would also be nice if you followed my facebook page, but it isn't necessary to enter the giveaway. This giveaway will run until November 1st and then I will randomly choose a winner.

Note: I received a complimentary copy of the book for possible review and the opportunity to offer a giveaway to my readers. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This is my contribution to October's No Croutons Required Challenge, hosted by Jac this month. The theme is smooth blended soups and I think this just fits right for the seasonal change.

I'm also sharing this with Ricki's Wellness Weekend.

More puréed soups you are sure to enjoy from Lisa's Kitchen:

Toor Dal Soup with Sweet Potato, Dried Apricots and Coconut Milk

Indian Style Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Roasted Butternut Squash & Cannellini Bean Soup with Spices and Toasted Pistachios

Roasted Beet Soup with Roasted Parsnip and Carrot Purées

On the top of the reading stack: The Great Vegan Bean Book: More than 100 Delicious Plant-Based Dishes Packed with the Kindest Protein in Town! - Includes Soy-Free and Gluten-Free Recipes! by Kathy Hester

Audio Accompaniment: Marsen Jules

Refried Beans with Pumpkin

Refried beans are considered one of my favourite meals to serve up and after I noticed Janet's tackle a classic that protected pumpkin, I knew I simply needed to try her pumpkin-infused refried beans. And I'm absolutely glad I did. I spiced my dish up and made up a huge batch because leftover refried beans are constantly a treat too. The pumpkin taste comes out in a subtle however awesome way that without a doubt goes nicely with the pinto beans and spice combo I used. Serve them up as a dip or as a filling for wraps, crowned with some warm sauce and sour cream if desired, or along a bed of grains, inclusive of quinoa or rice. I served mine up with some jalape?O sauce and a few quinoa desserts.

On the subject of pumpkin, when it is in season, it?S clean to make your very own pumpkin pur?E at domestic to save for destiny use when you have sufficient freezer area. Buy a fairly big pumpkin, cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and membranes, cut once more in halves, brush with some oil and roast in a preheated 400?F oven for 35 to 50 minutes or till fork smooth. When cool, clearly scoop out the pumpkin and mash it up till clean. Store inside the freezer in sealed bags in 1 cup quantities for future use.

Don?T overlook to order those seeds. You can roast them for an easy, addictive and healthful snack.

More pinto bean ideas from Lisa's Kitchen:

Refried Beans with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Southern-Style Beans with Rice and Fried Eggplant

Pinto Bean and Avocado Burritos

Corn and Pinto Bean Dip

On the pinnacle of the studying stack: The Birds, by Daphne du Maurier

Audio Accompaniment: Marsen Jules

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Though I am now not a vegan, many of my foremost meals are free of dairy. I do but have a weakness for cheese and now and again I will indulge. I will also admit a weak spot for lasagna on uncommon occasions ? The event this time become a want to satisfy an urge after receiving a cookbook for possible evaluation.

This delightfully cheesy Provençal roasted vegetable lasagna is adapted from Cooking Inspired by Estee Kafra. After leafing through a copy of her book, I was immediately seduced by the beautiful photos throughout. When I got to the lasagnas in the book, I was sold on the idea of a cheesy meal. Craving comfort food, I had a difficult time deciding which one I wanted to try first, but I went with this one because of the number of vegetables included and I happen to adore ricotta and goat cheese. The result was a very lush lasagna with complex and competing flavors.

Ms. Kafra's e book is all about "bringing creativity and passion back into the kitchen". All of the recipes are kosher friendly, and selected from KosherScoop.Com. There are many gluten-unfastened recipes and ones for Passover too that are without problems recognized. Over two hundred recipes are fantastically presented, whole with snap shots, maximum of which might be taken via the writer. You absolutely don't have to be Jewish to revel in this book. Alas, it is not vegetarian, but there are plenty of offerings for vegetarians and some that vegans could revel in too. It is a refreshing innovative adventure illustrating the relationship among the senses, pals and own family, healthy residing and unique activities to food. Certainly I changed into stimulated to get innovative in my personal kitchen.

As constantly, the opinions expressed right here about this ebook are my own.

Notes: I made my own tomato sauce for this lasagna as I figured that if I was going to treat myself, the experience could only be enhanced with a homemade sauce. The original recipe called for the inclusion of 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes to be stirred into the roasted vegetables with the olives and capers. Instead, I made a Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce. This time, I changed my sauce a bit. I used a small shallot instead of a large onion, I added about 6 fresh mushrooms, adding them to the pan after sautéing the shallot, ginger and carrot, and omitted the chili flakes and used 1/2 teaspoon each of basil, thyme and oregano instead. I still included a jalapeño for a bit of heat.

More lasagna recipes you're sure to revel in from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:

Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna

Asparagus Pesto Lasagna with Mushrooms

Ricotta Pesto and Mushroom Lasagna

On the top of the reading stack: Rawsome Vegan Baking: An Un-cookbook for Raw, Gluten-Free, Vegan, Beautiful and Sinfully Sweet Cookies, Cakes, Bars & Cupcakes by Emily von Euw

Audio Accompaniment: silence

Potato, Pepper and Zucchini Skillet Hash with Pinto Beans

Hashes are a outstanding way to deplete veggies which might be about to expire for need of any other use, and they may be a marvelously simple method to breakfast, lunch or dinner in the absence of every other plans. Fried potatoes are a clean canvas upon which any quantity of various ingredients and flavors may be tossed with almost with out reserve ? Veggies, vegetables, beans, eggs, cheese, herbs, spices, and many others. Here neighborhood vegetables shine and you can want to include some sparkling corn.

This potato, pepper, zucchini and pinto bean hash was a great achievement, and elicited cries of envy from my husband's co-employees while he introduced the leftovers in for lunch. It's also a extremely good way to apply leftover cooked beans ? Simply replacement 1 cup of cooked beans for the dried beans inside the recipe under. Of route, any type of bean may be used in a hash, but preserving with the Mexican-fashion spicing in this model I suppose that pinto or red kidney beans might work quality.

Other skillet hashes from my kitchen:

Potato-tempeh hash browns with salsa

Black and inexperienced bean corn hash

Quinoa breakfast hash

On the pinnacle of the analyzing stack: various cookbooks

Audio Accompaniment: silence

Savory Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins

Sweetened only with a touch honey, those lightly spiced pumpkin and cornmeal muffins are absolutely at the savory facet. They are delightfully wet, with a modest attractive crunch from the cornmeal. Because they are not very candy, they're ideal to go together with food in region of rolls or bread. I loved them with highly spiced curries and soups. They are pleasing of their very own right though, so considering having one as a part of your breakfast or for a morning or afternoon snack with tea or espresso. Did I point out that these are vegan, clean to make, and an amazing way to heat up the kitchen? And the aroma whilst they're baking is heavenly.

Other recipes proposing cornmeal from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:

Quick and Easy Cornbread Muffins

Classic Cornbread with Brown Rice

Crusted Cornmeal Chickpea Potpie

Cornmeal-Oat-Quinoa Pancakes with Dried Cherries

Quick and Easy Pumpkin Molasses Chocolate Chip Bread - Vegan

Moist and fragrant, this pumpkin and molasses bread studded with dark chocolate chips isn't always handiest easy to put together, but it additionally occurs to be vegan. I don't consume eggs, so it truly is a bonus because they're not often to be seen in my kitchen. I loaded up on pumpkins even as in season, roasted and bagged up and iced up a healthy amount of pur?E for future use. So of direction, lots of pumpkin has been making its way into my major dishes and baked items, and this pleasurable bread is one such instance.

I want to bake and cook, however cleanup is not my preferred chore, so the fewer dishes dirtied, the merrier the chef. Only one bowl is wanted to turn out a loaf, along side a few utensils and a loaf pan. The bread is high-quality for breakfast, and because it's fairly sweet, can satisfy an after dinner longing for dessert too.

Other brief breads to strive from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:

Kalamata Olive Bread with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Peanut Butter Loaf with Dates and Prunes

Cornbread with Brown Rice

Moist Chocolate Date Cake

Vegetarian Pumpkin Chili with Azuki Beans, Barley and Mushrooms

Vegetarian chili is a comforting, warming and nourishing one-pot meal for which I by no means tire of exploring new thoughts ? Nor do my husband and I rarely tire of eating, particularly throughout the bloodless months. Despite the relative simplicity of chili, at instances the infinite number of versions at the subject can be forgotten.

Chili is virtually a top notch practice dish because chili recipes usually yield an awesome quantity, hold well, and are a splendid manner to burn up any vegetables nearing the stop in their shelf existence. But chili is likewise an suitable for eating canvas to get dressed up with whatever suits your fancy.

Now adding pumpkin isn't an exceptional idea for vegetarian chilies, but this fall has delivered about an especial indulgence for roasting and ingesting lots of pumpkin, and I love the wealthy creaminess it lends to chili similarly to the greater nourishment. Red kidney beans are a staple of vegetarian and non-vegetarian chili recipes, but this time around I decided to apply sweet little crimson azuki beans that pass so nicely with pumpkin. Chewy nutty-tasting pearl barley blanketed in the blend adds a first-rate assessment in texture to the smoothness of the cooked beans and pumpkin and the crunchiness of peppers, carrots and celery.

I like my chili thick and creamy, and I adore it warm and spicy, however it is easy sufficient to feature greater water or inventory to skinny it out extremely ? Mainly preserve this in mind the following day if reheating because the chili thickens up because it rests within the fridge in a single day. The spices and seasonings can also be adjusted, brought or discarded in step with flavor, however if you don't already have liquid smoke accessible then I could endorse that some drops does lend a awesome intensity and flavor to this and nearly any other chili. Red kidney beans or maybe black beans can absolutely be used in place of the azuki beans for a chunk extra of a hearty chili experience. Really, this recipe is a report of a chili that I specially enjoyed making and consuming, however it's also supposed as an notion ? The opportunities for vegetarian chili are as countless as the creativeness of the cook dinner.

Other vegetarian chili recipes to try from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:

Vegetarian Three Bean Chili with a Cashew-Pistachio Sauce

Vegetarian Chili with Kidney Beans, Black Beans and Rye Berries

Kidney Bean Pumpkin Chili

Jamaican-Style Jerk Chili with Chickpeas and Quinoa

Creamy Peanut Butter Chickpea & Squash Curry

Though I include nearly each legume with open palms and a hungry tummy, my pantry being a concrete overflowing testomony to that statement, if I surely needed to choose a favorite, say a wilderness island vital, I might say buttery gentle, plump, and infinitely versatile chickpeas are always a attention on the subject of meal planning.

Spice them up, mash them up, make them into hummus, little bites, even desserts, one among my latest experiments was a fusion-fashion dish that also features peanut butter for additonal protein and legume goodness.

If you have not used peanut butter in a savory dish before, you're lacking out. The texture, creaminess and protein count is unrivaled. Squash fills things out well right here, and no longer to be missed are the spices, red pepper and sprinkling of fresh cilantro and zesty lime.

Other savory dishes featuring peanut butter:

Peanut Butter Rice

Nigerian Baked Beans

Sweet Fried Plantains and Coconut-Peanut Butter Sauce

Nigerian Red Kidney Bean Stew with a Peanut Sauce

Vegan Morning Glory Muffins

Not every body greet the morning as an excellent event, however those desserts live as much as the promise of a wonderful morning and are sure to embellish even the most dismal awakenings. Delectably wet and spiced up like a pumpkin pie, masses of textures and flavors are present in these multi-layered bites of goodness. Nutty undertones mingle with the fragrant spices, at the same time as the herbal sweetness of the fruit and pumpkin tantalizes the palate in a gentle and soothing way. Walnuts upload a chunk of crunch to finish the experience. Each small chunk is a pleasure. Serving one up with a cup of tea or espresso is a wholesome way to begin your morning or revel in for a morning or afternoon snack.

Complimented by way of nutty undertones and herbal sweetness from the fruit, these beauties are wet with a piece of earthy crunch from walnuts, natural sweetness from pineapple, apple, raisins and coconut.

Other muffin recipes to experience from Lisa's Kitchen:

Classic Blueberry Muffins

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Muffins

Spiced Pear Muffins

Savory Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins

South Indian Squash Poriyal

Poriyals or palyas are spicy South Indian saut?Ed vegetable dishes, pretty frequently featuring grated coconut. They are smooth to prepare and an excellent choice for a meal calling out for a aspect vegetable dish. This poriyal is particularly easy to make and delightfully sweet and highly spiced. I went with acorn squash for this dish, but any wintry weather squash might work equally as nicely. Consider the usage of pumpkin chunks when it is available regionally.

Other poriyals from Lisa's Kitchen:

Green Bean Poriyal

Cabbage Poriyal

Stuffed Eggplant Poriyal

Chickpea Mixed Vegetable Poriyal

Spicy Thai Pumpkin Noodle Soup

I got here to Thai cooking many years later after studying Indian cooking, however now I experience the bright and precise warm, sweet and sour fragrances and flavors of Thai soups and curries nearly as much. I maintain a jar of selfmade vegetarian Thai red curry paste on hand inside the fridge at all times to make placing soups like these collectively a snap.

Like most of my Thai soups, this soup functions mushrooms ? Mushrooms are a favourite of mine and flavor delicious swimming in a spicy coconut milk broth ? However additionally rice noodles for texture and heartiness. Pumpkin pur?E added to the broth lends sweetness and a intensity of flavor to make this soup the sort that your visitors will pass again for seconds.

Other Thai soups to experience from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:

Thai-Inspired Sweet Potato Kidney Bean Soup

Creamy Thai Coconut Mushroom Soup

Quick and Easy Thai Coconut Soup with Mushrooms and Mixed Vegetables

Thai Red Curry Vegetable Soup