This is a modified version of the vegetarian stuffing that James’ Mom, Eleanor, made this year for Thanksgiving. The original version is available at www.Greatist.com.

Butternut Kale Stuffing

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 white onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 pound butternut squash, cubed
• 2 turnips, cubed
• 1 bunch kale, chopped
• 4 cups vegetables broth
• 2 eggs; Note: For vegan preparation, omit or use equivalent egg-substitute
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend
• 1/2 cup chopped chestnuts
• 6 cups bread crumbs; Note: If preparing gluten-free, try making crumbs out of Winter Squash Cornbread or other gluten-free bread
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and saute celery, onion, and garlic until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
2. Add squash and turnips to the saute and continue to cook until the squash begins to become tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Add kale to the top of the saute and cover the pot. Lower heat to medium until the kale wilts, about three minutes, then remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Prepare the stuffing by mixing breadcrumbs and chestnuts in the bottom of a large baking dish. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add the vegetable saute to the top of the breadcrumb mixture.
6. In a medium bowl, combine vegetable stock with eggs (or egg substitute equivalent), and  Italian seasoning blend. When the eggs are thoroughly combined pour the mixture over the stuffing.
7. Place the stuffing in the oven and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.

Rutabagas, also called swedes, are a mildly bitter root vegetable that are a cross between turnips and cabbage. They are great mashed and are lower in calories and carbohydrates than potatoes.

Rutabaga Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds rutabaga, peeled and cubed
• 3 medium white potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary
• 2 tablespoons non-margarine butter substitute
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1.  Boil rutabaga and potatoes in a large pot until tender, about 20 minutes
2. drain the vegetables and transfer to a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher or in a mixing bowl with garlic, rosemary, non-margarine butter substitute, and stock.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Serve warm with mushroom or walnut gravy.

Sweet Potato Gratin with Kale Salad

Ingredients

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes,  peeled and sliced in 1/4-inch thick slices
• 1 cup walnuts
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 cup vegetables stock, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup gluten-free bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Preparation

1. In a blender, combine walnuts, garlic, almond milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup vegetables stock until smooth, about 2 minutes.
2. Spread three teaspoons of the creamy mixture on the bottom of a large casserole dish and add a layer of sweet potatoes. Spread 1/4 cup of the cream then repeat to build the gratin. Pour 1/2 cup of vegetable stock over the top of the gratin.
3. In a small bowl combine breadcrumbs, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the breadcrumbs over the top of gratin.
4. Bake the gratin at 350 degrees, covered with tin foil, until the potatoes are tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until browned, about 10 to 15 minutes.

This side dish might not be a looker, but it tastes great and is great for you!

Vegan Creamed Kale

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. In a medium sauce pan, bring the kale and almond milk to simmer over medium low heat. Continue cooking until the kale softens, about five minutes.
2. Season with nutritional yeast and remove from heat.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste then serve.

Garlic Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic, grated
• 1/4 cup rice flour
• 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into three inch long fries
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil cooking spray

Preparation

1. Combine garlic and rice flour in a large freezer bag and set aside.
2. In a large bowl combine sweet potatoes and almond milk. With clean hands, gently combine until all of the sweet potato fries are evenly coated.
3. Transfer the fries to the freezer bag. Seal the bag and shake vigorously until the fries are evenly coated.
4. Transfer the fries to a non-stick baking dish and spray thoroughly with the non-stick cooking spray. Season with salt and pepper then bake at 350 degrees until tender and golden brown, 15-20 minutes.
5. Serve with your favorite condiment or Aji.

These baked chiles rellenos pair the creamy sweetness of sweet potatoes with the smoky heat of poblano peppers.  We used smaller, almost bite-size poblanos and served these as an appetizer at a recent gathering, but larger poblanos would work well for entree portions.  Either way, serve these with our Cilantro Lime Aioli for a delicious treat!

Sweet Potato Chiles Rellenos

Ingredients

• 2 pounds poblano peppers
• 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped finely
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground cumin
• 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 cup corn meal
• 1 cup unsweetened milk substitute (soy, coconut, almond, etc)
• cooking spray
• salt to taste

Preparation

1. Top, seed, and roast the poblanos. See our Roasted Peppers post for instructions.  You might want to wear gloves if you are sensitive to hot peppers (or prone to touching sensitive areas!).
2. Boil the sweet potatoes in lightly salted water until they are soft, about 25 minutes.
3. Saute the garlic and onion in olive oil on medium heat until the onions just begin to brown, about 10 minutes.
4. Combine the sauteed ingredients with the boiled sweet potatoes and ground cumin.  Mash together and season with salt to taste.
5. In a large shallow bowl, combine the cornmeal and breadcrumbs along with about 1 teaspoon of salt.
6. Lightly coat the baking sheet with cooking spray.
7. Stuff each roasted poblano with the mashed sweet potato mixture.
8. Dip each stuffed pepper into the milk substitute and then roll in the breadcrumb/cornmeal mixture until coated. Place each chili relleno on the baking sheet.
9. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes until the breading becomes lightly browned.

Winter Squash Cornbread

Ingredients:

• 1 cup stone-ground cornmeal
• 1 cup masa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
• 1 large egg (or egg substitute)
• 1/2 cup milk or unsweetened milk substitute
• 1 cup cooked mashed squash
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 chipotle pepper, diced (optional)

Preparation

1. Combine cornmeal, masa, baking soda, salt, sugar, and cumin in a large mixing bowl.
2. In medium bowl, thoroughly combine egg, milk substitute, squash, and vegetable oil.
3. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. The batter should be thick but move easily.
4.  Liberally coat a cast iron skillet with cooking spray or butter and pour the batter in to the skillet.
5. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown it can pass the toothpick test, about 20-30 minutes.

Brown Rice Pilau

Ingredients

Preparation

1. Pour the rice into a sauce pan, cover with an inch of stock, and add the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high, and simmer until the level of the stock becomes even with the level of the rice.  Once the stock is level with the rice, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook covered until the stock is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
2. While the rice is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and slowly saute the onions until soft and fragrant.  Add garlic, ginger, hot pepper, cumin, coriander, and cardamon. Continue to saute over low heat for a few minutes then set aside until the rice is ready.
3. Once the rice has finished cooking, transfer the rice to the saute of spices and combine thoroughly  Stir in almonds, rose water, and butter substitute.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.

This recipe includes all the flavorful goodness of pesto and the extreme nutrition of nuts and seeds, including quinoa!

Four Nut Pesto

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 cup packed basil leaves
• 1 cup packed arugula
• 1 clove garlic
•  1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup blanched almonds
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1.  Place basil, arugula, garlic, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and almonds in a blender or food processor.  Puree the ingredients, drizzling in olive oil until the combination is smooth.
2. Stir in the quinoa and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Eggplant Caponata

For me, eggplant caponata brings to mind fond memories of my grandmother’s caponata made from eggplants and tomatoes she and my grandfather grew on their small farm in Maryland.  My version is a little more full-flavored than my grandmother’s, but it still has that rich, warm quality I remember.  I like to put a lot of extra “stuff” in my caponata, like raisins, capers, and olives, so that each bite has a few hidden treasures, all bound together by the sweet and savory base of eggplant and tomatoes.

Preparation

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds Italian eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• Ground cinnamon (optional)
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more or less depending on preference)
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. First we need to peel the tomatoes. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.  While the water is coming to a boil, make an X-shaped score on the bottom of each tomato and cut out the core of each tomato from the top.  Carefully place the tomatoes in the water.  Bring the water back to a boil and leave the tomatoes in for 5 minutes.  The skin should appear loose.  Plunge the tomatoes into an ice water bath for about 2 minutes.  The skins should come right off!  Dice the peeled tomatoes, reserving as much of the juice that comes out during chopping as possible.
2. In a large pot, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium high heat until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the eggplant, lower the heat to medium, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  The eggplant should reduce drastically in size and be very soft and brown at the end of the 10 minutes.
4. Add the diced tomatoes and reserved juice, vinegar, raisins, olives, capers, thyme, oregano, 2 dashes of cinnamon, and red pepper flakes.  Continue cooking over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed or evaporated.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the fresh basil.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Let cool to room temperature or refrigerate before serving.  This caponata is great as a side dish, on top of toasted crostini, or as a main course.