How to Tame the Hubbard Beast (Squash)

This one is relatively small, compared to the average size for a hubbard squash. I placed it in the sink, washed it off and decided to tackle its demise in the sink, because it seemed more stable in the sink than on the counter.

I used my sturdiest knife and was able to pierce the surface with relative ease, but I could not continue sawing with only the strength of my arms. So I got my household hammer and hammered near the handle on the dull side of the knife blade. I left most of the blade plunged inside the squash, and hammered it all the way around the squash.

It was a very tough job, but I got it open, however roughly. I used this dipper to scoop the seeds out.

You can throw the guts away, or you can clean the seeds, wash them and then dry them with a paper towel.

Toss them in olive oil, sprinkle them with some sea salt and toast them at 350 degrees farenheit until golden brown and crunchy. They are great for snacking.

This is what the tamed beast (cleaned squash) looks like.

Wrap them each in two or three layers of foil, you may like to place them on baking dishes or pans to catch potential drips. Bake them at 350 degrees farenheit until soft. I baked mine about 2 hours.

Then I scooped the pulp out and mashed it some more. I measured it into freezer bags, 2 cups per bag and froze it until I want to use it. It is excellent as a soup base, to thicken and flavor the broth. I also use it in muffins, waffles, cheeseless macaroni and cheese, pumpkin custard. It gets very creamy if you puree it in the food processor. I have even been known to eat pureed winter squash with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray and maple syrup or brown sugar.

Apple Cider Waffles

Dry ingredients:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon, or to your taste

Measure all dry ingredients, except cornstarch, into the bowl.
Fluff them by whisking them all together.

1 cup Blue Diamond Original Almond milk

1 cup apple cider or apple juice

1 pre-measured serving cup of applesauce, or 1/2 cup of apple sauce from a larger container

Dissolve the cornstarch in the almond milk before adding it to the dry ingredients. Add the cider and the apple sauce.

Just blend it all with a wooden spoon.

Be careful not to over-mix the batter.

Cook them according to the cooking instructions from your waffle maker's manufacterer.

Serve it with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray and pure maple syrup, or caramel sauce would even be nice, since it is an apple flavored waffle. A cup of black coffee is a fabulous companion to wash the sweetness down.

Note: applesauce replaces oil, and cornstarch replaces eggs in any recipe.

Wholesome Vegan Burgers

1 cup red lentils
1/2 cup red Inca Quinoa
1 cup Garbanzo and Fava flour
2 Tablespoons ground flax seeds
2 cloves garlic, grated
2 serrano peppers, finely diced
salt to taste
any spices you want to add

Fill a medium pot about half way with water. Add the red lentils and quinoa and boil them until they are about the consistancy of cake batter. Remove it from the heat.

While the cooked ingredients are still boiling hot, add the chopped peppers and grated garlic to the cooked mixture. Then add the spices of your choosing, the garbanzo bean flour and the ground flax seeds.

Mix it well, then let it sit about 10 minutes, until the mixture forms a thick dough. Don't let it sit until it dries out. Treat it a bit like playdough at this point. Cover it loosely with some plastic until it is cool enough to handle.

Let it cool just until you can stand to touch it, then shape it into a log, the size of a burger patty. Then wrap it tightly and place it in the fridge. When you are ready to cook your burgers, slice them off, with a sharp smooth-edged knife at the thickness you desire.

They are fully cooked, so you just have to use cooking spray or cooking oil to heat them up and brown them a little.

This is how I eat mine, but you may like to dress your burgers up differently.

This is a fabulous idea for Ramadhan. If you put it on a whole-grain hamburger roll and eat it before morning prayers, you will not feel hungry for a very long time. That is because it is pure protein and fiber and is bulky. It also digests and enters your bloodstream very slowly, so you may actually make it to mid-afternoon before feeling overly hungry again. This is good news for those people who have to work hard while fasting.

I totally made this recipe up myself and it worked out beyond my wildest expectations.

Cucumber Salad

3 Tablespoons white vinegar
2 Tablespoons alcohol free soy sauce, Kikkoman is alcohol free
2 Tablespoons honey
1 to 2 Tablespoons organic grated ginger
1 pinch red pepper flakes, or to taste
Kelp granuals to taste
1 Teaspoon black Sesame seeds, toasted
2 large cucmbers, sliced

Sprinkle the kelp granuals onto the sliced cucumbers.

Mix all the other ingredients in a small bowl and whisk them together.

Toast the sesame seeds in a hot skillet until they smell toasty and the sesame scent is very good. No oil needed, you don't want to fry them, just make them very hot until you smell it, or until you see them start to pop like tiny popcorns.

Whisk the hot sesame seeds into the dressing. Now pour the dressing over the sliced cucmbers and toss them around with a large spoon to coat them all with the dressing. Let the salad sit for at least thirty minutes before serving it, so the taste of the dressing can get into the cucmbers.

I get stomach aches from so many different things, since I lost my gall bladder, but I can eat this fat free salad all day and not get sick. Alhamdulillah. It's so very delicious too. Even my husband enjoys this salad.

Vegan Zucchini Bread

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 Tablespoon cornstarch +
1 Tablespoons water
1 cup almond milk or hemp milk
2 inches vanilla bean, scraped out of the hull
2 cups grated zucchini (1 medium)
zest of 2 to 3 lemons

1. Use a wire whisk to fluff the dry ingredients until well blended, in a large bowl.
2. Add walnuts now, if they are desired.
3. Grate the squash and measure it into another bowl.
4. Make a paste with the cornstarch and water, add to squash and incorporate with a wooden spoon.
5. Add almond or hemp milk and stir together gently.
6. Add zest of lemon.
7. Now gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with your wooden spoon.
8. Let the batter rest on the counter, while you preheat the oven at 350 degrees farenheit.

9. Spray the inside of three bread pans or a large cake pan with alcohol free cooking spray and divide the batter evenly between the bread pans, or pour it all in the large cake pan and bake it about 45 minutes, or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

10. Serve warm, with plain yogurt or vegan cream cheese.

Filafel

1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained
5 small or 2 large cloves organic garlic
1 bunch fresh organic parsley or 3 Tablespoons dry parsley

1/4 bunch fresh organic mint or 1 Tablespoon dry mint (optional)

1 cup Garbanzo and Fava flour

2 Tablespoons Filafel spice

1 Tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoon sea salt

just enough water to make a stiff dough, add it 1/4 cup at a time until the dough feels right

canola oil (for frying)

Directions

1 place washed fresh parsley and mint leaves and garlic cloves into the food processor. If using dry parsley and dry mint, wait on that.

2 drain the can of chick peas (garbanzo beans) and gradually add them to the garlic and fresh parsley while the food processor is on. You want to make it into a thick paste. If using dry parsley and dry mint, add that into the food processor after the garbanzo beans are in it, so it can be incorporated into the paste really well)

3 in a bowl, whisk the dry ingredients to incorporate them thoroughly

4 now combine the paste with the dry ingredients, with a wooden spoon, and add your water little by little, to make sure you don't use too much. The final dough should look like a thick dough that you can easily roll into balls, which you may want to do, if you don't happen to have a filafel press, then flatten the balls a little between your hands before cooking them

Dough should look like this.

If you aren't ready to cook it right away, cover it tightly with plastic until you're ready to use it. You can even keep it in the fridge and cook it the next day.

5 Heat your oil until it is hot,

6 using a filafel press, form the dough into little patties and fry them. If they appear to be getting dark too fast, reduce the heat to ensure they will be done in the middle when they are golden brown on the outside.

7 using a slotted spoon, remove the cooked filafel from the oil and place them in a newspaper or paper towel lined bowl to absorb any excess oil

Serve with salad and plain yogurt from grass fed cows for dressing. This salad contains cucumbers, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, turnip pickles, kalamata olives, green onions and fresh lemon juice


Make sandwiches with home made Arabic Flat bread, or even use store bought pita or flat bread.

Wonderful Vegan Carrot Cake

In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients:

2-1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder

3 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cups Sugar in the Raw
1 cup shredded coconut

In another bowl, mis together wet ingredients:

3 Tablespoons cornstarch powder (mix with wet ingredients)

3 inches vanilla bean, scraped out of the hull
1/2 cup melted unrefined coconut oil
2 cups finely grated carrots
1 cup crushed pineapple, with juice

1/2 cup pureed carrots
1 cup water or non-dairy milk

optional:

1/4 cup walnuts and

1/4 cup dried currents or raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, mix water and cornstarch add vanilla, then add coconut oil, pureed carrots and crushed pineapple. In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients. Mix wet and dry ingredients together and add walnuts and currents if desired. Do not over-mix. Bake for about an hour, or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

Let the cake cool to room temperature before icing.

Fake Cream Cheese Glaze:

1 single-serving cup non-fat Greek yogurt or softened vegan cream cheese

2 Tablespoons unrefined coconut oil, softened

1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

Beat softened coconut oil then add some of the sugar and whisk it till it's creamy. Add some of the yogurt or softened vegan cream cheese and whisk it in, then add the rest of the sugar, and so on, until all ingredients are in it.

Apply it to the cake when it has cooled to room temperature.

Plain and Simple Lentil Soup

1/2 package red lentils
1/4 cup Inca Red Quinoa
1 small garlic bulb, peeled and chopped
1 quart water
1 Tablespoon mild curry powder
1 cup V-8 juice
salt to taste

Put all ingredients in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer over medium heat for about 30 to 45 minutes. Stir occaisionally to prevent burning.

Serve hot with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. This soup has a buttery taste without having any butter or oil in it at all.

This was yummy in my tummy at lunch time today.

Note: You could substitute regular tomato juice for the V-8. Either 1/2 cup of plain tomato sauce or 1/4 cup of tomato paste would also work, I have done it with either one. However, we like the V-8 best.

Marinated Eggplant

1 eggplant, sliced and sprinkled with salt
Balsamic vinegar
1 pint of grape tomatoes, cut in quarters
12 to 16 kalamata olives, sliced
3 Tablespoons capote capers
1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, grated or minced
2 to 3 lemons juiced

Let the sliced and salted eggplant sit in a bowl on the counter for an hour or more. When you see a small puddle of brownish liquid start to accumulate under it, take each slice and sqeeze them real hard between two thick paper towels to get rid of any liquid that is in it.
Pre-heat your oven at 350 degrees fahrenheit.
Spray a baking sheet with alcohol-free cooking spray (crisco and mazola make some) place the eggplant on the sheet in a single layer, drizzel a few drops of balsamic vinegar on each slice. Bake it for about 30 minutes, then pull it back out and flip them over and bake for about 15 minutes longer.
Meanwhile, cut your grape tomatoes in quarters, and toss them with the lemon juice, garlic, capers and olives.
Let it marinate until the eggplant is done, then layer it in a dish with the cooked eggplant slices and cover with plastic wrap.
Put in the refridgerator and let everything marinate together for at least an hour, but is best if you let it marinate over night.
You can eat it as it is or use it in sandwiches.

Hint: Rachel Ray uses the tomato and olive mixture on fish. Marinating eggplant in it was my idea.

Roasted 'Tatoes

1 to 2 pounds of purple creamer potatoes
olive oil
salt
pepper
crushed rosemary

Preheat the oven at 400 F.
Wash and dry the potatoes.
In a medium bowl drizzle olive oil over the potatoes.
Sprinkle in the seasonings.
Toss the potatoes around until you're satisfied with the amount of spice and oil on them.
Place them in a baking dish and bake at 400 F for about 45 minutes, or until done.
Serve warm.

My kids get very excited when I serve them this dish.

Zucchini Butter

3 medium zucchini's cut in 1 inch chunks

1 large shallot, chopped

1 large garlic clove, grated

vegeta or other seasoning

alcohol-free cooking spray

Preheat the oven at 400 F.

Spray the inside of a large [glass] cake pan with alcohol-free cooking spray.

Layer the cut squash in the bottom of the pan.

Sprinkle chopped shallot and grated garlic across the top.

Sprinkle vegeta or seasoning of your choice to suit your taste.

Cover the top of the pan tightly with aluminum foil.

Let the zucchini bake for about 30 minutes.

After removing it from the oven, leave the foil on it to keep the steam inside until ready to serve. May eat as is, or pulse it into a coarse paste in the food processor.

Serve with fresh Simple Rosemary and Olive Oil Bread. This zucchini butter will make you forget there is such a thing as cow butter! I could eat all of it myself and lick my fingers afterwards, but I share it with my husband just because I'm so nice.

Zucchini Fritters

Helpful hint: you can pulse your zucchini, garlic and shallot in the food processor if you have one. It gets much finer then the grater does it. But if you don't have a food processor, a regular old hand held grater from the Dollar Tree works just fine. I have done it both ways.

3 small zucchinis, shredded, about 2 cups
1 large shallot, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, grated
1 cup heart smart Bisquick
3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast (adjust to taste)
1/3 cup oatbran
3 Tbsp. ground flax seeds
1 Tablespoon paprika
salt
1/2 cup almond milk

Mix all ingredients together gently, avoid over-mixing. Let it sit for at least ten minutes before cooking, to allow the chemistry a chance to marry the ingredients together very well. I have let it sit as long as an hour before cooking it. Heat an iron skillet on high, when it gets hot, cover the bottom with extra virgin olive oil, and dip your fritter batter with a 1/4 cup or large spoon to make your fritters uniform in size. Cook over medium heat to avoid scorching the outside before they are cooked through. Add more olive oil as needed.

My family will eat a plate full of these and nothing else in one meal.

hint: I cook mine in a seperate skillet with alcohol-free extra virgin olive oil cooking spray, from either crisco or mazola.

Eggless Banana Oat Muffins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

1 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups Quick oats
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup almond or soy milk
1 and 1/2 cup mashed bananas
1 and 1/2 cups Sugar in the Raw
In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients, except sugar.
In another bowl mix together milk, sugar and the mashed bananas, combine thoroughly.
Gently fold the dry ingredients into the banana mixture, a wooden spoon is perfect for this task.
Let the batter rest for about 10 to fifteen minutes.


Spray the inside of the muffin tins with alcohol-free cooking spray, fill the muffin cups to the top, because this muffin does not rise exceptionally high.
Makes 48 mini muffins. I use the tin once, and when they are finished, I place the first batch on paper towels to cool, while I bake the rest of the batter.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  

Note: If you do not have a mini muffin tin, you can just use a regular one, but increase the cooking time to at least 30 minutes.

Fabulous Blueberry Muffins! (no eggs needed)

My husband and kids looove these muffins.

Ingredients:
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp water
4 tbsp corn starch
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup Sugar in the Raw
8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cup frozen wild blueberries, thawed
cinnamon to taste

Topping:
1/4 cup sugar in the raw
1/3 cup plain flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
3 Tablespoons melted butter
cinnamon to taste
Mash together with a fork until the topping is crumbly.

Move rack to the middle level of the oven. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a muffin tin with alcohol-free cooking spray. In one bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, combine water and cornstarch. Whisk until blended. Add milk and sugar. Whisk in the butter and immediately pour liquid into the dry mixture, along with the blueberries. Pour the melted butter in with the wet ingredients just before you are ready to add the dry ingredients so it doesn't begin to harden before you are ready to mix everything together. A wooden spoon, is probably the best utensil to blend all ingredients gently,without overmixing your batter. Divide your batter in a muffin tin that makes twelve muffins. Sprinkle the topping mixture by Tablespoonful onto the top of each muffin before popping them into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, when you can prick them with a toothpick and it comes out clean, they are done, or just take them out when the topping is a beautiful, crunchy brown color.

Hot Skillet! I actually vegan-ized them without ruining them!
Substitute organic unrefined coconut oil for the butter, and use non-dairy milk, like soy, hemp or almond milk instead of regular whole milk!!!! You can even use the coconut oil in the topping, instead of butter. You melt it before using it, just like you do butter, and you really don't taste coconut when you eat them.

Vegan Waffles

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons brown rice flour
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/4 cup soy milk
1/2 cup applesauce

Mix all dry ingredients together very well, gently stir in the wet ingredients. Do not over mix, but don't leave it lumpy either. Just stop mixing as soon as all ingredients are well combined. Heat the waffle maker and cook according to the instructions that came with your waffle maker.

*Notice: you can also use this recipe to make pumpkin waffles. To do this, substitute pureed pumpkin instead of the applesauce, and pumkin pie spice instead of the cinnamon.

Vegan Cornbread Muffins

My husband looooooves these! I'm impressed that he likes something so American.

2 Tablespoons ground flax seeds
6 Tablespoons boiling water
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup stone-ground, whole grain cornmeal
1/2 cup Sugar in the Raw
4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. sea salt
1 cup hemp milk
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Alcohol-free cooking spray, both Crisco and Mazola make it
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray

Place ground flax seed in a small glass dish, pour the boiling water into it, stir it a little and set it aside. Thouroughly mix your dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Mix the wet ingredients together in another bowl then, just before stirring the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, dump the flax seed paste into the wet ingredients and give it a good mix. Then gently mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Do not over-mix. Now let the batter rest about ten minutes. Spray your muffin tins with the alcohol-free cooking spray, either Crisco or Mazola. Use a large spoon and fill your muffin tins equally with the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until you can prick it with a toothpick and it comes out clean. When done, and still hot, spray each muffin with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray and cover tightly with foil until ready to serve. Great served with the Tempeh Chili, recipe below.

Tempeh Chili

2 cups frozen speckled brown butter beans
1 8-0z package soy tempeh, crumbled
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 bulb of garlic, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 can Hunt's fire roasted tomatoes
3 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, chopped
1 Tablespoon dry oregano
2 Tablespoons ground cumin
1 Tablespoon ground coriander
salt to taste
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon paprika
V-8 juice

Boil the butter beans in about 4 cups of water and some salt, approximately 10 - 15 minutes, drain them and save the water. Chop all the veggies then put the olive oil in the bottom of your favorite chilly pot, heat it, then toss in the veggies and sautee them a couple of minutes. Crumble the tempeh into the pot, add the beans and continue to sautee about 5 minutes. Then add the fire roasted tomatoes and the chipotles, (found in a can with the hispanic foods in the grocery store). Add the spices and then pour in about half V-8 and half cooking water (that you saved from cooking the brown speckled butter beans). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer over low heat for about an hour. This recipe is very good served with vegan cornbread muffins. I topped the chili with fresh, mashed avacado instead of sour cream, and pico di gallo on the side.