My Birthday Dinner Review

[Mimeea]

That's right, I made myself and my family dinner! It was one of the best meals I think I've ever had. All of the recipes were from The Volumptuous Vegan cookbook. Although I'm not a vegetarian, I enjoy meatless meals a majority of the time. I picked the recipes out of this cookbook since it already has menus planned out, which made it a lot easier on me!

I made a special trip to Whole Foods for the ingredients. It was a quintessential beginning of fall meal. I had a nice time preparing it, too, in my brand new All-Clad Dutch Oven. :) The portions were huge, so I have many leftovers to eat in the next couple of days. We had:

Cream of the Harvest Soup- this soup of butternut squash and sweet potatoes was delectable. It had a very warming taste, with a splash of garlic and ginger. The chili paste that was swirled on the top gave the soup a spicy note. This soup was very filling, and creamy.

Spaghetti Squash with Sofrito- My first experience with spaghetti squash! After reading a thread a couple days ago about the squash exploding, I must say I was quite nervous when I first cut into it! This was an easy side dish to make. It was unique that the olive oil that sauteed the sofrito (bell pepper, tomatoes, & garlic) was first infused with annato seeds the dish a great orange color.

Chili and Corn- Biscuit Casserole- Yum! This dish had a remarkably rich flavor. It was quite spicy, too. The cornbread topping was very moist, and had a crunchy tortilla chip topping.

Guacasalsa- This will be a repeater. Cucumbers replaced tomatoes in this recipe, giving the dish a cool, clean taste. I'll post the recipe if I get a chance.

Garlic-Braised Broccoli- Although I let the garlic get a little over done, I found the braising a fast and easy way to cook broccoli. It was a nice accompanient to the meal.

Last but not least: Apple Walnut Crisp- definitely one of the best apple crisps I've made. With the addition of apple cider and dried cherries with the apples, and maple sugar in the crisp topping this was not your normal apple crisp. With a small scoop of soy icecream it was the perfect way to end a great meal.

[LaurenP]

Hi, recipes sound great, could you post the speghetti squash, I bought one but still haven 't cooked it.TIA

[ssusan]

Happy birthday! Mine was last week, but I did not cook a feast as you did. Nice job.

Could you post the delectable Cream of Harvest soup?

-TIA
Susan

[GrinsandGiggles]

Happy Birthday! This all sounds soooo good! :)

[Mimeea]

Spaghetti Squash with Sofrito
1 1/2 lb. spaghetti squash
1/2 large red bel pepper, stem and seeds removed
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. achiote seeds (optional)
4 canned plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper'
2 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Place whole squash on a parchment-covered baking sheet and bake for 50 mintutes to 1 hour, or until squash is tender when pricked with a fork. Remove the squash from the oven, halve it lengthwise, and discard seeds. Use a fork to scrape the flesh from the squash. Put it in a bowl and set aside.

Slice the red bell pepper into thin lengthwise strips and then cut the strips into 1-inch pieces.

Combine the oil and achiote seeds in a skillet and heat gently over low heat. As soon as the oil is warm and infused with orange color, pour it through a strainer. Discard the seeds. Return the oil to the skillet, add the tomatoes, peppers, and garlic, and saute over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Add spaghetti squash and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until warmed through and stewed together. Add salt and pepper. Stir in scallions.

Guacasalsa
2 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal (1/4 cup)
1 jalepeno, stem and seeds removed, minced
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4" cubes. (1 cup)
1/2 cup minced red onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 ripe avocados, cut into 1/4 inch cubes.
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
salt

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, season with salt to taste.

[Mimeea]

Here you go Susan.

Cream of the Harvest Soup

4 Tbs. olive oil
2 onions, halved and sliced into thin half-moons (2 cups)
1 2 1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
3 cups cubed and peeled sweet potatoes
1 cup cubed and peeled parsnip
7 cups vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
2 dried ancho chilies, stem and seeds removed
2 dried pasilla ciles, stem and seeds removed
5 garlic cloves, peeled
1 1inch cube of peeled ginger
2 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

Warm 1 Tbs. olive oil in a large pot. Add the onions with a light sprinkle of salt and saute over medium- low heat for 10 minutes, until the onions are just starting to brown. Ad the squash sweet potatoes, parsnip, stock, and bay leaf, cover, bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, about 20 minuters, until the vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, place chiles in a pot and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil, turn off heat, and allow chiles to sit for about 15 minutes to soften. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the soaking liquid. Puree the chiles with the reserved liquid in a blender or food processor. Pour into a squeeze bottle or glass jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

While the soup is simmering, puree the garlic and ginger (in a food processor or by hand). Warm the remaining 3 Tbs. of oil in a medium skillet. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander and cumin and saute them about a minute, until fragrant. Add the spice mixture to the soup when the vegetables are cooked.

Remove the bay leaf. Using a blender, puree the soup. Add lemon juice and salt to taste. Ladle the soup into warm bowls. Squeeze or dollop chili paste onto each portion.

[ssusan]

That sounds wonderful. Thank you.
-S

[swquilts]

Your birthday dinners sounds like a complete success Meg!!! Was it just your family or did friends share it with you?

[Terrytx]

Everything sounds soooo good. Thanks for posting.

[tuff2000]

Wow! thanks for sharing. In addition, that book sounds delicious. Does the recipes include nutritional breakdowns? I think I may order this one.
Tara

[kristalsnow7]

Wow, you made all that? I'm impressed! Sounds absolutely wonderful! Thanks for the reviews. And happy birthday! :)

[Mimeea]

Susan- I shared dinner with my family and my grandma. Hopefully I'll be able to have something a little easier and more normal with my friends in the coming week. :rolleyes: ;)

Tara- the one downfall of this book is that it doesn't include nutrition breakdowns. But all of the ingredients are all-natural. The only thing to worry about would be the amount of oil added for some of the dishes, while some of it could be subbed with cooking spray. I would highly recommend this cookbook. There are many different cuisines featured, and all use a lot of fresh vegetables! Also notable was tips on what can be made ahead and how to arrange the food on the plates for serving.

[helios7]

I have that cookbook and have only used it once. Thanks for reminding me to look at it sometimes! The soup sounds fantastic, I'll have to give it a try soon.