Apple risotto stuffed squash, asparagus and tempeh

This one is fairly simple and very filling.
What you'll need for the stuffed squash:

2 medium acorn squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup arborio rice
3 cups vegetable broth
1 medium red apple
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 400F
Cut enough of the bottom off of the squash so that it can stand upright. Then cut about half and inch off the top so that you can scoop out the seeds. Place them in a lasagna pan with 3/4" of water and bake for 30 minutes(give or take a few).
Next heat a large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. When oil heats up add rice and stir until rice is coated. Reduce heat slightly and add 6oz broth. Stir occasionally until almost all the broth is absorbed. Repeat. Cut apple into 1/4" cubes and right before 3rd round of broth. Keep adding broth 6oz at a time until rice is tender. Add salt, pepper and sage.

When a fork can easily pierce the squash, remove from oven and turn off. Stuff risotto into squash and place back in oven to hold.

The tempeh:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion thinly sliced
2 3"x3" squares of tempeh cut into 1/2" wide strips
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
2 teaspoons tamari

Heat oil in medium skillet on medium heat and saute onions for 3 minutes and add tempeh. Cook for minutes stirring occasionally. Slowly pour in broth and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper. While simmering start asparagus.

For asparagus:
12-16 small to medium stalks asparagus, with woody bottom cut off
1 tablespoon Earth Balance
1/2" teaspoon kosher salt
1/8" cup cooking sherry

In a large skillet melt the E.B. and add asparagus. Mix to coat and sprinkle with salt. When E.B. seems to be absorbed(about 6 minutes)add sherry. When sherry is absorbed asparagus is tender remove from skillet, but leave the skillet on and gently scoop in tempeh and onions and sprinkle tamari. Flip contents a few times and cook till light brown. Plate everything together.

dressing up the usual

Tonight I decided to do potatoes, seitan stakes, and asparagus.
I started but cutting and boiling the potatoes. While they were doing their thing I lightly sauteed about ten chopped cloves of garlic in olive oil and set aside 3/4 of the garlic just before it browned. After removing the ends I added about 20 pieces of asparagus and let it go on lo-medium heat for approx. minutes. The only seasoning I used was a little kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. In another skillet I heated a tablespoon of earth balance with a tablespoon of olive oil. Then after alight flour dusting I placed four 1/4" seitan steaks in the pan until lightly browned on each side then increased the heat a bit. When it started to sizzle I hit it with a few tablespoons of cooking wine. Then after about three minutes added two tablespoons of capers. Then the heat goes off for both the seitan and the asparagus. The potatoes were drained, mashed with soymilk, the rest of the sauteed garlic, earth balance, kosher salt, fresh pepper and finished with truffle oil. It only took about an hour start to finish.

dessert

Sunday we usually get Thai take out. I was still looking for something sweet afterward so I grabbed some pears and skinned and seeded them. I heated a skillet and added some margarine and the sliced pears. After a few minutes I sprinkled about 3 tablespoons of sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon. I let it cook for about 6 -7 minutes stir occasionally and then I added 1/8 cooking sherry. I let this cook down(about 10 minutes) again stirring occasionally. Then I reduced it to low heat for a few minutes, removed from heat, and served with coconut soy ice cream.

After making a ton of seitan for the pizza last night I decided to make a huge pot pie tonight. I took the leftover broth and made a sage gravy. With the rest of the veggies from the broth I created the filling for the pot pie by combining the veggies, some chopped seitan, and the gravy. All of that went into a 9" pie pan and was then covered with a biscuit dough and baked at 350 for 21 minutes. Mountain food may not be pretty, but it sure is cheap!

Big Thursday night!

Made pizza tonight as I do every Thursday. Tonight it was homemade seitan, peppers and onions. The sauce was left over from last night when Dawn hand made pumpkin(that we grew) ravioli. I found a decent vegan red cooking wine that added nicely to the sauce. I typically add some cocoa powder, but this time it wasn't necessary. After spreading the sauce onto the crust I sprinkled a light layer of nutritional yeast for the b12 and the taste.