Pumpkin in January

When I think of pumpkin, I think of any of the following: Fall, October, muffins, bread, pie, and Thanksgiving.

When someone says "pumpkin," I would not typically think of pasta. Or the month of January. It just seems inappropriate.

Until now.

Tonight's dish defies everything you thought you knew about pumpkin. We're talking pumpkin meets whole wheat pasta, caramelized onions, toasted walnuts, Asiago cheese...and a savory crumb topping.

It's kind of like macaroni and cheese with a mega-hit of beta carotene and vitamin A, right? This baby is good, it's filling, and it was clearly designed to be eaten on a cold January day.

The recipe is actually a creative hybrid: I combined my friend Lisa's recipe for Pumpkin-Cheese Ravioli with Veganomicon's Pumpkin and Caramelized Onion Manicotti. If you're a major cheese fanatic, feel free to pump up the cheese factor as you see fit. And the crumb topping? Simply blissful, friends. Simply blissful.

Pumpkin-Asiago Penne with Walnut Crumb Topping

(a hybrid recipe, adapted from the minds of Lisa S. and Veganomicon)

I simply couldn't go vegan with this one--I love Asiago too much, and I think the salty sharp-ness of the cheese added a scrumptious flavor. However, you can vegan-ize the recipe by using a homemade, dairy-less ricotta (a quick online search will point you in the right direction) and eliminating the cheese.

Pasta Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound whole wheat pasta
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin puree
• 1 TBSP brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup shredded Asiago cheese
• 1/4 cup veggie broth
• Freshly ground black pepper

Crumb Topping Ingredients:

• 2 - 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance (or real butter)
• 2 tsp. Savory seasoning or poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp. dried Oregano
• 1/2 tsp. dried Paprika
• Salt n' Pepper

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

2) While the pasta is cooking, cook the onions. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the onions until nicely browned--about 10 - 15 minutes.

3) In a large bowl combine the ricotta, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, nutmeg, salt, Asiago, veggie broth, and pepper. Stir in the caramelized onions and pasta. Pour into 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

4) To prepare the crumb topping, melt the Earth Balance/butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients and cook/toast for 3 - 5 minutes, until the mixture is thoroughly combined and well-coated. Sprinkle evenly over the penne pasta.

5) Bake for 30 minutes, or until top is lightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Cold Weather Comfort Casserole

After last night's vegan-licious dinner chili, I was craving something on the cheesey side tonight.

Hint: Think a little sharp cheddar, a load of veggies, some hearty pasta, and big smile on my face.

You guessed it: An innovative combination of grown-up mac n' cheese, and a vegetarian version of turkey tetrazzini (these are words Adam used to describe the dish after his first bite).

Let's get one thing straight: Mac n' cheese gets a bad name from the impostor "cheeses" that have invaded the inner shelves of grocery stores. With options like Kraft's orange cheese-flavored powder, and Velveeta's squeezable pouches of cheesy goo, it's no wonder most healthy adults run in the opposite direction of these boxed products.

Tonight's "Grown-Up Mac n' Cheese/Vegetarian Tetrazzini" recipe, inspired by Clean Eating, offers the perfect solution. All the goodness of a traditional comfort food casserole, without Sponge Bob shaped noodles, powdered cheese product, or meat. Just use whole wheat pasta, high-quality cheese, and loads o' veggies, and you've got a classy grown-up meal on your hand.

I would recommend using penne or rotini pasta for this casserole. I resorted to spaghetti because it was the only lonely box of pasta in the cabinet.

So tonight, if you're shielding yourself from the outdoor temperature of 4 degrees like I am, bake up a batch of this warm and comforting casserole. Afterwards, I recommend a spirited present-wrapping session (Adam is currently sporting his Santa hat as he enthusiastically wraps the gifts).

Grown-Up Mac n' Cheese/Vegetarian Tetrazzini

(adapted from a Clean Eating Magazine recipe)

Nothing warms you up on a cold day like a warm, hearty casserole. The chopped almond topping adds a great healthy crunch, and a nice change from the traditional bread crumb topping.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup skim milk
• sprinkling of flour
• 2 cups reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
• 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 8 oz. whole wheat pasta
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 - 1/2 cups broccoli forets
• 1 - 1/2 cups cauliflower florets
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1/3 cup chopped almonds

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat a 2 qt. casserole dish with cooking spray.

2) In a saucepan, whisk together the milk and a little flour over medium heat. Stir constantly and bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for about 3 - 4 minutes. Stir in cheeses and salt, stirring until melted. Stir in yogurt, cover, and set aside.

3) Cook pasta according to package directions. Three minutes before pasta is done, add the carrots, onion, broccoli, and cauliflower. When pasta is done, drain veggies and pasta and return to pot. Stir in cheese mixture and parsley and pour into casserole dish. Sprinkle with almonds and bake for about 20 minutes, or until heated through.

Autumn-in-a-Bowl

Oh, my. There's another Fall Fest going on in my kitchen tonight.

We're talking roasted butternut squash, toasted walnuts, and caramelized onions. Add this splendor-of-autumn mixture to whole wheat pasta. Did I mention the grated Parmesan?

Fall Foods: You bring me to my knees.

The latest issue of Clean Eating Magazine arrived in my mailbox last week. The Clean-Eating-Arrives-in-the-Mailbox Day is consistently a favorite in our house (it's the simple things in life, right?). Amongst endless mouth-watering seasonal recipes, I found one for Butternut Squash Lasagna with Toasted Walnuts and Caramelized Onions. Count me in!

Despite the alluring delicious-ness of this recipe though, I decided we needed something simpler for our humble dinner menu (Come on: Does anyone besides Martha Stewart really have time to whip up a lasagna after work?). As such, I eliminated the hallmark lasagna ingredients (ricotta, egg, marinara, etc.), and boiled this recipe down to it's basics. Clean. Simple. Irresistable.

Tastes like Autumn-in-a-bowl.

Adam went heavier on the pasta (his bowl is pictured), while I skimped on the pasta to leave more bowl-space for the squash...lots and lots of squash.

Friends, if you haven't hopped on the butternut bandwagon yet, it's not too late! Get to the grocery store, elbow your way to the squash bin, and load 'em up. These oddly-shaped gourds--and tonight's recipe--make me a very happy camper.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onions, and Walnuts

(when it's all said and done, this recipe was A Hungry Spoon creation; inspiration came from this month's Clean Eating Magazine)

This is the perfect Fall recipe. As noted above, I was so addicted to the squash n' walnuts, I barely left room for pasta in my bowl.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. box of whole wheat penne pasta
• 1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• a little olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 onions, sliced
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 tsp. dried ground sage
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

2) In a large bowl, toss squash cubes with a small drizzle of olive oil (just a tad!). Season with plenty of fresh ground black pepper and salt to taste. Arrange squash cubes in an even layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 -25 minutes, until soft and cooked thoroughly. (Make sure you stir the squash every 10 minutes while it bakes!)

3) Cook pasta according to package directions.

4) Heat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until well-browned and soft (about 10 minutes). Add garlic and sage and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper (if you like ground black pepper, it goes wonderfully with this dish!).

5) Pour pasta into individual serving bowls. Top each serving with the eater's desired amount of squash, onions, and walnuts. Top with grated Parmesan. (My husband, the forever Cheese-head, added a bit of grated Mozzarella as well).

6) Invite the neighbors over. It's Fall Fest at your house tonight!