Category Archives: Cookbooks

Curried Butternut Squash

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We host a book club at the library where everyone picks a recipe from a featured cookbook to make and bring to a potluck. It’s really fun and we’ve had all ages participate, including children and teens. I started and run the club, so I am the one who chooses the cookbooks each month. A member suggested that I select 3 cookbooks so that the group can preview and vote on the next selection. I try to choose cookbooks that have a lot of pictures, are appropriate for all cooking levels, and that would suit a potluck environment.

This month I chose from the Food Day suggested reading list: A Spoonful of Ginger, Comfort Food Fix, and How to Cook Everything: The Basics. The last title won and for good reason. It has simple recipes with descriptive instructions and step-by-step pictures. Mark Bittman authored 2 previous editions called How to Cook Everything and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. These are really great reference books that every home cook should own. The only drawback is that there are no pictures and only a few illustrations are sprinkled throughout. The Basics is a stripped down version of the two previous books that provides essential cooking lessons and starter recipes with much needed photographs.

I selected the curried butternut squash recipe to bring to the potluck because I love curry and I love squash. I also wanted to try a new cooking technique since I always roast butternut squash. I loved the recipe so much that I wanted to share it with you. It’s so easy and cooks quickly. If you don’t like butternut squash, I think cauliflower would be a great substitute. You could also use potatoes instead if you detest all vegetables. I added garbanzo beans for texture, flavor, and protein.

The only hard part is peeling and cutting the squash. I included a link to a how-to video below. I’m always scared that I’m going to cut my hand off or peel my skin instead. I also get an allergic reaction when my skin comes in contact with the flesh. It turns my hands orange and my skin cracks and feels tight. It doesn’t last too long, but I can’t stand the feeling, so I now wear gloves.

For more info on the Cook the Book Club at the Dorris Van Doren Library, visit their blog.

Curried Butternut Squash

Time 45-60 minutes
Makes 4 servings

1½pounds butternut squash
2 tablespoons butter (I used Earth Balance)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 cup coconut milk
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups cooked garbanzo beans* or 1 can, rinsed & drained (optional)
¼ or more chopped fresh cilantro leaves
¼ cup chopped scallions for garnish (I omitted this)
1 lime quartered for serving (optional)

  1. Cut both ends off the squash and cut it into 2 sections: the cylindrical top and the bulbous bottom. Peel both sections, then cut the bottom in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Cut the flesh from both sections into 1-inch chunks or cubes. You should have about 5 cups. You can watch this video if the description is too wordy: How to Cut & Peel Butternut Squash Video
  2. Place the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When it melts, add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften and turn golden, 2-3 minutes. Add the curry powder and stir until it becomes fragrant, about a minute or so.
  3. Add the squash, season with salt & pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the coconut milk, raise the heat to high, bring to a boil, and then lower the heat to a gently bubble. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the squash is tender, 15-20 minutes.
  4. Stir in the the garbanzo beans and raise the heat to medium high. Cook for about 5 more minutes or until the beans are heated through and the liquid has thickened a bit. Add the cilantro and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with scallions and more cilantro, and serve with lime wedges. I didn’t like the addition of the lime.

*I like to cook garbanzo beans in a slow cooker. I place 2 cups of dried garbanzo beans (picked over & rinsed) and 8 cups of boiling hot water to the slow cooker and cook for 2-4 hours over high heat. You can add salt at the end if you like.

You’re Invited to a Blissful Event!

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While I was at the veggie chili cook-off in Round Rock, I met Christy Morgan, author of the Blissful Bites cookbook. She’s a vegan macrobiotic chef and cooking instructor based in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. She is currently on tour promoting her recently published cookbook, Blissful Bites. You can meet her, watch a cooking demo, and buy her book next Tuesday at 5:30 pm. You’ll also get to meet me, because it’s at my library (Dorris Van Doren)! I hope you’ll be able to make it since it’s such short notice, during the week, and clear across town for you eastsiders. I’m really excited about the event because it combines my two favorite things- libraries and cooking.

Click on the links to get more info on Christy and her book, and view all of the event details in the flyer below.

Veganism Meets Haute Cuisine

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The Conscious Cook is truly a unique cookbook, not only because it contains high end vegan recipes, but because it combines recipes, elegant photos, chef bios, guidelines, and more.

Tal Ronnen graduated from the Natural Gourmet Institute and has worked at the top vegan restaurants in the United States. He is known as the chef who prepared vegan meals for Oprah’s 21-day vegan cleanse. He has also catered Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi’s vegan wedding, Arianna Huffington’s party at the Democratic National Convention, and the first vegan dinner at the U.S. Senate.

He begins his book with the basics of what veganism means, it’s benefits, and debunking some common myths. He also lists plant-based proteins, kitchen tools & tricks, favorite ingredients & products, and superfoods.

The rest of the book is broken down into starters, salads, soups, sandwiches, entrees, and desserts. Supplemental chapters include seasonal dinner party menus, eating seasonally, his favorite vegan restaurants, and an easy references section that contains cooking guides for whole grains and beans. I found it strange that there wasn’t a heading for pasta in the index.

Each chapter also includes interviews with vegan chefs and founders/inventors of vegan products. Many of the recipes ask for Gardein products, which I was happy to find that Albertson’s now carries.

While the book is full of beautiful photos (every recipe has a photo), the recipes are daunting. The names and photos of the entrees look and sound like a 5 star restaurant (e.g., Tempura beet rolatini with balsamic gastrique). The book comes off as a bit pretentious, but it’s amazing to see Chef Tal’s artistry in print.  The recipes are not for everyday cooking. They can be time consuming and ask for ingredients you won’t have on hand or might not be able to readily find at the supermarket. Some of these ingredients include red palm oil, probiotic powder, and white miso paste.

The book is more of an inspirational springboard to create your own fabulous meatless meals at home. It really helped me with my week of veganism by introducing me to cashew cream. I am now obsessed with cashew cream, which was first developed by raw foodists. Raw cashews don’t have much flavor, but they do have a high fat content (don’t worry, it’s the good fat) that reduces faster than heavy cream. Chef Tal recommends using a Vita-Mix blender to get the correct smooth consistency, but my knock-off Bullet blender (from Target) did the job just fine. I also used his ricotta recipe to create my own, which I will share soon. There are a couple of other recipes that I am really excited to try. The book is available at the El Paso Public Library.

Start a Food Revolution!

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Working in a library has some really nice perks. I get to peruse a lot of new and old cookbooks, and sometimes I even get to order them. It’s fantastic until you have a huge pile of books sitting on your table for weeks that you haven’t cooked a single recipe from. This happened recently with one of Jamie Oliver’s books. Today, it came across my desk again and I couldn’t resist poring through the book one more time. A recipe caught my eye and I cooked it for dinner, but I did make a few tweaks to it. Before I share my version of the recipe with you, I’d like to review this amazing book.

Jamie Oliver has always been one of my favorite chefs. He’s personable, a great teacher, considerate of vegetarians, and British! Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution is gorgeous. There are so many beautiful photographs of food, cooking steps, people, and objects. The photos are so rich, warm, and colorful. They invoke a sort of nostalgia to them, which is the point of this book. It’s full of comfort foods that are easy to make, and Jamie wants you to pledge to pass them on to your friends and family.

The book is very well organized. It begins with a complete listing of all the essential equipment and pantry items that you need to stock your kitchen with. The recipes are then divided up into categories such as 20 minute meals, simple soups, family roast dinners, etc. The Easy Curries section is what really drew me to this book. I love curry and Indian cooking (I’ll have to share my favorite Indian recipes with you soon)! I really liked the sections dedicated to perfect rice and homemade curry pastes. I have yet to try any of these recipes, but I’ll keep you posted. Like I said before, Jamie is always considerate of vegetarians. The best part of the book for us is the index. He has placed a ‘v’ next to index items to indicate a vegetarian recipe!

You can check this book out at your nearest library branch. You can even request it online if you know your library card number and 4 digit pin number. You’ll probably want to purchase it.

On to the recipe!

This recipe was really rich, creamy, yummy, and quick. I wish I could have used crème fraiche. The sour cream made it a little tangy. It tasted like a pasta version of a loaded baked potato! Make sure that you can make a double boiler or bain-marie with a large heat-proof bowl that will fit over a large pot. I also put a lot of freshly ground pepper in mine. Next time I will probably add peas and rosemary, or I’ll just add them to my leftovers.

Macaroni & Cauliflower Cheese Bake
Serves 4-6

½ a head of cauliflower
8 oz. cheddar cheese (I used 2%)
4 oz. Parmesan cheese (I only used 2 oz.)
A small bunch of fresh Italian parsley (I omitted this. I hate fresh parsley. It tastes fishy to me)
Sea salt
1 lb. dried macaroni (I used whole wheat penne. I think it was a little less than a pound.)
1 c. crème fraiche or sour cream (I used light sour cream)

Remove the outer green leaves from the cauliflower and discard. Slice the end off the cauliflower stalk. Cut the head into small florets. Halve the thick stalk lengthwise, then slice thinly. Grate the cheddar and Parmesan into a large heatproof bowl (I used cheese that was already shredded). Finely chop the parsley stalks and leaves.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and all your cauliflower and cook according to pasta package directions. Place the bowl of cheese over the pot and add the sour cream. Carefully stir every so often until the cheese is smooth and melted. If the water boils up beneath the bowl, just turn the heat down slightly. Add all the chopped parsley to the melted cheese and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Carefully remove the bowl of cheese using a towel or oven mitt and set aside. Drain the pasta in a colander, but make sure you reserve some of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pan, pour in the melted cheese and stir. It should have a lovely, silky consistency, but if it’s too thick for you, add a splash of your cooking water to thin it out a bit. At this point you can either serve the pasta as is, or finish it under the broiler to make it crispy and golden on top. To do this, preheat your broiler to a medium to high heat. Add 2/3 cup of reserved cooking water to the pasta, stir in, then transfer to a baking dish. Place under the broiler until golden and bubbling.