Butternut squash with coconut

3 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. turmeric
3/4 tsp. crushed cumin
1/4 tsp. red hot pepper powder
3 cups steamed and mashed butternut squash
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 red chili (isn't it pretty on the top?)
10 curry leaves
1/2 cup UNsweetened coconut
salt to taste

1. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in pan, add onion and cook until softened. Add turmeric, cumin, red pepper powder (let cook for 1 min) and then fold in squash.
2. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in separate pan, add mustard seeds, chili, and curry leaves. When seeds start popping, take off heat and stir in coconut. Fold in squash, and add salt.

Zucchini flowers filled with suppli rice

2 tsp olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
1.5 cups veggie stock
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
50g feta cheese, crumbled
18 fresh zucchini flowers (approx 250g)
1/4 lb baby spinach leaves, coursely chopped
1/3 cup fresh basin leaves, coursely chopped
1/3 cup freesh flat-leave parsley
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp EVOO
2/3 cup shaved Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in saucepan. Saute onion and garlic until onion is soft. Add rice, wine and stock, bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered with occasional stirring, about 12 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Stir in grated Parmesan and feta and allow to cool.

Remove and discard stamens from center of zuccini flowers as well as the stems. Fill flowers with rice mixture and twist petal tops to enclose filling. Place filled flowers on an oiled oven tray and bake uncovered at 400 degrees about 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Separately, combine spinach, basil and parsley in a bowl and toss with vinegar and EVOO.

Serve baked zuccini flowers filled with rice over the spinach/basil/parsley salad and sprinkle with shaved Parmesan.

Mushroom soup with sherry, mint and lemon rind

1 lb button mushrooms
4 cups veggie stock
grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint
3 tbsp sherry
2 tbsp cream
salt and pepper

Put mushrooms, stock, grated rind and lemon juice, mint and sherry in pot or sauce pan. Bring to a boil and simmer until mushrooms have released their juice. Blend in a food processory until fairly smooth. Return to the pot, add cream and heat gently. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Fig and Goat Cheese Quesadillas

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fig preserves

4 flour tortillas

4 fresh figs

goat cheese

olive oil spray or very little olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Warm non-stick pan and spray or coat with VERY little olive oil.

2. Spread goat cheese over 1/2 of one side of tortillas.

3. Thinly slice figs and spread over same side of tortillas.

4. Heat filled tortillas on pan and flip over so both sides are crispy.

5. Serve with fig preserves or (I haven't tried this but I think it would work: applesauce!)

Mango Sticky Rice from a non-dessert eater--trust me, this is really good!!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups uncooked short-grain white rice
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon tapioca starch (or cornstarch)
3 mangos, peeled and sliced 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS
Combine the rice and water in a saucepan; bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until water is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.
While the rice cooks, mix together 1 1/2 cups coconut milk, 1 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil; remove from heat and set aside. Stir the cooked rice into the coconut milk mixture; cover. Allow to cool for 1 hour.
Make a sauce by mixing together 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the tapioca starch (or cornstarch) in a saucepan; bring to a boil.
Place the sticky rice on a serving dish. Arrange the mangos on top of the rice. Pour the sauce over the mangos and rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Eggplant Non-Parmesan

- Wash and cut eggplant into thin slices (1/4 in) and then salt slices.
- Preheat oven to 400-425
- I like to food process tofu with a spicy tomato sauce but this makes it less tasty and of course there are some anti-tofu people :)
- Mix egg in one bowl, add breadcrumbs to another.
- Dry eggplant slices with towel.
- Dip eggplant slices in egg bowl and then the breadcrumb one (use different hands)
- Spray pizza pan or large baking pan with light oil, and then add eggplant slices to the pans.
- Bake both sides of eggplant, turn off oven
- Once the eggplant is crisp, layer eggplant with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese (I prefer fresh mozzarella). (Eggplant on bottom, then sauce, then mozzarella, then sauce, repeat and make sure it ends with cheese on top).
- Make sure the oven is just warm, and return the layers to the oven until cheese melts.

(Adapted from a recipe by Bernadette Daftary)

Vegetarian duck chili basil

Serves 2
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 large red chili peppers (can substitute red bell pepper for milder taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 7 oz vegetarian duck (wheat gluten) or seitan, sliced diagonally
• 1 small red bell pepper cut into slices
• 1/2 small onion cut into thin slices
• 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup Asian basil leaves, or regular basil
TO SERVE steamed jasmine rice.

Roughly chop the garlic and chilli. Place in a mortar and pestle with the salt and pound into a paste or coarsely process in a food processor. (Sea salt acts as an abrasive against the chilli and garlic and also helps to bring out the flavour.)Place a wok or a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat for 1 minute, heat the oil and add the garlic chilli paste. Stir-fry for 15 seconds until lightly golden. Add the vegetarian duck or seitan. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce, sugar, onion and red bell pepper and stir-fry for 30 seconds longer. Remove from the heat and stir through the basil. Serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice.

(You may adjust the amount of garlic or chilli depending on spice level. Can also substitute other veggies, i.e. green beans)