Roasted Butternut Squash and Artichoke Bruschetta [Video]

Roasted Butternut Squash and Artichoke Bruschetta. Crusty grilled bread topped with sweet cumin roasted butternut squash, artichokes cooked in the oven until soft, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. This vegan appetizer is perfect for soirees and parties. Included is a video that shows how to roast butternut squash and how to cut and prepare artichokes to cook in the oven.

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Hey, we are mid week already!!

If you are an optimist (which I am sure you are), you are thinking you are halfway through to the weekend. So true!! Shouldn't we celebrate? I  say we should with this Roasted Butternut Squash and Artichoke Bruschetta.

I simply LOVE Butternut Squash. It's a beautiful vegetable. For those who haven't had one, it is the closest in taste to red or orange pumpkin, but slightly firmer in texture. You can replace butternut squash with pumpkin too. But I love the texture of a butternut squash. And roasting it brings out the sweetness of the squash. I kept the flavor profile very simple, just red chilli and cumin. The red chilli brought a nice heat to the otherwise sweet squash and the cumin added a little earthy flavor that worked wonderfully with the sweet squash. The little cubes are so tasty, you won't stop eating them while cooking, so make a little more than you would like to serve. Your own secret stash.


Next in, the Artichokes. This is not something very regularly available in India. I happened to find it stocked in the supermarket near my house and I couldn't resist buying it. Good decision, though. The last time I had cooked artichokes, Raj was totally unimpressed. He almost forbade me to buy them this time. But after this time, I may have at least converted him to tolerating them. I almost steamed the artichokes in the oven and they turned out all soft and melt in your mouth texture, that was really appetizing. I absolutely loved them with just salt and olive oil. Gee preferred adding in some Italian seasoning. Season the artichokes according to your taste.

Good quality crusty bread works best for a Bruschetta, but you can use what you have. You can even use crackers.

This Roasted Butternut Squash and Artichoke Bruschetta is a perfect snack or appetizer that you can serve for a Sunday Brunch, or Friday night Cocktails, or a just a soiree with friends. It is also something that you can prepare in advance, so you can leave your hair loose and enjoy with your family and friends and just accept the compliments that will come your way. Happy celebrating!

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are upto.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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Butternut Squash and Artichoke Bruschetta

Bruschetta is an Italian appetizer in which crusty grilled bread is topped with sweet cumin roasted butternut squash, artichokes cooked in the oven until soft, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. This vegan appetizer is perfect for soirees and parties

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:            Italian
Prep Time:     15 hours
Cook time:     60 minutes
Total time:     75 minutes
Yield:                Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

2 Baguettes
1 Butternut Squash
2 Artichokes
0.5 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
2-3 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Salt to taste
Water as required
1 Lime or Lemon
2 Tbsp freshly cracked Pepper

Method:

1. Peel the butternut squash and remove the seeds. Dice it into bite sized pieces of about 1 cm.
2. Add salt, red chilli powder, cumin powder and 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil and mix well.
3. Layer them on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 220 degree Celsius or until soft.
4. In the meanwhile, prepare the artichokes. In a large bowl, take water and add lime juice to it and keep close by. Acidulated water prevents artichokes from browning.
5. Cut the top of the artichoke and remove the tough outer leaves. Keep dipping the artichoke in lime water to avoid browning.
6. Trim the stem and cut the artichoke into half and soak it in the lime water.
7. Once all the artichokes are prepped, place them in a baking pan and drizzle olive oil and salt over them. Use your fingers to rub the salt and oil into the artichokes.
8. Add water to the pan and cover with aluminium foil.
9. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until soft in an oven at 220 degree Celsius.
10. Allow the artichokes to cool a little and either chop them or separate the individual leaves.
11. Slice the baguettes and grill them or toast them until crisp.
12. Top with the artichokes and butternut squash.
13. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Top with freshly cracked pepper for taste.
14. Serve warm or at room temperature.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Grilled Veg Sandwich

Breakfast Bruschetta Duo

Masala Bread Toast

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Vegan Zucchini Spaghetti and Lentil Meatballs in Roasted Pepper Sauce [Video Recipe]

Spaghetti made from zucchini tossed in a spicy roasted red pepper sauce with pan fried vegan lentil meatballs.

So Summer is pretty much out of here. The fruits are going off the shelves. And pretty soon, so will the veggies. So I wanted to use up some gorgeous summer zucchini before it goes out and this Zucchini Pasta definitely improved my mood, and let's hope, my health too.

I am a stress eater. I wish I was the other kinda of person who feel no hunger when stressed, aka Gee. But unfortunately, I am drawn to food when I am stressed. Just yesterday, I downed 2 aloo parathas with so much butter. I was in a buttery heaven but I definitely bid goodbye to my diet. 

Recently I have been under quite a bit of stress. I also read somewhere that STEM careers are in the top of careers that cause a burn out in women along with medicine and journalism. So it's an accepted piece of the job. But all that stress is making me crave carbs - bread, rice, pasta. Just give it to ME!

So today, I was very reasonable. I cheated my stressed inner foodie. I had Quinoa Tava Pulao for lunch where I took this recipe and replaced the white rice with quinoa. Just healthifying my lunch. But that wasn't enough and I did it again for dinner. But honestly, I'm very happy, cause I did not miss my carbs at all.

So my dinner today is this ah-mazing Vegan Pasta where the pasta is actually just fine strips of zucchini. I don't own a spiralizer, so I just use my potato peeler to make fine ribbons of zucchini and then I cut it into thin strips with a sharp knife. This pasta done not really need to be cooked, I just tossed it in hot sauce and let the heat from the sauce soften it slightly. I have been considering investing in a good spiralizer for some time, so if you have suggestions on which product is good, leave me a comment. It will be really appreciated. 

The sauce - well, you can use ANY sauce you want when it comes to Pasta. But I LOVED this roasted red pepper sauce. And it is so simple. I wouldn't say quick, unless your roasted pepper came out of a bottle. But roasting your own peppers is not difficult at all. I rubbed the gorgeous red peppers with some good olive oil and roasted them in the oven. Keep turning them once in a while so that it chars throughout. Once you remove them from the oven, cover the peppers and keep aside for some time. Covering makes it very easy to peel. I just removed the peel and the stalk and seeds. I left the char on the pepper as is, cause I love the smokiness it adds to the sauce.  Once you are done roasting all you do is cook it with some onions and garlic and blend it into a sauce. Add oregano or thyme for added taste. I kept it simple and just added red chilli flakes for heat. 

The star of this dish is really the vegan meatballs made from red lentils, chickpeas and walnuts. It is so delicious, I'd suggest you make a lot more than what the recipe calls for. The below recipe made around 10 and I can tell you they were not enough. I could eat them just like a snack with tea. So take my advice and make more. You won't hate it. This is the only part of the meal that needs some planning. Especially since you have to soak dried chickpeas. While you could use canned one, the soaked dried ones give more texture to the meatballs, much like falafels. The flax egg, is optional if you are frying the meatballs, but they definitely made it moist. So I'd recommend it. You can also bake the meatballs. 

Finally just toss everything together and enjoy guilt-free!

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. 

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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Vegan Zucchini Spaghetti and Lentil Meatballs in Roasted Pepper Sauce

Spaghetti made from zucchini tossed in a spicy roasted red pepper sauce with pan fried vegan lentil meatballs. 

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            International
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     1 Hour 30 minutes
Total time:     10 Hours
Yield:                Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the Lentil Meatballs

0.5 cup dried Red Lentils
0.5 cup dried Chickpeas
1 Tbsp Flax seeds
4 Walnuts
4 Garlic Cloves
1 small Onion
1 Tbsp Flour
0.5 tsp Paprika
0.5 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Oil
Salt to taste
Water as required
Oil to fry the meatballs

For the Roasted Pepper Sauce

3 Red Peppers (capsicum)
1 small Onion
4-5 Garlic Cloves
1 Tbsp Red Chilli Flakes
1.5 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Sugar (Optional)
Salt to taste
Water as required

For the Zucchini Spaghetti

2 medium Zucchini (around 6")

Method:

To make the Lentil Meatballs:

1. Soak the dried chickpeas in water for 8 hours.
2. Wash the dried red lentils and soak them in water for 30 minutes.
3. Heat 4 cups of water in a pan and allow it to come to a rolling boil.
4. Drain the lentils and add to the boiling water.
5. Cover and cook until the lentils are cooked through. Drain out the excess water and keep the lentil aside to cool.
6. Coarsely grind the walnuts.
7. Drain the chickpeas and coarsely grind them.
8. Grind the flax seeds into a powder. Mix in 2 Tbsp of water and keep aside.
9. Saute finely chopped garlic and finely chopped onion in 2 tsp olive oil until the onions are translucent.
10. Once the lentils have cooled, add the walnuts, ground chickpeas, sauteed onions and garlic, garlic powder, paprika, flour and salt and mix well.
11. Chill for 2 hours or freeze for 30 minutes. If the batter is still very wet to form balls, add a spoonful of flour or breadcrumbs.
12. Divide the batter into 10 equal parts and roll into balls using your palms.
13. Take a shallow pan and add oil to it. Once the oil is hot, add the meatballs.
14. Keep turning the meatballs when one side browns. Continue to cook until the entire meatball is browned.
15. You can also bake the meatballs.

To make the Roasted Pepper Sauce:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degree C.
2. Coat the red peppers with 0.5 tbsp of olive oil.
3. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Turn the peppers after every 10 minutes.
4. Remove the peppers from the oven and place in a bowl. Cover and keep aside.
5. Once the peppers have cooled, peel the peppers and remove the stalk and the seeds. Chop roughly and keep aside.
6. Heat the remaining oil in a pan.
7. Crush the garlic and chop them roughly. Add the garlic to the pan.
8. Once the garlic is fragrant, add finely chopped onion and fry until translucent.
9. Add the red pepper and mix well.
10. Add the red chilli flakes, salt and 0.5 cup of water.
11. Cook until the water reduces.
12. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
13. Grind into a smooth puree with little water.
14. Add the puree back to the pan and allow it to heat up.
15. Add more salt, paprika or sugar if required at this stage depending on your taste.
16. You can store this sauce in a clean glass jar in the fridge for 2-3 days after it cools.

To make the Zucchini Spaghetti and assembling:

1. Use a spiralizer to make zucchini spaghetti or slice the zucchini into fine strips.
2. Heat up the roasted red pepper sauce.
3. Add the zucchini to the sauce and mix well. Leave it on the heat for 2-3 minutes until the zucchini is cooked to your liking.
4. Add the meatballs and mix well.
5. You can top the pasta with parmesan.
6. Serve hot with crusty bread.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Roasted Vegetable Torte

Vegan Zucchini Kale Lasagna

Vegan Pumpkin Sauce

Read more ...

Vegan Zucchini Kale Lasagna

I've had an Italian start to the weekend - Pizza for Friday night dinner and this awesome Homemade Vegan Zucchini Kale Lasagna for Saturday lunch.

I'll be honest, this is my first time trying to veganize a dish that has Cheese in it. I'm never vegan when it comes to Italian food either. I'm more than liberal with cheese, usually adding more than what the recipe calls for. I'm a big fat LOVER of cheese. I've been known to eating cheese cubes the way other's eat chocolate. Sometimes, I like it over chocolate...

So what converted me? While I'm not converted, I'm definitely trying to reduce dairy. I'm also very excited to try a new range of cheese that I can make at home. I've always wanted to make my own cheese - sounds super exciting. I've looked around endlessly for vegetarian Rennet, but I'm yet to find it in Bangalore. Bangaloreans out there, any tips? So I gave up the idea of making my own cheese except Cottage Cheese or Paneer. And now I can make my own cheese - no rennet or any bacteria needed.

When I stumbled upon a recipe for vegan Mozzarella, no one could stop me. I HAD to try it! 

While my cheese wasn't as stretchy as Mozzarella is meant to be, it tasted good and added the required creaminess to the Lasagna. I did not use Pasta sheets. I make Lasagna very rarely and I usually end up throwing out half the box of lasagna sheets as they are way past their shelf life. So I did what everyone is doing these days - used vegetables as pasta.  I see new recipes for Zoodles almost every other days. 

Zucchini works so well in Italian food. Lightly steamed zucchini tends to have the al-dente texture that pasta demands. I used thinly sliced baby zucchini to replace the pasta sheets for the lasagna. I also used Kale as I like the pepperyness it adds. If you cannot find Kale, use spinach. I used raw Kale cut into large pieces, you can steam it to soften them and then use it. I layered slices of Tofu too. That's just cause I had it and I love the texture of Tofu. I know, I'm weird, but I really do love Tofu.

All that I talked about already is the texture component of the lasagna, the taste is entirely due to this super easy chunky Tomato Sauce. You've gotta try this sauce, even if you are not making the lasagna. I can have bowls of it with anything - Bread, Roti, Rice, Noodles. And it is so simple to make too. Just fry onions, garlic, carrots and peppers in olive oil. Add tomato puree and all the herbs and spices. Cook until you have a nice thick chunky sauce all perfect to layer on that Lasagna. Job done!!

Bake it until the cheese brown a little and the zucchini and kale are cooked, about 15 minutes. You have to eat this immediately, just because it tastes amazing when hot.

And if you are not a fan of vegan cheese, just replace the cheese with regular Mozzarella, I bet it tastes just as great.

Tag me on Instagram @oneteaspoonoflife when you make this recipe. Happy Lasagna Weekend to you, Ciao!!

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Gobi Manchurian Pizza - Fusion pizza topped with fried Cauliflower and Indo-Chinese Manchurian Sauce.
• Curried Brown Rice Zucchini Fritters - Fritters or Tikkis made with mashed Brown Rice and grated Zucchini. Spiced with Garam Masala and pan fried.
• Eggplant Pizza - Pizza made with Eggplant as the base and topped with homemade tomato basil sauce and cheese. 

Vegan Zucchini Kale Lasagna

Zucchini Kale Lasagna is a vegan and gluten free pasta dish made using zucchini, kale, vegan mozzarella cheese and a chunky tomato sauce. 

Recipe Type:  Pasta
Cuisine:            Italian
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Yield:                Serves 2

Ingredients:

5-6 baby Zucchini
5-6 large Kale leaves
100 gms firm Tofu

For the Vegan Cheese:

1/2 cup Cashew nuts
1/4 cup Tapioca Flour
1/4 tsp Mustard Powder
1/2 tsp Vinegar
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Water

For the Tomato Sauce:

1.5 cups Tomato Puree
1 large Onion
1 small Carrot
1/2 green Capsicum
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Sugar
2 tsp dried Basil
1 tsp Thyme
1 Tbsp minced Garlic
1 tsp Celery Salt
1/2 tsp Chilli Powder
Salt to taste
Water as required

Method:

To make Vegan Cheese:

Boil the cashew nuts in 1 cup of water for 8-10 minutes until soft.
Drain and keep aside to cool.
Blend together cashew nuts, tapioca flour, mustard, vinegar and salt along with 1/2 cup water.
Heat a non stick pan and add the blended paste to it.
Stir continuously until it thickens. Adjust salt and water.

To make Tomato Sauce:

Heat olive oil in a pan.
Add finely chopped onion, carrot, capsicum along with minced garlic. Saute for 4-5 minutes.
Add tomato puree, celery salt, red chilli powder, basil, thyme and sugar.
Simmer for 7-8 minutes. Add water if required.
Add salt to taste and mix well.

To Assemble the Lasagna:

Take a deep baking dish and layer with chopped kale, sliced zucchini and sliced tofu.
Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper.
Spread the tomato sauce.
Spread the vegan cheese.
Similarly, make another layer of the vegetables, sauce and cheese.
Preheat the oven to 180 degree C.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the cheese browns.

Notes:

• Replace the vegan cheese with regular Mozzarella for a non-vegan version. 
• In case you don't have Tapioca Flour, you can grind sabudana or sago pearls in a high power mixer to get a fine powder. 
• Kale can be replaced with spinach (palak). You can steam the kale or spinach before using it in the lasagna. 
• If you don't have celery salt, add chopped celery to the sauce along with the onions or just use regular salt.

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Gobi Manchurian Pizza

You heard that right! Gobi Manchurian Pizza!!!

Your favorite starter "Gobi Manchurian" as a Pizza topping. Dinner does not get better than this!!!

I try to cook healthy an eat healthy most of the times. My regular lunch or dinner is chapati with some vegetables. But then, there are some days (or nights) that all I want to do is indulge. Friday night was just that - Indulgence Night. 

This Pizza was a product of circumstances. Seriously, I had no choice. Na ah. 

I had (still have) lots of cauliflower. I had Mozzarella left over from my UBER-ly delicious Stuffed Potato Skins. Remember those? And I had a small little Capsicum growing in my pot. TA-DA - Gobi Manchurian Pizza.

I love LOVE Gobi Manchurian. The chef that invented it was pure Genius. What a perfect starter to any meal! At any given time, in a restaurant, I believe at least 50% of the people order Gobi Manchurian as a starter. Except in those fancy fine-dines. I wonder what people order there.

I've been told this dish - the Gobi Manchurian Pizza is not my invention (Darn those eye-opener friends!!). To my credit, this Gobi Manchurian Pizza recipe is totally mine. I made Gobi Manchurian the way I always make it, the only difference being I did not simmer the cauliflower with the sauce, instead I just layered them on the Pizza base.

The Pizza was a super hit. This Gobi Manchurian Pizza brings together the best of 2 cuisines (or is it 3) - Indo-Chinese and Italian.

I'm sure everyone knows about Italian Cuisine and Pizzas. No intro needed there. 

Now, the Gobi Manchurian is a purely Indian take on Chinese cuisine. It consists of batter coated cauliflower florets that are deep fried until they are crispy golden brown (I suggest you make extra, they taste awesome just like that). If that wasn't enough of BANG, there is the sauce. The sauce is soy-based and is full of flavors of soy sauce, chilli, ginger and garlic. Getting an idea?

To make the Gobi Manchurian Pizza, I made a whole wheat and honey pizza base. That is 100% whole wheat, nothing else. I have not followed the traditional way of making a pizza base - 2 rises, then either rolling or stretching. I have done it more like - rise, roll, rise. This gave me a nice thick base. If you plan on making a thin crust, then you may need to adjust the dough quantities to match that and your pan size. My directions below are for a 10" thick base Pizza. You can also freeze part of the dough for a later day.

After making the base, I then layered with that delicious spicy sauce and dropped the cauliflower all around. Grated some cheese and VOILA! the Gobi Manchurian Pizza is already ready to be devoured.

I know this does not sound like a weekday kinda meal, when you come back from office battling all that traffic and the rains. The number of ingredients and the number of steps sound daunting. When you start making it you will see that the number of unique ingredients isn't really much. And I've written a very detailed recipe to make your cooking easier. I assure you, there is a time and a place to make this Pizza. I actually made it in like 2 hrs on a Friday night. And the 2 hrs was all rising of the base. The actual cooking took way less.

This Gobi Manchurian Pizza is perfect for you:

If you like quirky fusion food that is delicious.

If you love Asian or Indo-Chinese flavors

If you love Pizza

Gobi Manchurian Pizza

Fusion pizza topped with fried cauliflower and Manchurian sauce. 

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            Fusion
Prep Time:     2 Hours
Cook time:     50 minutes
Yield:                Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the Pizza Base:

2 cups Whole wheat flour or Atta
1 tsp Active Dry Yeast
1 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp Olive Oil
2-3 cups warm Water
1 tsp Salt

For the Gobi / Cauliflower:

2.5 cups Cauliflower florets
4-5 Tbsp Cornflour
1.5 tsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1 tsp Chilli Sauce
1/2 tsp Tomato Ketchup
1/2-1 cup Water
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

For the Manchurian Sauce:

Leftover batter from the Gobi / Cauliflower
1 Onion
1/2 Capsicum
1 Tbsp finely chopped Garlic
1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1 tsp Soy sauce
1 tsp Chilli sauce
2 tsp Oil
1 cup Water
Salt to taste

For assembling:

Pizza Base
Fried Gobi / Cauliflower
Manchurian Sauce
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp chopped Coriander
Mozzarella or Pizza cheese

Method:

To make the Pizza Base:

Add the active dry yeast to 1 cup of warm water along with the honey. Allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes.
Once it is foamy, add it to the whole wheat flour along with 1 Tbsp olive oil and salt and knead into a smooth dough. Knead for around 5-10 minutes.
Now coat the dough with the remaining olive oil and place in a clean bowl. Cover the bowl loosely with a plate of a towel and keep in a warm place to rise. It should double up in size. Mine took around 1 hour.
Once it is doubled in size, punch it down, and roll it into a pizza base. Roll according to if you want a thick base or a thin base. I made a thick 10" base.
Oil the pan in which you will cook the base, and place the rolled out base, prick it with a fork. Cover and keep it in a warm place for its 2nd rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200 degree Celsius and bake the base for 12-15 minutes.

To make the fried Gobi / Cauliflower:

This can be made when the base is kept for rising.
In a large bowl, mix together the cornflour, ginger garlic paste, soy sauce, chilli sauce, tomato ketchup, salt and add water by the spoonfuls. We need a medium consistency batter that can coat the cauliflower. I did not need the full cup of Water.
Heat oil in a frying pan. I shallow fried the florets, you can deep fry them.
Once the oil is hot, dip the cauliflower in the batter and drop them in the oil.
Fry until golden brown and crispy on the outside and the cauliflower is cooked on the inside.

To make the Manchurian Sauce:

Heat oil in a pan and add sliced onions and chopped garlic. Fry until the onions are translucent.
Add the sliced capsicum and fry for another 1-2 minutes.
Add the leftover batter from the cauliflower. If there is none leftover, mix together 1 Tbsp cornflour in 1/4 cup of water and add it. You may need to increase the quantity of the sauces accordingly.
Add the ginger garlic paste, soy sauce, tomato ketchup, chilli sauce, salt and 1/4 cup of water and mix well. Add more sauce if required.
Allow it to cook 3-4 minutes. You may need to add more water in as cornflour thickens on cooking.

To make the Pizza:

Spread the sauce on the base.
Place the fried cauliflower all on top of the sauce.
Sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves.
Grate cheese to cover the pizza.
Drizzle over the Olive Oil.
Bake in a 200 degree Celsius preheated oven for 5-8 minutes until the cheese melts.
Serve hot.

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