Feeding the Crave

I love perusing recent posts of my favorite blogs. I enjoy the personalities of my fellow bloggers and am also continually inspired by their kitchen endeavors. Sometimes it's hard to remember from whence an inspiration has come, and usually I find myself changing a recipe due to my own laziness or to avoid another trip to the grocery store. I am not the most organized vegan.

Yesterday I knew my inspiration was from something I'd seen on Stephanie Leah's "Diary of a Frenzied Vegan" (http://omnivore-no-more.blogspot.com). I began working with a dish she had created with wild rice, butternut squash and an apple among other things. But then I realized I'd been eating a fair amount of rice lately and I really wanted red quinoa instead. Looking back, I realize I'd also been inspired by a quinoa dish on Stephanie's blog as well, and I sort of morphed the two very loosely.

This dish involved a lot more effort for me than I usually expend, but then wrestling with any raw winter squash without slicing myself is a guaranteed way to kill half an hour or so. Obviously I am not eating many winter squash, but then that's what makes this delicious panful so special -- it doesn't come around every day!

After successfully chopping the butternut into submission without losing a finger (maybe I just need a sharper knife?) I did enjoy the rest of the prep work for this amazing meal. I started by roasting the butternut and the apple on a parchment sheet at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, as Stephanie does, but otherwise I used up items in my crisper which were on their way to being not so crispy -- a carrot, a large garlic clove, two sad leeks (I removed the sad parts) a cup of red quinoa, some olive oil, a vegan bouillon cube, enough water to keep most of the quinoa moist, and then added at the end three well-chopped collard leaves, a large handful of cilantro and a spring onion. I obviously followed no recipe after roasting the squash and apple, so I would definitely direct you to the source -- Stephanie's recipe.

I really enjoy "shopping my own larder" and finding ways not to waste the food within it. The food in the above panful is truly what I am always dreaming of -- deeply-colored fresh veggies with nutrient-rich whole grains. I crave it all day long. I am eating it now for my "second breakfast" (a smoothie was my first, but looking at that photo I had to have it). The leftovers are delightful, cold out of the 'fridge!

I have to giggle when I realize that many of my omni-friends will take one look at the object of my desire and grimace. I guess I may not have been so hot for this panful of yum a year ago either. But now?  Obsessed!