Merry Christmas Eve Eve! The gifts are purchased and wrapped, the groceries have been shopped for and are ready to be cooked. We’ve been cooking, wrapping, and partying - it’s Christmas!
We’ve taken a break from hosting Dan’s family this year and it’s liberating - no planning, emailing, organizing, cleaning or excessive cooking. I’m enjoying being a guest for the first time in about 5 - 6 years. We’ll most likely host again - or not, maybe that next generation is ready to bring us all together for future events.
We had some of Dan’s co-workers over last Sunday for a “welcome to the new kitchen we haven’t seen you in ages” get together. The group had a few food challenges; 2 vegetarians, 2 no cow, 1 lactose intolerant and no seafood - yikes!
I found a delicious vegan paella recipe that at first glanced looked easy to prepare, fairly normal ingredients and was delicious - I’d say we scored on all 3 counts. If you want the long version with many photos you can check out Pumpkin & Peanut Butter’s blog post. If you want the shorter version with a few changeups keep reading.
This paella brings together many of my favorite foods; mushrooms, onion, delicata squash, basmati rice, and cauliflower. So many good flavors. The recipe below takes about 1 hour to prepare and servers 8 - 10 people as a main dish. We served it with a spinach, orange, date and pecan salad dressed with a fig and curry dressing, fresh bread and fresh fruit.
Ingredients
2 - 3 Tbsp vegan butter
8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
1 Medium yellow onion, sliced
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups brown basmati rice
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 delicata squash, halved and sliced
1 1/2 cup cauliflower florets
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley, for topping
optional: pepitas or roasted butternut squash seeds, for topping
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sliced delicate squash in half and remove seeds with a spoon. Then, slice squash into 1/2'' slices. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then spread across a baking sheet. Do with same with the cauliflower florets and spread across the same baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes, tossing once.
In the meantime, heat 1 tbsp of butter in a large skillet. Add in sliced mushrooms and 2 tbsp of freshly chopped parsley. Sauté until mushrooms are golden, then remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan, add 1-2 more tbsp of butter and sliced yellow onions. Sauté onions until golden brown.
Add diced tomatoes into onions and stir to combine. Next, add in 2 cups of brown rice and stir once again to coat. Toast rice for 1-2 minutes, then add in vegetable broth, cinnamon, tumeric, and paprika. Stir to evenly disperse liquid and spices. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cover. Cook for 40-45 minutes over medium low heat.
After almost all of the liquid is absorbed, stir in frozen peas and cooked mushrooms. Cook for another few minutes until liquid is absorbed and rice develops a bit of a crusty the sides and bottom of the pan. Top with delicata squash around the edges in a circle, and place the roasted cauliflower in the center. Sprinkle with lots of freshly chopped parsley and pumpkin or squash seeds.
If you are spending time with loved ones this holiday season - enjoy. If you are missing loved ones, cherish the memories and if you just want to spend time alone - that’s good too. Do what makes you happy.
Resolutions - I have none. I am going to continue my 18 for 2018 into 19 for 2019. My goal is to do 19 things (with the exception of a couple items, most of the 19 will be unplanned and spontaneous) that benefit me or someone else in a positive way. I’m planning to walk/run/bike 2019 miles in 2019. I did this back in 2017 and I really enjoyed it so, I’m giving it a go again this year.
I am thinking there will be a few surprises for me in 2019 - no hints yet but keep reading, because you will hear it here first!
Wishing you and yours a holiday filled with love, laughter and good cheer. Thanks for stopping by!
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