When I find something I like, I tend to get a tad bit obsessed. For example, after I took my first hot yoga class, I immediately signed-up for an unlimited membership to my studio and began practicing close to every day of the week.  When I was a youngster and fell hard for New Kids on the Block (they will never be N.K.O.T.B), I covered my walls with their posters, never missed a concert and bought every teen magazine that had their pictures plastered all over them (I also convinced myself that I was going to marry Jordan, but that’s a story for another time).  My first trip to Trader Joe’s led to about three more trips in that same week.  And then there’s food.  When I find something that tickles my fancy, watch out!  It’s almost as if I think the store is going to run out of my newly found item, or all of the sudden my taste buds are going to change and I will no longer fancy it.  As you already know, I’ve been known to hoard things, and if I’m in love with a new ‘flavor of the week’, then chances are there will be multiples of the item in my shopping cart.

Image Credit – survivaldigest.com

OK, I’m not that bad!

In one of my recent posts, I talked about how I ‘re-discovered’ Swiss chard.  I love the unique taste of this leafy green and the fact that it’s loaded with vitamins and nutrients.  Plus, it literally cooks up in a hot minute.  It’s also healthy for your wallet.  So really, what’s there not to like about this veggie?  I can’t seem to find a single darn thing.  Not sure if this is actually fact for me, or simply my justification for being obsessed with the chard of Swiss, but I can’t stop dreaming of new and creative ways to eat it.  I even challenged the Healthy Chow brain to come up with a little diddy using only the ingredients that existed in my fridge and cabinets.  My creation came out quite well.  I’m pretty sure you won’t be hatin’…

You Won’t Be Hatin’ POM, Swiss Chard, Chickpeas & Bacon
Serves 2 (as an entrée) or 4 (as a side dish)

• 1/3 cup of POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice
• 1/4 cup of chicken broth (I used Trader Joe’s Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth)
• 1 TBSP of Worcestershire sauce
• few dashes of white pepper
• few dashes of onion powder
• 1/2 TSP of Dijon mustard
• 1/2 TSP of corn starch dissolved in 1 1/2 TBSP of warm water
• 1 bunch of Swiss chard, rinsed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 5 slices of turkey bacon (I used Jennie-O brand)
• 4-5 medium-sized white mushrooms, sliced
• 1/3 cup of chickpeas (I used canned)
• sea salt to taste

1) In a small saucepan, combine the POM juice, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, white pepper and onion powder.  Heat everything on medium/medium-high heat.  Keep stirring as it starts to come to a slow boil.

2) Add the Dijon mustard.  Mix until the Dijon mustard is well-blended (there will be little lumps of mustard, it won’t completely dissolve).  Add the cornstarch mixture to the pot and keep stirring until the sauce begins to thicken.  It should take about 3 – 5 minutes.  Turn the heat to low, cover and set aside.

3) Heat a large skillet on medium-high.  Once the skillet is hot to the touch, add the bacon in a single layer.  Allow the bacon to cook for about 3 minutes or until it begins to crisp.  Flip the bacon and cook on the other side for another few minutes.  Once it has reached your desired crispiness, drain on a paper towel-covered plate.

4) In the same skillet, add the Swiss chard and begin moving the Swiss chard around in order to mix in with the bacon drippings (because it’s turkey bacon, it won’t be very greasy).  Allow the Swiss chard to wilt a bit, it should take a couple of minutes.  Then, add the sliced mushrooms to the skillet.  Cook until the mushrooms begin to brown.  Add the white pepper and sea salt to taste.

5) Turn down the heat to medium.  Begin tearing the bacon into bite-sized pieces.  I left mine on the larger side for a more rustic look   Add the bacon to the skillet and stir until warmed.  Finally, add the chickpeas.

6) Add the pomegranate juice mixture to the skillet.  Mix until everything is well-blended and the juice reduces a bit. It should take another minute or so.

7) EAT!  This is great as a side dish, or as your main dish served over a hot bowl of brown rice or quinoa.  Heck, eat it in pita pocket if you want!

DEE-VINE!  I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I began combing all of these ingredients together.  While I like the unique taste of Swiss chard, I know many are turned off by its mildly bitter taste.  Thus, I wanted to find something to cook the Swiss chard in that would remove or lessen some of that often considered undesirable taste.  Because POM juice is tart and semi-sweet, I figured it would be a good match.  The saltiness and smokiness from the turkey bacon rounded out this dish and added to the layers of flavor.  I threw in some chickpeas for an additional kick of protein, and mushrooms because I like the taste of mushrooms   If you’re wondering, the POM juice wasn’t overly tart or overbearing in this dish.  In fact, it nicely lightened the recipe without making it taste too fruit-like.  And, the POM juice made this recipe even more nutritious by adding a boost of antioxidants!

It’s safe to say that my obsession with Swiss chard won’t be going anywhere any time soon.  Even when I tossed various random ingredients with this vegetable, it still tasted great.  Actually, I didn’t even eat this recipe with any rice, quinoa or bread.  I ate it as soon as I plated it.  With all those beautiful colors and fabulous flavors, I just couldn’t resist.  I guess I’d just rather declare, “I’ll Be Loving You Forever” versus “Hangin’ Tough” and fighting my love for this mighty green!  (Oh yes, that was corny.  But like I said before, I was obsessed!)

Do you have any guilty pleasures?  Perhaps a cheesy TV show, band or movie?  Come on, I know you do…

Namasté,
Nicole

Doh!  Just when you think you’re done posting all of your recipes for Christmas, a little birdie chirps and tells you…”Hey!  When the heck are you gonna post your recipe for that pumpkin lasagna you made?”  I totally forgot!  I blame it on the cookies…

When it’s time for the holidays, all I can think of is food.  And the more, the better!  It’s not like anyone in my family is going to go hungry if a certain dish isn’t present at the table, but for whatever reason, I just feel better knowing it’s there.  Call it what you want (insanity, cray-cray, loca, nuts, bonkers, lights are on – nobody’s home), but it’s just how I roll… For that reason, I decided we needed to have a lasagna at Christmas dinner.  Even though I knew there was already going to be a turkey and a roast beef and all the fixings present, I just couldn’t resist bringing a pasta dish.  But instead of going the traditional route, I decided to spice things up a bit and put a new spin on the ordinary lasagna.

Pumped-Up Pumpkin Lasagna
Inspired by Food Mayhem and Taste of Home
Makes a 13 x 9-inch tray

• 1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 2 TSP of olive oil
• 1 lb. of Sweet Italian Style Chicken Sausage, chopped (I used Trader Joe’s brand, about 7 links)
• 1 pound 5 ounces (or 21 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella, divided
• 1 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 TBSP of buttery spread (or butter)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 15 oz. cans of Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 3 TBSP of light brown sugar
• 1 TBSP of agave nectar (or pure maple syrup)
• 1 TSP of  cinnamon
• 1/4 TSP of nutmeg
• 1 TSP of dried sage leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• pinch white pepper
• 8 regular lasagna sheets (I used Barilla brand, NOT the no-bake kind)

1) In a large skillet on medium-high heat, sauté the mushrooms, onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt in olive oil until tender, about 3 – 5 minutes.  Then, add the chicken sausage and cook until the sausage starts to brown a little (the sausage is already fully-cooked, so you are just heating up).  Turn the heat down to medium and heat everything together for another few minutes.  Set aside.

2) In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese and 12 oz. of the mozzarella cheese.  Set aside.

3) In a medium-sized pot, melt butter on low heat.  Add garlic and brown lightly.  Stir in pumpkin, brown sugar, agave nectar, cinnamon, nutmeg, dried sage, salt and pepper.  Stir until it’s all warm.  Remove from heat and set aside.

4) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

4) Spray your baking dish with cooking spray.  Smear a thin layer of the pumpkin mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.

5) If you’re not good at eyeballing things (like me), divide your remaining pumpkin mixture, your ricotta cheese mixture and your meat mixture into two equal portions.

6) Top the thin layer of pumpkin mixture with 3 lasagna noodles going lengthwise and 1 going widthwise (you’ll have to break/shorten this in order for it to fit).  Using one of the reserved portions of the ricotta cheese mixture, smooth it over the noodles.  Using one of the reserved portions of the meat mixture, top the ricotta cheese.  Repeat this process again starting with one of the reserved portions of the pumpkin mixture, then the noodles, then the ricotta cheese mixture, then the meat mixture and then end with the pumpkin mixture.  Top the final layer of the pumpkin mixture with the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese.

7) Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes.  Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

One word for this dish.  OK, maybe two words.  Delicious and hearty.  I think some of my family members were a tad concerned when I told them what was on the dining room table was a pumpkin lasagna.  I’m not sure if they envisioned a dessert-like version of the multi-layered noodle treat or if they just thought it was weird that I would change up a classic and add something as odd (to them) as pumpkin.  But their faces definitely expressed some doubt and hesitation until they took a chance and finally took a bite.  Once they tasted this dish, they were pleasantly pleased (as was I).  One of my relatives actually said, “this tastes just like a regular lasagna, but only spicier and better.”

In fact, this recipe does taste very similar to a traditional lasagna, except not as acidic and a bit sweeter.  The dried sage definitely gave this lasagna a nice kick in flavor and complimented the subtle sweetness of the pumpkin.  All of the rich flavors and layers helped to make this recipe quite the filling one.  Just a tiny piece was enough to make a meal (even though I had a big piece along with turkey, roast beef, caesar salad, stuffing…but heck, that was so last year!).  And while this dish tasted great with the flavoring from the sweet Italian chicken sausage, it could easily be made without meat or with meat-free sausage.  As a side note, I used the regular lasagna noodles in this recipe.  I just put them in the recipe uncooked and baked them.  They turned out great, and not hard at all.  Actually, the noodles were perfectly al-dente.  I have found that boiling the noodles and then baking can sometimes produce a mushy lasagna.

I will definitely make this recipe again.  However, next time I’m going to make a mental note to make more than the suggested amount of pumpkin purée mixture.  Or, perhaps I will try to thin out the mixture a bit?  It seemed that I had trouble evenly spreading the pumpkin during the layering process and felt as if I was going to run out.  But if you’re a fan of this fibrous orange gourd like I am, then lather it on thick and make this dish pleasantly plump and you’ll be pumped to have this grace your dinner plate.

***And if you need another reason to try out this recipe, just check out what’s #11 on this list (thanks Kevin!)!***

After baking my cookies the other day, I noticed there were slight stains left on my baking sheet.  I didn’t spray any cooking spray or use any grease on my sheet before baking and the cookies had no problem sliding off.  Anyone know why this would have happened?  The baking sheet is pretty good quality, too. Your thoughts?

Namasté,
Nicole

I can remember a few (OK, it was more like a couple) years back, when I never used to cook or bake or really make anything in the kitchen at all.  Whenever it was time to go to a family gathering, I would bring flowers, wine, a dessert from the bakery or even a tray of pasta purchased from a restaurant.  While the friend or family member who was hosting the party would be grateful for whatever I would bring to their party, I always felt as though some of the party attendees would throw me some weird and crazy looks.  I think they thought it was funny (or sad) that I, a grown adult, wasn’t ashamed to admit that I didn’t cook and that I worked hard for the money I used to buy the food I brought to the party.  I often times would just brush off those looks by making a joke about having no interest in cooking and deep down inside, I would feel a bit embarrassed.

Now, I love to cook! I love finding new recipes, learning new tricks in the kitchen, trying out ingredients I’ve never used before and of course, tasting my latest creations.  And when someone now invites me over to a party, I jump at the chance to bring something.  And now, that something is homemade!

A couple months back was my brother-in-law’s welcome home party.  While my sister-in-law to be (the one throwing the party) insisted that I didn’t need to bring anything, I didn’t want to show up empty handed.  So, I began looking through my recipe collection and found one I had made previously and brought to a dinner party.  It was a hit the first time I made it, so I figured the second time around would be just as fabulous.

Potato and Sun-Dried Tomato au Gratin with Spinach and Cannellini Beans
Adapted recipe from Cooking Light

10 Servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup)

• 1  cup boiling water
• 3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil (about 2 ounces)
• 3 pounds of peeled baking potato, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• Cooking spray
• 2 cups of chopped frozen spinach (I used a 16 oz. bag from Trader Joe’s)
• 1 cup of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 TBSP Smart Balance Light
• 1 cup chopped white onion
• 1/2 TSP  dried oregano
• 1/2 TSP  sea salt
• 1/2 TSP  cracked black pepper
• 2 TBSP of cornstarch
• 2 TBSP of warm water
• 2 cups of lowfat milk
• 2 cups (8 ounces) of grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 TSP of white pepper
• few sprinkles of crushed red pepper
• few dashes of cayenne pepper
• few dashes of paprika

1) Place your sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl and pour the boiling water over them.  Cover the bowl (I used a large plate) and let them sit for 30 minutes.  Once they have softened, pour out the water and chop the tomatoes into long strips.  Set them aside.

Before                                                                                      After

2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3) Place the potato slices (make sure your slices are uniformly cut) in a large pot, and cover with water.  Bring the potatoes and water to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat.  Let the potatoes simmer for 15 minutes or until they are fork tender.  Once tender, drain your potatoes in a large colander and rinse with cold water.

4) Arrange the potato slices in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

5) Microwave or steam your frozen spinach.  Once thawed, wring out as much water as you can.  You want the spinach to be completely dry.

6) Layer the dry spinach on top of the potato slices.

7) Layer the drained and rinsed cannellini beans over the spinach and potatoes.

8 ) Melt your Smart Balance Light in a large sauce pan on medium heat.  Once melted, add your onion and cook for about 3 minutes or until the onion gets tender.  Then, add your sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, sea salt and cracked black pepper and cook for another 2 minutes.  Spoon your cornstarch into a cup filled with 2 TBSP of warm water.  Mix until smooth.  Add your cornstarch mixture to your pot, stirring constantly.

9) Slowly add your milk (I added it in increments of 1/2 cup) and stir with whisk until well blended.  Take your pot off the heat.  Then, begin adding your cheese (again, using increments of 1/2 cup).  Make sure the increments of cheese have melted before adding more.

10) Once all the cheese has melted and the sauce is well blended, pour the sauce over the potatoes, spinach and beans.  Gently toss to make sure everything is covered and well integrated.

11) Sprinkle the potato mixture with white pepper, cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper.  Gently toss again.  Top with paprika and bake for 20 minutes or until the dish starts getting bubbly and the potato edges begin browning.

The first time I made this dish, I followed the recipe exactly.  This time, I substituted the all-purpose flour for cornstarch, used lowfat milk versus skim milk and added frozen chopped spinach and cannellini beans.  The results were amazing! I used cornstarch because the flour never seemed to blend entirely the first time around and I used lowfat milk to give the sauce a creamier texture.  In order to ‘bulk up’ the dish and to add some protein and vegetables, I added the chopped spinach and cannellini beans.  The added ingredients also gave my dish a boost of color.  It looked like Christmas!

Not only did this dish look pretty, but it was delish! I know it wasn’t the healthiest or ‘Cooking Light-est’ recipes, but I kept in mind that this was being brought to a party for a crowd to share and not for one person to have as their entire meal.  Not only was this recipe easy to make, but it traveled well and was easy to prep when I arrived at the party.  All you have to do is heat for a bit until bubbly and hot.  And, this recipe can be assembled up to 24 hours before cooking.  The chopping/prepping of the potatoes and tomatoes (I chopped and chopped while watching Chopped – no lie!) took a little bit of time and effort, but was well worth it.  It’s a great side dish to bring to a holiday or dinner party and definitely a crowd pleaser (who doesn’t like cheesy potatoes?).  So instead of getting a jeer for bringing something store bought, you can get a cheer for bringing something deliciously divine and incredibly hot!

What’s your ‘go-to’ dish to bring when attending a party?  Do you usually bring something you’ve made in the past or do you like to test out new recipes?

Namasté,
Nicole

I don’t know about you all but when I’m hungry, I’m hungry! If I don’t have something quick to reheat or make in the fridge when the dinner bell (or the breakfast, brunch or lunch bell) rings, my fingers start getting itchy and I reach for those crunchy snacks (and I’m not talking about the baby carrot or celery kind either!).  And then I figure if I can’t whip up something that’s quick and healthy, I might as well just eat snacks for dinner or get some greasy easy takeout (there are way too many convenience options when you live in a college area).  I wish I could say that this doesn’t happen too often, but that wouldn’t be honest.  And then one day as I was doing some blog reading, I came across a post from The BroccoliHut.  If you aren’t already a reader of Caroline’s blog, you should check her out!  She’s quite creative in the kitchen and makes some killer hummus.  But what caught my eye that day was Caroline’s fast and hearty soup.  Not only did it look and sound delicious, but it was something that I could totally put together in that instant.  I had the exact same ingredients in my cupboard and fridge and yet, the idea never came to me.  That’s why I love all you creative and expressive bloggers! You always know how to inspire me and you always know how to shake some sense into me!

I love Trader Joe’s Soups: Carrot Ginger and Latin Style Black Bean

The nutritional facts

Not bad, huh?

Spicin’ up my soup!

My The Broccoli Hut-Inspired Soup (thanks Caroline!)
Serves 1

• 1 cup of Trader Joe’s Carrot Ginger Soup
• few dashes of curry powder
• few dashes of cumin
• 2 TSP of freshly grated ginger (I love fresh ginger – but this can be omitted)
• 1/4 cup of chickpeas (I used canned)
• 1 cup of frozen cauliflower florets
• 1 cup of frozen cubed butternut squash
• handful of spinach leaves
• salt
• white pepper

1) In a medium saucepan, heat the carrot ginger soup on medium heat.  Add the curry powder, cumin and freshly grated ginger.  Give the soup a stir to get the seasonings well-blended.

2) Once the soup starts to heat up, add the chickpeas and frozen vegetables.  Stir the soup well to make sure all the frozen veggies get heated.

3) Add the spinach to the soup and stir.  Once the spinach starts to wilt, cover the saucepan with a lid.  Turn the heat down to medium-low and let the soup simmer for another few minutes.

4) Eat immediately!

I’m so happy that this soup came together in a hurry because my appetite was growing by the second!  But instead of my usual mindless snacking (OK, I admit I had a few raw almonds), I saved my appetite for this hearty soup.  And boy, was it worth the wait!  Similar to the soup I made a few weeks back, the seasonings and ginger were the show stoppers of this soup.  The curry powder and ginger added a nice warmth to the soup without it being spicy.  But having chunks of cauliflower and butternut squash to sink my teeth into while eating this soup (versus drinking/sipping) made me feel fulfilled and satisfied.  Adding the chickpeas to the soup was a great way to get some protein into this meal.  Plus, I love the way chickpeas taste with spinach.  Is that just me? Being a visual person, I also enjoyed seeing the orange, dark green, beige and white colors mixed together.  It’s so much more interesting when your food looks good, in addition to it tasting good!

I’m not quite sure why I have a tendency to feel a healthy meal can’t come together in a few minutes.  It’s really not that I don’t think it’s possible, it’s that I don’t think I will have the ability to pull it all together.  I tend to rely on recipes and ideas that I see online and in magazines and cookbooks, so when I have to pull something out of thin air, it’s not as easy as I would like.  But, I’m learning and I thank all you healthy living/food bloggers for always pushing me to do so in your own special ways.  Those Trader Joe’s boxed soups are a staple in my house and I tend to just eat them as they are.  I never dreamed that these little boxed wonders could be transformed into a speedy and simple meal.  But that’s the beauty of cooking!  You can take something as plain as soup and with a bit of creativity and experimenting, you can have something as wonderful as this meal.  There are no right’s or wrong’s; if it tastes good, you win! No one ever told me that ‘cooking’ meant having to slave over a hot stove for hours upon hours, for some reason, I just had this preconceived notion.  But after being inspired by Caroline and realizing that there is magic in simplicity, I know there’s a whole other world to explore when you can think outside of the box.

Speaking of  ‘my soup in a box’ (or that famous skit brought to you by JT and Andy Samberg), what’s your favorite SNL skit?

***Do you like sparkly things?  Well, if you do, you’re in luck!  Check out my giveaway!***

***BTW, if you like natural sodas, go and check out the Zevia giveaway on Morgan’s blog.  Better hurry up, it ends tomorrow, 11/20!***

Namasté,
Nicole

***Happy Veterans Day to all of our troops and veterans.  Thank you for keeping us safe and for preserving our nation.***

***Thank you all for your well wishes and emails.  I’m feeling a little bit better today and thankfully, it wasn’t the flu of a pig-like nature.  I’m pretty sure it’s just the common cold.  But thank you so much for caring about Healthy Chow!***

Bet you’d never thought you’d hear those four words together, huh?  Well, I didn’t either until I decided after my previous posts on the kabocha/buttercup squash that my desire to cook more with this little blogosphere famous gourd just wasn’t satisfied yet.  And thus began my hunt for another recipe.  I saw many online for soups, purées and roasting and stuffing, which all sounded delicious, but didn’t really knock my socks off.  Finally, I stumbled upon a recipe for kabocha pie.  It looked just like a pumpkin pie (I guess it really is a pumpkin pie), but instead of it being sweet, it was savory.  I just had to give this a try.  I love quiches and pies, I love any kind of pumpkin and I love eating, so what other reason did I need to make this little yummy recipe? None.

That said, I began studying the recipe to see how I could ‘Healthy Chow-ify’ it.  When I say, ‘Healthy Chow-ify’, I mean make any substitutions that I’d prefer, do anything that would make the recipe simpler and use any ingredient that I have on hand versus having to buy new ones.  Why?  Because that’s how this girl rolls…

The kabocha pie recipe I found online called for a traditional pie crust.  Being that I’ve never made a real pie crust and those frozen ready-to-use ones sorta freak me out, I decided to make my own healthier version.  I figured since the kabocha would be pretty sturdy and not really watery/liquidy, the crust didn’t need to be too thick or ‘crusty’.  It just had to have some sort of a crunch and serve as a base for my beloved kabocha.  Sounds easy enough, right? Well, it was and it was actually one of the tastiest and easiest recipes I’ve made in quite some time.

Kabocha Tofu Zucchini Pie
Adapted from TheKitchn.com
Serves 6

For the crust:
From Bitsys Kitchen

• 1 3/4 cups of cooked brown rice (I used Lundberg’s Short Grain Brown Rice)
• 2 egg whites (or 1/3 cup of liquid egg whites)

1) Preheat the over to 350 degrees.

2) In a bowl, mix the cooked brown rice with the egg whites.  Then press the brown rice mixture into a pie plate that has been coated with cooking spray.

3) Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the rice starts getting crispy at the edges.

For the filling:

• 2 lbs. of kabocha, peeled, seeded, and cubed (about 4 cups)
• 1 TSP olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 TBSP of garlic, minced
• 12 oz. of  firm tofu, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 small-medium zucchini, sliced into half moon shapes
• 1 TBSP of fresh or 2 TSP of dried rosemary leaves, finely chopped
• few dashes of salt
• few dashes of white pepper
• few dashes of adobo powder
• few dashes of dried parsley
• 2 TBSP of cornstarch or arrowroot powder dissolved in 1 TBSP water (if necessary – I omitted this)
• 2 TBSP of agave nectar mixed with 1 TBSP of water (optional – I omitted this)

1) Keep the oven at 350 degrees after you’ve finished baking the crust.

2) Steam the squash until soft (about 15 minutes, you can do this while the crust is baking) and mash with a fork until you get the consistency of mashed potatoes.

3) In a large saucepan, begin heating the olive oil.  Add the onion and garlic and sauté for a few minutes or until the onion has softened and is translucent.

4) Add the steamed squash, tofu, zucchini, rosemary, adobo powder, dried parsley, salt, and white pepper and cook until heated through.  If you want your filling to be thicker, you can now add the dissolved arrowroot or cornstarch.

5) If you want a smoother texture for your filling, feel free to add the filling to a food processor or blender and purée.  I preferred a more rustic feel to my pie, so I left it as is.

6) Pour the filling into the pie crust.  Bake for 30 minutes or until the top of the pie starts to brown.  Optional: after 15 minutes in the oven, brush agave nectar and water mixture over the top of the pie to glaze.

7) Serve hot or warm.  But right out of the fridge isn’t so bad either!

Holy yum! This was ah.may.zing!  While this was supposed to be a savory dish, the kabocha kept this pie sweet, but definitely in a favorable way.  The tofu added some heft (and protein) to the recipe without adding any grease or an excess amount of fat.  I added the sliced zucchini because I wanted to add some vegetables to this recipe and because I thought it would taste and look good…and I was right on! However, the highlight of this dish had to be the rosemary.  While I used dried rosemary, the flavor was still quite apparent and paired ever so wonderfully with the kabocha.  It truly made the recipe!  I also used white pepper because I like the unique spice it brings to food and also because I didn’t want black specs in my pie (hey, presentation is key, right?).  The brown rice pie crust was a great complement to the kabocha tofu filling.  While a traditional pie crust would have been thicker and flakier and would have given the pie a more buttery taste, I liked the brown rice because it was heartier and gave the recipe an earthier feel.  And of course the brown rice was a healthier and lighter option.  The brown rice crust also held up quite well in the oven and didn’t break when I sliced the cooked pie.  Now that I know a brown rice crust is a great substitute for a savory pie, I can’t wait to do some more experimenting.  *Hint – look for more recipes like this on my blog in the near future

I’m so glad I decided to give another kabocha recipe a try.  This surely was a winner and came together quite easily.  The flavors from the various ingredients and seasonings played together so well and resulted in a great comfort food meal.  In addition, this pie was even better as a leftover as the flavors seemed to sink deeper into the kabocha overnight.  I almost forgot to mention that one slice was pretty filling (no pun intended) and was a nice quick dinner paired with a side salad.  Can you tell that I’m really digging this recipe?  Whenever I can find a recipe that’s healthy, inexpensive to make, delicious and unique, it’s truly a keeper. Now that’s truly a slice o’ heaven!

What’s your favorite spice or seasoning?  And how do you store your fresh herbs?  I love them but I can’t seem to use them fast enough before they go bad – any suggestions?

Namasté,
Nicole