Pumpkin Mac & Cheese with Veggies

1 organic pie pumpkin, about 28 ounces OR 1 (15 ounce) can organic pumpkin puree

olive oil cooking spray

16 ounce cauliflower florets, cut into 1-in. pieces

16 ounce quartered Brussels sprouts

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

12 ounces gluten-free or wheat rotini pasta, I used Delallo*

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup minced onion

2 tablespoons all purpose or gluten-free flour*

1 1/2 cups fat free milk

2/3 cup reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth

5 ounces fresh grated Sharp Light Cheddar, I used Cabot 50%

4 ounces fresh grated Gouda

2 tablespoons fresh grated parmesan

Kosher salt

pinch nutmeg

fresh pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400F°. Line 2 large baking sheets with aluminum foil, and coat with olive oil spray.

Toss cauliflower and Brussels sprouts with olive oil, and season with salt. Spread in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.

If you are roasting the pumpkin yourself, cut the top of the pumpkin as you would if you were carving a jack-o-lantern. Then cut it in quarters. Scoop out the seeds (if you wish to make roasted pumpkin seeds, rinse and lay them out on a baking sheet overnight to dry out). Place the pumpkin on the prepared sheet pan and roast with the other veggies in the oven at 400°F for 35 to 37 minutes, stirring the vegetables and rotating pans halfway through cooking time, until vegetables are soft and have begun to brown around the edges and the pumpkin is soft if pierced with a knife.

Remove the vegetables and pumpkin from the oven, and when cool enough to handle, remove the pumpkin from the skin. This will come off easily. Discard the skin and place pumpkin in a food processor. Puree until smooth, adding water by the tablespoon if needed about 3 tablespoons until smooth.

While vegetables roast, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting fat and salt. Drain, and set aside.

Over medium heat melt the butter. Add the onion and cook over low heat about 2 minutes, add flour and cook another minute, or until the flour is golden and well combined. Add milk and broth and whisk, raising heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil; cook about 4 to 5 minutes until it thickens slightly. Season with 3/4 teaspoon salt, nutmeg and pepper.

Once it begins to thicken, stir in pumpkin and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add cheeses and parmesan and mix well until melted. Add the cooked macaroni and mix well, fold in the roasted vegetables.

Butternut Risotto

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth, divided
• 1 cup water
• 1 ½ cups brown arborio/short-grain brown rice
• 1 small butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled and sliced into ½” cubes
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese* (about 2 ½ ounces)
• ½ cup dry white wine, optional
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
• 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Pinch red pepper flakes, to taste

Fried sage

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 16 to 20 fresh sage leaves, chopped (to yield about ¼ cup chopped fresh sage)

NSTRUCTIONS

1. To prepare: Place your oven racks in the lower third and upper third positions (we’re going to bake the risotto on the middle rack and roast the squash on the upper rack at the same time), then preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for the butternut squash. Reserve 1 cup broth from your container and set it aside for when the risotto is out of the oven.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium-to-large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and turning translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Add 3 cups broth and 1 cup water, cover, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and stir in the rice. Cover the pot and bake on the lower rack until rice is tender and cooked through, about 65 to 70 minutes. It will seem pretty dry when you take off the lid, but don’t worry!
4. Immediately after placing the pot of risotto in the oven, toss the cubed butternut with 2 tablespoons olive oil on your lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and some freshly ground black pepper and arrange the butternut in a single layer on the pan. Roast on the upper rack until the butternut is fork tender and the edges are deeply caramelized, tossing halfway. This took 55 to 60 minutes for me, but start checking for doneness around 40 minutes.
5. While the risotto and butternut are in the oven, fry the sage: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the sage and toss to coat. Let the sage get darker green and crispy (but not brown) before transferring it to a plate covered with a paper towel. Sprinkle the fried sage lightly with salt and set it aside.
6. Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Remove the lid and pour in the remaining cup of broth, the Parmesan, wine and butter. Stir vigorously for 2 to 3 minutes, until the rice is thick and creamy. Stir in the salt, a generous amount of pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
7. Stir in the roasted butternut. Taste and add more salt and/or pepper, as needed. Divide the risotto into bowls and top each with a sprinkle of fried sage.

NOTES

STORAGE SUGGESTIONS: This risotto keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for a few days.
MAKE IT DAIRY FREE/VEGAN: Starchy rice accounts for most of this risotto’s creaminess, so you can skip the dairy or replace it with the following. Replace the butter with vegan butter or a tablespoon or two of additional olive oil, to taste. Skip the Parmesan cheese. You might like to add some nutritional yeast for cheesy flavor.
*A NOTE ON PARMESAN: I always get a few comments on recipes that include Parmesan (“It’s not vegetarian!”) but Whole Foods actually makes a great animal rennet-free Parmesan. There’s plenty of flavor in here without the Parmesan, if you’d rather leave it out.
IF YOU MUST USE WHITE ARBORIO RICE: Bake it for 40 to 45 minutes, until tender to the bite, and proceed as directed.

IF YOU DON’T HAVE A DUTCH OVEN: Use a large saucepan instead, then carefully pour the boiling broth and rice mixture into a casserole dish. If the casserole dish has an oven-safe lid, use that; if not, cover it tightly with foil. Bake as directed.

Oatmeal Bake

• 2 medium to large ripe bananas
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (see note)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil or coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups gluten-free rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds (can omit if desired)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chips or 1/3 cup Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8" x 8" oven-safe dish. If desired, prepare a parchment sling by cutting out a piece of parchment paper slightly larger than the pan (for easy removal of bake).
2. In a large bowl mash bananas until they are smooth. Add eggs and whisk to combine. Then add peanut butter, maple syrup, almond milk, oil, apple sauce and vanilla until fully combined.
3. To the wet ingredients add oats, baking powder, chia, salt and chocolate chips and mix until fully combined.
4. Pour into prepared 8"x 8" dish and bake for 40 minutes, until the center is just barely firm.
5. Scoop or cut and serve warm as is or with almond milk, or cool and slice into 9 square portions.

Rainbow Peppers

• 6 large bell peppers, halved and cored, leaving the stems intact (if you wish)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for drizzling
• kosher salt
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 hot chili, optional, finely minced
• kosher salt
• 1 or 2 zucchini, small diced, to yield about 2 cups
• 2 ears corn, kernels removed
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 6 scallions, finely sliced
• 1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped to yield about a cup
• 12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, cubed
• basil or chives, chopped finely, for garnish, optional
• lemon for garnish, optional

1. Heat the oven to 475ºF convection roast. Place the peppers cut side down on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with oil. Season with salt. Transfer pan to the oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the peppers begin to blister. Remove from the oven. Turn peppers over. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, fill a medium pot with water, and bring to a simmer. Add a big pinch of kosher salt. Cook quinoa 9-12 minutes or until the quinoa is done. Drain through a fine-mesh sieve. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. When it shimmers, add the diced onion and chili, immediately lower the heat to medium, season with a pinch of salt, and stir. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and begins turning translucent.
4. Add the diced zucchini and cook for 2 minutes, just until the zucchini loses its rawness — you don’t want the zucchini to turn to mush; it’s nice when it has some texture here. Add the corn and cook for a minute more. Turn off the heat. Add the tomatoes, scallions, and cilantro.
5. Add the quinoa and stir to combine. Taste. Add salt and pepper until it tastes well seasoned. Fold in the cubed Monterey Jack.
6. Spoon filling into the cavities of the peppers. Don’t be afraid to really, really pack them full — it’s OK if the filling is heaped in a mound in each pepper. These peppers are meant to feel substantial. You may have a little extra filling on hand; it’s delicious on its own. Save it for another day or eat it.
7. Transfer peppers to the oven and cook for about 10 minutes more until the cheese begins melting and the vegetables begin browning.
8. Remove from oven. Garnish with fresh basil, if you wish. Serve with a squeeze of lemon, if you wish.

Rainbow Nachos

Ingredients

• 2-3 medium to large sweet potatoes cut into thin slices
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 pinch salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup canned black beans drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper diced
• 1/2 cup yellow bell pepper diced
• 1/4 cup red onion diced
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 large green onion finely chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Wash, peel, and slice sweet potatoes into very thin round slices. Place sweet potato slices in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange sweet potatoes on a sprayed baking sheet (or two) and place in the preheated oven. Roast for 15 minutes, remove from oven to flip sweet potato slices, and then roast for another 15 minutes until browned and crispy. 
2. While potatoes are roasting, drain/rinse beans, prep veggies and cheese. When potatoes are done, arrange roasted potato slices in the middle of one baking sheet and top with beans, veggies and cheese and place back in the oven for 5 minutes. 
3. Remove nachos from oven and top with green onions (optional) diced avocado. Serve with salsa and plain greek yogurt (extra protein!) for dipping. Enjoy!