Tag: vegetarian

Categories
Main Dish Soup

Turmeric-based veggie soup will help you feel golden

For a great low-calorie and vegan meal, vegetable noodle soup packs a ton of flavor with lots of delicious spices and fresh vegetables.
For a great low-calorie and vegan meal, vegetable noodle soup packs a ton of flavor with lots of delicious spices and fresh vegetables.

Every time I use turmeric in a recipe, I remember back to the time I ruined the one and only manicure I’ve ever had while using it in a delicious Jamaican recipe.

Knowing it has the ability to stain everything, I have been diligent about wearing an apron when cooking with it ever since (although I’m still very willing to sacrifice my nails for the cause).

This week’s recipe featured turmeric, so I paid careful attention to what I was doing while stirring, watching the broth turn a beautiful yellow color.

I managed to get through the cooking process completely unscathed.

But then, when I sat down with my steaming bowl of soup, I realized that my capacity to make a mess went beyond the kitchen and into the dining room as I managed to spill it directly down my shirt.

So typical.

But also so worth it.

This recipe comes from the blog “Munch Meals by Janet.” You can find the original post at https://munchmealsbyjanet.com/2020/11/09/vegan-vegetable-noodle-soup/. I added extra seasoning, broth and ingredients in the version below.

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Vegetable Noodle Soup

For a great low-calorie and vegan meal, vegetable noodle soup packs a ton of flavor with lots of delicious spices and fresh vegetables.
Course Main Course, Soup
Keyword bay leaves, carrots, celery, fresh garlic, garlic powder, minced garlic, onion, oregano, pasta, potatoes, turmeric, vegan, vegetable broth, vegetable stock, vegetarian, yellow onion

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 4 ribs celery diced
  • 4 large carrots diced
  • 6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
  • 6 to 8 cups vegetable broth
  • 4 teaspoons oregano
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons turmeric
  • 2 bay leaves
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 large potatoes cubed
  • 16 ounces pasta something tubular; I used cavatappi

Instructions

  • In a large stockpot or Dutch oven with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat.
  • Add the onion, celery and carrots, and saute until everything is softened.
  • Add the garlic and saute for a couple minutes, just until it’s starting to be fragrant, and add in six cups of broth, oregano, garlic powder, turmeric, bay leaves, salt and pepper, potatoes and pasta, and stir to combine.
  • Cover the pot and raise the heat slightly. Let the soup come to a gentle boil.
  • Lower the heat to keep the soup at a simmer, and leave the lid on for 14 to 15 minutes or until the pasta is cooked through and the potatoes are fork tender. Add more salt and pepper, if desired.
  • Fish out the bay leaves and discard them, and then serve.

This had so much flavor. The turmeric added an earthy, peppery flavor, and the combination of all the vegetables in the broth made it an excellent, hearty dinner.

And luckily, my stain treatment managed to slay the turmeric, and my shirt is good as new.

Next time I pull that bottle off my spice rack, I’ll have to remember that I don’t just need my apron—I might need to get a bib, too.

This piece first appeared in print Sept. 25, 2025.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Main Dish

Oh my squash! A fresh, simple dish will wow your dinner guests

Garlic parmesan summer squash pasta is a great light summer recipe that features fresh basil and summer squash that is lightly seasoned and served with a from-scratch parmesan sauce.
Garlic parmesan summer squash pasta is a great light summer recipe that features fresh basil and summer squash that is lightly seasoned and served with a from-scratch parmesan sauce.

For two days last week, a huge, beautiful summer squash graced my kitchen counter.

It took me a bit of time to mull over what I wanted to do with it.

I hunted the Internet for ideas, finding lots of savory applications, as well as a few sweet ones I could use it in, but I finally landed on a recipe that I decided I must try.

First, it looked insanely quick to make, and since we’ve been meeting ourselves coming and going lately, that was very appealing.

Second, I only had to fire up my stovetop, and with the temperatures being in the triple digits lately, I was extremely happy to leave my oven alone.

The recipe I landed on comes from the blog “Food Meld” by Jackson Walker. You can find the original post at https://foodmeld.com/garlic-parmesan-summer-squash-pasta/. I added extra garlic in my version.

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Garlic Parmesan Summer Squash Pasta

Garlic parmesan summer squash pasta is a great light summer recipe that features fresh basil and summer squash that is lightly seasoned and served with a from-scratch parmesan sauce.
Course Main Course
Keyword easy meal, fettuccine, fresh basil, fresh garlic, light lunch, linguine, minced garlic, parmesan cheese, spaghetti, summer squash, vegetarian, yellow squash

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces long pasta I used fettuccine
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 medium yellow summer squash sliced thinly
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil torn into pieces
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

  • Boil the pasta according to the box directions, and be sure to reserve at least one cup of the pasta water.
  • While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.
  • When the oil is hot, add the squash, and saute for several minutes until it is soft and just starting to brown. Add in the garlic, salt and pepper, and saute until the garlic starts to become fragrant.
  • Add the drained pasta, parmesan, basil and about one-quarter cup of the reserved pasta water, and stir to combine and melt the cheese. If you want your sauce looser and creamier, add a little more pasta water, stirring between each addition, until you have the consistency you like.
  • Remove the skillet from the heat, and stir in the lemon juice. Serve immediately.

This was a very simple, lightly seasoned dish that I really liked. I wasn’t sure about the lemon juice, but it just acted as a flavor enhancer. You couldn’t detect it on its own.

The combination of the parmesan and garlic, along with the squash made for a really nice, light meal, despite being a pasta dish.

If you wanted to make it a heartier meal, adding some grilled chicken breast would be good, too.

And now that I have my big list of squash recipes, I’m probably going to need to grab another one…or two…before the summer is over. The good news is that with summer gardens in full bloom, I’m guessing it won’t be too hard to find.

This piece first appeared in print July 31, 2025.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Main Dish

Get ready for ‘summer’ all the hot weather with this pasta

Lemon ricotta pasta is a fabulous summer dish, featuring a light flavor of lemon combined with creamy ricotta and parmesan. It can be customized with a variety of proteins or eaten as a vegetarian dish.
Lemon ricotta pasta is a fabulous summer dish, featuring a light flavor of lemon combined with creamy ricotta and parmesan. It can be customized with a variety of proteins or eaten as a vegetarian dish.

After spending a few days out at Camp Mennoscah last week, hanging out with a rambunctious group of 8-year-olds and sweating profusely, I decided I wanted something light and refreshing when I went to cook dinner back at home.

I spent way too much time going through recipes online, convinced that there had to be something that fit the bill that wasn’t just a normal, old salad.

As it usually does, the Internet finally provided me with exactly what I was looking for: a light, lemony pasta dish.

I had to change it a bit, since our local grocery store didn’t have everything I needed, but since I’m so thankful to have the opportunity to shop locally for my food, I was definitely still buying my supplies there. And the good news is it was still absolutely delicious.

This comes from the blog “Olive and Mango.” You can find the original post at https://www.oliveandmango.com/lemon-ricotta-pasta-with-arugula/. I substituted spinach in my version, because I couldn’t get arugula, and I also added extra ricotta and some chicken.

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Lemon Ricotta Pasta

Lemon ricotta pasta is a fabulous summer dish, featuring a light flavor of lemon combined with creamy ricotta and parmesan. It can be customized with a variety of proteins or eaten as a vegetarian dish.
Course Main Course
Keyword fresh lemon, fresh spinach, grated parmesan cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, penne pasta, red chili flakes, ricotta cheese, rigatoni pasta, summer pasta, vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces tubular pasta ex. penne, rigatoni
  • 15 ounces whole milk ricotta
  • 1 cup freshly grated parmesan plus more for serving
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 cups baby spinach or arugula
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • red chili flakes for serving (optional)
  • cooked chicken shrimp, etc. (optional)

Instructions

  • Cook the pasta in a stock pot according to the package directions. Reserve one cup of the pasta water and drain the rest.
  • In the same pot, off the heat, add the ricotta, parmesan, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and stir them well.
  • Whisk in about 1/2 cup of the pasta water, stirring until the sauce is smooth. If it’s not as loose as you’d like, add more water, a little at a time, until it’s to your desired consistency.
  • Add in the spinach/arugula, and stir to coat and let it start to wilt.
  • Stir in the pasta (and any cooked protein you’re adding), and coat it with the sauce, as well.
  • Serve immediately with more grated parmesan and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes.

With the cheese sauce and pasta, you would think this dish was super heavy, but the lemon flavor made it taste really light and summery.

We opted to add chicken to our pasta, but we discussed how great it would be with some seared shrimp, a grilled steak or even some grilled salmon. It would be an easy one to customize, and if you’re looking for a vegetarian dish, it was awesome without the meat, too.

Between this great pasta, a few loads of laundry and some quality time in air conditioning, I’m pretty sure I’m fully recovered from my time at camp.

And now I know exactly what to have on the menu when I do it all again next year.

This piece first appeared in print July 3, 2025.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Main Dish Side Dish

Want a veggie stir fry this week? I say go ‘floret’

Chinese vegetable stir fry is heavy on the broccoli but really packs some great flavor with seasonings and the addition of earthy mushrooms and fresh garlic and ginger.
Chinese vegetable stir fry is heavy on the broccoli but really packs some great flavor with seasonings and the addition of earthy mushrooms and fresh garlic and ginger.

People often comment that they don’t understand how Joey and I can work together as a married couple and not want to kill each other.

Honestly, 99 percent of the time, we get along really well, both at home and at work.

If there is something that could spell trouble in paradise, though, I’d say it would have to be the one thing we have never been able to agree on: broccoli.

I love it. Joey thinks it makes the house smell like flatulence every time I cook it.

We’ve had to agree to disagree.

But since he was out of the house for a couple days last week, I took full advantage and made this week’s recipe, which features a ton of delicious broccoli, and I have zero regrets about filling our house with the delicious aroma of my favorite veggie.

This comes from the blog “Once Upon a Chef” by Chef Jenn Segal. You can find the original post at https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/chinese-vegetable-stir-fry.html. I added extra garlic and other spices in my version.

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Chinese Vegetable Stir Fry

Chinese vegetable stir fry is heavy on the broccoli but really packs some great flavor with seasonings and the addition of earthy mushrooms and fresh garlic and ginger.
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword baby bellas, broccoli, dry mustard, fresh broccoli, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, green onion, minced garlic, mustard powder, red bell pepper, red pepper flakes, rice win vinegar, sesame oil, shiitake, soy sauce, vegan, vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
  • 1 pound broccoli cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 8 ounces baby bella or shiitake mushrooms sliced thin and stems removed
  • 1 red bell pepper sliced thin
  • 4 to 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 green onions thinly sliced (separate the light and dark parts into two piles)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated

Instructions

  • Start by preparing all of the vegetables. Cooking will go quickly, so having everything prepped will make things easier.
  • Add the soy sauce, water, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch, red pepper flakes and mustard powder to a bowl, and stir to combine well. Set it aside.
  • Add about one inch of water to a deep non-stick skillet, and bring it to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook for about three minutes or until it’s just shy of how tender you like it. Drain it, and run cold water over the broccoli so it stops cooking. Set it aside to finish draining.
  • If there is any liquid left in the skillet, dry it, and then add the vegetable oil, heating it over medium-high heat.
  • Add the mushrooms and red peppers, stirring regularly, and letting them cook for about five minutes or until the peppers are softened.
  • Add in the light-colored parts of the onion, the ginger and garlic, and saute for another minute or so, until you can really smell the ginger and garlic.
  • Dump in the broccoli and stir to combine the ingredients. Once the broccoli is heated back through, pour in the sauce you prepared earlier, and continue stirring constantly, being sure to coat the vegetables in the sauce.
  • Once the sauce thickens to your liking and the vegetables are hot, remove the skillet from the heat and serve immediately, topped with the dark green onions.
  • I served mine with lo mein noodles. You could also eat this with rice or just by itself.

This was really yummy. I should have cooked the broccoli just a bit less for the sake of my leftovers, since it was a bit mushy by the time I reheated it, but it was still flavorful and just what I wanted.

Who can complain about a big dish of well-seasoned veggies?

Well, OK, I know one guy, but that’s what he gets for leaving me home alone. You never know what kind of culinary mischief I might get into.

This piece first appeared in print June 12, 2025.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Main Dish

A fresh veggie-based pasta sauce will keep them ‘aspara’guessing

It sounds weird at first, but making a pasta sauce from asparagus is not only easy, it’s a delicious way to enjoy the fresh greens.
It sounds weird at first, but making a pasta sauce from asparagus is not only easy, it’s a delicious way to enjoy the fresh greens.

According to the website “The Kitchen Project,” asparagus is a very old vegetable.

Historical records show it was grown in ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt.

It takes a few years to get a plant going, but once you have an asparagus plant established, the growing season will last about three months, and a healthy plant can grow six inches every day.

With my gardening skills, I don’t think I could get a plant to live long enough to get to that point, but I’m always willing to enjoy the fruits of others’ labor when it comes to fresh vegetables.

With asparagus harvesting season just around the corner, I wanted to share a unique way to use the veggie for those who start getting tired of just roasting stalks.

This comes from “Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street.” You can find the original recipe on their YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/pLjflANPvNk?si=tSQSwkFV5PW35UTV. I replaced the shallots with onions, increased the garlic and figured out the amounts for several of the ingredients in my version below.

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Asparagus Pasta Sauce

It sounds weird at first, but making a pasta sauce from asparagus is not only easy, it’s a delicious way to enjoy the fresh greens.
Course Main Course
Keyword asparagus, fresh garlic, garden fresh, grated parmesan cheese, heavy cream, lemon juice, linguine, onion, parmesan, pasta sauce, vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds fresh asparagus
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt plus more, to taste
  • 6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
  • pepper to taste
  • 16 ounces fettuccine pasta
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions

  • Trim ends off asparagus and then cut the stalks into one-inch pieces.
  • Put the pieces into a food processor, and process until it is finely chopped.
  • Save out about one cup of the asparagus mixture and set it aside.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and melt the butter in it.
  • When the butter is melted, add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and saute until the onion is soft.
  • Add in the garlic and saute for about one minute. Add in the remaining asparagus from the food processor and stir to combine the ingredients. Let it saute for four to five minutes, stirring regularly.
  • While the asparagus sautes, begin cooking your pasta, according to the package instructions. When it’s done, be sure to reserve at least one cup of the pasta water when you drain it.
  • Once the asparagus is just starting to brown a bit, add in the heavy cream. Once it comes to a low simmer, add in the reserved asparagus, and stir.
  • Continue stirring regularly, letting the cream reduce a bit until dragging a spatula across the bottom of the pan leaves an empty trail for a few seconds before the sauce runs back into it.
  • Turn the heat to low and stir in the parmesan.
  • Add your drained pasta to the skillet. Add a touch of the pasta water, and toss the pasta with the sauce. If you want the sauce a little looser, add more pasta water until it’s at a consistency you like. Stir in the lemon juice and more salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with a little more fresh parmesan on top.

We ate our pasta with some meatballs, but it would also pair really well with chicken.

It was fresh and pretty, and it tasted like, well, asparagus, but with the addition of the parmesan, it had almost Alfredo qualities, and it was just a really nice sauce for dinner.

I’m looking forward to some locally grown asparagus popping up around the area so that I can make this again, and now that I know the ancient Italians were also eating asparagus, I guess the pasta combination just makes sense. Buon appetito!

This piece first appeared in print May 1, 2025.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Main Dish

This dishy pizza bake can really wow a crowd

Deep dish pizza bake is a new take on pizza, using dinner roll dough and lots of great pizza toppings in a large pan to create a meal with leftovers for days or a great crowd-pleasing meal.
Deep dish pizza bake is a new take on pizza, using dinner roll dough and lots of great pizza toppings in a large pan to create a meal with leftovers for days or a great crowd-pleasing meal.

We have homemade pizza night most weeks at our house.

At this point, it’s down to a science. I mix up the dough while Joey sautes some veggies or debones a rotisserie chicken, and then we work together to assemble the pie before popping it in the oven.

It’s a quick, delicious meal, and with plenty of options out there for sauces and toppings, we never get bored with it.

That being said, Joey sent me a video not long ago of another type of pizza he wanted to try. It was from a creator online who often has to cook for a crowd, and since I was just gifted a very large baking pan, it was the perfect time to see if the recipe was as good as it looked.

This comes from Kevin Ashton, who is on Instagram @oldscoolkevmo. I changed his method a little on my version below.

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Deep Dish Pizza Bake

Deep dish pizza bake is a new take on pizza, using dinner roll dough and lots of great pizza toppings in a large pan to create a meal with leftovers for days or a great crowd-pleasing meal.
Course Main Course
Keyword basil pesto, breakfast casserole, crowd-pleaser, deep dish, easy dinner, fresh mushrooms, frozen rolls, green bell pepper, marinara sauce, meal for a crowd, mozzarella, onion, pepperoni, pizza, vegetarian

Ingredients

  • Cooking spray
  • 1 48- ounce bag frozen yeast dinner roll dough
  • 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1-2 cups pizza sauce we used pesto
  • Your favorite pizza toppings precooked
  • 32 ounces shredded cheese we used a combo of mozzarella and Mexican blend

Instructions

  • Spray a large 12-by-18-by-2-inch pan with cooking spray. Spread the entire package of frozen dough evenly over the bottom and spray them with more cooking spray. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and set it aside for the dough to thaw and rise. This will take about three hours.
  • In the meantime, cook any toppings that are raw (ex. hamburger, sausage, etc.) that you’ll want to add to your pizza bake, and set those aside.
  • When the dough is about doubled in size, remove the plastic wrap. Drizzle the rolls with olive oil, and then gently squish the dough to flatten it and eliminate seams. Add salt and pepper, to taste, since the bread has not been seasoned at all to this point.
  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  • Spread the sauce over the top of the dough. (You don’t have to avoid the edges. There is no “crust” with this.)
  • Add your toppings and any additional seasonings you like on your pizza, and finish off with a healthy layer of cheese.
  • Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until the bread is completely baked and everything is heated through.
  • Let the pizza bake rest for five to 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

This was really good. It was also a lot of bread, so if that’s not really your jam, I’d suggest only using half of the dough from the package instead of the whole thing. You can easily adjust all of this for a smaller pan, too, if you don’t want a huge one to eat on for several days. (Or, keep this in your recipe box for when you need to feed a big crowd.)

I can tell you, though, this reheated really well and was very nice for a week where we were meeting ourselves coming and going. Leftovers are a blessing for times like that.

It was kind of a deep dish pizza/casserole hybrid, which I really liked. We packed ours with sauteed onions and peppers, chicken, turkey pepperoni, fresh mushrooms and lots and lots of cheese, along with a pesto base.

I think this recipe will make it into the “pizza night” rotation every so often, although I’ll probably make a smaller version in the future. While I don’t really mind eating the same thing for several meals in a row, it’s better to mix things up. After all, variety is the spice of life.

This piece first appeared in print on June 6, 2024.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Dessert

Want to try something new? ‘Mousse’ around and find out.

This chocolate mousse is made with only three ingredients: coconut milk, sugar substitute and cocoa powder, making it a yummy dairy-free and vegan dessert.
This chocolate mousse is made with only three ingredients: coconut milk, sugar substitute and cocoa powder, making it a yummy dairy-free and vegan dessert.

During my junior year of high school, we read Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” in English class.

Our final project included the option to create a video, and for some reason, my group thought it would be an excellent idea to recreate scenes from the classic novel in a mashup with jokes from “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”

As part of our filming, I purchased a “quick crack” coconut to use for horse hoof sound effects and learned quickly that this coconut did not want to crack quickly at all. In the end, my poor dad had to come to my rescue with a hacksaw. I was also horribly disappointed that coconut milk was not nearly as sweet as I thought it was. Many things were learned that day.

I was thinking about that this week when I bought a can of coconut cream for a recipe and then realized that it called for coconut milk. The good news is that they’re almost the same product. The only difference? Coconut cream has more fat and less water. And in this case, that was actually a benefit.

The recipe I tried came from the blog “Yummy Inspirations.” You can find the original post at https://yummyinspirations.net/2023/03/coconut-milk-chocolate-mousse-recipe/. With only three ingredients, there wasn’t much “spicing up” to do, so other than noting that you can also use coconut cream, I did not change anything in this one.

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Coconut Milk Chocolate Mousse

This chocolate mousse is made with only three ingredients: coconut milk, sugar substitute and cocoa powder, making it a yummy dairy-free and vegan dessert.
Course Dessert
Keyword cocoa powder, coconut cream, coconut milk, cream of coconut, dairy-free, easy dessert, keto, mousse, sugar substitute, vegan, vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 13 to 15 ounce can of coconut milk or cream
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar substitute
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions

  • At least 24 hours before you want to make this, put your can of coconut milk into the refrigerator.
  • When you’re ready to make it, carefully spoon the coconut solids off the top of the can into a mixing bowl, leaving as much of the water behind as you can.
  • Beat the coconut solids, on high, for several minutes until it is smooth and forms soft peaks.
  • Beat in two tablespoons of sugar substitute and two tablespoons of cocoa powder, and once everything is well combined, give it a taste. Add another tablespoon of either if you want it sweeter and/or chocolatier.
  • Serve right away or refrigerate until you’re ready to enjoy.

This makes either one decent-sized serving or two smaller servings of chocolate mousse. If you’re not a huge coconut fan, you probably won’t like this one, but honestly, the chocolate overpowers the coconut overall, so it’s not as prominent as you might think.

The texture is pretty close to a mousse but definitely not as airy as a traditional one. It was a nice treat, regardless.

It also isn’t going to be fat free by any means, and despite using a sugar substitute, there will still be some sugar in this from the coconut milk. The bonus, though, is it’s dairy free and vegan, so it’s a nice substitute for people with some dietary restrictions.

And I got to learn yet another new lesson about coconut products.

Looking back on it, I’m guessing not too many people learn about tropical fruits as part of their reading of Hawthorne, but I’m also guessing not too many English teachers are in a predicament where they have to watch a stupid movie in order to understand their students’ equally stupid project so they can grade it. (Sorry, Mrs. Coleman.)

But I suppose the silver lining is we all received some surprising lessons in the process.

This piece first appeared in print on May 30, 2024.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Main Dish

Italian comfort dish ‘gnocchi’ed dinner out of the park

Gnocchi alla sorrentina is an Italian comfort dish that features gnocchi, lots of fresh basil and fresh mozzarella in a yummy tomato sauce.
Gnocchi alla sorrentina is an Italian comfort dish that features gnocchi, lots of fresh basil and fresh mozzarella in a yummy tomato sauce.

Joey and I received an amazing opportunity last week to speak at the Kentucky Press Association’s winter conference.

We had a fabulous time with some really great people. My only complaint was the weather for our drive there and back heavily featured thick fog and switched between torrential downpours and drizzles.

By the time we came home over the weekend, I was thankful for some Kansas sunshine, but I also found myself really craving some comfort food to get the last bit of that dreary weather feeling out of my system.

I poked through some recipes for a bit and landed on a popular comfort meal from Italy, and even better, the version I decided to try comes together a lot quicker than more traditional versions of the recipe, which was a win-win after being away from home for several days.

This is from the blog “Girl Gone Gourmet.” You can find the original post at https://www.girlgonegourmet.com/gnocchi-alla-sorrentina/#tasty-recipes-13873. I added onion, red pepper flakes and extra basil, mozzarella and garlic in my version.

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Gnocchi Alla Sorrentina

Gnocchi alla sorrentina is an Italian comfort dish that features gnocchi, lots of fresh basil and fresh mozzarella in a yummy tomato sauce.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword basil, easy dinner, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, fresh garlic, fresh mozzarella, garlic, gnocchi, mozzarella, olive oil, parsley, potato gnocchi, red pepper flakes, tomato puree, vegetarian, yellow onion

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil I used extra virgin
  • 1/2 small yellow onion diced
  • 6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 cups tomato puree I ended up using twice that, since I let my sauce reduce
  • 1/2 cup basil leaves loosely packed and torn into pieces
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 16- ounce packages gnocchi
  • 8 ounces fresh mozzarella sliced
  • parsley flakes for plating

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium heat.
  • Add the onion and saute until it is cooked through.
  • Add in the garlic and saute for just a couple minutes until it is lightly browned.
  • Stir in the tomato puree, basil leaves, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. Turn the skillet to medium-low and let the sauce simmer, stirring regularly.
  • Bring a stockpot of water to a boil. Cook the gnocchi until it rises to the top of the water.
  • Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi to the skillet, and stir to incorporate all the ingredients.
  • Lay the sliced mozzarella spaced evenly on the top of the gnocchi.
  • Turn the broiler in the oven on high and place the skillet in the oven, leaving it for a few minutes until the cheese is melty and the sauce is bubbling.
  • Let the gnocchi cool slightly, and serve, topped with parsley flakes, along with a thick slice of crusty bread.

I loved this one. It’s a vegetarian dish, but it doesn’t feel like it. The gnocchi and all the melty mozzarella kind of make you forget that there isn’t any meat on your plate, and the addition of fresh basil really kicks this up a notch to taste homemade, despite the main part of the sauce coming from a can.

Paired with a big slice of garlic bread, this was exactly what I needed to clear the rainy day doldrums out of my mind.

I hope we get a chance to go back to Kentucky again soon. It’s a beautiful state with lots of neat people. I’ll just keep my fingers crossed for a little better weather the next time around.

This piece first appeared in print on Feb. 1, 2024.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Main Dish Side Dish Soup

Winter can’t squash my love of fall vegetables

Roasted butternut squash soup is a fabulous combination of warm, late season flavors that create a delicious side dish for any fall or winter meal.
Roasted butternut squash soup is a fabulous combination of warm, late season flavors that create a delicious side dish for any fall or winter meal.

I know now that we’re in post-Thanksgiving life, I’m supposed to transition to only Christmas-y flavors and foods with tons of sugar and peppermint and red and green food dye, but I have to be honest, I’m still not ready to be finished with fall vegetables.

Luckily, our local grocery store isn’t, either, because I was able to get a huge, beautiful butternut squash this week that I immediately knew needed to become some kind of soup.

I did a search and found a recipe from the blog “Little Spoon Farm” by Amy Duska that was just what I was looking for. You can find the original post at https://littlespoonfarm.com/roasted-butternut-squash-soup-recipe/. I added extra garlic and seasonings in my version.

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Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Roasted butternut squash soup is a fabulous combination of warm, late season flavors that create a delicious side dish for any fall or winter meal.
Course Main Course, Side Dish, Soup
Keyword butternut squash, fresh garlic, garlic, pureed soup, roasted vegetables, sage, thyme, vegan, vegetarian, yellow onion

Ingredients

  • 1 butternut squash 3 to 4 pounds
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 2 heads fresh garlic
  • 2-4 tablespoons olive oil divided
  • 2 teaspoons dried sage
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream or coconut milk

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Cut the butternut squash in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds, but don’t throw them away.
  • Cut the onion into quarters, and cut just the tops off the heads of garlic.
  • Put the squash, cut side up, and the onions on the baking sheet. Pour just a touch of olive oil over the top of each head of garlic, sprinkle them a little sage, thyme, salt and pepper, and wrap them loosely in foil. Place them on the baking sheet, too.
  • Rub a coat of olive oil over the squash and onions, and then sprinkle them with sage, thyme, salt and pepper, too.
  • Roast the vegetables in the oven for 45 minutes or until the squash is fork tender.
  • Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set aside so the vegetables can cool enough for you to handle them.
  • In the meantime, rinse the seeds you removed from the squash to get rid of all the goopy strings. Dry them with a paper towel, and then put them in a small bowl, along with one tablespoon of olive oil and salt, to taste. Stir well to coat the seeds in oil and salt.
  • Heat a small skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the seeds and let them brown, stirring regularly (be aware that they might try to jump out of the pan as they roast). Once they are lightly browned, remove the seeds from the heat, and set them aside.
  • If you have an immersion blender, heat a stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat at this point. If not, you’ll want to have the pot ready but first add the ingredients to a blender and then transfer them to your pot after you puree them. (Remember to add a little stock to the blender with each batch so there’s liquid to help the blending process.)
  • Add the vegetable stock to the pot. Scoop out all the squash, discarding the skin, and put it into the pot, along with the roasted onions. Carefully squeeze as much of the roasted garlic out of each bulb as you can into the pot. Using your immersion blender, blend the soup until everything is smooth, and continue stirring regularly until the soup is hot. Stir in the cream, add any more seasonings, and serve with the roasted seeds sprinkled on top.

This was absolutely delicious. It would make for a perfect meal with a sandwich, but we opted to put ours alongside some steaks. It was one of those soups that warmed you all the way through with all the flavor of roasted vegetables and herbs, and it reheated well as leftovers, too.

Also, this recipe taught me that you can roast squash seeds. I have done pumpkin seeds many times, but I never thought about doing the same thing with the other members of the gourd family. They were a great add, creating just a little crunch and nuttiness in the bowl.

I’m so happy there is still squash on the produce shelves. I’m crossing my fingers they’ll be there through the rest of winter, too, because I definitely want to make this soup again. There are some parts of fall that even Christmas can’t beat.

This piece first appeared in print on Nov. 30, 2023.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Main Dish

Put a little pep in your pasta with veggies and feta

Roasted red pepper pasta comes together easily in a blender with fresh vegetables, feta cheese and a touch of honey to create a delicious sauce.
Roasted red pepper pasta comes together easily in a blender with fresh vegetables, feta cheese and a touch of honey to create a delicious sauce.

I have to confess that I have never been much of a cyclist. I finally learned how to ride a bike—mostly because I was embarrassed that my younger sister was (literally) riding circles around me.

We would go out riding occasionally, and I rode a bit when I was in college, but it has never turned into a full-blown hobby, partially because my lack of height means I can barely touch the ground while on the seat, and it always freaks me out just a little bit.

I keep thinking I need to get over my fears and ride more, though, not only for my health but also to save some gas money here and there.

With the Bike Across Kansas folks coming through our area this week, I’ve been thinking a bit about it, although I’m certain you’ll never see me sign up for such an ambitious trek.

I keep thinking the benefit for those folks is they likely can eat whatever they want on their way across the Sunflower State. Carbo loading is probably a must to keep up.

So, if you’re like me and not planning on biking across our great state but would still like to eat like it, I have a great pasta dish to share with you this week.

This recipe comes from “Sweet Cindy’s Honey.” You can find her on Pinterest @sweetcindyshoney or on her website at https://sweetcindyshoney.com/. I added onion and garlic to my version below and changed up how the peppers were roasted.

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Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Roasted red pepper pasta comes together easily in a blender with fresh vegetables, feta cheese and a touch of honey to create a delicious sauce.
Course Main Course
Keyword feta cheese, honey, minced garlic, pasta, pasta sauce, red pepper flakes, roasted red peppers, vegetarian, yellow onion

Ingredients

  • 2 large red bell peppers
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
  • 8 ounces dried pasta I used medium-sized shells
  • 1/2 small yellow onion diced
  • 6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup feta cheese
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Wash and dry your bell peppers, and drizzle 1/2 tablespoon of oil over the peppers, using your hands to coat them thoroughly. Place them on the baking sheet, and turn the broiler in your oven on high.
  • Let the peppers char on each side under the broiler, checking on them every few minutes until the outsides of the peppers are blackened on all sides.
  • Remove the peppers from the oven and transfer them to a large bowl, and cover it with plastic wrap. Let them sit while you prepare the rest of the dish.
  • Cook your pasta according to package directions. When it’s done, save about 1/3 cup of the pasta water in case you need to thin your sauce.
  • In a skillet, heat another 1/2 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add in the diced onions. Saute until they are soft and toss in the garlic. Saute for just a couple minutes until the garlic is fragrant and just starting the brown. Remove from heat.
  • In a blender or food processor, add the other two tablespoons of olive oil, the onion/garlic mixture, feta cheese, honey, chili pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
  • Carefully remove and discard the skin from the charred peppers, discard the seeds, and then rough chop the peppers before adding them to the blender.
  • Blend the mixture until it is smooth. If it is still thicker than you like, blend in a little pasta water until you reach your desired consistency. (If the sauce got a bit cold, add it to your skillet, along with the pasta, to reheat it a bit.)
  • Serve immediately with the cooked pasta.

You can easily add a protein, too. We sauteed some shrimp to add to the mix, but it would also be delicious with chicken or even a rope sausage. You could also wilt some spinach into the sauce, if you wanted to.

The flavor of the sauce was fabulous, and it reheated really well, too. It was kind of nice to do something other than tomato sauce with pasta for a change.

This was definitely a nice, filling dinner. Now I need to get back on my bike so I can justify making it again.

This piece first appeared in print on June 15, 2023.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

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