End of the Semester Experiments

Hey all,

I've just finished the semester and so haven't done much cooking recently, but thought I'd share what I have done.

I made a Vegan Leek & Potato Soup that was really good and easy. I don't like cream soups but I love cream soups with no cream! I made it right before Thanksgiving and froze it when I was out of town and it thawed out pretty well.

I made the Mexican Squash Casserole Jasmine mentioned below, but it didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped! I used butternut squash, which I think was a problem, and it took a really long time in the oven - after 80 minutes not all the onions or squash were tender. I think I'll try it again some other time when I have time to pre-saute the onions and maybe roast the pumpkin first ... and I'll also check to make sure my oven is working correctly. When we took out the squash and onions and added nooch and a tortilla, it was really good. I am not going to give up.

I made the Quinoa & Red Lentil Cutlets for Thanksgiving, and they were definitely a big hit with the vegetarians. Some of the non-veggies ate them as well, and seemed to like them okay, but they seemed to be no replacement for turkey - which is lucky for Val since she got all the leftovers! I had mixed everything together the night before, kept in the fridge, and then kneaded and baked it Thanksgiving afternoon, and it worked fine. I made a double recipe and half the size for 32 cute little cutlets, which were a great compliment to my mom's gravy.

Happy holidays, all!