Holiday Season Kick-Off

Happy Thanksgiving Eve everyone! I hope most of you are home with loved ones taking it easy today. I know some of us (myself included) still have to work, and many of us are busy cleaning, cooking, and mentally preparing for the feast ahead!

Tonight I am making my late Aunt Linda’s famous Thanksgiving rolls, but with a healthy twist (aka replacing the Crisco with real butter, ha!). I’ll probably throw on some of her favorite tunes in the process - she was a big Bruce Springsteen fan :)

Au Gratin

Grateful for warm, cheesy, melty, toasty, goodness…

This dish I’m sharing today is not a traditional Thanksgiving dish (as far as I know). However, I made it twice in the past week and it really checks all the boxes for a delicious Thanksgiving dish:

• Rich - check

• Warm - check

• Cozy - check

• Fall spices - check

• Comfort food - check

It’s loaded with healthy veggies including kabocha squash, shiitake mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, kale, and fennel. The real trick though is the bechamel sauce, which kicks up the richness factor to a whole new level.

Bechamel sauce is traditionally made with butter, flour, and milk. The first time I made it I used vegan butter, gluten-free flour, and almond milk. It was delicious, but a little too rich in my opinion. The next time I halved the amount and replaced the vegan butter with olive oil, which lightened things up and still had the desired effect.

The final touches of nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon followed by a toasted cheese and crumb topping is just like a flavor explosion that is heaven in your mouth!

Anyway, whether or not you make this dish for Thanksgiving, make sure to bookmark the recipe to make it soon! It’s great to make at the start of the week and eat for lunch and dinner leftovers over the next few days.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and may you eat lots of delicious food!

Vegan Gluten-Free Kabocha Mushroom Gratin

Ingredients

*Note: I recommend using organic ingredients whenever possible

Pasta

• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free fusilli pasta, uncooked (I used brown rice pasta)

Vegan Bechamel Sauce

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tbsp gluten-free flour

• 2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or other non-dairy milk), warmed

• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp ginger

• 1/4 tsp white pepper

Gratin

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive or avocado oil, plus more for prepping baking dish

• 1/2 fennel, sliced

• 1 tsp no-salt seasoning (I used Trader Joe’s 21 seasoning salute)

• 1 package shiitake mushrooms, sliced

• 1 portobello mushroom, sliced

• 1 cup kale, chopped (I used prewashed, precut kale)

• 1 1/2 tbsp miso

• 1/2 medium kabocha squash, peeled and cubed into 1-inch pieces

• 1 cup water

• Sea salt, to taste

• Ground black pepper, to taste

• 1/2 cup shredded vegan cheese

• 1/4 cup blanched almond flour

Toppings

• Fresh chives and/or parsley, chopped

Instructions

*Recipe Note: To prep kabocha squash - rinse to remove dirt and microwave whole squash for 2 minutes. Slice in half along length of squash and discard stem and seeds. Save half of squash for another recipe. Cut remaining half into wedges, cut or peel off the skin, and chop into approximately 1-inch cubes.

1. Prep pasta according to package instructions, but cook for one minute less than called for. Strain and set aside.

2. Prep bechamel sauce - Using a medium or large size saucepan, heat olive oil on medium-high heat. Add flour and quickly stir with a whisk or wooden spoon. Add warmed almond milk while continuing to whisk/stir. Sauce will thicken gradually as sauce reaches a boil. Allow to boil for a few minutes or as long as needed to reach desired thickness, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and mix in spices. Taste and add additional spices, salt, and pepper if desired.

3. In a large frying pan or large pot, heat olive oil. Add fennel and no-salt seasoning and sauté on medium-high heat. Stir in mushrooms and kale, and cook for approximately 2-3 minutes. Mix-in miso until it is well incorporated throughout veggies. Add kabocha squash and water. Place lid on pan/pot and allow to steam on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, or until you can easily pierce kabocha squash with a fork.

4. Add pasta and bechamel sauce to the pot with the vegetables and mix everything together. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

5. Turn oven on broil setting. Prep a 9x15 glass baking dish by rubbing or spritzing with oil. Add mixture to baking dish and spread out evenly. Cover with cheese and then almond flour. Allow to broil for 3-5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the top is golden brown.

6. Top with chives and/or parsley and serve hot or store for leftovers. Enjoy!