Readers, you may remember all the delicious recipes we included in last week's mac & cheese issue. We're still full just thinking about it. Well, this week, Barbara Bonsignore of Concord sent us one more recipe to top it off, but this one has a twist: it's vegan. “Here's a recipe for 'Macaroni without the cheese,' a low-fat, zero-cholesterol (dish) made with nutritious butternut squash,” Barbara wrote, perhaps hinting that our expanding waistlines could use a break from all the cheese and heavy cream we've been eating this winter. Fine, Barbara, we'll try to eat healthier for you, okay? In the meantime, here's her recipe:
4 cups butternut squash, peeled, diced and steamed until very soft
3 Tbsp. tahini
3 Tbsp. mello miso
2 Tbsp. tamari
2 cups soy-semo or artichoke or vegetable elbows, spirals or shells
1½ cups fresh or frozen green peas, steamed until barely tender. Zucchini, green pepper or lima beans can be substituted.
1 cup whole grain bread crumbs
1 tsp. olive oil
Blend squash in blender or food processor or mash with potato masher. Add next three ingredients, blending or mashing until smooth. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until al dente or tender. Mix pasta, squash mixture and peas. Place in a large casserole dish. Mix bread crumbs with olive oil. Sprinkle over macaroni mixture. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until lightly browned.
