vegansaurus!

Two Thanksgiving recipes from accidentally vegan Epicurious!  »

If you get a CSA box in the Bay Area, it’s probably currently full of potatoes, leafy greens, apples, carrots and butternut squash. Maybe tomatoes & cilantro, too. And butternut squash. Let us marvel at its beauty.

In a recent search, I turned up not one but two (2!) delicious vegan recipes utilizing almost the whole box of produce, on Epicurious, a site that could also be named “Dairycurious with a Pork Garnish.”

Let me show you it.

Wild and Brown Rice Pilaf with Butternut Squash and Dried Cranberries! 

• This one used apple, carrot and lots of butternut squash. 
• I added pepitas (recommended!)
• The house still smells of delicious curry.
• A++

Garbanzo Bean Soup with Saffron!

• This one used potato, tomatoes, and squash, but I threw in bonus carrots and chard. It worked out well. 
• The saffron flavor is amazing, I would recommend using more. Yes I know it’s like $1 per strand. Live a little.
• The spices really elevate this soup from boring vegetable soup to exotic fragrant getaway.
• A+

These are both perfect for Thanksgiving—the rice dish would make an excellent stuffing alternative.

And, we still have half a butternut squash, despite it being the dominant ingredient in both recipes. I never realized how much fucking squash is in one of those things.

[photo by Vancity Allie]