Submitted by Emma Wright, adapted from http://www.runs-with-spatulas.com/2011/01/butternut-squash-goat-cheese-stuffed.html

INGREDIENTS

2 pound butternut squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped finely
1 tablespoon butter
1 garlic clove, minced
4 ounces goat cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan Reggiano cheese, grated

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

9 ounces (3/4 of a box) jumbo shell pasta
1/4 cup butter 
2 tablespoons shallots, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh sage, minced

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut squash in half length-wise. Scrap out and discard the guts and seeds. Place squash skin-side down on a baking sheet. Drizzle each half with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then roast in oven for 45-60 minutes, or until flesh is tender. Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. Scoop out flesh into a medium mixing bowl and discard skin. Smash the squash until smooth.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Line a counter-top with parchment paper. Once the sugar starts to melt, begin to frequently stir with a wooden spoon. Once the sugar has completely melted, continue to stir for another 1-2 minutes, or until the sugar has caramelized (a light brown color). Working quickly, stir in the walnuts, making sure each piece is coated. Pour nuts out onto the parchment paper, using a fork to separate the pieces. Allow to cool and harden before using.

Bring a large pot filled with water to boil over high heat. Add the jumbo shells and cook to al dente according to package directions. Drain and rise with cool water. Set aside.

Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add onion, 1 clove garlic, and 1 tablespoon sage, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, or until onion in golden brown. Remove from heat.

Once onion mixture has cooled a bit, add mixture to the bowl with the squash. Add the Parmesan and goat cheese, and stir well until cheese is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.

Lightly spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Fill each shell with about 1 tablespoon of squash filling, then place in rows in the baking dish (shells should be touching). Top with candied walnuts. Once dish is full, cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

While shells are baking, heat the remaining butter in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat until completely melted. Then cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the butter turns a nice medium brown (the solids on the bottom should not be black). Add the shallots, garlic and sage, cooking for another 1-2 minutes, or until the shallots are golden brown. Remove from heat a season with salt and pepper. Use immediately.

Serve shells with brown butter sauce drizzled over top and garnished with freshly grated Parmesan.

Serves: 6

Erin O'Sullivan

I've been a vegetarian since I was a 13 or so and went vegan at 21. I love to cook, and I thought I'd share one of my favourite recipes with you: these cupcakes took second place at the 2012 VegFest cupcake contest, and they're actually pretty healthy for a cupcake! Pictures are available on the National Capital Vegetarian Association's blog: http://www.ncva.ca/blog/erins-almost-award-winning-cupcake-recipe/

CUPCAKES:

Ingredients:
1 cup thawed frozen concentrated orange juice
1/3 cup neutral oil like canola or safflower
1/3 cup raw sugar
1 cup pureed sweet potato
1 cup flour
1/2 cup corn flour (not corn meal, not corn starch – corn flour is yellow but has the consistency of flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake pan with paper liners. Using a hand blender, blend the orange juice, oil, sugar, and sweet potato for about a minute. The mixture will lighten in colour. Make sure there are no lumps of potato!

Whisk the remaining dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. When you’re sure the oven is preheated, pour the wet mixture into the dry and fold together until just combined. The key to fluffy cupcakes is minimal mixing (use a rubber spatula – it helps).

Spoon the batter, which should be very “poofy,” into the cupcake pan and bake for 20 minutes. Ovens vary, so keep an eye on them. If you see even a hint of browning, take them out sooner. These cupcakes look and taste best when they are bright orange!

Allow to cool for a couple of minutes before removing them from the pan to continue cooling on a rack.

RASPBERRY COULIS

Ingredients:
2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
pinch salt

Directions (you can do this while the cupcakes are baking):

Puree all ingredients with hand blender. If you don’t like raspberry seeds, put the mixture through a fine sieve. Otherwise, just put the whole thing in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the mixture does not burn. Remove from heat.

COCONUT CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Ingredients:
I/2 container Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil
5 cups confectioner’s sugar
pinch salt

Directions:
Beat the cream cheese and coconut oil until light and fluffy – it may take a while since the coconut oil likes to stay chunky. Stir in the sugar and salt and beat again until light and fluffy (again, it’ll take 5 minutes or so). Spoon frosting into a piping bag or whatever you use to pipe frosting.

ASSEMBLY:
When the cupcakes are no more than lukewarm and the raspberry coulis is still fairly warm, spread about a teaspoon of the latter onto each of the former. Don’t use too much – the stuff is potent!

When both cupcakes and coulis are completely cool, pipe on the icing and top each cupcake with an inverted raspberry.