Crescent Dragonwagon shares a wealth of recipes and memories with humor and intelligence in her extraordinary Passionate Vegetarian. She promises that "here you will be well fed, well loved, well tended to, satisfied," and 1,000-plus recipes later, that's exactly what's delivered.For 18 years Dragonwagon owned and ran a country inn, where she fed glorious food to everyone including vegetarians
1 large butternut squash, about 1 pound, halved, seeded, and peeled
Cooking spray (optional)
2 teaspoons tamari or shoyu soy sauce
1 teaspoon olive oil
About 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
Honeyed Red-Wine Vinaigrette (recipes follows)
8 to 10 cups assorted salad greens, half mild (oakleaf, romaine, and/or Boston lettuces) and half bitter or pungent (arugula, watercress, curly endive), well washed and dried
1 to 2 cups very thinly sliced green cabbage
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped medium-fine
1 sweet, crisp apple, such as Galla, peel on, diced into 1/3 inch pieces
2 to 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, or chopped, toasted pecans, toasted pumpkin seeds, or – best yet – tamari-roasted pumpkin seeds (optional)
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Place 4 to 6 salad plates in the freezer to chill.
Cut the peeled squash into 1/2-inch dice. Place the cut-up butternut squash on a large nonstick baking sheet or one that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Toss the squash with the soy sauce and oil and bake until the squash pieces are lightly browned, slightly shriveled-looking and semi-crisp on the outside and barely tender all the way through, 20 to 30 minutes. The squash should definitely keep its shape. Remove the squash from the oven, keeping the oven on. Immediately drizzle a little honey over the squash, toss and return to the oven. Bake 5 to 10 minutes more, until the squash is all browned. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.
HONEYED RED-WINE VINAIGRETTE
Makes about 1 2/3 cups
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon tamari or shoyu soy sauce
3 to 4 cloves garlic
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 to 6 solid grinds black pepper
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 to 3 tablespoons honey, or, for vegans, sugar or Rapidura
Combine the vinegar, tamari, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a food processor. Start the machine buzzing, and gradually, through the hole in the pusher-tube, drizzle in the oil. Remove pusher-tube, and, with the motor running, drizzle in the 2 tablespoons honey. Stop the machine. Taste, and if you feel the dressing should be sweeter, add the remaining tablespoon of honey.
