Dinner Bowl #45

 

More pantry utilization! Here we have a winter squash wild rice bake (recipe from Vegan Yack Attack), some garlic butter mushrooms and cauliflower (recipe from Gym Onset, but using vegan butter), and microwave-steamed brussels sprouts (recipe from Family Style Food).

I had an adventure making this meal, because there was a water main break and I had to use my emergency water stash, as I had no Plan B for lunch anyway. But I managed! The winter squash wild rice bake used up my wild rice, and I only had enough to supply half of the rice, even with the casserole cut in half, so I substituted brown rice for the rest and it worked out great. In the original recipe photos, it's clear that a wild rice blend was used anyway, rather than just straight wild rice (which would all be black). I think it's a prettier dish if you have more than one type of rice, but you'll want to use long-cooking grains like wild rice, brown rice, or farro, I think.

In any case, it was the recipe I chose because I wanted to use up my wild rice, which falls in the category of "a delicious food that is not a staple." I can make all sorts of things with wild rice, and I'll have it again someday, but for now, I can be without it. And it also used a lot of different fun produce--butternut squash, apples, parsnips, carrots, onions--kind of seasonal, if more seasonal in fall because of the apples (I do what I can, but I can't manage everything). Also, I almost never buy parsnips, but I like to include them where recipes suggest them. This was an absolutely delicious recipe, and so cozy and seasonal. Plus, it had tahini and tempeh for protein, and tempeh is another thing I would like to have more of but can't seem to be spontaneous with yet. I would absolutely never have thought of this combination, but it was inspired. Having things like this is the absolute best part of my pantry utilization season.

As for the sides, they were veggies I thought would go along with the general vibe of the meal, more seasonal fare. Brussels sprouts are maybe not quite in season anymore, but close enough for the time being, plus I really don't get enough brussels sprouts in general. And there's not really much that is truly seasonal in January, I suppose.