First one..

I feel very comfortable with fall and winter dishes because they are more suited to heavier and heartier palates.  Soups, stews and braises allow me to build all sorts of different layers of flavors.  I made Spiced Couscous, Roasted Squash and Beans.  I absolutely love beans and could easily eat them every day with just some minor adjustments just to stave off any boredom.  First off, the Roasted Squash..



Start off by squaring your squash so you can trim it without injuring yourself.



I use my knife for this but you can easily use a peeler.



All peeled and ready to get diced.



Acorn with a hat??



Peeled Acorn squash.



This is my oven.

This is my oven. There are many others like it, but this one is mine. My oven is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me, my oven is useless. Without my oven, I am useless. I must fire my oven true. I must roast better than my enemy, who is trying to beat me. I must outroast him before he outroasts me. I will. Before Yukiyu I swear this creed: my oven and myself are defenders of my kitchen, we are the masters of our enemy, we are the saviors of my life. So be it, until there is no enemy, but peace. Amen.



Roasted goodness



I do love my Viking...

While the Squash was roasting, I started to work on the Couscous..

Start off with one of the many spice containers in my pantry.  Clockwise from top left: Fennel Seeds, Cumin Seeds, Green Cardamom Pods, Whole Cloves, Coriander Seeds, Cilantro Leaves and Fenugreek Seeds (center)



Dry toasting the spices while the beans cook in the background.



Dry toasting helps by heating the seeds and forcing the oils to come out.  As the pan begins to heat up, shake the spices around (no ground spices) and then pull off the heat.  If you pull them off too late, you'll burn them and have to redo them.  As soon as they're done, I put them in my small french press and pour in some boiling water.



Spice "tea" all ready



I put the tea in a bowl, add the couscous, cover for 15 minutes and then use some chopsticks to "fork" it.  Nowhere near what goes into making real couscous but it's good enough for me.



The couscous is ready.

 After all is said and done..  This is what I ended up with.




Spiced couscous, Roasted Squash and Beans and Red Wine


Going from vegetarian to vegan is not that hard if you cook your meal from scratch.  Luckily, I have acquire a modicum of culinary skills so I can concentrate on building up the necessary flavors.  People continue to refer to Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines as standards for spice and vegetable combinations but I think that looking at any fully established peasant cuisine will give you some idea of what to eat and how to cook it.