Exotic Mushroom Pastitsio with a Sweet Blue Hubbard Squash Puree

If you've never had pastitsio before, its a Mediterranean style dish that usually includes bechamel and egg with pasta. Other ingredients, including vegetables and meats and poultry, can be added to customize the dish. It's usually quite heavy, although I'm sure also quite tasty. This one, however, swaps out some of the traditional ingredients to lighten it up. The egg that coats the pasta so nicely is still included, but instead of a heavy bechamel a light, fat-free milk sauce is made to substitute. I also add a generous serving of mushrooms, because, well, I love them!

To round out this vegetarian dinner, I also made some blue hubbard squash puree. I used to avoid blue hubbard due to its tremendous size, but since my local farmer's market started selling personal-sized hubbards I haven't been able to resist these delicious winter squash. Here, the naturally tender and sweet "meat" is combined with hearty brown sugar and some freshly ground black pepper for an amazing treat. Just be careful - once you start eating this squash you won't be able to stop.

Nutrition and recipe below the jump!

Difficulty: medium
Time: 1 hr 30 min
Cost: $14.77

Fresh Tomato Soup with Gouda Toast

Although I can no longer deny that we've officially entered winter, heirloom tomatoes continue to appear at my farmer's market. They're juicy and delicious, perfect to eat fresh or to prepare into sauce. In this recipe I make use of these delights to make a fresh, tomato soup. While I've always been a fan of tomato soup, this recipe will even convert people who insist it's not for them. This is not the thick, creamy version you'll find at your local sandwich shop, but an intensely flavorful and light version that uses the freshest of ingredients.

I used gouda on my toast, but you can easily substitute another favorite cheese. Asiago or manchego would work wonderfully hear, as would many others. Just use what's in your fridge or go pick out your favorite cheese for this recipe. I served this soup alongside some pre-marinated miso salmon from Whole Foods. The flavors worked well together, but after tasting the soup I'd actually recommend it with something firmer, like swordfish, to truly achieve the best pairing.

Nutrition and recipe below the jump!

Difficulty: medium-easy
Time: 1 hr 10 min
Cost: $18.34