Sous Vide Supreme and Vegetarian Cooking

Have you heard about the Sous Vide water oven?  Maybe you've seen one on a cooking show, or you know that they are used in some of the finest restaurant kitchens.  The makers of Sous Vide sent me one of their new Sous Vide Supreme water ovens.  This compact appliance is just the right size for home cooks.

The funny thing about getting this cool gadget was other people's reactions. Almost every person I told about it said, "But that's for cooking meat!" I understand that it is a fine method for cooking meat, but obviously, that was not what interested me about it.

The Sous Vide Supreme cooks food that's been vacuum-packed in sub-boiling water. This keeps the color, natural sugars, and vitamins intact while keeping the texture fork-tender without being mushy. This excited me to get cooking with my new water oven.

One of the first foods I tried was butternut squash. I frequently roast it, or bake it and mash it. I wanted to see how the texture would marry with bright flavors. Cooking the squash in my Sous Vide Supreme kept the color vivid, the texture tender, but not mushy, and the flavor with my light seasoning was sunny and warm.

Dicing the squash was all the effort required for this dish!

It really was easy to use the Sous Vide Supreme. I peeled and chopped my squash. Then I vacuum sealed it in a food-grade bag. Set the oven to 183 degrees Fahrenheit, and dropped in the bag. An hour later, it was hot and ready to eat. One of the bonuses of this kind of cooking is that you can cook several batches at once, and freeze the packages for later use. As a busy mom, that's pretty appealing.

Despite the reactions I got, I can tell you that the Sous Vide Supreme is a useful tool in vegetarian cooking. 

Sous Vide Butternut Squash
Serves 4

Ingredients: 

• 3 cups medium diced butternut squash
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4  to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Peel and dice butternut squash.
2. Preheat Sous Vide Supreme to 183F.
3. Add squash to bag.
4. Add remaining ingredients.
5. Shake to distribute.
6. Vacuum seal the bag.
7. Cook for 1 hour.

 Required disclosure: I received a Sous Vide Supreme to create 3 recipes. The opinions are my own, and I received no other compensation.

Happy Cooking!
Kim

My new book,  Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.