Winter Kiss

It was up to 40 degrees yesterday in Minnesota, and it felt downright tropical!  The snow was melting by the buckets...then today hit and it a chill filled the air.  The temperatures dropped and the ice pellets fell.   Why ice pellets?  It is supposed to snow this time of year, not send down tiny hail!  When I got to my car after work, I discovered that the ice had formed a thin, but rock hard, and immoveble layer of ice on my windows.  I had no choice but to stand and scrape...and scrape, and scrape some more.  It hardly budged, and as I was driving home trying to warm my fingers and see through the small holes I had scraped in the windows, I was dreaming of something warming I could ingest when I got home.  Yes, I could make a hot cocoa, or maybe a hot toddy...but I wanted to be creative, and since it is New Year's Eve, I thought it would be a good night for something a bit more special.  Bourbon sounded wonderful!  I wanted to include bourbon since it warms you from the inside. 

I had this really good drink at Heartland Restaurant in St. Paul recently called the Cardinal's Kiss with bourbon, walnut liqueur, and bourbon soaked cherries which was delicious!  I thought why not make my own twist on it, since I had some bourbon soaked cherries in my fridge.  So I combined lemon and orange juice (so the drink would not be entirely booze, plus it gave it a nice citrus note), cherry soaking liquid, and a dash of almond extract (for a nutty flavor) with bourbon.  It was warming, and like a warm kiss...everything that walking outdoors right now was not.  The perfect drink to shake off the winter chill.  If you are chilled, you should fix yourself one of these!  Happy New Year everyone!

Winter Kiss 

Makes 1

4-6 large ice cubes

3 oz Maker's Mark bourbon

1/2 oz cherry soaking liquid*

3 oz orange juice
1 oz lemon juice

1 tsp pure almond exract

4 bourbon soaked cherries*

Citrus zest for garnish

In a martini shaker add the ice, bourbon, cherry liquid, orange juice, lemon juice, and almond extract and place top on shaker. Shake until well blended. Place about 4-5 bourbon soaked cherries onto a skewer, and place in a lowball glass. Pour drink through a strainer into glass, and serve with a citrus zest garnish!
 
Bourbon Soaked Cherries:

In a glass jar, cover 1 cup dried bing cherries with enough bourbon to cover.  Place lid on jar, and let sit at least overnight before using.  Store in the fridge. 

Cheers!

I can't believe 2010 is drawing to a close this week!  The year has flown by, so fast that I feel like I am looking back on someone else's life at times, so  much has changed!  I view New Years as a time to celebrate new beginnings as well as things I have learned, as well as good things that have happened in the past year.  Doing a celebratory toast and having a nice glass of bubbly or a cocktail is often part of New years eve, so I thought what  better a time than now to share with you some of my cocktails which I think would be perfect to ring in the New Year with.  Below are the photos, and if you click on them, you will be linked to the recipes.  I am not a fan of bubbly, being a cocktail girl myself, so Cheers to you, here's to a HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

Vanilla Snow Martini

Vanilla Girl Martini

Ginger Bread Martini



5 Spice Honeycrisp Appletini



Ruby Slipper Martini



Pumpkin Spice Martini



Vegan Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

I love a good home made lasagna.  Especially one filled with lots of roasted veggies with a nice savory tomato sauce and ricotta filling in between the layers.  My Dad got me a pasta machine a few years back, and I have always enjoyed making my own noodles for it as well.  It is kind of fun being like a little kid putting the dough through the machine, but instead having it be edible and not play dough.  I have made a version of veggie lasagna many times in the past, but it has always been filled with lots of ricotta and cheese.  This weekend I was having my boyfriend Dave over for dinner and wanted to make something delicious like lasagna.  However, it being after the holidays, and me cooking more vegan dishes lately I decided to veganize my original lasagna recipe, using tofu in place of the ricotta and non-dairy cheese.  Also, Dave doesn't tolerate dairy well, so I thought if it turned out it could be something I could make again.  Maybe it was a risk making something that was this much of an experiment when having a dinner guest, but I figured, worst case scenario we would have to go out to eat somewhere.  But that wasn't needed, there were no kitchen disasters or me throwing away something inedible.  On the contrary, the lasagna turned out much better than I expected! 

The tofu enhanced with nutritional yeast and miso, also filled with herbs and lots of garlic and onions was a dead ringer for ricotta! The roasted vegetables I had added were a nice addition as well adding flecks of color throughout the lasagna.  I enjoyed it very much, it was so warm and comforting, and of course I had wonderful company to enjoy it with!  Dave told me it was the best lasagna he had ever eaten, which meant a whole heck of a lot to me!  I don't know if I would say it was the best, having sampled a lot of decadent cheesy lasagna in my life, but as far as vegan goes it was awesome.  I have shared the recipe below if you are interested in some damn good vegan lasagna! 

Vegan Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Serves 6

Roasted Vegetables:

2 large carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal

2 cups broccoli, cut into small florettes
10 mushrooms sliced
olive oil

Sauce:

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 28 oz can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato puree
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried fennel seeds
1 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
freshly ground pepper to taste
Filling:
1 large onion
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 12 oz box silken tofu, pureed
2 10 oz bricks extra firm tofu, crumbled
1/4 cup white miso
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
a large pinch of nutmeg
8 oz Daiya mozzarella (or other vegan shredded mozzarella)
Assembly:
12 oz vegan fresh lasagna noodles, or 1 12 oz pkg whole wheat lasagna noodles
8 oz Daiya mozzarella (or other vegan shredded mozzarella)

For roasted vegetables, preheat the oven to 475 degrees, and line a sheet pan with foil.  Toss vegetables with just enough olive oil to coat, and spread out on sheet.  Roast until tender and starting to brown at the edges.  Remove from the oven and set aside. 
To make sauce, add 1 Tbsp olive oil to a medium saucepan on medium heat, and saute garlic and red pepper flakes until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add balsamic vinegar, tomatoes, herbs, and sea salt and black pepper to taste.  Bring to a simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.  Taste for seasoning, season with more salt if necessary and set aside. 
Meanwhile, to make "ricotta" filling, heat a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add 1 Tbsp olive oil, and onions, and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.  Place onion in a large bowl, and combine with other filling ingredients, and mix until well blended.  
To assemble lasagna, spray a 9x13 inch deep pan with non-stick spray.  Spoon a little sauce over then bottom of the pan, then cover the bottom with a layer of lasagna noodles, then 1/3 of the "ricotta", then 1/3 of the roasted veggies.  Spoon a little sauce, about 2/3 of a cup over the veggies, then top with another layer of noodles, half the remaining ricotta, 1/2 the remaining veggies, and a little more sauce.  Cover with another layer of noodles, the remaining ricotta and veggies and a little more sauce.  Top with a layer of noodles, the rest of the sauce, and sprinkle 8 oz shredded "mozzarella" over the top.  In a 375 degree oven, bake the lasagna, covered with foil for 45 minutes, or until bubbly, then uncover and bake another 10-15 minutes to melt the cheese.  Remove from the oven and let sit 10-15 minutes, then cut into 6 pieces and serve!

Gingerbread Martini

Gingerbread has a special place in my heart around the holidays.  It is the warming spicy sweet flavor, along with the wonderful aroma and memories that go along with it that I love.  But oddly enough this year I didn't make any around Christmas!  But I found a way to still fit it in this year, just in different form...the gingerbread martini!  My Mom and I usually spend Christmas day together, opening gifts, enjoying delicious baked goods, and having a nice dinner, enjoying a cocktail...

So this year it was the gingerbread martini.  I combined Domaine De Canton ginger Liqueur, Bernheim, some spices, vanilla extract and a dash of molasses to keep it like the cookie.  I even rimmed the glass with colorful nonpareils for effect.  It really tasted like drinking the cookie!  It had all the same sweetness, zip and spice!  I missed the actual making of gingerbread cookies this year and having fun with the frosting, but I didn't miss eating the cookies with this fabulous drink!

Gingerbread Martini

Makes 1

2 Tbsp small nonpareils

1 Tbsp agave nectar

1 Tbsp water

1 tsp molassess

2 tsp maple syrup

4-6 large ice cubes
2 oz Bernheim bourbon (or your favorite bourbon)

2 oz Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves

To make sugar rim, Spread nonpareils out on a small plate. Coat the rim of the martini glass with the agave syrup by dipping it into it on a plate, then dip the agave coated rim into the nonpareils and set aside. In a small dish, dissolve molasses and agave in 1 Tbsp water.  In a martini shaker add the ice, bourbon, vanilla, ginger liqueur, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and place top on shaker. Shake until well blended. Pour into a chilled martini glass and serve!

Carmelized Fennel and Barley Risotto with Toasted Walnuts

I was at Heartland Restaurant in St. Paul recently and was served some delicious barley risotto.  It was golden beet with parmesan cream, absolutely heavenly!  I am a risotto lover, but I had only had risotto with rice before that.  So this wonderful barley risotto inspired me to try making some at home!  I wanted to create a vegan version, however, but still have it be as mouthwatering and warming as its rich cousin.  Although I had beets on hand, I decided to go with a carmelized fennel risotto. 

First, I made a broth from miso, tamari, and nutritional yeast, to give the risotto a savory cheese like flavor without having any.  I caramelized some fennel and shallots, added a bit of garlic, mirin, and thyme, and stirred away.  It smelled wonderful, and a few preliminary taste tests revealed that it was becoming delicious!  At the end I stirred in some lemon juice and zest to brighten the flavor.  I sprinkled the finished risotto with walnuts for some crunch and protein, and dove in.  It was delicious, warming, rich, and everything I was hoping it would be but better!  The miso broth added so much flavor without needing any sort of cheese, I was amazed!  It was a nice big bowl of vegan comfort food!  I will definately be making many versions of barley risotto this winter! 

Carmelized Fennel and Barley Risotto with Toasted Walnuts
Serves 3

1/4 cup white miso
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp tamari
4 cups water
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup pearled barley
1/4 cup mirin
freshly ground pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
juice of one lemon
1 tsp organic lemon zest
sea salt
toasted walnuts

In a medium stock pot, combine miso, nutritional yeast, tamari, and water and heat on medium until miso dissolves, then lower to a simmer.  In another large pot, heat olive oil and add shallot and fennel, and saute until very soft, and starting to caramelize, about 10 minutes.  Add garlic and barley and cook until barley is fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.  Add wine to deglaze, then a little pepper to taste as well as about 1/2 cup miso broth, and thyme.  Let barley absorb broth, then add another half cup, stirring often, until all the broth has been used up.  When barley is cooked through, and all broth has been used, stir in lemon juice and zest, add sea salt if desired (I didn't need any as it was salty enough without it) .  Ladle into bowls, and top with toasted walnuts to serve!

Beautiful Beets

My favorite thing about beets besides that they are delicious is their beautiful vibrant color.  They seem to bleed deep pink hues onto whatever they come into contact with, which can be a bad thing in the case of your hands, but a good thing if you would like a lovely pink salad or red velvet cake.  Last night I was wondering what it would look (and taste) like to pair them with pasta!  Pink pasta is something I have never seen before, but how beautiful would that be!  I thought the beets would be delicious with whole wheat spaghetti, toasted walnuts, and dandilion greens as well as a bit of roquefort cheese I had on hand.  My thought was correct!   It was wonderful all of those things together, a simple but comforting tasty dish!  The best part was how pretty it looked from the beet's pink color.  If you are looking for a simple meal or a way to use up a beet, here's the recipe!

Beet and Walnut Pasta with Roquefort

Serves 2

4 oz whole wheat spaghetti pasta
1 Tbsp olive oil, plus additional for finishing
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1 large cooked beet*  cut into small dice
1 bunch dandilion greens
3 oz roquefort cheese, crumbled

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick skillet.  Add shallots and saute until soft and starting to caramelize, about 5-7 minutes.  Add garlic, walnuts, beets, dandilion greens and cooked pasta, and cook until greens have wilted and everything has heated through.  Stir in 1 Tbsp olive oil (or more if desired)  Remove from heat and stir in roquefort.  Serve immediately. 

*to cook beet, wrap in foil, and bake for about an hour to an hour and a half (depending on how large the beet is) until tender and a knife inserted into it goes in easily.  Let cool slightly and peel. 

Ruby Slipper Martini

Tis the season for pomegranates, and beautiful shades of red.  This is exactly why when I was deciding what type of drink to create I wanted to include the striking red fruit.  Now, I know there are many variations of pomegranate martinis, but this one was not going to be strictly pomegranate, it would contain another fruit that is plentiful this time of year, orange!  The orange would serve to sweeten a little more than the pomegranate would on its own, and balance out the flavor.  I decided to use bourbon in this drink, because to me bourbon is a warming liquor, and it goes well with citrus and things that are slightly tart. My Mom always made hot toddies, and grapefruit sours from bourbon in the winter, and I guess I think of it as being a good base for a winter drink!  The finished martini was beautiful as well as delicious.  Its red color cheery and bright, and its flavor delicious sweet and slightly tart, very smooth on the tongue.  But what to call this concoction?  I decided on the "Ruby Slipper".  So make yourself one, click your heels 3 times, repeat the phrase "there is no place like home" and prepare to relax... 

Ruby Slipper Martini

Makes 1

4-6 large ice cubes
3 oz Maker's Mark bourbon
2 oz pomegranate juice
1 1/2 oz orange juice
pomegranate seeds

In a martini shaker add the ice, bourbon, pomegranate juice, orange juice, and place top on shaker. Shake until well blended.  Place pomegranate seeds into the bottom of a chilled martini glass. Pour drink through a strainer over seeds, and serve!

Warm White Bean and Roasted Winter Vegetable Salad

Many times I walk through the produce department and choose random vegetables that happen to look good and are local.  This includes selections at times which I have never tasted before, or have no idea how to prepare.  So last weekend I picked up some jerusalem artichokes, or sunchokes, that were locally grown and looked nice and fresh.  I didn't know how to cook them, but that didn't stop me from buying them!  I looked them up online when I got home, and saw many different ways to prepare them, and I decided to simply roast them, and include them in a main dish salad I was making.   I also included roasted carrots, fingerling potatoes, and shallots, as well as white beans, walnuts, and arugula.  I threw in some crasins for color and dressed the salad in a cherry balsamic vinaigrette.  Of course I tasted the sunchokes before they joined the other veggies, and they tasted like artichokes I am used to eating...I decided that in the future I am going to have to make a dish featuring them since this time I had only bought a small amount and they were so good!  The salad as a whole was amazing...a whole meal in and of itself alongside some crusty bread.  The roasted vegetables made the salad, with the wonderful caramelized flavors the oven had given them.  Try out this salad if you would like a hearty but light meal...if you can't find sunchokes, substitute another winter root vegetable. 

Warm White Bean and Roasted Winter Vegetable Salad

Serves 3

4 medium sunchokes, thinly sliced
3 medium carrots, thinly sliced on the bias
6 fingerling potatoes, thinly sliced
2 shallots, cut into wedges
olive oil

1 1/2 cups cooked navy beans
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 cups arugula

Dressing:
2 Tbsp cherry balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp dijon

1 tsp dried thyme
1 garlic clove, minced
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 475 degrees, line 2 baking sheets with foil, and spray with non-stick spray.  Toss artichokes, carrots, potatoes and shallots with just enough oil to coat and spread out on sheets.  Roast for about 20-25 minutes until softened and starting to brown at edges.  Remove from oven, and place in a large bowl, along with navy beans, walnuts, cranberries, and arugula.  In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients, then pour over salad and toss to coat.  Serve while still warm.

Sesame Tempeh with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Carrots

Sometimes you just need something warming for dinner.  A nice big pile of veggies and protein with some rice in the form of a curry, stew, or maybe a stirfry.  My friend and coworker Gabrielle is genious at creating such vegetarian dishes, and often does for the hot food bar we have at the deli we work in.  I will ask her what she is making and she will simply smile and say "slop".  Delicious slop it is, and far from slop, as her stir fries and tofu dishes are always beautiful and full of brightly colored vegetables...the slop refers to the mound of food I guess.  So yesterday I decided that I needed some slop, and I threw together a quasi Asian dish inspired by her.  She makes a tempeh dish with roasted brussels sprouts and tempeh with sauteed carrots, kale and onions that is amazing.  It contains lots of garlic, ginger and mirin, and always smells wonderful!   And so, since I don't have her recipe, I made my own version, which turned out beautifully!  Below I have included the finished dish if you would like some delicious slop as well! 

 

Sesame Tempeh with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Carrots

Serves 2

3 cups organic brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved (if large)
4 medium organic carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on the bias

peanut oil

8 oz tempeh, cut into medium triangles
2 Tbsp Tamari

1 Tbsp peanut oil

2 large shallots

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp peanut oil

2 Tbsp mirin
2 Tbsp fresh orange juice
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup Tamari

2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbsp water

sea salt to taste

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

brown rice for serving

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with foil, and spray with non-stick spray. Toss brussels sprouts and carrots with just enough peanut oil to coat, and spread out on one of the sheets. Roast until tender and starting to brown, about 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, toss the tempeh with 2 Tbsp tamari and 1 Tbsp peanut oil and spread out on the other sheet. Bake until starting to brown at edges, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, when the veggies and tempeh are almost through roasting, heat 1 Tbsp peanut oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add onions, and ginger and saute until onions are starting to become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and sautee until fragrant, about 1 minute, then add roasted veggies and tempeh. Whisk together mirin, orange juice, sesame oil, tamari, and cornstarch, and add to the pan. Stir, and cook until heated through. Add sea salt to taste, and toasted sesame seeds. Serve hot with rice!

Thanksgiving...

Thanksgiving is a bit different this year than other years for me, in the past I have always had dinner with my Mom or Grandparents in years before that, when we would all get together and Grandma would cook the big meal with the turkey and all.  Last year I simply made dinner for me and my Mom and prepared lots of vegetarian side dishes along with a turkey for her and a stuffed squash for myself. 

Me, Mom and Grandma celebrating Thanksgiving a few years back

But this year I will be joining my boyfriend Dave and his family at their house this year for Thanksgiving dinner.  But I decided that I still needed to make some sort of meal of my own a few days before the holiday for my Mom and I.  I had this big extravigant dish planned, and it was going to be wonderful.  I spent hours on making the main dish and it ended up being and inedible disaster!  I guess it is not a good idea to experiment on a holiday when you need the meal to turn out!  I was able to make something quick for us to enjoy at least and salvage part of it...but the whole experience was, well...rather humbling.  I felt bad about it, but then I realized what I had know before but forgotten...it is not about the food!  Thanksgiving is about spending time with the ones you love.  Funny I had forgotten because I had spent the week at work helping customers getting bent out of shape about their own holiday feasts, and I remember having a conversation with a coworker about how it is not the food thatt matters.  Instead of  worrying about food, I should be just thankful to have wonderful people around me who care about me, or just the fact that I am able to experiment with different foods (even if they don't turn out) because others have none.  I realize that it is the little things in life I am truely thankful for, like the fact that I am able to run consistently now after a year of battling with injuries and not being able to run for months.  I think I needed that cooking disaster yesterday to be truely thankful for what I DO have.  Now, even though I can't share with you the food I destroyed yesterday, nor do I want to...I decided to highlight some dishes that I think would be perfect for a holiday meal.  Ever since I was a child I have always enjoyed everything else on the table at Thanksgiving far more than the turkey...

(click on the photos for the recipes)

Drinks...





Pumpkin Spice Martini





5 Spice Honey Crisp Appletini

Salads...

Roasted Cranberry and Kabocha Squash Salad



Pear and Spiced Pepita Salad with Chevre

Soup and appetizer...



Creamy Roasted Autumn Root Vegetable Soup with Cornbread Croutons



Roasted Fig and Carmelized Onion Pizzas with Toasted Pecans, Guyere and Mozzarella Cheeses



Rustic Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Bread and Maple Toasted Walnut Butter

 

Mains...



Seitan in Mushroom Gravy with Fluffy Mashed Potatoes and Crispy Brussels Sprouts



Roasted Autumn Vegetable and Pasta Gratin



Roasted Autumn Vegetable Pot Pies

 

 And the most important...Desserts!



Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cake with Vanilla Maple Frosting and Spiced Pepitas



Maple Apple Crisp with Crispy Oat and Coconut Topping



Carmelized Autumn Nut and Date Tart

 

Kabocha Squash Ice Cream with Spiced Pepitas

Happy Thanksgiving!

Roasted Cranberry and Kabocha Squash Salad

Do you ever have an item in the produce department calling your name...and you notice it is on sale so you decide to buy it, but have no idea what you will make with it?  That was the case with me last weekend, when I walked past the fresh cranberries.  I assume they were on sale for Thanksgiving, and the many people who would be making cranberry sauce, but I wasn't planning on making any sauce.  Something about the beautiful little red berries had caught my eye, and before I knew it I was buying them.  Now, I suppose I could have made some sort of delicious baked good with them such as a cake, or made them into a relish to serve with some tempeh, but for whatever reason I decided that they might be good roasted and tossed into a salad!  I didn't know if this would work, or if they would hold together in a salad once roasted, but they ended up being fabulous!  Now, I did not simply throw them in with greens and a bit of vinaigrette, I made a salad fit for a Thanksgiving spread!  Sweet roasted kabocha squash cubes, salty roquefort, and toasty maple chipotle walnuts joined the tart little berries in my autumn salad, and it was all quite delicious!  If you have a little time to make a salad, or would like to try cranberries in a new preparation, then this is your dish!  Try it out, and your taste buds and tummy will thank you!

Roasted Cranberry and Kabocha Squash Salad with Toasted Pecans and Roquefort

Serves 3

1 small kabocha or buttercup squash, cut in half, and seeds removed
olive oil

8 oz cranberries
maple syrup
maple sugar

Pecans:
1/2 cup pecans
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp maple sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp ground chipotle powder

Dressing:
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp riesling vinegar
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp dried thyme
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

5 cups mixed flavorful greens such as arugula, mizuna and dandilion
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
1 1/2 oz crumbled roquefort cheese or local blue cheese

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Line three baking sheets with foil, and spray with nonstick spray. Place squash cut side down on baking sheet and roast until tender about 30-40 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Remove skin and cut flesh into 1 inch cubes (you should have about 2 cups for this recipe).  Toss cranberries with just enough maple syrup to coat, and spread out on another baking sheet.  Sprinkle with a little maple sugar and roast until just starting to soften, burst and slightly brown about 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool to room temp.  Decrease the oven temperature to 375 degrees.  Toss pecans with honey, maple sugar and sea salt and spread out on one of the sheets. Roast in the oven until fragrant and starting to brown, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Meanwhile, whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Combine greens, shallots, roasted squash and cranberries in a large bowl, pour dressing over, and toss with hands to coat. Divide salad between 3 plates and top with toasted nuts and roquefort.

Vanilla Coconut Almond Waffles

Sometimes you just need to have breakfast for dinner, and sometimes nothing else will do but waffles.  Yesterday was such a day for me.  I was craving some Belgian waffles hard core after my Mom was talking about them and saying I hadn't made any in a while...which was true.  I used to make them on Sundays for brunch every so often and have a few people over to enjoy them, but I believe it has been over a year since I have done that.  This time though, I was going to make them for dinner, and I wanted them to be substantial, so I decided to create a new vegan recipe with added protein.  Of course I wanted them to be every bit as delicious as the butter filled rich version I used to make, but not be able to tell.  I decided that coconut and almonds would be the perfect addition to my waffles to give them a wonderful fragrance and aroma instead of the usual vanilla.  I wasn't sure how they would turn out, because I added soy protein powder to them, but I didn't even notice it in the finished product!  My kitchen smelled like wonderful brunch as they were cooking, and my mouth was watering in anticipation of the delicious waffles I was about to dive into!  They were crunchy on the outside, fluffy in the middle, as Belgian waffles should be, with the added toasty flavors of coconut and almonds...perfection with some persimmons and maple syrup!  If you feel that you need to make breakfast for dinner, you should!  Try this recipe out if you like!

Vegan Vanilla Coconut Almond Waffles

Makes 4 Belgian waffles

Waffles:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 cup organic soy protein powder
1/2 cup toasted finely shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped toasted sliced almonds
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup organic full fat coconut milk
3/4 cup organic soy milk
3 Tbsp agave nectar
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp pure almond extract
3 Tbsp Earth Balance butter, melted

To serve:

1/2 cup toasted large flake coconut
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds

2 persimmons, sliced (or fruit of choice)

1/4 cup crasins

maple syrup

Heat oven to 250 degrees, and place a baking sheet in there (to keep waffles warm and crisp while you cook the others).  Preheat waffle iron while you mix together ingredients.  Whisk together whole wheat pastry flour, protein powder, coconut, almonds, baking powder, sea salt in a large bowl.  In a smaller bowl, whisk together coconut milk, agave nectar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and earth balance, then whisk into dry ingredients until well blended.   Scoop about 3/4 cup batter onto the waffle maker and cook according to maker's instructions, then when cooked, remove to oven to stay warm while you make the remaining waffles.  To serve, scatter coconut, almonds, and fruit over waffles, and drizzle a bit of maple syrup over as well...enjoy!