Autumnal Salad

Yesterday in the produce department there were several veggies that were calling my name...kale, edamame, carrots, and parsnips.  Specifically I picked these veggies because they were locally grown in Minnesota and they were beautiful, being that they were so fresh.  It thought that they might make a wonderful hearty fallish soup to serve that night along with some home made bread, which I had yet to make.  So, I bought them, but then the rest of the day happened, and well, you know how it goes, I didn't have nearly as much time as I thought I would to prepare dinner.  So, I nixed the home made bread idea, and since it had warmed up quite a bit outside, I decided that a salad would be better than a soup for dinner.  So I used the ingredients I had bought to make one!  I roasted the carrots and parsnips until they were nice and crispy at the edges, blanched the kale until bright green, and threw in the edamame along with some mild shallots I had picked up as well, and some toasted walnuts, because I like a little crunch.  I dressed the salad with a bit of Asian fusion...peanut oil, balsamic and tamari with a bit of honey, garlic and red pepper flakes.  When it all came together it was incredibly delicious, and definately the best early Autumn could offer in a salad!  The flavors worked well together, the caramelized roasted veg, the savory shallots, the toasty walnuts along with the kale and the salty sweet dressing.  I was glad I didn't make soup that night in the end.  If you have access to these autumn vegetables,  you should try out this salad! 

Amy's Autumnal Salad
Serves 2

Dressing:

1 1/2 Tbsp peanut oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp tamari
1 Tbsp honey
1 clove garlic, minced
sea salt to taste
red pepper flakes to taste
Salad:
2 medium carrots, sliced thinly on the bias
2 medium pasnips, sliced thinly on the bias
peanut oil

1 bunch kale, washed, and torn into pieces

1 cup edamame, shelled

1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 cup toasted walnuts

Whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside.  Preheat the oven to 475 degrees, line a baking sheet with foil, and spray with non-stick spray.  Toss carrots and parsnips with just enough peanut oil to coat, and spread out on sheet pan.  Roast for about 15 minutes, or until starting to brown and crisp at the edges.  Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.  Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook kale for about 30 seconds, until blanched, and bright green. Remove with a strainer, and run cold water over the kale to stop cooking, then let cool.  In a large bowl, combine carrots, parsnips, kale, edamame, shallot, and walnuts.  Pour dressing over and toss to coat.  Divide between 2 plates and serve!

Squash and Basil Hummus with Balsamic

Summer is coming to a close, and fall is coming to a start. It is one of my favorite times year for produce since we have the last of the summer herbs and veggies, and yet the winter squash are just coming into season! I recently made a hummus that combined the goodness of both summer and fall, using some leftover cooked buttercup squash to give it a lovely sweet flavor, and basil to give some complexity. A little different for me, since I almost always pair squash with rosemary and thyme, but it worked, and it was a wonderful combo! I used white beans as my base bean this time, and added a bit of balsamic vinegar and lemon juice to brighten up the flavor. This is one of the best uses for using up cooked squash I have ever thought of! It makes a really good flavorful spread for a sandwich with veggies (which is my favorite way to use it), as a dip with crunchy vegetables of any sort, or on some nice crusty bread. It is so easy to whip up fast if you have cooked beans and squash...try it out now that squash are abundant!

Squash and Basil Hummus with Balsamic

Makes 3 cups

1 1/2 cups cooked navy beans (canned is fine)
2 cups cooked squash puree (preferably kabocha or buttercup)
3 small garlic cloves
juice of one lemon juice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup almond butter

1/4 cup olive oil

1 Tbsp sea salt or to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup fresh basil, packed
water as needed

In a food processor, combine all ingredients and process until smooth, adding water if necessary to thin out. Serve with chips or veggies for dipping, or as a spread on a sandwich!

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

Fresh figs have been on my dinner menu a lot lately.  I love them roasted the most...sometimes even for dessert, broiled, drizzled with a touch of honey and sprinkled with some good Roquefort!  Last night however, I decided to make pizza, and include the figs on it.  Figs are delicious on pizza!  The first time I expirienced them on the flatbread was at Fig's Restaurant in Boston actually.  It was one of the best pizzas I have ever eaten!  That was also because they have a wonderful oven that bakes it at the perfect temperature, but the figs on the pizza added something special.  The pizza I made last night was similar in flavors.  I added carmelized onions, and gruyere cheese for some interesting flavors, as well as some fresh basil to top it off, since I still have it growing on my Patio.  It was a delicious and simple combination, the salty cheese, the sweet figs, and savory onions along with the herby basil...heavenly!  Comfort food of the best type!  It was just the type of food I needed after a stressful day at work.  Try it out if you have access to fresh figs! 

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

Makes 2 10 inch pizzas

14 fresh figs, halved
extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 whole wheat pizza crusts store bought or home-made*
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
4 oz shredded Gruyere cheese
about 4 fresh large basil leaves, cut into chiffonade

A good quality pizza stone is essential to a crispy crust. Place the stone on the highest rack in the oven, then crank up the heat as high as possible at least an hour before baking the pizza (but if you don't have a stone, still use the top rack, but you will need to leave the pizza on a sheet pan to bake). Line a sheet pan with foil, and spray with non-stick spray. Spread figs out on it, and roast until softened, and starting to brown at edges, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.  Meanwhile, in a medium non-stick skillet, heat a little olive oil, on medium heat and add onions. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 10-15 minutes until browned, softened and caramelly. Add garlic and cook for a minute more, until fragrant, and add a splash of balsamic vinegar.  Remove from heat.  To assemble pizzas, place one piece of the dough on a piece of parchment paper, spray rolling pin with non-stick spray and roll out as thin as possible (about 10 inches is best) Repeat with other piece of dough using another sheet of parchment. Sprinkle salt and pepper over crust, then scatter over the figs, onions, then the mozzarella and gruyere. Using a pizza peel, or an upside down sheet pan, carefully slide the dough (keeping it on the parchment) into the oven. Bake for about 3-5 minutes, or until crust is starting to brown and cheese is bubbling. Carefully slide the parchment onto a sheet pan or pizza peel to remove from oven. Scatter the basil over the pizza and serve!

*Amy's Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Makes 8 10 inch crusts

Crust:

4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 Tbsp Salt
2 Pkgs rapid-rise yeast
2 cups warm water

To make the dough, in a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Make a well in the center, pour in the water and then dissolve the yeast in the water. Gradually stir the flour into the water mixture, until the dough comes together. Turn out onto a floured surface, then knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Oil a large bowl with olive oil, then place dough in bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm area, such as near the oven, and let the dough rise until doubled in bulk. When dough has risen, punch down and divide into 8 pieces. You can either freeze the dough in individual portions (just place in ziplock bags and take out the night before you want to use it, then it will be ready to use the next day), or set aside to use right away. If making the recipe above, you will need two crusts.

Roasted Fall Fruits...

I have been indulging myself with apples and pears since they are available locally now, and although simply enjoying a nice juicy apple or pear by itself is delicious, I enjoy incorporating them into my salads as well!  Which is why I made a simple salad of roasted apples, pears and figs! This is one of those simple salads that is increadibly good!  Nothing complicated here, which is exactly what I wanted since I was hungry when I started making this, but I wanted something as good as a salad I would order in a restaurant.  I used some bitter greens, dandilion, mizuna and arugula, threw in some shallots, and dressed the salad with a tangy honey vinaigrette.  It wouldn't be complete however without some form of nut, so I added some honeyed pecans.  I love a good crunchy salty sweet nut on a salad with fruit!  The roasting brought out another dimension to the fruit that it didn't have when raw, as delicious as it was...the flavors were intensified, and the sweetness brought out.  It was as good as something I could have paid a lot of money for in a restaurant somewhere, but I was able to enjoy it in the comfort of my own home for a lot cheaper.  I will definately be making this quite a few more times before the local fruit is no longer avalible.  Try this out while fall fruits are in season! 

Roasted Fig, Apple and Pear Salad with Honeyed Pecans

Serves 3

Honeyed Pecans:

1/2 cup pecans

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp maple sugar

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 bartlett pear, cut into wedges

1 honeycrisp apple, cut into wedges

10 mission figs, halved

peanut oil

Dressing:
1 Tbsp Peanut oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp dried rosemary
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

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with foil, and spray with nonstick spray. 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. Increase the oven temp to 475, and place rack in the top position. Toss figs apple, and pearwith a just enough peanut oil to coat and spred out on other baking sheet and roast for about 15-20 minutes until softened but not mushy. When done roasting, remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Combine greens, shallots, and roasted fruit in a large bowl, pour dressing over, and toss with hands to coat. Divide salad between 3 plates and top with toasted nuts.

Dave's Granola

I am fortunate to have someone special in my life who brings me lots of joy...my boyfriend Dave.  We have a lot in common, and he happens to be a runner and a vegetarian as well, so I often share food with him that I enjoy.  This includes the granola that I make every few weeks, and I can't live without.  He has gone through bags of it faster than anyone I know ever could!  He also happens to be training for a marathon which requires him to run many miles and need lots of good food to fuel his runs, and this is why I decided to dedicate the batch of granola that I was going to make this weekend to Dave!  Well that and the fact that I like cooking for him, and I appriciate him tremendously and it is the least I can do for him.  But I wanted him to have a say in what went into this granola, so I gave him a list of every sweetener, oil, nut, seed, fruit, and flavoring possible and he chose what he would like in it.  It was an interesting mix of ingredients he chose, and I was anxious to try making it!   For nuts and seeds there would be walnuts, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds and coconut, and for fruits dried blueberries and golden raisins.  It would be sweetened with honey, coated with coconut oil for crunch, and contain ground cinnamon, maple and vanilla extracts for flavor.  It was all very beautiful the mixture of nuts and seeds that he chose when it was finished!  Rather delicious if I do say so since I kept going back and "sampling" it many times while it was cooling on the pans...far too delicious to leave alone!  It was downright addictive!  At least I don't need to feel guilty about eating too much of it since as an added bonus, there are lots of health benefits to this granola with all the different nuts and seeds.  Since Dave often labels things as "epic" I decided that it was appropritate to label this granola as "Dave's Epic Granola" because it is epic just like he is to me!  Here is the recipe if you would like to try some:

Dave's Epic Granola

Makes about 14 cups of delicious granola

6 cups old fashioned rolled oats

2 cups walnuts

2 cups sunflower seeds

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup golden flax seeds

2 cups large flake coconut

3/4 cup coconut oil

3/4 cup honey

3 Tbsp maple sugar

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp maple extract
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups dried blueberries, halved
2 cups golden raisins

Line a large baking sheet with non-stick foil, and spray with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 and set rack at the medium position. In a large bowl, combine oats, walnuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pine nuts, flax seeds, and coconut, and set aside. In another bowl, whisk together oil, honey, maple sugar, cinnamon, sea salt, maple and vanilla extracts until well combined, then pour over oat mixture and toss to coat until completely blended. Pour out onto prepared baking sheet, and spread out evenly. Bake for 35 minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes or so until the granola is evenly browned. Remove from oven and let cool. Stir in blueberries and raisins and enjoy!

Goodbye Summer...Hello Fall!

When squash comes into season, I eat it pretty much every day since I love it so much!  Especially the buttercup and kabocha varieties which taste so good to me simply roasted that I scoop out the flesh and eat it plain needing no sugar or butter adornments.  This is why I was extremely excited when I saw that locally grown squash was back in the markets again!  I had to buy at least six!  And this was just for myself!  A couple days ago I was feeling rather hungry at work, and since I work in a deli looking at all the food was making it even worse...I was imagining the ways I could prepare a delicious squash when I arrived home that evening, and stuffing sounded the most appealing.  But I wanted to use up a bunch of beans, zucchini, mushrooms and carrots that I had bought earlier in the week as well.  I have never stuffed those things into a squash, since I usually do wild rice and apples with nuts, but I thought never was a better time to try it than when I was hungry!  It would be like a mixture of summer, the stuffing, and fall, the squash!  I roasted the veggies, and tossed them with a bit of balsamic and sauteed seitan for protein along with shallots and pine nuts, and it was all quite beautiful with the colorful veggies!  Of course I had tasted the filling before I stuffed the squash, and it was delicious, so I knew the stuffed squash as a whole would be amazing!  It was so good I devoured it in no time flat!  I decided that I needed to share the recipe with you, in case you would like to try the deliciousness for yourself!

Late Summer Vegetable and Seitan Stuffed Squash

Serves 2

1 large Kabocha Squash, cut in half, and seeded
olive oil, divided
sea salt
1 cup carrots, sliced very thin on the diagonal
1 cup green and wax beans, trimmed and cut into 2 inch lengths
8 crimini mushrooms, halved, or quartered if large
1 16 oz pkg chicken style seitan, cut into bite sized pieces
6 small shallots, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with foil, and spray with non-stick spray.  Brush insides of squash with olive oil, and sprinkle with a little sea salt.  Place squash cut side down on sheet pan, and roast, until just tender, about 40 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss together carrots, beans, mushrooms and 1 Tbsp olive oil.  Spread out on sheet pan, and roast until tender and starting to brown, about 15-20 minutes.  When veggies are done roasting, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil to a large non-stick skillet on medium heat.  Add shallots and seitan and saute until shallots are soft, then add garlic and saute an additional minute.  Add roasted veggies to the pan, along with pine nuts, balsamic, and sea salt and pepper to taste, and toss together well.  Remove from heat, stir in fresh basil and fill warm squash halves with the mixture.  Serve warm.

Tomatoes are taking over my kitchen...

My counter was overflowing with tomatoes...they were taking over my kitchen! I had to do something with at least some of them soon, and I hated the idea of throwing them out and wasting them, and didn't have room in my freezer...so I decided to have a tomato feast! Well, sort of a feast, there were tomato elements in the three parts to the meal, my soup, pizza, and a cocktail!

I wanted my soup to be simple, but something other than tomato basil, so I came up with a roasted tomato soup that was made creamy by the addition of almond butter instead of the usual cream!  There was no basil in this soup, I added rosemary and thyme, since it is getting close to the end of summer and those herbs are almost fallish to me.  It was delicious and elegant and tasted like there was some decadence to it, but  really it was rather simple to prepare, and would also be nice for dinner with some crusty bread!  I even served it in what else...a giant tomato shell!  But I decided to make a pizza with it to share, a double tomato pizza made with a sundried tomato almond pesto, rosemary and thyme, some fresh tomatoes, toasted almonds, and mozzarella and swiss cheeses.  It may sound like an odd combo...but it was scrumptious!  I love nuts on a pizza, even though most people would think I was nuts for such an addition!  Don't knock it until you try it though...they are a nice textural element, and the toastyness of them adds something as well!  I mean I could have just made a margherita pizza, but I guess I got a bit tired of that one after making it so many times.  This was a nice change, and very end of summerish to accompany the soup!  They did sort of have the same flavoring elements after all! 

The last addition to this meal was a Basil Mary...Bloody Mary's sister, since it was not a classic Bloody Mary since I added basil and chipotle with a bit of sea salt instead of the usual worchestershire sauce and tobasco.  And no store bought tomato juice this time with all the tomatoes I had!  I used the insides from the giant tomato shells I served my soup in for the puree.  I have to admit though, this time I made a virgin cocktail for myself, and saved the vodka for my dining guest who had requested the Bloody Marys in the first place.  It was delicious without the alchohol addition in my case, but she loved the one with it.  So either way, I decided to share the recipe along with the others!  This dinner turned out to be a wonderful summer's end feast, and enjoyment of the tomato crop this year!  I have included all the recipes in case you are interested in trying them, even if you don't make them all at once!  Enjoy!

Creamy Roasted Tomato Almond Soup

Serves 3

8 medium tomatoes, quartered

olive oil

8 small shallots, sliced

2 garlic cloves, pressed

a pinch red pepper flakes

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp almond butter

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup vegetable stock, or as needed

toasted sliced almonds for garnish

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil, and spray with non-stick spray. Spread the tomatoes out on the pan and drizzle with a little olive oil. Roast the tomatoes for about 20-30 minutes, until starting to char, on the top rack of the oven, then remove from oven. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a medium saucepan, and add shallots.  Saute until soft, and starting to brown, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, and red pepper and cook until fragrant, about a minute, then add balsamic, the roasted tomatoes, along with any accumulated juices, almond butter, rosemary, thyme, and sea salt and pepper to taste.  Add stock if necessary to thin.  Let simmer for about 15 minutes to develop flavor, then use an immersion blender, or regular blender (but if using a regular blended be sure to let steam escape out the top of blender before pureeing and cover with a towel so it doesn't explode) to puree until smooth, adding more stock if mixture is too thick.  Serve topped with toasted almonds if desired. 

Pizza with Sundried Tomato Almond Pesto, Garden Fresh Tomatoes Swiss, Mozzarella and Toasted Almonds

Serves 1 hungry person or 2 if willing to share

Pizza:

Pesto:

4 oil packed sun dried tomatoes

1/4 cup almonds

1 clove garlic

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp water

sea salt

freshly ground pepper

1 12 inch whole wheat pizza crust, storebought or home made*

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

2 oz swiss cheese, grated

2 oz mozzarella, grated

1 medium tomato thinly sliced, and patted dry

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 500 degrees with the rack set at the top position with a pizza stone if you own one.  Combine all pesto ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth, adding more water if necessary to achieve a smooth consistency.  Roll out pizza dough on a large piece of parchment to a 10 inch circle (you might want to spray your rolling pin with cooking spray if the dough is sticking).  Spread pesto over pizza, and sprinkle with herbs.  Scatter cheeses over, then top with tomatoes and almonds.  If using a pizza stone, use an upside down sheet pan to slide the parchment and pizza onto the stone (or place parchment and pizza on a pan if you have no stone, and cook on pan), and bake for about 3 minutes or until cheese is starting to brown and bubble and crust is crisp (it may take longer without a stone, and it may not be as crisp).  Remove from the oven, let cool about a minute and dive in! 

*Amy's Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Makes 4 10 inch crusts

Crust:

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 Pkg rapid-rise yeast

1 cups warm water

To make the dough, in a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Make a well in the center, pour in the water and then dissolve the yeast in the water. Gradually stir the flour into the water mixture, until the dough comes together. Turn out onto a floured surface, then knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Oil a large bowl with olive oil, then place dough in bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm area, such as near the oven, and let the dough rise until doubled in bulk. When dough has risen, punch down and divide into 4 pieces. You can either freeze the dough in individual portions (just place in ziplock bags and take out the night before you want to use it, then it will be ready to use the next day), or set aside to use right away. If making the recipe above, you will need one crust.

Basil Mary (Bloody Mary's Sister)

Serves 1

3 large basil leaves

1 cup ice cubes

1 cup tomato puree

2 oz vodka

juice of half a lemon

1/8 tsp chipotle powder

a dash of sea salt

In a martini shaker, muddle the basil leaves with the ice, crushing them until they are in small pieces. Add the tomato puree (if you puree one medium tomato and strain it that is about how much fresh), vodka, lemon juice, chipotle and sea salt and place top on shaker, and shake until well blended. Pour a chilled glass, adding and serve!