CAULIFLOWER STEAKS ON PUREE

roasted cauliflower "steaks" on a bed of cauliflower puree

Inspired by the farm to table genius Dan Barber. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 lb. head of cauliflower
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup almond milk
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, more for brushing
salt and ground pepper


DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Using a very sharp knife and starting at the top center of cauliflower head, cut two 1 inch thick slices of cauliflower, cutting through stem end.

Set cauliflower steaks aside.  Cut enough florets from remaining cauliflower head to measure 3 cups.

Combine florets, water, and milk in medium saucepan and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bring to boil and cook until cauliflower florets are very tender, about 10 minutes.

Strain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.  Transfer florets to blender. Add half of the reserved 1 cup cooking liquid and puree until smooth.  Add more of the liquid if desired, and puree again.  Return puree to same saucepan.

Heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.  Brush cauliflower steaks with additional oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Add cauliflower steaks to skillet and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.

Transfer skillet to oven and bake cauliflower steaks until tender, about10 minutes. 

Rewarm cauliflower puree over medium heat.  Divide puree between 2 plates; top each with cauliflower steak.

cauliflower steaks and puree served with miso-glazed salmon

KALE CAESAR SALAD

Kale Caesar keeps in the frig for days without wilting

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. curly kale, tough stems removed, roughly chopped (about 4 qts. loosely packed leaves)
5 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
5 oz. hearty bread
salt and fresh ground pepper
2/3 cup Vegannaise
6 anchovy fillets (3 tsp. if you have anchovy in a tube) OMIT if VEGAN
1 medium garlic clove
3/4 cup Vegan Parmesan
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (Amy's if Vegan)
2 Tbsp. juice from 1 lemon
1 small shallot, finely sliced

I used the last of my winter garden kale for this recipe.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Cut the bread into large cubes.  In a medium bowl, toss these with 2 Tbsp. of the oil, salt and pepper.  I added a bit of garlic powder.  Transfer these to a baking sheet.  Bake these in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then turn and an additional 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Set aside.

croutons ready

In a large bowl, massage kale with 3 Tbsp.of the oil, making sure to coat all surfaces, kneading with your hands to help break down the tougher pieces, about 4 minutes.  Set aside and prepare the dressing.

In a food processor, combine the Vegannaise, anchovies, garlic, cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice.  Process until just smooth.  Season to taste with pepper if necessary. 

To serve, add half of the croutons, shallot and the dressing to the wilted kale.  Toss with hands until thoroughly coated.  Sprinkle with the remaining croutons.

sooo tasty

GARLICKY LEMON GREEN BEANS

roasted and garlicky

INGREDIENTS:

⅓ cup pine nuts
2 pounds fresh green beans, stem ends trimmed
10 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise (a medium clove should yield 4 slices)
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (I use Colavita)
1½ tablespoons lemon zest (you’ll need two lemons)
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon sugar
1½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 tablespoons coarsely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano


1. Set oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil.

2. In a small dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pine nuts until golden. Watch carefully and stir frequently as they can burn quickly! Immediately transfer to small bowl (don’t leave them in hot pan as they will continue to cook).

love those pine nuts

DIRECTIONS:

1. Set oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil.

2. In a small dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pine nuts until golden. Watch carefully and stir frequently as they can burn quickly! Immediately transfer to small bowl (don’t leave them in hot pan as they will continue to cook). Set aside.

3. Put the green beans in a large bowl.

start with a lot of green beans and 10 cloves of garlic

Add sliced garlic, olive oil, 1 tablespoon of the lemon zest, kosher salt, pepper and sugar and toss well. Transfer mixture to prepared baking sheet (don’t leave any flavor behind: use a rubber spatula to scrape all of the oil and seasoning out of the bowl and onto the beans).

4. Roast beans and garlic for 15 minutes. Stir with a spatula to promote even cooking, then continue roasting until the beans are tender throughout, about 10 minutes more. The beans should be fully cooked, with some lightly browned but not shriveled.

5. Add lemon juice, Parmigiano-Reggiano, remaining lemon zest and pine nuts to beans and toss well.  Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and lemon juice if necessary. Transfer to serving platter and serve hot or room temperature.

garlicky lemon green beans served

with lemon Dijon salmon and vegetable rice pilaf

VEGGIE RICE PILAF

My veggie rice pilaf picture here with Dijon lemon glazed baked

salmon and lemony garlic green beans.

INGREDIENTS:


1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp. Earth Balance
2 carrots, diced
1 shallot
1 pkg. button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 tsp. thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooked brown rice, cook this in veggie stock


DIRECTIONS:

Saute the carrots and Earth Balance till soft.  Add the mushrooms and cook till tender.  Add the peas, thyme and salt and pepper.  Cook till peas are thawed and cooked.

Add to warm cooked rice, toasted pine nuts and adjust seasoning.  Stir all together.

ROASTED VEGETABLE HASH

great served with an egg atop

Winter Hash served with Dijon sauce

This recipe was inspired by one of my favorite Charleston eateries.  They serve a root vegetable, Winter Hash, with a Dijon dressing.  This is my version of this very versatile dish.


INGREDIENTS:

fennel
onions
celery root
sweet potatoes
cauliflower
Brussels sprouts, cut in half
butternut squash
parsley
olive oil
salt and pepper
garlic
rosemary

eggs for serving:  optional


DIRECTIONS:

Cut all the vegetables in approximately the same size.  Mix with oil, salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary. 

Roast in a 425 degree oven till fork tender. 

Fry eggs and serve atop the HASH.  Each serving will be given an egg.

a delicious bowl of roasted veggies

Serve with the Dijon dressing.  I serve the dressing on the side.  The leftovers can then be used in numerous ways.

DIJON DRESSING:

1 small shallot, peeled

1 garlic clove, peeled

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt plus additional for seasoning

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup butter or substitute

1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Mix all together.

another option:  undressed veggies on a tortilla:

bake the first side, flip over, pile on the veggies,

sprinkle with Vegan Parmesan.

Serve these pizzas with a drizzle of peanut sauce.

hash with a side of asparagus

PASTA w/ BUTTERNUT SQUASH & KALE

the perfect recipe for the last of my kale crop

INGREDIENTS:

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes
1 head of garlic or about 10 cloves, peeled
Kosher salt and pepper
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 to 3/4 box whole wheat penne pasta, I like a higher ratio of vegetables to pasta
2 Tbs. vegan butter
1 large shallot, minced
1 tsp. dried sage or 1 Tbs. fresh sage, chopped
A pinch of nutmeg
2 Tbs. nutritional yeast
½ cup reserved pasta water
2 large bunches of kale, stemmed and chopped
1/2  cup vegan cheese


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss the butternut squash and garlic cloves on a baking sheet with salt, pepper and 1 Tbs. of oil. Roast for 25 minutes, flip the pieces and roast another 20 minutes or until the squash and the garlic are softened and browned. Set aside until ready to use.

Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Add Kosher salt to the pot. Add the penne and stir so they don’t stick. Cook until shy of al dente.

While the penne is cooking, heat the butter and the remaining 2 Tbs. oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the sage, nutmeg and nutritional yeast to the pan and stir.  Stir in the kale and cook will wilted.

Add the butternut squash and the garlic to the pan and toss to coat with the butter and spices.

When the penne is almost done, reserve about ½ cup of the pasta water. Drain the penne and add it back into pot. Transfer the butternut squash, kale and garlic mix into the pot with the penne.

Add the reserved pasta water and toss the pasta for a few minutes to make sure it’s well coated. The starchy pasta water will thicken and create a sauce.  Add the cheese.

flavors marry while cooking the pasta

sorry for the lousy photo!

the addition of the pasta makes this

a hearty satisfying dish.  loved this one!!!

MORE SWEET POTATOES

The home grown sweet potatoes are so truly delicious that I highly encourage everyone to start their crop come this spring.  Purchase a couple of sweet potatoes from your market, sprout them in a glass or jar of water and plant.  It's that easy!  Check the recommendations for your area.  They are harvested right before the first frost.  They cure for 2 weeks and then are stored in a cooler area (NOT the refrigerator) and will last for approximately 6 months.

first time crop

oh so sweet, no need for butter OR salt, delicious



ZATAR ONIONS

cooked on my electric grill

INGREDIENTS:

1 white sweet onion

1 red onion

2 - 3 Tbsp. Zatar

1 tsp. smokey paprika

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 Tbsp. oil

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all together in a metal pan.  Cover and seal with foil.  Place in the center of the electric grill and cook about 30 minutes.

Zatar onions atop a veggie burger with sweet potato fries



SWEET POTATO FRIES

thick and crispy

potatoes from my garden

I usually only make butternut squash fries BUT with my new abundance of sweet potatoes, here's my new offering:

INGREDIENTS:

3 medium sweet potatoes, do not peel

3 Tbsp. olive oil

coarse pepper

garlic powder

smokey seasoned salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

First cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise.  Cut each half into slices and cut those slices into strips, making thick fries.

Put all into a large bowl.  Add the oil and the spices and toss thoroughly together, coating all.

stir to coat all

Spread the fries onto 2 cookie sheets.  The fries should not be touching each other.  Bake at 15 minutes.  Turn all the fries to the other side and continue baking 10 to 15 minutes.

the first 15 minutes

Remove and serve.

golden and crispy

I served mine with veggie burger topped with Zatar grilled onions







SWEET POTATO CHILI

 

thick and chunky sweet potato chili

 

 

Thanks to Carol in Jersey for this delicious recipe.  I used my, fresh from the garden, sweet potatoes.

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 cup celery, finely chopped

1 lb. sweet potatoes, washed peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

3 lg. cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. sea salt

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. red chili flakes

1 1/4 cup red lentils, dried, rinsed

2 1/2 cups water

1 (28 oz.) can of crushed tomatoes

1 (15 oz.) can of black beans

2 bay leaves

3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

In large pot over medium heat, add oil, celery, sweet potatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, chili powder, paprika, nutmeg, cumin, cinnamon, and red chili flakes.

 

 

vegetables saute for 8 minutes

 

 

Cover and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

Add lentils, water, tomatoes, beans and bay leaves to the pot.  Stir, increase temp. to high and bring to boil.  Then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sweet potatoes and lentils are soft.

 

Serve with tortilla chips and tofutti sour cream OR fresh hot bread, even better - homemade corn bread.

 

 

very hearty

 

 



GARDEN MISHAP

spinach beautiful spinach

soooooooo EARLY in this winter season I planted my spinach.  I used a very reliable seed source, Burpees.  Luckily, I didn't plant all of the seeds and saved the packet.  Who knew I'd have to document my Burpees Garden Mishap. 

So I waited and waited.  Eventually the seeds started to germinate.  I dutifully weeded out every few inches, allowing the strong to survive and thrive.  I kept waiting for this crop to actually look like the spinach I know and love....hmmmmmm, something was just SO wrong.

Finally as this crop really took hold and continued to inch up, it took on a very strange appearance.  I finally recognized the smell...HEY, wait this doesn't smell like spinach.  It did, however, smell like something I had grown once upon a time...

CILANTRO!!!  oops

The bottom line is that yes, folks, even Burpees can make a mistake.  The bad news is, it required me sending a picture of the packet, product and lot numbers, AND a picture of the crop to get my $1.00 initial cost refunded (yes, I can be tenacious).  Gee Burpees, can you afford it???  Guess I'll be driving to the grocery to pick up my spinach this winter.

 

HARVESTING SWEET POTATOES

freshly dug

A GARDEN FIRST

This has been a totally new experience for me.  The threat of the first frost dictated the digging out of the sweet potatoes.  I had NO idea what to expect, fearing the worse...few IF any potatoes.  Happy to report, pleased beyond all expectations!  This first crop of sweet potatoes was an amazing success.

CURING

Now on the details of it all...not till after the sprouting and planting did I learn that sweet potatoes require curing to convert all their starches into sugars.  This curing requires storing the freshly and carefully dug potatoes at 85 degrees and 90 percent humidity for two weeks in the warmest room of one's house.  After picking, what seemed like a gillion, I carefully put these unwashed filthy potatoes into laundry 2 baskets lined with bath towels.  These will spend the next 2 weeks in my laundry closet.

After this curing process, the potatoes then should be stored in a cool location but not the refrigerator. Sweet potatoes stored under good conditions can last for more than six months.

WILL I TASTE SUCCESS?

Can't wait to eat the first one and share them with my ever tolerant neighbors.  Will they taste any different than those from the grocery?  Will the curing work before rot sets in?  Will they really last up to 6 months?  What new recipes await me?

freshly dug, drying in the sun

all shapes and all sizes

looking for a place to store the potatoes

Potatoes should not be scrubbed before curing.

Care is necessary to avoid bruising that can lead

to decay.

HAPPY PESCO VEGETARIAN HIGHLIGHTS

SWEET POTATO SALAD

ready to eat...where's the food?

Our Pesco Vegetarian Dinner was lovely.  Our menu was a two couple effort; and if I do say so, quite successful.  The menu?

appetizers:

shrimp w/cocktail sauce

fried oysters

smoked trout dip w/rosemary crackers

the main meal:

salmon with oven roasted Brussels sprouts

French bread casserole

kale

sweet potato salad

dessert:

sticky toffee pudding

Suzanne brought the sweet potato salad and it was just soooooooo darn good.  A new experience for all of us!  Try this recipe, it's a great one.  Thank you Suzanne!!!

INGREDIENTS:

2 large sweet potatoes

2 Tbsp. Vegenaise

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

2 large celery stalks, coarsely chopped, about 3/4 cup

1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh pineapple

1/4 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

1 small green onion, thinly sliced (about 2 Tbsp.)

chopped chives for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Using a fork, prick sweet potatoes in several places.  Bake until tender; you can use the microwave.  Cool till you can handle.  Peel off the skin and cut into 3/4 inch chunks.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix vegenaise, mustard, salt, and pepper until blended.

Add sweet potato chunks, celery, red pepper, pineapple, pecans and green onion to vegenaise mixture.  Toss gently until evenly coated.

Sprinkle with chopped chives.

great flavor and texture



CAULIFLOWER CURRY and KALE

 

Cauliflower Curry and Kale

INGREDIENTS:

1 small head of cauliflower, cut into 1/2 inch florets
1 bunch of kale, cut into ribbons, probably 2-3 cups
1/2 red onion, minced
1 1/2 Cups lentils
3 Tablespoons oil
2 Tablespoons curry powder (or to your tastes)
1/2 Tablespoon paprika (I like hot Spanish paprika)
1/2 Tablespoon ground coriander OR seeds lightly toasted
1 tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS:

 Cook the lentils in a large soup pot,  according to the directions on the package. Most likely this means adding 2 cups of water for every cup of lentils into a large pot and getting it boiling.  (I add 1/4 cup more than the directions call for). Cover and simmer 20 to 30 minutes.

In the last 10 minutes, add all the spices to the lentils, stir and continue to cook.

Meanwhile, heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large pan and add your cauliflower. Cook your florets over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes until the florets start to brown a bit.

 

cauliflower starting to brown

 

 

 

kale cut into ribbons

 

 

 

with the addition of kale

Next add your onions and cook them until they are translucent – another 5 minutes.

Finally add your kale along with a pinch of salt. Cook this for just a few more minutes until the kale starts to wilt.

Add this skillet mixture to the pot of lentils and mix all together.  Return the lid and sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

Don't overcook the kale.

 

total comfort food!

VEGETARIAN PAD THAI

my finished plate

INGREDIENTS:

1 box Pad Thai noodles, (8 oz. dried)
1 onion, diced
1 container firm tofu, drained well and cut into small cubes
2 carrots, cut match stick style
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 to 10 Chinese cabbage leaves, shredded
1 cup thawed peas
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
4 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup shelled pistachios, roughly crushed and toasted, set aside
Fresh cilantro

these noodles worked well

SAUCE:

1/4 cup tamari
1/2 cup lime juice
2 Tbsp. peanut butter
2 tsp. hot chili sauce
1/4 cup agave nectar

Whisk all together.

DIRECTIONS:

Follow the noodle pkg directions and soak the noodles in hot water.  Set aside. 

Saute the onion and tofu in the sesame oil until they start to turn golden.

Remove, set aside.  Add carrots and garlic and more oil if necessary.  Saute a bit with the lid on; you may add a bit of water to help the carrots steam. 

After about 5 minutes, add the cabbage, peas, water chestnuts and 3/4 of the green onions.  Add the noodles and the sauce mixture.  Cover and cook about 10 minutes. 

Serve in a large bowl, sprinkle the Pad Thai with the remaining green onions, cilantro and toasted pistachios.

serves at least four

even more tastier the next day!