Raw Autumn Kale Salad

After three days of overindulging I felt that I needed to eat something healthy and so I made my Raw Autumn Kale Salad.  Super simple and full of nutrients...all the good stuff your body needs to keep healthy through the holidays!

You can add whatever ingredients you like, but I added chopped leafy kale, shredded green cabbage, julienned apples, dried cranberries and almonds.  I tossed the salad with a vinaigrette made of sour oranges, sherry vinegar, maple syrup, minced shallots and grapeseed oil.  Really delicious! 

Easy Thanksgiving Dinner

Yesterday was probably my easiest and best Thanksgiving ever.  I swore after last year that I would never spend all day (12 hours) in the kitchen...cooking and cleaning.  And as much as I love cooking--it's just not worth it.  My menu yesterday took 4 1/2 hours from start to finish (prep, cooking, eating and cleanup)!  So instead of starting to cook at 8:00am, I slept in, had a relaxing breakfast with my husband reading the paper, surfed the web, played games, went for a walk and then at 1:00pm I started my first prep!  So here's what I served:

• Autumn Wild Rice Salad:  This salad is gluten free.  I used a combination of wild rice, brown basmati rice, red quinoa, diced butternut squash, carrots, celery, sage, thyme, pomegranate seeds and a pomegranate vinaigrette.  I made a similar salad last year using whole grain couscous.  This salad can be served at room temperature or chilled.
• Blue Lake Green Beans with Lemon-Thyme Vinaigrette:  I blanched the green beans in salted boiling water for 1-1/2 minutes and then shocked in ice water, drained and set aside.  I then made a quick vinaigrette with minced garlic, shallots, thyme, whole grain mustard, freshly squeezed lemon juice, white balsamic, grapeseed oil and olive oil.  Just before serving I sauteed the beans with some of the vinaigrette to heat through.
• Smashed Baby Fingerling Potatoes with Garlic & Chive Cream:  This couldn't be simpler--no potatoes to peel...I made a quick roasted garlic-cashew cream sauce (soaked cashews, water, 1 roasted garlic bulb, salt and pepper and blended it together).  I cooked the potatoes in salted boiling water, drained, smashed, added vegan butter, roasted garlic cream sauce and salt and pepper to taste. 
• Roasted Shallot Gravy:  This is a delicious gravy made in 30 minutes using no cornstarch or butter.  I thinly sliced 5 large shallots (about 3 cups), along with 6 oz of sliced cremini mushrooms.  I sauteed them in olive oil for about 10 minutes until caramelized and then added minced garlic, fresh thyme and deglazed with ruby port wine.  I cooked the wine off and added 4 cups of vegetable stock and reduced for 20 minutes.  I blended everything together along with 3 tbsp nutritional yeast and salt and pepper to taste.  
• Field Roast (Celebration): I braised the roast for about 35-40 minutes in a small casserole dish with vegetable stock, fresh sage, fresh thyme sprigs and olive oil.  I browned the top the last few minutes of cooking, sliced to desired thickness and poured remaining broth over top upon serving.

That's pretty much it except that I purchased freshly made cranberry-orange chutney and a vegan pumpkin pie from my work.  As much as I like baking and making pies--it takes too long.  Yes, it is a little bit more expensive, but the time savings is well worth it!  Oh and I can't forget the wine to round out the meal...I served Talbott Kali Hart 2010 Pinot Noir from Monterey.  It complimented the meal beautifully!  

And tonight is another easy cooking night...can't wait to eat the leftovers! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving--I really did! 

Apple-Butternut Squash Soup with Ancho Pepitas

Butternut squash or any winter squash soup can taste really bland unless you combine it with certain ingredients that bring out its natural sweetness.  Some squash soups that I've ordered out in restaurants or from store bought containers almost taste like baby food--pure squash puree with no added flavors whatsoever.  This is great if your are introducing your baby to squash for the first time and you want to whip up a bland blended puree, but not so much for the paying customer.  Ingredients that I like to use with butternut are apples, oranges, ancho chilies, maple syrup and toasted nuts or seeds.  Also the consistency of the puree has to be velvety smooth--not to thin or not to thick.

When I worked for the restaurant we always had butternut squash soup on our banquet menu in winter and it was really good.  We would make 10 gallon batches of it for parties and it would be gone by the end of the evening.  Here's a photo of the soup ready for food runners to take out to guests.  You can't tell from the photo but there is at least 30 bowls in the window for pickup.  

I have been really trying to cut back on all processed oils in my diet since the new year.  The only oil I use is first-cold pressed extra virgin olive oil and I use it sparingly.  In this recipe I used 3 tsp and that was for roasting the butternut and apples--so this recipe is basically oil free and you can't even tell that the oil is missing!

Disclaimer:  I never measure for my recipes unless it's a difficult recipe or a new technique that I've never used before, or if I'm baking.  Everything that I make is by sight, smell and most importantly taste.  Therefore, if the soup is too thick then add additional vegetable stock--if it's too thin then reduce it down further.  If you want more kick to the recipe then add additional ancho chili powder.

Ingredients:

3 1/2-4 lbs butternut squash, washed, sliced in half, roasted
2 organic apples such as pink lady, fuji, or gala, sliced into 1/4" slices, roasted, about 2 cups (leave skin on)
3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 cup Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider
8 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
1-2 tsp ancho chili powder (more or less depending on taste)
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1/2 orange, squeezed
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Toasted ancho chili pepper pepitas for garnish

Method:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Slice butternut squash in half and rub with 2 tsp olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven for about 30-35 minutes until tender and lightly golden brown.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Scoop out seeds, peel and dice into large chunks.  Set aside.
• Turn oven down to 350 degrees and toss apple slices in 1 tsp olive oil.  Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes until tender and lightly golden brown.  Remove from oven and set aside.
• In a large dutch oven or stock pot, add onion, garlic, thyme and apple cider.  Bring mixture to a simmer and cook until apple cider is reduced and onions are soft.
• Add squash, apples, vegetable stock, maple syrup, ancho chili powder to taste and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes for flavors to combine, adding salt and pepper to taste during cooking process.
• Puree mixture in several batches in a blender on high until smooth.  Return to pan and add freshly squeezed orange juice and adjust seasoning if necessary.
• Garnish with toasted pepitas.  
• For the pepitas I used a 1/3 cup of raw pepitas, 3/4 tsp ancho chili powder, 1/4 tsp finely grated sea salt and 1/4 tsp olive oil.  Toast the pepitas first, then add to a bowl and then toss with olive oil and spices. 

Apple & Maple Tempeh Breakfast Patties

Frustrating...I woke up early and decided to make a nice weekend breakfast.  I have never made Apple & Maple Tempeh Breakfast Patties before and so I was measuring and writing down the recipe so that I could post it this evening.  Well, I had a bag of whole grain spelt four (for the pancakes) and a bag of vital wheat gluten (for the breakfast patties) right next to each other on the counter and I kind of lost track how much gluten I added to the patties.  I think that I added a cup, but I could of added some spelt by mistake.  Anyway, the patties had great flavor and texture, but I need to make them again next weekend before I post the recipe.  In the meantime if you're interested in making the whole grain pancakes, here's the recipe.  

Butternut Orecchiette Pasta with Sage Cream

Cashew cream...I love this stuff...all the pleasure of eating a creamy sauce without any guilt.  When we would serve cream-based pasta dishes at the restaurant I would dread having to continually taste the sauce because I knew that it was bad for me, but not with cashew cream.  This doesn't mean that you should consume it every day because it may contribute to a few pounds, but at least it won't cause high cholesterol and artery clogging heart disease.  Best thing about it though, you really can't tell the difference in terms of consistency and it actually tastes way better.  Another thing--to this day I still can't spell orecchiette--I always need to look it up in google!...:-)

You can use any pasta you like, but I prefer orecchiette (little ears in Italian) because the sauce pools within the pasta and you get a little sauce with every bite.  For an extra health benefit look for a whole wheat/grain version.  Also, you can use any type of squash that holds up well to roasting.

Ingredients:
(Serves 4-6)

1 lb orecchiette pasta, cooked according to package directions
1 medium sized butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, diced into 1" pieces (yields 4-6 cups depending on size--mine yielded 4 cups)
1 large leek, white and light parts only, diced, washed
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced fresh thyme
2 tbsp minced fresh sage
1/2 cup white wine, or brandy (brandy and sage/cream is a match made in heaven, but I didn't have any and so I used Pinot Grigio)
2 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock (I used Whole Foods 360 Brand), plus more for thinning if necessary
1 1/2 cups cashew cream (see below)
1 cup organic baby arugula or wild rocket
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
12 small-medium fried sage leaves (see below)
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Method:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees and toss squash with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for about 15 minutes (tossing once) until tender and golden brown.  Remove sheet pan from oven and set aside.
• In a large saute pan, add olive oil, leeks, garlic, thyme and sage and cook on medium-low for about 5 minutes until leeks are tender, stirring frequently to prevent garlic from burning.
• Deglaze with white wine or brandy and cook for a couple of minutes until alcohol has reduced.
• Turn heat up to medium and add vegetable stock and cook until stock has reduced by half about 15 minutes.
• Add cream and cook until lightly thickened about 5 minutes longer.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente.  Drain pasta, rinse well under water, and drain well again.
• Start off by adding 3/4 of the cooked pasta to the pan, along with roasted butternut squash and arugula and toss to heat through.  
• Depending on how much sauce you have, add the remaining cooked pasta--you may need to add a little more vegetable stock if sauce is too thick.
• Serve immediately garnished with toasted pine nuts and fried sage leaves and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Cashew Cream:

1/2 cup raw cashews soaked overnight, drained
1 cup filtered water

Method:

• Drain cashews and add to a blender.  Add filtered water and blend on high for about 4 minutes (with ear plugs...:-) until creamy.  Strain cream and set aside.  You'll need 1 cup for this recipe.  Use any remaining cream in your morning coffee.

Fried Sage:

12 small sage leaves
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt

Method:

• Heat a small saute pan on medium heat, add sage and cook for about 1 minute, turning once until darkened and crispy.
• Remove from pan and place on a paper towel.
• Sprinkle with kosher salt.

 










 

Pumpkin Walnut Cake with Candied Orange Syrup

I was flipping through my cookbooks trying to find a dessert recipe that would go well with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, or potentially My Moroccan Thanksgiving and I came across a recipe for a Pumpkin Walnut Cake with Candied Orange Syrup.  This happens to be a perfect recipe for both because it uses pumpkin, but also uses spoon sweets (fruits cooked in syrup), which is a typical for dessert served in Middle Eastern countries.  So after veganizing the recipe, and also by adding cardamon spice to the syrup, I think that it turned out great and it is definitely a contender for this Thanksgiving!

Candied Orange Syrup:

2 cups unfiltered sugar

2 cups filtered water

1 large seedless orange, thinly sliced

1 tsp ground cardamon

5 black peppercorns

Note:  Kumquats would also work really well with this recipe; however they are very labor intensive because you need to remove all the seeds after slicing.

Method:

• Add water, sugar, cardamon and peppercorns to a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar.
• Add orange slices and stir to coat each slice.
• Reduce heat to medium low, and cut out a piece of foil and place directly on top of oranges to slow the evaporation.  Cover pan with another piece of foil and slowly simmer for about 1 1/2 hours until syrup is the consistency of honey.
• Remove from heat and let oranges cool in syrup before removing.
• Once orange slices are cool enough to touch, strain syrup into another bowl, pressing the orange slices lightly to remove excess syrup and chop orange slices and set aside.  You'll need a 1/2 cup for the cake and 1/4 cup for garnish. 

Ingredients:

2 sticks softened Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks, plus 1 tbsp for pan
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, plus a little more for dusting pan
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1 cup pure maple syrup
4 1/2 tsp Ener-g Egg Replacer, plus 3 tbsp filtered water
1 cup organic pumpkin puree
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup coarsely chopped candied orange slices

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350 and position oven rack in the middle of oven.
• Butter an angle food cake pan and dust lightly with flour and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, add flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices and whisk until combined, set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk together egg replacer and water until frothy and set aside.
• In a large bowl, using a mixer whip butter until fluffy.  Add maple syrup and mix again.  Next add egg replacer and pumpkin puree and mix until combined.
• Slowly add flour to pumpkin mixture, and mix just until smooth.
• Fold in chopped candied orange and walnuts.
• Using a spatula, spoon cake batter into pan and smooth surface.
• Bake for about 1 hour, turning half way through the cooking process.  Cake will be finished when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Remove cake from oven and let cool on a baking rack for about 20 minutes.  Remove from cake pan and let cool further on rack, positioned over a sheet tray to catch syrup.
• Spoon syrup over cake and then carefully lift cake to a serving platter or cake stand.
• Garnish with candied walnuts, candied orange and additional syrup. 

Candied Walnuts:

10-12 whole raw walnut halves
2 tbsp powdered sugar

Method:

• Bring a small pot of water to a boil and add walnuts.  Blanch for about 1 minute and then drain and toss in powdered sugar to coat evenly.
• Place walnuts on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes until sugar has caramelized, turning nuts over half way through the cooking process.
  

Acorn Squash with Cinnamon, Maple & Fried Sage

This side dish for Thanksgiving couldn't be easier.  It's also delicious and makes for a beautiful rustic presentation for your dinner table.  The hardest part about making this dish is cutting the squash and Mother Nature makes that simple for you too by providing you with predefined ridges on the surface.  Acorn squash is my favorite winter squash because of its sweet yellow-orange flesh.  And by roasting it and tossing it with maple syrup it makes it absolutely irresistible.    

Ingredients:

2 acorn squash, blemish free, washed, cut, seeds removed and sliced into wedges
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup pure maple syrup, divided
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Fried sage leaves (see below)

Method:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• In a large bowl toss squash with cinnamon, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp maple syrup and salt and pepper.
• Divide squash between two sheet trays and bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, rotating trays and turning over squash half way through the cooking process until soft, caramelized and golden brown.
• Remove from oven and place on serving platter and drizzle with sage oil, 2 tbsp maple syrup and crumbled fried sage leaves.

Fried Sage Leaves:

6 sage leaves
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt

Method:

• In a small sauce pan, heat oil on medium, add sage leaves and cook for about 1 minute until crispy, turning over once.
• Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with a little salt.
• Pour sage oil over roasted squash and garnish with minced fried sage leaves.

My Moroccan Thanksgiving

I'm really struggling about what I'm going to serve for Thanksgiving this year.  Do I go with a traditional menu, or something a bit more interesting like Moroccan.  I have about five more posts to do using traditional recipes and then I'm going to make my decision.  But both my husband and I are leaning towards Moroccan and we think our dinner guests will like it too!

There are a lot of different components to this dish.  It's basically your entire meal served on one plate--very much like a traditional Thanksgiving.  If I do serve this dish as our main course, I will start the meal with a salad of roasted chioggia beets, shaved fennel, baby greens, marcona almonds, candied orange peel and a toasted fennel-blood orange vinaigrette.  And for dessert I'll serve a spiced pumpkin cake with a cardamon-orange syrup and candied oranges (which I'll post this week)...Yes, the more I think about it, the more I'm leaning towards Moroccan!
 

Saffron-Tomato Broth:

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 stalk celery, sliced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 14oz can crushed tomatoes

1 tsp saffron threads

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

• Crumble saffron threads in cold vegetable stock and let sit for about 10 minutes to bloom.
• In a large dutch oven or stock pot, cook onion and celery in olive oil on medium heat until soft.
• Add garlic, red pepper, thyme, bay leaf, tomatoes, and saffron vegetable stock and salt and pepper to taste and bring to a boil.  
• Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about one hour until broth has reduced by half and is flavorful.
• Strain broth, keep warm and set aside.

Tomato-Pistachio Chutney:

1 lb pearl or cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup raw pistachios, toasted
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 tbsp minced mint
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground paprika
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Toss tomatoes with 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for about 20 minutes until charred, tossing half way through the cooking process.
• Remove from oven and let cool.
• Once tomatoes are cool, remove skins and roughly chop.
• Place tomatoes in a bowl and add the remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper.
• Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use, return to room temperature before using.

Lemon Scented Lentils:

1 1/2 cups French green lentils
4 cups vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
Juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 tsp ground sumac
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

• Add lentils, bay leaf and vegetable stock to a small sauce pan.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 17-20 minutes until lentils are soft but still retain their shape.
• Drain lentils well and then return to sauce pan.  Add olive oil, lemon juice, ground sumac and salt and pepper to taste.  Mix well, cover lentils and set aside.  

Couscous:

2 cups whole wheat couscous
2 1/2 cups filtered water
1 tbsp extra virgin olive
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup golden raisins
1 tbsp minced preserved lemon (optional)

Method:

• Place couscous in a medium sized bowl.
• Add olive oil and salt and using your fingers, rub the olive oil through the couscous grains.
• Bring water to a boil and pour over couscous--just enough water so that it covers the couscous by about a 1/4".
• Cover bowl with a plate and set aside for 15 minutes.
• Remove plate and fluff couscous with a fork and fold in raisins and preserved lemon peel. 

Roasted Acorn Squash:

1 acorn squash, cut into about 8-10 wedges depending on size
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tbsp extra virgin olive
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Toss squash with cinnamon, maple syrup, olive oil and salt and pepper and roast for about 10 minutes until soft and caramelized, turning half way through the cooking process.
• Remove from oven and keep warm until ready to use.

Sauteed Spinach:

1-2 lbs organic baby spinach, washed, dried
1 tbsp minced garlic
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

• Heat a large saute pan on medium-low, add olive oil, garlic and saute until just starting to bubble.
• Immediately add spinach and salt and pepper and saute until just wilted.
• Keep warm and set aside.

Mint Yogurt Sauce:

1/2 cup vegan sour cream or cashew cream
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp ground sumac
2 tbsp minced fresh mint
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

• I made a cashew cream from scratch (1/2 cup cashews, 3/4 cup filtered water, blended until smooth).  But you can purchase your favorite vegan sour cream (I like Follow Your Heart).
• Mix all ingredients in a bowl and chill until ready to use.

Assembly:
(Serves 4)

• Place couscous on the plate, followed by lentils, spinach, chutney, squash yogurt sauce and then ladle over saffron broth.
• Garnish with additional mint and preserved lemons.

Cauliflower-Leek Tart with Port Glazed Figs

When I graduated from Culinary School I wanted to open a tart shop and serve savory and sweet tarts as well as soups, salads and baked goods.  Unfortunately, I never opened my tart shop, but instead went to work for a restaurant and worked my way up the ranks.  Several months after I was hired and during the busiest month of the year (December), the pastry chef quit and I took over her position until they could find a replacement.  By the way, they didn't find a replacement until the following April--but that was fine by me because it was a great learning experience.  My favorite part about the pastry position was making tarts, both sweet and savory...and I made a lot of them during that time!

One of the tarts we served that was a favorite by customers was a herbed-goat cheese and leek tart.  It was on the menu for the entire five years I was there.  We tried taking it off but customers always requested it and so it stayed.  Since switching to a vegan diet, I've always wanted to recreate this tart, without the goat cheese of course, and so I substituted a creamy cauliflower puree and it's just as delicious or even better than I remember.  It's also a beautiful tart and will make a great presentation at your Thanksgiving dinner or anytime you entertain.   

Cashew Cream:

1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight in filtered water, drained

2 cups filtered water

Method:

• Drain cashews and place in a blender, add water and blend until smooth for about 4 minutes.  If you don't have a high-speed blender, like a Vita-Mix, strain the cream and set aside.  You'll need 1 1/2 cups cashew cream for the recipe.

Flaky Pastry Crust:

1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/4 cups unbleached white flour
12 tbsp Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks, diced, frozen
4 tbsp Earth Balance Natural Shortening, diced, frozen
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp unbleached sugar
1/4-1/2 cup cold filtered water

Method:

• Add flour, salt, sugar to a food processor and pulse to combine.
• Using the pulse mode add butter and shortening and pulse until the texture is crumbly and the fat resembles small peas.
• While still in pulse mode, drizzle in water slowly until dough sticks together when pressed in your hand.
• Remove dough from bowl and place on a cutting board and form into a 1" high flat disk/circle or rectangle, depending on the shape of your tart pan.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for about an hour.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Remove dough and place on a lightly floured cutting board and roll out to about 3/8" thick in either a rectangle or circle depending on your tart pan.
• Place dough in tart pan pressing along the bottom and edges and remove excess dough from the edge.  Prick dough about six times with a fork and place tart in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
• Remove tart from freezer and line with foil or parchment paper and fill with baking beans.
• Place tart pan on a sheet pan and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, rotating half way through the cooking process.  Remove foil/parchment and baking beans and bake 5-7 minutes longer.
• Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Sauteed Leeks: 

1 large leek, white and light green parts only, diced and washed
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

• Saute leeks in olive oil for about 5-7 minutes until tender.  Cook on a low enough temperature to keep the leeks light in color--you don't want to brown.
• Place in a medium sized bowl and set aside to cool.

Cauliflower Puree:

2 cups roughly chopped cauliflower florets
1/2 yellow onion roughly chopped, about 1 cup
2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced thyme
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups cashew cream
1 tbsp cornstarch
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

• Heat a saute pan on medium-low, add olive oil and onion and cook for a couple of minutes for onion to soften.
• Add cauliflower, vegetable stock, garlic, thyme and salt and pepper.  Increase heat to medium and cook for about 20 minutes until all liquid is absorbed. 
• Using a spatula, scrape cauliflower mixture into a blender and add cashew cream and cornstarch.
• Blend on high until smooth and creamy and season with salt and pepper if needed.
• Add 2 cups of blended cauliflower puree to the sauteed leeks and stir to combine.

Assembly:

• Turn down oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• Spoon cauliflower-leek mixture into prepared tart shell and place on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, rotating half way through the cooking process, until firm to touch and tart shell is lightly golden brown.  If tart shell starts to get too brown, cover edges lightly with foil.
• Remove tart from oven and let cool for about 15 minutes on a rack before removing tart ring.
• Just before serving, drizzle with port glaze and garnish with sliced figs and micro arugula or micro greens.

Ruby Port Glaze:

2 cups ruby port
2 tbsp agave syrup
1/4 cup ripe figs, quartered

Method:

• Add ingredients to a small sauce pan and reduce on medium heat until it turns into a syrup and coats the back of a spoon, about 20 minutes.  Mixture will thicken as it cools.  You want it to be thicker than maple syrup, but not as thick as molasses.
• Slice figs and toss lightly in syrup and then garnish tart.  Drizzle with extra syrup.

 

Pumpkin Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

I rarely have to make recipes over for my blog, but I made these cookies four times to get the right texture.  All I wanted was a crispy cookie on the outside with a moist-chewy center.  The problem with pumpkin cookies is that they contain a lot of moisture because the pumpkin has a high water content and you end up with a cake-like texture instead of a cookie texture.  I also didn't want to use regular or brown sugar in the recipe, even though it would help crisp them up.  My sweetener of choice is maple syrup, especially if the flavor pairs well, and pumpkin and maple are a great combination.  However, I knew that by using the maple syrup that I would be adding even more moisture to the batter and I would have to make further adjustments to the recipe.   Anyway, I was about to give up (I had wanted to post this recipe in October), but I'm glad that I hung in there because I really like the texture and the flavor.  But it's time to move on--I'm so over pumpkin cookies!

Ingredients:

(Yield:  4-1/2 doz if using a small ice cream scooper)

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

2-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground cloves

2 sticks Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks, softened to room temperature

1-1/2 cups pure maple syrup

3 tsp Ener-g Egg Replacer, plus 2 tbsp filtered water

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup canned organic pumpkin

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats, not quick or instant

1 cup dark raisins

1/2 cup golden raisins

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two sheet trays with either a silpat or parchment paper and set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk together egg replacer and filtered water and set aside.
• In a medium sized bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and spices and set aside.
• In the bowl of a food processor (or large bowl) add softened butter and maple syrup and mix well to combine.  Then add egg replacer, vanilla and organic pumpkin and mix well again.  If you used a food processor to mix the wet ingredients, then scrape out the batter into a large bowl.  Note:  The batter may look like it's curdling because of the acid content of the maple syrup reacting with the butter, but it will all come together when it bakes.  Just make sure that your pumpkin is evenly disbursed and this is where it's helpful if you have a mixer or food processor. 
• Add flour/spices to wet ingredients and mix lightly just so that the flour is disbursed, but not all the way combined.  
• Add in rolled oats and raisins and stir until ingredients are evenly combined, but do not over mix.
• Using a small ice cream scooper, or what ever size you have on hand space batter evenly on a cookie sheet (12 per sheet) about 2" apart and flatten cookies slightly with your fingertips.  
• Bake for 16-20 minutes depending on your oven temp, rotating the baking sheets from top-to-bottom, and from left-to-right, half way through the baking process.
• Cookies will be lightly golden brown around the edges/bottom and firm to touch when finished. 
• When finished baking, remove cookies from the sheet pans and place on cooling racks.  As the cookies cool (about 15 minutes) they will crisp up even further.

 

Roasted Cauliflower with Raisins & Pine Nuts

While in Portland last week we went to a restaurant called Lovely's Fifty Fifty.  It's not a vegan restaurant, but the chef prepared for us a vegan pizza that was out of this world.  The pizza was wood fired and was covered with chanterelle mushrooms, grilled winter squash, radicchio/escarole and a red sauce that brought it all together.  The flavors were amazing and I was so glad that they didn't use any fake cheese products on the pizza.  The food was fresh, seasonal, organic and even though they are not a vegan restaurant, they had no problem creating a special dish for us--that's what I love so much at Portland.  You can basically eat anywhere and find vegan options on the menu, or the chef/cooks will create something delicious for you.
 

 
In addition to the pizza, we ordered a wonderful appetizer made with roasted cauliflower, currants, golden raisins and pine nuts.  Cauliflower, raisins, pine nuts/almonds are a match made in heaven and I thought that it would be a great side dish (not to mention super easy to make) to serve at Thanksgiving. 

Ingredients:
(Serves 6)

2 heads of cauliflower, broken or cut into florets
1 tbsp fresh minced thyme
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup currants or regular raisins
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley

Method:

• Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
• Toss cauliflower florets with olive oil, thyme and salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown, tossing half-way through the cooking time.
• Remove from oven and place in a large bowl, along with currants, golden raisins and pine nuts.
• Add warmed sauce, parsley and toss to coat.
• Serve immediately.

Sauce:

2/3 cup good quality, low-sodium vegetable stock, reduced to 1/4 cup
1 garlic clove minced
1 tsp fresh minced thyme
Juice of 1/2-1 lemon
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt

Method:

• While cauliflower is roasting, add vegetable stock, garlic and thyme to a small sauce pan and reduce to a 1/4 cup.
• Add lemon juice to taste and whisk in olive oil.
• Season with salt and pepper and keep warm until ready to use.