Recipe: Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette

This is a super-easy and very tasty dressing.  We use this with cooked beets for a cold beet salad.  Delicious!

1/2 c orange juice
1/2 c balsamic vinegar
1t dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

That's it!  Whisk it together and pour it over a salad or use it as a marinade.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Lemon-Rose Quinoa with Oven-Dried Sungold Tomatoes, Torn Basil and Pomegranate Arils

This recipe was a late-season treat spanning end-of-summer vegetables and fall fruits.  It also gave me an excuse to use the word "Arils" aka pomegranate seeds.

This dish can be served at room temperature or cold.

First, I have to thank Madhur Jaffrey for her recipe of oven-dried tomatoes.  It is in her book Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian: More Than 650 Meatless Recipes from Around the World which you will find in my recommended books on the left side of this web site.

Oven-Dried Tomatoes
Take one pound of cherry tomatoes and cut them in half.  I used sungold tomatoes from my garden.  Put them cut-side-up on a baking sheet.  Lightly dust with salt and sugar.  Bake at 175 degrees for 7-8 hours until they are slightly chewy but not dry like a raisin or sun-dried tomatoes.

If you don't have time for this, I would soak sun-dried tomatoes in boiling water for 10 - 15 minutes and then roughly chop them.

Lemon-Rose Quinoa
2 C of cooked quinoa (salted to taste)
1/4 C oven-dried tomatoes
1/4 C pomegranate arils
1/4 C lemon juice
1 t rose water
1/2 t mustard
Small handful of fresh basil

Combine lemon juice, rose water and mustard.  Whisk until the mustard is fully incorporated.  Set aside.  To the quinoa, add the tomatoes and pomegranate arils.  Tear basil leaves in half or thirds and add to quinoa.  Add the lemon-rose mixture and stir.

For plating, I packed the mixture into a one-cup measuring cup.  Tap the cup gently on a plate and the whole mold should come out easily, like the picture.

Serves two.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Stuffed Lychee with Citrus Coriander and Chili

Finally, an easy one!!!  It doesn't get any easier than this and you will blow your guests away with this appetizer.  No cooking necessary, just whole delicious food, the way nature intended.

1 T coriander (aka fresh cilantro), finely diced
2 T lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1 red chili pepper. thinly sliced
6-8 lychees (fresh or canned)

Mix the cilantro and lemon juice in a small bowl and let sit.  If using fresh lychees, remove the stone from the center without destroying the structure of the lychee.  Canned lychees are usually pitted.  Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each lychee so it can stand up on its own.  With a small spoon or knife edge, fill each lychee with the lemon coriander mix.  Garnish the top with paper thin slices of chili pepper.  Serve cold or at room temperature.

Serves 3-4.

Enjoy!

Awesome Cornbread!

So, every once in a while you nail a recipe.  I brought this cornbread to a church community meal with chili.  It got rave reviews and multiple requests for the recipe.  Sorry, no pictures on this one.  It disappeared too quickly.

Truth be told that night at church, I was wingin' in.  I didn't have all the ingredients I needed and I even borrowed ideas from a banana bread recipe.  Great accidents do happen.  It is moist and slightly sweet with a great texture.  If you like a sweeter cornbread, use 1/3 C of sugar instead of 1/4 C.

Nutritionally, this corn bread clocks in at just under 11% fat with about 6 grams of protein per serving!  

1/2 C corn grits
1 C masa flour (found in your Mexican section of the grocery store, usually used for tamales).
1/2 C white whole wheat flour
1/4 C sugar
2 T ground flax seed
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 C unsweetened soy milk
1 C water
2 T lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray oil one 8x8" pan.  A cast iron skillet will also work.

Mix the grits, masa, flour, sugar, flax, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.  In a large measuring cup, mix the soy milk, water and lemon juice.  Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and stir until most all the lumps are gone.  You should have a thick batter.

Pour the batter into your pan and bake for 30 - 35 minutes until a toothpick comes clean.  Serves 4 - 6.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Lemon Salad Dressing

When eating a whole-foods, plant-based diet with no added oils, salad dressing at home becomes more of a challenge.  Here is a recipe that is deceptively simple but so good.

This recipe fits a lunch-sized salad for one.

Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 t cumin seeds
salt and pepper to taste

That's it.  I eat this all the time.  I usually chop my salad into smaller pieces, squeeze the lemon, add the spices and toss.  Throw in the other half of lemon if you really like it lemony.

Everyone I have served this to has said something like, "Wow.  What's in the salad dressing?"  No fat.  All natural.  Gotta love it...

Recipe: Tempeh Italian Sausage

Since I now have a functioning adobe oven, pizza has been on the menu quite a bit at my house.  Many friends rave about my tempeh sausage.  It is very easy, so I thought I would share the recipe so others could enjoy it too.

Tempeh Sausage


8 oz. soy tempeh (unflavored)
3/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 t dry basil
1 t dry oregano
1/2 t dry rosemary
1/2 t anise seed
1/2 t red pepper flakes (optional)

Crumble the tempeh into small chunks or individual beans.  Add salt, pepper, basil, oregano, rosemary, anise and red pepper.  Mix with hands until tempeh is evenly coated with spices.

Use this as a kind of sausage on any pizza or italian dish.  It is a great addition.  Enjoy!

Recipe: Tortilla Soup

Before we get to this simple, elegant recipe, I need to rant.  I have a large garden in my backyard filled with beautiful heirloom tomatoes of all colors, shapes and sizes... yellow, green, deep red, purple and pink.  All together, they are absolutely beautiful and they explode with flavor.  Then I go to the grocery store and all the tomatoes are fire-engine red.  That's it.  No other colors.  They also come in only three sizes: regular, plum and cherry-size.  How did this happen?  Commercial agriculture ruins the quality of food and taste.  Exeunt soapbox.

Back to Tortilla Soup.  This is one of my go-to recipes that is super easy and can carry a ton a flavor.  It starts with a mirepoix.  Remember that thing I call flavor?

Tortilla Soup
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 ribs of celery, diced
Clean out the fridge veggies!

This is the perfect opportunity to clean out your fridge of old vegetables, even wilted lettuce.  Chop it up and throw it in.  What we're making is essentially a vegetable broth, but we want all the vegetables in there too!  They are all going to get blended, so you won't recognize any of it by the end.

Water fry the vegetables until they start to brown and carmelize.  Then add:

3 C water
3 C tomato puree
2 T cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Then bring to a boil and blend the whole thing with an immersion blender until smooth.  Then add:

2 C black beans, cooked

Let simmer for 15 minutes.  Before serving, turn off the heat and add:

1/2 C fresh cilantro, chopped
juice of one lime

Remember, adding fresh herbs or citrus to a dish after it has been cooked really livens it up.

Now, taste it.  Here's where you make some judgement calls that many people are afraid of.  If you want more tang, add another lime.  You won't hurt it.  If you like more cilantro, add more cilantro.  If you like the cumin taste, add another tablespoon.  If you want some heat, add a few dashes of chipotle powder.  Like I said, you won't hurt it.  This is what chefs do.  Go for it!  

Garnish with fresh tomatoes, cilantro, or even a slice of avocado.  Serve with warm corn tortillas.  Look for ones that have only "corn, water and lime."  You can even make your own using masa flour and water.  Check in the Mexican section of your store for Masa flour.  Sometimes it is called tamale flour too.

Serves 6-8.

Recipe: Beetza sauce!

The wait is over!  Sorry for the delay as I have been sitting on a beach the past week.  The recipe for Beetza sauce is incredibly simple.  Throughout many cultures, people have been pairing sweet foods and tart foods for thousands of years.  This sauce follows the same principle.  Sweet beets and tart balsamic.

Beetza Sauce
1 C balsamic vinegar
1 medium-size beet, sliced
1 medium-size onion, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

In a pot or pan, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil.  Add the beet, onion, salt and pepper.  Cover with a lid and cook until the beets are tender.  Add more balsamic as necessary to keep liquid in the pan.  Then, put everything in a blender and blend until smooth.  Last, add a splash of fresh balsamic at the end.  Cooking balsamic tends to mellow out the tart taste a bit.  Adding a splash at the end brings that tartness back.  This will produce a thick, tangy/sweet sauce.  If it is too thick, another splash of balsamic or water should smooth things out.

That's it.  Amazing cooking doesn't have to be difficult.  On your favorite or homemade pizza crust, add the sauce, four cloves of garlic thinly sliced and lightly toasted in a pan, roughly chopped fresh beet greens and sliced fresh figs.  Then, bake it as you would any other pizza.

You gotta try this.  The taste is amazing.  The colors are beautiful.  You will be in heaven.  And with one taste, your friends will stop making fun of you for putting beets on a pizza too!

Southern Cuisine: Hoppin' John, Killed Salad and Sweet Potato Biscuits

Preserving Our Cultural Heritage: Hoppin' John with Killed Salad and Sweet Potato Biscuits 

These recipes are part of an effort to preserve classic old recipes but with a no-oil, plant-based update.  Many classic dishes from our cultures are full of meat and fat and only push us further down the road toward heart attacks, strokes and obesity.  These recipes help us continue to enjoy the tastes of our past without sacrificing our health in the process.


Hoppin' John with Killed Salad, Sweet Potato Biscuits and Jefferson Davis Pie


These are classic Southern recipes that come straight out of the American Civil War 150 years ago.  Here's a quick rundown for those who don't live in the South.


Hoppin' John is the Southern version of beans and rice.
Killed Salad is salad and onions with a hot vinegar dressing.

I know I said I would start with Mom's nut roll, but Mom will have to wait.  This meal was wonderful!

Hoppin' John
3 C cooked brown rice
3 C cooked beans
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 C minced fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

This recipe couldn't be easier.  The traditional recipe for Hoppin' John is even simpler.  Beans, rice, salt, pepper, onion and garlic.  This dish cried out for fresh herbs, so I added some cilantro.  Hoppin' John is excellent with Louisiana Hot Sauce too.  This dish can be served hot or cold.  Serves 4-6.

Killed Salad
1 head of lettuce, chopped
2 sweet onions, sliced
1/3 C tofu bacon bits (see below)
1/2 C cider vinegar

This salad has a salad dressing that is hot.  This is something I haven't run across before and it was excellent!  If you really love Vidalia onions, this recipe originally calls for 6 onions rather than 2!  Pan fry the tofu bacon bits mixture in a nonstick pan until crispy.  Then, add the vinegar and heat for 30 seconds or so until it boils.  Remove from heat and immediately pour over salad.  Serves 4.

Tofu Bacon Bits
1/3 C extra firm tofu, diced
2 T soy sauce
3 shakes of Liquid Smoke
1/4 t black pepper

Here's another cooking lesson.  What is bacon at its essence?  Salty, smoky protein with black pepper thrown in.  That's exactly what we have here.  Mix it all together and let marinate for at least an hour.  Then pour it into a nonstick pan and fry until crispy, about 10-15 minutes.

Sweet Potato Biscuits
3/4 C sweet potato, cooked and mashed
3/4 C non-dairy milk
2.5 C whole wheat flour
4 t baking powder
1 T sugar
1 t salt

This recipe needed very little translation except to eliminate a small amount of butter.  These biscuits are a bit dense but very tasty and authentic to tradition.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Blend sweet potatoes and milk together.  In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.  Mix wet and dry ingredients together thoroughly to make a soft dough.  If the dough is too sticky, add flour one tablespoon at a time until the dough holds together and is workable.  Roll dough to 1/2" thick and cut biscuits out with a water glass or biscuit cutter.  Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.  Makes about 12 biscuits.

Lydia's Reckless Abandon #1: A Beginner's Perspective

Sometimes my recipes can seem complex, but anyone can apply these principles to cooking and have positive results.  The following is a guest blog entry by a beginning cook, who also happens to be my wife.  She has very little experience in the kitchen and prior to our marriage, her "go-to" dinner was angel hair pasta with a jar of sauce and frozen veggies.  


Check out her wonderful experience at gourmet cooking...


Today I tried to be Dave and make a gourmet dinner while Dave was out shopping.  I did this without any advance planning and just with what we had in the house.  As you may know, my idea of cooking is cooking Angel Hair pasta (takes 3 minutes) and then adding pasta sauce from the jar and hoping the pasta warms up the pasta and then maybe cutting up some stuff for a salad to go with it. So, if I can do this gourmet cooking thing, really, anyone can!   

Here is my story:

I wanted to go for a mushroom and white wine type rice dish with chickpeas.  I forgot to add the mushrooms (Doh!) and I didn't realize that chickpeas take WAY longer than rice to cook (especially if you don't soak them!).  What was really silly is that we had a container of already cooked chickpeas I could have used but I didn't know that/see them!  Regardless of all those things, it came out really good (just had cruncky chickpeas)!  The chickpea part of the recipe below is modified so this recipe will come out correctly!

I call this recipe: Lydia's Reckless Abandon #1

1.5 cups Water
1.5 cups white wine
2 cups Arroborio Rice
1 - 2 cans of drained canned chickpeas (or 1 - 2 cups of previously cooked chickpeas)
2 cloves of garlic (I used a garlic press, no fancy chopping for me)
juice of 1/2 of a lemon
1 tsp tarragon
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 rsp GROUND (not twig like) rosemary

I cooked the rice according to the package directions re: ratio of water to rice and replaced 1/2 the called for water with white wine.  The package called for 20 minutes of cooking and then it is supposed to sit for 10 minutes, which I followed.

I also separately steamed 2 small/medium sized zucchini's and cut up 3 raw carrots and a pear (My daughter wanted a pear so I told her I'd add one to dinner!).

When the zucchini was done I layered the plates with it and then added the carrots and pear around the sides.  After the rice was done (with the chickpeas still crunchy in my case!), I scooped the rice/chickpeas mixture over the zucchini.  Dave made a carrot garnish for me and I decided what to do with it-see picture!  Dave also recommended that we squeeze the other 1/2 of the lemon over the plates before serving which he did for me.

It was actually really good (other than the crunchy chickpeas)!

However, there is always room for improvement. Next time, I think I might use less white wine, replace maybe only 1/3 of the total water with wine.  Dave thought it was fine but I felt the wine taste was a little strong.  I also think I would steam the carrots instead of using raw ones.  Then there are the mushrooms I totally forgot about, I'd add those next time for the last 5 minutes of rice cooking time! Lastly, I felt like the dish needed a little more color so next time I might use steamed broccoli instead of or in addition to the pears or put some steamed broccoli on the top of the rice or something.

So that's my story!  Again, I must say that if I can do this gourmet cooking thing, anyone can!  Best wishes!  

Recipe: Baklava

Baklava is a personal weakness of mine and one of the great hurdles of fat-free cooking.  Typically, when cooking with phyllo dough, oil is brushed between every sheet of dough.  If you are using 12-15 sheets of dough, that much fat can add up contributing even more to the great big health disaster known as the standard American diet.

Even though this dish has no added oil, it is a small-portion, special-occasion type dish.  It has a lot of sugar.  The phyllo is processed but you can actually find whole wheat organic phyllo dough if you are lucky.  Because of the large amount of sugar, this recipe is not tops on the list of nutrient-dense foods, but the phyllo dough technique I use is noteworthy as we learn to cook in new and different ways to leave all the fat behind.  

Baklava
14 sheets of phyllo dough (roughly half of a package)
4 C toasted chopped almonds or walnuts or both
2 T cinnamon

Syrup
4 C raw sugar
2 C water
1/2 C agave nectar
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t cloves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Make sure phyllo dough is at room temperature.  It usually takes two hours to thaw if it has been frozen.

While the oven is preheating, make the syrup.  Mix the sugar, water, agave, and spices together in a pan. Turn heat on high.  Cook to a syrup state at 230 degrees.  Use a candy thermometer for accuracy.  Careful to watch your syrup at 212 degrees.  It will want to boil over so use at least a 3 quart pot instead of a small sauce pan.  Stirring quickly at 212 degrees should also help prevent much of this mess.

While the syrup is heating, mix the toasted chopped almonds and cinnamon.  Once the sugar syrup is done, turn off the heat and set it aside.

On a cookie sheet, lay one sheet of phyllo and mist it with a spray bottle.  Place cookie sheet in oven for two minutes until the phyllo sheet is golden brown.  Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.  Do this will all 16 sheets.  Yes, we are cooking each phyllo sheet individually.  I use two cookie sheets and the process goes much faster.  You will also never get a soggy baklava using this technique.

Place two baked phyllo sheets on the bottom of a dry 16 x 9 rectangular pan.  Drizzle your syrup over the layer to cover.  Then add two more sheets, and a handful of the nuts to cover the layer.  Drizzle your syrup over the layer.

Add two more sheets of baked phyllo, another layer of nuts and drizzle more syrup to cover.
Add two more sheets of baked phyllo, another layer of nuts and drizzle more syrup to cover.
Add two more sheets of baked phyllo, another layer of nuts and drizzle more syrup to cover.

Add two more sheets of baked phyllo (no nuts) and drizzle more syrup to cover.
Add two more sheets of baked phyllo (no nuts) and drizzle more syrup to finish the dish.

That's it.  No further baking required.  Cut into diamonds and sprinkle with a few nuts for garnish.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Pestomole

This is one of the easy ones.  It's pesto without the processed oil.  It's all whole foods so you get the benefit of all the nutrients that come along with that, even in avocados.  With dinner for six, this sauce clocks in just under an amazingly low 15% fat by calories per serving.  Compare that to the average pesto made with olive oil which has a heart-stopping 85% fat by calories.

Pestomole

1 medium bunch of fresh basil (enough to fill a blender with loose leaves--about 4 cups)
2 cloves garlic
1t salt
2 lemons, juiced
1 avocado
1 C water

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  This sauce will easily coat a full pound of whole wheat pasta.  Throw in some fresh tomatoes or a few steamed veggies and you'll have a great meal!

Note: One of the great things about pesto is this dish can be served warm or cold.

Serves 6.

Recipe: Red Hots!

This was my birthday dish.  I have to say it is fabulous if you have the time to do it.  This is a 100% whole wheat chipotle cinnamon roll with tequila lime icing.

First, I must give credit where credit is due.  This recipe is adapted from Peter Rhinehart's Whole Grain Breads book.  It is a ground-breaking book when it comes whole grain bread baking techniques.  I cannot recommend it highly enough for any person looking to master the art of whole grain baking.


I also have to preface this recipe.  If you do not have a sourdough starter going at your home, this recipe could take you an entire week to make.  There are many things quick and easy about gourmet cooking.  This is not one of them.

Red Hots
If you do not have sourdough starter going or have never made sourdough starter, you can find a recipe here to make sourdough starter from scratch.  It will take about 5 days.  Once your starter is going, then you can continue with the recipe below.  The rest of the recipe only takes 1.5 days.

Soaker
A soaker is just a mix that gets the flour wet and allows it to soak overnight softening up the fiber in the whole wheat flour.

1 3/4 C whole wheat flour
1/2 t salt
3/4 C soy milk or other non-dairy milk

Mix in a bowl until flour is full hydrated and allow to sit overnight at room temperature.

Sourdough Starter
5 T Active sourdough starter
1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C plus 2 T of room temperature water

Mix in a bowl until all ingredients form a dough.  Knead for one minute and allow to sit overnight at room temperature in a loosely covered container.  The dough will double in size overnight.

Tequila Lime Icing
I give the icing recipe here because it should sit overnight in the fridge for maximum flavor development.  I highly recommend doubling the icing recipe.
1 C powdered sugar
1 T soy milk or other non-dairy milk
1 T tequila
Zest of one lime

Whisk together ingredients until smooth.  Cover and put in fridge overnight.

Final Dough
Soaker
Sourdough Starter
7 T whole wheat flour
5/8 t salt
3 T agave nectar
1/4 C soy milk or other non-dairy milk

In the morning, tear the soaker and sourdough starter into 10-12 pieces and place in a bowl.  Add other ingredients and mix by hand until a soft, slightly-sticky dough forms.  Knead by hand for 3-4 minutes.  Wet your hands and your kneading surface with a bit a water to keep the dough from sticking.  Then, let the dough rest for a few minutes while you prepare a clean bowl with a light spray of oil.  Knead the dough for one more minute then place it in the bowl and cover.

I cover the rolls with foil so they don't dry out but also the foil can create a dome so it doesn't touch the rolls.  Let the dough rise until it doubles, approximately four hours at room temperature.  In colder seasons, it could take six or even eight hours to double.

After the dough has risen, lightly flour your work surface and gently turn the dough onto the flour.  DO NOT PUNCH IT DOWN.  Whoever came up with the idea of "punching it down" just plain old didn't understand the art of bread.  You want to preserve the gluten structure that has developed as much as possible.

Lightly dust the dough with flour and gently roll it to approximately 1/2 inch thick.  Also, it is helpful to roll the dough in as square of a shape as possible.  That will make rolling the Red Hots easier later.

Chipotle Cinnamon Filling
6 1/2 T raw sugar
1 1/2 T cinnamon
1 t chipotle powder

Mix in a bowl and set aside.

When the dough is fully rolled out, using a spray bottle, mist the dough lightly and then sprinkle all of the filling over the dough all the way to the edges.  Leave an inch of dough at the top without any filling as that will seal the dough to itself once it is rolled.

Mist the filling with water again once it is all on the dough.  This just helps it stay in place while you roll.

Roll the dough tightly and keep it seam-side down on your work surface.  Then, using a dough cutter or a knife, cut the roll into thick slices, about two inches thick.  Place each slice on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Let the rolls rise another three to four hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place pan in the oven and reduce temperature to 350.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake another 10 minutes.

The buns will turn out to be a rich brown color.  Let cool for five minutes before icing.

Recipe makes about 8 medium-size rolls.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Vegetable Melange with Wild Garlic and Zest of Lemon

Here is a great example of how you can make a dish outstanding or mediocre with all the same ingredients.  Remember, your end product is the result of your process.  If you have a mediocre process for cooking, i.e. throw everything in a pot and come back 45 minutes later, the result will be nowhere as good as it could be.  Use some thoughtful techniques, which I will describe here, and you can produce something incredible.

 Vegetable Melange with Wild Garlic and Zest of Lemon

This dish is quite versatile.  It can elevate cleaning out your fridge to a high art.  Here's what I used but feel free to adapt the ingredients to what vegetables you have on hand.

Mirepoix of green onions, wild garlic*, carrots and fennel bulb.  About 2 cups total.
3 zucchini, roughly chopped
3 C white beans
4 C of fresh kale and collards, roughly chopped
4 C mushrooms, sliced
23 oz. jar of tomato puree
1 T fresh thyme, chopped
1T fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Fennel tops, cilantro and lemon zest for garnish
2 C brown rice
4 C water

*Note: Wild garlic grows everywhere around Atlanta and looks like a very thin green onion or a fat chive.  You can substitute garlic, garlic chives, chives, or whatever garlicky item you have on hand.

First, boil 4 cups of water.  Add 2 cups of brown rice.  Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

Build your flavors
You should always build the flavors of your dish.  There is a spark of hope in most people's cooking as they always begin cooking by frying onions and garlic.  Why?  By browning onions and garlic, it develops deeper flavors in the food than if you just throw everything together.

So, we do this with each dish and with each ingredient.  Does this mean you may have to cook some things separately?  Yes.  Does this mean it may take longer or be more complex?  Yes. Is it worth it?  Yes.

Start by water frying your mirepoix until brown.  Now you've got a bunch of brown stuff that I call flavor, some of which has stuck to the pot.  So, now you need some liquid to pull that off the pan and incorporate it into the dish while building flavor at the same time.  Some people like to deglaze their pan with, say, white wine.  That would work fine here if you want.  I love the taste of browned mushrooms, so I use that instead.

Mushrooms have a ton a water in them that you want to draw out to deglaze your pan and incorporate all the flavors together.  Throw in your mushrooms and cover the pan for two to three minutes.  This will allow the mushrooms to begin to steam and release their juices.  You can add some salt if you like which will also help release the juices.

Once you see liquid in your pan, remove the cover, stir to incorporate the flavors and continue cooking on high heat until all the liquid is gone and the mushrooms begin to brown.  Congratulations, you just added another layer of flavor to your dish!

Now add your tomato puree.  You can even cook this down using the same technique if you want to concentrate the flavors more.  This is the reason people use tomato paste.  It's tomatoes cooked down into a more flavorful paste.

Add your zucchini, white beans, kale, collards, thyme and cilantro.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 - 15 minutes.

Use Fresh and Cooked Elements
The taste of cooked vegetables can be wonderful, however, it can also feel heavy as the vegetables seem "spent."  All the life has been cooked out of them.  To really improve the flavor and freshness of your dishes, add fresh/raw ingredients after the cooking has finished.

For example, lemon and other citrus will almost vanish in your dish if you cook them.  So, once the cooking part of the recipe has finished, turn off the heat, then add the lemon juice just before you serve.  It really perks up the flavors in a dish.

I always garnish with fresh tastes as well.  Garnish is supposed to look nice AND be eaten.  It is supposed to complement the dish.  Garnish is not a sprig of parsley next to a dead hunk of meat.  This ain't Sizzler.    

Garnish with the fresh fennel tops, cilantro and lemon zest.


Plate Artistically
Part of gourmet cooking is plating your dish so it is interesting and appealing.  Even with all the work and effort, this dish is basically vegetable stew with rice.  So, how can you make that look interesting?

I packed my rice into a small cup and turned it onto the middle of the plate.  I added the vegetable melange around it.  I then garnished the rice with the fennel tops, cilantro and lemon zest and added a few sprigs of the wild garlic to stand up straight out of the rice.

If you garnish the vegetables, you might not see it.  So, garnish the rice which is like a blank canvas waiting for some color.

When everything is said and done, here's the final product:

Serves 4-6

Enjoy!

Recipe: Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli on Zuchini Ribbons with Sage Cream Sauce

Here's another wonderful pasta dish that is sure to impress.  Let's take it step by step:

Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli


Squash Filling
1 organic butternut squash
2 leeks
1/2 C toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste


Take one organic butternut squash and cut it in half length-wise.  Lightly spray a cookie sheet with oil and place the halves open-side down on the sheet.  Cook at 400 degrees until soft and tender, probably 45 minutes to an hour.  Let cool.

Scoop out the squash leaving the skin behind.  Then mash the squash in a bowl with your hands or a potato masher.

Dice the white part of two leeks and water fry it in a pan until it carmelizes and browns.  Add it to the squash with the walnuts, salt and pepper and mix well.

Sage Creme Sauce
This is a basic soy milk creme sauce with sage.  For another take on the same creme sauce, check out my Garlic Thyme Gnocchi with Fennel Creme Sauce and Bok Choi Twists. 


1 medium size onion
1 rib of celery
1 medium-sized carrot
1 C non-dairy milk
1/2 C silken tofu
1/2 C water
1 T nutritional yeast
2 t miso (any kind will work)
1 teaspoon of sage
Salt and pepper to taste

Dice the onion, celery and carrot.  Water fry in a large sauce pan or small pot until brown, about 5 minutes.  This is your mirepoix.  

Add the non-dairy milk, tofu, water, nutritional yeast, miso and spices.  Blend with a hand-blender or pour mixture into a blender.  Blend until smooth.  Heat on medium-low until warm.

Note about the sage creme sauce: Remember to taste the sauce before you add the salt.  Miso is naturally very salty, so you should go easy on the added salt.  Also, if you want more sage taste in your sauce, add more sage.  If you are using fresh sage, you may need to add more to get the same taste from dried sage.

Ravioli Dough
If you have never made pasta before, it's easy.  Click here for Cooking Basics on Dough.

1.5 C Semolina flour
1.5 C Whole Wheat flour
1 C Water

Adjust flour or water as necessary to get a smooth, slightly tacky dough.  For a really smooth, pliable dough, make this the night before and let it rest in the fridge overnight until you are ready to use it.  You can make the dough up to three days in advance.

In a large stock pot, fill half way with water and put it on the stove on high to boil while you prepare the ravioli.

Roll the dough thin, to about 1/4 inch thickness.  As you make the raviolis for the first time, you'll see what is about the right thickness.  To cut the ravioli dough, you can use a biscuit cutter, a glass, a coffee mug, a ravioli roller, a cookie cutter, or anything you have on hand that will create circles or squares about 3-4" across.

Add a teaspoon of the squash filling to the middle of each round of ravioli dough.

Note: Be careful not to get filling on the edges or your ravioli may open when you boil it.

Using a small bowl of cold water, wet your finger and moisten the edges of the pasta round.  Then, fold the top of the round over the filling and seal it even with the bottom round.  You can use a fork to crimp the edges together.

Once you have made all the raviolis, drop them in the boiling water 8-10 at a time so they have room to spread out.  They will sink to the bottom and after a minute or two, they will float.  Once they float, give them another 30 seconds and take them out with a slotted spoon.

Zucchini Ribbons
These are very easy to do.  After washing your zucchini, use a zester or similar tool to scrape green strips off the zucchini and set aside.  Be artistic.  See the picture above.  This will be your garnish on top of the dish.

Then, with a peeler, shave the rest of the zucchini into thin ribbons.  Very lightly steam these until warm.  You can even do this in the microwave for 30 seconds.

Final Plating
Remember, presentation is a wonderfully creative part of gourmet cooking.  So feel free to get creative.

I placed a small pile of the zucchini ribbons on the plate.  Then, I stacked the ravioli around the ribbons and ladled the creme sauce on the ravioli.  I garnished with the fresh green zucchini strips.  You could also throw some fresh sage on with the zucchini strips to garnish.

Serves 4-6

Serve and enjoy!

Recipe: Garlic Thyme Gnocchi with Fennel Creme Sauce and Bok Choi Twists

Thanks for being patient and sticking with me for the first recipe.  There were some cooking basics I had to get out of the way so readers could understand my recipes.  This is advanced stuff, but worth the effort.  Please read the entire recipe before venturing into this dish.  Trying to do this ad hoc could throw your dinner off by multiple hours.

Fennel Creme Sauce
1 large leek
1/2 fennel bulb
1 medium-sized carrot
1 C non-dairy milk
1/2 C silken tofu
1/2 C water
1 T nutritional yeast
2 t miso (any kind will work)
Dash of nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

Dice the leek, the fennel bulb and the carrot.  Water fry in a large sauce pan or small pot until brown, about 5 minutes.  This is your mirepoix.  

Add the non-dairy milk, tofu, water, nutritional yeast, miso and spices.  Blend with a hand-blender or pour mixture into a blender.  Blend until smooth.  Heat on medium-low until warm.

Notes on creme sauce: Remember to taste the sauce before you add the salt.  Miso is naturally very salty, so you should go easy on the added salt. 


Garlic Thyme Gnocchi
Remember the previous post on dough.  This is where it will come in handy.

For those who aren't familiar, Gnocchi is potato pasta.  Potatoes have no gluten, so we have to help it pasta-ize with durum wheat flour.  Durum wheat is the wheat grain with the highest protein content and readily will turn anything into pasta in the right proportions.  Whole wheat durum flour is difficult to find, however, you may find semolina flour or farrina flour at your local market.  Semolina and farrina are akin to the white flour of durum wheat.  At that point, we begin to get away from whole food cooking, but regular whole wheat flour does not usually have enough protein to stand up to boiling as pasta.

You can find other recipes on the web for pasta, even plant-based ones that use regular whole wheat flour.  All those recipes will add some kind of protein, either tofu or eggs or gluten flour.  Again, in trying to eliminate the processed foods and animal foods, whole durum wheat flour is the best choice if you can get it.

2-3 lbs. of potatoes
2-3 C of durum wheat flour
2-3 cloves crushed garlic
1 T fresh thyme, diced
salt
 
Bake the potatoes in a 400 degree oven for 45-60 minutes until soft and tender.  Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Once cool, remove the skins and mash the potatoes by hand in a bowl until most of the chunks are gone.  DO NOT blend or put your potatoes in a food processor.  You will get wall paper paste.

Mix in the spices by hand.

Note:  I'm a big fan of using your hands to mix your food.  Forget the spoons.  Your hands are the best way to tell that the consistency of your dish is just right.

Now, add in the durum flour 1/2 cup at a time.  How much durum flour will you need?  Enough to make the potatoes into a workable dough.  Why is this so imprecise?  Your potatoes will vary in weight and water content.  The only way to tell is by mixing in the flour by hand.  This is real cooking.  Anyone caught using a spoon on this step will be put in a gnocchi time-out! 

Once you have your dough, roll it into long snakes between a half inch and an inch in diameter.  Then slice off half inch pieces and place them on a cookie tray dusted with more flour.  They can even sit out uncovered for hours without worry.

Then, you boil them like any other pasta.  For additional flavor, boil them in vegetable broth instead of water.  They will initially sink to the bottom.  After a minute or two, they will begin to float.  Give them another 30 seconds and take them out.


Bok Choi Twists
Bok Choi is a wonderful vegetable that carries a ton of water in it.  It has bright green tops and pure white stems.  The taste is reminiscent of a very mild horseradish.

It is a great accompaniment to the thicker fennel creme and gnocchi.  Chop off the base of the bok choi and wash the leaves individually to get all the dirt off.  Then slice the bok choi length-wise so each piece is long, narrow and has the white base with the green top.

Steam these VERY lightly... just enough to wilt the green but not the white.  The white should stay crisp.  It will be barely warm.  No salt.  No pepper.  Just bok choi in all its natural goodness.

Note:  Great cooking shines through not only in your choices to add ingredients but also in your choices to leave things as they are.  Explore the natural taste of plant foods.  Plants have a ton of flavor.  Think also about meat in American culture.  No one just eats plain meat.  They spice it and cover it up with all kinds of flavorful sauces which are derived from plants.  Explore them.  Plants are where flavor comes from.  

Final Plating 
Align the bok choi on the plate so all the white is on one side and all the green leaves on the other.  Twist the leaves together.

Spoon the gnocchi onto the plate and then spoon the sauce over it.  Don't mix them together in a big bowl first.  This isn't the old country buffet.  Plate all your food before serving.

The green tops of the fennel have delicate sprigs that are very flavorful and fresh-tasting.  Pull these off the fennel leaving the thick green stems behind.  Garnish your creme sauce with a generous amount of these fennel sprigs and serve!

Note: The fennel taste in this dish is quite mild.  For more fennel taste, finely dice more of the fennel bulb and garnish the dish with the diced fennel before you add on the green fennel sprigs. 


Serves 4-6

Enjoy!