Okay, admit it. I’ll bet that more times than not, when you glance at the delicata squash at the market you think, “Wow that would make a lovely table decoration.” Don’t feel in the dark. It is a cool looking squash. And I am sure you are not alone. Here is the great news though. It tastes better than it looks, and you can eat the whole thing, skin and all. I guess that’s why they call it “Delicata,” although I have done no research to back this notion– just a hunch. This recipe is extremely easy, bringing delicata squash and fennel together like soul mates. Add this to your Thanksgiving menu or serve it as a quick and easy weeknight vegan meal. I recently featured winter squash on my nutrition blog in an article titled 10 Superfoods for your Autumn Grocery List. So dig in, and know you are getting some awesome nutrition. Oh, and you can serve this right out of the oven, or make it a couple hours ahead and enjoy it at room temperature.
“Creamy” Cauliflower Soup with Truffle Tomato Salsa
Nothing completes a crisp autumn or rainy day like a bowl of creamy soup. I am pretty sure that there isn’t a person out there who doesn’t have a nostalgic attachment to a “cream of something” soup from their past or childhood. Well I have some good news about that! You can keep your creamy, comforting stroll down memory lane while also avoiding the bad and promoting awesome, clean nutrition. This soup is very easy to make and is also great as a cold vichyssoise style soup if you have leftovers. The salsa is a tangy compliment that offers extra rich flavor in the truffle oil, but also completely optional. Read More
Spaghetti Squash with Crispy Sage & Garlic
Greetings! I know it’s been a while since the last post. To be honest, my creativity took a brief leave of absence. I also became fixated on creating the perfect homemade vegan ice cream, that also stores well. That sort of consumed me for a few weeks. No ice cream recipe to post yet, and now it is becoming irrelevant, as summer is going away. So, on to one of my favorite subjects: Quality kitchen time during the fall season. Let’s kick it off with a very simple, and surprisingly filling dish using just five key ingredients. Fresh sage, garlic and winter squashes are good friends in my book. This recipe sort of takes the traditional squash ravioli with sage, and sort of deconstructs it and puts a yummy vegan spin on it. Don’t be afraid to ramp up the garlic and the sage. Enjoy! Read More
Heirloom Pole Bean & Potato Salad with Tarragon & Fennel Seed Dressing
Every year I plant a yummy heirloom pole bean and it never disappoints. I actually don’t remember the name…I think it is called “Rattlesnake.” I always go by the picture on the seed package…a beautiful, purple spotted pole bean. It recently started going crazy so I whipped up a quick and easy mid week salad, and here it is for your sharing and noshing enjoyment.
Roasted Yam Salad with Kale & Figs
Warning: Fig season is here! Which means that I may post more than one recipe with figs over the next week or two. Since figs are one of those fruits that you simply can’t find when they’re out of season, just enjoy and soak it up while you can! I’ll start with this easy mid-week salad that can practically serve as a weeknight meal, a lunch, or a side dish with something off the back yard grill. These figs were given to me by my neighbor, artist Bill Wheeler. The roasted yams and onions seem to give the figs and kale a nice caramelized hug…yes I said hug!! You can even roast the yams on your barbecue if you want, for some extra smoky flavor. Read More
Radish Greens & Rice Noodles with Fresh Mango
You have probably heard the expression “diamond in the rough.” Well, what about “vitamins in your rubbish pile?” That is exactly what you have when you throw away your radish tops. I know, I know, it is probably an automatic reflex to just break those greens off and toss them away. It’s cool, if you are okay with tossing a significant source of calcium, iron, magnesium, folate, vitamin A, C, K and other nutrients into the trash. Not only are radish greens edible, they are the most nutritious part of the plant! It is worth the effort to find a good source of fresh radishes with live, abundant greens. Here is just one example of an easy way to utilize fresh radish greens. The slightly bitter bite of the radish and the fresh, sweet mango are like two peas in the pod…sorry I couldn’t resist the cliche! Read More
Chickpea & Wild Mushroom Cakes with Basil-Mint Tzadziki
Lately I have been thinking this a lot: “A tzadziki would go great with this dish.” But I hadn’t found a great, vegan plain yogurt. Although some will argue that dairy yogurt is good for you, if you are avoiding dairy, or keeping vegan, a dairy yogurt just won’t do. Then the other day I was headed to one of my local grocery stores, but coming from a completely different direction than usual. Surprise! I rode my bicycle right into the South Pasadena Farmer’s Market. I couldn’t get from one end of the market to the other without completely spending all of my cash. Then I found a vegan nut cheese maker called Blode Kuh. And there before my eyes was a sample cup filled with cashew yogurt. Yum and yay, because not only was the yogurt fantastic, the cheese maker accepted my credit card on his “square” thing. Gotta love technology! This recipe is devoted to the people at Blode Kuh! Thank you for your awesome yogurt!! Read More
Zucchini Blossoms Stuffed with Macadamia Ricotta
Nothing says “summer” like fresh squash blossoms, well except for maybe fresh vine tomatoes, or figs fresh off the tree…um…you get my point..don’t you? I picked up some beautiful ones the other day at the Farmer’s Market. Admittedly, it was pretty hard not to reach for the enchilada cheese when I was dreaming about what to stuff these with. It took a few passes by the cheese aisle, but I managed. And so these delicious, healthy-ish little vegan guys were born.
“Raw” Portobello Burger with Basil Cashew Cheese
Happy Father’s Day! How about giving your dad something he probably has never had? This raw, portobello mushroom burger is pretty hard to pass up and could end up being the best gift you could give someone…the gift of better health. Warning, this “burger” is addictive and can be a transformational experience! Keep in mind that in order to keep this in it’s raw state, it is actually dehydrated, and takes 3-4 hours to prepare. But the actual active time to prepare is short, maybe just 15 minutes. If this sounds too weird to you, keep an open mind, because the end result is a juicy, dense, flavorful burger that can stand up to any beef burger. Read More
Huevos con Nopalitos
Whatever you call it, that ubiquitous cactus that is probably hanging out in more back yards than many of us realize, is packed with superfood nutrition. The leaf or “pad” of the nopale is believed to support many aspects of health and well being such as weight loss, blood purification, maintaining blood sugar balance, and more. My personal philosophy is that nature designed the nopale to provide good, somewhat complete nutrition in climates where growing and cultivating food, and finding an abundant water source may be a challenge. In any case, I feel extremely lucky to have two nopale trees in my food garden. They are going crazy right now producing more nopales than we can keep up with. In the spirit of water conservation, food sustainability, and good health, why not explore how many accessible nopales are growing in your world? Here is a simple, very traditional egg recipe for enjoying fresh nopales from your garden. Be sure to cut the nopale when the leaf is still young and the thorns are still soft to the touch. Once the thorns have become wooody and hard, the nopale leaf is too mature for culinary enjoyment. You can cut nopales, clean, and cut into “nopalitos,” basically cleaned and cut up nopales, and store them in an air tight bag or container for up to a week or two. Read More