Days 18/19/20/21/22

Pre-Thanksgiving Greetings! More than time for a little catch up. Days 18 through 20 L and V were on their trip for V's birthday, and took the salads I had prepared and L did her best to find healthy solutions along the way. It's a little untimely that the 90 day mission is happening over the holiday season - I have to own a little frustration at the fact that I feel we're losing a little traction due to holiday festivities and trips (mine, too - there's no blame here) and the fact that we can't expect L and V to turn their entire ritual traditions upside down. L is doing her best (and that's all anyone can ever ask, right?) to slip in the righteous alternatives where she can. At any rate, we're all doing the best we can (G/J and I are "hosting" a pretty epic Thanksgiving gathering of sorts) on all fronts to maintain healthful decisions given the hectic pace of the next week.

When L and V got home on Saturday/Day 20, I was in the middle of making a soup using up some veggies in the fridge. I knew the Thanksgiving fridge was going to need some room (L and V are having 6+ people), and I wanted something hot simmering on the stove when they got home. I've kept and froze a lot of my vegetable scraps over the weeks, and made a homemade vegetable stock. It was awesome, and so fresh, and super easy - if you don't compost, start freezing your carrot, celery, potato, turnip, onion, garlic, etc. scraps and saute them briefly so they release their flavor (you can use some herbs if you want, or some fresh herbs in a soup sock), and then fill the pot with water and bring to a boil, then simmer for about 45 minutes, then use a mesh strainer and voila! Brilliant. I had mad turnip scraps from the Autumn Lasagna, and the stock had a really nice earthy root vegetable thing going on. The soup I made was a sort of variation on my week one minestrone, using brown basmati rice instead of noodles and adding some zucchini and random things I found in the veggie drawer.

On Day 21/Sunday, we had a surprise birthday gathering of L and V's family and friends, and it was a blast! G baked organic/vegan/gluten-free hummingbird cake cupcakes (crushed pineapple and banana in the cake, cream cheese frosting, and a walnut garnish...quite possibly the tastiest thing I've ever had and a total front-runner in consideration for wedding cake ideas) and J made vegan ranch dip and a gorgeous mushroom pate (gluten-free crackers of varying type and a fresh crudite vegetable platter completed the spread). You need to eat these things. They are amazing. Here you go:

J's Ranch Dip_____________________________________________________________________________

1 cup vegan mayo (Vegannaise brand)

1 cup vegan sour cream (Tofutti brand)

1 tbsp white vinegar

1 tbsp finely chopped green onions

¼ tsp onion powder

2 tsp minced parsley

¼ tsp garlic

¼ tsp paprika

1/8 tsp cayenne

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

Mix all ingredients in a food processor until smoothly combined throughout. Store refrigerated. This stuff is amazingly ranch-y.

Porcini-and-Pecan Pate__________________________________________________________________

2 medium Portobello mushrooms, stemmed (1/2 pound is what the recipe calls for)

1 cup pecans

½ cup dried porcini mushrooms

1 cup boiling water

2 tablespoons tamari

2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

½ tablespoon nutritional yeast

½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon chopped rosemary

1 teaspoon light miso

2 dry-packed sun-dried tomato halves

Salt

Crackers or toasted baguette slices, for serving

1. Put the pecans in a bowl and cover with cold water. Let stand for one hour.

2. Meanwhile, in a small heatproof bowl, cover the porcini with the boiling water and let stand until softened, about 15 minutes. Rub the porcini to remove grit; transfer them to a small bowl. Reserve the soaking liquid.

3. Cut the Portobello caps in half and, with a sharp paring knife, trim off the dark gills on the underside of each one. Slice the caps into ¼-inch-thick pieces.

4. In a bowl, whisk together the tamari, olive oil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, rosemary and miso. Add the sliced portobellos and toss to coat thoroughly. Let stand for 15 minutes, tossing occasionally.

5. In a small saucepan, combine the soaked porcini and sun-dried tomatoes. Slowly pour in the porcini soaking liquid, stopping before you reach the grit at the bottom. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat until the tomatoes are tender, about 4 minutes.

6. Drain the pecans and transfer them to a food processor. With a slotted spoon, transfer the marinated portobellos, porcini, and tomatoes to the processor: puree to a coarse paste, adding about ¼ cup of the porcini liquid if the mixture is too thick. Season lightly with salt.

7. Transfer the pate to a crock and serve with toasted baguette rounds. The pate can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Serve lightly chilled or at room temperature.

From Chef Sean Baker of Gather Restaurant in Berkeley: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/porcini-and-pecan-pate

At some point in the not-too-distant future, G is going to (taDAH!) guest post on sauces. Hooray! Vegan, gluten-free sauces from scratch - barbeque, teriyaki, garlic butter for garlic bread...that will be a not-to-be-missed post. I'm super excited.

Here's a couple things a little on the spicy/acidic side as far as L/V goes, but that J has been creating in the kitchen and experimenting with (remember - he has his own burgeoning gluten-free path), and that I feel compelled to share because they are amazingly tasty and some really fun, fresh, and seasonal flavors:

Yam Enchiladas with Pomegranate Mole Sauce______________________________________________

3 large yams

1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

½ tablespoon coriander (powdered, not seeds, as the recipe suggests, and only ½)

¾ tablespoon cumin (crushed, not seeds, as the recipe suggests, and only ¾)

1 chopped jalapeno, for extra-spicy version

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons organic brown sugar (not just one)

2 tablespoons dried oregano

1 14-oz. can crushed tomatoes

Seeds and juice from 1 pomegranate

1 tablespoon heated corn oil (optional)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (added to the recipe)

4 large corn tortillas

½ cup daiya mozzarella “cheese”, shredded (added to the recipe)

Preheat the oven to 350. Bake the yams until soft (45 minutes to an hour). Do not turn off the oven when the yams are removed. Meanwhile, sauté the onion in a large skillet over medium heat until transparent. Add the garlic, cumin, and coriander, and continue to sauté for 5 minutes (adding the chopped jalapeno for the extra-spicy version). Add the cocoa, chili powder, brown sugar, and oregano, and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the pomegranate seeds and juice. Pour the mixture into a food processor and puree (an added step to the recipe – who wants chunky sauce?) then return to the pan and simmer for at least 20 more minutes, adding water as necessary to create a medium-thick sauce. Slice the yams in half, scoop out the cooked yam from its skins, and place in a warm bowl. Mix in the black beans. Dip the tortillas in the hot corn oil (or wrap in foil in a warm oven) until limp. Fill each tortilla with the cooked yam/bean mixture and roll into an enchilada shape. Cover the bottom of a 9 x 11 inch baking dish with enough of the sauce to coat the bottom of the pan. Place in the baking pan and cover with the remaining sauce and a sprinkle of daiya mozzarella shreds. Raise the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake the enchiladas for 10 to 15 minutes. (J baked them for more like 30-35).

Based on a recipe in "The Gluten-Free Vegan" by Susan O'Brien, pg.107

The side is a raw kale salad with avocado.

A pomegranate massacre!

Tomato and Red Lentil Dhal______________________________________________________________

4 oz./100 g tomatoes, skinned and chopped

4 oz./100 g red lentils

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon black mustard seed

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon paprika

Pinch of chili powder

Black pepper

1 dessertspoon tomato puree

15 fl oz./450 ml water

Soak the lentils in water for 30 minutes. Heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the onions and garlic until softened. Add the mustard seed, cumin, paprika and chili powder and fry for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes and cook until pulpy. Dissolve the tomato puree in the water and add to the pan together with the drained lentils. Season with black pepper and stir well. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are soft and the mixture thickens.

From “A Vegan Taste of India” by Linda Majzlik, pg. 36

Spiced Millet and Spinach________________________________________________________________

Millet layer:

8 oz./225 g millet

8 oz./225 g carrot, scraped and grated

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 rounded teaspoon yellow mustard seed

1 rounded teaspoon cumin seed

½ teaspoon turmeric

20 fl oz./600 ml water

Spinach layer:

1 lb./450 g fresh spinach

8 oz./225 g courgette, chopped (zucchini)

8 oz./225 g green beans, topped, tailed and chopped

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 rounded teaspoon garam masala

1 rounded teaspoon black mustard seed

½ teaspoon fenugreek

Pinch of chili powder

6 cardamoms, husked and the seeds separated

Black pepper

4 fl oz./125 ml soy milk

1 rounded dessertspoon corn flour

Topping:

1 oz./25 g pistachio nuts, grated

2 tomatoes, sliced

Chopped fresh coriander leaves

Heat the oil for the millet layer and fry the carrot, cumin, and mustard seed and turmeric for 2 minutes. Stir in the millet and water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has been absorbed and the millet is done. Spoon the mixture into a shallow greased baking dish and press it down evenly.

Wash the spinach, squeeze out excess water and chop finely. Heat the oil in a large pan and gently fry the onion and garlic until soft. Add the garam masala, mustard seed, fenugreek, chili powder and cardamoms and fry for 30 seconds more. Stir in the spinach, courgette, and green beans and season with black pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes until just tender. Mix the corn flour with the soy milk and add to the pan. Raise the heat and stir until the mixture thickens. Spoon the spinach mixture evenly over the millet. Sprinkle the pistachios on top and finish with the tomato slices. Cover and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh coriander and serve with a vegetable dish.

From “A Vegan Taste of India” by Linda Majzlik, pg. 64-65

As we march into a busy but blessed week, I hope you and yours are enjoying all the gratitude this abundant holiday season conjures. Life is beautiful, and I am honored to share and serve,

JRW