Au Gratin Medley

I totally made this up and it was totally perfect, love it when that happens!  I have been eating veggies straight from the garden lately because I have random root veggies and winter greens scattered around that are very mature and are only going down hill from here.  Out with the old and in with the new.  I organized my garden this year so that a couple rows can be turned off completely in the summer to save on water during the desperately hot month when nothing really grows, just barely survives.

I love good au gratin potatoes.  Chef Brad had a café for a short time where he served the most awesome sweet potato/potato mix of potatoes au gratin.  He wouldn’t give me the recipe and I searched and tried to figure it out.  It has been too long now that I can’t remember the flavors.

It was like 90 degrees today, so I didn’t want to do the oven.  I knew it was important, because with the direct heat, to have the potatoes on the bottom of the pan.  With the higher sugar in beets and sweet potatoes, they would burn.  The potatoes formed a nice crispy crust, yum.  I used my mandolin to slice all the veggies nice and it all came together quickly. 

4 tablespoons butter

2 medium gold (or other baking) potatoes

1 sweet potato

1 medium beet with greens

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ cup cream

1 cup sharp cheese, shredded

Peel and slice all vegetables in rounds of uniform thickness (1/8) inch. Remove the stems from the beet greens, roughly chop and set aside.  Heat butter in large fry pan on low.  Arrange 2 layers of potatoes in the bottom of the pan, sprinkle ¼ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper.  Follow with a random assortment of the rest of the roots, including any extra potatoes.  Sprinkle salt and pepper every 2 layers.  Pour cream over the top and cover for 15 minutes.  Place beet greens on top and sprinkle with cheese.  Cover once more for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, let cool 5-10 minutes and serve.
links; Fight Back Friday, Foodie Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Recipe Swap, Finer Things Friday

Green Chili Beans

Beans are an excellent means in keeping your real food budget down.  They are super nutritious and add bulk to any meal.  There are two key items to note when making beans a regular part of your diet; soaking and fresh dried.

Soaking is imperative to proper bean digestion.  Gut issues are so prevalent that many steer clear of beans entirely.  While soaking will not alleviate all problems associated with an unhealthy gut, it is one piece to the puzzle.  Once you get into the habit to think ahead, it becomes a very simple thing to do.  To learn more about soaking, be sure to register for my class this Wednesday.

 We started using a lot more beans since finding a source for fresh dried beans.  The beans in grocery stores have been stored for a number of years before packaging, then stored some more before making it to the shelf on the grocery store. Fresh dried are from the most recent growing season resulting in a very noticeably superior product.  They cook up so plump and tender every time.

This is one of my favorite bean recipes.  I can the green chili sauce and chicken stock, actually I can beans too, but not enough to keep up with our needs!  The green chili sauce is such a staple, if you don’t can, freeze it in containers and keep it on hand.  It has such great flavor and many yummy applications.  The sauce is pretty easy to make, but making a large batch once and having it stored it really the way to go.

3 cup fresh dried pinto beans, soaked overnight

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 batch green chili enchilada sauce

Strain beans from soaking liquid.  Rinse well.  Add to pot with stock and sauce.  Simmer for 1 hour or pressure cook on high for 20 minutes, natural release.
links; Monday Mania, Hearth and Soul Hop, Menu Plan Monday, Happy Homemaker Monday, Frugal Friday

College Student Cooking {Potatoes}

Dear Kate,

Like Mom, you may think potatoes will make you fat and have no redeeming value.  Potatoes have gotten a bad rap from the low carb enthusiasts to the common junk foods;  French fries and potato chips.  I will make a case for these veggies ANY day of the week.  They are a real food with all that real nutrition to go with them.  Easy to find, easy to afford, filling and tasty.  We just need to use them for good instead of evil.

It is worth buying organic, conventional is sure to have soaked up lots of bug poisons.  Leave the skins on, as with most produce the greatest concentration of vitamin lies in the layer just beneath the peel.  Scrub them well and imagine the possibilities.

You could start out with a regular baked potato by rubbing the skin with oil and baking for an hour in a 350 degree oven.  You could grate them on your cheese grater, make patties and fry then in butter.  You might cut them into cubes, coat with oil and seasoning and steam/fry them until tender.  Or slices would be nice too.  You could even quarter and boil them for fork mashing later.

Potatoes make a nice bed for a great many traditional and untraditional. Bacon , chives, chili, cheese.  Pour spaghetti sauce on top and s sprinkle of cheese and you have a “potato pizza”.  Sautee onions and peppers for a “potato fajita”.  Steamed broccoli (or spinach) over a potato with cheese and you have ”cheesy potato broccoli un-soup.”

And my favorite…

Potato Bruschetta

4 medium baked potatoes

¼ cup finely chopped red onion
1 large ripe tomato, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped (grab some from the garden next time you are here)
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Combine onion, tomato, garlic, basil, cheese and olive oil in a small bowl.  Split open potatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper and spoon tomato mixture evenly over all four of them.

Obviously, you would just make one at a time unless you were feeding your friends J

Another variation of this that is super easy is to find/make a nice chunky salsa, strain off the juices and put the chunky part over your potato.

Go here for more tips for eating on a dime.
links; Simple Lives Thursday, Ultimate Recipe Swap, Cooking Thursday, Things I Love Thursday, Foodie Friday

Holiday Green Beans

With Christmas only two days away, I have been thinking about how I love to play food dress-up.  I enjoy making food all fancy, especially when it can take the place of a low quality, highly processed dish on the table.  Right here, I am talking about green bean casserole.  Cream of mushroom soup and fried onions in a can?  Boo.  Doesn’t the holiday’s deserve something more classy like pine nuts and prosciutto?

Without a doubt.

Enjoy this weekend with close family and friends as you celebrate the birth of our Savior. Merry Christmas.

2 pounds green beans, trimmed
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into ribbons
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Pressure beans on low for 2 minutes until crisp-tender (or steam for 12 minutes) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add prosciutto; cook, stirring, until crispy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the beans, garlic, sage, salt and several grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are browned in places, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in pine nuts, lemon zest and juice.
links; Simple Lives Thursday, Things I Love Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Fightback Friday

Zucchini Boats

You know those big, honking zucchini you find after you have been gone on a trip?  The ones that look more like clubs than something to eat.  These monsters are good for something more than zucchini bread, they make one heck of a boat!  Just slice in half lengthwise and hallow out the center where all the seeds and mushy inners are. Pack full of what ever you like, maybe polenta or rice, pilaf or spaghetti. I could even see it as a nice vehicle for tuna melts, sprinkle with bread crumbs and cheese, viola!

They take a good 30 minute bake to soften up and can be cut into sections for serving.  Also look for round “8 ball” zucchini at the farmer’s market, these are grown for stuffing!

links; Simple Lives Thursday. Real Food Wednesday and Works for me Wednseday.

Tomato and Cucumber Salad

I had a nice crop of euro cukes this year.  At the height of the season I was picking 4 a day, they stacked up real fast!  I made a batch of naturally fermented pickles with a bunch of them.  They turned out okay for my first try.  Hopefully I can work on that recipe again in November.  I have 4 plants that I just got started from seed last month, trying an heirloom variety, lemon cucumber, along with the euros.  This summer I also did straight 8's, but they were all bitter and did not produce that well :(

This recipe is really basic and fresh.  It is so good to get raw foods into your diet every meal.  Things are so processed nowadays, that it takes thought and effort to eat something raw.  Raw foods have enzymes that aid in digestion and are overall cleansing.

You can scoop this salad on top of a bed of lettuce to make it a meal.  A cup of cold, rinsed beans would make it heartier.  I had some extra asparagus one day so I cut it up and blanched it before I added it to this salad, it was great!

1 ½ cup chopped cucumber

½ - 1 cup diced tomato

2 tablespoons thinly sliced red onion

10 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup crumbled feta

Toss cucumber, tomato, onion and herbs together in a bowl.  Whisk separately; garlic, vinegar, salt pepper and oil.  Drizzle over vegetables and turn to coat.  Top with crumbled feta.  This will keep in fridge for about 3 days.

Cilantro-Sweet Brown Rice

Sweet brown rice is a very short grain rice that is almost round. Slightly sweet and al dente, this grain is great in salads, breads, pilaf’s, I particularly like it for rice pudding. Any rice would work in this recipe, but this variety is fun for something different. A good seasoned rice is a fantastic addition to most any meal.

I brought this to family dinner last week and my sister-in-law commented on it’s “buttery” flavor. This is what a good chicken stock does, it imparts a nice flavor and texture, not to mention incredible nutrition. If you are paying the premium for high quality meat, you will, no doubt, want to make use of every last part.

2 cups water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cups sweet brown rice
1 tablespoon coconut oil
½ cup bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 tablespoon sucanat
2 cups homemade chicken stock
2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt (if stock is unsalted)
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 lime, zest and juice

Soak brown rice in water and lemon juice for 8 hours. Sautee onion and pepper in oil for 3 minutes. Add sucanat, stir until melted. Pour in soaked rice, stock, cumin and salt. Simmer for 25 minutes or pressure on high for 8, natural release. Stir in cilantro and lime.

This post is part of Fight Back Friday

Baked Zucchini

One of the most prolific plants in the garden and hardy as all get out, summer squash is worth every inch it takes over. During peak season there is always excess, so if you don’t grow it, find someone who does and they would be happy to unload some. I have grey, yellow straight and black beauty going and I use them all the same. It is fun to mix them all together and get different shades of color.

What do you do with all these mild vegetables to keep things mixed up? There is the obvious zucchini bread that more often than not is not as healthy as it sounds. You can certainly make it better by making some simple substitutions. Another great option is to grate it up and add it to stir fries and casseroles. I love it in my taco meat, enchiladas and sloppy joes this way. Grate it up and freeze in recipe sized bags to use it year round. If you have squash that are over grown, just scoop out the seeds and fill the cavity with pasta sauce, cheese and bread crumbs, then bake for a great side dish.

This recipe makes a fun side dish that has wide appeal. I avoid using the store bought cooking sprays in the cans as they use cheap oils and added junk that I don’t want. Nor Pro makes a “Mr. Mister” that I use for my oil spraying needs. The oil aids in browning in this recipe which give a better appearance, texture and flavor. I make my own bread crumbs from bread failures (bricks) and keep them in the freezer so they are ready to use.

2 med. summer squash, thickly sliced (7mm on mandolin)
1 egg beaten until frothy
1/3 cup sprouted flour
1/3 cup finely grated piave or parmesan
1/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Combine flour, cheese, bread crumbs and seasonings. Coat each zucchini round in beaten egg, then in flour mixture, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprayed with oil. Once laid out, spray the tops of each round with oil and bake for 18 minutes at 375 degrees. Serve with marinara or ranch dressing.

This post is shared on Whole Foods for the Holidays, GNOWFGLINS Tuesday Twister and Real Food Wednesday.

Creamed Leeks

I have been pulling some cute leeks out of my garden, anything smaller that regular grocery store size are labeled “cute.” I think their growth was stunted from the first two months they grew without any fertilizer in beautiful black soil with a high pH and that was major lacking in nutrients, particularly nitrogen. They taste as good as ever and having used up all my potatoes (lest you think I am lying, those are turnips in the background) and not really being soup season anymore, I have created a new way to use this cute winter crop.

As pictured here, I served it on top of salmon (Costco’s Wild Atlantic). This adds great flavor to a simply prepared piece of fish or chicken. As a stand alone side dish, I spooned the creamed leeks into small crème brulee dishes. Any little ramekin would do, or a pie dish to serve the whole family. I sprinkled each one with swiss cheese and bread crumbs and broiled for 2 minutes. We have a little toaster oven that works great for this. It is really yummy! We have a rule that anything you pick from the garden, you have to eat. Layne has been busy pulling up leeks.

3 regular or 8 “cute” leeks
1 tablespoon butter
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
½ cup cream

Cut off leek roots and spilt in half lengthwise. Swish around in a bowl of water to get all the dirt out. Chop into small pieces, discarding the dark green parts that are tough. Melt butter in pan over medium high heat. Add leeks and cook for 2 minutes stirring frequently. Turn heat down to medium low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring every three minutes or so. Add salt, pepper and cream. Stir and continue to cook until the dish is thick and all water has evaporated. Serve over a simply prepared fillet of fish or chicken.

This post is part of GNOWFGLINS Tuesday Twister, Whole Foods for the Holiday's and Real Food Wednesday hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Sourdough Spelt Pizza

My new go-to recipe for pizza dough, the flavor and texture are both amazing. I don’t know why I can’t get my bread to turn out like this, but this dough turns into a soft, stretchy, bubbly piece of art that yields the prefect crispy, chewy crust. Seriously, I used to not be a crust eater, now I am…unless it is burnt.

One thing that helps a lot is having a freshly fed starter to work with. This means, the night before, feed your starter and it will be ready to use in the morning. I use 1/2 cup starter and feed it 1 cup spelt flour, and 1 cup water. See how incredibly bubbly it is!

If you don’t have sourdough starter you can still do this recipe with just adding a pinch of yeast (less than ¼ teaspoon) when you mix the dough, then still let it rise all day. It will develop good flavor and improve digestibility, however, sourdough is even better on both accounts.

1 cup water
2 cups freshly fed sour dough starter
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 cups spelt flour
2 cup white flour

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl, reserving 1 cup white flour. Knead 5 minutes, while kneading, add more white flour to achieve a smooth dough that sticks to itself more than to the bowl. Transfer to an oiled bowl and cover. Let dough rise for 6-8 hours on counter. Heat oven with pizza stone for 30 minutes at the highest heat (mine is 550 convection if you have it). Divide dough in fourths, roll out on a floured surface, transfer to parchment paper. Top and bake on a preheated pizza stone for 6 minutes or until crust is crisp. Let cool 5 minutes for cheese to set before cutting.

This post is part of Whole Foods for the Holiday's, Real Food Wednesday's and Pennywise Platter Thursday.

Broccoli Salad

Broccoli is a tricky plant to grow. It take like 75 days to mature, lots of rodents find it tasty, it goes to seed quickly (don't wait for it to look like the huge crowns at the grocery store) and it can't take the heat (which means it's time to harvest what is left soon because the temperatures are rising around here). I haven't had much success, but will try again next year. For those of you that are at harvest time, or are finding it for a good price this time of year, you gotta try my version of broccoli salad.

I like a bit of interest in my broccoli salad opposed to the common super sweet mayonnaise and bacon salad with a few pieces of broccoli. Also, a quick blanch brings out the color and softens the texture slightly. Make sure you dry it thoroughly though, otherwise it will get quite soupy. Pomegranates are a pain, but worth it here for the tart crunch. If you must, sub quartered grapes or dried cranberries. And as always, homemade mayonnaise is required.

6 cups fresh broccoli cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup soaked and dehydrated pecans, chopped
1/4 cup sliced and cooked pancetta or bacon
1/4 cup chopped red onion
seeds of 1 medium pomegranate
2/3 cup homemade mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup raw honey
1 teaspoon salt

Blanche broccoli by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli florets for 15 seconds, then remove from boiling water. Pour ice water over broccoli to stop the cooking. Spin dry in salad spinner or on paper towels. Combine broccoli, pecans, pancetta, onions and pomegranate, toss with dressing and refrigerate 1 hour before serving.


links; Whole Foods for the Holiday's

Creamy Vegetable-Chicken Soup

THIS is what I mean by slow food.

Onions, carrots, celery, garlic and parsley are all things you can get in season right now.  I can buy them all from local farmers who use organic farming practices.

Nutrient dense, homemade chicken stock simmered with real vegetables and contains real chicken flavors without the chicken.  Nothing beats that delicious, lip smacking gelatin from a true bone broth.

Homemade noodles add such an amazing effect.  Here is a recipe for those so inclined.  If you are not up to making homemade noodles yet, soak some barley the day before and use that instead.  Barley is just as nourishing, but homemade noodles are so lovely.  The third option being brown rice pasta as brown rice is lower in phytates than other whole grains.

For kefir cream, just culture real cream with milk kefir grains and strain for a nice, thick, rich soured cream.  We love cream around here, fresh whipped cream makes anything a treat.  It is hard to find raw cream in my area.  The dairy where I get my raw milk does not have a real cream separator, so it is not pure cream and does not whip up.  I use Trader Joes brand, which is one of the only ones around that doesn’t ultra pasteurized and doesn’t add extra -- stuff.  Read the label, it should just be pure cream.

2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 cups chopped carrots

2 ribs celery, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 cups chicken stock

2 cups noodles or soaked barley

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup kefir cream (or sour cream)

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Sautee onion, carrots and celery in butter until softened.  Add garlic, salt pepper and stock.  Simmer gently for 20 minutes.  Add noodles and peas, simmer 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir a small amount of stock into kefir cream to loosen up and add cream to soup, add parsley and serve.  Don’t rush through, take your time and enjoy.

For more slow food recipes, check these out:

Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Winter Roasted Side

Spinach, Fig and Prosciutto Pizza

Feel-Good Granola

Mayonnaise

this post is part of Real Food Wednesday's, and Whole Foods for the Holiday's

Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Ever since my beloved Pasta Pomodoro shut down in Mesa, I have been searching for a recipe that replicates the unbelievable flavor of their butternut squash ravioli. It was kinda like a, fall-flavored sugar cookie if you can imagine that! Mmmm. One thing I learned when experimenting with homemade ravioli is that it ain’t easy. The dough, the filling, the assembly, then the boiling and finally the sauce. There was too much to go wrong. I usually ended up with a pot of boiling orange water and floating squares of pasta, a huge mess to clean up and only a few prized ravioli that held together.

So on to gnocchi; it is a dense dumpling type pasta, typically made with only potatoes and flour. I really found it quite enjoyable to make and although mine didn’t come out looking so hot, they tasted delectable. The whole grain sprouted flour takes away from the brilliant orange of the squash leaving you with more of a brownish gnocchi, but that was all made up for in taste.

I consider this pasta super healthy if paired with the right sauce. Many people think that means low fat, but fat is just what this pasta needs. An unhealthy sauce in my book is one that starts with a stick of margarine, fat free “cream”, or a can of Campbell’s Soup. I like a brown butter crispy sage sauce or a really thin white sauce made with real cream and a strong cheese. I wouldn’t recommend marinara for this flavor combination.

butternut squash (3 lbs)
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
5 cups sprouted flour

Cut the squash in half, scrape out the seeds and roast at 400 degrees for 50 minutes. Let cool and puree in blender or food processor. Spread evenly on two half-sheet pans and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to mixing bowl, season to taste with salt and pepper, add almond extract if desired and mix in the flour with dough hook for 3 minutes. The dough should be very tender and smooth and slightly sticky. Divide into 12 pieces, using extra flour roll each portion of dough into a ½-inch thick snake. Using a dough scraper, cut the snake into ½-inch pieces. Continue rolling and cutting with each piece, as you work, arrange the gnocchi in a single layer on a silpat-lined baking sheet. Let dry for up to 2 hours. Freeze flat and transfer to a container or bag once frozen, keeps in freezer for 3 months.

To cook gnocchi, boil a large pot of water, add gnocchi (frozen is fine). Continue to cook until they float to the surface. in 2 or 3 batches in a large pot of boiling, salted water, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they float to the surface of the water. Toss in a simple sauce and top with parmesan cheese.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays, Whole Foods for the Holiday's

Winter Roasted Side

Excuse my extended leave, just keeping my priorities in check. I hope you found wonderfully nourishing whole food recipes to fill your bellies through the holidays.

This month, one particular recipe has been made over and over again. It is so versatile, so easy, so delicious and so healthy. I have to admit to eating an entire batch by myself and have started making double batches to feed my family of 5. I have written about roasting vegetables before and it is nothing new in technique, but lately I have been amazed at how we can enjoy vegetables that we typically avoid.

Beets and eggplant; never like them much. I have been getting baskets from Bountiful Baskets (see right for link) for a couple years and now and then I come across them again. I have tried them in this and that and cooked many recipes from salads to spreads to cakes, never liking the results much with these ingredients. Beets are so earthy, they give everything the taste of dirt. Eggplant is so watery making food bland and soggy. In this recipe, the beets caramelize and the earthiness is gone, while the eggplant shrivels to nothing but little bits of delicious garlic flavor.

You will want to peel the eggplant, the peel does not soften when cooked. I don’t peel anything else since the highest concentration of nutrients lies just beneath the peel. If you don’t have convection, I would recommend spreading one batch between two sheet pans to help with browning.

Try a new vegetable, or use what you have on hand. The only vegetable I have tried and not liked so much is broccoli. Great options are;

*Carrots
*Potatoes
Sweet potatoes
*Peppers
*Onion
Parsnips
*Beets
Eggplant
Zucchini
Squash

Cauliflower

*in this particular batch

5 cups vegetables, julienne
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried herbs
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 425, convection is best. Combine garlic, oil, herbs (I like rosemary, thyme and oregano) and pepper. Drizzle over vegetables and toss to coat. Spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes; remove from oven and toss, moving the vegetables from the center towards the edges of the pan. Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes until vegetables are thoroughly browned. Salt, toss and serve.

links; Whole Foods for the Holiday's

Red Quinoa Coconut Sweet Potatoes

For years I worked with Chef Brad, a local chef who has a passion for whole grains, and he really got me hooked on red quinoa. It can be hard to find, but is slowly becoming more widely available. It has the texture of white quinoa, so that would be the best substitution, but the flavor is pleasantly nutty and is worth getting your hands on.

Yams and sweet potatoes are very different tubers. You will not find an authentic yam at a regular grocery store, even chain health food stores have them mislabeled. Instead we see an orange variety and an orange-red variety, sometimes you may come across a whitish yellow variety. They are all very similar in texture and even flavor and nutrition, so find the one that suits your taste.

This is a recipe from Chef Brad that I adapted many times over as my food knowledge expands. Again I urge you to try using slightly less sugar each time you make sweets, you will notice more flavor and crave less sweetness in all your meals. This dish goes perfectly with Thanksgiving dinner and with many fall season meals. We have this for dessert on most days. The sweetness is a happy medium, I could do with less, but for a big family gathering I use more.

I like that there are no oats to worry about soaking and such, still the nuts give a nice crunch. I use this same topping for apple crisp on the apples from my apple turnovers. Save time by making a double batch of topping and refrigerate up to a week to use on a fruit crisp.

4 cups cooked sweet potatoes
1/4 cup honey
½ cup milk
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups soaked and cooked red quinoa
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup roasted or soaked and dehydrated walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup sucanat
½ cup sprouted flour
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons maple syrup
½ teaspoon nutmeg

Mash sweet potatoes and mix with sweetener, milk, butter, eggs, vanilla and salt. Spread evenly in a 9x9 dish. Layer quinoa over potato mixture. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and sprinkle on top of quinoa. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

If you need to free up some oven space and cooking time on thanksgiving day, may I suggest this cold, make ahead side. For more great ideas on thanksgiving sides go to this gallery.

links; Whole Foods for the Holiday's

Sweet Potato Oven Fries

I tried growing sweet potatoes this year, all the leaves that were growing on top of the dirt made me think they were doing well. After 120 days in the ground, I decided it was time to dig some up and see what was down there. Lots of roots, that’s about it. I was bummed.

I have been making sweet potato fries for years and had found a way that yielded pretty good results, but it involved carefully slicing into sticks and arranging on a baking sheet in a single layer with no two sticks touching. It was a high maintenance side dish that never was quite as crisp as I'd like. I admit to buying frozen packages of pre cut and fried sweet potatoes from Trader Joe’s for convenience. They use cheap oils and give me a tummy ache.

This recipe evolved from regular potato oven fries when I decided to give sweet potatoes a try. PERFECTION. It helps to shop for potatoes with good shape and like in size. You know when a recipe calls for sucanat, you can substitute brown sugar, right? Probably works better because it will dissolve in the oil. I choose to avoid white and brown sugars where ever possible so I always list my alternative sweetener in my recipes.

3 lbs sweet potatoes or baking potatoes
1 tablespoon sucanat
1 dash cayenne
1 teaspoon homemade taco spice mix or chili powder
2 tablespoons corn starch
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, it helps to use convection. Wash and cut potatoes (no need to peel) into wedges of equal size. Combine sucanat, cayenne, taco seasoning, cornstarch and coconut oil (it will be clumpy, that’s okay), toss the wedges in mixture. Lay wedges on sheet pans in a single layer and bake for 20 minutes. Turn over with a spatula and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve. We usually do a “fry sauce” (mayo and ketchup) with a little horseradish. I am ready for a change. Please post a link or a recipe in the comments section for me to try.

links; Whole Foods for the Holiday's

Roasted Butternut Squash

Working with butternut squash can be quite a chore when you don’t have the right tools. First off you will want a sturdy vegetable peeler, that is comfortable to hold, is sharp and has a swivel blade that can easily run along the squash’s wide curves. If you tire, get blisters, peel off (your)skin, get frustrated or take more than 3 minutes to peel your squash, you need a new peeler.

Next would be a real knife that is made with German steel, properly maintained with a honing steel and regular sharpening. I like a 7 inch chef’s knife, mine is made by J. A. Henckels. If you have to exert a dangerous amount of force while slicing the squash in half or the metal flexes, creating a concave slice, it is time to get yourself a better tool.

I also like a grapefruit spoon to scrape the inners out. The serration and the curve of the spoon make the task of removing the stringy mess a breeze.

One of the main purposes for roasting vegetables (opposed to steaming) is to draw out moisture, which concentrates flavor. If you have a convection setting on your oven, this would be the perfect application to use it. Convection baking moves the air around more for even baking and browning.

2 lb butternut squash
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (convection if possible). Peel squash, cut in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Place one half on cutting board flat side down. Make one inch slices horizontally all the way down the length of the squash, then cut each slice into 1 inch cubes. Toss in oil to coat, arrange cut squash in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve as a side dish or snack.

Coconut Carrot-Ginger Soup

I’ve been jonesing for some soup for the last few weeks. On Tuesday, when it was 108 degrees outside, I gave in. I turned my thermostat down to 76 and downed a couple bowls of soupilicious. If I had been able to wait just one more day I could have had my first soup of the season on a more appropriate, under 90 degree day. I suppose it was the lack of groceries that pushed me into premature soup making.

Brilliant orange, sweet, creamy and a hint of spice. Eating vegetables is so dang easy! I serve this to my kids in a cup with a straw as a “warm vegetable smoothie.”

Don’t forget to adjust the seasonings at the end. There is no way to give you a good amount of salt to use as it depends on your stock. I add another good teaspoon because my stock is sodium free. Also important to heat the stock to boiling as it freshens it up a bit and kills some of the froth created by your blender. Do in batches if your blender is smaller than 8 cups. Sautéing in the case of onions improves the flavor of them, but the carrots could be easily steamed first to save time.

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 medium onion, diced
8 large carrots, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
pinch of cayenne (optional)
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups vegetable/ chicken stock
2 tablespoons grated ginger
1 can coconut milk

Sautee onions in coconut oil, add carrots and salt, cook through. Season and add garlic. Cook for 30 seconds and remove from heat. Place vegetables in a blender with stock and ginger, blend well. Return to heat and bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in coconut milk. Add more salt to taste. Makes about 8 cups of soup, I can eat half of it in one sitting. Leftovers reheat well.

links; Whole Foods for the Holiday's

Marinara Sauce

The perfect marinara is all about balance: salt, sweet, a hint of spice with fresh acidic notes. When the tomato sauce is center stage, the flavor must be top notch. If you are enjoying tomatoes galore right now, this recipe can be used with fresh tomatoes by doubling the cooking time and using the full 6 oz. of tomato paste for 4 cups peeled tomatoes. On the other hand, use 1 teaspoon of dried herbs when fresh are not available. To taste a slammin' marinara, buzz by my favorite restaurant Red, White & Brew, they were my inspiration on this one.

What is your perfect marinara?

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1-2 teaspoons hot pepper flakes (optional)

1 medium yellow onion, diced fine

3 large cloves of garlic, minced

28 ounce can Muir Glen crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon sucanat

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

Saute onion in olive oil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until light golden. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes and vinegar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato paste, sugar, herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer another 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Sweet potatoes are super nutritious and extremely versatile. We love baked sweet potato fries and whipped sweet potatoes with cinnamon and butter, but have you tried them cold? Liberty Market in Gilbert has this awesome sweet potato salad that I have been working to recreate. I feel I am close enough to call it just as good even if it is not quite the same. It is slightly smoky, salty and sweet with a little kick.

The flavors take a few hours to marry, so this is best to make a day or two ahead. I love having a bowl of it ready to serve up for a quick snack or a side with lunch. I think these sweet potatoes would even be great as a thanksgiving side instead of the ewwy gooey marshmallow kind. This would free up oven space for that nice free range turkey and yummy homemade butter rolls!

Chipotle peppers are spicy (they are smoked jalapeños), you can adjust it to your taste. One pepper is just enough to notice, but not at all overpowering. I get the peppers in a can and puree the whole thing, then freeze it in tablespoon portions since I never use a whole can at once and never use them whole, it is a convenient way to use them. 1 tablespoon is equal to about 1 pepper.

3 pounds sweet potatoes

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, pureed

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup dried cranberries

½ cup pecans, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (convection works best). Peel and cut potatoes into 1” pieces. Toss to coat with 2 tablespoon of olive oil and arrange in a single layer on two baking sheets. Roast for 35 minutes. Mix 2 tablespoons oil, pepper puree, vinegar, salt and pepper to make a dressing. Combine cranberries, pecans, chives and cooked sweet potatoes in a medium bowl, drizzle with dressing, cover and refrigerate until chilled.

How do you like your sweet potatoes?

links; Whole Foods for the Holiday's