Winter Herb Stuffed Squash

I absolutely love this dish!  And its so versatile, use whatever you like pairing with the sweetness of butternut squash.  Mushrooms would be great, certainly sage makes a great partner.  I've added some whole wheat breadcrumbs to these but that is purely optional.  Prepared quinoa would be a good addition or substitute, this would make it heartier and would be a great entree served with a salad or rapini.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

Vegan Stuffed Savoy Cabbage

Looking for what else to do with falls bounty of cauliflower, carrots, cabbage?  Totally vegetarian and vegan cabbage rolls....

I'm still using the massive cauliflower I bought at the farmers market!  I decided to cook it until tender, mash it and use it incorporated into a stuffing for savoy cabbage leaves.  You can make a quick red sauce and place these on top of that in a pan to cook, but I placed these on a bed of sliced onions and carrots to roast.
Savoy cabbage is more tender than the typical cabbage so if you are using another type just blanch a bit longer.

Eggplant Polenta Stacks

I have been asked many times how to use eggplant.  Often in the checkout line at a grocery store and most always I hear that people tend to make it fried or fried then baked in eggplant parmesan. 

I love eggplant and it can be used in so MANY ways!  I roast it very often when in a hurry.  Sliced, cut in chunks or in long wedges until it becomes creamy inside and golden outside.  I grill it, thinly slice and marinate it in balsamic and to things with that, use in casseroles.  This is a short list.

Here I have made it two ways for this dish--I roasted some and then pureed that for between the polenta rounds and a small amount (barely visible) I put on top the stack.  Then that is topped with thinly sliced and marinated eggplant.  But you could use sliced grilled or roasted eggplant chunks on the top.

This makes a large appetizer, I would probably make them smaller for that, or a good side dish.  Maybe serve with a simple white fish like tilapia.
I had the last of the basil that was still holding on after being moved inside after summer ended, now it is gone--but was so appreciated!

Cauliflower Steaks Siciliano

The cauliflower at the markets and stands seems like its gotten pumped up on steroids.  They are huge, and if you buy one for a family of 2, well you have to find lots of ways to use it before it browns.  Don't get me wrong, some of the slight discoloration on the florets can be cut off, and that will especially happen if you wash the whole head and only use part.
This was inspired by flavors I associate with Sicily: tomatoes, olives, capers, fennel and raisins.  And of course garlic, feast on....

Tempeh with orange cranberry kale

A one bowl meal.  There are a few steps to get to the finish but it is such a well rounded dish nutritionally and full of flavor.  I had a treviso kale on hand, but any kale will do.  Also think collard greens, or a mix of greens (chickory, turnip, radicchio, etc)  Also substitute any grain, in this dish I used brown rice but freekeh would work very well. 

Black eyed peas can be purchased canned but are one of the quickest cooking dry beans out there so if you have them on hand, cook the dry beans while steaming the tempeh and put aside for later use.  Prefer cannelini?  Use them, but be gentle as they will break down easily.

I also made a tofu based sauce i put along the edge of the bowl, if you have a favroite pre-made sauce use it (hummus doctored up may work!)

For tempeh:

1 package of tempeh
granulated garlic
salt
smoked paprika
1/2 cup apple cider (or vegetable broth)
1 TBS tamari
1/2 Tbs Chili paste

Cut tempeh in half lengthwise, then make 8 cuts in the opposite direction so you now have 16 pieces.  Staem briefly in steamer basket (~3 minutes).  Remove and place in shallow dish to marinate (or use pan you will bake it in--line pan with nonstick foil so the tempeh doesn't stick while baking).  Coat each side of tempeh pieces with salt, granulated garlic, smoked paprika.  Mix marinade ingredients and pour into pan.
Cover pan and bake in 450 oven , check after 20 minutes, and trun tempeh pieces.  Bake uncovered for 10 minutes until liquid is absorbed.

Black Eyed Peas
1/2 15 oz can black eyed peas or 1/3 cup dried (prepare beans cooked only in water)
2 tsp mint, finely chopped
1 shallot, minced and sauteed in olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Toss beans with thinly sliced mint, shallot, salt and pepper

Brown Rice
1/3 cup brown rice
2/3-1 cup water
Cook according to package directions, 1 part rice to 2 parts water


Kale
1 bunch kale or other greens
juice of 1 orange
zest of 1 orange
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 TBS dried cranberries
olive oil

In the same steamer basket that tempeh was prepared in, place the kale and cook until wilted.  Heat olive oil in a saute pan over low-medium heat.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute.  Add wilted kale, season with salt and cover pan.  Stir occasionally, after a few minutes add orange juice and cranberries, saute for a few more minutes until most of orange juice has been abosrbed.  Add orange zest and shut off heat.

Tofu Sauce
1/2 lb firm tofu
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup canola oil
2 TBS nutritional yeast
3 TBS fresh basil
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp tahini
1 clove garlic

Place all ingredients in food processor and process until smooth.

to assemble: 
Place some of the brown rice in bowl,  mound some kale in the center, top with some of the minted black eyed peas.  Place tempeh pieces around perimeter.  Drizzle tofu sauce over top.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Fritatta

Making the fritatta thin and then cutting into 4 pieces allows 2 stuffed friatatta wedges

The breadcrumbs make a crispy, crunchy exterior
The goat cheese makes a creamy center

Big surprise--this started off with the grill.  This I know has been a continual theme on the summer blogs I've written.  But if you don't have a grill or don't feel like grilling you can cook vegetables in a very hot oven on a shallow baking sheet.  It won't have exactly the same flavor, but delicious just the same.

We were out for a long run on a muggy morning and tossing around ideas for breakfast.  The basis was a fritatta, mostly egg white but adding one whole egg.  Then decided to make it have a bit more crunch-- the idea for using breadcrumbs in the pan first and lightly toasting them before adding the grilled vegetables came up.

I had fresh goat cheese from a cheese maker at the market and fresh basil so decided to use those as well.  I served this with a small lightly dressed salad and it became brunch!

Chevre de provence

So if you start with a good quality goat cheese then this will be together in minutes.  I actually made a goat cheese ricotta that went a little too far and I ended up with chevre.  Happy mistake, I had plenty so I gathered some herbs from the garden and mixed them in.  Going for an herbs de provence approach I used rosemary, lavender, tarragon, chives and a spritz of lemon.

There will be no recipe to jump to: for one ounce of chevre add ! TBS mixed chopped fresh herbs.  I would use less rosemary and lavender than tarragon and chives. Rosemary and lavender can overpower the blend.

That's it, but I loved it so much I had to throw it in here!