Smitten with Miso

Have you ever almost licked the salad bowl at a teppanyaki style japanese restaurant (Like Beni Hana's) because the Miso dressing is SO DANG delicious?? Well get ready to do it at your own dinner table. This dressing is scrumcious!!! After a whole lotta squash, I was dying for a good salad- and this one rocks. I think I might get up in the middle of the night and drink the rest of this dressing while Geoff isn't looking.

As you've probably noticed- my favorite food blog lately is smitten kitchen. Today's recipe is from there again : )  

avocado salad with carrot-ginger dressing

Serves 4, with dressing to spare
1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons sweet white miso
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seed oil
1/4 cup grapeseed or another neutral oil
2 tablespoons water
1 small/medium head of lettuce (I used Bibb) or mixed greens of your choice
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1 avocado, quartered
Whiz the carrots, shallot and ginger in a blender or food processor until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides, then add the miso, vinegar and sesame oil. While the machine running, slowly drizzle in the grapeseed oil and the water.
Divide the lettuce among four bowls, add some of the onion and a quarter of the avocado. Drizzle with plenty of dressing and serve.

Acorn Squash Quesadilla

Another Squash Recipes from smittenkitchen. So yummy. Good winter Mexican recipe. However, I think I finally am squashed out (for this week at least).

I did make homemade tortillas for the first time. Dang- they were yummy. However, I am not making them again until I get a tortilla press. Rolling out all that dough left me totally pooped, and no matter how much I rolled- they didn't get quite thin enough. They were delish though. Here is the recipe I used. No lard-obviously, and no shortening- so we used this recipe with oil. I think that might be why they were a little harder to roll out. 

acorn squash quesadillas + tomatillo salsa

Acorn Squash Quesadilla
Adapted from a Dos Caminos demonstration recipe, but similar to many found in their awesome book, ModMex

The secret to getting your quesadillas crisp, Lindquist insisted, is to cook them in either butter or lard, and no skimping. A griddle is best if you have one, but a regular old frying pan will do in a pinch.

1 small/medium acorn squash
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons diced white onion
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
1 clove garlic, minced
2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled and cut into strips
Salt and pepper to taste
10-inch flour tortillas
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend of your choice (I used Muenster, not Mexican but worked great!)
Butter for frying quesadillas
Garnishes: Julienned radishes, crema or sour cream and/or salsa verde cruda (recipe below)

First, roast the acorn squash. Preheat the oven to 400° and lightly oil a baking sheet. Halve the squash, scoop out the seeds (you can save them to toast later, if you wish) and cut each half into half-inch slices. Lay them on the baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes, until soft but not cooked to mush. (You’ll finish it in the pan.)

When cool enough to work with, use a paring knife or your hands to peel the skin off each slice. Lightly chop the squash and put it in a bowl.

Saute the onions, garlic and jalapeno in the oil until translucent. Add the poblano strips and cook for a couple minutes more. Add the squash and cook for another 5 or 10 minutes, until the squash is tender and the flavors have melded. Season with salt and pepper and take off heat.

Spread a few tablespoons of the cooked squash mixture onto one half of a 10-inch flour tortilla. Sprinkle with a couple tablespoons of the cheese. Fold over and place in a hot pan with melted butter, and fry until crispy. Cut the finished quesadilla into four triangles and top with your choice of garnishes. Eat while warm.

Fall Squashin

Well I have made acorn squash pizza, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin mouse, pumpkin pie, spaghetti squash, acorn squash quesadillas, and tonight butternut squash. You would think I would be all squashed out- but NOPE- bring it on.

We Mmmmm-ed all the way through the entire eating event tonight. - Try it.

spicy squash salad with lentils and goat cheese

Spicy Squash Salad with Lentils and Goat Cheese
Adapted from Bon Appetit

If you’d like to toast the seeds, simply clean them off, rinse and pat them dry and toast them in the oven on an oiled baking sheet, sprinkled with salt. But this comes with a warning: they like to pop, seemingly more than regular pumpkin seeds do, or maybe it’s just my bad luck. I suspect if you let them dry out for a day first, they wouldn’t, but who has that kind of patience?

Serves 6 as an appetizer, 3 as a main

3/4 cup black or green lentils
6 cups peeled, seeded and cubed butternut squash or sugar pumpkin (1-inch cubes) (from about a 2-poudn squash)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika*
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
4 cups baby arugula (I skipped this)
1 cup soft crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves (optional; I used this, but added it after I took a photo)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, plus additional to taste
Roasted seeds (about 1/2 cup) from your butternut squash (optional; see note above)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss squash or pumpkin cubes with 2 tablespoons oil, cumin, paprika and salt. Arrange in a single layer on baking sheet and roast 20 minutes. Flip pieces and roast for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until tender. Cool.

Meanwhile, soak lentils for 10 minutes in a small bowl, then drain. Cook lentils in boiling salted water until tender but firm, about 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water, then drain and cool.

Combine lentils, pumpkin, any oil you can scrape from the baking sheet (I didn’t get enough for this to be worth it) with arugula, if using, half of goat cheese, mint, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper and extra vinegar, if desired (we felt it needed it). Divide among plates and pass with remaining goat cheese to sprinkle.

* I swapped half with sweet (not hot) smoked paprika to make sure it didn’t get too spicy for a 13 month-old’s tastes. If you don’t have either on hand, there are ways to approximate this smoky/spiciness with what you have in your pantry, such as mixing some regular paprika with a ground chipotle powder or another smoky spice, and then a pinch of cayenne for extra heat.

Ravishing Radishes

Yummy Salad from Relishingit.com

Spinach and Wheat Berry Salad with Lemon/Shallot Vinaigrette

1 cup red winter wheat berries

2 cups (or more) fresh garden spinach, torn

5-6 radishes, sliced

2 spring onions, sliced

ricotta salata cheese, crumbled

To make the wheat berries: soak in refrigerator overnight in 3 cups of cold water.  Rinse the next day and place in saucepan filled with 3 cups of cold water and 1 tablespoon salt.   Bring to a boil, then reduce to a medium simmer.  Cook for 35-40 minutes, or until wheat berries are soft and have a “chewy” feel to them.  Drain and toss with half of the vinaigrette.  The warm wheat berries will soak up all of the wonderful flavor.  Let cool before completing the salad.  (Note:  Feel free to make extra wheat berries for a later use.  They freeze well and can kept frozen for up to a month.)

Lemon and Shallot Vinaigrette:

1 clove garlic, minced

2 1/2 tablespoons of shallots, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons champagne vinegar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

To make the vinaigrette:  Mince the garlic and shallot and place in a bowl.  Mix in the lemon juice, vinegar, and salt  and let soften for about 15 minutes.   After the shallots have softened,  slowly whisk in the olive oil.

Combine the spinach, radishes, spring onion and wheat berries in a bowl.  Toss with the  remaining vinaigrette and top with the crumbled cheese.   Enjoy and healthy eating to you all!

Veggie Chili & Sweet Cornbread

My Favorite Chili and Cornbread recipes. I could eat the whole pan of cornbread- it's that good. My mom made cornbread all the time growing up. We called it cornbread, but honestly it was more like cake : ) This one lives up to that. Corn-Cake that you crumble and dip into a spicy soup. : )

Recipes and photos from allrecipes.com

The Best Vegetarian Chili in the World

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained
• 2 (12 ounce) packages vegetarian burger crumbles
• 3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and green chile peppers. When vegetables are heated through, mix in the vegetarian burger crumbles. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.
2. Mix the tomatoes into the pot. Season chili with chili powder and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving.

Golden Sweet Cornbread

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray or lightly grease a 9 inch round cake pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir in egg, milk and vegetable oil until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Fall Ravioli

This is kind of an old recipe, but I think it's unique and obviously delicious. The recipe uses Won-ton Wrappers for the ravioli- They work really well, but I used homemade pasta this time.

Ricotta Ravioli with Sweet Potato Sauce

• 1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
• 1 oz. grated Pecorino-Romano cheese, optional
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 2 tsp. minced sage, plus more for garnish
• 48 square won ton wrappers
• 1 oz. shaved Pecorino cheese, optional
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

Sweet Potato Sauce

• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 Tbs. minced shallot
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 1 cup cooked, puréed orange-fleshed sweet potato
• 2 Tbs. sherry or white wine

• DIRECTIONS

  To make Ravioli:
  1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Stir together ricotta, grated cheese (if using), garlic, and sage in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
  2. Place 1 won ton wrapper on work surface (cover remaining wrappers with damp, clean towel to prevent drying.) Spoon 2 tsp. ricotta mixture in center of wrapper. Brush edges with water. Top with another won ton wrapper, pressing gently to seal edges. Repeat with remaining ricotta mixture and won ton wrappers. Arrange ravioli in single layer on prepared baking sheets; freeze.
  To make Sweet Potato Sauce:
  3. Heat oil in small saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot, and season with salt, if desired. Cook 2 minutes, or until tender. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Stir in sweet potato and sherry, and season with salt and pepper, if desired; simmer 5 minutes.
  4. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add ravioli; stir with spoon or spatula to keep them from sticking together. Cook 2 minutes, or until ravioli float to surface. Drain. Arrange 4 ravioli per serving plate. Top each serving with 3 Tbs. Sweet Potato sauce, then shaved cheese (if using), chopped parsley, and minced sage.

Halloween Meal

This is our Halloween Meal Tradition. I seriously look forward to it all year. The hominy is soo delicious. And the salsa adds the perfect balance. All recipes and photos from vegetariantimes.com

Spicy Fall Stew Baked in a Pumpkin

• 1 medium onion, diced (1 cup)
•  2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch dice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 1 tsp. chili powder, preferably New Mexican
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• ½ tsp. dried oregano
• ½ lb. tomatillos, husked and quartered (1½ cups)
• 1 15-oz. can hominy, rinsed and drained
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 1 3- to 4-lb. pumpkin, either sugar pie, cheese, red kuri, kabocha, or buttercup squash
• 2 oz. grated sharp Cheddar cheese (½ cup packed)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 1 Tbs. oil in pot over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Sauté 7 minutes, or until softened. Stir in chili powder, cumin, and oregano, and cook 3 minutes more, or until spices darken.

2. Add tomatillos, hominy, ı/2 cup water, and salt. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, partially covered, 10 to 12 minutes, or until tomatillos are softened. Uncover, and cook 5 minutes more to thicken stew, if necessary.

3. Meanwhile, cut top of pumpkin around stem to make lid. Scoop out pumpkin seeds and strings. Rub inside of pumpkin with remaining 1 Tbs. oil, and sprinkle generously with salt. Sprinkle cheese in bottom of pumpkin.

4. Fill pumpkin with stew, then top with pumpkin lid. Place on parchment-covered baking sheet and bake 1ı/2 to 2 hours, or until pumpkin flesh is fork-tender. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes.

5. Scoop stew, including pumpkin, into bowls and serve hot, topped with Poblano-Cucumber Salsa 

Poblano-Cucumber Salsa

• ½ cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into small dice
• 1 poblano chile
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 Tbs. lime juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
• 1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 ripe avocado, diced

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to broil. Roast poblano chile 15 to 20 minutes, or until skin is blackened, turning occasionally. Cool until easy to handle. Remove charred skin, discard seeds and stem, and cut into small dice. Combine poblano, cucumber, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, jalapeño, and salt in small bowl. Gently fold in avocado. Season with salt and pepper.

And for DESSERT:We buy pre-made chocolate pudding and top it with this yummy pumpkin cream.

Whipped Pumpkin Cream

• 1 15-oz. can pumpkin
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• To make Whipped Pumpkin Cream: 

  
  

  1. Cook pumpkin and brown sugar with cinnamon in medium skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl, and cool to room temperature.

  2.. Whip cream in stand mixer or with handheld beaters on medium-high, until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Fold whipped cream into pumpkin until no streaks remain. Refrigerate until chilled. Serve pudding dolloped with pumpkin cream.

acorn squash gorgonzola pizza

The BEST pizza dough recipe, which I am now using for every pizza. Chewy/Crispy Perfection.

And THIS fall pizza is too good to be true. We have eaten it several times since our discovery. 

roasted acorn squash and gorgonzola pizza

Roasted Acorn Squash and Gorgonzola Pizza
Adapted from Giada DeLaurentis
Yield: 4 side dish servings
1 (1- pound) acorn squash
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (we used 1/2 tsp. and it had plenty of kick)
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1 pound pizza dough
1 cup shredded whole milk mozzarella
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
1 cup arugula
Squeeze of lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Slice the squash in half from top to bottom. Scoop out the seeds. Slice the squash into 1/2 to 3/4-inch wide half moons and place in a medium bowl. Toss the squash with the syrup, olive oil, red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place the squash on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake the squash until tender and golden, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Keep the temperature on the oven at 375 degrees F. Roll out the pizza dough on a flour dusted piece of parchment paper to a 13-inch diameter. Place the pizza and the parchment paper on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese and the Gorgonzola on the pizza dough. Bake in the oven until golden and cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Peel the skins off the squash. Top the cooked pizza with the cooked squash. Toss with arugula with the squeeze of lemon juice and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Slice and serve.

More Quinoa

Well, we eat a lot of quinoa. It's delicious, and an awesome source of protein. Here is a super yummy dinner. Recipe and Photo from Scalingbackblog

Sesame quinoa bowl

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 cups cooked quinoa *
• 1 pound asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces
• 4 cups leafy greens (spinach, mustard greens, arugula)
• 1/2 pund romesco or broccoli cut into florets
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 inch piece of peeled ginger coarsely grated
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sriracha or garlic chili paste
• 1/4 cup cashews roughly chopped
• 4 tablespoons black sesame seeds

Method:

• Heat olive oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking, add garlic and ginger and stir for a minute until fragrant.  
• Add asparagus and romesco and cook for a few minutes, then add the greens and a pinch of salt, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes more until greens have wilted.  
• In a small bowl combine soy sauce, sesame oil and chili paste then add to the pan with the quinoa.  Cook until everything is heated through.  
• Take a taste and if desired add a little more soy sauce or sesame oil it should be pronounced but not overpowering.  
• To serve top with the cashews and sesame seeds.

To cook quinoa: Combine 2 cups of well rinsed dried quinoa with 3 cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes until quinoa is tender.
nutritional information:  per serving, calories 375, total fat 11.9 g, fiber 8.4 g, protein 14.5 g

BEET IT

If you have never baked beets- get ready for a huge bright red liquidy mess. And delicious eats.
Love this recipe from ScalingBackBlog

CousCous with Cured Lemons

Lemon Couscous

serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 cup couscous
• 1 cup water or stock
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 bunch broccoli raab trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 roasted beets peeled and cut into 1/4 inch dice*
• 1 tablespoon cured lemon, rinsed and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
• 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon honey
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Bring the water or stock to a boil with the salt then stir in the couscous, take off the heat, cover and let steam for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a medium skillet until hot and then add raab.  Season with salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes until tender but still with a little bite.  In a small bowl combine the lemon peel, vinegar, honey and extra virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper.

To assemble take the lid off the couscous, fluff with a fork add the raab and pour half the dressing over the couscous, mix well and taste, you may need to add more salt if the flavors aren’t popping.  Mix the rest of the dressing with the beets and scatter over the top.  

To roast beets:  Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Place the beets on a large piece of aluminum foil and sprinkle with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper and fold the foil into a packet. Roast the beets for 25-50 minutes depending on their size.  Let them cool slightly and then peel the skins off with your fingers or a small paring knife.  (Beware that the beets with stain your skin, use a paper towel to rub the skins off if don’t want red fingers) 

Gnocchi!

We had a ton of potatoes to get rid of so I made this awesome Homemade Gnocchi recipe from Smitten Kitchen. It made a ton, and we still have a big bag in the freezer. Awesome to have on hand. 

We used this recipe from Vegan Yum Yum (not to be confused with veggienumnum) to cook up some of our gnocchi. We made a few substitutes: Shitake instead of Morels, and Asparagus tips instead of fiddle-heads. I've never made Pan-Fried Gnocchi before-really yummy.

Pan-Fried Gnocchi with Morels and Fiddleheads

2 Tbs Olive Oil, give or take
1 9-oz Package Fresh Gnocchi
3-5 Fresh Morels, halved (sub any wild mushroom)
1/3 Cup Fresh Fiddlehead Ferns, washed and dried (sub asparagus tips)
1/4 Cup Roasted Red Pepper, diced
2-3 Canned Water-Packed Artichoke Hearts, sliced
1/8 tsp Salt, plus more for seasoning
Fresh Black Pepper

Slice your morels in half and inspect them carefully for dirt and critters. Since morels are foraged for in the wild, they sometimes have surprises hiding inside. Just saying.

Heat a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet or non-stick pan over medium high heat. Add halved morels and a teaspoon or so of oil. Saute until golden brown, 2-3 minutes, adding a pinch of salt. Set aside.

Add the ferns, roasted pepper, and artichoke hearts to the pan, with a teaspoon or so more oil if needed. Add 1/8 tsp salt to season. Saute for 2-3 minutes until tender and the artichoke hearts and ferns are beginning to color. Remove from pan and set aside.

While the pan is still hot (medium-high heat), add the raw gnocchi and enough oil to coat well. Cook for 3-4 minutes until golden brown on all sides and slightly puffy. Once cooked through, add the fern/artichoke/pepper mixture back to the pan and toss gently until well combined. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.

Plate, adding the cooked morel mushrooms to the top before serving.