Pics for memories sake, #2

Spicy sesame stir fry

Roasted cabbage and carrots with white gravy and toast 

Spicy greens, cherry jam, sautéed sweet potatoe and broccoli stem samich. 

A dinner of potato chips and cherry vanilla ice cream. Yeah, those days happen to me too ;)

Vegetarian Carbanara

Simple and delicious vegetarian carbanara. 

Recipe coming soon

Kidney bean and wheat salad

I made the salad up this morning to go along with the pictured sculptures above because we had critique at school today. An industrialized bean and a one sided wheat berry deserved to be accompanied by the real things in tastigoodnesses fashion. My classmates ended up liking what I made so I'm writing down a recipe for them :) Hi all!

These are the quantities I used, but truthfully suit it to your taste. Change up the beans, grain, veggies/fruit and oil and you can have endless possibilities :)

Recipe:

3/4 cup uncooked Wheat Berries (yields about 1 1/2-2 cups cooked) 

1 cup cooked Kidney Beans (I made them from dry beans in a crock pot the night before, but a can of rinsed beans would work too)

1 small Sweet Potato, thinly sliced then diced up

5 medium Radishes, thinly diced

1/2 medium Onion, 1/4" dice

1-2 cloves Garlic, minced

2 tbs Coconut Oil

1/4 cup Coconut Milk

2 tsp Dill

1 tsp Turmeric 

Salt and Pepper to taste 

Cook the wheat berries like pasta by boiling them in plenty of water, at least 1:3 ratio until they're your desired texture and translucent, meaning no cloudy spots in the center of the berry. It'll take 30-50minutes depending on the size you want them to be because they can absorb tons of water and still retain a good texture. Sometimes I put them in the rice cooker too, your choice. Once cooked rinse them in cool water before adding to other ingredients. 

In a medium sauté pan on medium high add the coconut oil, garlic, and sweet potato. Cook until sweet potato browned and then set aside to cool. (I did this step while the wheat was cooking)

Once all the cooking is done combine all the ingredients in a bowl and you're ready to eat. I guess it could be served as a warm salad or a cooler salad, you decide :)

My version of Fallafels

Friends invited me over for dinner last Sunday, they just had their fourth baby the week before so I wanted to try and make the main part of the meal and bring it with me. When they said they were planning on pita sandwiches, an image of Fallafels popped in my head and I knew I wanted to adventure in that realm. 

They were way more tasty than I imagined and were super filling. 

Servings: 6-8 adults 

Yellow Split Peas

Green Lentils 

Quinoa

Zucchini

Red Bell Pepper

Sweet Potato

Garlic

Coconut oil

Egg

Turmeric

Dill

Salt and Pepper to taste

Coconut sauce

Coconut Milk, whipped

Sour Cream

Dill 

What to do with a pumpkin?

The pumpkin in the left corner is what this post is all about. Good ole dollar well spent. I made pumpkin custard, sesame noodles with pumpkin, and am toasting up the seeds. So much joy in a little orange gourd. 

Three recipes in one:

First step was to roast the pumpkin. I do that by washing it and then putting the whole uncut pumpkin, skin, stem, seeds and all, in the oven at 350 for an hour. Then I let it cool for 20minutes or so. It'll start to collapse on itself a little on the bottom, but alls good. Peeling and deseeding then happen waaaaay easier now the pumpkin flesh is softened. 

I set the seeds aside in a bowl of salted water (about 1cup water and 1tsp salt) , I'll get back to them when I tell ya how to roast 'em. I used a small pumpkin pie pumpkin, they have a better texture, not as grainy, and I've noticed a deeper flavor than the bigger ones. Mine gave me 2 cups total. 1 1/2cups purée and another 1/2 cup I diced for the sesame noodle dish. 

Here are the recipes

Pumpkin Custard (aka pumpkin pie filling)

Recipe from "Root Cellaring" by Mike and Nancy Bubel who credit the recipe to their neighbor Gwen Brandt in the book. 

I made a true custard this time, water bath and everything, but next time I'm putting it in a pie shell :) 10" is what the book says it will fill. This makes 8 servings

Co-Op

1 1/2 cups Milk 

1 tbs Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 tsp Nutmeg, I fresh grated mine

1 tsp Ground Cinnamon 

Farmers Market

1 1/2 cups Pumpkin, cooked and puréed

3 Eggs, slightly beaten 

1/2 cup Honey

Mix spices, flour, and pumpkin then add honey. Beat til smooth. Combine eggs and milk, and slowly stir into pumpkin mixture. Ladle into ungreased custard cups (I used 2"x4" rectangle ramekins and they turned out great. I think any shape would work as long as the depth was no greater than an inch/inch and a quarter).  Set cups in a pan of water (it is easier and less messy to place the cups in the pan in the oven before you pour the water around them) make sure the baking dish is at least halfway submerged too for even heat dustrabution.

Bake at 350F for about an hour. Let them cool then eat them up. 

I learned with this experiment I prefer a shell with my custard, I like more texture I guess. Here is what they say if using the filling for a pie:

Mix all ingredients, pour into a 10" pie shell. Bake 450F for 10minutes then drop temp to 350F for 50 until edges are firm. The center might still be sift, but will continue to cook after you take it out. 

The author says any squash will work with this recipe... Maybe I'll try an acorn squash  and maple syrup combo too. Yummy!

Now savory-

Sesame Noodles with Veggies

Makes 6 servings

Co-op

1 package Whole Wheat Spaghetti, cooked

1/2 small Cauliflower, about 1 cup 1" chopped pieces

2tsp Dried Basil

2tbs Soy Sauce or to taste

Farmers Market

1 cup Pumpkin cooked, 1/2" dice

3 small Carrots, 1/2" dice 

1 small Onion, 1/2" dice

3 cloves Garlic, minced

Regular grocery store

1/4 cup Toasted Sesame Oil

Pretty simple dish. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan on medium high and throw all the veggies in. After a minute add the soy sauce. Once the carrots are softened, about 5 minutes, combine the cooked spaghetti and veggies all together and you're done. Check the flavor and add more soy sauce or sesame oil to taste. I like to sprinkle red pepper flakes on this too. Then eat. Yum!

Now seed time-

Directions coming soon. 

Pics for memory sake

I want to just post pics of some food, for memory sake I guess, and not write a recipe down. Haha. Sorry for the teaser pics, but if you really want a recipe, I'm sure I can remember what I did if you comment or message me :)

Soup: Beef broth with kidney beans (not canned, but made by cooking with the beef broth) collard greens, carrots, onions, garlic, tomato paste, pasta and spices. 

Soup: Ham bone with pinto beans (not canned, but cooked with the ham bone and spices), carrots, onions, garlic, chili powder, and cumin. 

Soup: Currier Butternut Squash 

Cuban Style Black Beans with Veggie Tortillas

Mmmm, roasted garlic goodness. 

Sweet and Savory Pasta Salad with roasted garlic, dates, quince, olive oil, hemp seed and spinach. 

Grilled peanut butter, honey, and toasted coconut sandwich with a cup o' cold whole milk. 

Whole Wheat Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Beans, Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, and Carrots

Servings: 8-10 as a side dish, 4-6 as a main dish served over rice or another whole grain. 

It was a super yummy dish that we had with tamales and Spanish rice. My seven year old nephew was over for dinner and kept going back for more helpings. 

Co-Op

1 can Pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 can Garbonzo beans, drained and rinsed

2 tbs Olive Oil

Salt and pepper to taste 

Farmers Market

3 small Carrots (about 1/2 cup), 1/4" dice

2 small Sweet Potatoes, 1/4" dice

1 small Onion, 1/4" dice

2 Garlic cloves, minced

1 tbs Orange Zest (zest of a medium orange)

Trader Joes

3/4 package cooked frozen Spinach

(I had this in the freezer for like 6 months. He. He. It wasn't frost bitten or anything. I had eaten the fresh spinach I bought last week already, but wanted some kind of green in the dish, so the frozen kind had to do)

Hatch, New Mexico 

2 tbs Green Chili Powder (optional)

Tucson

1/2 cup Water

Directions:

Place the oil in a large sauté pan on medium high heat, add the onion, garlic, carrot, and sweet potatoes. Cook until the onions start to turn translucent then add the green chili powder (you can sub in another chilie or cumin if ya want or use roasted green chilies), salt and pepper. Once the spices are spread out on the veggies, put in the spinach, orange zest, and water and let simmer Covered, on medium heat for 8-10 minutes; then its done and ready to eat.