Honey-Thyme Roasted Pear Salad with Spiced Walnuts

This simple but elegant salad is sure to impress your guests with its delightful presentation and perfect blend of fall flavors. Local organic honey is brushed onto a thinly sliced pear and dusted with a touch of thyme before being roasted until tender and warm. Walnut pieces get a healthier and tastier version of "candying" by taking a quick flash in a frying pan with some spices, some natural sweetener and a spritz of cooking spray. Full flavor, but much less wasted fat and calories than candied spiced walnuts! Served on a bed of spinach with a drizzle of high quality balsamic vinegar, this is one remarkable dish. Feel free to add or omit the goat feta as desired.

Serves 2
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ripe pear
• 4 cups spinach
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• pinch each of cayenne, sugar (or xylitol), salt
• honey
• pinch of fresh or dried thyme
• cooking spray
• high quality balsamic vinegar
• 2 oz feta (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. preheat oven to 400'
2. Halve pear, use a teaspoon or melon baller to neatly scoop out seeds. Place pear cut side down and using the knife at an angle, slice the pear from 1/2" from the stem all the way through the bottom so that it can be slightly fanned out.
3. Transfer to a foil lined baking sheet coated in cooking spray.
4. Brush pears with honey and sprinkle with thyme. 
5. Bake 10 minutes until tender and golden.
6. Meanwhile, make spiced nuts by placing the walnuts in a pan over medium heat. Toast for 2 minutes, then scatter with cayenne, salt and sugar. Spritz with cooking spray lightly and toss nuts to coat. Continue to toast for 1 more minute, remove to a plate.
7. Arrange spinach on two small plates, drizzle with nice balsamic, scatter walnuts and feta (if using) over the spinach. Top with pear and slightly fan out over spinach.

Poblano-Corn Chowder [Vegan]

Pardon the crappy cell phone shot!

I'm really excited to post this recipe as it's changed my little non-dairy world. I'm a girl on a mission when it comes to soups right now. We're making 1-2 soups a week for a friend in need. Fresh, organic, plant-powered soup is easy on the body while providing quickly assimilated nutrients. Think that vegan soups are limited to watery, tasteless noodle soups and bean stews? Not any more! We've found a way to make cashew cream so smooth and so creamy, that it will fool even the most suspicious taster. This isn't "good for being vegan" it's just plain GOOD.

I've remade one of my favorite soups Poblano-Corn Chowder with Shrimp except I removed the bacon, the shrimp, the creamed corn (lots of HFCS), the milk and the cream. You might ask the same question my curious mother did, "So...then...what's left in it?" What's left? Magic. Diced vegetables, mild poblano chilies, fresh corn,  tender potatoes and a rich, creamy broth. I added in diced tofu for protein and the cashew cream adds a touch of healthy fat and a little protein. Serve with a side salad tossed with a pepita dressing for a complete meal!

Serves 8 - [hint: make extra, this freezes beautifully in ziplock bags!]

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 T olive oil
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 5-7 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 large poblano chilies, diced (*looks like a large dark pointy bell pepper)
• 5 ears fresh corn or 4 cups frozen organic corn (or last resort 2 cans organic corn)
• 4 medium white rose potatoes diced into 1/2" cubes
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup cashews
• 2 cups water (for cashews)
• 1 T chili powder
• 1-2tsp seasoned smoke  from Trader Joe's or a pinch liquid smoke (last resort, use 1 T bbq sauce for smoky flavor, but if you can get the TJoe's stuff - it's the bomb)
• 2 tsp arrowroot or cornstarch
• 1 package extra firm tofu, drained and diced into cubes
• handful minced cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring 2 cups water to a boil. Turn off heat, put cashews in hot water and cover for 10 minutes. This helps soften the nuts if you didn't soak overnight (which I never remember to do).
2. The best method is to place the nuts and liquid in an immersion blender cup and use the immersion blender to liquify the nuts. It takes forever but we got the smoothest consistency this way. Or use your Vitamix. If you've just got a regular blender or food processor, just process the HELL out of this. It will seem chunky and gritty, keep blending. It will eventually be smooth, slightly foamy cream. Don't give up ;)
3. Place potatoes in a pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer until just barely tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
4. In large stock pot, heat 1 T olive oil. Add celery, garlic, onion and poblanos and saute until fragrant, about 8 minutes.
5. Add corn, potatoes, vegetable broth, water, chili powder, and seasoned smoke. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and simmer for 10-15 minutes. 
6. Add tofu and cook another 8 minutes.
7. Whisk in the cashew milk.
8. Remove 1 cup of liquid and stir arrowroot or cornstarch into it.
9. Whisk into the soup and bring the temperature back up to simmering.
10. Ladle into bowls and garnish with cilantro.

Roasted Butternut + Caramelized Onion Galette

This rustic fall vegetable galette is the perfect entree for a chilly November night. Flavorful kalamata olives stud the biscuit-like crust and offer a nice balance to the sweet roasted squash and caramelized onion filling. We added a handful of crumbled veggie sausage and a touch of feta for added flavor. To make this vegan, opt for a scattering of vegan cheese or omit altogether!

Get the squash roasting first thing, so that it's cool enough to handle by the time your crust is ready to be filled. The whole dish is "rustic" meaning that your crust does not have to be perfect! Allow the natural flavors and textures of the season to shine in this comforting dish. Never made dough? This is more akin to a pie crust than a pizza dough. Expect it to be slightly crumbly and a little dry! Indulge in a generous sized piece after enjoying a spinach salad with honey-thyme roasted pear (coming soon)!

Recipe is based on this Eating Well recipe

Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 spoonful honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pitted Kalamata olives
• 1 butternut squash, halved and seeded
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 T extra virgin olive oil
• cooking spray
• 1/2 package Gimme Lean breakfast style veggie sausage, broken up into small pcs
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp ground sage
• cracked pepper
• sea salt
• 2oz feta or goat cheese (I used goat feta) or vegan sub (*omit for vegan dish!)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400'. Spray foil lined baking sheet with cooking spray and place halved squash cut side down on the sheet. Spray top with cooking spray and place in oven. Bake for 45 minutes, check for tenderness and cook longer if necessary.  When done, remove from oven and allow to cool to touch. Place pizza stone in oven to preheat. (If you don't have a pizza stone don't worry.)
2. Meanwhile, prepare dough by whisking flours, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Whisk honey, water and olive oil in separate bowl. Form a well in the center of the flour and slowly whisk liquid in, stirring.
3. Add chopped olives and continue to knead by hand to incorporate dry ingredients add small amounts of water and/or oil as needed. It will be crumbly, but you will want it to stick into a ball and hold shape, but a little dry and crumbly is ok.
4. Form dough into a ball and place in ziplock bag or saran wrap and set in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
5. Heat 1 T olive oil in small saucepan. Add onions and a pinch of salt and cook over medium-high heat for 15 minutes or until golden brown and soft. Remove from heat and set aside.
6. Heat cast iron skillet or pan over medium-high and spray with cooking spray. Add veggie sausage and brown about 3 min per side. Remove and set aside.
7. Scoop squash flesh out from skin shell and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme and sage. Mash gently with potato masher or fork. 
8. Remove dough from refrigerator and place on lightly floured work surface. Roll dough out using a rolling pin (or a floured bottle of wine works in a pinch!) until it is roughly 12" diameter.
9. Spread mashed roasted squash on dough, leaving a nice 2" border around the edges. Top with caramelized onions and sausage. Fold edges of the crust over the filling decoratively or messily (however you prefer). 
10. Gently transfer galette to pizza stone or to foil lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes. Scatter goat cheese or feta on top and bake another 10 minutes.
11. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before slicing!

Rainbow Roasted Veggie Pilaf

Consider this dish the "little black dress" of your culinary repertoire. Guys, it's your wingman dish. It works as a side, it works as a base for food on top, it looks good, it tastes good, it can be made days ahead, served hot, eaten cold. Everyone loves it. 

It's not always easy to get in a variety of nutrients as we tend to grab the same 2-3 vegetables every time we breeze through the produce section of the market. Steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots? Again? A little variety not only excites the palate, but provides you with a full array of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. The easiest way to do this is to "eat the rainbow" and I'm not talking about Skittles. Grab things you've never eaten before - make it a goal to try stuff you've never had!

Red: Beets, red chard, radishes

Orange: Carrots, bell peppers, sweet potatoes

Yellow: Bell peppers, onions, yellow beets, summer squash

Green: Chard, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, zucchini

Purple: some types of kale, purple peppers, purple potatoes, rutabaga, turnip

Brown: Mushrooms, yucca root

White: Garlic, onion, parsnip, cauliflower

Roasting is the easiest way to prepare a big vegetable medley like this. Chop everything roughly the same size, toss with a tiny bit of olive oil, a generous crack of salt and pepper and roast on baking sheets until golden and tender. To amp up the value of this dish I combine it with a mixed grain pilaf. I choose 3-4 high nutrient grains and cook them separately. Don't stick to just rice! Try wild rice, quinoa, millet, amaranth, or wheat berries! Sometimes I throw in a handful of something quick-cooking like cous cous (regular or pearl) for a textural difference.

I serve this as a side dish to marinated and grilled tofu, underneath a perfectly cooked piece of salmon, with scrambled eggs, with chunks of homemade bean sausage or cold as a healthy snack. Add something BBQ'ed and a few crispy shallots. Add a little soy sauce and some furikake. Add feta and a little dill. It works with everything.

Serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 beets (golden or purple), stems trimmed off and washed
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1-2 large crowns broccoli, diced
• 1/2 head cauliflower, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 15 Brussels sprouts, stem trimmed, and quartered
• 1 head kale, chopped
• 1 large zucchini, chopped
• Extra virgin olive oil
• salt, pepper
• 1 cup wild rice
• 1/2 cup wheatberries
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1/3 cup millet
• 1/2 cup cous cous
• water
• Furikake (My favorite types are Shiso and Nori ) - optional

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425' and line two baking sheets with foil. Spray foil with cooking spray.
2. Place beets on foil and spray with olive oil. Wrap tightly in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake on bottom rack for 30 minutes and check if tender with knife. If not, re-wrap and bake 15 minutes longer. 
3. Place carrots, bell pepper, broccoli, cauliflower, onion and zucchini in one bowl. Drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil. Toss to combine and spread out on baking sheet. Place in oven on top rack and bake for 10 minutes or until softened slightly. Remove from foil and place in large bowl.
4. Toss Brussels sprouts with 1 tsp olive oil and place on same baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes until browned. Remove and add to same bowl.
5. Scatter kale on baking sheet and spray with olive oil and a dash of cracked pepper and sea salt. Bake 10 minutes until softened and/or lightly crisp. Add to large bowl with other veggies.
6. Meanwhile, bring 2 cups water to boil and add 1 cup wild rice and a pinch of salt. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cover for 45 minutes. When tender, add to bowl with veggies.
7. Bring 2 cups water to boil. Add quinoa and millet. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook 15-20 minutes until millet is tender and quinoa is translucent and fluffy. Add to bowl with veggies.
8. For cous cous, bring a little over 1/2 cup water to boil with a pinch of salt. Add cous cous, cover pan and remove from heat. Allow to sit for  15 minutes covered. Add to bowl with veggies.
9. Now you have a large bowl of roasted veggies and mixed grains. Taste and season with salt, pepper, furikake or fresh herbs. Nuts or seeds may be tossed in for added nutrition and crunch!