Tag: vegan

Cauliflower & Couscous

This is the perfect vegetable side dish. It resembles a pilaf with the chewy pearls of Israeli couscous. It can be served warm as a side or it can be served at room temperature as a salad. I love dishes that I can make ahead of time and this fits the bill. What’s even better is that my eight year old son will eat it!

I’m not a fan of dates, but don’t leave them out. The subtle sweetness that they impart makes this dish work and the amount is so small that you hardly notice their presence as a distinct element of the dish. Don’t hesitate to vary the amounts given below to your own taste – they are for guidance only.  If you’d prefer a higher ratio of cauliflower to couscous, go for it. If you want a little more tang, don’t hesitate to add more wine vinegar. The inspiration for the dish is a recipe from Food Network.

1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous*, cooked as the label directs

4 cups cauliflower florets

2 shallots, sliced lengthwise

olive oil

salt

pepper

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup dates, chopped into 1/4 inch morsels

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley

*sometimes referred to as pearl couscous

Rinse the cooked couscous under cold water, drain thoroughly, and toss with about a teaspoon of olive oil. Set aside.

Cook the cauliflower florets and sliced shallots in olive oil in a large sauté pan, browning the cauliflower and shallots. If needed, cover the pan to help the cauliflower just cook through. Season with salt and pepper. Add the  cinnamon and chopped dates; cook 1 more minute to marry the flavours.

Combine the cauliflower mixture with the cooked couscous, adding the red wine vinegar,  chopped parsley, and more salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

zucchinicarmamaLeave a comment

Candied Yams with Orange Bitters

I have to admit upfront that I am not a big fan of yams or sweet potatoes, but I keep hoping that I will find a recipe that changes my perspective.  Although my guests raved about these, to me they are still yams.  Accordingly, if you don’t like yams or sweet potatoes, this recipe might not change your opinion, but if you are already a lover of these tubers, you might enjoy this interesting sweet and salty spin.

A Pat and A Pinch - Candied Yams With Orange Bitters

The recipe as written serves 6-8 as a side dish and is very attractive to serve. It is based on a recipe by Ruth Reichel, an editor of Gourmet magazine for many years and published in Gourmet Today, a selection from the now defunct magazine. Epicurious has an adaptation of it as does the blog Drool-Worthy. Having read comments that it was very sweet with the suggested 1/3 cup of sugar, I cut back on the sugar and the sweetness seemed perfect.  The recipe below reflects this change.

Candied Yams with Orange Bitters

1-1/2 cups orange juice

1/4  cup brown sugar

1/4  cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup orange bitters

1-1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

4-5  yams or sweet potatoes, unpeeled, halved and then cut into wedges (about 3 lbs)

1/2 teaspoon dried red chili flakes

1 teaspoon ground sea salt

10 whole thyme sprigs plus the leaves of 5 thyme sprigs

2 heads of garlic, skin left on, sliced in half

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Prepare a 12 by 16 inch baking sheet with sides or a roasting pan of a similar size by lining it with foil or parchment.  This isn’t essential but makes clean-up so much easier.

Place the orange juice in a saucepan with the sugar and vinegar. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn down the heat to medium-high and simmer fairly rapidly for about 20 minutes, until the liquid has thickened and reduced to scant 1 cup (about the amount in a large glass of wine).  Remove from the heat and add the bitters, olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Place the potatoes in a mound in the centre of the lined baking sheet, add the chili flakes,  the 10 thyme sprigs, and garlic halves, and then drizzle the reduced sauce over the mound. Toss well so that everything is coated and then spread the mixture out in a single layer on the sheet. I found that the garlic halves are quite delicate and need to be tossed quite gently. Grind about 1 tsp of sea salt to taste over the wedges.

Place in the oven and roast for 40 to 60 minutes, turning and basting the potatoes every 15 minutes or so. They need to remain coated in the liquid in order to caramelize, so  if the pan is drying out too much you can add a little more orange juice. If the caramelization seems to be happening more quickly than the yams are cooking, reduce the heat by 25°F. At the end, the potatoes should be dark and sticky but not burnt. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly before arranging on a platter and sprinkling with the fresh thyme leaves.

zucchinicarmamaLeave a comment

Poppy Seed-Crusted Butternut Squash with Kale and Pomegranates

With fall upon us and squash, kale and pomegranates in plentiful supply, this seems like the perfect time to share this recipe for Poppy Seed-Crusted Butternut Squash with Kale and Pomegranates salad that is slightly modified from a recipe I found on the delightful healthy food blog, My New Roots. This is a fantastic salad to take to a potluck as it is so pretty and anyone who enjoys vegetables can eat it. Unlike so many salads it lasts well, even dressed, when it cannot be served immediately. It takes a little time to make but is well worth the effort. Poppy Seed-Crusted Butternut Squash with Kale and Pomegranates Poppy Seed-Crusted Butternut Squash with Kale and Pomegranates

1 medium butternut squash

4 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp. melted ghee or coconut oil

3 Tbsp. poppy seeds

2 pinches of sea salt

3 cups packed shredded kale

1 shallot

juice of ½ lemon

zest of 1 lemon

pinch of sea salt

seeds of 1 medium or ½ large pomegranate

Maple Mustard Dressing

4 Tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 tsp. pure Maple syrup

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Peel the squash, cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. For the best texture, it is important to peel completely through the skin past the pale yellow/green flesh to the deep yellow flesh – I have learned this through experience.  Cut into small (approx 1/2 inch) cubes. Toss with oil, minced garlic, poppy seeds, and sprinkle with sea salt. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast until fork-tender, not mushy (approx. 30-40 minutes).

While the squash is roasting, shred the kale by slicing it in very thin strips or tearing it into small pieces. Add the juice of ½ lemon, a pinch of sea salt and massage well into kale to wilt. Set aside but repeat the massaging occasionally while the squash roasts. This step is critical to tenderize the otherwise tough kale.

Seed the pomegranate being careful to keep the fruit of each seed intact. One suggestion is to fill a bowl with water, cut the fruit in half, then roughly pry out the seeds with your fingers and let them fall into the water. The seeds with white pith will float to the top – remove the pith as much as possible leaving the seeds, which will then sink. I simply pull it apart carefully bit by bit carefully extracting the seeds.

When the butternut squash has finished roasting, remove from oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. While it is cooling, make dressing by whisking all ingredients together. Add the squash to kale and mix. Toss with sliced shallot, pomegranate seeds, and the dressing. Garnish with lemon zest.

zucchinicarmama1 Comment

Spiced Apple Butter

Spiced Apple Butter - A Pat & A Pinch

My parents live on a property that has the remnants of an old orchard.  The apple trees are larger than ideal and you can tell that they have witnessed a lot of history but they still produce apples.  This weekend the Gravensteins were ready to be picked. Gravensteins are a tasty eating apple, but they aren’t any good for pies. With a bumper crop, they needed to be used and what better solution than apple butter.

Choose a day when you can be home all day to make apple butter: It takes a long time to cook! Mine cooked all day – a good 12 hours in total but I think that that was largely due to the volume I made which necessitated starting it on the cooktop and then shifting it to the oven. It needs to be stirred regularly, but other than the stirring it requires little attention. If I was making a smaller batch, I would simply use the oven or a crock pot – it is so much less effort and requires so much less attention!

I can’t give you a specific recipe for apple butter – it depends on what type(s) of apples you have and how many of them you have.  The good news, however, is that you really don’t need a recipe.

I peeled, sliced  and cored my apples using a peeling and coring gizmo like this.  It yields a spiral sliced apple that I then cut into quarters.  If you have a food mill, you can slice your apples whole with peel and then run the cooked mixture through the mill, but I find beginning with prepared apples easier.

I filled a heavy bottomed 17 litre stock pot to within 2 inches of the top with the apples and added 2 litres of some soft apple cider from a previous year’s bounty that we keep frozen until needed. You could also simply start with a little water or commercial apple juice. I put the pot on low on the cooktop and began to let it cook. The fruit broke down into an applesauce quite quickly.  Gravensteins do break down easily but if you have an apple that doesn’t, you can easily break it down with an immersion blender or with a food mill.

I added spices to taste: my choices were cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and some ground ginger.  For my first batch, I used whole spices tied up in cheese cloth and then supplemented with ground spices.  For the second batch, I went straight to the ground spices. Remember that the apples are going to be reduced by at least half, so the spices you add will concentrate.  You can always add more spices later in the process if you find that you would like more.

As the fruit cooked down, I tasted it for sweetness and added brown sugar to my taste. Again, it is important to remember that the apples will reduce, so be careful not to over sweeten.

When my mixture had reduced by about half, I put it into two uncovered dutch ovens which I placed in a 250 degree F oven.  I continued to cook down the mixture, but in the oven it only needed to be stirred hourly.

The apple butter is done when it is very thick. You can almost slice the mixture and it will retain the “cut”.  By the time it reaches this consistency it is a lovely rich reddish brown colour.

I poured the hot mixture into hot canning jars, filling them to within a quarter inch of the top. I then quickly placed the lids on top.  All of the jars sealed without the need for an additional canning process.

My son loves this on pancakes, but I use it liberally on anything and everything that lends itself well to jam.

Spiced Apple Butter - A Pat & A Pinch

zucchinicarmama2 Comments

Ginger-Orange Marinated Carrots with Miso Vinaigrette

This recipe is from My New Roots and was a fun was to use our beautiful rainbow carrots that I found at the local market. Everyone enjoyed these including, and perhaps especially, the adorable 1-year old that lives just across from us.  While this made a surplus of dressing, my mother pointed out that it would be nice on a good piece of halibut as well, something to try another day perhaps.  The recipe is very easy to throw together and I hope you enjoy it as much as we all did!

Ginger Orange Marinated Carrots with Miso Vinaigrette - A Pat & A Pinch

Ginger Orange Marinade
Serves 3-4
zest of 2 oranges
juice of 1 orange
2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp. maple syrup
1 tbsp. coconut oil melted
1 tbsp. sesame seeds
pinch sea salt
Directions:
Whisk all marinade ingredients together.

Mellow Miso Dressing
Makes ½ cup dressing
Ingredients:
¼ cup light miso
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp. brown rice vinegar ( or apple cider vinegar which I used)
1 tsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. water
½ tsp. tamari (or high-quality soy sauce – I used Bragg’s as I wanted to keep this gluten free)
Directions:
1. Whisk all ingredients together. Store leftovers in a glass jar in the fridge for up to a week.

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Prep carrots by removing the tops (if they have them), and giving them a good scrub to remove any dirt (don’t peel them) . Cut into quarters lengthwise if the carrots are large. Place carrots in the bowl with the marinade and toss to coat. Pour carrots and marinade out onto a baking sheet, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and place into preheated oven. Roast for 15 minutes or so, just until the raw edge is taken off. Keep a close eye on them – do not overcook.

While the carrots are roasting, make the Miso Dressing. Remove carrots from oven, plate them, drizzling with the dressing.

Ginger Orange Marinated Carrots with Miso Vinaigrette - A Pat & A Pinch

zucchinicarmamaLeave a comment

Soy Sauce Marinated Cucumber Salad

This dish was my favourite way of eating veggies as a picky little girl.  It’s simple, quick to prepare, and a tasty side to anything you toss on the BBQ.

2 tbsp soy sauce

1.5 tsp white sugar

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1 english long cucumber halved, and seeded and thinly sliced (about 1 mm)

sesame seeds

Place the slices of cucumber in a dish or bowl.  Mix together the soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar and pour over.  Use a fork to gently ensure that the cucumber slices are coated and refrigerate for 3 hours, occasionally re-coated slices in their marinade as the ones near the bottom will absorb the most. Serve cold as a side garnished with sesame seeds.

Preparation time: approx. 15 minutes (if you are a slow cutter like me)

Note: you can replace the white sugar with brown if you need to and although I haven’t tried it myself, I imagine this would work with Tamari or Bragg’s for a gluten free version.

zucchinicarmamaLeave a comment