Here’s a tasty twist on tradition for your Thanksgiving table: a spicy slaw made from Brussels sprouts inspired by an almost comical-looking stalk of this misunderstood vegetable at the farmer’s market. The spicy notes are courtesy of a hint of jalapeno and a light and lively vinaigrette made from the favorite fall flavor of maple kicked up with mustard and given depth with the incorporation of savory-sweet allspice. It’s also delicious with my “Pulled” Spaghetti Squash BBQ.
Yield 4-6 servings
2 cups whole Brussels sprouts, trimmed
1/2 cup red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 to 2 medium or hot small peppers (about 2.5 to 3 inches), seeds and membrane removed, and very finely chopped (I would add one, taste, and add part or all of another if desired)
Thinly slice Brussels sprouts using the slicer blade of a food processor if available. Place in a medium bowl and add remaining slaw ingredients. Toss lightly with a fork to combine. Pour vinaigrette over the slaw mixture and toss again with a fork to distribute the dressing evenly. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It is best if the flavors are allowed to marry for 2 or more hours before serving.
Maple-Mustard-Allspice Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon hazelnut or walnut oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice or to taste
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch sea salt
In a small bowl or cup, whisk together all ingredients until well combined.
What does one do when Alisa Fleming, founder of GoDairyFree, asks if you have a recipe for Halloween to share with readers of her website? You get busy!
I have created quite a few recipes for pumpkin dishes, which are here on my blog and in my new cookbook. But I really didn’t have anything fun, different and delicious in traditional Halloween colors.
My first attempt was a bust. Those dry and flavorless bad boys–and I do mean bad–ended up out in the woods on our property! But after some brainstorming, it occurred to me that I could use super flavorful salsa for both flavor and moisture and that did the trick–yum!
Sound odd? Well, this recipe is a little out of the ordinary, but Alisa and I think the cupcakes are so good it’s “scary” (sorry, I couldn’t resist the corny Halloween reference.) She writes:
“I’m very excited for the recipe feature we have today from the talented cookbook author, Betsy DiJulio. Betsy’s creativity is second only to her ability to create appealing, healthy, comfort food recipes. She never fails to surprise with unique ideas, but they are always very doable and delicious. Today’s recipe is certainly no exception. It pairs simple everyday dinner ingredients with an unexpected format, cupcakes! Since they are savory, and made without any sugar, Betsy uses salsa to add extra moisture and flavor …”
Just follow this link for the simple recipe. And Happy Halloween!
This time of year, Stoney’s, the farm market I frequent, is a sea of pumpkins in a rainbow of fall colors, each one more appealing than the next. And their wondrous shapes, some of them fanciful and even comical, give each its own personality.
As far as cooking them goes, they are often too big for any knife I own to cut through them, and here in the burbs, wooded though they may be, we don’t own a hatchet. So, imagine my delight when I was told they had fresh raw pumpkin wedges–already seeded!–in their cooler. It as that pumpkin that inspired this dish, but use whatever edible pumpkin your local purveyor recommends.
And, as for the pesto, I am always looking for ways to infuse my diet with additional leafy greens. I’d never tried eating kale raw, but it is absolutely delicious when minced super-fine, as it is in this pesto.
Yield: 4 servings as a side dish
3 pounds of fresh, seeded and skinned pumpkin flesh cut into approximately 1 x 2-inch hunks
1 tablespoon olive oil (or a combination of olive oil and walnut oil)
Sea salt to taste
Vegan Kale, Walnut, and Rosemary Pesto (recipe follows)
Garnish: sprigs of fresh rosemary and/or walnuts, chopped or halved
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pour oil into a large metal roasting pan, add pumpkin, sprinkle with salt, and toss to coat, making sure that the bottom of the pan is coated with oil. Roast pumpkin for 15-20 minutes, checking at 15, on one side, flip each piece and repeat. Use a spatula to loosen pumpkin from pan at about the 10-minute mark if necessary. Pumpkin should be lightly caramelized on two sides. Add a little bit more oil if pumpkin appears to be sticking, but avoid too much, as the pumpkin will steam instead of roasting. Serve pumpkin dolloped or drizzled with Vegan Kale, Walnut, and Rosemary Pesto, and garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs and/or walnuts.
Vegan Kale, Walnut, and Rosemary Pesto:
1 cup fairly firmly packed torn kale leaves, thick or tough stems removed
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 large garlic clove
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
Juice and zest of 1/2 of a medium lemon
1 to 2 teaspoons maple syrup
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 /2 cup or more olive oil (up to about 3/4 cup or so)
Place kale in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until very finely chopped. Add remaining ingredients, except olive oil, and pulse until kale is minced and walnuts are very finely chopped. With motor running, drizzle in olive oil until desired consistency is reached. Adjust seasoning, citrus and sweetness if necessary. The pesto is equally good whether dolloped or drizzled over pumpkin hunks. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
They’re so beautiful…who knew you could eat them?!
I have always thought that Turks Turban Squash–called Mexican Hat Pumpkins by some–were strictly decorative. Their charming form covered by skin that is truly a fiesta–or Turkish bazaar–of color and pattern has always made me smile.
Imagine my smile when someone at my farm market told me on Friday that they are not only edible but really scrumptious. An elderly customer had just been in touting the benefits of roasting these beauties. Convinced, I chose a smallish one just in case things didn’t go so well and drove home wondering if I had a knife sharp enough to cut through it.
Turns out that I would have needed a hatchet to hack through it’s tough exterior and an interior that wasn’t much softer. So, I managed to cut off and discard its top knot which housed mostly seeds and pulp, pierced the body it a few times, and then roasted it at 450 for 30 minutes. After I let it cool just enough to handle, I cut the base into about 2 x 2-inch chunks and easily removed the skin with a paring knife.
Then I roasted it again in a little olive oil and sea salt for 20 minutes, turning after 10. Wow…what a beautiful golden crust developed! And finally, I dressed it with a tiny bit more olive oil mixed with a drizzle of walnut oil and balsamic vinegar.
It is delicious like that–with a flavor and texture that is a cross between a pumpkin and a potato. But I can ‘t leave well enough alone, and you’ll be glad I didn’t…
I guess because of the name Mexican Hat, I started thinking of Pepitas and wondering if I could make a pesto with them. And because I love butternut squash ravioli (vegan) with sage butter–and because I just generally love sage in the fall–I decided to add a bit of it from our garden. As I developed the pesto, I ended up adding a pinch of nutmeg–which I love in the aforementioned ravioli–and a bit of chipotle chili powder as a nod in the direction of Mexico.
Thinking the mixture needed a hint of sweetness, I added a dribble of maple syrup, and then thinking it needed a pop of bright acidity, I folded in a squeeze of lime juice. And I made sure to add exactly the right amount of olive oil to yield a pesto that would drizzle and not just dab.
I am completely excited to share with you the results that will be on my fall table from now on.
1 Turks Turban squash about 8 inches in diameter, top knot removed and discarded
2 scant tablespoons olive oil, divided in half
1 teaspoon walnut oil (or more olive oil)
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Sea salt to taste
Pepita and Sage Pesto (recipe follows)
Optional garnish: a few roasted and salted Pepitas and sprigs of fresh sage
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Oil a metal roasting pan with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Pierce the squash all over with a sharp knife, place it in the pan, and roast it, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the squash to sit until cool enough to handle. Then remove and discard the seeds and pulp and cut the squash into chunks, approximately 2 x 2-inches in diameter or just slightly larger. Remove the skin with a paring knife and discard.
Return the oven to 450 degrees if you turned it off, and place the squash chunks into the roasting pan. Drizzle them with the remaining 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and toss to coat. Roast for 10 minutes, turn each chunk, and roast for another 10 minutes or until a beautiful golden crust develops where the squash has been in contact with the pan and the flesh is tender, but not mushy. When the squash is tender and golden, remove the pan from the oven, sprinkle the squash with walnut oil and balsamic vinegar, toss very gently, and then remove the squash to a serving platter. Drizzle the golden chunks with Pesto, garnish with Pepitas and/or fresh sage sprigs, and serve immediately, passing a small bowl of any remaining pesto.
While squash roasts, make Pesto.
Vegan Pepita and Sage Pesto:
1/2 cup roasted and lightly salted Pepitas (I buy Trader Joe’s brand)
1 medium clove of garlic, peeled
8 fresh sage leaves
1/8 teaspoon of ground nutmeg (freshly grated is especially nice)
1/8 teaspoon of chipotle chile powder
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon maple syrup
juice of 1/2 of a small lime
Sea salt to taste (I like a “goodly” amount in this)
Place Pepitas, garlic, sage, nutmeg and chili powder in the bowl of a food processor. Process until a coarse paste forms. With the motor running, add olive oil in a steady stream until the mixture is pulpy-smooth. Turn off the motor. Add maple syrup, lime, and salt to taste, and pulse just two or three times to combine. Adjust seasoning if desired, and use immediately or store, covered, in the refrigerator. Allow to come to room temperature or heat slightly before serving.
Even though the weather is (finally!) turning cool, you can put a tropical twist in your fall feasts with my Sweet Potatoes Caribbean. Though this recipe is featured in my new Blooming Platter Cookbook, I was pleased to share it with the good folks at AltDaily.com who are graciously publishing a Blooming Platter recipe to usher in each new season.
Click here for the recipe, as well as the skinny about my next book-signing on October 15 at the wonderful Old Beach Farmer’s Market here in VA Beach. For out-of-towners, you will also find alternative purchase information.
Can you believe it’s almost time to start thinking about holiday gift-giving?!
These fritters are a beautiful brunch dish, appetizer or side dish. Warmly spiced and golden with flecks of bright green, they are the perfect foil for my Vegan Pomegrante-Molasses Syrup and the tiniest dab of vegan sour cream.
Last night I attended an art opening with my close friends, Trish and Ken Pfeiffer. When we returned to their house, I saw their bountiful rosemary bush and lamented that mine had not done well this summer. So Trish snipped me off a big bag full of beautiful piney stems. Once home, I drifted off to sleep thinking about what delectable dish I would make with it. Actually, I went to sleep watching a devastating program about the 9/11 terror attacks, whose 10th anniversary is today, but my dreams were perfumed with rosemary.
I should never walk the dogs on an empty stomach, but I did this morning, fantasizing for two miles about what I would whip up when we got home. With a zucchini in the fridge from my last run to the farm market and North African flavors on my mind from what I’ve been cooking lately, I came up with Zucchini and Chickpea Flour Fritters flavored with some spices that scent the food from that part of the world.
But, when I had lowered my nose into the fragrant bag of rosemary last night, something told me that it would be delicious paired with chipotle peppers in adobo. Not having any, but instead having some chipotle chili powder, I used it and arrived at the non-traditional but subtlely intoxicating spice mixture, that makes these fritters extra special.
For serving, they are delicious topped with my chutney (search “chutney” on this site for some tasty ones), Moroccan Chickpeas and Eggplant, Marrakesh Olive Pesto and believe it or not, plain maple syrup. But if you want to send them right off the charts, by far the most simple, interesting, and addicting is my Pomegranate and Maple Syrup with a tiny dab of vegan sour cream.
Fritters
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
Sea salt to taste
1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
2 cups lightly piled grated zucchini, including the skin (avoid packing zucchini shreds)
Canola oil for frying
Pomegranate-Maple Syrup
Vegan Sour Cream
Rosemary leaves for garnish
Line a platter or plate with paper towel or a brown paper bag. In a medium bowl, whisk together all fritter ingredients, except zucchini and canola oil, until well combined. Avoid over-mixing. Lightly fold in zucchini just until well distributed. In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high, heat a 1/4-inch layer of oil. Drop batter by rounded tablespoons into the oil and cook approximately 3 minutes on one side until golden brown. Gently flip and repeat. Lower the heat if necessary to allow you to cook the fritters for this amount of time, which they will need to be cooked completely through. Note: the fritters may look golden and crispy on the outside, but not cooked completely through, which is why timing them is necessary. Remove the fritters to the prepared platter or plate to drain and then transfer them to serving plates. Serve immediately drizzled with Pomegranate-Maple Syrup and topped with a tiny dollop of vegan sour cream and a couple of rosemary leaves.
Pomegranate-Maple Syrup:
Note: This is not so much a recipe as the most basic of formulas.
1 part Pomegrante Syrup (available in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern markets)
4 parts maple syrup
Whisk together in a small bowl until well combined.
So far, I’ve found nothing that isn’t enhanced by my new summer rave: Romesco Sauce!
Though I’ve cooked for as long as I can remember, Romesco Sauce never appealed…something about breadcrumbs in a sauce. Boy, had I been missing out! But all that changed in July when we enjoyed the last of several of my birthday dinners this year–I like to stretch it out–at the amazing Ubuntuin California’s Napa Valley. This veg restaurant deserves its Michelin stars in 2010 and 2011 and then some!
Their bar snack of chick peas enrobed in a delectable Romesco Sauce created a near obsession. Because the sauce recipe I created made a “gracious plenty,” as they say down South, I found several ways to enjoy it. If golden grape tomatoes are still coming in in your area, be sure to try both my Vegan Golden Grape Tomato Tart with Spinach Pesto and Spicy Romesco Sauce and my Vegan Spicy Chickpeas Romesco a la Ubuntu featuring this delectable sauce. And, definitely, before the last of the summer corn is gone, try this recipe which is less a recipe and more of a “procedure” with plenty of flexibility.
4 ears of fresh corn, husks and silk removed (save 4 thin strips of the husks if you like to tie around the “stem” end of the corn as a decorative touch)
1 generous tablespoon of olive oil
5 tablespoons nutritional yeast, divided (optional but recommended)
pinch sea salt
approximately 1/2 cup Romesco Sauce (click on link for recipe)
optional: 4 Romaine lettuce leaves
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pour olive oil into roasting pan and then roll each ear of corn in the oil, leaving them in the pan. Sprinkle the corn with approximately 2 tablespoon of nutritional yeast, total, and a pinch of salt, turning to coat.
Roast for 20-25 minutes, turning after about 10 minutes, until desired color is achieved; just avoid drying it out. Remove the corn from the oven and, when cool enough to handle, spread each cob with approximately 2 tablespoons of Romesco Sauce and sprinkle with a couple of teaspoons of nutritional yeast. Serve on a lettuce-lined plate if desired. And for a special touch, tie a strip of the reserved husk in a knot or bow around the “stem” end of the cob.
Like so many of my recipes, this one was inspired by a visit to Stoney’s market, my go-to farm market, as it’s the closest to our home, the staff is very friendly and the atmosphere appealing, it’s open every day, and the produce, mostly grown across the street, is beautiful and delicious.
I purchased a bag of shelled Lima beans, but I just couldn’t get excited about eating them whole. So I thought of a puree, but the mild creaminess of the beans would need something to brighten them up in terms of color and flavor. For flavor, lemon zest and a little tarragon did the trick. For color–since red and green are complementary on the artist’s color wheel–a rustic heirloom tomato sauce seemed the perfect pairing. The end result is as pretty as a picture.
Lima Bean Puree:
1 1/4 pounds of shelled fresh beans (not dried), rinsed and drained
2 generous teaspoons powdered veggie base or bouillon cubes
Pinch sea salt
1/3-1/2 cup water in which beans were cooked
1 large clove garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon dried tarragon or 1 tablespoon fresh minced
Zest of 1 large lemon
Freshly ground black pepper
Place beans in a 2-quart saucepan and barely cover with water. Add veggie base and salt. Loosely cover and place over medium-high heat. When simmering, reduce heat to a low simmer and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain beans reserving 1/2 cup liquid (and the remainder for another purpose). In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade process beans with 1/3-1/2 cup reserved liquid, salt, garlic, and olive oil until smooth. Add tarragon and lemon zest and pulse a few times. Check for seasoning and adjust with additional sea salt, if needed, and black pepper. Reheat in the microwave if necessary. Note: After the leftover puree sat in the refrigerator over night, it stiffened considerably. So, I incorporated some of the reserved bean liquid into the puree to restore its creaminess before reheating.
Tomato Sauce Rustica:
You can be very “approximate” with these measurements, as you can’t go wrong!
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium tomatoes (preferably heirloom), cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
Pinch sea salt
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons snipped chives
In a large skillet over medium-high, heat olive oil to shimmering. Add tomatoes, garlic and a pinch of salt and saute, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until tomatoes are softened and garlic begins to turn golden. Reduce heat if necessary. Add wine and simmer 2-3 more minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir in chives and remove from heat. Serve warm over warm Lima bean puree.
I was flattered today when I received a message from the “nava-lous” Nava Atlas of VegKitchen asking if she could print one of my recipes to “beef up” (not!) the grilling section of her website.
The answer was a resounding, “Are you kidding? Of course!” Heck, she doesn’t even need to ask, but it’s always great to hear from her, a fellow artist and foodie.
I loved the recipe she chose and, if you haven’t tried it, I think you will too. You can, of course, find it here on The Blooming Platter, but I encourage you to visit Nava’s site, check out my recipe, and poke around a bit.
Here’s a tasty twist on tradition for your Thanksgiving table: a spicy slaw made from Brussels sprouts inspired by an almost comical-looking stalk of this misunderstood vegetable at the farmer’s market. The spicy notes are courtesy of a hint of jalapeno and a light and lively vinaigrette made from the favorite fall flavor of maple kicked up with mustard and given depth with the incorporation of savory-sweet allspice. It’s also delicious with my “Pulled” Spaghetti Squash BBQ.
For 150+ savory, spicy and sweet seasonal recipes, I invite you to peruse The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes.
