Spinach Persimmon Salad with Chickpea Miso Dressing

1 Comment

I am such a lucky guy, because
my neighbor gave me a nice bag of Fuyu persimmons! And I picked up a
container of chickpea miso, all in the same week. I saw this as a cosmic
directive to whip up this Spinach Persimmon Salad; a Japanese-inspired salad
that will blend well with the traditional holiday table. Unlike their
counterpart, the Hachiya persimmon, the Fuyu can be enjoyed in various stages
of ripeness, making them a great addition to your holiday salad! You can
easily tell them apart because Fuyus are shaped more like a tomato, while
Hachiya persimmons are acorn–shaped. If you try to eat a Hachiya before it
gets completely soft, you will be left with a mouthful of astringent icky.
This recipe uses firm, crunchy-yet ripe Fuyu persimmons as the star
ingredient. Read More

Fig & Shiitake Bacon Bites

Leave a comment

Here is a fun and extremely easy
variation on the bacon-wrapped fig. Actually, I wanted to see if I could
wrap a fig in a shiitake bacon, but the bacon pieces aren’t quite big or
flexible enough. Next time I will try making a portobello bacon. In the
meantime, this is what I ended up with, and to my delight, it came out
very tasty. Try this as a snack, or a vegan and Paleo-friendly summer hors
d’oeuvre, if you go with the vegan cheese, or I would imagine that
goat cheese would be equally amazing. You can google shiitake bacon
recipes and experiment, or just use the one I came up with here. Making
shiitake bacon is much easier than it sounds if you use this quick
method.

Read More

Linguine with Cashew Cheese Sauce, Sage, Butternut Squash & Peas

1 Comment

This month my kid got married,
and we got our first real feeling of autumn outside. My
son’s wedding plays a part in today’s post. I decided to prepare the food for
the wedding, and give it a personalized touch for the special occasion. The
bride and groom wanted a vegan menu, with vegan macaroni and cheese being
their favorite. The cashew cheese sauce for the mac and cheese came out so
yummy I have been thinking about it all week.

Then, it dawned on me that this sauce with a couple modifications
could make a great autumn pasta with butternut squash, sage and peas. And,
that’s how my first post of autumn came about! This sauce is easy to make,
packed with plant based protein and healthy fats. The crispy sage garnish
makes a nice garnish and crunchy finish to this comforting, cool weather
dish.

Read More

Green Beans with Lemon, Tarragon & Chia Seeds

Leave a comment

This green beans with lemon
recipe is another one of those super simple, “too tasty and easy to be
true” dishes for an easy lunch or dinner side dish. Sometimes
demonstrating that you can grab one vegetable from your garden or the Farmers
Market, and easily turn it into a fairly complete meal or tide-over, is the
best way I can use my blog space! The chia seeds provide extra complete
protein and healthy fats to this, making it a decent light meal. And you can
always add more chia seeds to suit your own nutritional preference and taste.
So enjoy this one and let me know in the comments all the different ways you
did! I used some rattlesnake
beans from my garden for this recipe.

Read More

Stuffed Ronde De Nice Squash with Tuscan Kale & Cannellini Bean Salad

5 Comments

Each year I like to try a
different kind of squash in the food garden. And I am extremely pleased that
ronde de nice squash made its way onto my list this year! It has the
consistency of a summer squash like zucchini, yet it is hearty, with a soft
center and tender seeds that can be eaten, similar to a winter squash. And
it’s spherical shape lends itself to awesome stuffing potential! So it’s
extremely versatile. This healthy vegan recipe for stuffed ronde de nice
squash is a great summertime meal, as a warm-ish dinner entree or cold salad,
or even at brunch. Read More

Chia Infused Zucchini Black Bean Burgers

Leave a comment

Whenever I encourage my clients
to eat more plant based foods, the most popular response is, “but what
about the protein?” That’s where awesomely magical ingredients like chia
seeds come in handy. Nature’s miraculous formula of essential fatty acids,
protein, and fiber give chia seeds the unique ability to act like a binder
similar to an egg, helping to hold these burgers together, while also provide
a complete protein, in addition to the protein found in the beans and the
zucchini. When a plant provides a complete protein, it means it delivers all
the essential amino acids that your body can’t produce and therefore need to
be consumed in meals. So, whip up a batch of these babies and take them on
your next summer picnic! Read More

Spaghetti with Calabrese Broccoli, Green Garlic & Nasturtium Blossoms

Leave a comment

We all know broccoli is good for
us. But one has to admit that the same “commercial” broccoli that
we are relentlessly exposed to can get a little tiring. That is why I always
get a little excited whenever I see less ubiquitous varieties of broccoli at
the market. The particular calabrese in this recipe was small and tender,
making it a great, quickly seared pasta stir fry. In retrospect, I wish I had
taken a photo of it at the market, but the finished dish gives you a good
sense of the anatomy of this broccoli. The green garlic adds a spring
time garlic kick, and the nasturtium adds a slight peppery essence, for an
uncomplicated, light springtime meal. By the way, if you are wondering where
to find nasturtiums, they grow like crazy everywhere, so just tap into your
“inner hunter-gatherer” and you should be okay. You might even have
some growing in your own yard! Read More

Vegan Hazelnut Pesto with Mango & Avocado Slices

Leave a comment

Basil, basil, and more basil!
When a basil plant decides to take hold it really pumps it out. So, I
schedule a few minutes each day to go out and cut the flowering basil tops,
to keep the plant going all summer long. Which winds me up with a lot of
extra basil hanging around the kitchen. Here is a great
sweet-meets-savory idea for a lazy afternoon salad, with vegan hazelnut pesto
as the star of the show. You can also do a non vegan version of this by using
parmesan or another hard aged cheese in place of the nutritional yeast.
Enjoy! Read More

Riced Cauliflower with Porcini Mushrooms, Fennel & Peas

Leave a comment

I know you are probably thinking
that I post too many things with mushrooms, and you are right! But when I
glanced at my bag of dried porcini mushrooms the other day, I couldn’t help
thinking how great they would be as a rich, flavorful foundation for riced
cauliflower! This recipe for riced cauliflower with porcini mushrooms, fennel
& peas makes a nice springtime side dish or vegan entree. Porcini
mushrooms have a natural, rich, gamey flavor and the higher quality ones give
off a roux when cooked, that naturally adds some thickness to the dish.
Read More