Spaghetti Squash with Crispy Sage & Garlic

Greetings! I know it’s been a
while since the last post. To be honest, my creativity took a brief leave of
absence. I also became fixated on creating the perfect homemade vegan ice
cream, that also stores well. That sort of consumed me for a few weeks. No
ice cream recipe to post yet, and now it is becoming irrelevant, as summer is
going away. So, on to one of my favorite subjects: Quality kitchen time
during the fall season. Let’s kick it off with a very simple, and
surprisingly filling dish using just five key ingredients. Fresh sage, garlic
and winter squashes are good friends in my book. This recipe sort of takes
the traditional squash ravioli with sage, and sort of deconstructs it and
puts a yummy vegan spin on it. Don’t be afraid to ramp up the garlic and the
sage. Enjoy! Read More


Brussels Sprouts with Hempseed & Lemon Zest

Brussels sprouts, you either
love them, or you hate them. I have both prepared, and eaten Brussels sprouts
many different ways: steamed, sautéed, braised in oatmeal stout, grated raw
in salads; some preparations good, some not so good. So who knew that the
quick and easy, clean and vegan preparation would turn out to be so
delightful? Well, not me, but now I am sold. This dish provides the
devout vegan with essential B12 from the nooch, essential fats, and a
complete amino acid protein profile from the hempseed. But don’t let the word
“vegan” put you off. This is absolutely delicious, light, and
satiating and can be enjoyed on just about any diet or lack
thereof.

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Stuffed Chard with Fennel & Spring Onions

It
seems like chard just wants to be a regular part of my life. It is all over
the Farmers Market, and manages to find its way into the  occasional box
of Farm
Fresh to You
that comes to my house. I have been getting nice, big
leaves in bunches, which makes me want to do one thing– see what I can roll
those big leaves around. Here is a straightforward idea for stuffed chard
that doesn’t require anything more than your basic staple vegetables and some
tomato sauce. And the cooking time shouldn’t be too long
either.

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Oil Free Red Lentil Pasta Salad T.B.G.A.

I am enjoying the new red lentil
pasta varieties that have been popping up at the store. If you are going to
have pasta, these are a good way to go, with just lentils, quinoa and water
as ingredients, and packed with protein and other nutrients.

This recipe is a cold salad twist on linguine with tomato,
basil & garlic. And it takes the nutrition density even a step
further by eliminating the refined oil and instead getting it from whole
foods like avocado. You can add other veggies to the asparagus or eliminate
the asparagus for a more traditional version of a tomato, basil, garlic
“TBG” pasta salad.

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Heirloom Potato & Kale Latkes

I just whipped these up for
brunch and decided they were share-worthy. The red, purple, and fingerling
potatoes are a little healthier than the traditional russet potatoes. This is
totally vegan but you can use real eggs instead of chia eggs, or even serve a
couple poached eggs on top. To be honest, I was longing for a coupe duck eggs
that I sometimes get from a local urban farmer. Having said that, I love the
gooey texture in the middle that can only be a result of the chia seeds and
the consistency of the heirloom potatoes doing a little happy dance. Enjoy
these with some homemade ketchup or smoked trout. Yum!

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Vegan Red Kuri Squash Pancakes

I took about a month off from
the Whole Dish to work on some new year projects and get focused on 2018.
And, to be honest, I really wanted to take some time to play around with
aquafaba
in the kitchen. And these red kuri squash pancakes are a pretty good start! I
think the gluten-free flour makes them a tad chewy and dense, but I thought
they came out delicious, especially with a little coconut butter or ghee
melted over the top. They are delicious without much of anything added! You
can go the sweeter breakfast or brunch route and add some maple syrup, fresh
fruit, or dark chocolate almond butter (as pictured); or enjoy them as a
savory appetizer, lunch or hors d’oeuvre with bruschetta salsa, avocado,
guacamole, or some kind of tapenade. Aquafaba is basically the liquid
byproduct of cooked beans, and a newly emerging vegan ingredient craze. To
test the hype, I used some liquid directly from a can of garbanzo beans, and
it worked delightfully well! These unique pancakes are best enjoyed right off
the griddle! Read More


Riced Cauliflower Salad with Tomato, Basil & Garlic

I’m having a
“mini-series” of riced cauliflower in my kitchen! Riced cauliflower
is great as a raw salad, because cauliflower florets are already slightly
tender and porous to start with, so, when mixed with other salad ingredients
it makes a great base! So, a while, back, I tried using it as you would pasta
in a classic “TBG” (tomato, basil, garlic) salad, and the results
were delicious.

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“Creamy” Teff Polenta with Roasted Vegetables

If blizzards have you down I
have just the remedy. I love that all I have to do is think, “hmmm I
wish I could find something to make polenta out of besides cornmeal,”
and then teff shows up, like it was lurking around the corner. A grain
definitely isn’t just a grain when it comes to Teff. Is Teff Polenta the
New…Polenta? An “ancient grain,” teff has been used in Ethiopian
cooking for many years and is just starting to get some traction in modern
western kitchens. More people are noticing teff probably because it is a
powerhouse of nutrition and is also gluten free. And, it makes awesome,
creamy polenta…tah-da! You can enjoy it in its creamy state right out of
the pot, or let it set, cut it into shapes, and grill or pan fry. Basically
use it anyway you would the more ubiquitous cornmeal polenta. For this
recipe, I have created a sort of comfort bowl of creamy teff with roasted
vegetables. This recipe is vegan, but you can substitute cheese and cream
where noted for a dairy vegetarian version.

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Black Bean Rotini Salad

I thought I would squeeze in a
4th of July recipe this morning! Here is a gluten free pasta salad that
is packed with summertime garden goodness, contains all the comfort and zesty
flavors of the holiday, but won’t leave your body starving for awesome
nutrition. I named it “L.A. Summer” because it contains all the
stuff that you might find growing in one of L.A.’s back yards or urban farms,
like nopales, cucumber, tomatoes, and peppers, and it has some hints of
Mexico and the Southwest in it’s flavor profile, two prominent cuisines in
the area. Enjoy, and happy Independence Day!
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“Basic” Quinoa & Black Bean Burgers

I am not a burger purist.
The more different kinds of burgers the world can invent the better!
This  point of view comes in particularly handy when it comes to
creating healthier, maybe even meatless, burger recipes. Having said this, no
matter what, a burger should pass some basic requirements in order to be
considered feasible- not that I am some burger expert, but let’s just be
practical about it! First and foremost, the burger must hold together in a
two-bun sandwich or lettuce wrap scenario. If it crumbles, it isn’t exactly a
burger. Next, the burger should satiate. You want to feel full and happy and
be nourished after you have eaten one. And third, it should be
quick and easy to make. If you have to run to seven specialty food stores and
spend two hours in the kitchen before you even get to the part where you make
it into patties, well, it kind of loses its “burger experience,” in
my opinion. Here is a super easy quinoa and black bean burger that holds up to
the basics and tastes great! Enjoy this between any kind of bread or bun, or
make a falafel patty and enjoy with flatbread or a lettuce wrap. Seriously,
the total active prep time for this is less than 30 minutes!
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