Avocado-Mandarin Lettuce Wraps with Mediterranean Mushroom Salsa

Rolled Romaine Avocado-Mandarin Wraps

Crunchy romaine lettuce leaves make perfect fresh wraps.  These tasty rolls are stuffed with buttery avocado, succulent Mandarin orange pieces, and zesty Chinese mustard sprouts.  Served with a warm and spicy salsa of grilled mushrooms, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes in a Mediterranean-inspired dressing, the wraps are a filling, fun way to roll up your salad to enjoy with mixed vegetables.

 Lettuce wraps:
You'll need:  Romaine lettuce leaves, avocado, mandarin orange, chinese mustard sprouts, lemon juice, olive oil, agave syrup, minced basil, cracked black pepper, salt.

Mediterranean Mushroom Salsa:
You'll need:  mushrooms, zucchini, tomato, sprouted sunflower seeds, dried thyme, oregano, summer savory, pinch sage, cayenne, olive oil, lemon juice

 Here's How to Do It

The Wraps:  Break the core from the bottom of the romaine lettuce, separate leaves.  Cut bottom 1/5 from each leaf to remove the thick stem.  Wash and dry the leaves, and spritz with lemon juice, and a light sprinkling of salt, if desired. Roll each leaf up, gently cracking the center rib with your fingers as you roll. Let leaves uncurl, and set aside.

In a large bowl, 2 T whisk olive oil, 1 T lemon juice, 1 t agave syrup, and 1 T minced basil together. Add 1/4 C sprouted sunflower seeds.  Peel and dice mandarin orange into small pieces.  Add to marinade. Skin, seed and cut avocado lengthwise into long slices.  Carefully add to bowl and coat with marinade. 

Zucchini and Mandarin Orange Compliment One Another

The Salsa:  In a small bowl, whisk 2 T olive oil, 1 t lemon juice, with 2 t of mixed dried thyme, oregano, summer savory; add a pinch of sage and cayenne pepper to taste. Rinse and pat dry mushroom, slice and add to marinade.  Mix well to coat each piece with oil and herbs, and allow flavors to blend together in marinade for 20+ minutes.

Herbed Mushrooms Ready for the Grill

 Grill until mushrooms are soft and juicy, then add cubed zucchini and cheery cherry tomatoes, halved, and grill for a few minutes more. Put salsa in a serving dish, and lightly sprinkle with salt and cracked black pepper.

Mediterranean Mushroom Salsa with Sunflower Seeds

To Assemble:  Place a lettuce leaf flat, and line slices of avocado and pieces of orange along the wider top part of the leaf. 

Wraps roll up easily along 'pre-cracked' center rib

Cover vegetables with a generous pinch of chinese mustard sprouts, and roll from top down. Place on platter with rolled edge to the bottom. Garnish with a slice of avocado, a few sprouts and some mandarin orange.

Wrapped Up and Ready to Serve

To Serve:  Grab a wrap, smother it with salsa, and enjoy. 

Lettuce Wrap with Mediterranean Mushroom Salsa

                

 

Curried Spinach-Red Pepper Stuffed Twice-Baked Potatoes

 Curried twice-baked potatoes make an interesting finger food. They are guaranteed to 'amuse the mouth' of anyone sampling them from a holiday snack tray.  The potatoes are baked until the inside is soft, and the lightly-salted skins are crispy. The potatoes are cut, and scooped out, and the center mixed with curry spices, spinach, sweet and hot red pepper, and ginger. The potatoes are stuffed, and baked again.

You'll need: baby potatoes, olive oil, spinach, sweet red pepper, hot red pepper, garlic, parsley, basil, lemon juice, black sesame seeds, curry powder, Italian-blend dried herbs, coconut butter, black pepper, salt

The Potatoes:  Scrub the potatoes, and dry them in a dish towel.  Rub skins with olive oil and lightly salt.  Bake in moderate oven until centers are soft. Allow to cool slightly.  Cut n half, and scoop potato into bowl.  Set skins aside.

The Vegetables:  Cut the spinach into small pieces; dice sweet and hot red pepper.  Finely chop garlic clove.  Mince parsley.
The Stuffing:  To the bowl of scooped potato, add 1 T coconut butter, 2 t curry powder,  1 t lemon juice, 1 t dried Italian herbs (thyme, oregano, savory) 1 t chopped fresh basil,   Blend well, and then stir in all vegetables except the parsley.

To Assemble: Using a small spoon, stuff each potato skin with filling. Place minced parsley on a small plate, and 'dip' each potato half, stuffing-side down, into herb.
Put potatoes on a baking tray, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with black sesame seeds.  Bake in a moderate oven until heated through.  Serve warm.

Saturday Stuffed Mushrooms

Baby Portobello Mushrooms

Mmmmm Mushrooms...

there's nothing tastier than a well-seasoned, well-stuffed, and well-baked mushroom cap. A delightful appetizer, or an exciting Saturday afternoon snack, these marinaded mushrooms are simple to make for an informal family gathering, yet elegant enough for holiday entertaining.

A friend dropped in for an afternoon visit, and these lovely, juicy mushroom-stuffed mushroom caps had definite snack appeal.  They were served warm alongside squares of lightly toasted and buttered dark bread, caramelized whole roasted cloves of garlic, and small stuffed savory baked potatoes.

You'll need:  Baby portobello mushrooms, small zucchini, sunflower seeds, garlic, cayenne pepper, thyme, oregano, summer savory, sage, olive oil, lemon juice,coconut butter, agave or maple syrup, tamari or soy sauce, salt

The Marinade:  Whisk 1/4 C olive oil with 1/2 t agave syrup and the juice of a fresh lemon.  Add 1 each of dried thyme, oregano, summer savory, a pinch of sage, cayenne pepper to taste, and a light sprinkle of salt.  Mix well.


The Mushrooms:  Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth, and separate stems from caps.  Place caps and stems in marinade for at least 1 hour.

Mushrooms in Italian-Blend Herb Marinade

The Stuffing:  Remove the stems from the marinade, and chop into small pieces. Mince 1 clove garlic. Dice the zucchini, and lightly chop sunflower seeds.  Mix all ingredients together with 1 T coconut butter and 1 t tamari. Using a small spoon, scoop generous amounts of filling into each mushroom cap. 

Place generous scoops of stuffing in marinaded caps

To Bake:

Baby Portobello Caps Stuffed and Ready for Baking

Drizzle each cap with a bit of olive oil, or any marinade which has not been soaked up by mushrooms.  Place on a baking sheet, and put in a moderate oven for 10 - 12 minutes or until done.

Gorgeous garlic ready to be caramelized in the convection oven

The Garlic: Separate garlic bulb into individual cloves. Remove excess papery skin but do not peel. Place on in a hot oven until garlic softens and caramelized a golden brown.

Stuffed Baby Portobello Mushroom and Curried Baked Potatoes

 
To Serve:  Place caramelized roasted garlic in a heap in the center of a serving plate. Place stuffed mushroom caps on the platter with wedges or squares of lightly toasted dark bread, spread with a little coconut butter. 

To Eat:  Squeeze soft roasted garlic out of skin and on to bread, top with a stuffed mushroom cap.  These appetizers can be eaten with a small plate, knife and fork, or for the more adventurous, popped into the mouth as a delicious finger food.  Be careful, they are very juicy, and highly addictive.

Black Sesame Seed & Brown Rice Salad with Three Variations

Black Sesame Seed Brown Rice & Avocado Salad

Black Sesame Seed Brown Rice & Broccoli Salad

Black Sesame Seed Brown Rice Festive Salad

This versatile brown rice-based salad can be made in large amounts, dividing the mixture into portions to make different dishes. The easy-to-make salad variations build one on the other, but are significantly unalike in texture and flavor.  All are equally tasty, and can be served together as buffet selections at a potluck dinner or party.  By making the basic salad in quantity it's possible to quickly prepare these recipes during the busy holiday season.

1. Black Sesame Seed Brown Rice & Avocado Salad: 

Enjoy the smooth brown rice and avocado dish with a sandwich for a light lunch. 

Black Sesame Seed & Broccoli Variation

 2. Black Sesame Seed Brown Rice & Broccoli Salad:  

Black Sesame seed & brown rice salad base mixed with still-crunchy lightly steamed broccoli and zesty arugula sprouts makes a tasty accompaniment to dinner.

Festive Variation

3. Black Sesame Seed Brown Rice Festive Salad:

Adding crisp and flavorful red pepper, red cabbage, and red apple, the dish is delightful to serve with an more elaborate meal. 

Here's How To Do It

The Rice Salad:
You'll need:  brown rice, avocado, arugula sprouts, olive oil, lemon juice, summer savory, cayenne pepper powder, salt.
The Dressing:  In a serving bowl, whisk 2 T olive oil and 1 T fresh lemon juice together with 2 t dried summer savory, cayenne pepper powder to taste, and a few grains of salt.

The Salad Base:  Add 2 C of cooked and cooled brown rice to dressing.  Sprinkle with 1/4 C of black sesame seeds, and toss to coat well.   Divide salad into 3 portions.

Variation 1: Black Sesame Seed Brown Rice & Avocado Salad:
You'll need: 1 - 2 avocados, lemon juice, 1 t dried oregano, arugula sprouts

 The Avocado:  Peel and cube 1-2 avocados, spritz with lemon juice and gently fold into the rice salad base. Dust with dried oregano and a few grains of Himalayan salt crystals.

Black Sesame Seeds, Brown Rice and Avocado in Lemon-Summer Savory Dressing

To Assemble:  Gently add avocado to black sesame seed brown rice salad base, and mix well.  Toss in a generous handful of arugula sprouts.

To Serve: Add a sandwich and an apple for a light lunch, or wrap in romaine lettuce leaves for a crunchy 'fresh roll'.

 Variation 2: Black Sesame Seed Brown Rice & Broccoli Salad:
You'll need: Brown rice salad base, broccoli, avocado, lemon juice, oregano, black pepper, crushed fennel seed, arugula sprouts

The Broccoli: Steam 1 C of broccoli florets,
let cool slightly. Sprinkle with lemon juice, dried oregano, and a generous grinding of freshly cracked black pepper.
The Avocado:  Peel and cube avocado, spritz with lemon juice and dust with crushed fennel seed and a few grains of Himalayan salt crystals.

Adding steamed broccoli

To Assemble:
Gently fold avocado into the rice salad base. Add broccoli and mix well. Toss  1/4 - 1/2 C arugula sprouts in to salad being careful to avoid breaking the avocado pieces.  Marinade for at least 1/2 hour to allow flavor to marry together. 

Nippy Arugula Sprouts add Zest to the Salad

To Serve:  Add this salad dish along with a bowl of hot soup and crusty bread for a light supper, or offer as a side-dish with a more substantial dinner.

Variation 3: Festive Broccoli Salad
You'll need: Rice salad base, 1/2 C cooked broccoli, 1 - 2 red-skinned apples (I use Cortland -- lovely white inside with a nice crisp crunch), red cabbage, red pepper, arugula sprouts, 1 t allspice, 1 t dried thyme, black pepper,  Himalayan salt crystals.

Festive Broccoli Salad

 The Festive Red & Green Bits: Thinly slice red cabbage, finely chop sweet red pepper, and dice apple(s) with skin to make 1 1/2 - 2 C.  Spritz with lemon juice, and add 1 t allspice, and 1 t dried thyme. Steam 1/2 C broccoli florets and allow to cool.  Sprinkle with a little salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
To Assemble:  Toss red vegetables and apple into rice salad base. Mix in cooked broccoli florets. Add 2 T arugula sprouts or sunflower micro-greens, sprinkle lightly with Himalayan salt crystals and serve.  To Serve:  Almost a meal on its own, this festive salad is a lovely addition to a party or a potluck celebration.

Potato, Tomato and Spinach Salad with Cumin-Chipotle Dressing

A warm and filling meal-in-a-bowl, this flavorful salad has just the right amount of crunch from nutrient-rich sunflower and pumpkin seeds.  Its zesty cumin-chipotle dressing spices up the rich mixture of tomato, spinach and potato.  Popeye would have loved it!

Steamed potatoes cooling in their skins

  You'll need:  potatoes, spinach, tomato, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, coconut butter, lemon juice, fresh parsley, coriander powder, cumin powder, chipotle chili powder, Himalayan salt crystals
The Dressing:  Prepare the dressing before steaming the vegetables so that they can be added while warm to integrate the flavors.  In a serving bowl, whisk juice of 1/2 lemon and 1 T coconut butter into 2 T olive oil until emulsified.  Add 2 t powdered cumin, 1 t coriander powder, 1/2 t chipotle chili powder. Mix in 3 T soaked and lightly sprouted pumpkin seeds, and 4 T soaked and lightly sprouted sunflower seeds.
The Vegetables:  Wash and steam potatoes.  Allow to cool slightly, and holding the warm potato with a clean dish towel, dice into cubes. Wash and lightly steam spinach.  Cool slightly and chop into small pieces. Dice 1 - 2 ripe tomatoes. Mince the leaves from several stalks of parsley.

A warm winter salad

To Assemble: Add the potatoes to serving bowl and gently stir to coat with cumin-chipotle dressing.  Carefully, without breaking the potatoes, fold chopped spinach, minced parsley, and diced tomatoes into the salad.  Sprinkle lightly with Himalayan salt crystals.
To Serve: A large serving bowl of this colorful and zesty warm salad makes a wonderful side-dish for a family dinner.  Served with toasted bagels, it becomes a nicely balanced, spicy meal-in-a-bowl.

Ichiki Kuri and Sweet Red Pepper Sushi with Wasabi Dipping Sauce

Sushi makes an incredible addition to any meal, or with a bowl of miso soup, is a meal in itself.  Sushi rolling is a very fine culinary skill which is easier to acquire than it would first appear.  It's a visually evocative, artistic expression of dynamic flavor and variety.  A bamboo rolling mat is nice to have to create neat, tight tubes, but sushi rolls can be successfully made without one. This ichiki kuri squash and sweet red pepper with sunflower microgreens is unusual roll made with short grain brown rice for a nutritional boost.  A wasabi dipping sauce proves to be the perfect fiery condiment.

You'll need:  nori sheets, short grain brown organic rice, agave syrup, tamari sauce, steamed uchiki kuri squash, red pepper, sunflower microgreens, black sesame seeds, wasabi powder

The Rice: Rinse and soak 1/2 C short grain brown organic rice.  Steam until cooked.  In a small bowl, whisk 1 t agave syrup and 1 t tamari together.  Turn rice on to a flat surface, and drizzle with agave-tamari.  Stir well to coat grains, spread out, and fan to cool rapidly.  The rice grains become very shiny and slightly sticky.

  The Squash:  The Uchiki Kuri has a very tough outer shell, so is steamed whole.  When cool, the squash is opened, and seeds and pith removed. Cut a wedge of squash lengthwise, and slice into long thin pieces.
The Pepper:  Wash, cut, seed and core the pepper, and slice it lengthwise into thin strips.

Agave-Tamari Brown Rice on Nori Sheet

To Assemble:  Place a nori sheet on the bamboo mat. Spread a layer of prepared rice over bottom third of the sheet.

Ichiki Kuri Squash on Rice & Nori

Place Uchiki Kuri squash horizontally on rice-covered nori.






Lay pieces of red pepper on top of squash, and cover with sunflower microgreen sprouts.  Let the vegetables and greens extend over the outer edges of the nori sheet to create a decorative edge to the end pieces when cut.

 To roll: Fold the bottom end of the nori sheet up and over the squash, pepper, and sprout filling.  Tuck the lower edge under the ingredients and roll a little by hand.
Put the bamboo mat over the roll, and holding mat/roll with one hand, and gently pull upward.with other hand to tighten the roll.  Dip a finger in water and moisten the upper edge of the nori sheet and roll up.  Hold the roll inside the bamboo mat for a few seconds to seal edges together.  


To cut sushi rolls:  Begin in the center with a very sharp knife, cutting to the edges at 1 - 1 1/2 inch intervals.  Hold the roll firmly while slicing. Cut some pieces straight across for slices, and cut some piece on a slight diagonal for a sloped shape.

                                                                                                                                                                                       

Wasabi Dipping Sauce: The pale green color belies its sharp nip

Dipping Sauce:  Mix wasabi powder with water to the desired consistency, stirring well. Allow to thicken for a few moments before serving.

To Serve:  Plate up, standing pieces  with vegetables poking out, up on their end. Sprinkle each piece with black sesame seeds.

       

Mashed Ichiki Kuri Squash with Sunflower Sprouts

The lovely crook-necked vegetable, variously known as Japanese, Orange Hokkaido or Uchiki Kuri squash, has a distinctive teardrop shape.  The hard outer skin is smooth textured, without ridges, and is a beautiful reddish-orange color.  Originally from northern Japan, the Uchiki Kuri is available year round.  A versatile vegetable,  it can be baked, braised, boiled, or steamed, served as a side dish, or dressed up to take the center spotlight in an autumn meal.  Uchiki Kuri also makes a flavorful soup, or base for a sauce.

 

 

Japanese Orange Ichiki Kuri Squash

 Since this squash has an extremely hard skin, it is easiest to steam or bake the squash whole.  After it is cooked, it can easily be cut, and the seeds and center pulp removed.  The  skin can also be pulled off, or the flesh cut or scooped out. This Mashed Ichiki Kuri with Sunflower Sprouts recipe will use 3/4 of the steamed squash.  The remaining quarter will be saved for cutting into thin strips to make Ichiki Kuri Sushi (post of  Nov. 29)

An Easy Mashed Squash Dish

Mashed Ichiki Kuri Squash with Sunflower Sprouts

You'll need: uchiki kuri squash, lemon juice, Himalayan salt crystals, coconut butter, tamari sauce, cayenne pepper, thyme, summer savory, sage, sunflower sprouts, white sesame seeds
The Squash: Wash the shell of the squash, and place it in the steamer until the skin is easily pierced with a fork.  Allow the squash to cool slightly.  Cut in half, lengthwise, and scoop out seeds and pulp.  Cut the squash out of the skin  into large chunks, and spritz with lemon juice and a little Himalayan salt.  Keep warm.
The Dressing: In a bowl combine 2 T coconut butter and 1 t tamari sauce.  Whisk together with 1 t dried thyme, 1 t dried summer savory, 1/2 t cayenne pepper, and a pinch of sage.  Place squash chunks in dressing and mash in thoroughly with the back of a fork.  The dressing will melt and blend into the warm vegetable. Gently stir in 1/2 C sunflower sprouts, and sprinkle with raw white sesame seeds.
To Serve:  Mashed Ichiki Kuri makes a wonderful side dish to an evening meal.  Place on the table with a serving spoon.  It also tastes great, served as an open-faced sandwich on toast.

The Uchiki Kuri squash is known among food fanciers as a mellow squash with a subtle flavor reminiscent of chestnuts...the name "uchiki kuri' translates as "bashful chestnut".  The squash in the photo certainly seems to have a shy and demur look to it.

Heart of Gold Squash with Brown Rice Curry & Easy Pea Dahl

Heart of Gold Squash

Aptly named, the  "Heart of Gold" squash is dark orange inside, a dense-fleshed slightly sweet vegetable.  It makes an excellent accompaniment to an easy meal of brown rice curry with dahl made from tinned pea soup.  Definitely a quick comfort food for cheering the soul in chilly weather.





You'll need: squash, coconut butter, argulula sprouts, lemon juice, black pepper
brown rice, curry powder, dried mixed herbs (thyme, oregano, savory) ginger root, fresh parsley,  tinned "French Canadian" pea (or lentil) soup, small hot red chili pepper, coriander powder, cardamom powder.

The Squash: Wash and lightly scrub the skin of the squash.  Break off any stem, and cut lengthwise into thick wedges.  Remove pulp and seeds but leave the peel intact.  Steam squash until tender. Place the sections on a serving plate, and drizzle coconut butter.  Fill the squash cavity with argulula sprouts, spritz with lemon juice,  and a grind of black pepper.

Brown Rice Curry:  Add 2 T curry powder, 2 t mixed dried herbs, and 1 t finely chopped ginger root to rice before steaming.  When rice is cooked, remove from heat and stir in 1 T coconut butter and 2 T chopped fresh parsley.

Pea Soup Dahl:  Open a tin of your favorite pea or lentil soup.  Add 1 finely chopped hot red chili pepper, 1 t cardamom and coriander powder.  Heat gently.

A Simple Dinner

To Serve:  Place the brown rice curry in a bowl and top with spicy pea dahl. Add a wedge of "Heart of Gold" squash and serve with a fork and spoon.

Squash Rings with Herb & Spiced Grain and Savory Vegetable Sauce

Pale-skinned, mellow yellow-fleshed "Cream of the Crop" acorn squash is sliced into thick rings and steamed to perfection.  A portion of 'herb & spice' teff and millet is scooped into the center holes, and topped with an Italian flavored vegetable sauce.  An excellent side dish.  Served with crusty Italian bread or a simple green salad, it makes a Mediterranean-inspired meal on its own.

Cream of the Crop Acorn Squash

              

          

You'll Need: acorn squash, lemon juice, steamed millet and teff, coconut butter, hot red pepper, oregano, thyme, parsley, kale, golden beets, crushed fennel seed, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, freshly cracked black pepper, Himalayan salt crystals
 The Squash: Wash the squash, lightly scrubbing skin, and cut crosswise into thick slices.  With the edge of a spoon, scoop out pulp, string bits, and seeds.  Steam rings until tender, then lightly spritz with lemon juice, a twist of freshly ground black pepper, and a few grains of Himalayan salt.

Creamy pale rings ready for steaming

The Grain: Steam soaked teff and millet together until very soft and quite dry.  Stir in 2 T coconut butter, 1 minced small hot red pepper, 1/4 C finely chopped parsley, 1 t dried thyme, 1 t oregano, and the 1/2 the soaking water from the sun-dried tomatoes (see below) . 

Steam rising from the cooked grains

The Vegetable Sauce:  Using kitchen scissors, snip 1/4 C of sun-dried tomatoes into bite-size pieces, and soak in fresh water until soft (about 10 minutes).  Wash and steam beets. Slip from skins when slightly cool and chop into small pieces.  In a  steamer-safe bowl, add 1 T coconut oil, minced garlic, drained tomato pieces, and kale leaves sliced into medium-length strips. Place in steamer, and cook until kale is just wilted.  Add the rest of the tomato soaking water, chopped beets and 1/2 t lightly crushed fennel seeds, and steam for a few minutes more.  Just before serving, stir in 1 T chopped fresh basil and a little salt.

Rings filled with grain and topped with vegetable sauce

To Assemble:  Arrange squash rings on a serving platter.  Using an ice cream scoop, place rounds of the herb & spice grain mixture in center of rings.  Top with generous amount of Italian kale, tomato, and golden beet sauce.  Sprinkle with fresh basil and parsley. Enjoy with crusty bread, or a mixed green salad.