Baba Ganoush, Pear and Quinoa Salad

This smooth salad has the slightly smokey flavor of roasted eggplant in its creamy baba ganoush-based dressing.  Sprouted ivory quinoa, diced ripe pear, pumpkin seeds, and savory kale chips make this treat a high-energy, great tasting side salad or light main dish.

A. Gillert, Photo Baba Ganoush, Pear and Sprouted Ivory Quinoa Salad

 

You'll need: baba ganoush (roasted eggplant dip), olive oil, lemon juice, agave, ginger root, quinoa,  pear, sprouted pumpkin seeds, miso-tamari flavored kale chips
The Dressing:  In a large bowl, combine 1/2 C. baba ganoush, 2 T. olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, 1 tsp. agave syrup and blend well.
The Salad:  To make sprouted quinoa, 1 day before making salad, soak 1 C. ivory quinoa in pure water for 2 hours.  Drain and rinse well.  Place in covered container and allow to sprout overnight in fridge.  Rinse again before using.  Chop pear into bite-size pieces.  Finely dice fresh ginger root to taste.  Cut kale chips into small mouth-friendly square.  Add pear, ginger, quinoa, and sprouted pumpkin seeds (use same procedure as quinoa to sprout) to dressing and blend well to coat everything with the eggplant mixture.  Gently fold in kale chips.
To Serve: Spoon the salad onto a small plate, adding a slice of fresh bread, and a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds.  A treat for the palate.

Six Succulent Squash #6: Millet-Stuffed Acorn Squash with Rice and Spicy Thai Red Curry

A. Gillert, photo

The last of the series of squash dishes: A flavorful green acorn variety stuffed with an Asian influenced millet mixture.  It makes a perfect starter for a 'rice bowl' meal of steamed grain with a prepared Thai soup of eggplant, bamboo shoots, pineapple, baby corn, red pepper, coconut milk, and curry.

Millet-Stuffed Acorn Squash with Rice and Spicy Thai Red Curry 

You'll need: acorn squash, lemon juice, millet, miso, chives. ginger root, garlic, coconut butter, ground flax seeds, rice, teff, Asian 5 spice powder, black and white sesame seeds, Thai Red Curry Soup
The Squash: Cut acorn squash in half, remove seeds and strings.  Splash with fresh lemon juice and stuff with Millet-Miso mixture. Steam until squash is fork-tender.  Before serving, pour 1 T. red curry soup over each squash and cover with black and white sesame seeds.
Millet-Miso Mixture:  Blend 1 T. coconut butter, and 1 T. light miso with 1 T. ground flax seed, 1 T. sesame seed paste. Add chopped chives, ginger root and garlic to taste. Stir in soaked millet and combine well.
The Rice: Steam 3/4 C. brown rice, adding 1/4 C. teff seeds during the last 10 minutes of cooking.  Place 2 T. coconut butter, 1 T. light miso, and 1/4 t. Asian 5 Spice Powder in a serving bowl. Stir in cooked rice and teff mixture.
The Soup:  This lovely Spicy Thai Red Curry Soup, a flavorful topping for the grains, is found in the Asian Food section of a local grocery. 

Six Succulent Squash #5: Baby Dumpling Squash with Savory Vegetable-Rice

Andrew Gillert, photo

This delightful dish is a really 'quick fix', especially if made with leftover steamed rice.  The pretty green and cream striped squash has a sweet and mild flavor, perfectly complimented by the gentle taste of the veggies and rice.
You'll need: squash, coconut butter, lemon juice, Himalayan salt, black sesame seeds; long-grain rice, assorted vegetables, i.e. zucchini, peppers, Jerusalem artichokes, carrot, kale, ginger root, tomatoes, green onion, sprouted sunflower seeds, olive oil, tahini, light miso, allspice, black sesame seeds.
The Squash: Cut, clean and lightly steam squash.  When tender, place in individual serving bowls and season with lemon juice, coconut butter,  a sprinkle of Himalayan salt crystals, and black sesame seeds.
The Grain: Use leftover rice, or prepare long-grain organic basamati rice. Open the fridge and compile a selection of  autumn veggies.  Slice vegetables...zucchini, peppers, kale, tomatoes, and Jerusalem artichokes, etc .into small, bite-size pieces  Grate, or slice and lightly steam carrot.  In a serving bowl, blend 1 T. olive oil, 1 T. coconut butter, 1T. light miso,  1T. tahini, and 1/4 t. allspice.  Add sprouted sunflower seeds, finely chopped ginger root and green onion.  Stir in rice, and toss to coat well.  Add in sliced vegetables, and top with finely chopped ginger root and black sesame seeds.  Quick and delicious.

Six Succulent Squash #4: Curried Squash with Spicy Millet & Teff, and Cortland Apple Chutney

A lovely soft and tasty steamed acorn squash blended with nut butters and tamarind sauce, accompanied by teff and millet with fresh tomatoes, surrounding a spicy apple chutney.  Serve with vegetable pakoras and more tamarind sauce.
You'll need:acorn squash, soaked and sprouted: sunflower and pumpkin seeds, coconut butter, cashew nut butter, tamarind sauce,  curry powder, flax seed, dried calendula flower petals, green peas (optional).  For grain dish: teff and millet seeds, olive oil, lemon juice, 1 sweet red pepper, 1 small red hot pepper, coconut butter, coriander powder, Himalayan salt, chives. For apple chutney: Cortland apples,Himalayan salt, tamarind sauce, sultanas, coriander powder.
The Squash: Cut and clean squash, steaming until semi-soft for chunky textured dish, or very soft for smooth dish. In a serving bow, blend 1 T. cashew nut butter with 2 T coconut butter, 2 T tamarind sauce, 1 T. ground flax, and curry powder to taste. Stir in (1/4 C each) sprouted pumpkin  and sunflower seeds. Add squash, and green peas if added, and mix well. Drizzle with tamarind sauce, and garnish with dried calendula or other edible blosssom.
The Millet & Teff: Steam grains (a 1:3 ratio of millet to teff is excellent for this dish)  In bowl whisk 1 T. olive oil with juice of 1/2 a lemon.  Blend in coconut butter, and sprinkling of salt, 1 t. coriander powder.  Add cooked grains and mix well to coat with dressing.  Dice fresh, ripe tomato, coarsely chop sweet red pepper, and finely chop hot red pepper. Gently fold into millet and teff along with chopped green chives.
Apple Chutney:   Marinade 1 T. sultanas in 1/4 C. tamarind sauce.  Core, but do not peel Cortlands. Dice, sprinkle lightly with salt, and steam until just-soft. Toss apples with sultana/tamarind sauce, and 1/4 t. coriander powder.
To serve, place apple chutney in center of platter and surround with millet and teff. Dust  with finely chopped chives and coriander powder.  Serve with a large bowl of Curried Squash, and a plate of deep-fired vegetable pakoras* with more tamarind sauce.  Decadent.
*Pakoras and tamarind sauce bought from local health food deli.

Six Succulent Squash #3: Spaghetti Squash Bowl

A round ripe spaghetti squash makes the perfect container for millet, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, in a creamy cashew-tahini dressing, topped with quartered ripe orange-colored cherry tomatoes and black sesame seeds.  Eat with chopsticks to savor the flavor of the squash and seeds together.

You'll need: for each diner: 1/2 round orange spaghetti squash; 1/3 C millet, light miso, coconut oil; cashew nut butter, raw tahini (sesame seed butter), Jamaican thyme pesto (or basil pesto), soaked sunflower seeds, soaked pumpkin seeds, cherry tomatoes, black sesame seeds.
 Soak millet for two hours.  Drain, rinse well, and steam until very soft.  Cut the squash in half width-wise, and scoop out seeds and strings.  Steam until very tender. Place in individual rice bowls, and add a dab of coconut oil and a dusting of black sesame seeds.   In a large serving bowl, blend together 2 T. coconut oil, 1 T. light miso, 1 T. cashew nut butter, 1 T. raw tahini, and 1 T. Jamaican thyme pesto.  Mix in 1/4 C. of sunflower seeds and 1/4 C. pumpkin seeds.  Add cooked millet, and stir well to coat grain with dressing.  Top with 8-10 cherry tomatoes, quartered, and sprinkle liberally with black sesame seeds.
Diners are invited to fill their squash bowls from the millet bowl, returning for refills as desired.

Six Succulent Squash: # 2 Acorn Squash with Curried Teff and Tomatoes

A trip to a country apple orchard gifted us with a surprising variety of fall squash.  Follow this blog for six succulent, very autumn recipes.  The first offering was yesterday's zucchini; today's is a lightly steamed acorn squash filled with wholesome, high-protein teff seed, and fresh tomatoes with a light touch of curry.
You'll need: 1/2 small acorn squash per person; 1/4 C uncooked teff seed per person, diced ripe tomato, medium curry powder, 2 T. sultanas, coconut butter. sesame seeds
Cut acorn squash in half, lengthwise and remove seeds and strings. Steam until tender. At same time, steam teff seed until cooked (abut 8 minutes). Stir in tomatoes, sultanas, curry powder to taste, and steam for another minute.  Place squash halves on plates, and fill with curried teff and tomatoes. Dot with coconut butter, and sprinkle on sesame seeds with a generous hand.  The earthy flavor and slightly crunchy texture of the teff brings out the full subtleties of the toothsome acorn squash's taste of sunshine in its beta-carotene-rich, orange body.

Six Succulent Squash #1: Zucchini Spaghetti with Jamaican Green Sauce, and Garden-Harvest Sandwiches

This post begins a short series of seasonal squash recipes, taking advantage of the last of the frost-tender summer zucchini for this first offering. When served today, this interesting lunch meal highlighting textural combinations of squish and crunch in both salad and sandwich met with a perfectly satisfied approval.  It's a nice smooth and textured raw vegetable dish with an island taste in it's sauce. It wonderfully complimented chewy spelt-sesame seed bread spread with hummus, and topped with slices of plump fresh tomato, and paper-thin rounds of Jerusalem artichoke from our community garden plot.  Quite a lot of fun for the mouth.
You'll need: small zucchini squash, lemon juice, agave syrup, olive oil; red and yellow pepper, avocado, nutritional yeast, ground flax seed, sunflower micro-greens.    "Spaghetti" is made from spiral-cutter zucchini lengths, although grated or chopped zucchini make good substitutes for a different textured, but equally tasty base.  In a bowl, whisk the juice of one lemon with 2 T. olive oil and .5 t. agave syrup.  Add 1 T. "Andrew's Jamaican Thyme Pesto" (recipe follows).  Peel and dice 1 avocado.  Add 1/4 of avocado pieces to mixture in bowl and blend in with a fork until smooth. Fold in 2 T. nutritional yeast, and 2 T. ground flax seed. Gently add zucchini spirals and toss well to coat.  This will soften the squash and marry it with the pesto's vibrant flavor.    Dice red and yellow sweet peppers and add to zucchini along with remaining avocado.  Top with sunflower micro-greens.  Serve with a soft and crispy-crunchy sandwich--fresh tomato, hummus, and thinly sliced Jerusalem artichokes on spelt-sesame bread. A nice power lunch to enhance the autumn zest in the air.

Andrew's Jamaican Thyme Pesto: 

Versatile and great-tasting. Makes really juicy foods.

You'll need: Jamaican thyme, lemon juice, olive oil, ground allspice, cayenne pepper.

  Blend several cups of Jamaican thyme with oil oil, lemon juice, copious amounts of allspice, and cayenne pepper to taste.  Store in sealer jars in fridge or freezer.  Excellent in soups and miso, salad dressings, sauces, dehydrated crackers, veggie patties, with rice or pasta dishes, on toast...you get Andrew's concept. 

Sunday Afternoon Cardamom-Almond Coffee

Grind fresh, medium-roast fair trade coffee beans with seeds of 1 pod of cardamom, and put in an infusion coffee press.  Cover with a boiling water.  While coffee makes itself, place 1 t. raw cacao powder, and .5 t. agave syrup in the bottom of your favorite deep coffee cup.  Blend until smooth, and stir in 2 T. sweet almond cream.  Top cup with freshly pressed coffee. Stir well, and serve with a crisp biscuit, or a sweet cookie.

Purple Cabbage-Noodle Bowl

A delightful warm salad to perk up an 'any-day' lunch

You'll need:  purple cabbage, green apple, white carrot, sweet red pepper,
                   ginger root, caraway seeds, tamari, light miso, olive oil, flax seed
                   white and black sesame seeds, sunflower micro-greens.

The cabbage noodles: Cut a purple cabbage lengthwise, and slice across grain into thin noodles.  Steam lightly until soft. 

Topping: In the bottom of a large serving bowl, whisk together 2 T. olive oil and 1 T. tamari sauce; blend in 1 T. low-sodium light miso, 1 T. ground flax and 1 t. ground caraway seeds. Finely chop two slices of fresh ginger root, and add to bowl with 1 cored and cubed tart green apple, 1 grated white carrot, and 1 finely diced sweet red pepper;  mix well.  Add steamed cabbage noodles and toss to coat well with dressing.

To serve: Generously sprinkle raw white and black sesame seeds over dish, and top with a handful of sunflower micro-greens. Add a small plate of rice or flax crackers to the table.

                      Hungry diners help themselves to a delicious portion of colorful 

          cabbage-noodles to enjoy in a rice bowl with chop sticks.

An Afternoon Avocado

A sweet snack to spark some healthy energy in any one, any afternoon, any day.  Cut open a ripe avocado, and spoon fruit from skin into a small bowl.  Add a splash of lime juice, and mash well with the back of a fork. Next add a sizable dollop (to taste) of maple or agave syrup, and 2 teaspoons of raw cacao powder, mixing thoroughly.  A delightful dip for sweet crackers, vegetable chips, or simply -- a mousse to eat with a spoon.  For a colorful variation, divide fruit into two portions: flavor one half with agave and peppermint essence, and the other with cacao and agave.  Gently stir together for a lovely marbled effect, and serve with apple and pear slices for dipping.

Mid-Morning Miso Cup

Bring a kettle of fresh water to the boil.  Let cool slightly.  Place 1 tablespoon sodium-reduced light miso, 1 tablespoon of Vitamin B12 fortified nutritional yeast, and 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in an oversize mug.  Pour in enough hot water to cover, and stir into a smooth paste. Add 2-3 cherry tomatoes, quartered; finely chopped fresh ginger.  Remove the stem and vein from a large leaf of Ruby chard. Dice the pieces and add to mug.  Cut the leaf into quarters, stack one on top of the other and roll up tightly.  Slice through roll and place chard noodles in cup.  Top with hot water and a sprinkling of raw white sesame seeds. Stir well, and sip slowly.  Mmmm...

A Simple Lunch

With an autumn chill in the air, a warm and comforting high-energy lunch began with tiny teff seeds soaked and then steamed, but any grain would be good.  During the last few minutes of cooking, a handful of diced  tomatoes is stirred in.  Coarsely-chopped carrots are also steamed to a crisp-crunch, and added to a second serving dish containing olive oil whisked with lemon juice and crushed garlic;  dried chili pepper flakes, oregano, thyme, chopped tomatoes, diced red, yellow and orange peppers, chopped spiced green olives, and sprouted sunflower seeds are folded into the carrots in dressing, and the dish is dusted with fresh chopped chives.  The warm teff is topped with a sunflower micros-greens and a light sprinkling of Himalayan salt. The Teff Pilaf and Carrot, Tomato, Pepper Topping is served with 'Jamaican jerked-tomato and flax' dehydrator crackers.

Thai Spicy Red Curry Soup with Turban Squash

A giant green and cream squash is peeled, cut into chunks and lightly steamed,  Once tender, the autumn-orange pieces are brushed with coconut butter, and a sprinkle of pale pink Himalayan salt crystals. Place the chunks in individual soup plates or large flat bowls. Ladle on a deep covering of spicy Thai red curry soup with pineapple, eggplant, bamboo shoots, hot pepper and tomatoes in coconut cream. Garnish with sesame seeds and dried calendula blossoms.  Partner this delicious dish with a small salad: rice noodles, sunflower micro-greens and sprouted pumpkin seeds tossed with ginger, chive and grape-seed oil/tamari dressing.  Serve with a small plate of lightly salted radish roses.

Juicyfoods: Making Meal Time Magic

 Dinner tonight?  A plate of radishes from Thursday's early evening trip to the farmer's market, sprinkled with Himalayan crystal salt.  Autumn-gold butternut squash spiraled into vermicelli-thin pasta, lightly steamed with fresh arugula, and smothered with fresh salsa: three colors of sweet peppers, red and green jalapenos, and the last of the local harvest of sun-plump field tomatoes.  Spicy steamed sprouted teff and millet pilaf with potato curry, dried apricots and chives.