Autumn Cauliflower-Radish Bake with Gingered Millet

This tasty autumn fare pairs crunchy cauliflower and crisp sliced radishes in a mild-flavoured, gently baked dish. The cauliflower/radish combination is complimented with sweet and hot red peppers, cherry tomatoes, ginger root and green onions. A dash of tamari adds a savory taste without much salt. This dish is simple to make, and satisfying to eat--on its own or served over a hearty grain, like millet. It is an interesting seasonal side dish to a more elaborate meal, and a definite hit at a fall garden pot luck.

You'll need: 

For the Vegetables: 1 cauliflower; 6 - 8 crisp radishes; 6 green onions, 2 medium carrots; 1 red sweet pepper; 1 small hot red pepper; 1 teaspoon tamari; 1 teaspoon water; 1/2 teaspoon olive oil

For the Millet:1 part millet; 2 parts water; 2 tablespoon finely sliced chives; 1 tablespoon diced ginger root; 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder; 1/4 teaspoon sea salt; 1 tablespoon coconut butter; dried caledula blossoms (optional)

Method: Wash cauliflower, and pat dry. Break into florets and cut into small slices. Wash radishes, and slice into thick pieces. Dice sweet and hot red pepper, and quarter cherry tomatoes. Slice onions, using both white and green parts. Chop carrots into small, thin pieces. Mix vegetables together and place in a baking dish. Combine tamari, olive oil, and water and pour over vegetables.  Cover dish and bake in a moderate oven until cauliflower is tender-crisp - about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Uncover and place under grill for 5 minutes, or until vegetables are lightly browned on top.

For the Millet: Rinse grain, and place in pot with water, ginger root, salt, and tumeric. Bring to boil and cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn heat to simmer, and gently steam millet until soft (about 10-15 minutes) When the grain is cooked, stir in chives, calendula blossoms, and coconut butter. 

Serve Gingered Millet with Cauliflower-Radish Bake for a hearty harvest-time lunch.

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Gingered Broccoli in Curried Squash Sauce

This delicious oven-baked autumn recipe marries the flavours of ripe yellow grape tomatoes, fresh ginger root, green onions and broccoli in a spicy curried butternut squash sauce. Pair it with sultana-brown rice for a nutritious lunch, or serve as a tasty side-dish with a larger meal, or buffet.

You'll Need: 

For the Vegetables: 1 head of broccoli; 2 green onions; 2 tablespoons chopped ginger roots; 1/2 cup yellow grape tomatoes; 1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper; 1/2 cup cooked butternut squash; 1/2 cup vegetable stock or water; 1 tablespoon hot curry powder; 1/4 cup hemp hearts; sea salt

For the Rice: 1 cup brown rice; 1/2 teaspoon turmeric; 1/4 teaspoon allspice powder; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder; 12-14 sultana raisins; 1 tablespoon coconut butter; salt

Method: Wash broccoli, cut off stem, separate into florets, and coarsely chop. Place in a baking pan and sprinkle with few grains of sea salt. Chop ginger root into very small pieces, and thinly slice green onions. Quarter grape tomatoes, and chop dice sweet red pepper. Add chopped ingredients to broccoli in baking pan and mix together.

Puree baked butternut squash with vegetable stock. Stir in curry powder. Pour squash sauce over vegetables. Cover dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.Bake uncover for last 5 minutes.

Put Gingered Broccoli in Curried Squash Sauce in a serving dish and garnish with hemp hearts. To make Sultana-Brown Rice, put rice and water in rice cooker. Add turmeric and cayenne. 10 minutes before rice is ready to serve stir in allspice powder and sultanas and finish steaming. Before serving, stir in 1 tablespoon of coconut butter, and sprinkle with a few grains of salt.

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An October Blueberry-Spinach Salad

Spinach-Blueberry Salad

This salad makes full use of the early autumn harvest. The cooler weather produces wonderful fall greens, like  October baby spinach. This weekend the local farmer's market offered a lush selection of berries, and I've chosen to add the taste of late fall blueberries to this recipe. The spinach is marinaded in a tamari-ginger dressing which has been flavoured with cayenne and Asian 5-spice powder. Soaked sunflower seeds, plump blueberries, a generous amount of hemp hearts and a sprinkling of black sesame seeds finish this protein-rich dish to perfection.

Market-Fresh  Baby Fall Spinach Plants

You'll need:

For the salad: 
2 cups fresh spinach; 1 cup blueberries; 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds, soaked; 2 tablespoon hemp hearts; 1/2 teaspoon black sesame seeds.

For the dressing: 
1 tablespoon tamari; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger root; 1/2 teaspoon brown rice vinegar; 1/2 teaspoon Asian 5-spice powder; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder.

Tamari, Ginger Brown and Rice Vinegar Dressing

Method: 

Soak sunflower seeds in fresh water for 2 hours. Drain.

Marinade/dressing: 

In a large bowl, whisk tamari, brown rice vinegar, cayenne and 5-spice powder together. Chop ginger root into fine pieces and add to marinade.

For the Salad:   
Wash spinach and pat dry. Coarsely chop. Add spinach to marinade one handful at a time. Tenderize the spinach by massaging the marinade into it. Using your hands, squeeze spinach into marinade, coating it well to soften leaves. (You can do this with a large spoon, pressing marinade into spinach with the back of the spoon) Cover and marinade for at least 1 hour.

Flavourful Seeds Makes A Protein-Rich Salad

Wash blueberries and pat dry. Add blueberries, hemp hearts and soaked sunflower seeds to spinach mixture and gently combine ingredients. Place salad in serving dish. Sprinkle with a generous amount of black sesame seeds.

A Perfect Nutritious October Lunch

To Serve: 
Serve with chilled herb-rice, or crusty rolls for a delicious autumn lunch. Serve as a side-kick to a more elaborate supper. This recipe also makes an interesting dish for a holiday buffet

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Broccoli Stalks Salad with Wasabi Sauce

Broccoli stalks are tender and flavourful. Shredded and dressed with a piquant wasabi sauce, they create a tasty base for an interesting Broccoli Stalks salad. It makes a nice light lunch, or accompanies sushi with panache. Sweet red pepper, freshly-grated ginger root, plump raw pumpkin seeds, arugula sprouts and black sesame seeds add crunch while boosting the nutritional profile of this easy-to-prepare recipe.

You'll need:

4-5 broccoli stalks; 1 sweet red pepper; 1 tablespoon grated ginger root; 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds, soaked for 2 hours; 1/2 cup arugula sprouts; 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds.

For wasabi sauce: 

1 teaspoon wasabi powder; 1 tablespoon tamari; 1 tablespoon water.

Method: Soak pumpkin seeds in fresh water for 2 hours, drain and set aside.

Put wasabi powder in a large serving bowl, add tamari and water. Whisk until blended. Set aside for 5 minutes to rehydrate wasabi and develop flavour. Then add drained pumpkin seeds to wasabi sauce, and mix to coat well.

Peel broccoli stalks, and  finely shred with food processor or hand grater. Add to pumpkin seed-wasabi sauce coating well with liquid.

Chop red pepper into small pieces, and grate ginger root. Add to salad, and mix ingredients together using a large spoon, or hands to massage sauce lightly into vegetables. Toss in arugula sprouts and black sesame seeds. 

 Serve as a side-dish with sushi, or Japanese noodles. Or, simply serve this tangy wasabi- broccoli dish with rice crackers for an energizing lunch. Enjoy!

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Late Summer Salad

As the last late chrysanthemums burst into bloom, we know summer is coming to its inevitable end. Amongst the shades of green, Nature also offers up a rich palette of deep reds, oranges, and golden yellows. This delicious salad is bright with these seasonal colours, anticipating the abundant autumn harvest. It is a great way to enjoy the last of the summer zucchini squash. Easy to make, and bursting with mouthing-tingling taste, this recipe makes a protein-rich light lunch. Paired with soup and a sandwich, its the full-meal deal for healthy eaters.

You'll need: 
1 medium firm zucchini; 1 hot red 'cherry bomb' pepper; 1 sweet red pepper; 1 orange pepper; 1 red grapefruit; 6 - 8 small yellow grape tomatoes; 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger root; 1/2 cup sunflower microgreens; 1/4 cup hemp hearts; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1/8 teaspoon Himalayan salt crystals.

Method:
Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a large serving bowl. Wash and dry the red grapefruit; cut off both ends, leaving about 1/2 an inch of flesh on each end piece of peel. Squeeze the juice from the grapefruit ends into olive oil, and whisk until emulsified. Chop ginger root into fine pieces and add to bowl . Peel grapefruit, slice into medium-thick pieces, and dice into bite-size cubes. Add to bowl and coat well with dressing.

Chop sweet and hot red pepper, and orange pepper into small pieces.  Wash yellow tomatoes, and cut into pieces. Add peppers and tomatoes to dressing, mixing well. Wash the zucchini and cut, using either a saladico spiral cutter, or a medium grater. Add to bowl, mixing to coat with dressing.

 Add 1/2 cup sunflower micorgreens and 1/4 cup hemp hearts. Dust with Himalayan salt crystals. Toss all together, garnish with a few thin slices of zucchini and serve. This salad makes a wonderful meal on its own, rich in protein and flavour. Paired with a bowl of soup, or a sandwich, it satisfies the heartiest of appetites.

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"Peach of a Pear": Great Guacamole

This great tasting guacamole is spicy and tart-- a perfect combination of juicy peach and buttery avocado pears. Pumpkin seeds, packed with zinc and protein, pump up the nutritional profile of this delicious dish. Just the right combination of spices, red pepper and herbs make "Peach of a Pair" guacamole a wonderful party spread, or a healthy addition to a light lunch. It's tasty enough to pile on crackers or mini-muffins for an appetizing afternoon snack. 

 You'll need: 2 ripe avocados; 1 ripe peach; 2 tablespoons of lime juice; 1/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt crystals; 1/4 cup soaked raw pumpkin seeds; 1 large handful of parsley leaves; 1 small handful of Cuban oregano; 1 'cherry bomb' hot red pepper, chopped; 1 tablespoon fruity olive oil; 2 teaspoons cumin powder; 1 teaspoon coriander powder; 1/2 teaspoon allspice. Garnish: finely chopped fresh chives; spritz of lime juice.

Method: Wash peach and rub fuzz from skin. Cut in half and remove stone. Dice into small pieces. Cut avocados in half and remove pits. Scoop fruit from shells into a medium bowl, and mash well with the back of a fork. Add peach bits, lime juice and salt, and combine. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap.

In a food processor, grind pumpkin seeds, parsley leaves, Cuban oregano, cherry bomb red pepper, cumin, coriander and allspice until thoroughly combined. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and process to a smooth consistency. Taste for seasoning. Add this mixture to the avocado-peach and mix until just blended. Top guacamole with minced chives, and spritz with fresh lime juice. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.

Serving suggestions:  Put this guac on a taco, or in a pita stuffed with salad. Turn "Peach of a Pear" guacamole into a flavourful dip for crunchy fresh veggies, or spread on snack crackers. It's also fun to eat with crisp bread sticks, or mini corn muffins.  

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Lemon-Curry "Peach of a Pear": A Tasty Summer Sandwich Filling

This tasty sandwich filling is perfect for a summertime snack, -- a delightful combination of fresh fruit and garden veggies. Ripe juicy peach and buttery avocado meet crunchy carrot and crisp cucumber in a fiery lemon-curry dressing. A generous portion of nutty hemp hearts and sunflower seeds ups the nutritional profile of the recipe, adding healthy unsaturated fats and protein as well as an appealing texture. The filling stuffs a pita with flavour, or dresses up an English muffin for a lovely light lunch.

You'll Need:  1 carrot; 2 small cucumbers; 2 peaches; 1 large avocado pear; 1 carrot; 1/2 lemon; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2 teaspoons Madras (hot) curry powder; 1/4 cup soaked and sprouted sunflower seeds; (soak seeds in fresh water for 2 hours, drain and let sprout, covered in fridge for 2 hours, or overnight); 1/4 cup hemp hearts.

Method: Grate carrot finely. In a large bowl, whisk 1 tablespoon of olive oil with juice of half a lemon. Add 2 teaspoons of curry powder, and whisk until well combined. Stir in sunflower seeds coat with dressing. Add grated carrot and combining it thoroughly with lemon-curry mixture. Cover the bowl and set aside to marinade while preparing other ingredients. 

Dice the peaches and cucumber into small pieces. Add to carrot mixture along with 1/4 cup hemp hearts and toss until well-combined. Cut avocado into similar-sized small pieces, spritz with lemon juice and gently fold into sandwich filling.

On a Toasted English Muffin

 Serving suggestions: Fill a pita, or a crusty roll for a hands-on snack, or top a toasted English muffin and enjoy the elegant flavours with a knife and fork.

A meal that will leave your tummy and your tastes buds happy!

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