LEF (Com)Post

Ingredients:

Topping:
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, cut into pieces
½ cup plus 1½ tablespoons flour
5 teaspoons light brown sugar
½ cup rolled oats
1½ tablespoons sunflower seeds
3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
1½ tablespoons black sesame seeds
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon sunflower oil
1 tablespoon honey

Muffins:
2 cups all-purpose flour (or flour of your choice)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
4 large eggs
2/3 cup sunflower oil
1 cup super fine sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
8 ounces carrots, grated (peeling optional)
7 ounces apples of choice, grated (I love the mutsu)
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
2/3 cups golden raisins
2/3 cup flaked coconut (unsweetened)

Directions:
1. Make the topping: In a bowl, stir together the butter, flour, and sugar. Rub with your fingers until the butter is incorporated and you have a crumbly texture. Mix in the oats and seeds and then the water, oil, and honey. Stir everything together, resulting in a wet, sandy texture. Set aside.
2. Preheat to 325 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla, and grated carrot and apple.
5. Gently fold in the pecans, raisins, and coconut, and then the sifted flour mixture into the wet ingredients. (Do not over mix! Don’t worry if the batter is lumpy and irregular).
6. Spoon into the muffin liners and scatter topping generously over the top. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
7. Remove the muffins from the pan when they are just warm, and allow to cool before serving. The flavor will actually improve in a couple of hours.

Makes 10-12

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes
3 tablespoons boiling water
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons olive oil
1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 bulbs fennel
2 teaspoons small capers, coarsely chopped

Directions:
1. In a medium heatproof bowl, combine the sundried tomatoes and boiling water. Let stand for 15-20 minutes until the tomatoes have softened.
2. Add the lemon juice, oil, mustard, and salt to the sun-dried tomatoes.
3. Cut off the fennel stalks and fronds. Finely chop ¼ cup of the fronds and add to the bowl of dressing; discard the stalks. Cut the bulbs in half lengthwise and slice thinly crosswise.
4. Add the fennel and capers to the bowl and toss well to combine. Serve at room temperature.

Makes 4 servings

These pancakes are delicious served with some hot homemade applesauce on the side.

Ingredients:
1 medium summer squash
1 medium beet
1 medium carrot
1 medium potato
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 green onions
3-4 leaves of kale, chard, or beet greens
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon baking powder
4½ teaspoons olive oil, divided
2/3 cup whole wheat flour

Directions:
1. Rinse and grate the squash. Peel and grate the beet and carrot. Wash the potato and grate. Put all the grated vegetables into a large bowl and set aside.
2. Rinse and thinly slice the green onions on the diagonal. Put in the bowl with the other vegetables.
3. Mince the garlic and ginger and put in the bowl with the vegetables.
4. Rinse the greens and remove any thick stem. Stack the leaves together, roll into a thick tube and slice evenly.
5. In large bowl, beat the eggs with a fork. Stir in all the vegetables. Mix well.
6. Add soy sauce, baking powder, and 1½ teaspoons olive oil. Stir until well mixed. Stir in the flour until just combined to make the batter.
7. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1½ teaspoons oil to the pan. Add about ¼ cup of the batter to the pan to shape a pancake. Fit in as many as you like. Cook until golden on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Check occasionally to make sure they don’t burn. Turn the heat down a bit if it seems to be cooking too fast. Turn over and brown the other side. Repeat the process until all the batter is gone.

Makes 12 pancakes

Ingredients:
4 shallots, chopped coarsely
2 small red onions, cut in half and thinly sliced
2 small yellow or white onions, cut in half and thinly sliced
2-3 leeks, rinsed well and sliced into thin half-moons
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 tablespoons sweet butter
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Fresh thyme branches
2½ cups chicken stock
Pappardelle for 4
Fresh Italian parsley and chervil

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, saute the onions over medium heat in half the butter until they begin to brown, about 7-10 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables and sauté for about 5 minutes more, until they are crisp-tender. Season with salt and pepper, and add in a few thyme branches and add the chicken stock. Simmer until the vegetables are tender.
2. Cook the pasta according to the package and drain. Toss it with the remaining butter and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the sauce over the noodles and garnish with fresh parsley and chervil.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
5-6 small potatoes
2 cups chopped kale, stems removed
½ cup chopped tomatoes
1¾ teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons tahini
½ teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or less depending on the heat level you like

Directions:
1. Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain and let them cool. Once cooled, cut into ½-inch cubes (peeling optional).
2. Place the kale and tomatoes in a skillet and sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until kale has softened slightly. Add water 1-2 teaspoons at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan. Add ¼ teaspoon of the lime juice and let cool.
3. In a blender, combine the cilantro, garlic, tahini, salt, cayenne pepper, the remaining lime juice, and 2 tablespoons water. Blend until smooth.
4. To serve, prepare a bed of the cooked kale and tomatoes in a large salad bowl, top with the boiled potatoes, and spoon the dressing over the top. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
5-6 cups vegetable stock
Two 1-inch pieces of cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons grated ginger
1 bay leaf
1 large onion, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces
2 large carrots, cut into ¾-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup millet
1 large head cauliflower, cut into large florets
About 1 pound tomatoes, diced
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
½ cup chopped parsley

Directions:
1. In a small pot, combine the vegetable stock, cinnamon sticks, ginger, and bay leaf and cook over medium-high heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, discard the spices and set the vegetable stock aside.
2. Place onion and carrots in a large saucepan over medium hat and sauté for 8-10 minutes, or until vegetables are starting to brown. Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking as you are cooking. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the prepared vegetable stock, millet, cauliflower, and tomatoes and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, for 132-15 minutes, or until the cauliflower and millet are tender. Season with salt and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Serve garnished with parsley.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons dried cranberries
¼ cup brown rice syrup or maple syrup
zest and juice of 1 orange
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
pinch of cayenne pepper
6 cup mixed lettuce
½ cup pecan halves, toasted
2 crisp apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch dice

Directions:
1. Cover 3 tablespoons of the dried cranberries with 6 tablespoons of boiling water. Set aside to soak for 15 minutes.
2. Blend the reconstituted cranberries, sweetener, orange zest and juice, balsamic vinegar, mustard, and cayenne pepper in a blender until smooth. Set aside
3. Add the salad greens to a large bowl with the pecans, apples, and the remaining cranberries. Add the dressing just before serving to the bowl and toss well.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
½ pomegranate
2 medium fennel heads
1½ tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sumac, plus extra to garnish
juice of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons tarragon leaves
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves
2½ ounces feta cheese, sliced
sea sat and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Start by releasing the pomegranate seeds. Halve the pomegranate along its belly then hold the half firmly in your hand with the seeds facing your palm. Over a large bowl, start bashing the back of the fruit with a wooden spoon. Don’t hit too hard or you will bruise the seeds and break the skin. The seeds will just start to fall out. Pick out any white skin that falls in.
2. Remove the leaves from the fennel, keeping a few for garnish later, and trim the base, making sure you leave enough attached to hold the slices together. Slice thinly lengthwise.
3. In a bowl, mix the olive oil, sumac, lemon juice, herbs, and some salt and pepper. Add the fennel and toss. Taste for seasoning, but remember, the feta will add saltiness.
4. Layer the fennel, then the feta, and then the pomegranate seeds in individual dishes. Garnish with the reserved fennel leaves, sprinkle over some sumac, and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1½ cups water
¾ cup millet
2 large sweet peppers, halved lengthwise, and seeded
4 ounces flavored baked tofu, diced
2 medium carrots, grated
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons olive oil
1½ tablespoons low-sodium tamari
2 teaspoons minced hot peppers, such as padrons
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon sweetener

Directions:
1. Position rack in upper third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees.
2. Combine water and millet in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the millet is tender and the liquid is absorbed, up to 18-22 minutes.
3. Meanwhile place pepper halves cut-side up in a broiler-safe pan. Bake until starting to soften, about 6-10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Turn the broiler on high.
4. Combine tofu, carrots, cilantro, oil, tamari, chili pepper, garlic, ginger and sweetener in a medium bowl. Stir in the mullet. Stuff each pepper half with about 1 cup of the mixture.
5. Broil the peppers until heated through and the mullet is starting to brown, 4-6 minutes.

Serves 4

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