Ingredients:
1 celeriac (celery root), peeled and julienned or grated
3 medium carrots, julienned or grated
6 radishes, julienned or thinly sliced
1½ tsp sea salt
5½ ounces sharp cheddar cheese (optional)
2 Pippin apples, julienned
1 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
¼ cup olive oil
3 Tbs high-quality white wine vinegar
Coarsely ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Combine celery root, carrots, and radishes in a large bowl. Add salt, toss to combine, and let sit for 5 minutes.
2. Crumble cheese, if using, into small bits and add to the vegetables, then add the apples, parsley, oil, and vinegar. Toss gently to combine. Adjust salt if necessary, add pepper to taste, and a little more vinegar if desired. Serve.
Serves 4-6
“Delicious AND nutritious,” says recipe creator Marion Owen (see her webpage for the full story: http://www.plantea.com/chocolatebeetbrownies.htm)
1/2 C butter (or 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup applesauce)
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
4 eggs
1 C brown sugar (packed)
1 C applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 C unbleached white flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 C cooked beets, pureed
1/2 C finely chopped almonds
1/2 C wheat germ
Melt butter and chocolate over low heat. Set aside to cool. In a separate bowl, beat eggs until light in color and foamy. Add sugar and vanilla and continue beating until well creamed. Stir in chocolate mixture, followed by applesauce and beets. Sift together flour, salt, spices and baking powder and stir into creamed mixture. Fold in wheatgerm and almonds. Turn into greased 9×13-inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Cool before cutting into squares.
The beet puree can be made ahead of time. Basically, cook the beets any way you like… boil, bake, whatever, then peel and cut cooled cooked beets into chunks and puree in a blender or food processor. If your puree is too ‘dry’, you can probably add a tiny bit of water, beet cooking water, or some applesauce, but only enough to make the puree whirl. It should be pretty thick.
1 1/4 C beet puree
3 eggs
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 C cocoa powder
1 1/2 C sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 C flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
Preheat oven to 350°F
Grease and dust with flour a bundt pan or 8-9″ square pan.
In a large bowl, beat eggs. Whisk in sugar, oil, vanilla, salt & beet puree. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa and soda. Add dry ingredients to wet a little at a time, gently mixing until incorporated.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 45 – 50 min, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for at least an hour before slicing and serving. Goes great with vanilla ice cream and strawberries.
Ingredients:
1½ pounds butternut squash
1 small fennel, trimmed
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes
2/3 cup whipping cream or coconut milk
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup whole wheat flour or your choice
¼ cup butter, diced
1/3 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel squash, cut in half and scrape out and discard the seeds. Cut flesh into ½-inch pieces then place in a large baking dish. Cut the fennel crosswise into very thin slices. Scatter over squash with the garlic and sage. Pour in tomatoes and cream or coconut milk.
2. Put the flour in a bowl and cut in the butter until mixture resembles small breadcrumbs. Stir in the nuts and cheese. Sprinkle topping over squash. Cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes.
3. Remove foil and bake 15-20 minutes longer or until the topping is golden and the squash is tender.
Serves 6
Ingredients:
¼ cup whole blanched almonds
1 large cauliflower, separated into florets
¼ cup butter
1 onion, finely chopped
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon turmeric
3-4 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup dried breadcrumbs
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions:
1. Heat a wok or large, heavy skillet until hot. Add the almonds and toast over medium heat until browned on all sides. Remove to a plate and cool. Chop almonds coarsely and set aside.
2. Half fill the wok or skillet with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add cauliflower and simmer 2 minutes. Drain and rinse; set aside.
3. Wipe the wok or skillet dry and return to heat. Add the butter and swirl until melted. Add onion, chili powder, and turmeric, and stir-fry 2-3 minutes or until softened.
4. Add cauliflower and lemon juice, and stir-fry 3-4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add breadcrumbs and chopped almonds and toss until cauliflower florets are all coated. Serve hot.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
2 pounds leeks
1 pound potatoes
½ cup butter
1 large sprig of thyme, plus extra to garnish
1¼ cups milk, or coconut milk or other alternative
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions:
1. Top and tail the leeks, and strip away the tough outer leaves. Cut into thick slices and wash thoroughly under running water.
2. Cut the potatoes into rough dice, about 1-inch, and dry them on a paper towel.
3. Melt butter in a large pan and add the leeks and sprig of thyme. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened. Add the potato pieces and add just enough cold water to cover the vegetables. Recover the pot and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes.
4. Pour in the milk, or alternative, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for an additional 30 minutes. You will find that some of the potato chunks break up, leaving you with a semi-pureed, lumpy soup. You can puree the soup in a food processor if you want it creamy.
5. Remove the sprig of thyme and serve in bowls garnished with thyme.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
½ pound potatoes, peeled
1 medium butternut squash, peeled
1 tablespoon butter
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon grated onion
2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper
1 egg, beaten
¼ cup Brazil nuts, ground
4 apples, peeled, and cut into cubes
lemon zest from ½ lemon
lemon juice to taste
A touch of sweetener, if desired
Pinch of cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
Pinch of sea salt
Directions:
1. Cube the potatoes and squash, and cook until tender in a pan of boiling water. Drain and mash well. Stir in butter, egg yolk, and cheese until melted. Stir in onion and cilantro and season to taste. Leave until cold.
2. Place the apples in a large saucepan and cover with just barely enough cold water to cover. Add the lemon zest, a pinch of salt, and sweetener, if using. (I like my applesauce on the savory/tart side, so I skip the sweetener. You can also add a pinch of cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg for more sass.)
3. Bring to a slight boil, then reduce the heat to a nice simmer and cook until the apples just start to break down and get tender. Drain off the cooking liquid and reserve it.
4. At this point you can mash the apples or leave them in chunks. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add lemon juice slowly, according to your liking. You may want to add some of the cooking liquid for a thinner consistency; I like mine chunky, so I add very little extra liquid. Put the applesauce in a bowl and set aside.
5. Shape the cold potato squash mixture into 8 patties. Dust with the seasoned flour then dip into beaten egg then into the ground nuts to coat all sides.
6. In a skillet, heat a little safflower oil. Add the potato cakes in batches; fry 2-3 minutes on each side until golden. Drain well on paper towels. Serve with the hot applesauce.
Serves 8
Gremolata is a mixture of parsley and lemon zest. This garnish adds a fresh bright finish to chicken, roasted vegetables like winter squash, and even eggs.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon grated or finely chopped lemon zest
2 cloves garlic, minced
Directions:
1. Mix all the ingredients together. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. Keeps for about 1 week.
Makes about 1/4 cup
Ingredients:
1 cup dried cannellini or borlotti beans soaked overnight
¼ cups olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 large leek, cleaned and sliced into rounds
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped
1 small can of tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into ¼-inch cubes, about 2 cups
Directions:
1. In a large, wide pot, cover the beans with cold water to about 1-2 inches above the beans. Bring to a slight boil then immediately lower the heat to a gentle simmer; stir the beans occasionally while cooking and add more water if they begin to get dry. Cook until tender, about 60 minutes or so (test them – you don’t want them crunchy or mushy). Add a little salt toward the end of the cooking time for a tender bean.
2. When the beans are tender, turn off the heat and let them rest in the cooking liquid. If you drain them right away the skins will be shaggy and cracked. Drain when cooled, reserving a few cups of the cooking liquid, and set aside.
3. Heat a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat with the olive oil. Add the onion, carrots, celery and leek; cook until tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Add the garlic, rosemary, sage, kale and tomatoes with a pinch of sea salt, and cook for 5 minutes. Add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook an additional 15 minutes.
5. Add the squash and continue cooking until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Add the cooked beans and stir to combine well. If too thick, you can add a little of the reserved cooking liquid from the beans.
6. Serve very warm, and garnish each bowl with a splash of good olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese if so desired.
Serves 8
This is adapted from a recipe in The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook (Thunder Bay Press), a great book I highly recommend, full of delightful recipes that are fun and delicious. It was first published in 1996.
Ingredients:
4 large or 6 small pippin apples
2½ cups water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup sweetener of choice
4 whole cloves
4 sprigs fresh mint
6 leaves fresh basil
Cream or yogurt, for serving
Directions:
1. Peel apples, remove cores and cut apples into quarters. Place water, sweetener, cloves, and mint in a pan. Stir over low heat without boiling until sweetener dissolves, then bring to a boil.
2. Add the apples to the pan. Cook over low heat with lid tilted to let steam escape, for 10 minutes or until apples are just soft, but not breaking up. Add basil. Remove from heat and set aside until cold.
3. Carefully remove apples and place in a bowl or platter. Pour syrup over top of apples through a sieve. Serve chilled with berries and cream or yogurt.
Serves 4