Recipes

Serves 10 – 12

Over-boiled, sulphurous smelling Brussels sprouts may have prejudiced many from their childhoods; yet like their cabbage cousins, when handled correctly they can be a sweet revelation.

As well as boiling, steaming is a good way to par-cook Brussels sprouts if you intend to bake them in a gratin, or want to finish them in a reduced, creamy sauce. Slice them finely to stir-fry or use them raw in salads. Before cooking, wash the sprouts well, and soak them in cold water. Remove any discolored leaves and score a cross into their base to promote cooking.

To boil:  cook them whole, uncovered, in plenty of boiling water for about 6 – 8 minutes, or until barely tender when pierced with a knife, then drain well. To steam:  cook them halved or whole, for 8 – 12 minutes until just tender.

Brussels sprouts are an excellent source of vitamin C, and also contain healthy quantities of fiber, iron, phosphorus, potassium, and vitamin A.

Ingredients:
3 pounds Brussels sprouts
½ cup olive oil
1 cup sweetener
¾ cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS:

1. Trim and clean the Brussels sprouts, then cut them in half. Arrange on 2 baking sheets and toss with the olive oil. Roast until brown, 25 – 30 minutes.
2. Combine the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and reduce until very thick.
3. Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the roasted sprouts, then sprinkle on the dried cranberries.

Serves 4 – 6, as side dish

1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large russet potato, peeled, and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons butter
4 sage leaves minced
1 jalapeno or Serrano chili, seeded and minced (optional)
½ cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons brown sugar or maple syrup
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put the squash and potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with salted cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until squash and potatoes are tender, but not mushy, about 20 minutes.
2. While the potatoes and squash are cooking, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sage and chili pepper, and cook, stirring frequently until the butter begins to brown and smell nutty, about 4 – 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes.
3. When the squash and potatoes are tender, drain very well and return to the hot, empty pan. Add the browned butter mixture along with the half-and half, cinnamon, and brown sugar or maple syrup, and mash thoroughly by hand. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

The longer you let the broccoli marinade, the better the flavor. This is a great dish for icebox raids!

1 head broccoli, cut into small 2 – 3 inch florets

Marinade:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 – 3 tablespoons vinegar
freshly ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix the marinade ingredients together.
2. Steam or quickly boil the broccoli florets only until they are tender-crisp. Drain immediately and chill in ice water bath to set color and stop the cooking process.
3. Toss the well-drained broccoli with the marinade and let the flavors blend for at least ½ hour. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Makes 36

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup flour of choice (I use brown rice flour to be gluten-free)
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
½ cup brown sugar or date sugar
½ cup apple juice concentrate or honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup grated apple (I don’t peel the apple, but if you don’t like the skin it is ok to peel it)
¾ cup raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, or chopped dried apricots, or a combination of your choice
4 egg whites, stiffly beaten

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a food processor or blender, combine 1 cup oats with the flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and brown sugar or date sugar. Process until the oats are coarsely ground and ingredients are well mixed. Stir in the remaining oats.

3. In a bowl, combine the apple juice concentrate or honey, vanilla, apple and dried fruit of choice. Combine the oat mixture with the apple mixture then fold in the egg whites. Drop the batter by heaping tablespoons onto a non-stick baking sheet. Bake 12 – 15 minutes. Let the cookies cool slightly on the baking sheets before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

A note about using nutmeg:  the flavor of freshly ground nutmeg is far superior to that of already ground nutmeg. It is truly worth it to get some fresh nutmeg and grate your own when you need it. You will really notice the difference in flavor.

Yield – about 1 dozen muffins

2/3 cups flour of choice
½ cup oats
1/3 cup brown sugar or alternative sweetener
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup Greek yogurt, room temperature
10 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, cooled
¼ cup maple syrup
1 ½ cup finely shredded butternut squash
¼ cup candied ginger

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a muffin tin.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, salt, spices, and lemon zest. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, melted butter, and syrup.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently stir with a rubber spatula until almost combined-the batter will be very thick. Then fold in the shredded squash and candied ginger.

4. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes or so, or until the muffins are lightly golden and spring back when touched. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan before turning them out on a rack.

Serves 4 – 6

5 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoons poppyseeds
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon sea salt
pinch cayenne pepper
1 egg
8 carrots, cut into 1/2 –inch slices
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed
1 tablespoon chopped scallions

DIRECTIONS:

1. For the dressing: Whisk together oil, lemon juice, poppyseeds, garlic, mustard, salt, and cayenne pepper until well blended.
2. Heat a saucepan of water to boiling. Add the egg in shell; cook for one minute only. Break the egg into the dressing and whisk to blend.
3. Steam the vegetables until just tender-crisp, drain and pour dressing over vegetables and toss to blend.
4. Sprinkle scallions over the top. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Serves 6

Simple and delicious, this peasant food is vitamin-rich!

2 bunches kale, stems removed and finely chopped
1/4 -1/2 cup finely chopped raw sauerkraut

DIRECTIONS:

1. Fill a large pot wit 1/4 inch of water and bring to a boil. Add the stems from the kale, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the kale leaves, cover and simmer for about 8 minutes (the kale should be bright green and slightly crisp).

2. Mix in the sauerkraut. Serve warm.

Serves 4

The traditional version calls for beef stock, but here the full-bodied flavor is imparted by herbs. Serve it with croutons or garlic bread.

One bouquet garni (recipe follows) with additional herbs of choice; rosemary, marjoram, dill, coriander seeds, celery seeds (1 sprig fresh, or 1 tsp dried)
4 – 6 cups sliced onions
2 teaspoons olive oil
pinch of sea salt
6 cups water or vegetable stock
salt, soy sauce, or light miso to taste
sliced scallions ( green and white parts) or minced fresh parsley or chives  for garnish

BOUQUET GARNI: 3 bay leaves, 12 peppercorns, 10 – 12 stems of parsley, 1 sprig fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried), 2 – 3 whole cloves garlic; wrap in cheesecloth and tie tightly to make a nice bag of herbs. Set aside.

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large pot, sauté the onions in the oil over medium-low heat. Add salt to prevent sticking, and stir frequently. Cover the pot and leave slightly ajar. The onions should sauté for 30 minutes to one hour (the longer the onions cook, the more intense the flavor – I suggest cooking the full hour, it is worth the wait!). They will reduce to about one third of their original volume and become sweet and golden.  Make sure to check them now and then, giving them a gentle stir to help them cook evenly.
2. Add the water or stock along with the bouquet garni. Simmer at least 30 minutes.  Season with sea salt, soy sauce, or miso. (If using miso, make sure the soup is turned off before adding it. The high heat kills the good bacteria in it that is so good for our GI tract.) Garnish with scallions, fresh parsley, or chives.

Makes 15

1 carrot, coarsely grated
1 large russet potato, grated coarsely
1 tablespoon flour of choice
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, combine the carrot, potato, flour, egg, thyme, salt, and pepper.

2. Lightly oil a skillet. Drop ¼ cup amounts of the potato-carrot mixture onto the skillet, flattening the pancakes with a spoon if necessary.

3. Fry until lightly brown on one side, about 3 minutes; then fry the other side for 3 minutes. Drain with paper towels and serve warm.

4. I like to serve these on a bed of arugula that has been lightly tossed with freshly squeezed lemon juice and olive oil, and seasoned with a pinch of sea salt, freshly ground nutmeg, and freshly ground black pepper. It is delicious!

Makes 2 1/2 dozen

This recipe comes from an OLD Sunset “cookie” book. These are more like a “cakey” bar than a cookie though. But I love this recipe; it is popular with friends and family, and is so easy!

1 cup persimmon puree from Hachiya persimmons (directions below)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil of choice
1 package (8 ounces) pitted dates, about 1 1/2 cups, finely chopped (sometimes it’s easier to snip them with kitchen scissors)
1 3/4 cups flour of choice
1 teaspoon each: sea salt, ground cinnamon, and freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Lemon Glaze (recipe follows)

To make persimmon puree:  You will need fully ripened persimmons. About 2 to 3 medium persimmons will yield 1 cup of puree. Persimmon puree freezes beautifully, so if you find yourself with lots of them ripening all at once, prepare puree as described here and freeze in one-cup increments. Then thaw as needed and use in any recipe calling for persimmon puree.

Cut fruits in half and scoop out the pulp with a spoon. Discard the skin, seeds, and stem. In a blender or food processor, whirl pulp (if doing large quantities, do this a portion at a time) until smooth. For each cup puree, thoroughly stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice. To store, freeze in 1-cup containers; thaw covered, at room temperature.

To make bars:
1. Measure out 1 cup of puree and stir in baking soda. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, lightly beat egg, then stir in sugar, oil and dates.
3. In another bowl, stir together flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves; add the date mixture alternating with persimmon mixture, stirring until just blended.
4. Stir in chopped nuts. Spread batter evenly in a lightly greased, flour-dusted 10 by 15 inch rimmed baking pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until top is browned and a pick inserted comes out clean.
5. Let cool on a rack for 5 minutes. Prepare lemon glaze and spread over the bars. Let cool completely, then cut into 2-by-2 1/2-inch bars.
 

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