I was about to post a new recipe called Cauliflower in the Round, but almost every magazine I pick up features Thanksgiving recipes, so I thought I would go through my archives and re-post recipes that I think would be helpful for next week. Then I will post the one on cauliflower, which could work for Thanksgiving, except I do not know anyone who makes cauliflower for this holiday. So here are seven of my favorites from the archives to consider for your holiday table or holiday week-end meals.
NOTE: The first two recipes are from my October 2006 posting, so if you want to reread the information on cranberries,please put the recipes in the address box below the Table of Contents on the right and you will see the article.
Also, most of these recipes were created before I started listing Cooking Time, Preparation Time, and Category. For the most part, they are vegan and take less than 30 minutes to cook and even less to prepare, unless you are baking a potato or apples. While my motto is The Good Taste of Health, I believe in simple recipes that don’t take a lot of time because they are simple, not because I am in a hurry. Also, too many ingredients confuse my taste buds!
Cranberry Applesauce
Ingredients
One-two organic, sweet apples (try Honeycrisp)
One cup whole organic cranberries
Cinnamon stick
Apple juice
Honey
Directions
1. Wash, cut, and core apples. Peel and cut into smaller pieces and place in a saucepan with cinnamon stick; add a small amount of water or apple juice (sweeter results).
2. Cook apples until soft, adding cranberries near the end.
3. Add a small amount of honey for sweetness.
If the apples are too chunky, mash the sauce with a fork or potato masher. For smoother sauce, place in blender on Pulse for a few seconds. Cool and serve.
Tart Apple-Cranberry Relish
Ingredients
One cup grated apple
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 -1 cup organic cranberries, chopped
juice
Directions
1. Mix all the ingredients together, adding juice to moisten, if necessary. Also, add small amount of natural sweetener, if you think the dish is too tart.
2. This can also be placed on Pulse in the blender for a less coarse relish.
3. Serve as is, or stir into yogurt, oatmeal, or any place you want a tart, tangy taste!
NOTE: This recipe is from January 2007. There are more soup recipes in this posting.
Cauliflower Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
1/2 large or one small organic cauliflower
2 small or one large organic sweet potato
1- 2 T. curry powder
water from cooking cauliflower
Directions
1. Wash cauliflower, removing the leaves. Pull apart and cook cauliflower pieces in enough water to cover until cauliflower is barely tender.
2. Wash, scrub and bake the sweet potato until it can be pieced with a fork. (You can also slice it and cook it in water as an alternative.)
3. When the cauliflower is ready, remove from water and allow water to cool.
4. When the sweet potato is baked, allow to cool; then peel and cut into chunks.
5. Place about half the cauliflower pieces and half the sweet potato chunks in a small amount of the cooled cooking water and puree until smooth. Do the same with the rest of the sweet potatoes and cauliflower, until all is pureed.
6. Place back in the soup pot to warm, add curry powder (more or less to taste) and serve. Sprinkle on some parsley or dill for color, if you wish. ( I added some peas for garnish.)
NOTE: This recipe is from August/September 2007.
Savory Sweet Potato Salad
I was able to use many of my patio garden herbs in this recipe, which features sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes, although either will work.
Ingredients
2-3 medium-sized sweet potatoes or yams
3-4 Tbl. olive oil or other oil of your choice (I mixed walnut with olive oil.)
2-3 Tbl. mixed savory herbs, washed and stems removed. (I used tarragon, rosemary, and sweet marjoram.)
Directions
1. Scrub sweet potatoes and peel. Cut into bite-sized chunks.
2. Toss with olive oil and herbs. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender, but not mushy. Check every few minutes, if necessary, by poking a fork into potato chunks.
3. Remove potatoes and place in an attractive bowl garnished with sprouts or lettuce leaves. Can be served right from the oven or chilled and served the next day at room temperature. (Olive oil tends to congeal, so you need to remove the potato salad a few minutes before serving.)
Note: If you are using dried herbs, you need half as much as the recipe calls for. Also, for a more pungent salad, you can use oregano, garlic, thyme, and parsley instead of the savory herbs above. These herbs may work better with white or tiny red new potatoes, which need not be peeled, especially if they are organic.
NOTE: This recipe is from October 2008.
Savory Roasted Veggies (Vegan)
Roasted vegetables are everywhere. I recently went to an Italian restaurant that served roasted veggies over shells. This roasted veggie dish emphasizes the red, green, and white of the holidays, with yellow for the color of the late fall leaves. One of my college classmates sent me her favorite roasted veggie dish, which prompted this recipe with my choice of veggies.
Utensils: Cutting board,knife, baking sheet
Prep. Time: 20 minutes- 1/2 hour, depending on the vegetables used
Cooking Time: About 30 minutes, depending on how well done you like the vegetables
Category: Vegan
Note: Preheat oven to 400 degrees while cutting the veggies
Ingredients
Organic whenever possible
one-two zucchini, scrubbed & cut into bite-sized chunks
one-two yellow summer squash, scrubbed & cut into bite-sized chunks
one stalk of fennel, washed & cut into pieces about 1 1/2 inches by 1 1/2 inches (no need to be exact!)
one red bell pepper, seeds and white veins removed, cut into slivers
3-4 cauliflower florets, sliced thinly
2-3 Tbl. olive oil
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh herbs (I used dill, thyme, parsley, basil) (1/2 this amount if dried)
Directions
1. Cut all the veggies as described. Place in a large bowl and toss with 2-3 tablespoons olive oil and herbs.
2. Place veggies on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes, tossing once; then switch to broil for 3 or 4 minutes until desired crispness, tossing once. Sprinkle on a little more olive oil or fennel dressing right before serving.
3. Serve over rice or pasta or just as they are—colorful and crisp!
Note: If you want to use new potatoes or fingerlings, precook for 5 minutes while cutting up other veggies. If you want to use asparagus, trim and cut into thirds, adding after veggies have baked 5-7 minutes.
NOTE: This recipe is also from October 2008.
(Vegan) Corn Muffins
This is a vegan variation of a recipe from Nikki & David Goldbeck’s American Wholefoods Cuisine, Ceres Press. It is my favorite cookbook for basic recipes, like a natural Joy of Cooking. Thanks to the Goldbecks for permission to use their recipe. It is also gluten and dairy free. I substituted almond milk for milk and maple syrup for honey. Vegans do not use honey, because it is food taken from the bees. The book describes this muffin as sweet with a cakelike crumb, but I believe it is more of a breakfast muffin, not a dessert muffin.
Utensils: Bowl, measuring cup and spoons, muffin tin
Prep. Time: About 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes for regular muffin tin; about 35-45 minutes for large muffin tin
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups cornmeal (I used 2 cups cornmeal and then used 1/2 cup quinoa flour for extra protein)
1 tablespoon baking powder (aluminum free)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil (I used macadamia)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 cups non-dairy beverage
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Combine the dry ingredients.
3. Make a well in the center and add oil, maple syrup, and non-dairy beverage. Stir until batter is smooth.
4. Pour into oiled muffin tin, filling almost to the top.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes. 12 regular-sized muffins or 6 large muffins (add 5- 10 minutes baking time.)
P.S. I added sunflower seeds to some of the muffins and pumpkin seeds to others.
NOTE: This last recipe is recent — February 2009, an easy-to-make snack for guests at any holiday.
Chewy ‘n Quick Sweet Treat
Note: This recipe is so quick and easy that you don’t really need a recipe. It’s more an idea and you can change the proportions to your liking. The funny thing is that when I went to Whole Foods to choose chocolate chips, I had 4 or 5 choices: vegan, gluten free, regular or milk chocolate, and Whole Foods own semi-sweet 365 label, which I chose. I spent more time choosing the chips than mixing the ingredients!
Utensils: Measuring cup, bowl
Prep. Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: None
Category: Vegan if you use vegan chocolate chips)
Ingredients
3/4 to 1 cup chocolate chips
3/4 to 1 cup organic raisins
3/4 to 1 cup date pieces (I purchased date pieces dusted with oat flour from Whole Foods)
walnuts or pecans as garnish
Directions
Mix chips, raisins, and dates ina bowl. Top with nuts and serve. (You can also use more nuts mixed into the trio. I prefer dried fruit separate from nuts.)
