Sweet and Salty Pumpkin Seeds

Happy Halloween!

It’s that time of year again to pick out the most ridiculous thing in your wardrobe (easier for some than others), throw it together with some spooky accessories and douse yourself in fake blood – all while overindulging in your favorite chocolate or candy. So what’s an alternative to these sugary/salty snacks that will infiltrate your life for the next week to a month?

Chances are you are planning on carving a pumpkin tonight, or already have; and you will have a decent amount of seeds leftover. These (along with any other squash seed) are a huge source of nutrients and helps fight cancer cells, as well as aide your autoimmune system. So I’m suggesting utilizing this natural hand-food into something delicious.

I’ve found these little guys make one of my favorite snacks! In this recipe, I roast the seeds for about an hour and a half at 225; however, after doing a bit of research I found that you shouldn’t roast them longer than 20 minutes or so because it starts to break down the fat molecules. I haven’t noticed a huge difference in this personally and I prefer the seed to be more crispy/crunchy than anything else.

Here’s what I really wanted to get at in this post.  I recently discovered a trick of the trade when it comes to removing the seeds from the squash pulp, and I want to share it with you. Ok, its pretty simple, but so much easier.

Simply place your seeds in a container, and fill with water. Let it sit for an hour or so to really hydrate the pulp.

At this point, you will be able to easily pull the seeds away from the pulp without getting your hands coated in that squash residue. 

Place the seeds and pulp in separate containers. You can keep the pulp if you want and add it to a puree, or use it in your stock. Take the seeds and place into a strainer to allow remaining liquid and water to drain.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 1-1 1/2 hrs

Ingredients:

Pumpkin seeds (drained)

olive oil (enough to lightly coat seeds)

Favorite spice blend or use the following simple jerk seasoning 

1 Tablespoon sea salt

2 Tablespoon brown sugar in the raw or maple sugar

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp cumin (ground)

1/2 tsp dark chili powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon (ground)

1/2 tsp thyme (dry)

Directions: 

Toss pumpkin seeds in olive, avocado seed, or coconut oil (just enough to lightly coat)

Place on sheet tray and put into an oven at 225 for 1-2 hour or until crispy/crunchy

Once cooled, toss in your favorite spice blend and store in a cool, dry place. 

Breakfast Quinoa - so much better than oatmeal!

I've been on a bit of a breakfast kicker lately! Between the weekend brunch shifts at work, and the 30 pounds of apples I’m trying to utilize from a few weeks ago, I’m really trying to explore different uses for these sweet fruits.

I’m not a huge oatmeal fan by any measure – but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate a good bowl when it comes around. One thing I do realize is that I love the sweet and savory aspects of traditional oatmeal; but not the heavy and sticky parts. So how else could I possibly set myself up with something easy to grab in the morning?

I recently came to a compromise and discovered I had already stumbled upon the solution! In one of my previous posts (fall brunch menu) I had a breakfast quinoa on the menu. It occurred to me that I could easily make something super yummy and very quickly since it acts like rice (concerning the cooking process) and it’s a lot fluffier and lighter (with more texture) than oats are.

Quinoa is also a super food, and much better for you than say rolled oats or something like that. Most of your grains don’t possess the fat content, nor omega-3 fatty acid count that this fluffy grain provides. It also serves as a complete protein by itself. You can get more information on quinoa here 

Breakfast Quinoa:

Suggested modifications/substitutions:

1. Substitute the fruit content with your favorite seasonal fruit or fruit preserve.
2. Use vanilla/chocolate flavored lacto-free milk such as a nut or soy milk. 
3. Make a batch of plain (no fruit) so anyone can grab some and add fresh fruit of choice. 
4. Throw a handful of your favorite nuts in (in the beginning with the apples will result in a nuttier taste with a softer nut after it absorbs liquid, adding in at the end will keep them crunchy). 
5. Boost your protein by adding some vegan chili or a fried egg. 

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1-2 apples (small dice, skin-on)

1 Tablespoon coconut oil or butter

½ tsp cinnamon (fresh ground)

Dash coriander

¼ tsp fennel seed

3 T maple syrup or honey

2 T Apple butter

1 cup quinoa

2 cups whole milk

Directions:

1. Put medium sized pot on the fire at a medium heat.
2. Once hot, put in your coconut oil or butter and allow to melt.
3. Place your apple, cinnamon, coriander, and fennel in the pot and sauté until apples begin to brown.
4. Pour in your quinoa and stir quickly to coat it in the fat.
5. Pour in your milk and stir, let cook on medium/low heat until quinoa is soft.
6. Stir occasionally to check when it’s done.
7. Serve hot or cold with fresh fruit and honey.

Apple-maple Granola aka “The Crunch Attack”

I’m nicknaming this granola “Crunch attack” because it is the crunchiest, most gnarliest granola EVER! It’s super easy to make and packed full of nutrients and protein.

I chose to us a wide variety of seeds and nuts based on their nutritional value; however you can substitute with your favorite variety as well. You can also substitute the dried fruit for whatever dried fruit you want. 

Just keep in mind that it comes down to a ratio of fat/sugar to the remaining product. I would suggest that no matter what you try and move around, that you keep the quinoa in it as it is one of the main crunch components.

As far as chopped nuts go, I did a pretty rough chop. The idea is that most of the large items besides the main garnish (apple) are the same size. This will allow for an easier cluster formation. You can also cheat and throw the nuts/seeds you want to use in a blender or food processer and buzz it up a few times (way faster and cleaner than doing it with a knife on the board).

Please enjoy with yogurt and apple butter/apple sauce. Store in a cool, dry place.

Ingredients:

2 cups oats

½ cup quinoa

¼ cup peanuts (chopped)

¼ cup almonds (chopped)

¼ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

¼ cup soy nuts (chopped)

2 Tablespoons flax seed

3 Tablespoons hemp seeds

1 cup apples (dehydrated)

½ cup cranberries (dehydrated)

1/3 cup coconut oil

2 Tablespoons apple butter

2/3 cup maple syrup  or honey

Pinch dark chili powder

Pinch pink Himalayan salt

Directions:

1. Heat coconut oil, apple butter, and maple syrup in small sauce pot until coconut oil is melted.
2. Take remaining ingredients and combine in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add liquid and mix until incorporated.
4. Place the mixture on a sheet  tray line with parchment paper or foil.
5. Bake in the oven at 225 for 2 hours.

Curried Apple Jasmine Rice

Continuing on with my apple extravaganza, I decided to make a curry spice soup and add jasmine rice to it. 

However, I used too much rice, or too little liquid (depending on what side of the line you’re on) and it really turned out to be more of a rice dish than a soup. Anyway, my loss is your gain because I turned it into this savory dish with a sweet note guaranteed to accent any protein quite nicely.

This dish is not particularly spicy, however, it does have some spices in it to heighten the flavor and allow the sweetness to cut through it. Combined with the fragrance of jasmine rice, this dish is a total plunder of your senses.

I would say that if you want this to be more of a soup that you cut the portion of rice down to 2/3 cup or double the recipe and maintain the same amount of rice. You can even throw some chicken/beans in there as well if you want to make a complete meal out of it.

Keep in mind that this recipe will be blended, so uniform cuts won’t really matter here. You are just looking to make it as easy as possible to break down the vegetables.

I highly suggest enjoying this rice with my veganchili  on top. Take it a step further and a piece of grilled meat, or two fried eggs with a healthy sprinkle of a mild cheese on top. Maybe even shaved fennel salad?

Anyway, enough jibber-jabber, TO THE INGREDIENT LIST!

Curried Apple Jasmine Rice

Ingredients:

1 green chili (chopped)

1 carrot (chopped)

2 medium onions (chopped)

2 cloves garlic (sliced)

½ pickled Anaheim pepper

1 dried chili (chopped)

2 apples (grated)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

3 ½ tsp curry

1 cup milk (whole)

4 cups stock (vegetable or chicken)

1 ½ cup jasmine rice

Zest and juice 1 lime

¼ cup cilantro or parsley (chiffonade)

Season to taste

Directions:

1. Put a medium pot on the fire on medium-low
2. Once pot is hot, pour in your oil 
3. Add chili, carrot, onion, garlic, pickled pepper, and dried chili. Continue cooking until onions are translucent. 
4. Add curry spice and allow to dissolve in remaining liquid for a few minutes, then add your apples.  
5. Allow to cook more until apples become tender and start to fall apart. 
6. Pour in your milk and stock and allow to come to a simmer. 
7. Using a blender or immersion blender, puree contents until smooth. 
8. Add Jasmine rice and continue to cook until rice is tender. 
9. Finish with lime juice and herb and incorporate into the rice. 

Crock-pot Apple Butter

This past week I went apple picking and got a little too excited with the festivities and went a little overboard. Needless to say 28lbs of apples later I basically had to approach it on a colonial scale. So, I wound up doing around 7 different ways and this is probably one of the best, without a doubt. I’d even go as far as to say that this is one of the best recipes I’ve released thus far!

I chose to use the crock-pot method as a way to start exploring the possibilities with these great little guys. I know a lot of you out there probably have one lying around and I want to encourage you to get full use out of any equipment you have. This particular recipe takes about 12 hours to complete, so feel free to just pile in some ingredients and let it go while you continue with your day.

As far as uses are concerned, I would say that you should treat this as a sauce substitute (add a little cold butter to the warm apple mixture, maybe a little rosemary – call it a day), or simply as a sweetener in recipes (think adding to yogurt, toast, bagel, vinaigrette's, marinades, stuffing, or soup).

Keep in mind that apples have a very high moisture content and add a lot of moisture to any recipe when baking. It also contains a lot of pectin (natural plant-based thickener) in the core, so by adding that to a jelly/jam you can sweeten and thicken in the same step.

Crock-pot apple butter

Ingredients:

6-8 apples quartered with the seeds cut/scooped out (enough to reach the indent on the pot)

2 tsp cinnamon (ground)

½ tsp nutmeg

1 clove

1 Tablespoon(ish) pickled ginger (I like a good zip of ginger)

1/8 cup honey (a floral variety like rosemary/lavender works well here)

1 shot whiskey (I suggest the Irish variety)

1 cup water

3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar 

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients into crock pot and cover for about 6-8 hours. 
2. Once it reaches the point where it looks like the picture below, leave uncovered and cook for another 4 hours, stirring occasionally. 
3. 
4. Once it reaches this color, puree it up in a blender. It should be about this dark when compared to regular apple sauce. 
5. 
6. Enjoy! 

Vegan Chili

This wonderful crisp fall weather has me hankering for some mean chili. I think this hits just the right spot! 

There’s a good solid heat that still lets the beautiful marriage of ingredients to shine.

For me chili is really a celebration of the pepper; and I chose to use many different forms of it in order to build the unique flavor profile that is the result. I know this particular recipe is pretty intense in the ingredient list, but I do think it will be the best vegi chili you’ve ever had.

As far as the ingredients are concerned, feel free to mess around with them a bit. Like for example, if you don’t have the varieties of peppers or powders, just use whatever you can get – just keep the ratios the same and you should have a fantastic chili.

I chose to display this particular dish on a cheese crustini with a basil leaf garnish. However, I’d say that serving it hot in a bowl with some Mexican or cheddar cheese would be the most common. The fat content of cheese cuts through the spiciness and provides relief if it’s too spicy for your liking. You can also enjoy this irresponsibly with a few beers (of which I highly suggest).

This also serves as a great basis for some huevos rancheros. Just heat up the beans and put in a bowl. Top with some onions, salsa, avocado, sunny side up egg, and cilantro or parsley. Extra points for some melted Oaxaca cheese on top of all of this!

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons coconut oil

6 crimini mushrooms (sliced

6 shiitake mushrooms (sliced and destemmed)

4 medium onion (diced)

3 stalk celery (diced)

2 carrots (diced)

1 roasted red pepper (diced)

1 roasted publano pepper (diced)

1 pickled Anaheim pepper (diced)

4 cloves garlic (sliced)

4 tsp sriracha sauce

2 tsp mustard

2 dried Serrano chiles (chopped)

2 bay leaves

2 Tablespoons dark chili powder

3 Tablespoons cumin

1 teaspoon coriander (ground)

2 tsp smoked sweet paprika

1 tsp hot paprika

2 Tablespoons dried pequin peppers (chopped)

1 tsp cayenne

1 beer (lager)

2 tsp capers

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 can pinto beans (drained and rinsed)

1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 can kidney beans (drained and rinsed)

4 cups tomato herb sauce

1 med can tomato puree or whole tomato

2 tsp oregano (dry)

½ tsp basil (dry)

Directions:

1. Heat up a large pot to medium heat.
2. Put your coconut oil in the pot and allow to heat up (about 30 seconds). Add mushrooms.
3. Allow mushrooms to brown. Stir occasionally to ensure even browning on product. They should be ready when they look like the picture below.

1. Once mushrooms have browned, add the following: onion, celery, carrot, peppers, and garlic. Reduce to medium/low heat. Cook until onions become translucent.
2. Add your spices: sriracha, mustard, serranos, bay leaves, dark chili powder, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, hot paprika, pequin peppers, and cayenne. Allow to absorb into the oil/liquid. Stir occasionally.
3. Once incorporated fully, add vinegar, capers, and beer. Allow to simmer and reduce. You’re ready to move to the next step once it looks like the picture below.

1. Add your beans and tomato sauces. Allow to simmer for 1-2 hours.
2. Finish with herbs before serving. Use fresh if you can (preferably). 

Potato Salad with no Mayo

Potato Salad

By looking at this picture, I’m sure you realize this is not your typical drowned in mayo potato salad that notoriously shows up at a summer barbecue or someone brings to a party. I hate mayo – absolutely hate it. 

So that being said, you will never see any of that on here!

This particular salad is usually served cold, but that doesn't mean that you can’t heat it up in the pan and serve it as breakfast potatoes. It’s super versatile! I've even been caught throwing it on naan bread with some roasted veggies and smothering it with cheese (of which I highly suggest you do).

Anyway, as you compile this recipe and mix it together, you will notice that the natural starches from the potato will break off from the main cube and act as a binder for the salad. I also chose to leave the skin on for this application. The skin of the potato is full of additional nutrients and if you wash it properly, it’s tasty – not dirty.

Ingredients:

8 Yukon gold potatoes

6 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 medium onion (diced small)

1 stalk celery (diced small)

1/2 green pepper (diced small)

½ pickled Anaheim pepper

Juice and zest 1 lemon

¼ cup of chopped (chiffonade) parsley

1 tsp sweet smoked paprika

2 tsp Dijon mustard

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

1. Put potatoes in a pot big enough that water will cover all the potatoes by at least an inch.
2. Salt the water to the point where it tastes close to the ocean.
3. Put the flame on high and bring to a boil.
4. Continue to boil until a fork can break apart the potatoes.
5. Remove potatoes and let them cool (you can do this the day/night before).
6. Dice potatoes and transfer into a mixing bowl.
7. Add remaining ingredients to a mixing bowl with potatoes.
8. Once incorporated, allow to sit for one hour, mixing occasionally.

Pickled Peaches and Anaheim Peppers

Pickled Peaches and Anaheim Peppers

So summer is ending (we’re all sad), but there is still an abundance to be had! Late summer produce is still available and technically in-season. I think pickling some fruit is in order is it not?

I did this probably a month and a half ago and I think I’ve got about a week to two weeks of shelf life left in it before I have to toss it or freeze it now – I can’t stand throwing food out. However, I should mention that the produce I used was kind of on the verge of spoiling within a few days (that’s why I preserved it). So if you use some ripe fruit and peppers, you should be able to add a few more weeks on there… hey that’s basically Christmas. Just saying, times are tough and quality food is hard to come by these days. It’s really visual and if you put it in a tall or big jar, it looks amazing.

Ok, so uses. I’ve used this in cold salads, soups, sauces, and sauté dishes. First you have to understand a bit about the flavor that you’re working with here and that is sweet and hot. This is basically going to elevate your senses in any dish and should be used on the sparing side as an additive into a dish.

Curiously enough, within the first few days, the peach is still quite sweet and can truly be utilized as a puree, base for a drink, even peach salsa works here.

Cold dishes – I’d lean more towards using the peppers since you can straight substitute them in any recipe. Keep in mind that you are still dealing with a pepper or a peach here and should be treated as such. I’ve added the peach in a few dishes, but it winds up being more pickled than peach as it progresses through the aging.

Soups – this may surprise you, but I use the liquid in soups before it starts to simmer. The vinegar adds acidity and reduces down to sweetness so depending on what time you put it in depends really on how it will add to it. But, it will add such a dimension of flavor to your soup that it’s insane. This little trick will blow your socks off and give you a great use for the liquid.

Sauces – Same thing as mentioned before with the liquid. You can also utilize the pepper for some added complexity (almost as you would a pepper sauce) in your sauce building. You will tend to get a bit more concentrated flavor if you cook it. The sugars from the apple cider vinegar will also reduce and create a sweet aspect (be careful not to burn it!)

Sautés – I use both for this application. I would say to add them right at the end though. The bigger the cut, the more concentrated the flavor is within the pickle; but if you cut/slice it small it tends to become a part of the natural juices. I love pairing the peaches with pork, fresh peppers, sliced onions, garlic, and some dark leafy greens. The pickled peppers also go very nicely with some sautéed kale, or braised collards. They really bring out some notes you usually skip over when you don’t include this level of acidity.

Ingredients:

4 peaches (pitted and cut into 12 portions)

6 Anaheim peppers (sliced in half - color doesn’t matter)

1 sprig sage

2 tsp cumin

4 Tablespoons pickling spice

¼ c sea salt

1 ½  quarts apple cider vinegar

½ quart water

Medium pot

Jar(s) that will fit all the product enough to be covered

Directions:

1. Place pan on med/high heat.
2. Begin slicing your peppers in half while you wait for the pan to warm.
3. Once the pan is hot, put your spices in.
4. Toss the spices around in the pan until you can start to smell them toasting (about 1-2 minutes).
5. Add your vinegar, water and salt. Bring to a boil
6. While you are waiting for this mixture to boil, cut down your peaches.
7. Place product in container(s). IMPORTANT NOTE: if using glass, put a towel underneath it so it doesn’t get too hot that it cracks the counter (I’ve seen it happen at home).
8. Once boiled either strain or keep the pickling spice in the liquid.
9. Pour liquid into containers, enough to cover product.
10. Let sit in the fridge for 36 hours ideally before enjoying.

Toasted CousCous and Wilted Kale

Happy National Kale Day!

I only thought it fit that given the name day that I do another kale recipe for you. I’ve been really into wilting fibrous greens into pastas or hot salads lately and I think it’s a great way to still enjoy the texture while not losing the green. This particular recipe is great served both cold and hot.

I know a lot of times if you braise kale or sauté it too long that it starts to turn dark on you. This also (in my opinion) allows for the bitterness to seep out and you really need to pay attention to the balance or it won’t taste light and fresh. The next few paragraphs explore how to use different varieties.

It’s also worth mentioning that there are quite a variety of kales out there and they all have a little something special about them. Familiarize yourself with what is available and start to explore!

I chose to use curly kale so I will explain why first. Your standard curly kale is going to be the toughest of your varieties and needs to be cooked or cut very thin to be able to eat it. It’s got very curly looking leaves (like curly parsley) and really has a fun texture when you wilt it down in this recipe. If you do wilt it down like we are here, I highly suggest ripping or cutting it into small pieces (half the size of a credit card) before wilting it. Keep in mind that the process of wilting will reduce the structure and size of the leaf so when you put it in doesn’t be alarmed if you suddenly think “I put way too much kale in this”. It will reduce down.

The next toughest would probably be the green or red Russian kale. I like using these in slaws or to make chips because they are pretty easy to cut compared to the curly. Furthermore, they still have a hearty texture so you can really let it marinade it a dressing for a few days and still have that great texture – but so much more flavor.

Lacinato kale is a lot more tender than the two previous varieties and can be cut large and thrown into salads. It’s a little sweeter and sometimes darker in color, which means higher nutrient content. It also strays away from the other varieties in its texture and shape. It’s got a very textured leaf, but it’s thinner and you can easily eat half of the stem raw. For this reason I like to use it in salads with fruits or some kind of sweet reduction dressing. I’d also suggest extra virgin olive oil or avocado seed oil because of their lightness.

Lastly we have Tuscan kale. Like Lacinato, it’s a lot thinner in its leaf spread and not as fibrous. I find that the local Tuscan kale to be very sweet for what I would usually classify as a “bitter-green.” This variety does not really hold up too well in a marinade, but great to toss into any quick sauté or sauce for a healthy addition. I’ve even put this on sandwiches/wraps and been quite pleased with the results.

Ok. Recipe time!

Toasted couscous and kale

Ingredients:

2 cups couscous

4 cups water or stock (unsalted preferred)

2 cups kale (ripped or cut)

1 medium onion (small dice) 

1 Poblano pepper (small dice)

1 garlic clove (sliced thin)

2 tsp smoked sweet paprika

½ tsp cinnamon

Juice and zest one lime

1/8 cup chopped parsley

1/8 cup chopped basil

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Sautee pan

Medium or large pot

Directions

1. Put both the pot and pan on the stove on medium heat
2. Once they start to heat up, put the couscous in the pan and allow to slowly toast (toss at least once a minute)
3. Then put some olive oil in the pan (enough to almost cover the bottom with a very thin coating) about 2 Tablespoons
4. Add your pepper, onion, and garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent. Stir occasionally.
5. Once onions are clear, add your spices and stir until incorporated.
6. By this time you should have been stirring/tossing the couscous and it should have some browning on the edges and some may even look slightly burnt. It’s ready now!
7. Put your couscous in the pot with the veggies and stir until incorporated and the couscous is coated in the oil. 
8. Once coated, add water and allow cooking until tender and all the water is gone (approx. 20-30 min). You may want to reduce to a med/low heat at this point if it is cooking too fast for you.  You can stir it here and there, but generally speaking: you should try and avoid it since it will disrupt the starch and you’ll wind up with a risotto style couscous.
9. Once cooked; add your lime zest and juice, ripped kale, and herbs.
10. Stir until kale wilts down to about half its size. You’ll tell it’s done because it will have a darker green color than before and be a lot smaller. Once it stops shrinking, that’s when it’s ready to be served!