Roast Squash, Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tart

I brought this to bookclub last time we met and it was well received.
Realize before making this that it will take you a bit of time, but a worthy endeavor it shall be. Make sure you read the recipe clear through so you get an idea of all the steps first.
I'm thinking that if you can plan your meals ahead and carmelize a bunch of onions a day before making this, it'd take a load off the time involved in making this the day of. Also, if you can find it (I couldn't), it'd be well worth the money spent in buying pre-cut butternut squash for this! Those can be real boogers to take down.
The crust for this would be wonderful in any number of savory dishes. Really great, not too unhealthy, and super easy/foolproof. Right up my alley, as I have NO skillz in the pastry making department.

Roast Squash, Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tart:
(Amy Chaplin's fabulous blog Quinoa and Coconut)

Crust

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, or whole spelt flour (I used whole spelt...delicious!)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, or melted butter ( I used a 50/50 combination)

2-3 tablespoons soymilk, cow's milk, or filtered water (I used unsweetened almond milk)

Filling:
2 large red onions, sliced (bi-sected top to bottom, then sliced in ~1/4" slices in the other direction...like you'd cut onion rings)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided

sea salt

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1 large butternut or red kuri squash, 2 1/2 to 3 pounds, peeled and seeded

fresh black pepper

3 or 4 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed

1/4 pound fresh goat cheese

arugula to serve

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pulse oats in a food processor until coarsely ground, place in a bowl with flour, salt and baking powder, mix well. Melt butter (if using) in a small sauce pan over medium heat, add olive oil and brush a little into a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom, pour the rest into oat-flour mixture. Mix with a fork until all the butter and oil is combined, drizzle in milk/water and mix until pastry holds together, it shouldn’t be too wet. Press crust into tart pan and pre-bake for 20 minutes, remove from oven and set aside.

Place onions and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into a wide skillet or frying pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring every few minutes until they begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Lower heat to medium-low and cook until caramalized, this takes a good 30 minutes, if they begin to stick turn heat down a little. Stir in a large pinch of sea salt and the balsamic vinegar, cook another few minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. (I usually add a small touch of agave nectar when I add the balsamic, and I do add a pinch of salt when first adding the onions to the pan)

Raise oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Cut squash into 3/4 inches chunks, spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, drizzle with remaining olive oil, a large pinch of sea salt and pepper, toss well. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown, remove from oven and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl combine caramelized onions, roasted squash and thyme leaves.
Crumble half of the goat cheese into the bowl and gently toss. Crumble remaining goat cheese over the bottom of the pre-baked tart shell, top with squash mixture and return to oven for another 20 minutes until goat cheese is golden and slightly melted. Allow to cool before serving.

Nutella Inspiration Waffles

I discovered a wonderful blog by Amy Chaplin called Coconut and Quinoa in a search for a waffle recipe that included nut meal and cocoa. This recipe was my jumping off point. I do hope to make it as written someday, but this morning I was fulfilling a long ago made request for chocolate waffles. I've made Amy's Roasted Squash, Carmelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tart and it was to die for good. Hopefully, she'll let me repost the recipe...although truth be told, it's looking at her photos that will convince you to make it.
Ok, back to the waffles. Nutella. So good. I had hazelnut meal in the fridge that needed using up, so thought immediately of pairing it with cocoa. I've left the orange in from the original recipe for a more grown up flavor, but you could leave that out if it doesn't appeal (I SO wanted to spell that "appeel") to you. I stuck with a more neutral flavored oil instead of extra virgin olive oil, added some vanilla, and a bit of dried espresso to deepen the chocolate flavor all the more. To drive home the Nutella goodness, I mixed about 1 Tbs into some fat-free Greek yogurt to top the waffles.
True confession time now. I also mixed in homemade agave sweetened coconut cream. Decidedly not fat-free. Wow.

Nutella Inspiration Waffles:

1 Cup whole spelt flour
1/4 cup good quality unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup hazelnut meal (almond meal would be great too)
2 eggs (separated)
optional: ~1 tsp orange zest
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
3/4 cup almond milk, soymilk, regular milk, etc. (I poured 1 tsp of vanilla into the measuring cup and then filled to 3/4 full with the milk)
1/4 cup canola oil, or other neutral flavored oil
1/2 tsp dried espresso powder (optional)
2+ Tbs Sucanat

Topping:
Mix together-
(~1/4 cup Coconut cream...only because I had it, but man was this good!)
Greek yogurt
~1 Tbs Nutella
Agave nectar to taste


Heat a Belgian waffle iron.

Sift spelt flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt into a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir in hazelnut meal and set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together, egg yolks, orange zest if using, orange juice, vanilla/milk combo, espresso powder if using, Sucanat, and oil.

Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks in a third bowl.
Stir the milk/juice mix into the dry ingredients. Then, gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

Brush heated waffle iron with oil and go forth and waffle! Cook waffles until little to no steam is coming out...we used a large Belgian waffle iron for this. Best eaten directly off the iron, but we did keep most of them warm in a low oven. Alas, they lose their crispness doing this. Delicious all the same. Top waffle with yogurt/Nutella/agave mixture....mmmmmmmm....

Spaghetti with Bechamel Kale Sauce and Sweet Potato Balls

I was following a recipe when I began this one, after making the sweet potato kale mash I was a little unimpressed.
Knowing it should and could be better, I postponed this dinner until the next night after feeling a bit let down by the kale sweet potato mash I'd made. The original recipe was vegan. My version is still vegetarian, but with the added ricotta, Parmesan, a bit of egg, balsamic and nutmeg the balls were really super tasty. The original recipe served the balls with a tomato based pasta sauce. Well, I went to the trouble of making a fresh tomato sauce, but it just didn't feel right.
Popped that in the freezer and decided to go with an easy bechamel instead. Tossed in a whole bunch of braised kale and it was a stellar meal.

Now when I made this, I cooked the onions and kale for the balls separately from the onions and kale that went in the sauce. No reason to do this...so if you're making the whole meal just go ahead and cook the full amount of kale and onions together, then divide between the balls and sauce.

One more quick note...
If the Monster wasn't so opposed to pecans, I'd have included some chopped toasted pecan pieces in the balls for added texture.

Sweet Potato Kale Balls:
2 medium sweet potatoes, washed well and diced (If the skin is nice, don't bother peeling them)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
~6 leaves of kale, chopped into small pieces
~1 tsp+ balsamic vinegar
~1/4 cup Parmesan Reggiano crumbles (I tossed a chunk of Parm into the food processor to make small crumbles)
~1/3-1/2 a tub of part-skim ricotta cheese
I also added about 1/2 an egg...will need to make this again and will update exact amounts!
kosher salt
pepper
whole wheat bread crumbs
olive oil

Preheat oven to 400.
On a sheet pan, drizzle sweet potato pieces with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to coat then roast for about 20-30 minutes, or until soft when poked with a fork. Remove from heat and set aside.

While potatoes are roasting, saute onions in about 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and after about 5 minutes of cooking, reduce the heat to low. Stir about every 3 minutes until evenly browned.
Bring heat back to medium and add in minced garlic.
Cook garlic for ~1 minute, then add in kale, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt. Saute until kale has cooked down a bit, then add a touch of veggie broth or water, reduce heat and cover. Cook for ~4 minutes or until kale is tender. Finish with balsamic vinegar. Remove from heat.

In a bowl, mash sweet potato pieces then add in kale and onion mixture.
Let it cool, before adding in part of an egg, ricotta, and Parm.
Add salt, pepper, and a touch of fresh ground nutmeg to taste.
Roll mixture into 1 inch balls, then roll them in bread crumbs.
Place on and olive oiled baking sheet (I spritzed the balls with a bit of canola cooking spray on tops) and bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping them over after 15 minutes.
Let cool a bit, then serve.

Spaghetti with Kale and Bechamel:
Brown rice spaghetti or whatever spaghetti you like (Tinkyada makes excellent brown rice noods)
1 bunch of kale; destemmed, chopped small
~1/2 med. onion, chopped
red pepper flakes
salt/pepper
1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or any other milk you'd like to use)
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs whole spelt flour (or other flour you'd like to use)
garlic powder
fresh ground nutmeg
salt/pepper
~2 Tbs grated Parm if you'd like

Cook spaghetti...and while it's boilling:

Heat ~1 Tbs olive oil a large skillet or Dutch oven over med-high heat.
Saute onion for about 5 minutes.
Add kale, a pinch of salt and toss to coat, cook down for about 1-2 minutes.
Add ~1/3 cup veggie broth, cover and reduce heat to low.
Braise for ~7+ minutes, or until tender.
Add a touch of balsamic and anything else you feel it needs...more salt, some pepper (black and or red pepper flakes).
Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat milk in a glass measuring cup in microwave until steaming, but not boiling (take care not to scald it.
In a sauce pan, heat butter til foamy over med. heat.
Add flour and stir, cooking for several minutes.
Slowly add in heated milk, whisking all the while.
Cook over med. low heat until thickened.
Add in spices to your taste. Stir in Parm if using.
Stir in kale and onion mixture and cooked spaghetti noodles, tossing to coat.

If you've made the sweet potato kale balls too, serve with them on top of the sketti.
Wow...kind of seemed like a lot of work, but it was worth it! I'm sure this will go faster the next time. Now that I know what I'm doing! :-)

Cabbage Dal: a big ol' bowl of comfort

This was a lovely simple dal recipe that I found in...jeez, I can't find the source anywhere. Lame.
The dal was too yummy not to post though. Ladle the dal on top of brown rice, quinoa or millet and you've got yourself a total bowl of comfort.
The only change I made to the recipe as written below was to add a touch more cumin, corriander, and tumeric.

Cabbage Dal
Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil + more to cook ginger/chili/mustard seed mixture
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 a large head of cabbage, finely shredded
200g (split) red lentils, washed and drained
2 teaspoons whole black mustard seeds
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
3 small red chillis, finely sliced (I used 2 serrano peppers sliced in thin rounds)

Heat 2 Tbs oil in a large, heavy-based pan, add the onion, cumin, coriander and turmeric and stir fry for about 5 mins on a medium heat until the onion is slightly browned.
Add the cabbage and continue cooking and stirring until the cabbage is covered in spices, slightly wilted but not yet cooked through.
Add the red lentils and cook for another 2 – 3 minutes while stirring to coat the lentils with all the spices. Add about 4 cups of water, bring to the boil and then turn the heat down as low as possible.
Put the lid on the pan and simmer for about 30 – 40 minutes (until lentils are cooked), stirring occasionally to prevent them sticking to the bottom of the pan. You may need to add a bit more water if it’s looking too thick.
Once the dal is cooked, heat about 1 to 1 1/2 (called for 2, but seemed a little oily the more I ate) more tablespoons of oil in a small saucepan. When hot put in the mustard seeds first, and then about 2 seconds later add the bay leaf, ginger and chillis. This mixture will pop and fizz away and it only needs to cook for about 10 seconds. Add mixture to the dal, stir, then cover immediately and leave for about 5 minutes before serving to let all the flavors combine.
This makes enough for 4 people. The recipe said that it freezes really well in case you'd like to make a larger quantity to save.

Gingerbread Popcorn: Streetname...G-Crack

I'm loathe to even reprint this heinous recipe. Especially since it's after Christmas and there's absolutely no call, NO CALL I tell you, for making this. Just don't go there. Don't do it.
Weeeeelllll, you could just try a 1/3 of the recipe. Maybe 1/2 since it's easier to figure that way. ;-)

G-Crack:
(gleaned from Culinary in the Desert's blog)

15 cups of popped popcorn (I used 3 bags of Central Market's All Natural microwave popcorn)
2 cups of packed brown sugar
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 250

Line 2 large baking dishes (I used 9 X 13 glass pans) with foil and coat with cooking spray. Fill each with 7 1/2 cups popcorn.

Combine butter, brown sugar, molasses, corn syrup, ginger, cinnamon, and salt in a large, heavy bottom saucepan. Heat over medium heat until mixture boils. Boil for 5 minutes; stirring frequently. Remove from heat and add baking soda. Pour over popcorn; toss to coat.

Bake at 250 for one hour, carefully stirring the warm mixture about every 15 minutes. Cool completely then store in an airtight container.

Vegan Spelt Banana Nut or Chocolate Muffins

What's a gal to do when there are too many nanners in the house to eat up? Duh.

These are so scrummy! I just love whole spelt flour...tastes so much better than whole wheat in my opinion.  Finally, a banana bread recipe that is pretty darn healthy compared to most.  I think it tastes way better than the butter laden ones to boot.

If you'd rather bake up a loaf, this fits nicely in an 4.5" x 8.5" loaf pan and would cook in about 42 minutes according to the original (pre-tweeking) recipe I found on Recipe Zaar.

Update: This has been my go-to banana bread recipe since the first time I made it. I know they're not vegan when made this way, but I now usually add 3/4 of a bar of Lindt "Touch of Sea Salt" chocolate; chopped, and about 1/3-1/2 cup nuts (if the Monster lets me get away with it).
This usually yields more like 9-10 muffins.

Vegan Spelt Banana Nut and/or Chocolate Muffins:

4 medium ripe bananas (I like to freeze the bananas in the peel, thaw them, pull off their bums and squirt out the innards, then whiz them up with a stick blender to smooth them out.  You might have to heat them in the microwave after blending to warm them enough that your coconut oil doesn't seize up, if using)
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
3 Tbs grapeseed, canola, other healthful neutral flavored oil, or even hazelnut or walnut oil if you want to play up the nuttiness of the muffins (I've been using extra-virgin coconut oil lately...yum!)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups whole spelt flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
~3/4 cup walnuts or pecans (I've made this recipe so many times now and settled on using a combo of 8 squares chopped Lindt Touch of Sea Salt dark chocolate bar + a generous 1/3 cup walnuts)

Heat oven to 350.
Oil muffin tin (or loaf pan...cooking for ~42 min).
In a bowl, mash bananas then add maple syrup, oil, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, sift together spelt flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
Blend the wet and dry mixtures, then fold in nuts or chocolate chips.
Pour into oiled muffin tin and bake for about 23-25 minutes, or until tops just spring back upon applying gentle pressure and or a toothpick comes out cleanly.
Remove from oven and let cool in tin for about 5 minutes.
Remove from tin and place on a rack to finish cooling.
I do highly recommend at least one or 2 "sample" muffins eaten warm.

Wholemeal Buckwheat Bread

Here's my new favorite non-yeasted bread for a healthy New Year. I gave a dry mix of this to my mom for Christmas...jury is still out on weather or not she'll like it as much as I do. Some of the ingredients might be harder to come by for some, but I just love this toothsome stuff and find it well worth the trek to Whole Foods market to gather them. The first time I made the recipe from Susan Jane Murray's site, I used rolled oats in lieu of the rolled millet/barley. It resulted in a longer cooking time, but was still good. I like to cook this in a 9x13 pan and then cut into 8 planks when done. I pop them in the freezer and they're there for me whenever I want one. I've eaten them toasted with a fried egg on top or topped with some mashed avocado, lemon and sea salt (YUM), plain ol' buttered, and also toasted and broken up over my morning yogurt with fruit. All delish! Be forwarned, this opinion belongs to someone who happens to love buckwheat and is also into alternative "granola" type foods. :-) Susan Jane's site is an awesome new find for me. I hope to try out more of her recipes soon.
Jeez...typing this up has made me very sad not to have any tucked away in the freezer. Off I go to make some more!

Make sure you scroll all the way down for my alternate Banana-Almond version.

Wholemeal Buckwheat Bread:
(adapted from Susan Jane Murray)

1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup soy flour
1 teaspoon Herbamare seasoning or celery salt (Herbamare is awesome stuff! My new fave and I've found it in several stores...no need to purchase online)
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (Vietnamese is best)
3/4 cup rolled barley (couldn't find the rolled millet the orig. recipe called for, and barley only from Whole Foods)
1/2 cup whole buckwheat grains (I toast 'em first in a dry skillet, stirring until a nice nutty fragrance develops...4-5 min?)
3/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
2 cups of milk or carrot juice (I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
2 tablespoons of honey or agave (I found a powdered cactus flower honey and use that now, since it's easier to mix in with the dry ingredients...totally random and you don't need to search it out to make this!) ;-)

1. Preheat oven to 360 degrees. Grease a 9x13 cake pan with a bit of oil, then line with parchment.

2. Sieve buckwheat flour, soy flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, seasoning and spices into a large bowl to introduce air and make it fluffy.

3. Add rolled barley, whole buckwheat grains, sunflower seeds and milk and sweetener. It should be of pouring consistency.

4. Bake for 30-40 minutes , or when a toothpick comes out clean.

5. Remove from oven, flip out onto a rack and allow cool. When cooled I use a pizza cutter wheel to zip through the bread to make 8 individual pieces, then slip them into a large freezer bag and store in the freezer. Better I think after it sits a bit...the buckwheat groats get a chance to soften up some.

To your good health in the New Year!!


I had 2 bananas to use up the other day, so thought I'd play around with the above recipe. Tastes great toasted and buttered!

Banana-Almond Wholemeal Buckwheat Bread:

1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup soy flour
1 teaspoon Herbamare seasoning
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (Vietnamese is best)
3/4 cup rolled barley (could try a sturdy rolled oat too if you can't find barley)
1/2 cup whole buckwheat grains (I toast 'em first in a dry skillet, stirring until a nice nutty fragrance develops...4-5 min?)
~1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 medium sized over-ripe bananas, mashed
2 heaping Tbs. almond butter
1 1/2 cups of milk or carrot juice (I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
2 tablespoons of honey or agave

Preheat oven to 350 and line the bottom of a 9 x 13 cake pan with parchment paper and spray sides with a good canola spray.
Mix all dry ingredients together (buckwheat flour through sliced almonds)
In a separate bowl, combine mashed bananas with almond butter and honey and stir well.
Add almond milk to the banana mixture and stir until combined.
Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredient bowl.
Since I've only made this once, I can't remember how long I cooked it for.
Use a toothpick to check for doneness starting at around 30 min...knowing that it'll take longer than that. :-)