Another Holiday Gem

So, I’ve been stalking Yotam Ottolenghi pretty hard since he wound up on my radar about a year ago.  By stalking, I mean reading his weekly recipes in the guardian.  Uhhh, I know what you’re thinking, “Why didn’t you buy his cookbooks?”.  Oh, that’s cause I’m cheap and also pretty much only get my cookbooks as gifts because I look at them for about 10 minutes then try to just figure out how to make everything by looking at the picture.  Okay, I know I’m obnoxious.

For my birthday, this year, my family finally noticed that I was constantly talking about this book and went ahead and made sure I received it, as well as it’s brothers.  

Since it became squash season (maaaaybe a little earlier?) I’ve been making this dish nonstop for two reasons : one - I almost always have the ingredients on hand and two : it’s super simple and makes an awesome second day carbless lunch.  I’m always looking for new ideas for lunch that don’t involve bread or grains, cause, like previously mentioned, I’m obnoxious.  

Roasted Butternut Squash + Red Onion w/Tahini + Za’atar

by Yotam Ottolenghi (mostly)

1 large butternut squash, peeled, cut into large chunks

2 red onions, cut into similar sized wedges

3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

3 1/2 tablespoons tahini paste

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons water

1 clove garlic crushed

3 1/2 tablespoons chopped pistachios (he uses pine nuts, whatever)

1 tbsp za’atar

1 tbsp chopped parsley (i left this out for my lunch dish, add it when you make it fancy)

salt + fresh pepper

1. Preheat oven to 475.

2. In large bowl, mix squash and onion with three tbsp of the oil, a heaping teaspoon of salt and a couple good grinds of pepper.  Spread squash on a baking sheet (hold on to the onions) and roast for about 20 minutes.

3. Remove squash and give it a mix, add in the onion wedges.  Return to oven to roast additional 15-20 minutes until everything is tender and golden.

3. Make tahini sauce by mixing tahini paste, lemon juice, water, garlic and about a 1/4 tsp salt.  Whisk until loose, adding more water if your tahini is thicker.  It should be drizzle-able.

4. Toast nuts in a dry pan for about 5 minutes until fragrant.  Remove from heat.

5. Spread vegetables out on platter and drizzle with tahini sauce, topping with nuts + za’atar.

This preparation is fantastic with cauliflower, carrots, anything bold and hearty when roasted.  I like to jazz up my tahini sauce with dried mint, roasted garlic, and sometimes smoked paprika.  Imagine the possibilities.

YOU GOT SOME EFFIN GRATITUDE!

YES!! Thanksgiving is here again.  This is my favorite holiday, folks.  True, I love a good spread but I also lovelovelove sharing it with my favorites.  This year I am giving up the reigns and letting my inner food control freak chillax.  I'll be a guest for the big day and I've promised to only be bringing a COUPLE dishes.  I promised.  No dessert (you know about No-Sugar-November, right?), no appetizers, just some delicious vegetable based sides and my giant PMSing appetite.  I know… good timing again, body!  Okay, maybe one appetizer.

I posted this recipe on my instagram a while ago as I had some leftover cashew cream and wanted to make a super quick &decadent sidedish one weeknight.  Everyone went a little wild on it, so here's the recipe, dudes!  This would, of course, make a super appropriate side dish for the big day and really any night of the week.  Oh, and I know you're thinking, "you're out of your mind i don't want to soak cashews just to make one dish", cause that's what I usually am.  However, thanks to a very beautiful, brainy friend of mine recently I was informed soaking is a thing of the past and just adding boiling water to the cashews about 10 minutes before using them does all the work 8 hours of soaking does JUST LIKE THAT!  Yup.  Sorry for blowing your mind so close to the holiday, guys. 

Braised Fennel in Cashew Cream

3 bulbs fennel, trimmed of stalks (save a couple pretty fronds for garnish)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt + pepper
1/2 cup cashew cream (recipe below)

1. After you cut off your stalks from the fennel, cut the bulb in half, then quarters, making little half moons.  Trim out the core just so that each moon is still held together.  If the outer leaves look gnarly or super tough trim those off, too.  Same for the base.  Just make sure they're all relatively the same size and free of any super tough ends.

2. Melt the butter and oil in a big skillet with a lid.  When it gets foamy, add in your fennel in a single layer with a cut side down to achieve some good color.  Let them cook for about 8 minutes on that side, then carefully flip them puppies over + give them a good salt sprinkle and pepper grind.

3. After another 8 minutes on that side, dump in about 1/4 water to the pan and quickly cover it.  Let it steam for about 15-20 minutes, checking for tenderness and water level.  If your lid isn't super tight, your water will evaporate faster so you may need to add more in. 

4. When the fennel is fork tender and the water is evaporated pour in your cashew cream and give the pan a little shake.  Serve it up!!

15 Minute Cashew Cream

1 cup cashews
1 cup (give or take a couple tablespoons) unsweetened almond milk
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (or pecorino if your tummy can handle it)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch of nutmeg + white pepper

1. Boil water and pour over cashews and let them sit covered in a heat proof bowl.

2. While that happens, bring your milk up to steaming in a small saucepan on the stove.

3. When your cashews feel mushy add them to your food processor or blender and add in the garlic and seasonings.

4. Turn on processor and begin to blend, adding in milk little by little until smooth.  This can take about 5 minutes or so and sometimes all the milk or a little more.  Obviously, you can make it as thin or thick as you want.  I like it around the texture of a heavy dairy cream.

This will last in your fridge for a good while, if you want it to last longer you can use garlic powder instead of the fresh garlic.  In this savory form, add it to your pasta sauce, veggies, drizzle on tarts, the possibilities are endless and most importantly, delicious. 

Heart-Beets

Ohhh, romance.  Every year, as you may know by now, i try to make something special for my husband on valentine's day.  We make each other little cards and he usually brings me flowers or little surprises.  This year, I was busy, okay?  Also, he ordered me this box of deliciousness and we both gorged enough for an entire month to come.  (btw, those vegan twix bars… my GOD)  So, I thought, what's romantic and savory?  And beets came to mind, because, well, i'm somewhat unbalanced and a beet looks a little like a drippy, bloody, beautiful still beating heart, right?  Now, that's romance!

So, honestly, I didn't have super amounts of time on my hands this holiday, but I did have some of the new packages of trader joe's 10 minute barley (uhhhh can we talk about being able to eat this even when i forget to soak it in the morning?!).. and some roasted beets from lunch the day before… and a bag of organic kale.  BABE, LOOK AT THIS DINNER I SLAVED OVER ALL DAY CAUSE I LOVE YOU AND SHIT.

10 Minute Beet &Barley Risotto

2-2 1/2 cups hot stock (chicken, veg, whatever)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 shallots, chopped

3 sprigs fresh thyme, picked, chopped

1 bag trader joe's 10 minute barley

4-5 beets, roasted, cut into chunks (you know how to roast a beet, right?)

salt + fresh pepper

1. Put stock in pot on stove and turn on heat to medium just to warm through.

2. In separate pan (i like a dutch oven for this) heat olive oil on medium and saute shallot until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add in thyme and stir, saute another 3-4 minutes until totally soft.

3. Add in barley and saute for about 3-4 minutes until it smells nutty and fragrant and is nice and shiny from the oil.

4. Add in two ladles of stock and stir.  Let evaporate mostly then 2 more ladles at a time until barley is cooked.  This should take about 10 minutes or more if you're being a sissy about it.

5. When barley is cooked turn off heat and add in roasted beets, season to taste with salt and fresh pepper.  Serve with some kind of easy side dish, like quick braised kale or just on its own like a big, steaming bowl of L-O-V-E.

Happy Valentine's Day, suckas!

HOHOHOLYSHITIMBUSY

Well, hello again, December.  December means holidays.  Holidays mean people get to eat large amounts of sweets.  People getting to eat large amounts of sweets mean people get to give sweets.  Insert Hungry Pear gift basket orders and my kitchen exploding as well as my brain.

Do I sound ungrateful?  I hope not.  I'm just drowning in chocolate and garbanzo bean flour and coconut milk and tahitian vanilla.  Yeah, I know, it'd be a pretty good way to go.  The best thing about having all these sweets around is I have absolutely NO desire to eat them.  Let me feed you.  Let me stuff you with delicious treats.  Let me leave without having to do an extra cardio day this week.

Here's what's going in this season!  Gluten free lavender vanilla-bean short bread, gluten free/dairy free meyer lemon rosemary shortbread, candied orange peels with dark chocolate, white truffle popcorn, gluten free/dairy free chewy orange spice cookies, gluten free/dairy free chocolate dipped coconut almond macaroons and coconut chai dark chocolate truffles in cute little homemade boxes by my husband.

Enjoy your holidays!  And if you're on the receiving end of any of these treats, enjoy those too!

Pumpkin (un)cheesecake.

This was my only dessert I attempted for the holiday this year.  I'm not much of a baker, as I hate having to measure and be neat and exact in the kitchen.  This was easy, though.  The taste was light and spicy and still rich and creamy thanks to the fatty nuts and coconut.

Vegan/GF Pumpkin Cheesecake (thank you, Laura Friendly)

For Crust:

8oz GF gingersnaps ( i used Mi-Del)

5 tbsp melted earth balance

For Filling:

2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight &drained

1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin

2/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp fresh nutmeg

1. Pulse cookies in food processor until a coarse meal forms.

2. Add in melted butter just until it clumps.

3. Mold into and around the sides of a 9" springform pan &freeze for about 10-15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, combine all filling ingredients in food processor (no need to wash that baby out) until smooth.  

5. Pour into chilled crust and smooth out the top.  Chill in fridge overnight for best flavor.  

Another one down!

We usually have thanksgiving at my in-laws every year.  I bring a couple dishes, no clean up or stress for me.  This year, because of everything that's happened of late, I wanted to be with my family upstate and cook the entire meal for everyone with special requests in mind.  Can you tell my people like pork?  

I started cooking this meal for my family around 14 years old.  I was scared to death of messing up, what would everyone eat if I totaled the meal?  Would they tell me the truth or lie to save my feelings?  How the hell am I (a vegetarian at the time) going to stick my hand in a bird??  I told myself I could do it (thanks to watching nothing but the food network since I was 11) and just followed the recipes to the letter.  15 years later, I've got a MUCH better handle on my timing and my side dishes are totally on point.  I sourced a lot of the ingredients local to my parent's house in the hudson valley, found a gluten free bakery to make me my own dried bread chunks for a stuffing, got my family to eat tons of veggies AND, no hands went anywhere thanks to a genius move on my part; just cooking the breast.  Thanksgiving=conquered.  (stay tuned for a follow up dessert post!)

On holidays.

I'm sure the holidays are rough on a lot of people.  The weather getting cooler, the days getting shorter, waking up when it's dark out - these are all shitty.  Maybe it's lack of vitamin D, maybe it's nostalgia and loss, but this time of year is when I start to feel like I'm a little bit on slow motion.

It starts with me not wanting to get out of bed.  I know that sounds like everyone, right?  Nope, to know me at all is to know I am an early and happy riser.  I love to be up with the sun, getting everything done and multitasking my entire life.  Lately, I'm dragging, I'm sighing I'm even inventing ways to get out of everything I have planned that day to secretly crawl back into bed for another six to eight.  

Then the crying.  Sitting in my car for extra 10 minutes because a sad thought or panic crossed my mind.  Not putting any eye makeup on in the morning because I've already had two welled up moments and I'm still in my pajamas.  Remembering my family or friends who have passed around this time and thinking how unfair it is our time together was too short.  Freaking out about my husband not being home on time and exaggerating some scenario where he's trapped under a subway platform sleeping or something ridiculous.   

It's overwhelming.  And then, I remember, I have to see a large portion of my family soon.  All at once.  And then it's overwhelming times eleven.  How do I cope?

I cook - I cook everything I want, I dive into new techniques and recipes and spices.  I experiment with a little and a lot.  I fall so deep into it that I can't remember anything else.  I have this huge, open kitchen and the possibilities are endless.

I organize my cupboards, my closets, my laundry room, my dressers.  I give everything the place it needs, I sprinkle little bouquets of lavender around them.  I open them one more time to pat myself on the back about it.

I exercise my body and my brain.  I run until I'm sweaty and I don't think I can go anymore.  After that I find the heaviest weights I can manage and I lift them over my head.  I squat, I stretch, I move so much and feel so amazing I can't think of anything else except the sheer gratitude that I am able to perform.  

I meditate.  I take yoga.  I focus on my gratitude and I hone in on my goals and directions for a little while, to bring my focus back.  This season won't get me this time.  I'm prepared.

We're standing.

I hope you're all alive and thriving through the disaster that tore through the region on monday night.  While we don't have any power or heat, we have friends and family with open arms and a very welcoming ikea that has let us roam around for hours, watching movies and playing cards in their mock livingrooms.

This is the first halloween (and first time period) we've been in the dark, but you don't need electricity to carve a pumpkin, luckily!  I'll include a few shots of our home decorated before we were displaced, ruby hating the black cat, husband lining the walkway with a spooky little army and our livingroom at night.  Here's hoping yours will be a happy one.

Candied yum.

Do you have a great, trustworthy farmer nearby?  We've been blessed with so many local resources for delicious, animal and earth friendly treats.  Goat's milk from goodale farms, apples from harbes', honey from hamptons honey company all helped make our delicious Cajeta.

I'm not gonna pretend this recipe came out as planned - did i let the caramel get thick enough to stick to the apples and hold up the chopped nuts?  No.  Did it taste good anyway?  YUP.  If you want yours to work, keep reducing the caramel until its thick enough, or if you're impatient and hungry like me, just use it to dip/drizzle/lick off your fingertips.

Cajeta (thanks, Rick Bayless)

2 quarts goat's milk

1 cup honey

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda dissolved in 1 tbsp water

1. In a medium-large dutch oven, combine the milk, honey and sugar.  Set over medium heat.  Stir until the milk comes to a simmer (all the sugar should have dissolved by this point).  Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the dissolved baking soda - it'll flame up if the goat's milk is acidic.  When the bubbles subside, return the pot to the heat.

Adjust the heat to maintain the mixture at a brisk simmer (too high it'll boil over; too low and the cooking time will seem interminable). Cook, stirring regularly, until the mixture turns pale golden, more or less one hour.

Now, begin stirring frequently as the mixture colors to caramel-brown and thickens to the consistency of maple syrup (you'll notice the bubbles becoming larger and glassier).  Stir regularly so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.

This is 28.

This is the face of an over-joyed, super-lucky, insanely-blessed 28 year old woman.  This was waking up this morning to my amazingly patient, caring and giving husband and his stack of gifts and my own little breakfast apple pie.  This year has been hugely transformative.  I've accomplished goals I never thought possible, I've redefined my limits and kicked a ton of my fears in the ass.  

Most importantly, I have a ton of friends and family here behind me waiting to keep me going into the twenty nines and thirty fours that will undoubtedly bring their own new challenges and celebrations.

Pickin' winners.

Being from upstate NY, the fall has a certain amount of rituals for me.  Hayrides, corn mazes, cider drinking and my favorite: apple picking.  Even though we have plenty of happy little farms here on long island, I really prefer to go home to get my favorites.

Fishkill Farms is an almost hundred year old operation in the hudson valley, with over ten varieties of the snappy happy fruit, all of which you can pick yourself, even with organic options.  We made our way home with a big sack of several varieties (who knew golden delicious actually lived up to its name?), a couple perfect little pumpkins and some scrumptious looking squash not to mention a belly full of "samples".  Sorry, guys!

Baklava!

The yummiest of desserts.  Minimal ingredients, the hardest part about this is wrangling that phyllo dough.  MAN is it fussy.  Just keep it from getting dry with a moist dish towel and don't fuss.  I also recommend getting a good basting brush for this (silicone puhlease, i have nightmares still from the time i got little paint brush hairs all in my pastry!) and don't freak out when your sheet of dough tears, just patch that sucker up!



Baklava

2 cups sugar
4-5 tablespoons honey (optional, you can also do agave or sub another 1/2 cup sugar)
1 1/2 cups water

2 sticks butter (or vegan margarine) melted

3 cups of whatever nuts you like (i did walnuts + pistachios)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves

1 package frozen phyllo dough, thawed in fridge





1. Combine first three ingredients in saucepan, bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook until liquid becomes syrupy.  This should take about 10 minutes.

2. Brush a 13x9 pan with butter, preheat oven to 375.

3. Combine nuts and spices in food processor and pulse into finely ground, remove to a handy bowl.

4. Move phyllo to work surface and trim to fit pan the best you can.  Add one sheet to pan, brush with butter.  Add 3 more, doing the same thing each time.  Every time you remove a sheet of dough to work with, make sure you cover it back up with the moist towel.

5. Add layer of nuts, then back to 3 more pieces of phyllo, over and over until the pan is full and brush top liberally with remaining butter.  Cut into squares and place in oven to bake for about 30 minutes, until golden.

6. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack (the pan, not the pastry).  Pour syrup all over pan and let it soak and set for a couple hours.   GET. STICKY.

What to bring to family potlucks.

I come from a small, private teeny little family.  We had small family holiday parties when I was young,  mostly the big jesus ones (christmas, easter) and thanksgiving was always here or there.  When my grandparents passed, as did our gatherings.  Now we still get together (if i don't cook we go out) for the same holidays, but the group is smaller and just my immediates.
My husband's family is enormous and very celebratory, which is great.  Not only did i marry a bevy of new people to celebrate with, but a brand new set of holidays to gather on!  They're jewish and rosh hashanah is the first day of their new year.  As you can imagine from the time of year, the foods celebrated on this holiday are apples, pomegranates, honey and always a delicious challah.  For big gatherings, i like to bring something economical that can also be served room temperature, since we have to drive quite a ways to the seder.

This year i made up a quick grain salad with roasted fall veg &for dessert a TON of baklava.  I'll split the recipes in two entries.

Autumnal Grain Salad (for a crowd, you may wanna half this)

2 cups farro
2 medium turnips, peeled cut into 1" chunks
4 parsnips, "  "
5 large carrots, "  "
1 cup (about 1/2) butternut squash, "  "
4 shallots, halved and quartered
bunch of thyme sprigs
2 tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary
olive oil
fresh pepper + salt
pomegranate seeds

1. Combine 2 quarts water, good amount of salt and farro in pot, bring to boil and reduce to medium for about 30 minutes, until tender yet chewy.  Drain well, spread on sheet pan to cool.

2. Meanwhile, coat all your veg with olive oil and salt, divide herbs evenly between baking sheets and roast in 400 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes, stirring once until fragrant and golden.  Pluck out the woody herb stems, let cool.

3. Combine farro and veggies in large bowl, adjust salt and add in lots of fresh pepper.  Add in about 2-3 more tablespoons of good extra virgin olive oil, squeeze the pomegranate on top and garnish with a couple more herbs.

Don't go.

This summer has flown by so quickly.  If you've been following my adventures for a while you know I like to end every summer with a family trip to Cape May, NJ.

This year was such a reflection of how fast and intensely things can change in a year.  My little sister brought along her boyfriend, which in itself is frightening and intense (she's 15 somehow?!), my older sister brought along her fiance, who she will be marrying in a couple months!  With intense change, i'm comforted by the fact that I can also share this vacation with one of my oldest friends, who is so close to us my mother doesn't see as anything short of another child.  We all sit on the beach until sundown, play cards on the deck after dinner and go for long bike rides around town.  I can't help but wish life was like this every day, but then maybe vacation wouldn't be so damn special.

strawberry feels

Unnnnngh, strawberries, amiright?  Maybe I'm just a loser, but every time I'm in the supermarket and I stroll by the berry section lately that smells makes me crazy.  So sweet, so juicy my mouth just waters.  What's even better than those stacked plastic containers of big-boned californian ladies?  Their teeny tiny, dark red, juicy locally grown NY counterparts.  I'll save you from my waxing poetic about the joys of picking your own little beauties from the vine and carrying them home, cause that ain't me.  I absolutely want you to pick them for me, place them into quarts and pay the extra dollar.  Yeah, I'm at that point in my life.  Save the romance of bending over in the mid day sun for hours getting weird fly bites all over my ankles, i just wanna eat!

So, last week I had my first big party at our new apartment.  It was what I've always dreamed about.  You know, except for the rain (but we already had that discussion) and cramming 30 people into my livingroom and having to use the broiler instead of the grill.  For dessert, I wanted to do something seasonal and light, because we had a TON of food.  It was husband's birthday, so I also wanted something not too sweet.  I took my tiny little sugary blessings from the farm and mixed them with their good friend, rhubarb, who always lends that sour note, perfectly balancing the tastes in your mouth.  On top, instead of a traditional brownsugar/oat jam, I wanted to use my favorite vegan drop biscuit recipe, subbing in my favorite coarse ground cornmeal from Wild Hive (go get this stuff, seriously!).  The cornmeal added a savory twist on its own and I added in some fresh basil to the batter for a hint of greeny freshness.  It was a hit!  And I'm an idiot because I took zero pictures of the finished product.  So... imagine in this blank space... a bubbly, crumbly sweet early summer bowl of deliciousness.  And just make it yourself, okay?

Vegan Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler

Filling:

1 quart (plus a little extra) strawberries, preferably local, stemmed and halved
5 stalks rhubarb, cut into similar sized bits
3 tablespoons honey (or agave or sugar, whatever you got)
1/4 cup cornstarch
zest and juice of one lemon
pinch of salt

Topping:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/3 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons vegan margarine (or coconut oil, butter, etc)
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Combine all filling ingredients into shallow baking dish until well incorporated and starch is absorbed.
3. For topping, whisk together first five ingredients and then cut in (or pinch with your fingers) the butter to the flour mixture until crumbly.  Add in milk and basil and just stir to combine.
4. Drop onto fruit mixture in serving sized lumps or just spread it out if you want.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes until fruit is bubbly and biscuits are browned.  Let it cool and probably don't use trick candles if you don't want your husband to spit all over it before you get to eat some (whoops).

Loving up with carbohydrates.

HEART SHAPED FOOD!

I didn't want to make sweets again this valentine's day.  So i made his other favorite thing: pretzels.

Though a sort of complicated and long process (kind of like marriage, amiright??), this is surprisingly easy, super versatile and hello HEART SHAPED FOOD.  I win.  Aaaaaand I got to eat a lot of these.  

Note before you attempt this: have about 3 hours of time on your hands.

Soft Pretzels*

1 package dry yeast + 2 tablespoons honey + 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

2 + 3/4 cups all purpose flour (plus more for dusting)

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 large egg, beaten

chunky salt + whatever dried spices you want!

1. Stir together honey, yeast and water until foamy and set aside for about 5 minutes.

2. Stir together flour and yeast water until dough forms and then plop onto the flour dusted work surface and knead until slightly sticky and smooth, adding more flour if necessary.  This should take about 10 minutes.

3. Plop dough back into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap to let rise in a warm room until doubled.  This takes about 45 minutes to an hour.

4. Turn out dough again and cut into 8 pieces.  Roll one piece like a playdough log until its a long rope (stretch that guy out gently!) about 24 inches and twist into a pretzel shape.

5. Transfer to greased baking sheet making sure there is plenty of room between them to grow.  Let those babies rest uncovered for about 20 minutes.

6. Preheat oven to 425, bring a big (20-24 cups big) pot of water to boil.

my gifts were flowers &fav chocolate bars
&fav movies!

7. Carefully add in three pretzels at a time to boil (one at a time, but three in the pot at once!) for about three minutes, flipping over halfway.  Transfer back to a lined, greased baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining.

8. Brush lightly with egg and sprinkle with salt and spices.  I used rosemary, thyme, fennel, poppy seeds, etc.  Bake until golden for about 35-40 minutes.  Serve with delicious dip to follow.

Honey Mustard Dip

2 tablespoons super grainy mustard

4 tablespoons spicy brown mustard 

1/2 cup vegenaise

3 1/2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon chopped tarragon

1. Mix it up, DIP.  

*i realize these are not healthy, get over it.

Mad Mad Mad Madness (of the holiday kind)

Is anyone else totally overwhelmed?  I thought maybe not having a full time job would make all this holiday craziness more doable but I was wrong.

I've been taking orders for and hand-making Hungry Pear gift baskets for holiday gifts and I am around the clock crafting and cooking and baking, which if you know me at all, is no easy task.  Here's a list of this years offerings:  spicy maple rosemary glazed mixed nuts, chili-lime rubbed peanuts, candied bacon almonds, meyer lemon rosemary shortbread (vegan), meyer lemon curd, orange spiced chewy molasses cookies (dairy free), candied dark chocolate dipped orange peels (vegan), raspberry truffles (vegan) & vanilla lavender truffles.  I'm happy to say my sampling is at a minimum and I an end to all the madness is in sight, as we near the big day.  Just a couple more snips and ties and I'm all set for a long, lovely holiday with my family.

guys, i made it (and i made a pie)

The big day has come and gone.  It was a whirlwind.

I made my usual mushrooms(they left the table before i could even get one for myself!), a sheep's blue cheese and pear crostada, pine nut hummus, sage and apple french bread stuffing, the all star tested brussel sprouts and vanilla vegetables and a PIE for dessert.  A homemade, built from scratch, creamy dreamy sweet potato pie.  My way, of course.

I wanted to make a classic dessert I'd never attempted; enter sweet potato pie.  I also wanted to do something different and also dairy free; enter coconut milk.  Match made in heaven.  I made my own whole wheat/coconut crust (torture), roasted the sweet potatoes and added some yummy toasted coconut on top.  I could eat this pie every single day.  Forever.

Coconut-Sweet Potato Dream Pie

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup fine shredded unsweetened coconut

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 stick vegan butter, cold cut into chunks

2-4 tablespoons ice water

2 medium/large sweet potatoes (mine were somewhere in between)

large pinch salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 tablespoon flour

1/3 cup sugar

3 eggs, separated

Large pinch salt

3/4 cup coconut milk

Advance Prep:

Roast potatoes day before in 400 degree oven, wrapped in foil for about 30-40 minutes until tender and sweet.

In food processor, pulse first five ingredients a couple times.  Little by little, pulse in the chunks of butter until it becomes a big balled clump.  Slowly add in ice water until dough is formed.  Quickly remove from bowl and empty onto sheet of plastic wrap.  Form into a ball and stash in the fridge, before it gets warm!  Make crust 3-4 hours ahead, or one day.  

Before making the filling, roll out dough, prick with a fork, cover with foil and pie weights (or old beans if you're me) and bake in preheated 325 degree oven for about 15 minutes (a little less).  Remove the foil and prick all over, bake again in the oven for about 10 more minutes, until lightly golden.

1. Mix mashed sweet potatoes with spices and salt in bowl, set aside.

2. Beat egg yolks with the sugar until creamy then fold into to potato mixture lightly but thoroughly.   Add in flour, fold to combine.  Add in coconut milk slowly.

3. Whip egg whites into soft peaks with hand mixer.  Gently fold into potato mixture and pour into crust.  Bake until firm in center, about 40 minutes.  Cool completely before serving.

makes perfect

Okay, crazy Angie strikes again. I know I'm gonna want brussel sprouts on t-day. I love them, in our house we eat them 1-2 times per week in the fall. I like them roasted, fried, hashed, shaved into salads.

But for some reason, you mention this vegetable to a 50something and their face gets all mashed up and gaggy. It's their memories of the little guys being shoved down their face after being abused in a pot of boiling water or even worse; made from a frozen block of horrificness. Really, what is worse than the taste of a boiled cruciferae? Oh, wait, i know, THE SMELL?!

 But this dish, this is the one that brings them back into the present. The crunchy, earthy little babies rolling around in pork fat* next to sweet little morsels of shallot. This is the stuff dreams are made of. Or, just mine, maybe.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Turkey Bacon and Pecans

1 lb turkey bacon, cut into small strips
1 cup pecans
4 medium shallots, halved and sliced
2 lbs brussel sprouts, core cut off and halved (leave whole if they're little)
salt + fresh pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. In a large (two if you need to) oven proof skillet add in strips of bacon and turn on pan. When it begins to sizzle, move them around to crisp. If the bacon is very lean (when using turkey) add in some olive oil. Add in nuts to toast.  After bacon has crisped and the nuts smell toasty, remove from pan, reserve.
3. Add in sprouts and shallots to pans, season with salt and pepper and roast for about 20 minutes until browned evenly and tender. Add back in reserved bacon and nuts, season to taste.


 *I made this version kosher for my in laws, feel free to use pancetta or just straight up slab bacon.

Practice.

Okay, I'm a little crazy.

My favorite food holiday is and always will be thanksgiving.  I love fall food, love cooking for people, love making said people sleepy and happy and impressed.  Thanksgiving was the first big meal I learned how to cook myself.  As a young, adventurous novice cook, at the ripe age of 12, I asked my mom if I could cook the meal.  She said, why not?  That year, I got my hand up that bird, my arm worked out mashing potatoes and learned what exactly was in green bean casserole.

Since then, I've used the day to try out new seasonal recipes and have also pinned down some family staples.  My older sister has to have my stuffed mushrooms.  My little sister needs the mashed, garlicky potatoes.  My mom loves my take on baked fennel gratin.  Me?  I live for stuffing.  What exactly is better than an entire tray of baked salty bread?  I've come a long way since the perfect stale cubes in the bag, though.

A new tradition, since I've been married, is attending the event at my in-laws house.  My husbands mother takes care of the bird and I'm always asked to bring a side... which means I bring three sides, two appetizers and a dessert because I'm a control freak.  Now that I have a much bigger and varied audience, I'm taking into account dietary restrictions, tastes and preferences.  Not to mention competition... don't even think about bringing a challenging duplicate dish, rude!  Because of all these factors (and the big, whole control freak thing i mentioned) I like to do practice runs of dish ideas before the big day to decide.  Here's one I've settled on.

Roasted Root Vegetables with Walnuts and Vanilla

based on this recipe

1 lb butternut squash, peeled and cubed (everything should be roughly same shape)

3 parsnips, peeled and cubed

3 large carrots, peeled and cubed

2 turnips, peeled and cubed

4 sprigs fresh thyme, ripped up

1 tablespoon olive oil

generous palm of salt + fresh pepper

1 cup walnuts

3 tbsp butter or vegan butter

1 vanilla bean, slit and scraped

1/2 tablespoon honey

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat all veggies and thyme in the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Lay out in even layer on baking sheets (will need 2).

2. Roast for about 20 minutes, turning and stirring halfway through.  Remove from oven and put into large serving dish.

3.  Melt butter in saute pan over medium heat, add in walnuts and vanilla (whole bean and scraped contents) and toast for 7-8 minutes.  Add in honey, toss glaze with vegetables to coat.