WhirlwinDISH 26

Still preparing for Turkey Day sans turkey. I think I am favoring this dish for Christmas instead, though: Delicata Squash and Fall Fruits in a Dessert Wine Sauce.

Delicata squash from my local food Co-op inspired this dessert. I have never used it in a sweet preparation before. What started me on the path was having purchased thick and regular rolled oats. I began thinking about a fruit crumble, afterwards thinking about a savory crumble with the squash. Then, I thought about a sweet crumble with the squash. Ultimately, I didn’t use the oatmeal at all and went for this easy stove-top dessert. Many times, dessert wins out in my life!

I must say, this was one of my favorite dessert experiments. I might change the presentation somewhat (a little more refined, perhaps?), but the flavors came together beautifully.

The Prep: I sprinkled a little salt and brown sugar (coconut palm sugar) on the squash and seared them on both sides. Diced apples were also caramelized with a little brown sugar. I made a sauce from water, brown sugar, raw sugar & stevia, homemade dessert wine (as it’s on the sweeter side), lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. I generally just use whatever sweeteners I have at the time for my dishes (like agave, raw sugar, etc.). For some preps, though, I choose to either purposefully use or avoid sweeteners with flavors that are more pronounced (maple, honey, or molasses, etc.). I thought about maple for this prep, but I decided to go with the more subtle brown palm sugar. I used my homemade wine, as it was handy…but, I can think of several wine shop purchases that would be suitable. So, I will change the title to reflect the appropriate wine when I’ve tested it out.

The Stew: I added the squash, apples, dried figs, and raisins to the sauce and let them stew. The squash and fruit were plated, and I drizzled a little bit more of the reduced sauce over the top. As I’ve previously written, I am fasting from butter right now…otherwise, I would have finished with a little at the end. If I wanted to make it more fancy, I would have spiked it and flambéed. Remember I said I love food and drinks on fire!

The Finish: A sprinkling of roasted nuts and pom seeds and a whip of homemade non-fat yogurt with raw coconut butter, vanilla, and raw sugar & stevia.
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Also, just a quick update on veg tamales. Last ‘My Way’ post, I linked to a recipe for vegan tamales, so check it out. I made a couple of batches testing the steam and slow cooker methods from the link. I just switched up my fillings and added a little cumin to the dough (vs. faux beef broth). I probably used less than a quarter of the oil the recipe called for (just regular veg oil), and they turned out fab (in my opinion). Less calories means we can eat more, right 😉 . I was also inspired by another recipe using a black bean chili filling. I used a veggie curry filling for one batch:

and, I used a “breakfast burrito” filling for the other (I told you I was stuck on breakfast burritos 😉 ):

The Veggie Curry: Delicata Squash, Tomato, and Black Bean. Sauce was made from sautéed onion, garlic, and chile, my own curry blend, cinnamon, brown sugar (palm sugar), and apple cider vin. I used the same sauce to top it off with, but added a bit of tomato paste & made it a little sweeter than normal (because I love sweet, as you know).

The “Breakfast Burrito”: Scrambled Eggs, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Black Beans, Green Bells, and Asparagus. I’m also fasting from cheese, otherwise cheese most assuredly would have been included. Eggs were initially cooked very soft, as to not overcook while the tamale was steaming. Topped with my lacto-fermented salsa.

So many different ingredients and dough combos you can use for tamales. I would like to try some Asian flavors next. I used corn husks to wrap most of the tamales, but decided to test out another method, too. I figured some people reading may not have easy access to corn husks. They are readily available here in the Southwest, but I’m not so sure about other places in the country (or world). I thought making tamales is similar to making sushi, so I used parchment paper and a sushi roll mat to roll a few. I just secured the parchment with a little tape (yes, tape! Like a wrapped package or present). You will not get the texture that the corn husks give the dough, but they cooked up fine. They are also very easy to remove from the paper. If you use the slow cooker method, though, you may want to find a way to put a little water into the pot. The corn husks are soaked in water, so that is enough to provide the steam. Perhaps some slow cookers come with steamer racks like larger electrical roasters? Anyway, I think this is a good makeshift method, and you can probably come up with even more ways. The sushi roll mat may not be absolutely necessary, but it made the rolling very easy. Tamales freeze very well, so it’s nice to make a big batch for when the mood strikes.

Same Ingredients, Different Dish

The majority of the salads I eat at home are simply lettuce, tomato, and dressing. Sometimes just lettuce and dressing. I like to switch it up every once in a while, though — especially when something or someone inspires me. One of my favorite restaurants in Scottsdale/Phoenix, AZ had a light salad made from spring mix lettuces, julienne apples, gorgonzola, and a Chianti vinaigrette. That simple concept is what I based this salad on:

The base was a trio of babies: spinach, chard, and kale. I subbed some pears that needed to be used for the apples, and tossed in spicy roasted pecans and caramelized red onion. I roasted the pecans with chiles in oil & finished with a bit of salt. I learned my lesson from making that spelt tortilla pizza (read about it in this post), though, and kept everything well ventilated while roasting the chiles, haha. I didn’t have Chianti, so I made a vin from my homemade fruit wine, fruit wine vinegar, garlic oil, shallots, pinch of raw sugar & stevia, and s&p. I forgot the herbs, but, oh well! I added a garnish of “fried” yogurt cheese. I am currently fasting from regular cheeses, butter, and a few other things 😦 😦 , so I decided to use my homemade non-fat yo-cheese (see how to make homemade yogurt in your slow cooker here). I mixed it with a little beaten egg, as was called for in the Lamb Moussaka recipe I recently posted about. So salty and yummy! I was craving something similar to my fave fried goat cheese. The first time I had fried goat cheese was in a salad at a Phoenix Art Museum restaurant, and I have been in love with it ever since.

Using basically the same ingredients (being frugally minded), I also made a pear flatbread/pizza on a homemade whole&heirloom wheat tortilla:

As I said in my post on The Many Uses of Spelt, I often use tortillas for a quick pizza base. As pizza is one of my favorite eats, I will use any kind of bread to produce one. I particularly like tortillas, though, because they are so thin (I make mine super, super, thin). So, less bread equals less calories, and I still get my craving satisfied. I lightly poached the pears with ginger before piling them onto the tortilla. The tortilla was rubbed down with garlic oil first, and I also added the caramelized onions, yo-cheese & egg mixture, and spicy roasted pecans. I let the pie come up to temperature first, then gave it a hit under the broiler. Simple and satisfying.

My Way, no. 1

I did it my way…The reason I write this blog is to give myself a personal outlet for the many things that come my way in life. I find it to be a soothing process. There are so many random things I come across, though, so I decided to combine them into semi-regular posts. Some will be happy and delightful things, some sad and heart-wrenching, some will perhaps be things I find frustrating, and some things will just be. Consolidating these various thoughts will save me quite a bit of time (instead of writings posts for each individual subject). And, it will give me a chance to update you on all of the things I am doing (or hope to do). Hopefully, you will find a few things that interest you along the way – my way.

— Have I told you how much I love my local food co-op, Food Conspiracy? I really feel so blessed by becoming a member/owner. The staff is top notch and just a stellar group of people. I need to do a ‘To Market to Market’ post on them sometime soon. Their social page has a wealth of info, and I found that October is National Co-op Month. If you are not currently connected with a food co-op, you might check into availability in your area. October is also Non-GMO Month.

— I have continued on the smoothie bender that started after my Pomegranate Brunch. Now I have been making a carrot cake smoothie every day! I adapted it from the 2nd carrot cake smoothie recipe in my Dessert Smoothies post. I love it so much, I actually took the time to write down the ingredients. It’s so filling. Here’s what I’ve been putting in it:
1/2 C. Bananas, sliced, then frozen
1 C. Carrots, sliced, then frozen
2 Pitted Prunes, chopped
3 TBSP Rolled Oats
1/4 C. Homemade Non-Fat Yogurt (not drained of whey)
6 fl. oz Whey (drained from homemade yogurt)
2-3 Whole Almonds
1 tsp Maple Syrup
1/2 tsp Raw Coconut Butter
1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp Fresh Ginger, grated
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
Whole Nutmeg, few gratings

— Just wow…take a look at this Victorian Steampunk Computer.

— No easy way to say this…The continuing story about the 43 students in Mexico has had me in tears. It’s a difficult subject for me to write about. I will just ask that everyone pray for all involved and the country as a whole.

— After making my Coconut Moscow Mule Frozen Yogurt, I’ve been thinking of ways to use ginger beer syrup (made from the homemade concentrate). Pancakes come to mind, drizzled over other frozen treats, maybe over fish or chicken (or bacon!), and I used it as the flavor base for a batch of granola.

— I made these fried green tomatoes (from my local Asian Market) with spicy blue cornmeal. I thought to test them out for Thanksgiving, but I’m not so sure about the color. It might be too different for others. They had a bit of red in them. FGT are one of my most pleasant food memories from childhood. (Pic’d with homemade blue corn-almond chips & lacto-fermented salsa.)

— This article on mental health made me sad, but I thought it was very informative: http://thelamron.com/2014/10/24/fame-excuse-media-exploit-mental-illness/

— A couple of recipes that are calling to me: Whole Wheat Pumpkin Ale Donuts, Sticky Gingerbread Puddings with Ginger Wine & Brandy Sauce.

I have created a separate menu category for these posts if you wish to check them out in the future. This blog theme has a hidden menu that you can find by clicking the 3 lines in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

See you next time!

Fermented Foods

Happy Columbus Day! Hopefully, many of you in the States are off for the day. After posting about basic equipment for your kitchen, I was inspired to make a batch of homemade yogurt in my slow cooker. Homemade yogurt is so easy (though I still love to purchase Noosa Honey Yogurt. SO good!). That led me to this post about fermented foods. I started to take an even greater interest in fermentation after reading about how awesome homemade sauerkraut is for us. Please follow that link for some great info on the fabulousness of fermentation.

I tried to find easy instructions for homemade yogurt to post, and I thought this link gave pretty good info: Slow Cooker Yogurt. I have made mine similar to this method. I keep the yogurt base plain and add flavorings later as desired. *This is a little off the topic, but…if you don’t fancy having a bath towel sitting on your kitchen countertop to keep your yogurt warm, you can always make a fabric cover for it. You can do one totally from scratch or take a short cut. My short cut tip is to take a pillowcase or bag with a pattern you like (perhaps matching your kitchen colors) and sew a thick material to the inside. You can also do a layer of insulation in between. Obviously you would measure it to the size of your pot. You can sew elastic around the top of the case/bag for a snugger fit. If you are a stellar sewer, though, you can just do the whole thing from a piece of fabric (and get as creative as you like). I think a quilted pattern would be cute.*

Once I have my yogurt made, I use a lined strainer to drain the liquid from it. 1 gallon of milk gives me about 2 1/2 of these 24 oz. jars.

It’s nice and thick after draining, but you can always add a little Kosher gelatin if you want. There are so many uses for your homemade yogurt, both plain and sweetened. You can use it as you would sour cream, cream cheese, creme fraiche, make frozen yogurt, add it to smoothies, and so much more. I used it to replace mayo here:

–In case you’re interested, that is salmon salad with spicy grain mustard and a carrot, homemade pickled raisins, pickled garlic, apple, red onion, and lentil sprout salad. Don’t laugh, but I got on this kick of putting things on “fried” polenta “buns.” I’m sure it’s just a phase. I used nutritional yeast in that pic (to save a few cals), but my fave is to add sharp cheddar, parm, or other cheeses. I love the toasted sesame seeds on top.–

Fruit & yogurt parfaits are one of my favorite things to make with my yogurt:

I think yogurt making is an especially fun activity for kids to watch, and you can teach them about the process of fermentation. After I have drained the liquid (whey) from my yogurt, I start on my other fermented foods. You don’t always have to use whey, but I try to make use of it. I mentioned the sauerkraut, but I’m making cultured salsas now, as well. They are both super simple.

And, I fermented beets and just a bit of kale for the first time.

The kale was an experiment. I may use it for a different spin to my Polish dogs and kraut…or something…I don’t know. I miss all the Polish food I grew up with in NY! We have a couple Polish restaurants here in Tucson, though. I need to get to them more often.

Here are a few recipes & tips to give you an idea of what to do (and why you’re doing it).

Benefits of Fermented Foods,

Lacto-fermented Salsa,

Cultured Salsa,

Lacto-fermented Sauerkraut

The salt you use is also very important, so this link will give you a little insight into that: Choosing Salt for Fermenting

Have a great rest of the Holiday & Happy Fermenting!