Pumpkin Pie in a Bowl

From Natalia Rose

With a piece of raw cinnamon toast.

2 c carrot juice
1 cup raw sweet potato (about 1/2 of medium one), peeled and cubed
4-6 dates, pitted (depends on how sweet you like it)
1/2 avocado
Pumpkin pie spice or a dash of cloves, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg to taste

Blend ingredients in a food processor or high speed blender until smooth.

This is not an all local recipe but all ingredients can be bought trash free. For Ann Arbor residents:
-All produce can be purchased packaging free.
-Spices can be bought in bulk at the People's Food Co-op.

-Dates can be bought in bulk at Whole Foods

Sweet Potato Ravioli Stacks

Boy do I love playing with my food. The colors of this far from traditional lasagna makes playing way too easy.

Based off of Rawxy's Ravioli Stacks who I currently have a blog crush on.

Sweet Potato Ravioli Stacks

Ingredients:

1/2 of a sweet potato

4-5 T Goaty Seed Cheese (recipe below)

4-5 T Spinach "Ricotta" Stuffing (recipe below)

1 T salt

Directions:

Slice the sweet potato as thin as possible with a mandolin or a sharp knife and steady hand.

Dissolve the salt in water and soak the sweet potato slices for 2 hours.

Rinse the salt off of soaked slices.

Layer the cheeses between the sweet potato slices.

Garnish* as you wish and enjoy!

*Try lemon zest, pesto mixed into olive oil, chopped olives, parsley leaves...

Goaty Seed Cheese

Raw vegan and based off of Melody's recipe.

Purple from using homemade red cabbage sauerkraut!

Ingredients:
1 c raw sunflower seeds, soaked for 4 hours
1 c sauerkraut (if you don't make it yourself, make sure it's unpasteurized)
2 T miso (make sure it's unpasteurized)
2 t Dijon mustard
1 t apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

Spoon into a bowl and cover with something breathable (cheesecloth, dish towel...).

Allow those lovely bacteria cultures to proliferate!

...AKA let it ferment on the counter overnight.

Spinach "Ricotta" Stuffing

Raw vegan and also from Rawxy

Ingredients:
1.5 c sunflower seeds, soaked

3-4 c packed spinach

1/2 c sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in warm water for at least 10 minutes
1 T kalamata olives

1 garlic clove, chopped
2 T nutritional yeast
1 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice
1 T dried Italian herbs
3/4-1 c water (enough to move in blender)
sea salt to taste

Directions:

Blend all the ingredients except the water and salt in a food processor or blender.

Slowly add in enough water to create a smooth and creamy texture.

Taste and add salt to your liking.

 

Oreo-style

Sweet Potato and Caramelized Onion Pizza

Sweet Potato and Caramelized Onion Pizza

Inspired by The Hungry Birdie

Ingredients:

1 prepared whole wheat pizza dough
1 onion, sliced

1 sweet potato, thinly sliced into rounds

1 garlic clove, minced

3 T oil

1 T fresh thyme (or 1/2 T dried)

salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F
Pre-bake rolled out dough for 5 minutes, take out and set aside.

Sprinkle onions with salt and sauté on low heat until soft and caramelized, about 15 minutes, set aside.

In same pan, quickly sauté thinly sliced potatoes until softened, set aside. (You can also steam them)

Add oil to same pan and saute garlic until starting to brown, DO NOT BURN.

Paint garlic-oil mixture onto pre-baked crust.

Spread onions onto dough and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.

Place sweet potato rounds onto dough and sprinkle with fresh thyme.

Bake for about 10-15 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.

Garlic and Greens Soup

I have a hard time making recipes more than once because I always want to try something new (maybe this is some sort of weird subconscious worry that that I am missing out on something amazing...) but the recipes I have made lately may change my mind! I have been unabashedly devouring the Millet Bake, Carrot-Zucchini Bread, and Red Lentil Soup.

This soup is absolutely no exception. Just exceptionally tasty.

(Adapted from The Vegan Table)

Ingredients:
2 bunches of kale (any leafy green will do!)
1 head of garlic, peeled and minced
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 T umeboshi plum vinegar (or rice vinegar)
8 c water
1/4 c tamari (or soy sauce)
2 T oil (I used coconut oil)

Directions:
Destem kale, tear into bite-size pieces and chop stems.
Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large pot.
Add onion and stir until softened.
Add the water, sweet potatoes, chopped stems, tamari, and garlic and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are cooked.
Remove from heat and stir in greens.
Cover for a few minutes to allow greens to wilt.
Add vinegar and salt/pepper to taste.

I was curious about the nutritional information of this recipe because it has some powerhouses in it (i.e. sweet potatoes, kale and garlic) so after crunching some numbers, here's the break down:

Per serving (1 cup):
Calories: 165
Calcium: 12% of recommended daily intake
Vitamin C: 138% (No scurvy, hurray!)
Vitamin A: 500% (This is why sweet potatoes are rockstars.)
Iron: 10%
Fiber: 5g
Fat: 3.5g

Sweet Potato, Swiss Chard, and Red Lentil Soup

Really really really amazing soup. Perfect amount of spices and different textures. A great (and obvious) continuation of my Indian kick... From Cheap Healthy Good.

Ingredients:
2 onions, chopped
1 1/2 t cumin seeds
1 t black mustard seeds
2 t oil
1 T fresh ginger, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
8 c water
3 c dried red lentils, rinsed (Any kind of lentil or split pea would do)
1 T mild curry powder
1 bunch Swiss chard

Directions:
In a large pot, heat 1 t oil and cook onions until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Move onions aside in pot and add second teaspoon of oil and whole cumin and mustard seeds.
Stir seeds with spatula for about 30 seconds.

When mustard seeds begin to pop, stir together spices with onions.
Add ginger and garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
Add water, sweet potato, lentils, and curry powder and stir.
Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about an hour or until lentils are tender.

Wash and chop Swiss chard and set aside. (I rolled up leaves and cut them to make long ribbons. Also, I chopped the stems separately)
Stir dal occassionally to prevent sticking and burning.

When the dal is tender, turn off heat, remove lid, and stir in Swiss chard.
Replace lid and allow chard to wilt for 5–10 minutes.

Sweet Potato Oatmeal Muffins

Last weekend I went to Eastern Market with my urban planning class. I have to say, Monroe, MI rocks my world. There were a bunch of farmers from Monroe at Eastern Market and Holy Cow! there were so many local veggies!

I bought:
kale, onions, leeks, red peppers, red lentils, carrots, and red and green cabbage.

...and oh yeah, 25 sweet potatoes!!?!

A classmate and I went in on a crate of sweet potatoes (for $6). Best. Idea. Ever.

Sweet Potato Oatmeal Muffins
A tasty way to use up all those extra sweet potatoes. (The crumb topping makes the muffin)

Ingredients:
Muffin
1 c oatmeal
1 c whole wheat flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 c ground flax seeds
1 cup fresh sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
3/4 c sucanat (or brown sugar)
1/3 c oil
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used water because I'm lazy)
1 t vanilla
Crumb Topping
1/4 c oatmeal
1/4 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c sucanat (or brown sugar)
1 T oil
1 t vanilla

Directions:
For Muffins
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix together oatmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, flax seeds, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Stir in sweet potatoes, sucanat, oil, milk, and vanilla.
Fill oiled/greased muffin tins 3/4 full.
Generously sprinkle with Crumb Topping (instructions below).
Bake muffins for 15-20 minutes

For Crumb Topping
In a bowl, mix together oatmeal, flour and sugar. With a fork, mix in oil and vanilla until crumbly.

I also made Orange-Scented Sweet Potato Cookies but they turned out pretty terrible... I refuse to even post the recipe.

Cookie fail.

Quinoa, Sweet Potato, Kale Patties

Pre-bake but still pretty!

Based off a recipe from YumUniverse. Serious yum is happening. No, seriously.


Ingredients:
1 T ground flax seeds, 3 T water (optional)
3 c cooked red and gold quinoa
3 small sweet potatoes
1/2 c pumpkin puree
1 bunch of kale, de-stemmed
juice from 1/2 of a lemon
2 t sea salt
1 t cumin
1 t coriander
2 LARGE cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 t cinnamon


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F
Roast sweet potatoes for 25-35 minutes, until soft.
Remove skin from potatoes.
Whisk flax seeds into water.
Finely chop kale by hand or pulse in a food processor.
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.

For baking
Form into patties and put on cookie sheet.
Bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.


For frying
Coat patties in flour, cornmeal or bread crumbs.
Heat 1 T oil in a saute pan.
Fry coated patties until golden, about 2-3 minutes per side.


This recipe makes quiiiite a few patties, especially for one person... I ended up freezing uncooked patty balls on a baking sheet and then transferring them to a tupperware!

Mexican Fiesta (with Sunflower Seed Cheeze)

Before holiday break last month, Matt allowed me to express my culinary creativity in making dinner for the two of us. I chose Mexican as the theme and going along with my inability to make a decision, this resulted in me making 6 different kinds of salsa...

 Mexican Sweet Potato Risotto

 Pumpkin Seed Mole

 Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Sunflower Seed Cheeze

 Peach Salsa = Absolutely fantastic.

 Bosc Pear Salsa

 Roasted Corn and Zucchini Salsa

 Butternut Squash Salsa

Sunflower Seed Cheeze

Not eating dairy did not pose a problem due to the wonderful world of seed cheeses. Salty and delicious, this is a perfect spread for... anything, and it worked great in our quesadillas!

Ingredients:
1 c sunflower seeds, soaked for 6-8 hours
1/2 c water
1 T unpasteurized apple cider vinegar
juice of 1 lemon (I just added in 2 more T apple cider vinegar...)
1 clove garlic
1/2 t salt
Additional water to blend

Directions:

Put all ingredients in the food processor and blend!

Add more water for the desired consistency.

Recipes for the salsas:

Pear Salsa

Pumpkin Seed Mole

Peach Salsa (this one was the best.)

Roaster Tomatillo Salsa

Roasted Corn and Zucchini Salsa

Butternut Squash Salsa

I obviously adapted the recipes for what I had (no pomegranate seeds for me, surprise surprise) but I have to give a special thanks to Locavorious for providing me with so many frozen Michigan fruits and veggies! Pear, peaches, zucchini, corn, red peppers all from them. <3

I also made Mexican Sweet Potato Risotto

California Christmas: Chopped

I am not sure if anyone else watches Chopped but it's a show on the Food Network where people have to make an appetizer, main course, and dessert using specific ingredients. The challenge is that the ingredients are not always "normal". I have to use candy canes in my appetizer? Or bacon in my dessert?

Needless to say, watching it is a guilty pleasure of mine. And my aunt and uncle are fans of the show as well. As entertainment on a blustery evening in Northern California, we created a chopped challenge of our own!

The Rules:

My aunt and I had to make appetizers using cucumbers, my foraged chanterelles, and persimmons; a entree using salmon, asparagus, and (I can't remember what else); a dessert using pomegranates, quinoa, and chocolate.

Appetizer: Cucumber Disks with a Roasted Red Pepper-Walnut Spread, Wild Chanterelle Crostinis, Spicy Lime Tortilla Chips with Persimmon Chips and an Orange-Persimmon

Roasted Red Pepper-Walnut Spread

Also known as muhammara (I LOVE this word). Recipe from the NY Times.

Ingredients:
3/4 c walnuts, toasted and chopped

3 red bell peppers, roasted
3/4 c fresh bread crumbs*

1 jalapeño or other small hot chili pepper, stemmed and seeded
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T pomegranate molasses
1 T lemon juice
1 t ground cumin
salt and pepper
2 T olive oil.

Directions:

Put all ingredients (except oil) in food processor and pulse until smooth.

Slowly pour in olive oil into running food processor.

Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Eat with anything and everything: cucumbers, pita bread, your hands...

Entree: Asparagus and Red Onion Salad, Miso-glazed Wild Alaskan Salmon, Sweet Potato Latkes with Cranberry Relish, garnished with mixed salad greens.

Sweet Potato Latkes

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes, peeled

1 green onion, finely chopped

1/4 c whole wheat flour

1 T ground flax seeds, whisked into 3 T water

salt, pepper, smoked paprika

oil

Directions:

Grate the sweet potatoes (my aunt had a fancy grater feature on her food processor which made this process VERY easy)

Mix together all the ingredients, except the oil.

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat.

Take a handful of sweet potato mixture and form a patty.

Fry in oil until dark brown, about 5 minutes.

Flip to fry the other side.

Allow to cool on a rag (to wick away excess oil)

Serve with cranberry chutney!

Dessert: Spicy Chocolate-Dipped Date-Walnut Truffles, Pomegranate Quinoa Patties

My first pomegranate! Too pretty.

Sweet Potato Fries: Asian Style

Sesame Sweet Potato Fries with Soy Dipping Sauce

Nomm

Ingredients:
Fries
1 sweet potato, cut into fry-like shapes
1 T oil
1 t sesame seeds
Sauce
1 T soy sauce
1 T rice wine vinegar
1/4 T toasted brown rice oil
cayenne and ground ginger

Directions:
Preheat oven to 500F
Toss fries in oil and seeds.
Spread fries on baking pan and place on top rack.
Roast for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
Whip together sauce ingredients and dip awayyy

Pumpkin-Sweet Potato Soup and Crispy Rosemary Flatbread

Pumpkin-Sweet Potato Soup
Adapted from gluten-free goddess' recipe

Rosemary flat bread too!

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 t curry powder
1/4 t cayenne
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of pumpkin puree (or a can of pumpkin)
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
6 c vegetable broth (or 6 c water + 6 T soy sauce)
3 t white wine


Directions:
Heat oil over medium heat.
Add onions and saute for 5 minutes, until soft.
Add carrots and celery and stir in spices.
Reduce heat and cook for about 10 minutes (don't let the onions brown!)
Stir in pumpkin, sweet potatoes, vegetable broth and wine.
Cover and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, until veggies are tender.
Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Ladel soup into food processor or blender (do not fill more than halfway or else you will be seeping soup)
Puree until smooth.
Adjust seasonings to taste.
Spoon into a bowl and garnish with rosemary flat bread (below).

I spooned the leftovers into muffin tins and froze to prevent the insufferable 1 L frozen block of soup.

Frozen soup muffins!

Crispy Rosemary Flatbread Adapted from smitten kitchen, a blog that I recently ran across and deeply fell in love with.
This was a very satisfying recipe to make because of the ease of putting it all together. Plus, I would choose this crispy treat over a softer bread any day. I'm really looking forward to make it again with other spices; thyme, cinnamon and sugar for a little somethin sweet, cayenne for a little kick...


Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups spelt flour (I think any flour will do)
1 t dried rosemary
a few shakes of garlic granules
1 t baking powder
3/4 t salt
1/2 c water
1/4 c olive oil plus more for brushing

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450F with a baking pan inside.
Stir together dry ingredients in a bowl.
Gradually stir in water and oil.
Knead dough a few times.
Divide dough into 3 sections.
Brush top with a bit more oil and sprinkle on a little rosemary and salt.*
Slide round (still on parchment paper) onto preheated baking pan.
Bake about 8-10 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove flatbread from oven and parchment.
Reuse parchment for the next 2 rounds (whaddup waste reduction!)
Break into pieces and devour.


*I regret not lightly pre-cutting the rounds before baking. The breaking process was a bit messy and resulted in many crumbs. 

Conscious Consumption Potluck

A couple days ago was the Conscious Consumption Potluck, put on by Brewing Hope and Fair Tees.

Brewing Hope is a UM student org "dedicated to the sustainable production, equitable trade, and responsible consumption of coffee." They throw fundraising events in which all the profits go towards buying instruments for indigenous communities in Chiapas, Mexico. Fair Tees is another UM student org with the mission of "connect[ing] students with organic and fair-trade tee shirt producers." Their main supplier is the Nueva Vida Women's Cooperative in Nicaragua and they provide whole-sale, organic tees for about $8 per shirt.

Attendees of the potluck were asked to bring a dish made from locally, fairly, and/or sustainably sourced ingredients. Needless to say, I was pumped to go and it ended up being a great event with great people! I made a dish with AA Farmer's Market sweet potatoes, daikon, and maple syrup. Other dishes included vegetarian chili with local veggies and fair-trade chocolate, cooked Michigan butternut squash, local green bean casserole, and Brewing Hope coffee.

Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Daikon
I am so happy with how this turned out! I probably ate a good quarter of the dish on the way over to the potluck... Recipe would work for any root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, potatoes...).

Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled
1 daikon, peeled
2 T oil (1 T + 1 T)
1/2 t salt
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 c maple syrup
1 T apple cider vinegar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425F
Cut root vegetables into spears (about 4 inches long and 1/2 inch wide).
Mix together 1 T oil, the salt, and the cayenne pepper and toss with the vegetables.
Dump the vegetables on 2 lightly oiled baking pans and cook for 25 minutes, stirring halfway though.
Mix together 1 T oil, the maple syrup and the vinegar and pour over the root vegetables, mixing to make sure that they're evenly coated.
Return to oven and roast for 10 more minutes.
Season with salt to taste.

October Birthday Feast

Last night, in honor of my lovely roommate, Marcy, and in celebration of her 20th birthday, I cooked up a harvest feast. Probably not the most logical use of my time considering I have a physics exam tomorrow but hey, we all have our vices.

Say "Hello," Marcy!

The following recipe is based off of a recipe from the food blog Sprouted Kitchen. I highly recommend perusing the Sprouted Kitchen archives because not only are the recipes delicious but the pictures that highlight the ingredients and dishes will make you drool and fall in love with food all over again.

Spiced Sweet Potatoes and Chickpeas

Ingredients:
2-3 large sweet potatoes
1 c chickpeas (AKA garbanzo beans), soaked overnight*
3 small onions
3 T olive oil
1 t cinnamon
2 T honey
2 t nutmeg (I didn't have any so I used ground cloves...)
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
2 garlic cloves, minced (I used about 4 cloves but that's because I am a garlic fiend)
1 t cayenne pepper (optional)
1 t salt
Juice and zest of 1 lime
Ground pepper
Rosemary and/or thyme

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425
Bring 3 cups of water to a boil and add soaked chickpeas. Reduce to a gentle boil and cook for an hour, or until chickpeas are soft. Drain.
While the chickpeas are cooking, peel and dice sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, cinnamon, honey, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, salt, and lime juice.
Pour over sweet potatoes and stir. Add drained chickpeas and onions and about 2 T of dried rosemary and stir.
Dump the mixture onto a baking sheet and cook for 35-40 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender, stirring halfway through.
Remove from oven and season with salt and pepper to taste. If any lime juice is left over, squeeze over the dish.

*I used a 16 oz. can of chickpeas from my pre-challenge stash


Golden Brussels Sprouts with Roasted Almonds

Ingredients:
Brussels sprouts
olive oil
salt
pepper
almonds, chopped

Directions:
Remove unsightly leaves from Brussels sprouts and cut in half lengthwise. Toss with about 1 T olive oil.
Heat 1 T oil over medium heat and add Brussels sprouts. Cook until golden brown, stirring occasionally.
Roast almonds over medium-low heat until golden brown and fragrant, stirring often.
Mix Brussels sprouts and almonds.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.