Thanksgiving Cooking

Last year was the first year I made a vegetarian thanksgiving, so it took me a couple weeks of planning to decide on what to make. This year, I didn't do as much planning mainly because I have been cooking vegetarian this past year so I have a general idea of what I want to eat, plus I was just a tad lazy. Most are dishes I've cooked successfully before (so I can guarantee we'll have tasty food at home and don't need to give up and resort to eating out :) and some are new but simple to make. I wanted a traditional menu - salad, entree, bread, and gravy while taking advantage of the abundance of the winter produce.

This year, I am thankful to the farmers who made it possible to bring this food to my dinner table. Without them, this meal would not be possible.

Here's what I cooked this Thanksgiving, with links to the recipes I followed -



Thai-spiced Pumpkin soup
Tuscan Kale Salad

Instead of bread crumbs, I made my own version to toss in the salad -
Mix 1/2 cup panko crumbs, 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 egg white, pinch of black pepper.

1. Bake on a single layer on a baking sheet at 375 degrees for approx 15-20 min or until it's slightly browned.
2. Remove from oven, crumble over salad.

Five Spice Chicken
So it's definitely not vegetarian, but I tucked this dish in here as a special occasion. Bought from PCC Natural Markets - free range, local, and organic.
Mac & "Cheese" Chard
Mushroom Gravy
Who says tasty gravy needs to be made from beef broth? This recipe uses mushrooms and vegetable broth as the foundation for the gravy.

Sweet Potato Rolls
Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies
I didn't have any mesquite flour, so I substituted it with whole wheat pastry flour.

CSA Box Week 16

This is my first CSA subscription and it's become a way of life for me. I still go to the supermarket at times, but only to supplement items I am in need of such as peanut butter, grains, beans, and the like. Farmers markets here are winding down as well, except for the Ballard and University District markets that are year round. Winter squash and pumpkins are now in season, and corn and tomatoes are near their end of their growing season. I will definitely miss the corn, peas, and tomatoes. Anyway, on a brighter note, I am glad I signed up for the winter CSA session. Though we will see how the winter season goes as meterologists are forecasting a bitter cold winter - a huge winter like that we experienced in 2008 with inches and inches of snow, and one that we haven't experienced in decades.

Here's my food box from this past week -


I am loving these sweet nectarines and pluots. You just can't find these as sweet and nutritious in traditional supermarkets.


Here are the dishes I made:

Corn and Tomato Pizza	Spicy Honey Roasted Potatoes
Baingan Bharta Eggplant Curry	Roasted Cauliflower
Butternut Squash soup	Kale Chips

Squash and Potato Frittata with Roasted Potatoes

After a long busy day at work, I came home unmotivated to cook. I had a recipe I wanted to follow tonight but just didn't feel up to it. So I peeked inside my fridge just for a minute - found some cabbage, zucchini, eggs, tomatoes, and lots of fruits, plus more. Somehow, though, I mustered up the will to improvise and throw together a rather delicious meal with what I had on hand - zucchini, potatoes, eggs, and some herbs.

Here's another frittata recipe - this time with no cheese - I added some milk to this for some extra fluffiness. Also I roasted some diced potatoes and remaining cauliflower florets in some olive oil and rosemary while the frittata was cooking over the stovetop. Dinner on the table in less than 1 hour!





Squash & Potato Frittata

1-2 small squash (approx 2 cups), thinly sliced summer squash (I used zucchini)
1 1/2 cups of potatoes, diced
6 large eggs
1/2 cup of milk - I used soy milk
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
a splash of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of oil

1. In a small mixing bowl, mix the eggs, milk, thyme, basil, salt, pepper, and soy sauce.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat, and sautee the squash slices and diced potatoes for a few minutes.
3. Pour in the egg mixture.
4. Let it cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes or until the eggs are almost completely cooked.
5. Turn off heat and serve!

Roasted Potatoes

Dice up some potatoes.
In a bowl, drizzle some olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary for seasoning.
Roast the potatoes in the oven at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until the outsides of the potatoes have softened and hardened just a bit.

Lettuce & Potato Soup

After a week of sitting in the fridge, I finally decided to make use of that head of lettuce. I wanted to try something different with lettuce, instead of using it in a salad. This is a great way to use up some extra lettuce you have on hand! Just like any soup, the base of the soup holds everything together, so be sure to use your favorite broth. I used Rapunzel Pure Organic Vegetable Soup Broth. Enjoy!

Makes about 4 servings

1 large head of lettuce, torn into pieces - I used red leaf
1 cup of onions, sliced
2 tablespoons of butter
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chives, chopped
2 tablespoons tarragon
2 medium potatoes, diced
3 cups of great tasting vegetable broth
1/4 cup of heavy cream or milk ( or soymilk)
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large pot, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and onions and cook for just a few minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are tender and lightly browned.
2. Add the lettuce, chives, tarragon, and broth. Increase heat to high until broth comes to a slight boil and reduce to simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Add the potatoes. simmer for an additional 10 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
4. With a hand blender, or food processor, puree the soup in batches.
5. Stir in the heavy cream/milk. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve!

Cauliflower Curry (aloo gobi)

I love curries! This recipe uses cauliflower that's in season and yellow storage potatoes I had in the fridge for a few weeks. Inspired by the below recipe. Though aloo gobi is traditionally a dry curry dish, I made some modifications to it to have a little more gravy. This makes for great leftovers for the next couple of days.

Cauliflower Curry Recipe
Serves 4-6

1 medium yellow onions, diced
2 medium potatoes, cut into small cubes
1 small head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 inch ginger, chopped
2 teaspoon cumin powder
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup water or coconut milk (if you want a heavier gravy)
1 tablespoon oil

Below are all of the ingredients chopped beforehand.

1. In a food processor, blend the garlic, 1 of the chopped onions, and ginger together.
2. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
3. Cook the remainng 1 chopped onions with a half teaspoon of salt until they are soft and translucent.
4. Add the ginger, garlic, onion mix, cumin, coriander, garam masala, and tumeric and cook for a minute to release all of the flavors.
5. Add the tomatoes until soft (about 1-2 minutes).
6. Add the cauliflower and potatoes cook until it is also browned in spots (about 15 minutes).
7. Stir in the water/coconut milk. Taste the curry and adjust with other seasonings as desired.

Swiss Chard Gratin

I made this easy swiss chard dish adapted from this recipe. I added 1 medium/large yellow potato to the recipe which made it more of a main course. Potatoes were added and sauteed for a few minutes before putting in the swiss chard stalks. The eggs, swiss chard, and potatoes came from my CSA box. Enjoy!

Curried Pea Soup

This is one of my favorite soups so far. This pea soup is packed with flavor and nutrients! I normally love making my own vegetable broth, but since I didn't have any on hand, I purchased organic vegetable base from Better Than Bouillon. Boy, it made the soup so much more flavorful! The small amount of curry definitely gave the soup just the right amount of spice and punch to it.

Serves 6-8.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 onions, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 medium potatoes, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 1/2 cups fresh shelled peas
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoon of curry powder
3-4 cups vegetable stock (you can use other soup bases if you're not a vegetarian)
2 cups of milk
salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt the butter and add garlic, onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes to the medium pot. Saute for a few minutes until soft.
2. Add the peas, sugar, curry and 2 cups of stock. Cover and summer for 15 minutes until all the vegetables are tender.
3. Puree with a hand blender one batch at a time. Pour back into the pot; add remaining stock and enough milk for desired consistency.
4. Turn off heat - keep warm on stove.
5. Add salt and pepper. Serve either hot or cold.

Here are the fresh peas after they've been shelled! They look so delicious already!