Pine and Macadamia Nut Stuffed Squash Flowers

Yesterday morning I couldn't help but gather a few squash flowers for dinner.  I have to be careful not to take too many because I want the squash to grow.  So, I took just a couple flowers from all the squash in the garden:  zucchini, delicata, pumpkin, crookneck, acorn, and butternut.  I am amazed how all the flowers from the various varieties of  of squash all look the same.  I don't get to see them blooming too much as I usually get out to the garden in the late afternoon and they've mostly closed up by then.  Yesterday morning they were all standing up and showing their beauty. I can and do pick them occasionally and have a raw flower snack in the garden. I didn't know they were so delightful until last year when I heard about cooking them. If you haven't tried your squash flowers, I think you should.  It surprised me how much a flower can taste like a fresh zucchini.  Be sure to be careful when cleaning them and always look inside before eating them in the garden.  I have brought home some guests like bumblebees and cucumber beetles.

I made a nut cheese for some raw zucchini ravioli from a Vegan Fusion Recipe.  It's from the The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Raw.  I made the Turnip and Pine Nut Ravioli, page 230, substituting fresh zucchini for the ravioli. I thought the cheese would also make a lovely cheese filling for my flowers.  I squeezed about 1 tsp of cheese into the bottom of a cleaned flower with my handy tool and dipped in a mixture of ground flax seeds and non-dairy milk, then dredged in a little flour and cornmeal, and gently sautéed in hot grape seed oil with a fresh sprig each of fresh thyme and rosemary.  A small teaspoon works well for stuffing the flowers, that's what I used last year.

Pine & Macadamia Nut Cheese
      The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Raw.

1 cup pine nuts soaked at least 2 hours
2 cups macadamia nuts, soaked at least 2 hours **
1 TB fresh rosemary, minced
4 tsp fresh parsley, minced
4 tsp fresh thyme, minced
2 TB nutritional yeast
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 TB apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup rejuvelac or filtered water, as needed

**Other nuts may be substituted such as: cashews, Brazil nuts, or almonds.

Rinse pine nuts and macadamia nuts, and drain well for at least 10 minutes.  Place in a food processor fitted with an S blade, and process on high speed for about 10 seconds.

Add rosemary, parsley, thyme, nutritional yeast, salt, black pepper, and apple cider vinegar.  Blend on high speed for about 20 seconds while adding rejuvelac through the top until a smooth, cheesy consistency is reached. 

Squash Flowers, stuffed with pine and macadamia nut cheese, dipped in a mixture of ground flax seeds and hemp milk, then dredged in a little flour and cornmeal, and gently sautéed in grape seed oil with a fresh sprig each of fresh thyme and rosemary.

Winter Squash & Beans

The Beans:

1½ cups dried beans, soaked overnight and drained
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 TB Thyme
1 TB Sage
1 TB Rosemary
     (The herbs are approximate, I don't measure herbs or count garlic cloves)

I cooked the beans in the herbs and water until they were tender, about 40 minutes.  While the beans were cooking I cut a couple acorn squash and a butternut squash and cleaned out the seeds. I brushed them with olive oil and sea salt & pepper and roasted them skins down on 350° until they were tender but not too soft.

Great combination and they will make a great lunch this week!

Mango & Carrot Soup

This couldn't be easier, just a few ingredients, carrots, an onion, a mango, and some coconut milk. The recipe calls for water and a bullion cube, but I used low sodium vegetable broth.

Mango & Carrot Soup

   from:  Vegalicious Recipes

Ingredients:

* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 ripe mango peeled and chopped
* 1 lb. carrots (about 3-4 medium), peeled and chopped
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 teaspoon mild curry powder
* 3 cups water
* 1 vegetable bouillon cube (I used low sodium vegetable broth)
* 6-8 tablespoons coconut milk (non-sweetened)
* lemon juice
* parsley or coriander as garnish, chopped

Directions:

1. Peel and chop the onion.
2. Peel and chop the carrots.
3. Heat the oil in a large soup pot.
4. Add the onions and saute until soft and glassy.
5. Add the carrots and saute the carrots for a few minutes, but don’t let the onion brown.
6. Add the water, the bouillon cube, the curry and bring the soup to a boil.
7. Cook the soup until the carrots have softened.
8. Cut and peel the mango.
9. Put 3/4 of the mango in the soup to cook, holding out a about 1/4 to use as chunks and garnish.
10. When the carrots are soft, puree the soup. I used an immersion blender.
11. Add the coconut milk and a splash of lemon juice.
12. Puree once more to mix well.
13. Season to taste with salt and pepper and possibly additional curry as desired.
14. Serve the soup garnished with a few pieces of chopped mango and either chopped coriander or parsley.

I served it with a winter squash bowl of red beans

Vegan Mulligatawny Soup

Mulligatawny Detox Soup from The Gluten Free Goddess

I ran across a nice hearty vegetable soup recipe this morning.  It's from the Gluten Free Goddess It's a vegetable soup full of flavor and warms the insides on a winter day.  I just happened to have all the ingredients on hand and it was a good way to use up some of the vegetables from the meals this week like the roasted yams.  I used those instead of the sweet potatoes in the recipe.  I had a red cabbage hanging around just looking for a home, and some other odds & ends like half an onion, a fresh pepper, and some carrots already diced up.

I served it with some toast lightly brushed with some of my homemade sage and rosemary oil.  The cream cheese on top is an herb cream cheese I made this weekend with blanched raw almonds, miso, and dried herbs from the garden.

Vegan Mulligatawny Detox Soup Recipe

This delectable post-modern version of mulligatawny is deliciously complex. The chick peas give it a boost of protein; the apple gives it a sweet-tart kick. Use organic vegetables for maximum detox. Adjust spices if you prefer a mild soup- cayenne pepper has heat.

1 tablespoon avocado oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
2 teaspoons mild GF organic curry powder
1 teaspoon organic turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, more or less, to taste
1 medium sweet or red onion, peeled, diced
4 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup cauliflower florets, chopped
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
2 heaping cups thinly shredded cabbage
1 quart fresh spring water
2 cups organic Super Veggie Juice
1 14-oz. can organic chick peas, drained
A small pinch of sea salt, to taste
1 14-oz. can coconut milk, stirred
Juice from 1 medium lime, or to taste
1-2 teaspoons gluten-free brown rice syrup

For garnish:

Thin apple slices or shredded apple
Chopped fresh cilantro, if desired

For a slow cooker:

Combine all of the ingredients in a slow cooker except the coconut milk, lime juice and brown rice syrup. Cover and cook on high according to your manufacturer's instructions for cooking vegetable soup. When the veggies are tender, add in the coconut milk and lime. Taste test. Add brown syrup to taste. Heat through 15 minutes.

For stove top:

Heat the avocado oil over medium high heat in a medium size soup pot. Add the garlic, ginger, curry, turmeric and cayenne and briefly stir for to season the oil. Add the onion, carrots, cauliflower, apples, sweet potato and cabbage, and sauté until softened, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Stir in the spring water and chick peas; season with a touch of sea salt, if desired. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, cover and simmer the soup, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Add the coconut milk, lime juice and brown rice syrup. Stir well. Taste for seasoning adjustments. Heat through gently; don't boil.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

I cut open an Acorn Squash and a Delicata Squash, rubbed vegan margarine in the halves and set aside.  Then stuffed and roasted them in the oven for about an 45 minutes at 375° until I could put a fork through the squash wall.

For the stuffing, I cooked about a cup of orzo, and a cup of forbidden rice. I tossed them together with a little avocado oil and a little coconut water* I had left over, a few mushrooms, a couple small scallions, and a diced red pepper, sea salt and ground black pepper. I sprinkled a little Parmesan cheese and about a 1/2 tsp of vegan margarine on the top. (For a vegan dish, just leave off the cheese.)

*The coconut water is the thin milky water after using the cream from a can of coconut in something else, like maybe dairy free chocolate ice cream....

The stuffing is good all by itself. I didn't use all of it so I think I'll add some fresh veggies and use it as a salad later too.

Quinoa with Roasted Squash and Greens

I took the rest of the roasted squash, a pumpkin, a delicata, and the butternut squash and cut them up in about 1 inch cubes and tossed them with some quinoa.  Then I sauteed a red onion, rough chopped portabello, some fresh green beans, garlic, a little sea salt and pepper and then added chopped Swiss chard and tossed it about until the chard was just wilted.

EZ Harvest Food and Vegan Chocolate Pudding

I have a small collection of little squash from the garden.

Pumpkins, orange and white, butternut squash, and delicata squash.

I roasted some of them for about 40 minutes at 375°.

Took the skins off, scooped out the seeds and cut up one of each kind and split between two bowls. I then heated up the potato leek soup I made yesterday and poured it on top. It became potato leek sauce. I didn't take a picture of it with the soup because we'd been out and we were hungry. I'll do something with the other roasted squash tomorrow.

I wanted something sweet afterward so I whipped up some vegan chocolate pudding.

2 avocados
2 bananas
about a 1/4 cup non dairy vanilla milk
4 TB chocolate hazelnut hot cocoa mix
1 TB mint sauce (fresh mint and agave thickened in the freezer)

all blended in the food processor until smooth.

Acorn Squash stuffed with Pears

I just saw a tip on facebook for pears and squash.  I'm not sure where I saw it, but it was easy to remember.

It said to Hollow out the seeds from an acorn or butternut squash, fill it with chopped pears, a little maple syrup, and a bit of coconut oil.  Then bake it. 

I had a red curry acorn squash I picked up on Sauve Island last weekend.  I hollowed out the seeds, sliced about six small pears, chopped one apple, added a handful of currants, a tablespoon of pure maple syrup, a dash of cinnamon, a dash of sea salt, and a tablespoon of coconut oil.  I roasted the whole thing for about 40-45 minutes at 375º.  The apples were still crunchy, my husband described this as fun. 

Roasted Garden Veggies

Columbia River Gorge, George, WA

We went to the Gorge this last Labor day for some sunshine, camping, wandering, and enjoying music with friends.  When we returned after not being to the garden for almost a week, we found that it had kind of exploded.  We harvested at least three carloads of veggies out of there this week.  I not only gave away lots to friends and family, our local produce stand took some too, giving me credit toward some winter veggies and fruit.  Life is good.

A portion of what I harvested yesterday became a tasty vegetable roast shortly after arriving home.

I sliced the squash, eggplant, and tomatoes to about a half inch thick. I chopped the parsley, a little fresh oregano, and the garlic. I layered it all in a glass baking dish lightly greased with some coconut oil. I added a little grated Romano cheese and some Panko bread crumbs to the top. I baked it for about 40 minutes at 375°.

Before Roasting, adding just a small amount of Romano Cheese

After Roasting.

The lemony early girl tomatoes were delightful with the roasted eggplant and fresh oregano. 

Local and "In Season" Processed Food

Enjoying and preserving the gifts of summer, I processed our food this weekend. 

Two batches of Tumeric Refrigerator Pickles, one made with cucumbers and the other with golden zucchini,

fresh tuna and peaches,

baked some zucchini loaf cake,

steamed some fresh from the garden artichokes,

and made some twice baked potatoes with summer squash and potato stuffing topped with a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.

Stuffed Squash Flowers

The garden is going great.  It provides about a basket a day of a variety of fresh food.  I have lots of herbs drying and really don't have the need to shop for vegetables or herbs right now.  We're only buying fruit at the local produce and farmer's markets and a few things we don't have growing.  I tried to grow some cantaloupe this year and the plants look great, lots of pretty yellow flowers, but so far no fruit. Without a warm spring, most of the plants are producing less and/or later than usual.  I noticed quite a few ears of corn growing and we should have lots of tomatoes ripening soon.

 
We also have lots of squash flowers and I have heard of them being a great treat to eat but haven't tried them before.  I've read some of the nutritional benefits and they are high in potassium, vitamins B and K, and beta carotene.  Thought I'd try it.  Last weekend my friend and I sauteed some flowers in a little oil and herbs and they were delightful.  Yesterday while in the garden, I picked a variety of squash flowers:  summer, zucchini, spaghetti, crookneck, and pumpkin with the idea of stuffing them with a little cheese and herbs and cooking them. The flowers to use are the male flowers, they grow upright on a stem and don't produce squash.  The female flowers have what looks like a little squash at the base.  You can use those, but that will reduce your squash yield.  Leave a couple male flowers so the female flowers can be pollinated.

I used some herb goat cheese, chevre, and a sliced anaheim pepper, also from the garden.  I scooped the cheese with a little tasting spoon, added a couple small slices of the pepper and made a little ball.  I stuffed this at the bottom of the flower.  I dipped them gently a somewhat thin batter of WW flour and homemade soy milk.  Then I warmed a mixture of sesame and safflower oil in a nonstick pan.  I sliced some garlic cloves and toasted them in the oil with a couple sprigs of rosemary and thyme and removed them when they were crisp and set them aside for garnish. Then I sauteed the flowers in the oil until they were just golden brown.

 I added a little black bean corn salsa and the toasted garlic chips I made earlier and it was a full meal for two. These were so good, this plate didn't make it far.  We just stood here after the photo and had dinner.

Raw Teriyaki Noodles

This is a recipe I found in an issue of VegNews, Sept-Oct. 2008.  I do like this magazine.  I've made lots and lots of good recipes out of this magazine.  They are stored in the kitchen with the cookbooks.  This issue had some recipes I have made over and over again.  The pages are quite tattered.   This is my version of the raw teriyaki noodles.

Raw Teriyaki Noodles

3 tablespoons pumpkin seed oil
     Sesame or hemp oil will work just as well.
2 tablespoons cold pressed pomegranate juice or red wine
2 teaspoons Shoyu
2 tablespoons miso
2 tablespoons raw agave nectar
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1/4 cup hemp seeds, divided
5 zucchinis
     I used a mixture of fresh zucchini, sunburst, and crookneck squash
2 red bell peppers, seeded and minced
     I used banana peppers.  They are in the mild pepper family, but long and slender and yellow in color.

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, juice, shoyu, miso, agave, and ginger until well-blended.  Stir in 2 tablespoons of the hemp seed.

Using a Japanese spiralizer or vegetable peeler, make fettuccine-style noodles out of the squash.  In a large bowl, add noodles and red pepper, pour on dressing, and toss gently.  Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons hemp seeds and serve.

Garden Zucchini Pie

Garden Zucchini Pie

Barb and I use to laugh at how we would harvest our fresh, healthy vegetables, steam them ever so gently, and then cover them in butter and cheese.  We knew we weren't eating exactly healthy, but we were going in the right direction anyway.  This is a variation of a recipe I've made for years.  One of my favorites, it's a variation of vegetable quiche.  I used to use milk and sometimes cream, and much more cheese than I do now.  I've slimmed it down by reducing the eggs and cheese and using non dairy milk.  This time I made my own soy milk so I know what is in that, soy beans, filtered water, and a dash of sea salt.  I try not to use eggs too much, but when I do, I use local eggs from free range chickens.

The Crust

3 cups grated potatoes, about five medium
1 beaten eggwhite
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Squeeze potatoes to remove excess water.  In a large mixing bowl combine the egg white, onion, and parmesan cheese.  Stir in potatoes and press into a 9 inch pie plate.  Pat mixture in the bottom and up the sides of the dish.  I like to think of it as building a bird's nest for my pie.  Bake uncovered in a  400° oven for 35-40 minutes until golden brown.  Cool on  a wire rack.

Filling

2-3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced (3-4 cups)
     I used a mixture of zucchini, starburst, and crookneck squash
2-3 cloves garlic minced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
This time I added a diced serrano pepper for a  little extra zip.

3 beaten eggs
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (cheddar or Swiss cheese works well too)
1/2 cup non dairy milk
2 tsp fresh oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Arrange vegetables in cooled potato crust.

In small mixing bowl combine the eggs, cheese, non dairy milk, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Pour on top of zucchini mixture in the crust.  Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Before Baking

After Baking

I had some nice broccoli from the garden and made one with broccoli too.  I left out the serrano pepper on this one just in case my husband didn't like the spicy taste of the zucchini pie.  He didn't say anything and ate three pieces, so it must have been fine.

Broccoli Pie Before Baking

Broccoli Pie out of the oven

Roasted Teriyaki Tuna

Rachel shared a fresh, never frozen, loin of tuna with me. What a lovely gift. This is what I did with it.

I have a roasted elephant garlic bulb that I roasted last weekend. I squeezed out a large clove of the roasted garlic paste and rubbed it all over a fresh loin of tuna. Then I marinated for about 40 minutes in teriyaki sauce. I added some chopped fresh pineapple, some small onions from the garden, and some sea salt. I roasted it for about 40 minutes. Served it with some slightly sauteed fresh golden zucchini, a couple thick sliced yams, some more fresh onions, the rest of the fresh pineapple, and some chopped fresh parsley. Garnished with fresh raw beet greens.

For dessert, I partially thawed some frozen Rainier Cherries. They're like little cherry popsicles. Great for a warm summer evening.

Little Veggies

The garden is producing daily food now.  I am picking a pound of peas a day, three or four onions, and lots of herbs.  Yesterday I noticed there are little veggies popping up all over.

8 Ball Zucchini - It's about three inches in diameter.

Little Broccoli beginning

Up close

Sunburst Squash

Golden Zucchini beginning

Peaceful Indoor Gardening

Good day at work, kinda hectic, but not bad.  I don't have a boring job, that's for sure. I love that part.  We had a quiet evening in the house, my favorite kind of rainy night. We got some indoor gardening done. The latest seedlings are too big for the tray, but too small for the outdoors.  We transplanted 14 cauliflower and 15 cantaloupe.  I am very happy about the cantaloupe coming up, I couldn't get any to grow last year and I tried a few times. The zucchini and cauliflower could be put in the ground, but it is supposed to get real cold again.  Better to wait until the sun shines.

Cauliflower, Cantaloupe, Golden & Eight Ball Zucchini

I'm very grateful for the gardening. It has become the number one joy in our lives. We get to watch something grow, share some love, and spend some cheerful times together outdoors. We really do stand and look at our plants like proud new parents. (Giggling) Guess it is how the little song goes:  "A man who plants a garden is a very happy man."  My friend, Jose, who suggested we get a plot in the community garden last year, told me that he works in the garden to relieve stress.  I listened intently that day, we have some stress.  I learned very quickly that he gave me great advice.  I don't think about my problems while I'm working.  It seems to actually breath some life into me.  While I am there on my knees pulling weeds or digging in the dirt, I listen to the quiet and practice my meditation.  Some may call it praying and I guess I do some of that in the garden too. I do know that all of that works best with a quiet mind and heart.

"To Love Oneself is the Beginning of a Lifelong Romance"

Oscar Wilde