Spaghetti Squash Autumnvera, and a Giveaway from Turtle Island

Today, a recipe. It started out as a primavera, but took a turn for the different. I suppose I should call it Spaghetti Squash Autonno, but that sort of sounded like tuna, and I somehow like the sound of autumnvera.


Spaghetti Squash Autumnvera

½ c raw unsalted cashew pieces
1 medium to large spaghetti squash
1 shallot, finely diced
1 c spinach leaves
2 roma tomatoes, finely diced
1 clove garlic, microplaned or minced
½ t sage
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
½ c cooked winter squash (I used kabocha)

Soak ½ c cashews in water overnight. Drain, place in a blender, fill water just to over the cashews and whizz for a few minutes, under very creamy. (This is a Tal Ronnen method.) Set aside.

Pierce the spaghetti squash with a knife in five or six places, and bake at 400 degrees until it is very soft, maybe an hour. Set aside to cool enough to handle. You could bake it the night that you soak cashews to be ready to go the next day. Cut the squash in half and remove seeds and slimy center. (You can also do this before baking; just cut the squash in half and scrape out the pulp and seeds.) Scrape the squash strings into a bowl and fluff with a fork. You may want to use your fingers to pull through and further separate them.

Sauté the shallot until translucent and soft. Add the tomato, spinach, and garlic. Cook down until the spinach is wilted and there is no water visible. Add the sage, salt, pepper, cashew cream, and winter squash and warm for a bit. It will be thick. Add the spaghetti squash and stir to mix, and heat gently for a few minutes. Serve warm.

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Today's giveaway is brought to you buy the generous people at Turtle Island Foods! Two lucky winners will win a coupon good for a Tofurky pizza (have you been curious?), and three others will win a coupon good for almost any other Turtle Island product (Yum, Jurky! Peppered Slices!). To enter, please leave a post below, telling me your about your favorite Turtle Island product, or a turtle you saw once, or anything at all. This giveaway is open to anyone who can get Turtle Island Foods products. The coupons do not specify where they can be used, so enter if you can buy Turtle Island/Tofurky products where you live! If you've already won a bigger giveaway from me this month, please consider not entering again so that lots of people have a good chance!

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I have used the random.org widget, but no luck yet on getting it to post the way I want. I will keep on working on this. The winner of yesterday's generous giveaway, Quick and Easy Vegan Celebrations by Alicia Simpson, is Bobbi Nummers! Please send your name and address to me at miso...@yahoo.com. Congratulations!

The Last of Summer and a Giveaway from The Experiment Publishing

On the last day of the Cannon Beach Farmers Market last year, I snapped up every vegetable I could, especially those that might keep a while. I wasn't really blogging at that point, and never posted them. So! You get to enjoy these fabulous veggies now. Above, clockwise from top left: green and red peppers, pattypan squash, cherry tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, and tiny white and purple Japanese eggplant.

Dinosaur kale, aka cavolo nero.

Chard and carrots. See the white one?


Red celery, celebration squash, fresh garlic, shallots, pumpkin, delicata, and pink banana. Incidentally, the CBFM is really cute, so if you're heading out to Oregon's north coast next summer, try to have it include a Tuesday. Be on the lookout for JP's hummus, which is sold in little pint containers, and head over to the Blue Scorcher book for yummy vegan sourdough or kalamata olive bread to eat alongside.

And now, a giveaway for November 2nd! Today's giveaway is brought to you by the generous folks over at The Experiment. I offer to you a copy of Alicia Simpson's second cookbook, Quick and Easy Vegan Celebrations!



The Experiment says, "From Seitan Parmesan and Sweetheart Sangria for Valentine's Day, to Tourkey Cutlets and Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes for Thanksgiving, Alicia serves up all your holiday favorites — with complete menus for New Year's Eve • Valentine's Day • Game Day • Mardi Gras • St. Patrick's Day • Easter • Cinco de Mayo • Independence Day • Halloween • Thanksgiving • Hanukkah • Christmas • Kwanzaa • … Plus Birthday Sweets! Not a gourmet chef? Not to worry! Everything from Naw-Fish Étouffée to Vanilla Bean Ice Cream is quick and easy to prepare. "

Seitan parmesan and étouffée calling my name for sure! The book looks wonderful.

To enter, please leave a comment below. Tell me what you've been making or what you think of MoFo so far, or tell me what you made for your last celebration, or anything you want. This giveaway is open to everybody, everywhere, from Seattle to Vienna to Sydney, and all points in between! The winner will be chosen by a random number generator and posted tomorrow below tomorrow's giveaway. If you won yesterday's giveaway, please consider being kind and not entering further biggish giveaways--I'd love as many people to win something as possible!


The winner of yesterday's wonderful Rishi tea giveaway is number three, SoNotCool, http://justnotcool.blogspot.com! I have a random.org widget, but I'm confused about how to use it; please bear with me for the moment. Please send your name and address to me at miso...@yahoo.com, and I'll see that your package is sent to you ASAP.

Happy Vegan MoFo! Day One and a Giveaway: Rishi Tea

Remember summer? When you had gorgeous heirloom tomatoes to your heart's content? Sigh. For your viewing pleasure: my favorite sandwich.



Anatomy: German jogger roll, locally made hummus, walnuts, sprouts, and perfect heirloom tomato slices. This doesn't need a recipe.

Plated:



Now to the very first of my entire month of vegan giveaways. (Yes, that is right, I will be having a food- or drink-related giveaway every single day this month, because vegan and vegan-friendly companies have been so very generous!) This really lovely giveaway is from Rishi Tea, multi-year award-winning manufacturers of my very favorite teas. Tangerine ginger is my preferred variety, but every single one I have tried has been excellent. Rishi would like to provide one of you with a selection of five loose leaf teas and this beautiful little teapot, The Tsuki.

To enter, please leave a comment below. Tell me about your favorite tea, your favorite teapot, or anything at all! This giveaway is open to US residents only, but lots of others this month will be open to everyone everywhere. The winner will be chosen by a random number generator and posted tomorrow below tomorrow's giveaway. If you win a larger giveaway on this blog at some point this month, please be kind and don't enter further giveaways--I'd love as many people to win something as possible!

Psssssssst!

I'm gearing up for Vegan MoFo next month, and I've been contacting vegan- and vegan-friendly companies to see if they would like to donate free products, coupons for free products, etc. I hoped initially to have a giveaway week. However, the response has been way more than I originally expected, and it's looking like, in addition to a food post, I'll also be able to do at least one giveaway each day! Curious? Hungry? Please come back and enter!

Want a preview? I'll be giving away at least three cookbooks (all three of which you definitely want), a coupon for a free pint of Luna and Larry's Coconut Bliss, and delicious Go Max Go candy bars!

Korean Tacos

A year or two ago I read a New York Times article about Korean taco carts taking over Los Angeles. It's been in the back of my head ever since. This week I saw another article, and I decided to veganize them using tempeh. They are reminiscent of the Veganomicon baja tempeh tacos, but the flavors are very different.

Korean Tacos

Tempeh Bulgogi
¼ c tamari
¼ c white wine
¼ c unseasoned rice vinegar
1/8 c sesame oil
1½ T brown sugar
3 green onions, sliced thin
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz pkg soy tempeh

Whisk together all ingredients except tempeh. Place in shallow dish or plastic bag. Slice tempeh into 1/8 to 1/4 inch slices. Steam in a shallow layer of boiling water for ten minutes. Remove from water and cool to room temperature. Add to marinade. Refrigerate overnight, up to 24 hours. Remove tempeh from marinade. Pan-fry in a little peanut oil for three to four minutes on each side, till golden.

Asian Slaw
3 leaves romaine lettuce, thinly sliced
¼ purple cabbage, thinly sliced
¼ Walla Walla onion, minced
1 ½ t sesame oil
1 ½ t peanut oil
1 T unseasoned rice vinegar
1 t soy sauce

Whisk together dressing ingredients. Add romaine, cabbage, and onion. Allow to sit at room temperature one hour to allow flavors to meld.

For plating
lime wedges, corn tortillas, black sesame seeds, lime zest

For each taco: Warm a tortilla. Place two pieces of tempeh in center of tortilla. Top with a couple of tablespoons of slaw. Squeeze a generous wedge of lime over the taco. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and lime zest.

Panelle with Tomato Sauce

No, it's not polenta: it's panelle, a traditional Sicilian street food. Chickpea flour is cooked with water, parsley, and salt until thickened, then cooled, sliced, and fried. In Sicily, the fried slices are placed in a semolina roll and sprinkled with lemon juice. My version amps up the batter with garlic and fresh herbs. I brown the slices in oil instead of deep-frying, and top with tomato sauce for a sweet and pungent counterpoint to the creamy interior and crunchy crust.

Panelle with Tomato Sauce
serves six

1 c. chickpea flour
4 c. water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. fresh herbs, chopped (I used 1/8 c. basil, 1/8 c. oregano, and 1/4 c. cilantro)
1/2 t. salt, or more to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste

Whisk chickpea flour and water in medium-sized saucepan. Simmer 20 minutes over medium heat, until thickened. Stir in fresh herbs. Pour into oiled 7 x 11 inch rectangular dish. Cool. Chill two hours or longer, up to overnight. Cut into squares. (I did twelve squares.) Heat one t. olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add half of the squares to the hot oil. (It will crackle.) Allow to brown for five minutes, shaking pan periodically to keep the squares from sticking. Carefully flip squares using one or two spatulas. Add an additional teaspoon of olive oil and brown for four to five minutes.

Tomato Sauce

16 oz. crushed tomatoes
1/2 medium onion, diced medium or small
1 t. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping t marjoram
1/2 t salt, or to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste
fresh basil for serving

Heat oil in small pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for five minutes, or until soft. Add garlic and sauté an additional minute. Add tomatoes, marjoram, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cut basil into chiffonade. Arrange two squares of panelle on a plate and top with tomato sauce. Arrange chiffonade over sauce. Serve immediately.

Brunswick Stew with Corn Dumplings

My college roommate used to bring canned Brunswick stew with her from North Carolina. I became obsessed, and now I've veganized it. I used Gardein for the protein. Seitan or soy curls would work well also.

Ingredients:

serves four

1 t. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 16 oz. can of tomatoes, crushed or diced
2 c. strong vegetable stock, or more to taste (depending on how brothy you like your stew)
1 bay leaf
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 c. chopped parsley
3 red potatoes, peeled and diced small
1 16 oz. can of corn, divided
1-2 c. of vegan protein, rehydrated if necessary (amount refers to post-hydration)
1/2 t. liquid smoke
1 T. tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste

1 c. flour
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2-3/4 c. nondairy milk

Directions:

Saute diced onion in oil. Add tomatoes, broth, garlic, bay leaf, parsley, and potato. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the potato is soft, about ten minutes. Add protein, half of the corn, smoke, tomato paste. Add salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer.

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Add in enough milk to make a fairly loose batter--think muffin texture. Fold in corn. Spoon over stew in 1/8 c. scoops. Cover and simmer for fifteen minutes. If the dumplings look dry on top, they are done. You may need to turn some of the dumplings over and cook a bit longer. The stew and the dumplings will not suffer.

note: If desired, add in 1/2 c. lima beans and/or 1/2 c. chopped okra with the potato. Both are traditional. If you do add these in, you may want to use more broth.