Post-Thanksgiving Festivities!

Debbie and I were nervous that we would be a bit down after the wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, so we decided to have FUN the Sunday before going back to work. We did yoga, cooked lots, decorated, feasted and watched the wonderful Xmas movie, Elf!

Here is Debbie stringing cranberries and popcorn onto thread that we later hung around my house!

Here is one of the many wonderful dishes we made: stuffed and roasted pumpkins. We emptied out the pumpkins, roasted them and made a rice dish to later stuff into them. The rice dish is a mixture of brown rice and barley, with onions, garlic, GINGER, CRANBERRIES, dried fruit and nuts. After stuffing them in the pumpkins, we topped them with some vegan cheese and baked them a bit longer. 1/2 a pumpkin was very filling! Delicious as left overs too!

Here's half a pumpkin, so yummy!

One of our pumpkin/cranberry strands decorating the dining room chandelier.

Another two strands around the fire place, with Frosty the snowman!

Christmas lights in the family room!

Christmas lights in the dining room!

Popcorn/cranberries in the kitchen!

Christmas lights in the kitchen!! (The only room without lights is my bedroom and that's fine since I try to only sleep in there anyways!)

Roasted pumpkin squares: I roasted sliced pumpkin yesterday and used some of the puree in the lentil curry dish (described in previous post). This half of the pumpkin I decided to save for Monday's dinner. I covered the pumpkin with EVOO, garlic and ginger powder, rosemary, thyme and oregano, S&P and a bit of nutritional yeast. I roasted for about 30 minutes and MAN they were good!!

Stuffed acorn squash. I've decided the two main things you can do with pumpkins/squash are roast then stuff and make into a puree. I have plenty of puree so with my 3 acorn squashes we stuffed them with a mixture of millet, tomatoes and beets and turnips. It is OK. I need way more seasoning. Yesterday the mixture tasted good but today after being in the fridge a day I decided they need more of something. When I was eating it I used some of that Sweet Thai Chili Sauce and of course that made everything better! It was good, just not the best I've done. 

The last thing I made (it just got out of the oven and I didn't take a picture of it) are sweet potatoes. Debbie helped scrub the mold off them because they were in my fridge for a week and that was too long. I sliced them in big chunks and stuck them into pans. I then covered them with maple syrup, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spices and a bit of salt. After about 45 minutes, they were looking dry. I poured almond milk and more syrup on them. They needed more time and they were in at 450!  I gave them another 30 minutes or so with a bit more milk half way through and just took them out. I'm hoping they're pretty mushy and sweet! I didn't take time to really think about the recipe or look one up so it really was an experiment. I hope they are OK!! At least I saved them from the compost bin due to too much mold...

Pumpkin Lentil Curry

Very tasty and flavorful dish!! Totally do it again! And so super filling and HEALTHY!!!

Pumpkin and Lentil Curry

Red lentils complement the pumpkin and coconut best in this salty sweet curry, but any kind you have on hand will do--I used fresh pumpkin and sprouted lentils that took longer to cook. Look for frozen chopped squash to cut the preparation time.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 3

• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cups chopped pumpkin or butternut squash
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 small red chilies, minced, or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes--I used jalapenos that were really mild
• 2 whole cloves
• 3 cups water or vegetable broth--vegetable broth!!
• 1 cup lentils
• 2 tomatoes, chopped--3 tomatoes, I needed to use them up!
• 8–10 fresh green beans, trimmed and chopped--skipped
• ¾ cup coconut milk--didn't have :(

1. Sauté onion and pumpkin in olive oil until onions are soft, about 4 minutes. Add curry powder, cumin, chilies, and cloves, and toast for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
2. Reduce heat slightly and add water or vegetable broth and lentils. Cover and cook for about 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Uncover and add tomatoes, green beans, and coconut milk, stirring well to combine. Heat uncovered for 4–5 more minutes, just until tomatoes and beans are cooked.
4. Serve over rice or whole grains.

Spring Rolls!

I wanted to bring something fun and tasty as an appetizer to my Thanksgiving party. With some help and brainstorming, I decided on spring rolls. I've never made them before and they were a bit time-intensive with all the veggie chopping and prep of the rice paper, but they are fun to make! I didn't use a recipe but did talk to a few different people before getting to work. I used up my carrots, a cucumber, a bell pepper, a leek, a bunch of cilantro and mint. I started by chopping all those things up. Oh and I used some lettuce!

Ingredients:

•  Loose leaf lettuce
• Bunch of cilantro
• Bunch of mint
• Bell pepper
• Several carrots
• One big cucumber
• One long leek
• One package of rice paper
• One package of rice noodles
• Rice vinegar
• Sesame oil
• Fresh ginger
• Hoisin sauce
• Sweet thai chili sauce

First, I chopped the veggies.

Second, I prepared the noodles by soaking them and then boiling them for a bit. The package didn't say to boil them but I wanted them squishier than they were.

Then I assembled then. I placed the rice paper in a bowl of warm-ish/room-temperature water for about 5 seconds and then placed it on a damp kitchen towel. After a few seconds, in which time the rice paper turned soft, I placed the different ingredients in the rice paper and rolled it up like a baby burrito.

I ended up making about 15 of them. I made more than the ones on this tray and I gave them to Jill and her boyfriend Yoshi to enjoy. She came up stairs and ate some for dinner with me. We did a taste test of two different sauces: freshly chopped ginger, cilantro in rice vinegar with sesame oil. The other sauce was the sweet thai chili sauce. Both delicious.

I placed the rolls on a damp kitchen towel and then placed another damp towel on top of them. I have them in the refridgerator and hope they travel nicely up to the mountains tomorrow. I'm bringing some of the sauces too so we can enjoy them as an appetizer before dinner! Wish me luck :)

A close up shot of one of the rolls. They turned out a bit fatter than I'd imagined but I couldn't figure out a way to make them smaller since I wanted to add that amount of filling to each roll....so typical of me: I always have the fattest burritos around too!!

Carrot Cake!

Vegan Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

Servings Size

• 
  

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 cups finely-shredded carrots
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup applesauce
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 egg substitute (Ener-G)
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) --I used sliced almonds AND raisins! I also topped my cakes with freshly grated carrot (it was left over)

We had so many carrots this week from the farm that Britney had the idea of making carrot cake! I decided to make 3: one for her to take to her Thanksgiving, one to take to my Thanksgiving and one to make cupcakes to enjoy and share this week. We enjoyed some tonight at dinner with Britney, Claire and Debbie. I want to take a few to my yoga friends tomorrow AM and Britney will spread the joy at the office tomorrow as well. They were so decadent!

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 3 ounces Better Than Cream Cheese cream cheese substitute
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1. 1
   Grease and flour a 10" X 9" or square cake pan.
2. 2
   Stir together dry ingredients.
3. 3
   Mix in the carrots, egg subs, oil, apple sauce, and vanilla.
4. 4
   Beat about 2-3 minutes , until well mixed.
5. 5
   Stir in the nuts, if used.
6. 6
   Bake at 325 F for about 40-50 minutes , or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. 7
   Cool on a wire rack.
8. 8
   Once the BTCC is at room temperature, mix all ingredients together. Frost cake.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/vegan-carrot-cake-8925#ixzz1eJCHv8Fj

CUPCAKE BUDDY PHOTOS:

Claire, looking back over her shoulder!

Lookin' good Debbie!

Britney, enjoying her homemade vegan frosting!

YUM YUM YUM!!

Celery Root Puree with Truffle Butter

Celery-Root Purée with Truffle Butter

yield: Makes 8 to 10 side-dish servings

active time: 20 min

total time: 35 min

Truffles add a flavorful woodsy note, but if you make this French-influenced celery-root purée without them, it will still be delicious.

Ingredients

• 3 lb celery root (sometimes called celeriac; 2 large), peeled with a knife and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (8 cups)
• 1 3/4 lb boiling potatoes (3 large), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 oz black truffle butter* or 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

Cover celery root and potatoes with cold salted water by 2 inches in a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot, then simmer, covered, until celery root is very tender, about 15 minutes.

While vegetables are simmering, bring cream, truffle butter, salt, and pepper just to a simmer, stirring until butter is melted.

Drain vegetables in a colander and transfer to a food processor. Add hot cream mixture in a steady stream, pulsing until smooth. (Alternatively, mash vegetables with hot cream mixture using a potato masher.)

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Celery-Root-Puree-with-Truffle-Butter-230990?k=1#ixzz1eIOFVFlS

Butternut Squash Soup

As you can tell by the pics, I roasted 4 little pumpkins and then served the soup inside of them, with a sliced apple as a garnish!

Classic Butternut Squash Soup

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/1975

Serves 6

Put a spin on this creamy butternut squash soup with one of our flavorful variations: apple with Gorgonzola and almonds, thai or southwestern.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup diced carrot (about 1 (8-inch) large carrot)
1/2 cup diced celery (about 1 (11-inch) large stalk)
2/3 cup diced onion (about 1 medium onion)
4 cups cubed butternut squash (about 1 medium squash)
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
4 to 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Add carrot, celery and onion. Cook until vegetables have begun to soften and onion turns translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add butternut squash and thyme. Stir to combine with vegetables. Stir in chicken broth and season with salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until squash is fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree soup. Alternatively, let the soup cool slightly and carefully puree in batches in a traditional blender.

Variations:

Apple, Gorgonzola and Almond
Follow recipe above and stir a cup of applesauce into pureed soup. Garnish each serving with a tablespoon crumbled Rogue Creamery Gorgonzola, a tablespoon of toasted whole almonds, a few slices of thinly sliced apple and a small sprig of fresh thyme.

Thai Flavors
Stir a tablespoon red curry paste and 2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger into carrot, celery and onion mixture. Cook until vegetables are tender and ginger is aromatic. Add squash, cook until tender, then add broth and 1/2-cup light or regular coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper. Puree soup and garnish each serving with 1 or 2 pappadums, a tablespoon toasted coconut flakes and a tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro. NOTE: Pappadums are available on the snack food aisle.

Southwestern Spin

Add a tablespoon chopped chipotles in adobo to carrot, celery and onion mixture. Cook until vegetables are tender. Add squash, cook until tender, then add broth. Season with salt and pepper. Puree soup and garnish each serving with 2 tablespoons crumbled queso fresco, a tablespoon cumin-toasted pumpkin seeds and a tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro. NOTE: Canned chipotles in adobo sauce are available on the Mexican food aisle.

Butternut Squash Mac n Cheese

Here are two recipes my friend Amy sent me. They are so fitting with the produce I have!

Butternut Squash Mac ‘n Cheeze

SO DELICIOUS!! OMG!!! :D

Ingredients:

• 1/2 butternut squash, peeled and chopped (yields: 3.5 cups raw)
• 3/4 cup raw cashews
• 1 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened + unflavoured soy milk), or more to thin out
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
• 6-7 tbsp Nutritional yeast (provides the cheesy consistency)
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp or a bit more of dried Italian seasoning
• 1/4-1/2 tsp Tumeric powder, optional (gives the orangey colour)
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4-1/2 tsp Paprika + more to season
• Your pasta of choice (I used ~450 grams/4.5 cups dry penne for the casserole) + mix-ins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet.  In a bowl, season chopped squash with some oil (~1 tsp) and kosher salt (couple pinches) and stir. Add to baking sheet and roast in oven for 40 minutes, flipping once half way through baking.

2. If making the baked casserole: Process 1 slice of bread + 1 tbsp Earth balance until crumbs form in a food processor. Set aside. If you plan on enjoying it straight from the pot you can skip this step.

3. Assemble your cheeze sauce ingredients (cashews, non-dairy milk, garlic, lemon, salt, nutritional yeast, pepper, mustard, seasonings) and add just the cashews to food processor. Process until a fine crumb forms similar to corn meal. Now add in the rest of the cheese sauce ingredients and process until smooth. Leave the sauce in the processor as you will be adding the squash.

4. Cook your pasta according to package directions. When squash is finished roasting, add it to the food processor and blend it with the cheese sauce until smooth. Adjust to taste. The sauce will thicken up with time. If at any point the sauce becomes too thick, you can add a bit of milk to thin it out.

5. Drain and rinse pasta with cold water. Now add the pasta back into the same pot and add your desired amount of cheeze sauce on top. Stir well. Add in any desired mix-ins like peas or broccoli. You can either heat this up in the pot, or pour it into a casserole dish (I used a 4 cup dish), sprinkle on breadcrumbs + paprika, and bake it at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. The casserole will serve about 4 people if you use 450 grams dry macaroni or penne. Store any leftover sauce in the fridge and use within a few days.

Kale/mashed potatoes recipe (called colcannon)

**I haven't made this one yet but Amy sent it to me and I plan to!**

I actually just make up as I go, but there are probably a ton online. I just peel the potatoes a little, then boil them, and while they are cooking I boil the kale (chopped/torn up into small pieces) in about one inch of slightly salted water, for about three minutes or until it's that pretty bright green color. After the potatoes are done, I drain them, add milk and butter, salt/pepper if you wish (I usually don't go vegan, but once I used almond milk and earth balance and it was still fabulous) and just mash 'em up with the kale. Simple! I also chopped up an onion and threw it in and cooked the potatoes a bit after mashing so it was soft, also good. Made it much schweeter.

Leeks, tomatoes and carrots on lettuce

I found a time when I could eat dinner with Jill, she's been really busy with school work, and rushed home to make some food. I had lots of pre-cooked leeks from the beggar purses I made earlier in the week, so I used those. I then roasted carrots in the oven for about 30 minutes. While the carrots were roasting, I heated up the leeks with some chopped tomatoes. I added the carrots in the end and served the dish over clean and resh lettuce. I topped it with some grated vegan mozzarella. Yum Yum Yum!

Veggie combo in the pot

Here's the dish as I ate it! 

Then for dessert we had Mochi! I have had it before from Trader Joes, wrapped around ice cream. This one was bought at Whole Foods and is a skinny rectangle that you cut up into pieces, bake for 8 minutes, flip, bake 2 more minutes then serve. They puff up as they cook so they look as they do above. Jill had eaten them before and suggested serving them with some honey. She brought her raw honey and we devoured almost all of them! SO GOOD!!!

Amy in the kitchen: Kale barley & Leek purses

I had my friend, Amy, over for dinner on Monday night and boy did we have fun in the kitchen! We made leek beggar purses and a kale, barley, tomato, pesto dish. We were so proud of ourselves after all that cooking!

Heather's Quinoa Recipe

If you don't have the time or inclination to roast cherry tomatoes, substitute some chopped, moist, sun-dried tomatoes. Also, a delicious alternative to the tofu in this recipe might be paneer cheese which can stand up to the heat without losing its form. Vegans can leave out the Parmesan in the pesto and make it more of a basil-nut drizzle - still tasty, and a good fit for this recipe.

 
a splash of extra-virgin olive oil
a pinch of fine grain sea salt
1 shallot, minced
3 cups cooked quinoa* (or brown rice, or other grain)--used barley
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen--didn't use
1 1/2 cups kale, spinach or other hearty green, finely chopped--used lots of kale!!
2 cups extra-firm nigari tofu, browned in a skillet a bit--didn't use
1/3 cup pesto
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted--didn't use
1/4 cup roasted cherry tomatoes** (or chopped sun-dried tomatoes)

In a big skillet or pot heat the olive oil and salt over medium-high heat. Stir in the shallot and cook for a minute or two. Stir in the quinoa and corn and cook until hot and sizzling. Stir in the kale and then the tofu, cooking until tofu is heated through. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the pesto and pumpkin seeds. Mix well so the pesto is spread throughout. Turn everything out onto a platter and top with the cherry tomatoes.

Super delicious! We added bell peppers and pesto.

Serves 4 - 6.

*Rinse about 2 cups quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer. In a medium saucepan heat the quinoa and 4 cups water until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa fluffs up, about 15 minutes. Quinoa is done when you can see the curlique in each grain, and it is tender with a bit of pop to each bite. Drain any extra water and set aside.

** To roast cherry tomatoes: Heat oven to 350F degrees. Cut each tomato in half and arrange in a large oven-proof baking dish. Mix together a big splash of olive oil, a spoonful of brown sugar, and a few pinches of salt - pour this over the tomatoes. Gently toss them a bit, making sure they all get coated, finishing with each tomato facing cut-side up. Place in the oven and bake for 45 mintutes or so, until the tomatoes are shrunken and sweet.

Personal Note: roasting tomatoes is SO EASY and makes a HUGE difference! They were delicious and a great way to use up lots of tomatoes that I feared were going bad!

Leeks galore: Leek soup, leek tarts! YUM YUM YUM!

Onion and Leek Tart

This recipe is full of flavor even though it’s so easy! You can change it up a bit adding different vegetables or a layer of vegan cream cheese to start!

1 Puff pastry sheet, thawed--we used phylo dough
1 Bunch of Leeks, thoroughly washed off of all grit
1 Red onion
1 Vidalia onion
2 Cloves garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with non stick spray and lay out pastry sheet and set aside. Preheat a sauté pan to medium heat and add a tough of olive oil. Roughly chop cleaned leeks and add to sauté pan, mixing to coat with oil. Slice Red and Vidalia onions and add to leeks. Let this sauté for a few minutes, cooking down. Adjust heat as needed, making sure not to burn leek mixture. Mince 2 cloves of garlic and add to leek mixture, stirring to combine. When leek mixture has cooked down, remove from heat and add to puff pastry sheet, starting in from about ¼ inch. Put in oven and cook for 12-15 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and let sit about 5 minutes to cool. Cut into pieces and serve with a knife and fork or pick up from the edges like a pizza and eat!

Personal Note: I added nutritional yeast, pesto and vegan mozzarella in between the 8 layers of phylo dough. SO DECADENT!!!

Amy, building the 4 leek beggar purses.

We weren't sure if the purses would stay together but it was great how they didn't fall apart! Phylo dough makes you look like such a great chef!!

Pumpkin Applesauce Pancakes

I woke up this morning and didn't know what I wanted to do with my day. As I lay in bed reading, I decided I wanted to make some pumpkin pancakes. I'm not the best pancake maker and as you can see, they look almost a bit biscuit like, but they were good. I ate one with Peanut Butter & syrup, one with almond butter and jam and another two with honey-butter, my favorite combo! I just used some vegan butter and mixed in some honey and spread it over the pancakes.

Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes 

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup soy milk
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup mashed, cooked pumpkin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (or white if necessary)

Directions

Combine soymilk with the tsp vinegar in a separate bowl. Give it 5 minutes to curdle (this is like using buttermilk). Stir together pumpkin, spices, water and soymilk in mixing bowl. Add in remaining ingredients and stir JUST UNTIL MOIST, NO LONGER. Let sit 5 minutes to rise and lightly stir again. Let rest 5 more minutes and cook them up. Makes twenty 4" pancakes.

Number of Servings: 20

Mom sent me the most beautiful Thanksgiving card EVER!! A glittery fall-leaf dress on a pretty lady holding a bird! How awesome! THANK YOU!!!

4 girls in the kitchen!

Yup, I had 3 of my friends helping out in the kitchen today. With so much produce I need help cooking it all and eating it all so we ate a nice big dinner tonight and I sent them home with some left overs. My fridge is now much more manageable and I think we're all exhausted!! So fun though :)

Leek and potato soup

Leek Potato Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 leeks, white and light green parts washed and sliced into ¼-inch slices
• 1 chopped yellow onion (I used a Spanish Onion)
• ½ teaspoon sea salt (I used Palm Island Premium Red Gold Volcanic Clay Sea Salt)
• 2 cloves minced garlic (I used Spanish Garlic)
• 2-3 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves (I used some from my garden)
• 1 pound potatoes, cubed into ½-inch cubes (white or yellow variety). Best potato bets from the supermarkets are Yukon, Russet, or Idahos. At my farmer’s market, I’ll get German Butterball or Ozette potatoes
• 4 cups vegetable stock (I used Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base)
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large soup pot.
2. Saute onions, leeks, and salt for apx. 5 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add garlic and rosemary. Cook for 1 min.
4. Add potatoes and stock then bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Add nutritional yeast and blend until creamy, either in a batches in a blender or with one of those fancy immersion blenders.

Cabbage and apples

Roasted root veggies: beets, carrots, turnips, green onions and onions

Caramel apple cake, gooey and ooey!!

Apple Caramel Bake
http://www.chooseveg.com/display_recipe.asp?recipe=28

3/4 cup flour 1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. salt 1 1/2 cups apples, peeled and chopped 1/2 cups slivered almonds 3/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup margarine 3/4 cup boiling water 1/2 cup soy milk

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease an 8"x 8" glass baking dish. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, apples, and almonds. Set aside. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the brown sugar, margarine, and boiling water. Stir until the butter is melted. Add the soy milk to the flour mixture. Stir well then spread into the prepared baking dish. Pour the sugar topping over the batter and bake for 40 minutes.

Apple tart on phylo dough with some dried fruit on top too. Decadent! I was super proud of myself for getting that phylo dough down!!

Pear and Apple Phyllo Crisp

FoodDessert Dessert partyDinnerDinner partyFall Forelle pearsFruit tartsGranny Smith applesPhylloSeckel pearsSnackThanksgiving

Layering pecans between sheets of store-bought phyllo adds a nice crunch to this tart's flaky foundation.

Martha Stewart Living, October 2010

• Yield Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
• 1/3 cup plain fresh breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for dusting
• 6 sheets frozen phyllo dough (11 1/2 by 15 inches each), thawed
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 3 small firm pears, such as Forelle or Seckel --didn't have, just used extra apples
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with a rack in top position. Combine pecans, breadcrumbs, sugar, and cinnamon.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment, and top with 1 phyllo sheet. Brush phyllo all over with butter, and sprinkle pecan mixture evenly over top. Repeat 4 times. Top with remaining phyllo sheet, and brush with all but 2 tablespoons butter.
3. Slice pears and apples 1/8 inch thick; discard seeds. Arrange pear and apple slices in a single layer on phyllo, leaving space between fruit and a 1/4-inch border around edges. Brush fruit with reserved 2 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle with sugar, and dust with cinnamon. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until phyllo is golden brown and fruit is soft, 28 to 32 minutes. Let cool slightly. Cut into 8 pieces.

The peanut sauce on potatoes, tomatoes and carrots! Super rich

A table full of food!! And it's not even Thanksgiving yet!

We all fit in the kitchen!

Debbie!

Britney, enjoying the peanut butter sauce on the potatoes, tomatoes and carrots.

Claire, enjoying the leek and potato soup.

All digging in after hours of cookin in the kitchen!

Kale, baby brussel sprouts, sun dried tomatoes

 Braised Seitan with Brussels, Kale, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes Recipe

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

2	T olive oil
1	cup shallots
4	servings seitan --I didn't have
2	cups Brussels sprouts
4	cloves garlic
1/2	tsp dried thyme
1/4	tsp dried tarragon
1/2	tsp dried oregano
1/2	cup sun dried tomatoes
2	cups vegetable broth
1/4	cup white wine--You can always try a tablespoon of white wine vinegar diluted in a 1/4 cup of water in place of the wine.
4	cups chopped kale

Directions

1. Saute shallots and seitan in evo for about 7 min until browned.
2. Add Brussels sprouts and saute for three more minutes.
3. Add garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper, saute for another minute.
4. Add sun dried tomatoes.
5. Add vegetable broth and wine. Once the liquid is boiling, stir in the kale until wilted. Cover, leaving a little room for steam to escape and lower heat. Simmer for 5-7 minutes.

Boiled beets with a yummy dressing: garlic, parsley, rosemary, lime juice and EVOO.

Roasted root veggies with a tabof truffle oil! YUM!!