Crustless Maple-Squash Autumn Pie

I love pie.

I think pie is wonderful.

Ever since my husband came down with appendicitis on Thanksgiving several years ago, pie has been my ultimate comfort food.  With him in the hospital and me worried sick, I found myself at home alone with an entire holiday's worth of pie leftovers.  I ate a whole cherry pie by myself in two days.  I'm not proud; that's just the way I am with pie.

But pie is not healthy, and store-bought pie breaks just about every one of my food rules.

So I went in search of healthy, home-made pie.

And I think I found it.

I loosely followed a recipe for fat-free pumpkin pie that I found at Happy Herbivore.  You'll see I changed up some of the ingredients (I'm okay with using dairy milk and prefer to use maple syrup instead of sugar).  I also used green-and-white striped squash (that I roasted for 40 minutes at 350 degrees) instead of pumpkin, because that's what I had on hand.

1/2 cup firm tofu
1 and 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 cups squash
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 heaping teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9” shallow pie dish, set aside. In a blender or food processor (I used an immersion blender), blend tofu, milk, cornstarch and vanilla until smooth, stopping to scrape sides periodically. Add remaining ingredients and blend for about a minute more, until the mixture is uniform and well combined.

Pour the mixture into the pie dish and bake for 1 hour (it took only 40 minutes in my oven). Allow the pie to cool on the counter, away from the hot oven, until room temperature.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours.

I couldn't wait 4 hours.  I had to take a little nibble.  And it was incredible: sweet and spicy and comforting, with its own crisp crust and velvety-smooth inside.  Eating it definitely felt sinful.  I'm quite sure I would surprise anyone eating this pie if I told them it was made almost entirely of healthy ingredients like tofu, milk, and vegetables!

Veg Up!

On Saturday morning, my wonderful husband offered to cook breakfast.

On the menu?

Pancakes, eggs, and sausage.

Delicious, for sure, but not exactly a plant-based, whole-foods meal.  I wasn't going to turn down such a wonderful offer, though, so I looked for ways to "veg up."

I added some walnuts and warmed some frozen blueberries to top the pancakes, and then mixed some cooked frozen spinach into my scrambled eggs.  These simple additions filled the meal with vitamins and minerals and made a meal of otherwise empty calories thoroughly nourishing.  The best part?  It was about what I could ADD, not what I had to take away.

The overall healthfulness of the meal was also helped by the fact that my husband used relatively "clean" ingredients.  The pancake mix and sausages were relatively clean from Trader Joe's, and he used yolks from only half the eggs (4 egg whites with only 2 yolks, scrambled together and then split amongst the family).  Even the ketchup is the organic kind with no high-fructose corn syrup.

Beet, Carrot, and Red Onion Salad

It does not get simpler or more beautiful than this.

One roasted beet (roast at 350 degrees for 1 hour, with a little water in the bottom of a baking dish covered with foil).  Two shredded carrots.  A quarter of a red onion, chopped.

Mix in a bowl.  Serve.

Garlic Spinach Bean Dip

I had these beautiful birds’ egg beans from a farm in West Virginia that I purchased at the White House farmers’ market. They’d been sitting in the fridge for a week while I fretted about whether or not I could figure out how to “shell” them, which the farmer told me was required.

Turns out, it was really easy.

All it took was a little twist maneuver, and the beans popped right out of the pods. They were gorgeous, and I came to understand why they were called “birds’ egg” beans.

I found out how to cook them from this post; I just put them in water and let them simmer for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, I tried to figure out what the heck to do with the cooked beans. I came across this recipe for a canellini bean dip, and decided to try it.

I didn’t have fresh baby spinach, so used frozen spinach instead. I also didn’t have a lemon or balsamic vinegar, so I substituted some white vinegar. I added onions just ‘cause.

This means that I actually used:

About two cups of uncooked birds’ egg beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon of chopped garlic
1.2 cup diced onion
1.5 cups cooked frozen spinach
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

I cooked the olive oil, garlic, onion, spinach, vinegar, and black pepper together in the skillet. Then I combined with the cooked, drained birds’ egg beans and blended together with enough water to allow it to blend.

When I tasted it, I found that it had a nice texture, but was too bland. So, I added a couple of drops of green Tabasco and stirred it up. Delicious with a slice of bread!

Apple Cider Pork Burritos

This idea is totally original (scary!) and came to me as I thought about the produce and meat I still had remaining in the fridge from last week’s shopping (a pork tenderloin, collard greens, and apple cider).  They turned out exactly as I hoped they would!

1 lb pork tenderloin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced onions
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 cups apple cider
2 cups cooked brown rice
large bunch of collard greens

Preheat the over to 350 degrees.

Brown the pork tenderloin on all sides in a small amount of olive oil and then transfer to a baking pan that has been lightly coated in non-stick spray.

Bake the pork tenderloin for 30 minutes or until done.

In the same skillet you used for the pork, add garlic and onion and cook until fragrant. Then add about two cups of apple cider. [I had some that I’d earlier spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.] Allow to simmer on low.

Remove the thick stems from a bunch of collard greens and blanch for about 30 seconds in hot water.

Cook brown rice so that you have about two cups, cooked.

When the pork comes out of the oven, shred into a bowl using two forks.

Then, pour the onion, garlic, and apple cider mixture into the bowl.

Put about a teaspoon of rice and a small mound of pork onto each collard green. Sprinkle with cracked black pepper and roll up like a burrito.

Enjoy!

These were sweet and satisfying; an autumn treat in a pretty, vibrant package.  I had come across many recipes online for vegan things wrapped in a collard green, but it was absolutely transcendent with meat.  Plus, it'll be hard enough getting my husband to eat this green thing, and he's much more likely to do it if there's the promise of pork inside.  

Chicken and Vegetable Curry Soup

My wonderful husband made a crock-pot meal today that -- I'm pleased to report -- featured plant-based, whole foods.  Hubby has clearly been listening to my recent blathering on about the importance of veggies: He included a lot of them.

I came home to a steaming-hot crock of chicken with potatoes and onions (both from our farmers' market excursion last weekend), peas and carrots (from the freezer), and green chilis and jalepenos (both from Trader Joe's).  Way to put veggies at the center, honey!  I won't speculate on how he made the broth, but it was warm and spicy, perfect for dipping a piece of naan.

Thanks, dear!

Baba Ganoush

Did I mention that I hate eggplant?

The thought of the mushy, seedy, watery vegetable in fridge was making me a little queazy, honestly.  But I bought it, so I had to cook it.  I decided to go with the camouflage technique and try to put it into some unsuspecting hummus.

I've tried to make hummus before and haven't been very successful.  It never tastes quite right.  And I didn't expect it to this time, either.  I could have sworn I had tahini (sesame seed paste) in the house, but I didn't.  So I had to sub-in peanut butter, which just seemed weird.  I added a little sesame oil to make up for it.

An in-auspicious start when collecting up ingredients.  My hopes were not high.

I first cut the offending eggplant in half and put it in the oven to roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Then, I drained and rinsed some organic canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans).  I whirred them up with some water in the baby-food maker, and promptly put half the batch into three little containers for the baby.  It's nice to be able to cook for everyone at the same time!

I put the remaining chickpea puree into a bowl, and then added about a tablespoon and a half of natural peanut butter, a dab of sesame seed oil, about a 1/4 cup of olive oil, a teaspoon of garlic, and the juice of one lemon.  Then I snipped in some fresh parsley.  I whirred it all up.

When the eggplant was finished roasting, I took it out of the oven and cut it into chunks to cool.  [I planned to use the eggplant skins, as I understand they have disease-fighting properties.]

I whirred the chunked eggplant up with some water and then added the eggplant puree (which bore no resemblance to the seedy mess it started out as) to the chickpea mixture.  I stirred them together with a spoon, tasted, and decided to throw in a pinch of salt.

Voila!  A light and airy version of hummus that is excellent served with an extra drizzle of olive oil and a dash of paprika.  It was pretty good in its own right (if maybe a little peanutty), but not great compared to Lebanese-restaurant hummus or baba ganoush.  As I expected, unfortunately.

But the eggplant has been cooked and is surprisingly edible, so it's a win!

Pomegranate Chicken Salad

As part of the unfamiliar produce I've been buying lately, I picked up a pomegranate at Trader Joe's last weekend.  Fearful that it would spoil, I faced it down this evening, learning online how to de-seed it from various websites, and then having fun watching the recommendations work wonders.

I first cut the pomegranate into chunks.

And then I de-seeded it by turning the chunks inside out underwater.

Then I rinsed off the remaining pulp.

And added my glorious pomegranate seeds to a salad of kale, walnuts, and leftover rotisserie chicken, topped with cracked black pepper.  I made a quick dressing of apple cider vinegar and dijon mustard whisked together, and enjoyed my tart combination!

Farmers' Market

The whole family made a trip to the farmers' market at the Annapolis Mall this morning.  My toddler enjoyed trying to haul all the veggies all by herself!

Here's the rather random (on purpose) assortment of what we brought home, complete with some birds' egg beans I found at the White House farmers' market near my office last Thursday.  I'm trying to grab stuff I don't like / don't know how to cook / don't know what it is in order to simulate the CSA experience.

The thing I don't care for of this bunch is the eggplant.  I've had good preparations of eggplant and bad preparations of eggplant.  When it's good, it's really good; when it's bad, it's really bad.  I'll have to be careful to cook it just right!

"Noodles" in Soy Sauce Broth

I've had plain, cooked spaghetti squash in the fridge for a couple of days, and have been trying to decide what to do with it.  Several years ago, I tried to serve spaghetti squash to my husband with tomato sauce, and he absolutely rebelled.

Admittedly, spaghetti squash is a really sad substitute for the real thing.

I've found that I really do like spaghetti squash when it stands alone, rather than as a weird, quasi-version of something else.  Hubby, on the other hand, has never so much as tried it again after the initial, bad experience.  But, I think there might be a middle ground.

Perhaps spaghetti squash would be good in place of noodles with a thin, Asian broth?

My husband fell in love with "thin Asian soup" on a cruise we took several years ago.  The chef clearly specialized in Asian broths, and my husband has a culinary adventure with the soup each night of the trip.

I started with this recipe in mind.  I put a pound of stew beef in the crock pot and topped it with 7 cups of water, 1/2 cup of ketchup, 1/2 cup of soy sauce, a tablespoon of red wine vinegar (I didn't have rice wine vinegar), a few drops of dark sesame oil, and some red pepper flakes.  Then I snipped in some fresh basil and added about a cup each of chopped onions and carrots.

After about eight hours in the crock pot, the result was superb.  I warmed the spaghetti squash in the microwave and then put it in bowls with a few more snips of fresh basil.  Then I ladled the soup over it.

The spaghetti squash was firm and just a bit crisp: the perfect consistency for noodles in a soup.  My husband even ate them!  He had two bowls!

And, then, just for fun, here's a shot of my toddler attempting to eat the "noodles" with chopsticks just like Mama and Dada.

Spinach Pizza

My toddler made me so proud today.

We stopped at a pizzeria to grab slices of pizza for lunch while we were out running errands this afternoon.  When shown the slices of cheese pizza behind the counter, my toddler asked if she could have one with spinach on it.

Well, yes.  Yes, of course!  She ate almost a whole slice, including all the spinach.

My husband noted that I had done an excellent job of brainwashing her about vegetables.  To prove his point he asked her, "Do vegetables come in a can?"

To which my brilliant two-year-old replied, "No, Dada.  They come from the ground.  You pick them, and then you eat them."

That's right, sweetie.  So proud.

Pumpkin, Apple, Zucchini Muffins

My husband is usually the breakfast cook for our family.  He does a wonderful job cooking us hot eggs and toast, even on busy weekday mornings.  On this rainy Saturday, he and the kids are sleeping in, and I've been sneaking around in the kitchen.  Today's menu: Pumpkin, apple, zucchini muffins.

I admittedly started with a pumpkin muffin mix from Trader Joe's.  It has more sugar than I would like, as well as an additive (Arabic gum), but it's pretty clean compared to most boxed cake mixes.  The box directions call for water, eggs, and oil.  I substituted egg whites for the eggs, and applesauce for the oil.  Then, I grated in about a cup of zucchini, just to see what would happen.

They turned out exactly as I hoped.  After 18 minutes in the oven, the muffins emerged sweet, chewy, and delicious.  I paired mine with a small scoop of plain, fat-free Greek yogurt topped with a dusting of ground nutmeg.  The cool, tart cream contrasted perfectly with the warm, sweet muffin; I could've sworn I was having cream-cheese frosting.

...And the best part?  I'm eating this plate of heavenly, baked goodness, sipping a cup of hot tea, and the entire family is STILL asleep.

Veal Patties in Parsley Sauce

One of the reasons I don’t enjoy cooking is that pretty much everything I make pales in comparison to what I could get at a restaurant.

Not tonight!
For years, I had been lusting after my mom’s veal patties with parsley sauce. She used to make them when I was a little kid, and they were my favorite meal. She long ago lost the recipe, but remembered that it came from an old Weight Watchers cookbook. Armed with that knowledge, I searched on google for “veal, patty, parsley, Weight Watchers” and found exactly what I was looking for here. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

The veal patties were easy -- if time consuming -- to make. I found local, pasture-raised ground veal and local parsley (both from Virginia) at Whole Foods. I updated the recipe a bit to suit my more modern tastes (does anyone still cook with margarine?) and to make it a bit healthier.  To do so, I removed the salt and the egg yolks, switched to whole-grain bread crumbs and low-sodium chicken broth, and used olive oil instead of margarine.

1 cup evaporated skim milk, divided
2 slices whole-grain bread [I used Ezekiel bread] torn into pieces
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
½ cup diced onion
1 lb. ground veal
2 egg whites
¼ tsp pepper
Dash each ground nutmeg and ground allspice
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, divided
1 & ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tsp all purpose flour

Preparation:

In food processor combine half the milk with bread and process for about 30 seconds. let stand for 5 minutes.

In small skillet heat ⅓ of the olive oil; add onion and saute until softened.

Add onion, veal, egg whites, and spices to processor and process until smooth.

Add ⅓ of the parsley and process to combine.

Refrigerate covered for 15 minutes.


Using moist hands, shape veal mixture into 8 patties and cook, turning once, until evenly browned.

Add chicken broth, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes, turning patties once.

Remove patties from pan and keep warm, reserve pan juices.

Combine flour with remaining milk, stirring to dissolve. Stir into pan juices, stirring constantly, bring to a simmer and cook until thickened.

Stir in remaining parsley.

Serve over patties.

Having omitted the salt from the original recipe and having used low-sodium chicken broth, I found that the patties needed just a dash of salt at the table before they tasted perfect.

Each bite was like actually tasting my childhood. It was AMAZING. The patties have a lightness to them that’s heard to explain, and the thin sauce is inexplicably delicious.

I also made an incredible side dish with a recipe that I found here. Sweet, earthy, and crunchy, this acorn squash stuffed with chunky natural peanut butter, honey, unsweetened applesauce, and cinnamon was exactly the right thing to pair with the veal.

I started by halving an acorn squash and scooping out the seeds. Then, I added a tablespoon each of peanut butter, honey, and applesauce to each half.

I put it in a baking dish with 2 cups of water and baked it for an hour.

When it came out of the oven, I scooped out all the squash and toppings, mashed them together in a bowl, and then returned the delicious mash back into the acorn squash shell for a beautiful presentation.

I outdid myself!!

I felt the need for something green, so I served the veal patties with the acorn squash and some steamed broccoli. Paired with a Sam Adams Octoberfest, it was one of the best dinners I’ve ever had.

CSA Virgin can rival a restaurant any day!

Nutty Vanilla Butternut Squash & Kale Soup

Last weekend, I bought a bag of kale, an acorn squash, a butternut squash, and a spaghetti squash from Trader Joe’s. I was hoping to prove to myself that I could be overwhelmed with fresh, seasonal vegetables that I don’t usually eat, and find something to do with them anyway. I arrived home from work last night to find both the butternut squash and the spaghetti squash getting a little weird and mushy in spots. It was time to cook them before it would be too late!



The spaghetti squash was easy. I had cooked those before. I halved the squash (which took two knives and a high risk of personal impalement), scooped out the seeds, rubbed it with olive oil, and cooked it cut-side down on a baking sheet for 30 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees. Once the squash itself was in the oven, I cleaned the seeds and popped them in, too. They took about ten minutes to toast.





When the spaghetti squash came out of the oven, I let it cool and then scraped it with a fork into a plastic container. I put it straight in the fridge. I’ll figure out what to do with those gorgeous strands some other time.

Meanwhile, I was making somewhat more complex (but still easy!) Nutty Vanilla Butternut Squash and Kale Soup. The recipe was inspired by this recipe for Nutty Vanilla Sweet Potato and Kale Soup, and the comments on it, which suggested that it was possible to use butternut squash instead of sweet potato. I actually arrived that the recipe via This & That, a blog about cooking produce from the same CSA I just joined!

Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash
1 teaspoon of chopped garlic
1 can lite coconut milk
1 cup 1-percent milk
1 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
4 cups kale, trimmed, washed and torn into small pieces
1 vanilla bean
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup unsalted peanuts, for garnish
Shredded coconut, for garnish

Preparation:

Halve the butternut squash, scoop out the seeds, and then cook in the microwave for 15 minutes.



Heat a large pot on medium high. Spray with cooking spray and add squash (scooped out of the skin), cooking until it begins to brown. Stir in garlic.

Add coconut milk, milk, allspice, pepper and flakes.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Mash squash with potato masher or puree with immersion blender.

Add raisins, kale and vanilla and cover. Allow to cook for 8-10 more minutes, until kale is bright green.

Portion into bowls and garnish with 1 tbsp each peanuts and coconut.



The soup turned out fragrant and delicious, and was an excellent use of the butternut squash. My veggie-phobic husband ate his entire bowl (including the kale!) and even sopped up the remaining broth with a piece of bread. This was his first experience with kale, and he declared it “okay.” That’s very high praise from him!

The CSA Virgin really hates to “diagnose” her food. She would prefer to make a recipe, enjoy it, and be done. But, admittedly, there was room for improvement on this otherwise excellent concept. The soup came out a little thick (perhaps because of the substitution of butternut squash for sweet potatoes), so I think I’ll add a little water or vegetable broth to thin it next time. Neither my husband nor I is a big fan of thick, creamy soup.

The original recipe called for garam masala (an Indian spice blend). While I’d like to say that I used allspice because I didn’t have, or couldn’t find, garam masala, that’s not true. CSA Virgin purchased BOTH allspice AND garam masala at Whole Foods, and then grabbed the wrong one when she started to cook. Not a fatal error, but one I might correct next time.

Overall, I think my squash night was successful. I now have two bowls’ worth of Nutty Vanilla Butternut Squash and Kale Soup and an entire squash’s worth of spaghetti in the fridge.

Normally, the fridge is looking a little bare by the end of the work week, but not this week!

Sodium in Beet Greens?!

While I was eating my lunch (beet greens and brown rice) at the office today, I decided to look up the nutritional profile of beet greens. I had never actually eaten them before, so I was unfamiliar. It turns out that they’re nutritional powerhouses, with tons of vitamins and minerals, plenty of fiber, and lots of protein (similar to kale and other greens).

But they’re also surprisingly high in sodium. Who knew?!

One cup of cooked beet greens has about 347 mg of sodium, or 14 percent of the recommended daily allowance. When compared to canned soup and other sodium-laced processed foods, the amount of sodium in beet greens is nothing.

But I was nonetheless surprised!

Kale chips!

From everything I've read about joining a CSA (at least in my geographic area), you have to develop a deep, loving relationship with kale.  You'll get lots, and lots, and lots of it.  I grabbed some kale from Trader Joe's last week, and decided to start my learning process with kale chips.

I'd heard that kale chips were a good as potato chips, with a lot less calories and lot more nutrients.  I usually assume that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  But not in the case of kale chips!  I tossed some kale with olive oil, coated a pan with cooking spray, spread them out on the pan, and then popped them in a 425 degree oven for 5 minutes (they probably could have used 6).  When they emerged from the oven feeling crisp, I sprinkled them with a little garlic salt and a little paprika while they cooled.  They were phenomenal.  Thin and crispy like a perfect Lay's potato chips, but with an additional richness from the garlic and paprika.

Why eat junk food when you can have these?!  These are still a treat, because there was probably one to two tablespoons of olive oil in the plate of chips.  But these a great way to enjoy kale, and to get some much-needed vitamins in a way that feels absolutely sinful.