Curried Chickpeas

In a rush? Want a big batch of Indian food to last you a week of lunches (and more?) This is the simple fast recipe for you! Obviously you can swap out with fresh tomatoes, from-dry chick peas, make your own vindaloo paste, and all sorts of optional garnishes (cilantro?) But here's the quick and dirty version (provided to me by my new Canadian lover boy : ) They make 'em cultured up there)

 
Curried Chickpeas
from Raymond
serves 16
cook time: 8 - 12 hours

Ingredients:
2 - 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes (doesn't matter if flavored or not)
4 - 15.5 oz. cans chickpeas
3-4 large onions, diced
1 jar Vindaloo PASTE
2 Tbs. garam masala
~4 oz. beer
optional: raita and cilantro, to garnish

Instructions:
1. Drain and rinse chick peas.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large crock pot on high heat, and stir well to combine.
3. Add beer until just covering tops of all chunky ingredients.
4. Cook on high for 4 hours or so, then set to low for 4-8 hours (I usually just do overnight)
5. Eat chick peas for a week or freeze and store some. Serve over basmati rice.

Poached Egg with Mashed Sweet Potato and Steamed Broccoli

I had a wonderful weekend; went to a local brewery for some drinks, dinner, and basketball after work Friday. Met up with a couple of their wives and then we went to another co-worker's house and drank and partied all night until about 3 am. It was extreme fun and involved eating chic dog-bakery dog food, wrestling, riding bikes around the house, smoking tobacco from wooden pipes, and more beer than was strictly necessary. Total blast.



Saturday I bought a beautiful new bike! This is something I've been saving up for for over a year and holding off until I found the perfect one for me. I ended up getting a Surly touring bike that one of my co-workers hand-picked for me. It fits me perfectly and I'm extremely excited to start bike-commuting to work again (once MO decided to stop snowing) and bike-packing (back-packing on bikes!). After that I spent a nice calm evening hanging out with my roommate and biking friend Melissa who came over, eating veggies with hummus and drinking tea and working on moving over accessories to my new bike, and then taking a ridiculous photo shoot (as shown above).

After Melissa left, I caught my roommate (sushi chef/ex-professional ballet dancer) and we geeked out over HP, LOTR, and Doctor Who until about 3 am, after which I was already on my computer and ended up writing for 4 hours straight analyzing a lot of things I've been thinking about with regards to pretty much everything going on in my life and how it relates back to work and vice versa. I'm making a detailed presentation I want to give to my manager in our up-coming meeting. : ) Something I've needed to do and get off my chest for quite some time now! I was up until 8 am Sunday morning. I started receiving FB notifications because people were waking up for the day x.x The college schedule dies hard in this one.

Sunday I had a delightful conversation over a long (and delicious brunch) at Gratitude Cafe with my mom. We talked about literally about everything, but the focus was on the community house that we're going to start together : ) She loves the idea and has full support from her church community and explained the family history behind a community living initiative that my grandfather (a Kansas City builder) did back in the day. It was called Purple Circle, and so shall ours be named! I'm completely excited about this prospect, something I've been thinking about for a very long time now. We drove around for about an hour, impeding traffic as we looked at a ton of different houses in the Midtown area (Hyde Park and Hospital Hill areas are where we're thinking). Very exciting!

After that I came home to some block printing my roommate Stephanie and her friend were doing for a new KC local zine they just started (Undercurrent: A Zine About Kansas City). This is something I would like to participate in in the future, especially with the community house. We had an intriguing conversation about poly vs monogamous relationships after that. Definitely reminded me of the Oscar-nominated movie 'Her' that just came out. I highly recommend everyone see it! Great film and great lessons about life and love.

After THAT (this weekend just doesn't end, does it?) my good friend Rachael came over and I cooked this meal while we talked about her art class lesson plans she's making for her students in rural Missouri (while drinking left over wine from her paint-and-sip studio she works at!). Such a fun and great evening/weekend. I think it could have lasted forever (though my body would soon give out due to lack of sleep in there! I'm greatly looking forward to my detox weekend)

So, without further ado:

Poached Egg with Mashed Sweet Potato and Steamed Broccoli
serves 4

Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 large sweet potatoes
1 large red onion
1 head broccoli, sliced into thin florets
cheese, grated (to garnish)
1 Tbs butter
1 pinch sugar
1 pinch salt
vinegar or lemon juice
olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
garlic salt
fresh ground black pepper

Instruction:
1. Heat a medium heavy-bottomed skillet over a medium flame. Dice the red onion small, melt the butter in the skillet, and add onion, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Stir together and cook onions down until golden-brown, stirring every so often.
2. Bring water to boil in a steamer. Dice sweet potato in to 1" cubes (no peeling necessary). Once water in steamer has boiled, and steam until fork-tender (5-10 minutes). If possible save water in pot so can be used for broccoli steaming. If not, refill and bring back to a boil.
3. In a medium-small pot, boil enough water for egg poaching, and add a splash of vinegar into the water. Meanwhile, mash together sweet potato, caramelized onions, paprika. Set aside.
4. In steamer, steam broccoli florets for 5 minutes until just softened and bright green. Set broccoli aside.
5. Once poaching water boils, bring down to just below boiling, stir pot with a spoon to make a vortex in the middle and crack an egg into the middle (I like to crack an egg into a ramekin then pour egg into vortex). Poach for 1-2 minutes or until white has set on the egg.
Assembly:
1. On a plate or in a bowl, mound about 1 cup mashed potatoes and flatten on top. Pile on a handful of steamed broccoli (1/4th of what's there) on top of that, place poached eggs on the very top. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt, black pepper, and grated cheese. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Cheddar Galette

This was my first galette, and it was savory! I kind of associate galettes with sweetness, because I see so many recipes for sweet fruit ones, but this savory one was great. Perfect for packing lunches, and since the pie crust is rolled so thinly, you get more filling per pie crust (and therefore less butter per serving : ) ) This was also the first real think I've cooked since I started my new job (!!!). I'm not used to cooking so little, but I'm surprisingly drained after getting home from a whole day of training (after busy weekends of helping my parents out). Definitely hoping that I get some more energy to cook after work, and I think I will once I've completed training and the weather gets nicer/brighter.

I used about 1/4 the original recipe's measure of olive oil, so if you want to use the full 1/4th cup, feel free, I just feel it would be too greasy like that, but as you can see, my butternut squash was a little wrinkly (but still delicious). Up to you!

Butternut Squash Chedder Galette
slightly adapted from Domestic Deborah

Ingredients:
1 recipe pate brisee/pie crust (I used Martha Stewart's recipe)
1.5 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup aged white cheddar, grated
1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. fresh sage, minced
1 tsp. salt
black pepper to taste
1 large egg yolk + 1 Tbs. cold water


Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 375F.
2. Roll out pastry into a 12" circle. Place on a large baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and refridgerate until ready to use.
3. Combine butternut squash, onion, cheddar, olive oil, sage, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl and fold together until mixture is reasonably consistent and lightly coated in olive oil.
4.  Mound filling onto the pie crust and spread out evenly, leaving 2" of pie crust all around the edges. Fold edge of crust over the filling.
5. Whisk together egg yolk and water, and brush onto crust.
6. Bake for 45-50 minutes (or more) until crust is golden brown and butternut squash is cooked (it may not completely soften and that's fine).
7. Let galette cool for 30 minutes, then serve

Creamy Corn

This makes a delicious side dish and works well on salads with black beans.

Creamy Corn
from Cookie Monster Cooking

Ingredients:
10 oz. corn
3 Tbs. butter
1 small onion, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1 carrot, scrubbed and chopped
2 Tbs. parsley, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/3 cup sour cream

Instructions:
1. If using frozen corn, cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots. Cook until tender, stirring occasionally (~5-10 minutes).
3. Set heat to low, and stir in parsley, salt, pepper, and thyme. Add corn and sour cream. Mix until well combined.

Hard Cider Sweet Potato Bisque

Filling yet so fresh. I really enjoyed this soup, and garnished it with my baked pumpkin seeds!

Hard Cider Sweet Potato Bisque
from Bakeaholic Mama
serves 6

Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes
1 large yellow onion, quartered
2 small apples, peeled and cored
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs butter
4 cups vegetable stock (or chick'n)
1 bottle hard cider
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbs maple syrup
1 cup cream

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Pierce potatoes with a fork. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until tender.
3. Meanwhile, add onion, apples, garlic, and butter to a large pot over medium heat. Saute until apples break down and onions are translucent.
4. Add stock, cider, cinnamon, and maple syrup. Simmer on medium-low heat until potatoes are finished baking.
5. Once potatoes are cooked and have cooled enough to handle, cut down the middle and scoop our the flesh. Add to the pot.
6. Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender), blend soup until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cream and serve.

Pumpkin Gruyère Risotto

Cheesy and delicious, like a rissoto should be. Don't be lax about the frequent stirring! Medium-high heat is not a joke.

Pumpkin Gruyère Risotto
from The Craving Chronicles
serves 2

Ingredients:
2 Tbs. butter
1/2 medium onion, diced
3/4 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 - 4 cups vegetable or chick'n broth
1/2 cup pumpkin purée (instructions here)
1/4 cup Parmesan, grated + more for garnish
1/2 cup Gruyère, grated
1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper (optional)
fresh herbs to garnish

Instructions:
1. Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft (~5 minutes). Add rice and cook for 2 mins, stirring occasionally.
2. Add wine to rice and cook until wine has been absorbed, stirring frequently. Heat 2 cups of vegetable broth in the microwave for 2 minutes.
3. Raise heat to medium-high, add 1 cup of broth, and cook until broth is absorbed, stirring frequently.
4. Repeat adding 1 cup broth and cooking until it's absorbed (all the while stirring frequently), until the rice is al dente and creamy.
5. Remove from heat, stir in pumpkin, Parmesan, and Gruyere. Add salt and cayenne pepper to taste.
6. Garnish with extra Parmesan and fresh herbs.

Falafel with Tahini Sauce

The Students for Middle Eastern Peace club on campus does a falafel fund-raiser every year, and one of my friends who dines with me mostly every night is the president. As it's an extremely small club (think 6 people), my food processor, my senioritis, and my love of cooking made me the perfect candidate to help in this endeavour. I made a x8 batch of this, over 360 falafels. I'm proud to say that most all of them got sold, but those that didn't were frozen. This is such an easy go-to meal that I might just start keeping a batch frozen, along with a bag of pitas and a recipe of the tahini sauce that goes with it (recipe below).

Falafel

by Tyler Florence

Ingredients:
2 cans of chickpeas
1 tsp. baking powder
1 small onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs. cumin seeds (or powder)
1 Tbs. coriander powder
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbs. parsley, chopped
1 Tbs. cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup corn starch
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Pour refined peanut oil into a deep-fryer and turn on.
2. Rinse the chickpeas in a colander until no longer foamy, then drain. Add to the food processor and process until coarsely ground.
3. Add all other ingredients (minus salt and pepper) and process until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Form into 1.5" balls. If they are falling apart, add more cornstarch. If they are too dry, add more water.
5. Slip a few balls at a time into the deep fryer (making sure they don't stick to the bottom), and cook until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set on a plate lined with paper towels.

Tahini Sauce
Ingredients:
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 lemon, juiced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and paprika to taste

Instructions:
1. Combine tahini, yogurt, lemon juice, and garlic. Add salt and paprika to taste.

Chickpea Pumpkin Ginger Patties with Curry Coconut Sauce and Balsamic Caramelized Onions

Complicated but delicious sandwich. This has many complex flavors, but is relatively simple to make. The curry sauce goes really well with sweet potato fries (accidental discovery), and is one of the few I've seen that doesn't involve pastes, just simple curry powder.

Chickpea Pumpkin Ginger Patties with Curry Coconut Sauce and Balsamic Caramelized Onions
from Sandwitcherie
makes 8+ large patties

Ingredients:
250 g. pumpkin puree (instructions here)
200 g. chickpeas (a little more than 1 can)
1 Tbs. chopped parsley
1.5 Tbs. flour
1 Tbs. ground ginger
1/2 Tbs. chili powder

Instructions:
1. Combine all ingredients in food processor, and process to combine.
2. Refridgerate for 2-3 hours.
3. In a small, heavy-bottomed skillet, heat 1 tsp. olive oil over medium heat. Form a flat patty in your hands (about the size of your hands, including fingers), plop in the oil and fry on one side for 5 minutes or so, until the patty slides easily around the pan when you shake it. Slide the patty off the pan gently onto a large spatula, add more oil to the pan (if needed), and the gently flip it into the oil and fry for another 5 minutes until the patty is relatively firm and golden-brown.
4. Server with curry sauce and balsamic onions (recipes below) on bread.

Coconut Curry Sauce:
Ingredients:
1 tsp. olive oil 
1/2 cup coconut milk (or cream)
1 clove garlic
1 Tbs. curry powder
1/2 Tbs. soy sauce

Instructions:
1. In a small sauce pan,  heat the olive oil over medium heat. Saute the garlic until fragrant (~30 seconds).
2. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Balsamic Carmalized Onions
Ingredients:
1 Tbs. butter
1 red onion, sliced thinly
1 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1.5 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

Instructions:
1. In a small pan over medium heat, melt butter.
2. Add onions, sugar, and salt to the pan and cook until onions are translucent.
3. Add balsamic vinegar, and cook for another 20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally and scrapping the bottom until onions are caramelized.

Roasted Apple and Carrot Soup

Great fall-time soup. I never would have though of roasting apples, but I really liked it! Also the browned butter with paprika is genius. Adds such a complex flavor with so little effort.

Roasted Apple and Carrot Soup
from An Edible Mosaic

Ingredients:
1 lb. carrots, scrubbed, ends trimmed, and chopped into 1" long pieces
1 medium-large onion, peeled and chopped into large chunks
1 medium-large apple, cored and quartered
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt + more (to taste)
1/4 tsp. black pepper, divided
2 Tbs. butter, divided
2 (large) cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs. ginger, grated
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
3 cups vegetable broth
1/2 tsp. paprika
 Optional: sour cream or chives to garnish

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400F.
2. Line a cookie sheet (if desired). Toss carrots, onion, apple, olive oil, salt, and half the black pepper together and place on baking sheet in an even layer. Roast veggies in the oven until tender and partially golden (~30 mins), stirring half way through.
3. Melt 1 Tbs. butter in a medium-sized soup pot over medium-heat. Add garlic, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, and other half of black pepper and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add stock and roasted veggies and turn off heat.
4. Puree soup with an immersion blender, or a regular blender. Transfer back to pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Salt to taste.
5. In a butter-melting pan, add remaining 1 Tbs. butter and paprika, and whisk until butter is browned (until it smells nutty and brown bits appear).

Butternut Squash Chili

As sad as I am to see the beautiful good weather go, that means the cold-weather cooking begins! I've been waiting for a week to make this chilli, but the weather kept being... nice. I did get to take a wonder afternoon picnic yesterday, with hummus and olive tapenade from the Chicago Diner cookbook, one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants, and soon becoming one of my favorite cook books. Unfortunately, the copyright declares re-posting (without written permission) of their recipes to be banned, so I'm not doing that. But if you're looking for a solid vegetarian cookbook with all sorts of time-tested restaurant recipes that require very few ingredients, this is the book for you. I'm even thinking of doing a food-blog challenge for all of you readers out there, with a series of 4-5 recipes and the first one to make and post about their experiences gets a mandolin and a copy of this book. : D More to come on that...

Back to food.... I loved this chili, truly one of the best I've ever had. It's so fresh while being so healthily-heavy and satisfying.

Butternut Squash Chili
adapted from Cookie and Katie
serves 4

Ingredients:
2 Tbs. oil
1 onion, diced
2 red bell peppers, diced
1 small (< 1.5 lbs) butternut squash, peeled, 1/2" cubes
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin, ground
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. cinnamon, ground
14-oz. canned diced tomatoes, including liquid
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups vegetable broth
(optional) garnish: avocado, cheddar, tortilla, cilantro, sour cream, etc.

Instructions:
1. Add oil to stock pot over medium heat. Then add onion, peppers, squash, and garlic and sautee until onions are translucent (~5 minutes).
2. Turn heat to medium-low, and add chili powder, cumin, jalapeno, bay leaf, cinnamon, tomatoes, beans, and broth. Stir to combine, then cover and cook for 1 hour.
3. The butternut squash should be tender and the liquid should be reduced. Ladle into bowls, garnish, and serve. 

Apple Onion Cheese Gratin

This pairs well with a hearty salad and a glass of white wine. The apples I used were from my family's trees at home, so the brown sugar wasn't necessary. It ended up being quite sweet naturally. Thank you fall for your bounteous goods!

Apple Onion Cheese Gratin
from Erza Pound Cake (originally from Moosewood New Restaurant Classics)

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. flour
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
4 cups apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups cheddar (or Gruyère), grated
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 Tbs. brown sugar (optional)

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Lightly oil a 11" x 7" (3 qt.) baking dish.
2. In a small pot, scald milk over medium heat, just before boiling but not after.
3. In another small pot, melt butter over medium heat. Then whisk in flour until fully combined.
4. Slowly whisk in the scalded milk. Add nutmeg, salt, and cloves, and whisk continuously until the sauce starts to thicken.
5. Spread apples and onions evenly in prepared dish. Sprinkle the grated cheese over, and then pour the sauce on top.
6. Sprinkle over the pecans, bread crumbs, and sugar (if using). Bake for 45 minutes, until the top is golden and crisp.

Borscht

My good friend up at Truman State went to study abroad in Russia last semester and made me promise to make Russian foods for her. Now that it's finally winter-vegetable time, I was able to make this borscht from almost exclusively farmers market ingredients. I felt very eastern European making this dish, scrubbing and grating root vegetables in the kitchen, and then throwing them into a large pot that looked like a bubbling, purple witch's cauldron. Definitely made me miss my Ukranian and Slovokian roommates from France!! This was exactly how they cooked, so I'm dedicating this one to them : )

Note: let soup sit overnight for best flavor.

Borscht
from Moderate Oven

Ingredients:
1 pound beets, shredded
1 bay leaf
pinch of caraway seeds
3 cups vegetable broth
1 lb. cabbage, shredded (I used purple, but the original recipe calls for green)
1 lb. potatoes, chopped into 3/4" pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 carrot, shredded
2 Tbs. tomato paste
1 cup canned diced tomatoes, drained (I used 2 medium fresh tomatoes, crushed slightly and drained)
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. brown sugar + more, to taste
1 Tbs. salt + more, to taste
pepper, to taste
1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped + more, for garnish
sour cream, to garnish

Instructions:
1. In a large stock pot, add half of the shredded beets, 4 cups of cold water, the bay leaf, and the caraway seeds. Bring to a gentle but steady boil and cook for 10 minutes to extract color and flavor from beets.
2. Add the vegetable broth, cabbage, and potatoes to the pot. Return to a boil and simmer for 10 more minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet and sauté onions and celery until soft. Add carrots, the rest of the beets, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, and garlic. Ladle a few spoonfuls of broth from the stock pot into the skillet, and let this mixture cook at a low simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add skillet vegetables to the stock pot along with the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper. Thin soup at this point with more water, if desired. Simmer for 5-10 minutes more, or until potatoes are fork-soft.
5. Remove from heat, add the dill, and season to taste. Serve with lots of sour cream and extra fresh dill.

Cheesy Spinach Soup

A simple, quick soup that's packed full of spinach and lightly flavored with cheese. I used cheddar, but you can use anything you want really (the original recipe suggested gruyere)

Cheesy Spinach Soup
from Annies Eats

Ingredients:
2 Tbs. butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
6 oz. potato, peeled and cubed
3 cups vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. spinach
4 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions:
1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute until just tender (~3-4 mins). Stir in garlic and potato, and cook until just fragrant (~1 min).
2. Add vegetable broth to pot and bring to a boil. Seas on with salt and pepper to taste. Lower heat to a simmer and cover, letting cook about 15 minutes, or until potatos are fork-tender.
3. Stir in spinach leaves and cover pot once more. Let cook just until the leaves have wilted (~1-2 mins). Pour into a blender and puree to a smooth consistency.
4. Pour back into pot and stir in cheese until completely melted. Serve warm.

Shakshouka

This north African dish is super delicious, and pretty flexible. My friend who ate it with me said it was her favorite dish while on her middle east trips, and that this dish served it justice. Note: pictured above is a half-batch, since I was only cooking for 2.

Shakshouka
from Indulge & Devour 
serves 4

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
3 Tbs. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, peeled and sliced into half rings
2 red peppers, seeded and chopped finely
2 yellow peppers, seeded and chopped finely
2 Tbs. fresh thyme
2 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped + extra for garnish
6 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
4 large eggs
salt and ground pepper to taste

Ingredients:
1. In a large pan or skillet, dry roast the cumin seeds on medium-low heat for a few minutes until fragrant. Increase heat to medium, and add olive oil, garlic, and onions and saute until soft.
2. Add peppers, thyme, and parsley and cook on medium heat until softened (~10 mins).  Lower heat to medium-low, and add tomatoes, turmeric, paprika, and season to taste. 
3. Cook for another 15 minutes or so, until the liquids from the tomatoes and peppers have reduced to a chunky, thick sauce.
4. Make 4 spaces within the sauce, and crack egg into each one. Use a fork to spread the white around a bit, and season with salt and pepper.
5. Cover pan with a lid (or foil), and cook for another 5 minutes, until the egg whites have just set. Serve immediately.

Butternut Squash Soup with Fried Sage

If you make this soup, it will turn out way more bright and beautiful. Unfortunately, I didn't think to decrease the vegetable broth content, since I used some of my left over butternut squash puree, so mine is quite dark, but this is a great soup and I'm definitely going to make it again and update the pic!

Butternut Squash Soup with Fried Sage
from Divine Cuisine

Ingredients:
1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 medium carrot, peeled and cubbed
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 Tbs. fresh ginger, grated
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup cream (I substituted whole milk)
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

for fried sage:
7 - 10 fresh sage leaves
1.5 Tbs. self rising flour
2 Tbs. white wine
pinch of salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions:
1.  Pre-heat the 2 Tbs. olive oil in a medium sauce pan and sauté onion, carrot, squash, and ginger 5-7 minutes or until lightly browned.
2. Pour in just enough vegetable stock to cover vegetables, and reduce heat to low. Cover pot and simmer for 30-40 mins or until all vegetables are tender.
3. Transfer soup to a blender and blend until smooth. Return to pot, and mix in cream and remining stock to desired consistency.

for fried sage:
1. Pre-heat oil in a small sauce pan.
2. In a small bowl, mix together flour, wine, and salt. Cover each leaf in batter and fry until JUST golden. Transfer to a paper towel.
Caution: These little guys cook really fast, so be very careful!

Mac and Beer Cheese

Great and complex beer flavor. If you enjoy *good* beer, this recipe is for you.

Mac and Beer Cheese
from the Beeroness

Ingredients:
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 fresh jalepeno, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbs. butter
1/4 cup flour
1 Tbs. corn starch
2 cups unfiltered-wheat beer (I used Boulevard Wheat)
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups cheddar, freshly grated + more for garnish
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1.5 cups elbow macaroni

Instructions:
1.  Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add onion and jalapeño, and cook until softened, stirring frequently (about 5 minutes). Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
2. Add in the butter and stir until melted. In a separate bowl, combine flour and corn starch. Sprinkle on top of the melted butter and whisk/stir until combined.
3. Add the beer and broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer. Sprinkle cheese in small-handful at a time (1/2 cup about), stir until cheese is melted in, and then add more until all cheese is incorporated.
4. Add the salt, pepper, and paprika and stir to combine. Add in macaroni noodles, and cook until noodles are al dente.
5. Add additional beer or broth to thin to desired consistency. Serve with extra grated cheese to garnish.

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese with Walnuts

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese with Walnuts
adapted from Pinch of Yum
makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
1/2 butternut squash
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup toasted walnuts + more for garnish
salt and pepper
1 lb. whole wheat rotini
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 Tbs. butter
3 oz. cream cheese
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded + more for garnish
1-2 cups. vegetable broth (as needed)

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.
2. Halve the squash, scoop out the seeds, then cut into large chunks. Place the chunks in a baking pan, fill pan half way up with boiling water, and bake for 1 hour, or until fork-tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a bit.
3. Scrape out the flesh and purée with the milk. When squash is smooth, add the walnuts and purée until walnuts are coarsely chopped throughout. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cook pasta according to directions.
5. Melt butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for several minutes until onions are golden and translucent. Stir in squash purée and cream cheese, and combine. Turn the heat off, and stir in the cheddar cheese until combined.
6. Combine pasta and squash/cheese mixture, adding vegetable broth as needed for getting the right consistency. Serve with extra cheese and toasted walnuts to garnish.

Stuffed Grape Leaves

Last week at the University Farm market they had grape leaves! Awesome, I thought. Unfortunately, they were far from being experts at picking them, so some of these were too tough to eat. I would suggest getting the pre-canned ones for anyone attempting to make these, but for those who have fresh leaves, instructions are below. I let mine sit in brine for about a week and a half before using them, and they tasted/smelled exactly like the professionally done ones. : )

If using fresh leaves:
1. Rinse all leaves and get off any debris. Don't use leaves that are too tough (where the vein is white, not green still or are hard to roll tightly).
2. Prepare enough brine to fill a jar 2/3 the way up (1 oz. salt to 1 cup water). 
3. Pour brine into a jar. Roll leaves tightly into cigarette-like looking tubes and place into the jar. Continue rolling the remaining leaves, and pack tightely.
4. Make enough brine to fill the container up to the brim and store in the refrigerator until use. (You can probably store these in a cabinet, but I'm untrusting when it comes to bottling)

For more information, refer to about.com. Scroll down to the "Store in Brine - the Cigarette Method" section. (Unfortunately it's not tagged properly, so I can't give you all a nice link to this part x.x)

Note: I forgot to add the hot pepper to the inside of my rolls, so you see them on the outside. Also: I only cooked a 1/3 batch.

Stuffed Grape Leaves
from Kitchen bloody Kitchen
makes ~30 leaves

Ingredients:
30-35 grape leaves, soaked in brine

for filling:
250 g. long-grained rice
250 g. onion, minced
50 g. pine nuts
30 g. raisins
handful of parsley, minced
1 Tbs. fresh mint, minced
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbs. tomato paste (double concentrate) OR 1-2 fresh tomatoes, peeled and mashed
1 fresh red chilli, seeded and minced
large pinch salt and pepper

for marinade:
3 cloves garlic, whole
300 g. water
60 grams olive oil
2 large lemons, juiced
2 pinches of sugar
pinch of turmeric
salt and pepper

Instructions:
1. Unroll the leaves and stack them in a large bowl. Pick through them and get rid of any with tears or blemishes. Cover with boiling water and mash a little so that the water penetrates between the leaves. Let stand for 20 minutes.
2. Put the rice in a bowl and cover with room-temperature water. Let stand for 20 minutes.
3. Rinse the rice several times under cold water until the rinse water is almost clear. Drain well, and combine well with all other filling ingredients.
4. Drain and rinse soaked grape leaves well.
5. Place a leaf on a flat working-surface, vein-side up. Put 1-2 Tbs. filling (depending on size of leaf) onto the center of the leaf. Fold the top of the leaf over the filling, just enough to make a cap. Take a side leaf, and pull all the way across the filling (tuck the bottom part around the filling on the bottom). Roll the filled-sde towards the unrolled side-part of the leaf (not too tightly, leaving room for the rice to expand). Set seam-side down into a pot (if cooking on the stove) or a cake pan (if baking).
6. Fill the first level of your cooking pan, then you can start to make layers. Keep rolling grape leaves until you run out of filling or grape leaves.

if using the oven: Pre-heat to 350F

7. Nestle the garlic cloves into your cooking pan between the grape-leaf rolls.
8. Combine the rest of the marinade ingredients, and pour over your grape leaves. Then add enough water to cover the rolls, and salt lightly.

if using the oven:
9. Cover dish with foil and bake for 1 hour (until the water has been soaked up, but rolls aren't dry)

if using stove top:
9. Cover pot and simmer for 20 minutes, until the water has been soaked up but the rolls aren't too dry.

10. Turn off heat and let sit until leaves are room-temperature. Serve.

Sweet and Sour Tofu

Make some rice of your choosing before starting this recipe, so the rice and tofu will come out at about the same time. (I suggest brown rice! It works great with this recipe) Other note: I couldn't find raw cashews in my small-town grocery store, but I used the regular cooked and salted variety and that worked fine! And somehow didn't over-salt the whole dish, so feel free to use that.

Sweet and Sour Tofu
from Veggieful
makes 4 serving (when served over rice)

Ingredients:

for the sauce:
1/2 cup tomato sauce
4 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. Worcestershire (I used Annie's)
1.5 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 cup vegetable stock

for the rest:
350g. extra firm tofu, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
2-3 Tbs. fresh ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 carrots, thinly sliced
2 cups snow peas, chopped
1.5 cups raw cashews

Instructions:
1. Whisk all sauce ingredients together, and set aside.
2.  Heat oil in a large pan/wok over medium-high heat, and then add tofu, ginger, garlic, and onion. Use tongs to flip tofu and fry until all sides are golden brown.
3. Once tofu is cooked, add bell pepper and carrots, and cook 3-4 minutes until bell pepper is softened.
4. Add snow peas and sauce, and cook for another few minutes. Add cashews, and server immediately over (brown) rice.

Southwest Acorn Squash

One of my favorite things I've made this semester. Healthy, in season, delicious.

Southwest Acorn Squash
from Ambitious Kitchen
servers 4

Ingredients:
2 acorn squash, halved length-wise, stem and seeds removed
1 tsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped small
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
1 - 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups corn kernels
1 tsp. cumin
1 lime, juiced
salt and pepper
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
4 Tbs. crumbled goat cheese

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400F. Grease a baking sheet with oil (separate from the listed 1 tsp.), and place the squash halves cut-side down on the sheet.
2. Bake for 45 minutes, or until tender and edges are browning. Turn off oven and leave squash in oven while preparing the filling.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil, red pepper, onion, garlic, and jalapeño and cook until softened (~3 mins). Then add cumin, beans, and corn and stir well to combine, cooking a couple more minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro and lime juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Fill squash halves with bean and corn mixture, and top with a tablespoon of goat cheese each and serve.