Winter Vegetable Gratin

I'll admit - I think this is one of the most beautiful dishes that I've created, and it's much easier and healthier than most gratins! I've been getting all sorts of different root vegetables in our CSA box - celery root, yukon gold potatoes, butternut squash (ok that's not a root vegetable but same idea), and watermelon radish. I suggest using any combination of root or fall hard vegetables in this dish: potatoes, carrots, turnips, rutabagas, parsnips, hard squash like butternut or kabocha, even sugar pumpkin would be great. I happened to have the combination I talked about above - about 1 lb. each of celery root, butternut squash, a giant watermelon radish (yes, you can cook these and they taste similar to turnips), and yukon gold potatoes. Most gratins require making a bechamel sauce, which is delicious but not exactly heatlhy nor quick when you're also having to prep and arrange all of the vegetables. My version layers the vegetables with two cheeses, sage, and includes just a bit of lowfat milk poured over everything to bring it all together. The result was both gorgeous and delicious! I served this as a main dish with salad and bread, but it would also be a great side.

Winter Vegetable Gratin
Serves 4 as a main dish, 6-8 as a side

Active Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes

4 lb. assorted hard winter/root vegetables (I used 4 varieties, 1 lb. each)
1 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 c. freshly grated gruyere cheese
1/2 c. lowfat milk
1 T. fresh sage, finely chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel and thinly slice all of the vegetables. Grease a large oval gratin dish or 9x13 baking dish. Arrange the vegetables in the first layer, alternating between the different types. The vegetables should be overlapping and create a relatively even, tight layer. Drizzle the first layer with a little extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt, 1/3 of the parmesan cheese, 1/3 of the gruyere cheese, and 1/3 of the sage. Add the next layer of vegetables and drizzle the olive oil, add the pinch of salt, another 1/3 of each of the cheeses, and the sage. Top with the last layer of vegetables, drizzle with olive oil and the pinch of salt, then pour the 1/2 c. of milk over the dish. Top with the remaining cheeses and sage, then transfer to the oven and bake for approximately one hour until lightly golden. Remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes, then cut into sections for serving.

Sweet Potato Oat Bread

We've been getting sweet potatoes in our CSA box for the past few weeks and I've been trying to come up with inventive new ways to use them. I happen to love homemade breakfast breads, and thought why not use mashed sweet potatoes in place of something like pumpkin puree which you might normally find in one of these recipes. The result was a moist, not too sweet, healthy breakfast bread which is great with a cup of coffee in the morning or for a mid-morning snack. Eat it as it is or with a little bit of butter. This bread kept well for me for a few days wrapped in foil.

Sweet Potato Oat Bread
Makes 1 loaf

Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes (plus time to roast sweet potato)

1 1/2 c. mashed cooked sweet potato (about 2 medium)
1 1/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour (or 3/4 c. white and 1/2 c. normal whole wheat flour)
1/2 c. oat flour (can be found at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods - or make your own by grinding up oats in a food processor)
1/4 c. ground flaxseed meal
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. kosher salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 c. agave nectar or maple syrup
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

Roast the sweet potato for about an hour until a fork goes in easily (this can be done ahead of time). Remove from oven and set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the flours, flaxseed meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In another medium-sized bowl remove the flesh from the sweet potato and mash well with a fork. If you've roasted the sweet potato the day before and it's cold, warm it up then add the butter and stir to combine (the heat will melt it), then add the eggs, agave/maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla extract and stir. Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

Transfer the batter to the pan and bake for about 45 minutes until golden brown on the edges. Let cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan before serving.

Fall Vegetable Barley Soup

We're back in California after a wonderful Thanksgiving trip up to Seattle where I pitched in to create our feast of mashed potatoes with caramelized shallots; sauteed brussel sprouts with slivered almonds, lemon zest, and thyme; a roasted trio of root vegetables (sweet potatoes, butternut and kabocha squash); stuffing; and local heritage breed turkey; not to mention my sister's fabulous homemade pumpkin pies and cranberry sauce. Needless to say it was a wonderful meal!

Before we left, I made this great soup to get us ready for the holiday using up some of the fall vegetables from our last CSA box - tokyo turnips and carrots. Tokyo turnips are tender white turnips that don't need to be peeled, and this recipe even takes advantage of the greens that are attached. If your turnips don't have greens or are a harder variety, peel them before chopping and substitute the turnip greens with some kale. Even if you think you don't like turnips I encourage you to try this recipe - when they're cut up small and a component of this flavorful soup, you'll forget you ever didn't like them.

Fall Vegetable Barley Soup
Serves 4-6

Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

4 turnips, peeled if thick skinned, and diced into small pieces
Turnip greens from the bunch of carrots, or 1 small bunch kale, chopped
3 medium carrots, diced into small pieces (similar in size to the turnips if you can)
3-4 stalks celery, diced into small pieces (ditto on the size)
3 leeks, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 15-oz can crushed tomatoes
6 c. low-sodium vegetable broth
1 c. semi-pearled barley
1 t. dried or fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper

Heat 2 T. olive oil in a dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Add the turnips, carrots, celery, garlic, leeks, thyme, and a pinch of salt and pepper and saute until softened a little, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth, tomatoes, and bay leaf, and 1 t. kosher salt as well as some fresh ground black pepper and bring to a low boil. Add the barley, reduce the heat to medium low, and let cook for about 25-30 minutes or until the barley is al dente. Then, add the turnip greens (or kale) and cook while stirring for another 1-2 minutes until the greens are wilted. Taste for additional seasoning depending on the saltiness of your broth and serve.

Pumpkin Pomegranate Pancakes

It's Sunday morning, and I can't think of anything better when it's cold and rainy outside than a big plate of pancakes. I love coming up with different pancake recipes (since we have pancakes just about every weekend) and these are some of my favorites yet - the pumpkin makes the pancakes so moist, and the topping of pomegranate seeds with maple syrup adds a little bite and a bit of sweet-tartness. These would also be a wonderful breakfast on either Thanksgiving morning or the day after - as you can see they are quite festive!

Pumpkin Pomegranate Pancakes
Makes ~12-14 pancakes

Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

1 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour (or 3/4 c. each regular whole-wheat flour and all-purpose flour)
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. nutmeg
1 t. kosher salt
1 T. baking powder
1 c. canned or fresh pumpkin puree
1 T. maple syrup
1 T. molasses
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. lowfat milk
Pomegranate seeds and warm maple syrup, for serving

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together the pumpkin, molasses, maple syrup, and eggs and blend well. Add the milk and stir to incorporate, then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Using a 1/4 c. measure, spoon out each pancake onto a griddle, keeping the other pancakes warm in a 200 degree F oven. Top each stack of pancakes with pomegranate seeds and serve with warm maple syrup.

Green Goodness Soup

One of my favorite things about fall is soup. There's something comforting about a nice big bowl when it starts to get dark earlier and temperatures are dropping. But perhaps most of all I love soup because it's so easy to make and so good for you (and you can make soup with almost any kind vegetables that you have on hand). Our recent CSA box had 2 heads of broccoli in it and I'm not a big broccoli person so I needed to figure out somehow else to use it. I was reminded of our trip to New Zealand last year, when we had a broccoli soup that I loved and it was thickened with potatoes instead of cream, making it both healthier and heartier. I also added some kale and leeks to this recipe, and when it's all blended up it turns the most lovely green color. Best of all, unlike some other pureed soups, this one is actually filling, and tastes just as good the next day!

Green Goodness Soup
Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Extra virgin olive oil
2 heads broccoli, stalks chopped and florets separated
2 medium russet potatoes (~1 1/4 lbs.) peeled and cut into 1/2'' pieces
2 leeks, white and light green parts, sliced
1/2 bunch lacinato kale, leaves removed and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
4 c. low sodium vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt
Black pepper

Heat 1 T. olive oil in a dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Add the leeks, garlic, and onion and saute about 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the broccoli stalks and potatoes and cook an additional 3 minutes. Add the stock, bring to a boil and add 1 t. kosher salt and some fresh ground black pepper as well as the bay leaf. Add the kale (stir to submerge), cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the broccoli florets and recover the pot, then cook for an additional 5 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup or a regular blender in batches. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve garnished with shaved parmesan cheese or some fresh herbs, such as chives.

Baked Mac & Cheese with Heirloom Tomatoes

Happy Halloween! I realize that a pumpkin-related post would be more relevant today (and I actually made a recipe with sugar pumpkin last night that I'll be posting soon) but I wanted to get this recipe up before it's too late to find the last tomatoes. We recently joined a CSA through Full Belly Farm and I'm already in love with it after the first two weeks of boxes. Here in Northern California (where it was 75 degrees today) we are still getting the last bits of some indian summer produce, and I was lucky enough to get a few beautiful tomatoes from our CSA box over the past two weeks. Given that they are a little past their peak, I thought they'd be best incorporated in a dish rather than on their own, and they were absolutely delicious as an accent in this baked mac n' cheese. If the tomatoes near you don't look good, try stirring in another vegetable instead, such as roasted butternut squash, steamed/sauteed broccoli, or you could even use diced canned tomatoes (rinsed of their juices). We ate half of this for dinner along with a green salad one night, then had the rest for lunch for leftovers for lunch the next day, and it was equally delicious!

Baked Mac & Cheese with Heirloom Tomatoes
Serves 4

Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

8 oz. brown rice, whole wheat, or regular dried macaroni noodles (I used brown rice macaroni noodles that I found at the store but regular or whole wheat macaroni would also work well)
3 T. flour
2 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. lowfat milk
1 bay leaf
8 oz. sharp cheddar (preferably lighter in color, not orange), grated
1 large heirloom tomato, chopped (or other vegetable of your choice)
1 1/2 - 2 slices whole wheat bread, torn and pulsed in a food processor or blender until breadcrumbs form

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and grease an 8x8 inch baking pan with olive oil or butter.

Heat a pot of boiling water and cook the noodles about 1-2 minutes less than the stated cooking time. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat 2 T. olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute 15 seconds, then whisk in the flour, continuing to whisk for about 2 more minutes. Then, gradually whisk in the milk, whisking constantly to ensure that that everything combines without clumps forming. Add the bay leaf and continue cooking until the pasta is done, whisking occasionally.

Drain the pasta, then stir in most of the cheese into the saucepan with the milk, then add the noodles, tomato/vegetable, and 1 t. salt. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish (it will be saucy, but this will all bake together) and top with the remaining cheese and the breadcrumbs, pressing the breadcrumbs down slightly into the top of the macaroni mixture (the top should be well coated with breadcrumbs).  Bake for about 30 minutes until golden brown and bubbling, then remove from the oven and let sit a few minutes before serving.

Butternut Squash, Chard, and White Bean Orecchiette

Sometimes it's difficult to use up a whole butternut squash and not get sick of it. Unless I'm making soup, I generally buy them smaller in size, and use it in a few different recipes as an accent (i.e. the Fall Moroccan Tagine that I recently posted) rather than the feature of a dish. I actually used the other half of the butternut squash I had from making that dish (it keeps well in the fridge) to come up with this quick pasta using just a few ingredients that I had on hand - green swiss chard, a can of cannellini beans, and some orecchiette pasta. It was a great weeknight meal not only because it's well balanced - getting your vegetables, protein, and carbohydrates in one bowl - but also because it's relatively quick, and the flavors all went together even better than I expected. When the butternut squash is roasted and paired with the earthy beans and chard, it takes on more of a savory quality in this dish than sweet, and I think you'll like it! This makes enough for 2, but can easily be doubled for more people.

Butternut Squash, Chard, and White Bean Orecchiette
Serves 2

Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small or about 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1/2 bunch green, swiss, or rainbow chard, leaves removed and chopped
6 oz. orecchiette or other small pasta (shells would also work)
1 15 oz. can cannellini or other white beans, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
Black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss the squash in a little olive oil, season with a pinch of salt, and lay out on a sheet pan. Roast for about 30 minutes (mine went a little longer and was slightly browned on the bottom but still tasted great).

Meanwhile, heat a pot of water and cook the pasta until al dente, reserving 1/4 c. of the cooking water before draining. Additionally, heat 1 T. olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet or saucepan. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook for about 30 seconds, then add the chard, cover, and cook for about 2-3 minutes, stirring once or twice, until wilted. Remove the lid, add the beans, and simmer over low heat until the pasta is done.

Combine the pasta, squash, greens/bean mixture, and cooking water along with 1 t. kosher salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Stir for 1-2 minutes until everything combines and a light sauce forms. Divide into pasta bowls and serve.