Vegan

October – Roasted Eggplant & Tomatoes with Miso-Tahini Sauce
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October – Roasted Eggplant & Tomatoes with Miso-Tahini Sauce

This small plate elevates roasted vegetables to a new high. It could serve as a vegan main course if you tossed it with some brown rice or put it on top of a crisp pizza crust.

It’s also perfect as part of a tapas spread with flat bread, some dolmas, feta and olives.

Roasted Eggplant & Tomatoes with Miso-Tahini Sauce

Roasted Eggplant & Tomatoes with Miso-Tahini Sauce

End-of-season tomatoes or even out-of-season ones would be fine as they are roasted to concentrate their flavors. The miso-tahini sauce further enlivens the dish and would also be delicious on a baked sweet potato or butternut squash, or as a dressing for green or grain salads.

Serve this just out of the oven or at room temperature.

The recipe comes from the cookbook the Weekday Vegetarians by Jenny Rosenstrach. It’s a cookbook I recieved for Christmas this past year and have just started using more frequently.

the Weekday Vegetarians

the Weekday Vegetarians

Their premise is that, as a family, they agreed to be vegetarians during the week and only eat meat on the weekends. There are lots of interesting recipes most of which are very vegetable forward.

Roasted Eggplant & Tomatoes with Miso-Tahini Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds of small eggplants (if you can get Fairy Tale ones, those would be perfect…I couldn’t)
  • 1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 8 Italian plum tomates or 10-12 smaller ones
  • freshly chopped flat leaf parsley for garnishing

Sauce:

  • 4 tablespoons of tahini
  • 2 teaspoons of white miso
  • 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, or squeezed juice of 1/2 small one
  • 2 teaspoons of maple syrup
  • 3-6 tablespoons of water

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
  2. Cut the eggplant into 1-inch-thick slices and toss them with the olive oil in a large bowl, add salt and pepper. If you manage to get smaller eggplants, cut them in half. Place them in a single layer on the parchment lined sheet pan.
  3. Cut the tomatoes in half (or quarters if large) and add them to the same bowl, coating them with the remaining oil. Nestle them between the eggplant slices.
  4. Bake on the lowest shelf of your oven for 20 minutes, then turn the eggplant slices and return the sheet pan to the center of the oven. Bake for an additional 10 to 20 minutes until the eggplant is browned and crispy and the tomatoes are shriveled. I removed the eggplant slices and returned the tomatoes to the oven for another 10 minutes as they needed more time.
  5. Meanwhile prepare the sauce. In a small bowl or jar combine the tahini, miso, lemon juice, maple syrup and 4 tablespoons of water. Whisk or shake the jar vigorously to combine, adding the additional 2 tablespoons of water to thin it if needed.
  6. Transfer the vegetables to a serving platter, drizzle with the tahini-miso sauce, top with choped parsley.

You can serve this warm or at room temperature.

Roasted Eggplant & Tomatoes with Miso-Tahini Sauce

Roasted Eggplant & Tomatoes with Miso-Tahini Sauce

Note: My tahini sauce was so thick it was impossible to measure. I processed it in a small food processor until it was smooth and pourable. That made it much easier to manage.

Roasted Eggplant & Tomatoes with Miso-Tahini Sauce

Roasted Eggplant & Tomatoes with Miso-Tahini Sauce

Two Easy Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower Dishes – September
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Two Easy Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower Dishes – September

Here are two delicious and easy sheet pan ideas for roasting riced cauliflower. The first with chopped sweet peppers and baby spinach, the second with garlic and mushrooms.

These are perfect side dishes for anything grilled or roasted. By themselves they are vegan and paleo, gluten and dairy free.

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Sweet Peppers and Spinach

 

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Garlic and Mushrooms

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Garlic and Mushrooms

 

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Sweet Peppers and Spinach

Ingredients:

  • I package of pre-riced cauliflower or 1 small cauliflower, trimmed and riced in your food processor to rice like consistancy
  • 1 lemon, zested – save the juice for the end
  • 1 whole red pepper or 5 baby peppers of various colors
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced or grated
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 large handful of baby spinach

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl combine the riced cauliflower, lemon zest, sweet peppers, garlic and 2 tablespoons of oil. Mix well.
  3. Spread the vegetables out on the sheet pan and place it on the bottom shelf of the oven.
  4. Cook for 15 minutes then take out of the oven and mix in the baby spinach, stir and put back in the oven for another 5 minutes or so until the spinach is wilted and the cauliflower is browning on the edges of the sheet pan.
  5. Let cool a bit, then use the parchment to turn into a serving bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Add a squeeze of lemon.
Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Sweet Peppers and Spinach

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Sweet Peppers and Spinach

 

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Garlic and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

  • I package of pre-riced cauliflower or 1 small cauliflower, trimmed and riced in your food processor to rice like consistancy
  • 2 cups of mushrooms, sliced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
  • 4 scallions, white and light green parts, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 large handful of something green to garnish…microgreens, chopped arugula, parsley, chives, etc.

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl combine the riced cauliflower, mushrooms, garlic and 2 tablespoons of oil. Mix well.
  3. Spread the vegetables out on the sheet pan and place it on the bottom shelf of the oven.
  4. Cook for 20 minutes until the cauliflower has browned on the edges of the sheet pan.
  5. Let cool a bit, then use the parchment to turn into a serving bowl. Salt and pepper to taste and add something green. Mix a final time.
Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Garlic and Mushrooms

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Garlic and Mushrooms

I wonder if the folks over at Fiesta Friday would enjoy this? It is Fiesta Friday #449, a virtual blogging party hosted by Angie. Click on the link to read posts with wonderful recipes, craft or decorating ideas.

Riced Cauliflower Herb Salad – September
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Riced Cauliflower Herb Salad – September

This is an update to a recipe that was originally posted in May of 2019 called Middle Eastern Herb and Cauliflower Salad. I’ve added a drained can of chickpeas, capers and some chopped dates for a sweet note. This is a valuable salad recipe to have in your back pocket. It’s gluten free, dairy free, vegan and it can be made several hours ahead. I took it to a bookclub potluck lunch to share. Leftovers were still good a couple of days later and made a great lunch with a bit of canned tuna.

Riced Cauliflower Salad with Chickpeas

Riced Cauliflower Salad with Chickpeas

 

I can find riced cauliflower in the grocery store, both Trader Joe’s and Safeway carry it. But it is easy to make at home in your food processor if you need to start from scratch (or have cauliflower growing in your garden…lucky you). I don’t recommend using the packaged already riced cauliflower if you are making mock mashed potatoes I think it has a high percentage of stem. It won’t result in a creamy rich amazing mashed potato substitute. You need to have mostly florets for that recipe. But, it is perfect for use in this recipe. The kernels hold their shape and crunch once cooked.

I roasted the cauliflower for extra flavor before mixing it with the other ingredients.

If you are starting with a head of cauliflower, slice the head in half and remove the tough core. Roughly chop the florets. Working in batches, add the cauliflower to your food processor and pulse until the consistency of ‘rice’. Transfer to a large bowl.

Riced Cauliflower Salad with Chickpeas

Riced Cauliflower Salad with Chickpeas

Ingredients:

Cauliflower:

  • I head of cauliflower or a package of pre-riced cauliflower
  • 2 tablespoons of fruity olive oil
  • Zest of 1 lemon, preferably organic
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Salad:

  • I can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 5 dates, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon of capers, rinsed an drained
  • 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup of coarsely chopped flat leaved parsley
  • 1/2 cup of coarsely chopped cilantro
  • 1/4 cup of coarsely chopped mint
  • 4 scallions white and light green, chopped
  • 1-2 lemons, juiced to make about 1/4 cup of juice
  • 1/4 cup of olive oil
  • 1 large garlic clove, grated
  • 3/4 cup of sliced almonds, toasted
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper as needed

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Place the riced cauliflower in a large bowl and add the olive oil, lemon zest and salt and pepper. Mix well.
  3. Spread the cauliflower on the baking sheet and roast for about 15 minutes until tender and browning around the edges. You may need to leave it for a few additional minutes but check it so it doesn’t burn. Remove the sheet from the oven and let cool on the parchment paper.
  4. Spread the almonds on a small baking sheet and toast in the same oven for about 5 minutes, again check constantly as they will turn from nicely toasted to burnt in seconds. Remove and cool.
  5. While the cauliflower is cooking you can make the herb salad. Combine all the ingredients for the salad in a bowl and let the herbs and tomatoes marinate until the cauliflower is cool.
  6. Once cool, add the cauliflower to the bowl with the salad and mix well. The parchment paper works well as you can just lift it off the baking sheet. Taste to see if you need to add any additional lemon juice or salt or pepper.
  7. Chill until ready to serve, garnished with the toasted sliced almonds.

I had a small package of microgreens in the fridge and added them with the other herbs.

You could turn this into an entire meal by adding some sliced feta or leftover chicken to the salad. It would also be an excellent side with grilled lamb chops or kebobs.

Riced Cauliflower Salad with Chickpeas

Riced Cauliflower Salad with Chickpeas

Riced Cauliflower Salad with Chickpeas

Riced Cauliflower Salad with Chickpeas

I wonder if the folks over at Fiesta Friday would enjoy this? It is Fiesta Friday #449, a virtual blogging party hosted by Angie. Click on the link to read posts with wonderful recipes, craft or decorating ideas.

In My Kitchen – September 2022
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In My Kitchen – September 2022

It’s been a few months since my last In My Kitchen post and I am happy to rejoin the group. In My Kitchen is hosted by Sherry of Sherry’s Pickings. It’s a collection of posts from bloggers around the world, a fascinating look at what’s new in their kitchens. It’s not so much a collection of recipes, although you may find an occasional one, but more a diary of the past month’s events in the kitchen. In my case it will be several months. Click on the In My Kitchen link to read them all.

Here in my Northern California kitchen it is almost fall, my favorite season of the year. In the past few years it has also been the beginning of the dreaded fire season, which is not so good. We already have some big ones going in parts of the state. The coast is blessed with cool and foggy weather but winter rain fall has still been below normal. Our fingers are crossed that we have an early rainy season and escape the fires.

Food wise there hasn’t been much to write about these past few months. We eat a lot of very simple meals when the weather is warm, grills and simple salads are stars of the menu. We have been using our new Traeger Grill quite a lot for glorious smoked and grilled foods.

Smoked and Grilled Chicken Thighs

Smoked and Grilled Chicken Thighs

I do have an ode to cauliflower, which has been a star of the vegetable world for several years as well as a star in my own kitchen this past month. I find it amazingly versatile. Here are a few ways I have recently prepared it…

Mashed Cauliflower

Mashed Cauliflower

I think it’s even more flavorful than mashed potatoes.

Fried Riced Cauliflower

Stir Fried Riced Cauliflower with spinach and pine nuts

This was a quick and easy way to use the pre-riced cauliflower you find in many grocery stores.

Riced Cauliflower Salad with Chick Peas, Dates, and Herbs

Riced Cauliflower Salad with Chick Peas, Dates, and Herbs

A perfect salad to take to a potluck. You can make it ahead, and it’s both dairy and gluten free (as well as vegetarian).

Lastly here is a simple side dish to toss in the oven when you are baking a chicken. Sheet pan roast riced cauliflower with peppers and spinach.

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower

I have found that the packages of pre-riced cauliflower at Trader Joe’s and other stores are best for roasting as a riced vegetable. Since many stores sell the florets, the stems are used for the riced cauliflower. If you are making mashed cauliflower, the florets are best as they are tender. Or, purchase an entire head, use the florets for mashed cauliflower and pulse the stems in your food processor to the consistency of rice.

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with a roast chicken breast

Our friend Marylinn suggested this contraption for making scrambled eggs in the microwave. It’s from the Pampered Chef. Now there are no morning discussions in our house about how the eggs should be cooked. My husband can make his own preferred scrambled eggs (he isn’t a cook but has mastered the technique with the ceramic egg cooker) and I soft cook my own in the air fryer (11 minutes at 270 degrees F). We are both happy.

Pampered Chef

Pampered Chef – ceramic pot for scrambled eggs in the microwave

In My Kitchen I have flowers from the garden. It’s dahlia season and I planted some new varieties last spring.

dahlias

dahlias

I adore having cut flowers in the house.

Lastly I have, what looks like, a new dog in the house. Casey, our eldest, has a lot of fur with a think undercoat. She has been miserable in the warmer weather. So we had her trimmed. What looked like an overweight dog is now slim and trim. It was an amazing transformation.

Casey, puppy Shanna, and Quinn

Casey, puppy Shanna, and Quinn

Casey, after

Casey, after

I is difficult to believe she is the same dog. And she is so much happier and energetic. I know that trimming their fur is not good for it overall, but at almost 14 it seemed more important that she be comfortable.

Shanna is doing well, we’ve had a lot of company this summer…many of them with their own pups. Shanna has been in heaven.

Heather, Shanna, Casey and Quinn with the conductor

I hope you have enjoyed this quick look at what’s new in my kitchen.

 

October – Puff Pastry Savory Tarts
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October – Puff Pastry Savory Tarts

Having a package of puff pastry in the freezer is like money in the bank. It’s easy to create wonderfully impressive appetizers or even full dinners in almost the blink of an eye.

You are limited only by your imagination and the contents of your fridge, pantry and/or garden.

My preference is for tarts that highlight vegetables but no one is stopping you from adding a little tuna or sausage or prosciutto. Cheese is nice, but any kind works. I’ve used parmesan, goat cheese, cheddar, mozzarella, ricotta and fontina. All of them are delicious. But, if all you have is Monterey jack…go for it.

There are is vegan puff pastry out there, and delicious vegan cheeses. They have come a long way in the past few years. Don’t let that stop you.

You will find the recipes for the Puff Pastry Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Chives and Blue Cheese and Puff Pastry Pizza with Mozzarella, Cherry Tomatoes, Sliced Zucchini Flowers, Basil and Balsamic Drizzle here. That post is from May of last year.

 

I still have a glut of zucchini in the garden although I think it will soon come to an end. This year I discovered a way to prolong the harvest. Zucchini grows on vines, so trimming the older, ratty looking (or powdery mildewed) leaves encourages new growth and continued fruiting. I also fertilized the vines when I did the first pruning, something I didn’t do last year. Zucchini are considered heavy feeders.

As a complete aside, does anyone else think it is strange that the plural of leaf is leaves? Why not leafs? Leave has another meeting entirely. Just a random thought there.

Puff Pastry Zucchini Tart

Puff Pastry Zucchini and Ricotta Tart

 

Puff Pastry Tomato and Mozzarella Tart

Puff Pastry Tomato and Mozzarella Tart

 

Following are the ones for the two other tarts, Zucchini and Ricotta and Tomato and Mozzarella.

I modified the zucchini tart from a galette recipe on Smitten Kitchen who adapted the filling from a Cook’s Illustrated tart. It’s rare to find something entirely new in cooking, we all riff on each other.

Zucchini and Ricotta Tart

Ingredients:

  • I sheet of puff pastry, thawed
  • 1 large of 2 small zucchinis, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of olive oil
  • 1 medium clove of garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup of grated parmesan
  • 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella
  • 1 tablespoon of pesto (or a tablespoon of finely sliced basil leaves)
  • 1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 teaspoon of water

Method:

  1. Line a sheet pan with several layers of paper towels, spread out the zucchini slices out and sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Let them drain for about 30 minutes, then gently blot the tops of the zucchini dry with other paper towels.

    Draining zucchini

    Draining zucchini – they will release a lot of liquid

  2. In a small bowl whisk the olive oil and garlic together. In another bowl ix the ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella, 1 teaspoon of the olive/garlic mixture, and the pesto together. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and set aside.
  3. Heat the oven to 410 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  4. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface, roll into an 11 inch square and place in the center of the prepared parchment lined baking sheet. With a knife, make a shallow cut about 1 inch in from the edge. Be careful to not cut all the way through. Brush the edges with the egg wash.
  5. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the bottom of the pastry, leaving the border uncovered. Shingle the zucchini attractively on top of the filling. Drizzle with the remaining garlic and olive oil mixture.
  6. Bake until the filling is set and the edges are golden brown. This took about 25 minutes in the middle of my oven.
Zucchini and Ricotta Tart

Zucchini and Ricotta Tart

Tomato Tart with Mozzarella

Ingredients:

  • 1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
  • 2 plum or small tomatoes (or 1 large heirloom tomato), cored and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
  • 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
  • 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 Tablespoons of finely sliced basil leaves (I didn’t have any)

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out into an 11-inch square and place in the center of the prepared backing sheet. With a knife, make a shallow cut about 1 inch in from the edge. Be careful to not cut all the way through. Or form a crust by folding over the edges about 1/2-inch. Brush the edges with the egg.
  3. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese evenly over the dough, then poke the dough all over with a fork, make sure to go all the way through the dough. Note: I forgot this step and the entire center puffed up like a balloon when it was baked, sigh. It was ok though as I just poked it down and you couldn’t really tell after the filling was added. Don’t you forget it and poke after the parmesan is added. 
  4. Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.
  5. Removed from the oven and cool.
  6. While the crust is baking and cooling, place the tomato slices on a triple layer of paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and let sit for 30 minutes. Place a second double layer of paper towels on top and press firmly to dry the tomatoes.
  7. In a small bowl, combine the garlic and olive oil, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
  8. Once the crust is cool, sprinkle mozzarella evenly over the bottom and layer the tomato slices over the mozzarella. Drizzle with the olive oil/garlic mixture.
  9. Bake until the crust is deep golden brown and the cheese is melted, 10 to 15 minutes.
  10. Let cool on a wire rack before slicing. A pizza cutter make short work.

And you might want to know where I was going with these amazing tarts. Do you? We have been having ‘puppy play dates’ with a friend’s retriever and our own Shanna. They are both now 5 months old, Inyo is 2 days older than Shanna. While the puppies play, the adults have wine, wonderful conversation and gourmet snacks. It’s a lot like what we used to do when our children were young. We have been rotating who is responsible for the food and the snacks have become increasingly wonderful as we are challenged cookery wise. It’s a lot of fun after the months of isolation cooking for just our own family.

Here are Inyo and Shanna, exhausted by several hours of active play. They look very pleased with themselves, and happy.

Inyo and Shanna

Inyo and Shanna

Even though he is about twice her weight, she gives as good as she gets.

I am going to take this to Fiesta Friday #401 hosted by Angie. If you would like to join the party or take a look at the recipes, craft or decorating ideas…just click on the link to this virtual event.