Winter Squash Agrodolce by Chris Morocco

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1 2-pound kabocha squash, peeled, seeds removed, cut into 1-inch wedges
2 delicata or dumpling squashes, seeds removed, cut into 1-inch wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2 Fresno chiles, thinly sliced
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons golden raisins, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 400°. Place kabocha and delicata squash on separate large rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle with oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing occasionally, until squashes are golden brown and tender, 30–35 minutes for kabocha and 20–25 minutes for delicata.

Meanwhile, bring chiles, vinegar, honey, raisins, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer until syrupy, 8–10 minutes.

Brush half of warm agrodolce over warm squash. Transfer to a platter.

Just before serving, reheat remaining agrodolce, adding a splash of water if needed to loosen. Spoon over squash.
  Servings: 8

Do Ahead: Dish can be made 3 hours ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

fat flush soup from skinnyms.com

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12065603_10153231590538111_2931130283495035989_nThe soup is packed with nutritional powerhouses such as sweet potato, spinach, garlic, carrots, and tomatoes, this soup truly flushes the fat away by restoring acid-alkaline and sodium-potassium balance to the body’s organs and glands. It is a warming and deliciously comforting treat that has the added bonus of detoxing your body and adding much needed nutrients.

The superfoods in this soup are packed with antioxidants and fiber and aid with flushing toxins and, subsequently, fat from the body.

 

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of Kosher or sea salt, more or less to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon paprika
1 bay leaf
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp marjoram
2 tbsp. chopped parsley
2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed (optional, navy beans)
6 cups vegetable broth
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes (no salt added), *this is an optional ingredient
4 cups baby spinach or kale, loosely packed or use kale

Stovetop Method: prep veggies add to large pot, cover, and simmer until veggies are tender, approximately 45 min – 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes to prevent sticking. Add spinach or kale at the end of cooking time, remove from heat, cover and allow spinach to wilt before serving. If using kale cook for 10 min more or until tender.  I waited 20 to add potatoes as I didn’t want them to be mushy.

Ginger Vegetable Congee

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  • congee1 cup raw long-grain white rice, rinsed
  • 7 cups vegetable stock
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, plus more for seasoning
  • Two-inch knob of ginger, peeled and sliced thin
  • 3 stalks celery, diced
  • 2 cups broccoli florets
  • 1/2 cup diced carrots
  • Sliced green onion, for garnish
  1. In large pot add stock, rice, salt and ginger. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Stir occasionally so that the rice doesn’t clump or stick at the bottom.
  2. While the congee is simmering prep the celery, broccoli and carrots: peeling, cutting, and dicing, as needed.
  3. Simmer the congee for about 30 minutes then add the celery, broccoli and carrots.
  4. Continue to simmer until the congee is thickened and creamy and the vegetables are tender and soft. Add salt to taste. Garnish with the sliced green onion and serve hot.

NOTES

As the congee cools, it will become thicker. Add additional stock or water if necessary to make the congee to your desired thickness.

 

Potato Stack (Scalloped Potatoes) from food52.com

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  • 1 large russet potato
  • 2 small red potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 pieces garlic cloves
  • 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
  • 1/4 cup whole milk, or 3 tablespoons skim milk
  • 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • Preheat oven to 400° F. Wash the potatoes thoroughly. Don’t be afraid to use a brush and some elbow grease. Let the butter warm up to room temperature.
  • Using a Mandolin, slice the potatoes to the thickness of a quarter. You can manually slice the potatoes, if you feel comfortable with it.
  • In a processor, add the butter, peppercorns, milk, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, garlic cloves, salt, and rosemary. Pulse the ingredients until the mixture is of liquid consistency. Transfer the mixture from the processor to a mixing bowl. Add the sliced potatoes to this batter and coat them evenly.
  • Place paper muffin cups in a muffin pan. Stack up the potato slices in the muffin cups. I like to alternate between the red and russet potatoes. Pour any remaining batter onto the potatoes. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 teaspoons of Parmesan cheese.
  • Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the tops turn golden

 

Autumn crunch pasta salad from chelseasmessyapron.com

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AUTUMN-CRUNCH-PASTA-SALAD
  • 5 ounces fresh spinach (half a 10 ounce bag)
  • 1 and 1/2 cups dry small pasta
  • 3/4 cup chopped celery
  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 can (15 ounces) mandarin oranges
  • 1 large Granny Smith Apple
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup pecans
  • Optional: Feta cheese
Dressing
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 2-4 tablespoons white sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon each: paprika, onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
  1. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
  2. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the dressing. In a food processor or blender (I used my small Twister jar on the Blendtec) combine the oil (the vegetable oil yields a richer and in my opinion better taste, but the olive oil is healthier and still tastes great), apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, sugar, (adjust — more or less to personal preference, we like a less sweet dressing and use about 2 tablespoons) paprika, and onion powder. Pulse or blend for about 10 seconds. Stir in the poppyseeds.
  3. Drain the pasta once it’s cooked through and immediately toss a few tablespoons of the dressing with the pasta. This helps the pasta soak in the dressing and the flavor.
  4. Chill the dressed pasta in the fridge.
  5. Meanwhile, combine the (washed and de-stemmed) spinach with the chopped celery in a large bowl. Add in the cranberries and a can of drained mandarine oranges.
  6. If desired peel the apple (We like to leave on the peel!) and then slice into thin slices. Toss with lemon juice and then add to the salad.
  7. Pour dressing over the salad and toss. Add in the completely cooled pasta and toss with the rest of the salad.
  8. If you want to toast the pecans, place them in a single layer in a dry saucepan (don’t add anything) over medium heat. Stir constantly until the nuts are barely fragrant — just a couple of minutes. Watch carefully as the nuts are VERY easily scorched/burned.
  9. Alternatively, you can candy the pecans if desired. Check the link in the last paragraph of the blog text for how to candy pecans.
  10. Top the salad with the pecans and feta cheese.
  11. Enjoy immediately.  Serves: 6-8 as a side
NOTES
This salad (like most) aren’t very great leftover. If you aren’t eating this immediately, keep the ingredients separate from the dressing and only toss with the dressing right before eating. Top with pecans and feta after dressing the salad.

Solyanka from moosewood

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100_7921notes: I made a few changes due to what was in the kitchen.  Less cottage cheese though close to 1.5 c. that was all I had, more cabbage than 4 c. but not much more, 1/2 c sour cream as it’s full fat and I would have felt guilty using a whole cup, no sunflower seeds as mine were dead, was going to use 1/2 c of ricotta but it was 6 months out of date.  I sprinkled paprika over the top even though I’m not a big fan.

4 Medium Potatoes
4 Packed Cups Shredded Green Cabbage
1½ cups Chopped Onion
3 Tbsp Butter
1½ tsp Salt
Black Pepper
Paprika
½ tsp Dill Weed
¼ cup Sunflower Seeds, divided
1½ cups Cottage Cheese
½ cup Sour Cream
½ cup ricotta
2 Tbsp Cider Vinegar

Scrub, don’t peel, the potatoes and cut them into small pieces. Boil until mashable. Drain and mash, while still hot, with cottage cheese, sour cream and yogurt. Saute onions in butter with 1/2 tsp. salt. After 5 minutes, add cabbage and remaining salt. Saute until cabbage is tender. Combine with potato mixture, and add everything except 2 tablespoons of the sunflower seeds and the paprika. Taste to correct seasonings. Spread into a deep, buttered casserole and top with paprika and remaining sunflower seeds. Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered for 35-40 minutes.

Lucky Peach’s Odd Flavor Sauce

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  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons tahini, almond butter, or peanut butter
  • 1 tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar (Chinese black rice vinegar) or red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons neutral oil (like canola, vegetable, or grapeseed)
  • 1 small scallion, finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (or more to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed Sichuan peppercorns
  1. Combine the soy sauce, tahini (or nut butter), vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, and salt in a small heatproof bowl and mix until the sugar is dissolved and tahini is well incorporated. It’s okay if it’s not completely dissolved, though.
  2. Heat a small skillet over medium heat, add the oil, and heat until shimmering. Add the scallions, ginger, garlic, chili flakes, and crushed peppercorns. Remove from the heat and stir for 10 seconds, until the scallion is bright green and everything’s aromatic. Pour all this into the liquid seasonings and whisk until well blended. Once cool, the sauce will keep in the fridge for one or two days.  Makes about 1/2 cup

Author Notes: Serve the sauce with chicken, fish, pork, or tofu—and always some rice. Really, just put it on whatever needs a little extra “oomph,” like soba noodles or roasted or steamed vegetables. It would also work as a stellar sauce for okonomiyaki

Mushroom Noodle Pudding

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2 tbsp butter or vegetable oil
2 scallions, minced
1 small onion, minced
16 ounces firm, fresh mushrooms, stemmed, halved, and sliced
1/4 cup mushroom broth or white wine
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup cottage cheese
½ cup sour cream
1/4 c. mild cheese, grated
2 large eggs, beaten
pinch paprika
pinch dill
4 c. cooked cooked pasta, penne or ziti or regular noodles
2 tbsp. chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Heat butter or oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and scallions, sauté 10 minutes or until very tender. Add mushrooms, salt, pepper,  sauté 10 minutes until mushrooms are tender and limp. If liquid remains in pan, cook over high heat, stirring, 2 minutes until it evaporates.   Add broth or wine and simmer for 5 min.

Cook noodles uncovered in a large pan of boiling salted water over high heat 4 minutes or until nearly tender but firmer than usual. Transfer to a large bowl.

In mixing bowl add beat eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream and cheese, transfer mushroom mixture to bowl. Stir in paprika, dill, parsley and noodles.

Grease an 8″  baking dish and add noodle mixture. Bake until firm and golden brown, about 45 minutes. Makes 4 to 6 servings.