Get It While It's Ripe

I must admit to a serious addiction... I can't stop filling my bookshelves with vegan cookbooks. So for all of you out there that are working on one (Hannah, Ricki, Urban Vegan, Celine & Joni, Bianca, others?), you can count on me purchasing a copy! One of my more recent cookbook acquisitions is "Get It Ripe" by Jae Steele. The first half of the book is a great reference tool on how to cook the basics, stocking your pantry, even some details about the wonders of our digestive system! But of course, the best part is the recipes. Her dishes rely on fresh, seasonal produce, which is something we could all use more of.

The first recipe I made from the book was the Sesame Kale Soba. Such a simple meal, but very flavorful and beautiful color with the olive green soba noodles (these had some kind of sea vegetable in them) and the emerald green kale. The sesame seeds added some textural crunch.

And since my first home-cooked spaghetti squash turned out so well, I decided to try something a bit fancier, spaghetti squash with pinenut parm. I think I may have found a vegan parmesan that I love! Next time I make this dish, I'll remember to invite friends over because we had tons of leftovers (luckily not a bad thing).
Even though the day's of fresh basil are waning with the entrance of cold weather to the Houston area, we have plenty of frozen pesto to remind us of the summer months. In this dish, pesto pairs perfectly with white beans, quinoa, and fresh spinach.
And I couldn't leave out the ultimate in fall seasonal produce... the pumpkin. I used Jae's recipe for pumpkin pie to make a "deconstructed pumpkin pie" for our recent Society of PEACE Thanksgiving dinner. Constructed of a base of pumpkin mousse, a pumpkin and chocolate chip biscotti, and a dallop of vegan whipped cream with a dusting of cinnamon, these were devoured (and hopefully enjoyed) by the 75 dinner guests.
Even if you aren't addicted to cookbooks like me, I think this one is certainly worth checking out!

VeganMofo: Adding to My Fall Produce Repertoire

It struck me while I was in the grocery store yesterday that there were three fall produce items that I have never used in my home kitchen. Since discovering new flavors is at the heart of what veganmofo is about, it was the perfect opportunity to try them out. So into my grocery basket went a spaghetti squash, a pomegranate, and a blood orange. Then I needed to figure out how to turn them into a meal....
After googling how to remove the seeds from a pomegranate, I went step by step through the simple instructions, first chopping the top off, then scoring the sides, soaking in water for ten minutes, and then gently prying out the seeds and letting them sink to the bottom of the bowl. And of course, I kept sneaking seeds into my mouth!

For a sweet and tangy fall salad, I tossed organic greens with the pomegranate seeds, blood orange slices, avocado, and a roasted shallot dressing.
The spaghetti squash was cut in half, seeds removed (and subsequently roasted and eaten), drizzled wih olive oil, and seasoned with salt and pepper which then went into the oven to roast at 375 for 45 minutes. Served with just a dab of Earth Balance.