All 'Choked Up!

With spring heartily marching forward, it’s time to think about cooking with this season’s bounty. The Jerusalem artichoke is easy to cultivate, rich in potassium and iron, and a good source of carbohydrates. But most people aren’t all that familiar with this tasty tuber.

Technically it’s not a native crop, since it comes from the east coast originally, but that’s close enough! Ironically, it’s also not related to the artichoke in any way, and has nothing to do with Jerusalem. It’s thought that the “Jerusalem” is a corruption of Girasole, the Italian word for “Sunflower”. It’s more properly called a Sunchoke, since it is in fact the root of a native sunflower.

Unfortunately, they also contain a substance called inulin, which in some people can cause severe gastric pain and flatulence.

How do you find out if you’re one of those people? Try it and see! I created this recipe specifically for that purpose. It’s a light, simple preparation that captures the mildly sweet, crunchy, potato-like flavour of these wonderful little tubers, but doesn’t give enough to cause serious pain if you’re among the sensitives (like me).

Sunchoke Bake

5 jerusalem artichokes, washed and sliced
3 leaves of kale, roughly chopped
4 large cloves garlic, sliced
a few chives, chopped, some reserved for garnish
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp. Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400. Toss all ingredients together in a small baking dish, and bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Pumpkin-Coconut Soup

As the days grow shorter and the maple leaves start to turn a golden hue, it reminds us all to stock up on winter produce that stores well. In my case, I turned to my trusty farmer's market stands, and scouted for some nice, big winter squashes.

I got a few acorns, a couple of ambercups, a nice, big hubbard, and a couple of small carnival squashes. Last but not least, I got a cute little squash that looked like a hubbard, but smaller and less egg-shaped. I didn't think to ask at the time, but I looked it up when I got home and it turns out it's called "Blue Ballet", ah heirloom hubbard variety sold by Seeds of Change. Our Farmer's Market is a pesticide-, herbicide-, and GMO-free zone; the town of Powell River itself is actually the first GMO-free zone in North America!

So, yesterday being a lazy Friday, I started rummaging through my fridge and produce. I already had some baby lima beans soaking, so I grabbed my Blue Ballet and got to work.

Baby limas are one of my favorite beans - not only a simple comfort food that reminds me of my Gramma, but they're a good source of protein, and I find them easily digestible. I tend to have a hard time with heavier proteins (like gluten! haha.. but also meats, and larger beans) so I generally stay away from beans, but I really love lima beans. I think these baby limas give a great boost to this puréed soup because they have a delicate, creamy texture, and the skins aren't too thick so they cream right up!

I initially didn't think to put coconut milk in, honestly. I had puréed the soup down and it was smooth and delicious - but needed something. And then it came to me: coconut milk! :)


Pumpkin-Coconut Soup

1 "Blue Ballet" squash (or any Hubbard or dry winter squash)
1 cup baby lima beans (soaked overnight, drained)
10 cups veggie stock
1 rather large carrot, sliced into rounds
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
1/2-3/4 can of coconut milk (don't use the "light", it's just watered down)
salt and pepper to taste

After you've quartered and seeded your squash, bake it in a 350 degree oven until tender (about an hour). I put mine into a baking dish with about 1/2'' of water in the bottom, so it wouldn't dry out too much. Scoop out the flesh, which should make about two cups.

Bring 10 cups of stock to a boil in a large pot. Add beans; continue to cook on high. Add garlic, carrot rounds, and the flesh of the pumpkin. Once it returns to a boil, reduce to simmer, stirring occasionally.

Simmer for about an hour until the beans are tender. If the soup gets too thick and starts to stick (I rhymed!) add some more stock. You want a very thick soup, but not dry. ;)

When everything is tender, turn off the heat. With either a hand blender (which is what I have - so handy! hehe) or food processor, blend the soup down until smooth. Add half a can of coconut milk, and blend again, adding more coconut milk to get the desired consistency. I like a thick soup, though. :)

Garnish with shredded coconut and a pinch of paprika. Enjoy!

Herbacious Fried Potatoes

Not THAT kind of herb, you sillies! This is a family blog. :P

The other night, Jeremy and I had baked potatoes. I made up a few extra for leftovers, knowing I would grab them at random for a quick meal. Oh, how right I was!

Let me just say, I never get tired of fried potatoes. I love super-garlicky, herbified morsels of soft yet crispy potato deliciousness. I used to go crazy as a kid for a huge mound of fried potatoes, with a couple hot fried eggs on top. Being a vegan now, I don't do the eggs, but who says I can't enjoy a big, greasy pile of carbohydrates once in awhile? ;)

I love this recipe because it's so versatile. I used the leftover baked potatoes here, but I also do the same thing with simple par-boiled potatoes (which have a softer, more delicate texture - the baked Russets are more robust).

I call this recipe "herbacious" because I cover (as you can see) the potatoes with fresh herbs from the garden. I'm using parsley, rosemary, and chives for this dish, but you can use whatever herbs you have available to you. I'd love a good mix of thyme, oregano, and marjoram also. They're all good in my book!

I also want to touch on the garlic I used. It's a younger, fresher garlic than you find in the stores, and also has more depth of flavour without the intense bite. I can eat these raw (but then, I'm quite the garlic lover!) These little beauties generally have 4-6 cloves per bulb of garlic, without the tiny little cloves you have to smear across the cutting board to get the paper off of. They actually have hardly any inner-layers of paper. So, if it sounds to you like I'm adding a lot of garlic (which I am) just use a couple cloves less.

Herbacious Fried Potatoes

3-4 large baked Russet potatoes, cut into medium-sized chunks
8 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 Tbsp. chopped chives
2 tsp. minced rosemary
oil for frying (I use coconut oil. Mmm...)
salt and pepper to taste

In a non-stick skillet, heat oil on high. Add potatoes, season with salt (don't be shy now), and stir constantly until lightly browned. Turn heat down to medium, and add in the garlic. Continue to move the potatoes around to prevent the garlic from burning.

Once the garlic has cooked a bit (about 4-5 min, depending on your stove) turn heat back up to high until the potatoes are hot and sizzling again. Add the herbs and grind on pepper to taste.

Toss to coat, until the herbs have just wilted. Serve with a nice chopped salad or tofu scramble!

Chow!

Paul Stamets: How Mushrooms Can Save the World!

Wow.

Mushroom expert (what an inadequate word!) Paul Stamets preaching the gospel of Mycelium.



Is it appropriate to get teary-eyed when watching this? I encourage you to send this video to everyone you know! It is truly eye-opening.

Gluten-Free Review: Viva la Campagna! (con pancakes!)

The coast ranges of Central Oregon don't really have much in common with the coast ranges of Italy's Campagna. More maples and pines, not so many olives and cedars. But we found Campagna Gourmet's delectable Olive and Sundried Tomato Pesto at a country farm stand on the main road from Salem (not Salerno) to Pacific City, and snagged a jar for beach picnicking.

... Which we totally forgot to do. As I was putting away some of the last bits from the wedding trip (read: The "Where the heck are we going to put this?!" boxes) I spied the jar, along with a Hot Pepper Jelly (from the same company) we picked up at the same time.

Pestos are usually loaded with Parmesan cheese, so finding a vegan pesto is always a bonus. The texture is spot-on. It has a smooth yet coarse mouth feel, with just the right amount of oiliness, and little flavor bursts from the herbs.

As a spread, though, the richness of the sundried tomatoes and the oily delight of the olives is overwhelmed by the salt content. Unfortunately, it's just too salty. What this product is perfectly suited for is blending; it would be an exquisite base for puttanesca sauce, or folded into hummous for a flavor boost.

I love savoury pancakes, and the pesto makes a perfect addition (as well as a garnish). Normally my savoury pancakes are full of veggies in varying combinations, but in the interest of letting the pesto take the spotlight, I've simply added some fresh tomatoes and chopped sweet onions. I used amaranth and millet from my bulk grain jars, coarse-milled just before cooking in my coffee grinder for maximum freshness! :)

The pesto adds an intense depth to these rustic cakes, set off by the sweetness of the onions and tomatoes. The kale, with its dark, bitter overtones, is the perfect complement.


Campagna Pancakes

2/3 cup millet flour
2/3 cup amaranth flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vinegar
1 1/4 cups unsweetened soymilk
1/4 cup Campagna Olive and Sundried Tomato Pesto
2 roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise and sliced (into little half-moons)
1/4 sweet onion, chopped
1 small bunch of basil, chopped

Stir together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Fold in soymilk and mix thoroughly. Then, add Campagna (I just like saying it - say it with me now: Caaampaagnaaa) Pesto, tomatoes, basil, and chopped onion.

Dip a 1/4 cup measure into the batter and pour into a large frying pan over medium heat (about three per batch). Cook on one side until the bubbles pop and batter doesn't sink back in.

When the down side arrives at a nice dark golden brown, flip! When the second side reaches the same color, go ahead and take 'em out. Next round...

Be sure to serve them hot and crispy, as they lose that nice texture after sitting a while. If you must let them stand, try putting them on a wire grate rather than a platter.

Garnish with chiffonaded basil, a dollop of the pesto and some simple kale (below). Makes about 18 pancakes.

Simple Kale

1/4 sweet onion, chopped
6 kale leaves, stemmed & chopped
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil for frying

In a pan, warm oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute until golden. Toss in kale leaves, lemon juice and vinegar, and saute for about a minute, just until the kale brightens in color. Transfer to a bowl to prevent overcooking.

Update! GlutenFreeHippie.com!

Hello everyone!!

I'm so pleased to tell all of you that my blog is now hosted on GlutenFreeHippie.com! Yay!! I'm so excited to have my own domain name now. And don't worry, Blogger will automatically redirect to the new site, so you don't have to change your bookmarks. ;)

There are also some new things in the works: a new affiliate program, a Gluten-Free Hippie store, and a new blog that's all about chocolate! Look for these things up on my site in the near future!

I'm really glad that things are back up and running, and very much in full swing! I missed posting my fun recipes while I was off getting married!

So, today, being a Sunday, and having just set up my new site, I'm off to the lake. ;) See you tomorrow!

Blessings and foodie love,
Lyra

Quinoa-Millet Salad with Ambercup Squash

I went on my weekly (weekendly, to be more accurate) Farmer's Market run today, and I'm so pleased! Among my finds: a huge bunch of kale in different varieties, a bag of fat, juicy carrots, and Roma tomatoes.

At one booth, I saw what I took to be the first pumpkins of the season. The lady who grows them told me that despite the look, they're not actually pumpkins, but a drier, more flavorful winter squash called "Ambercup".

A challenge, if I ever did see one! :D

So this dish is a mildly sweet, protein-rich grain salad. I only used a quarter of the squash, so I'll make a nice creamy soup with the leftovers.


Quinoa-Millet Salad with Ambercup Squash

1/2 cup each quinoa and millet, cooked (can be cooked together!)
2 cups cooked winter squash, chopped
2 kale leaves, chopped fine
1 large carrot, shredded finely
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. honey or agave
1 1/2 Tb. olive oil
1 tbsp. lemon juice
splash of orange juice (maybe 2 Tbsp.)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
salt to taste

In a food processor, grind sunflower seeds down to a coarse meal. In a large bowl, mix sunflower seeds, kale, and carrots, and toss lightly. Then, add the vinegar, honey, oil, and cinnamon.

Once your quinoa mix and squash are done, throw them into the bowl. Drizzle the lemon and orange over the top, toss, and season to taste. Serve warm! :)