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RECIPES

Baked Delicata Squash Soup

Mary Taylor

Delicata Squash—the small, striped oblong winter squash—is full flavored and sweet with a delicate texture. It is delicious simply baked and served with no extra flavoring or adornment (and we’ve got a recipe for that), but also combines beautifully with pumpkin in this creamy soup recipe. 

yield: 6-8 servings | prep time: 30 minutes | cooking time: 1 ½ hours


ingredients

  • 2 small delicata squash

  • 1 small pie pumpkin

  • 1 small yam

  • 4 cups light vegetable broth or water

  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger

  • 1 tablespoon rice syrup

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • ¼ teaspoon white pepper

  • 1-2 teaspoons cornstarch or arrowroot

  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin seed oil or olive oil

  • 1 tablespoon raw pumpkin seed

directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Wash the squash, pumpkin and yam under cold running water, scrubbing them well to remove any dirt that may be clinging to their skin. Place the vegetables on a shallow baking dish and bake until juice begins to seep out of each and each is very soft tender when squeezed. The time will vary for the different vegetables. Usually the delicata and yam cook a little more quickly than the pumpkin. When tender, remove from the oven and cool. The vegetables may be cooked up to 3 days before proceeding with the recipe.

  2. Cut the squash and pumpkin in half and discard the seeds. Scrape the meat into a blender or food processor. Peel the skin from the yam and add the meat to the blender as well. Puree until smooth and even in texture.

  3. Transfer the puree to a 3 quart saucepan. Stir in the broth, ginger, rice syrup, salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a low simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until the ginger is soft and the flavors have married. If desired, thicken with a small amount of cornstarch or arrowroot dissolved in cold water that is stirred into the soup before cooking an additional 5 minutes.

  4. Remove from the heat, taste and adjust the seasonings. Stir the pumpkin seed oil or olive oil into the soup. Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with the pumpkin seeds. Serve piping hot.

Savory Garbanzo Crackers

Mary Taylor

Garbanzo Crackers 3.jpg

For many on restricted diets—especially those not eating grains—it can be difficult to feel grounded and satiated from a meal. These gluten free, grain free crackers go a long way to bringing a feeling of balance to any meal; grain filled or not. They’re easy to make, and last up to 2 weeks in an airtight container—if you can resist finishing them off for that long.

yield: 4 to 5 dozen crackers | prep time: 20 minutes | baking time: about 40 minutes


ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups garbanzo flour

  • ½ cup potato flour

  • 1 teaspoon table salt

  • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds

  • ¼ cup +2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

  • 1 cup water + 2 tablespoons

  • 7 tablespoons melted coconut oil

  • 1 tablespoon black lava sea salt

directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly brush a 17 x 11-inch and another 9 x 13-inch baking sheet with some of the melted coconut oil and set aside.

  2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the garbanzo flour, potato flour and table salt. Set aside.

  3. In a separate, small bowl combine the ground flax seeds and nutritional yeast. Gradually whisk in 1 cup of the water and the remaining melted coconut oil.

  4. Gradually incorporate the wet ingredients into the garbanzo flour mixture, combining thoroughly. Mix the dough your hands at the very end to form a smooth, soft ball adding up to 2 tablespoons more water if necessary.

  5. Cut the dough into two pieces, one that is about two thirds of the dough. Place the dough on the prepared baking sheets (large sheet with more dough) and, with a small rolling pin or a smooth glass, roll the dough out to about 1/8-inch thickness to cover the sheets completely.

  6. Using a fluted pastry wheel or a knife, score the dough into 1-inch squares. Evenly sprinkle the black salt on top, gently pressing it into the dough with your hands.

  7. Bake in the center of the over for about 25 to 30 minutes. Keep an eye on the crackers and as they turn golden brown on both sides, remove from the tray to a cooling rack. If the dough is slightly uneven in thickness, you may need to remove some pieces and then return the baking sheet to the oven to continue cooking until all crackers are an even golden brown. This can increase cooking time to as much as 45 minutes. (But it's worth it).

  8. If you like variety in texture (some crackers crispy and others softer), simply remove all crackers to the cooling rack when most of them are browned and before any have burned.

  9. Store cooled crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Spinach Gomae

Mary Taylor

This dish, spinach with sesame sauce, is frequently found on menus at Japanese restaurants where delicate servings accompany miso soup, nori rolls, simmered root vegetables, and tempura. I give proportions for more dressing than you need for just under a pound of spinach, but it keeps well and is a great homemade condiment to have on hand. That way you can whip up a batch of Spinach Gomae in less than 10 minutes (since the putting together the dressing is the only part of this recipe that takes time) or toss noodles in the dressing (Asian or Western style noodles work), which is usually a favorite among the under five-years-old set.

yield: 2-4 servings  |  prep time: 15 minutes  |  cooking time: 3 minutes


ingredients

  • 1 bunch spinach (about ¾ pound)

  • 7 tablespoons white sesame seeds

  • 2 tablespoons sake

  • 2 tablespoons mirin

  • 3 tablespoons honey or other sweetener

  • 4 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari

  • water to taste

  • pinch of salt

directions

  1. If the spinach is wrapped with a tie or rubber band, remove the tie but leave the spinach in a bunch, stem ends together. Trim and discard about an inch from the ends of the stems and also discard any damaged leaves.

  2. Fill a large bowl with cold water and place the spinach in the water. Gently separate the leaves and move them around to rinse off the dirt, being careful to keep stem ends pointing in the same direction. Lift the spinach out of the water, discard the water, rinse the bowl quickly so no dirt remains in the bowl, then fill the bowl with clean water and rinse again. Repeat this step as many times as is necessary until no dirt remains in the water when drained.

  3. Once the spinach is clean, set aside briefly or chill covered for up to 8 hours before serving.

  4. To make the dressing, gently toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring the seeds constantly so they do not burn. Once very lightly browned, immediately transfer to a small bowl so they do not continue cooking. Set aside 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds for garnish.

  5. In a suribachi (Japanese mortar with ridged surface) or an electric spice grinder, grind the sesame seeds to a fine meal. Transfer to a small mixing bowl and stir in the sake, mirin, sweetener, and soy sauce or tamari. Mix thoroughly. Thin the dressing if desired with a small amount of water. Set the dressing aside or cover and refrigerate for up to a month.

  6. Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a rolling boil. Pick up the spinach by the leaves and dip the stem ends into the water and cook, without dipping the leaves in the water, for about 30 seconds—the water will just about be back at a boil. Add the ½ teaspoon of salt to the saucepan and gently submerge the rest of the spinach into the boiling water. Cook for an additional 15 to 30 seconds or until the spinach is just tender. (Cooking the stems first allows leaves and stems to cook evenly). Immediately lift the spinach out of the water, still keeping stem ends together with tongs, then place the spinach in a strainer. Run cold water over the spinach to stop the cooking, then gently squeeze excess water out of the spinach.

  7. Cut the spinach into 2-inch lengths. Divide the spinach among 4 small serving bowls, toss just enough dressing over each serving to very lightly coat and garnish with reserved sesame seeds. Serve immediately. Leftover dressed spinach keeps for about a day if covered and refrigerated.


note

Do not drain the spinach by dumping it into a strainer because if the spinach had dirt clinging to it (most spinach does), it will have fallen into the bowl of water. If you pour the water back over the spinach, you’ll be pouring the dirt back onto the leaves.

Chipotle Grilled Corn Medallions

Mary Taylor

Super simple, tasty and a very interesting way to serve corn on the cob. This recipe was inspired by corn served at Menla Mountain Retreat for dinner one evening this year during the “Yogis and the Buddha” retreat. I’ve recommended brushing the “medallions” with spicy chipotle butter, but just plain, unadorned medallions can be very tasty as well.

yield: 8-12 servings  |  prep time: 15 minutes  |  cooking time: 12 minutes


ingredients

  • 6 ears corn, husked

  • 2 tablespoons tamari

  • 2 tablespoons mirin

  • 2 teaspoons lime juice

  • 4 tablespoons minced cilantro

  • 4 tablespoons butter, oil or coconut butter

  • ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

  • Powdered dried chipotle for dusting

directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450° F.

  2. Cut the corn into ½-inch thick rounds and transfer to a shallow baking dish.

  3. Combine the tamari, mirin, lime juice, cilantro, butter and salt in a small mixing bowl. Pour this mixture over the corn then turn the rounds of corn to coat evenly with the tamari mixture. Sprinkle a light dusting of chipotle powder over the medallions. The medallions may be prepared up to 3 hours in advance to this point if covered and refrigerated.

  4. Place the corn in the preheated oven and cook until piping hot and lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Spinach with Parmesan

Mary Taylor

This dish is an excellent way to use leftover greens of any sort, or if you are in a pinch for time and want to use frozen chopped spinach, that works well too. Of course fresh, baby spinach is the number one choice if time allows!

yeld: 4 Servings  |  prep time: 10-15 minutes  |  cooking time: 20 minutes


ingredients

  • 2 pounds baby spinach, cleaned (or 1 12 oz. bag frozen chopped spinach )

  • 1 small onion, diced

  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 2 cloves garlic

  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

  • 3 eggs, beaten

  • ¾ cup (or more) grated fresh Parmesan

  • Salt and pepper to taste

directions

  1. Steam the fresh spinach over rapidly boiling water until tender, about 10 minutes. Immediately transfer to a strainer and run cold water over the spinach so it retains its green color and stops cooking. If using frozen spinach, thaw the completely. In either case, drain the spinach and squeeze out extra water by hand or by placing it in a dish towel, drawing the towel up around the ball of spinach and twisting to extract the water. Chop the spinach.

  2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot, but not smoking. Add the chopped onion and toss to coat with oil. After about 30 seconds, turn heat to medium low) and cook, stirring often, until onions are soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.

  3. Add the spinach to the skillet and toss. Using a garlic press add the garlic to the pan and mix in. Add the nutmeg and a little salt and pepper and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.

  4. Turn the heat to medium high and add the beaten eggs. Cook, stirring constantly, until the eggs are fully cooked and the spinach is heated through, about 4 minutes.

  5. Sprinkle about ¼ cup of Parmesan over the spinach. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper, then turn out into a serving dish. Serve hot with additional Parmesan along side.

Pickled Ginger Tofu Sauté

Mary Taylor

This simple bean preparation is perfect for summer as a side dish or a main course and is perfectly complimented if served along with crusty French bread, fresh grilled vegetables or a salad.

yield: 4-6 servings  |  prep time: 25 minutes  |  cooking time: 20 minutes


ingredients

  • 1 pound extra firm tofu

  • ¼ cup low-sodium tamari

  • 2 tablespoons minced pickled ginger

  • 1 tablespoon pickled ginger pickling juice

  • 2 teaspoons brown rice vinegar

  • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

  • 1 small red bell pepper cut in julienne slice

  • 1 small green bell pepper cut in julienne slice

directions

  1. Drain the tofu and cut it into ½ inch thick slices. Place the slices side by side, not touching, at one end of a clean kitchen towel. Fold the opposite end of the towel over the tofu, place a cutting board on the towel and weight down the board with a heavy skillet. Allow the tofu to drain for 30 minutes.

  2. Remove the weights from the tofu and stack slices neatly then cut into ½ inch cubes. Place the cubed tofu in a mixing bowl. Add the tamari, pickled ginger and its juice, rice vinegar and sesame oil. Place a plate over the bowl to cover and toss the bowl to distribute the marinade. Refrigerate, covered for at least 30 minutes. Toss tofu several times as it marinates so that all of the pieces are marinated evenly. The tofu may be prepared up to 24 hours in advance to this point, remembering to toss occasionally in order to marinate evenly.

  3. Heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat until hot, but not smoking. Add the peppers and toss to coat with oil. Reduce heat slightly and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl and set aside while cooking tofu.

  4. The peppers may be prepared ahead to this point up to 24 hours in advance if refrigerated in an airtight container.

  5. Heat a 10 inch skillet over medium high heat until just hot. Pour the tofu and remaining marinade into the skillet and cook, tossing frequently, until lightly browned and cooked through. Add the cooked peppers to the skillet and continue to cook, tossing gently, until the peppers are warmed through and the mixture is evenly heated. Turn out onto individual plates or one large serving dish and serve immediately.


notes

As the tofu cooks it is best to toss it by moving the tofu against the side of the skillet and flipping the pan gently rather than using a cooking utensil as the tofu is delicate and the cubes can be easily broken. This tossing motion is a bit intimidating to the novice cook, but is a great technique to master and can be used for sautéeing vegetables or tofu or even for cooking omelets and crépes.

Coconut Vegetable Curry

Mary Taylor

At Yoga Thailand (Samahita Retreat) where we teach every year, the meals are a highlight; served in the open air dining area in a leisurely manner after practice and at the end of each day. One of the mainstays is their coconut curry. This recipe is inspired by that served at Samahita. The vegetable combination listed below has a nice balance to it, but you can use any seasonal vegetables that appeal—it’s best if there is a variety of texture and color in those you choose. Serve with piping hot jasmine rice.

yield: 6-8 servings  |  prep time: 40 minutes  |  cooking time: 20 minutes


ingredients

  • ¾ pound firm tofu

  • 2 tablespoons tamari

  • 1 tablespoon lime juice

  • 2 teaspoons agave (divided)

  • 1 small carrot, roll cut

  • 1 small sweet potato, sliced

  • 2 cups broccoli florets

  • 1 small crookneck squash, sliced

  • 1 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed

  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil

  • 4 cups coconut milk

  • 1 cup vegetable stock or water and bouillon

  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger or 4 slices galangal, smashed

  • 2-3 tablespoons green curry paste (available at natural foods and Asian markets)

  • Salt to taste

  • ⅓ cup chopped fresh basil

directions

  1. Slice the tofu into ½ inch thick slabs. Place on a clean kitchen towel, cover with a second towel and press to remove excess water by putting a cutting board and a weight (heaving frying pan works well) on top of the board. Allow the tofu to drain for about 20 minutes.

  2. In a medium mixing bowl combine the tamari, lime juice and 1 teaspoon of agave. When the tofu has been thoroughly pressed, cut it into cubes and toss the cubed tofu in the tamari marinade. Set aside for at least 10 minutes.

  3. As the tofu is being pressed and marinated, prepare the vegetables, trimming and slicing each. Set aside. The vegetables may be prepared and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 8 hours before finishing the dish.

  4. In a sauté pan, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the marinated tofu and cook, tossing frequently, until the cubes are browned on a couple of sides. Set aside. The tofu may be pressed, marinated and sautéed up to 24 hours in advance if refrigerated in an airtight container.

  5. To prepare the curry, place the coconut milk, stock, ginger and curry paste in a large sauté pan or saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add the vegetables in the order of porousness—those that will take longer to cook, such as carrots and potatoes added first, those that need just a few moments to cook like the sugar snaps added just at the end. Allow enough time for all vegetables to cook until just tender, in total for this particular mixture about 15 minutes. After about 10 minutes of simmering the curry, add the tofu to the mixture. Be sure to carefully stir the mixture once the tofu is added as it is very delicate.

  6. Once all vegetables are cooked and the tofu is warmed through, immediately remove the curry from the heat. Stir in salt to taste along with the basil. Turn into serving bowls with jasmine rice along side or pour the curry directly over the rice for each serving.

Vegan Carrot Prune Tea Cake (Wheat Free)

Mary Taylor

Sounds too “healthy” to taste good — carrots and prunes are bad enough, but vegan and wheat free? Might as well eat cardboard, right? Not so fast. Actually these are really great! They’re moist, balanced in flavor, and pretty easy to make. (And check out my other recipe post with dehydrating instructions and photos of the prunes we made from Mansing’s generous gift of plums!)

yield: 8 small cakes  |  prep time: 30 minutes  |  baking time: about 30 minutes


ingredients

  • ¾ cup diced pitted prunes

  • 1 cup almond milk, warmed

  • ¼ cup agave nectar

  • ¼ cup maple syrup

  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil, softened

  • 1 cup brown rice flour

  • 3 tablespoons tapioca flour

  • ½ cup potato flour

  • ¼ cup almond meal

  • ¼ cup oatmeal

  • 2½ teaspoons baking powder

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • ½ teaspoon baking soda

  • 2 teaspoons grated orange zest

  • ½ cup orange juice

  • 1 cup grated carrots

  • ¾ cup chopped walnuts

directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly oil 2 small loaf pans, or 8 10-ounce soufflé dishes.

  2. Place the diced prunes in a small bowl and cover with almond milk to soak and soften for 20 minutes.

  3. In a separate small bowl, combine the agave, maple syrup and coconut oil. Set aside

  4. In a larger mixing bowl, combine the rice flour, tapioca flour, potato flour almond meal and oatmeal. Stir in the baking powder, salt, baking soda and grated orange zest.

  5. Drain the almond mild from the prunes into the bowl containing the agave mixture. Add the orange juice and stir well. Gradually stir this wet mixture into the dry ingredients, and mix thoroughly.

  6. Stir in the carrots and prunes and mix well. Turn out into prepared pans and bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. For the smaller cakes, this will take about 25 minutes, for the larger loaves it will take about 45 minutes. Watch carefully and when the breads are lightly browned on top and around the edges and are pulling away from the edge of the baking pan, test for doneness.

  7. Remove from oven and place baking pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Invert onto the cooling rack and cool completely.

Mixed Nut Paté

Mary Taylor

This type of raw “paté” can fool even seasoned foodies into thinking the dish is not one of these new-fangled raw concoctions. Having training in “classic French” cooking (with a little mandatory residue of any French chef’s mental state that it is the only real culinary art–a tendency towards fundamentalism is, after all, part of human nature) it actually took me a while to experiment with raw foods myself. More on that in a future post, but for now, check out this recipe for an interesting alternative to hummus or a paté.

yield: 5 cups  |  prep time: 30 minutes  |  cooking time: raw


ingredients

  • 1 cup almonds

  • ¾ cup macadamia nuts

  • 1 cup sunflower seeds

  • ⅓ cup sesame seeds

  • 1 small red bell pepper, chopped

  • 1 stalk celery, chopped

  • 1 carrot, chopped

  • ½ cup minced scallions, minced

  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce

  • ⅓ cup minced parsley

  • 1 ½ teaspoons minced rosemary

  • 1 teaspoon minced thyme

  • ½ teaspoon minced oregano

  • 1-2 cloves garlic, minced

  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • 3 tablespoons brewer’s yeast

directions

  1. Soak the nuts and seeds overnight in enough filtered water to cover. Drain and then place the nut and seed mixture in a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade or into a blender. Add enough fresh filtered water to come about 1/8 of the way up the height of the nut mixture. Blend until the nuts are very evenly ground, scraping down the sides of the bowl adding more water as necessary in order to obtain an even consistency. Depending on the size of your processor or shape of your blender bowl, you may need to puree the mixture in more than one batch. Transfer this paté mixture to a large mixing bowl.

  2. Place the bell pepper, celery and carrot in the processor and, using a pulse action and scraping down the bowl as necessary, chop very finely. Stir this into the paté mixture along with the scallions, soy sauce, parsley, thyme, oregano, garlic, nutritional yeast and salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

  3. The paté may be served immediately or stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You may serve it as a dip or shape it into a loaf (see directions below) and then serve sliced in a more formal fashion.


notes

To make the paté into a loaf shape, line a 5-cup bread pan with wax paper. To do this, brush the inside of the pan with oil. Cut a piece of wax paper long enough so that it wraps from long side to long side around the outside dimension of the pan. (Using standard wax paper, it should also be exactly the right width to cover the pan end to end as well).

Place the pan in the center of the paper as a measuring tool and cut an angle from each of the four corners of the paper to the bottom corners of the pan. Place the paper in the pan, covering the bottom and sides then wrapping the trimmed ends so the fit neatly into the ends of the pan and the entire pan is covered with wax paper. Trim and discard excess paper.

Transfer the paté mixture into the pan. Smooth out the top of the paté and drop the pan gently onto the countertop to remove air bubbles. Cover with an additional piece of wax paper and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 5 days.

To serve, peel off the top layer of wax paper. Place a plate over the paté and invert. Holding both plate and edges of the bread pan, give the paté several firm downward shakes and the paté should fall right out of the pan. Serve whole or in slices, garnished with fresh herbs.