CHOPPED SALAD WITH QUINOA, SWEET POTATOES + APPLES

sprouted kitchen

I knew it would work it's way into my writing at some point, but I have yet to mention here that I spend some of my days working at Trader Joes. While the blog and cookbook are my love and dream, I really enjoy being around people, having that routine and the great healthcare benefits :) This is relevent because I spend a majority of those days at the demo station. If you shop at a Trader Joes market you know the sample booth in the back. Everyone loves a free snack, it's a popular corner. I waver between loving and hating it, for reasons that those who have worked in the service industry can likely relate to. As you may assume, I meet a lot of people in the work of giving away free food. I've explained food allergies and a number of diets, I've walked aisles helping an older fellow just learning to cook for himself, whose wife had passed days earlier and I've planned a romatic dinner menu for a man surprising his wife. But I also meet people who solely have mac n' cheese and frozen orange chicken in their carts, some who refuse to cook with anything but microwave, or those enraged that in mid-December, our strawberries are white (the NERVE!). I have seen and heard the gamut of relationships that people have with their food. I love ice cream and dark chocolate peanut butter cups as much as the next guy, but eating well is your responsibility. Sometimes I want to scream from behind that corner, it is not always easy or quick or cheap or tidy but you taking care of your insides is important. Period.

The more I hear, the more I am thankful for good food. I'm thankful that I have been inspired to learn to cook, that I enjoy the process, that we can afford good quality ingredients, and the knowledge to know the difference. I have a community, you people, who engage me in this passion and send me emails and leave comments that you care about good food too and that makes me want to share it. Thank you for nurturing this in me. Yes, we offer you recipes and photos, but you give me so much.

Wishing you a Christmas filled with wonderful food, even better company and time to soak it all in. 

sprouted kitchen

CHOPPED SALAD WITH QUINOA, SWEET POTATOES + APPLES // Serve 6

Barely adapted from Food + Wine November 2012

I am bringing this salad to two Christmas meals as I imagine it will hold well. Everything can be prepped in advance, kept in bags and then tossed all together when it's time for dinner. It's a simple salad, so take the liberty to add some toasted nuts, shaved asiago or chopped hard boiled eggs if you want to make it even more filling. As with most things around here, alter to your taste. 

• 2/3 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1 lb. sweet potatoes (about 2 large), cut into 1/2'' cubes
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• salt + pepper
• 2 large apples, diced (granny smith, fuji, honeycrisp etc.)
• 8 cups packed baby greens (arugula, kale, red romaine...a mix looks pretty)
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley
• 1/4 of a medium red onion, thinly sliced

• // dressing //
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1-2 tsp. dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• pinch of salt and pepper

sprouted kitchen

Preheat the oven to 400'.

Put a drizzle of olive oil in a pot and add the quinoa to toast over moderate heat for two minutes. Add 1 1/3 cups water and bring it to a boil. Turn it down to a simmer, cover and cook for about 15-18 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Fluff the quinoa and set aside to cool. 

On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the sweet potatoes with the olive oil and hearty pinches of salt and pepper. Bake in the upper third of the oven for about 25 minutes until golden. Let them cool. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the cider vinegar, mustard, olive oil and pinch of salt and pepper. Add the cooled quinoa, potatoes, apple, greens, parsley and onionand toss everything to coat. Serve immediately.

sprouted kitchen

PUMPKIN BLACK BEAN PATTIES

I have fallen into the black hole that is Instagram. While this space is pretty intentional, I like being able to share snapshots of everyday food and life. The people on there, they are hungry. Hungry for recipes. And while I just want that to be for fun, not for recipe sharing, a few eager voices requesting the recipe from the day I was experimenting with black beans and pumpkin in vegetarian burger form, seemed desperate. I didn't need too hard of a push to make them again. So here we are with a gluten free, dairy free, fiber packed, super easy meal idea.

A veggie burger salad is my go-to lunch, so it seemed appropriate to share a version here. I love food in bowls - my entire meal made easy to eat in one vessel with one utensil. Primarily greens, something crunchy, avocado if there is a ripe one or a bit of cheese if not (both if I can't help myself), with hints of a dried or fresh fruit, a protein and maybe a bit of a grain if both aren't going to be present in veggie burger form. There is a science to this bowl-food habit. While against all things theme-y to post a recipe with pumpkin AFTER Thanksgiving, as we usher in December, I figured now is as good a time as any to give you a fiber packed meal idea. Treats will follow either way, no? Yes.

If you want to peek over to our Facebook page, we are giving away a holiday box from Crustic Bread! Madelaine is a super sweet, hard working, small business owner and she is offering one of her holiday gift boxes (which you can order until Dec. 10th!) to a lucky reader on our Facebook page!

PUMPKIN BLACK BEAN PATTIES // Makes 4

I use canned pumpkin here because it has less water content then when you make it fresh, and I needed that for these to stay together. If you prefer to use fresh, you may need to add another tablespoon of oat flour or breadcrumbs to compensate. The salad is not a "recipe". I just chop the greens pretty small and add oil and vinegar to lighty dress. Nothing fussy, but I listed the components below in case you were interested.

• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 3/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 cup cooked and cooled brown rice
• 15 oz. can (about 2 cups) black beans
• 2 Tbsp. flaxmeal
• scant 1/3 cup panko or coarse oat flour (can be made by blending whole oats)
• coconut oil for cooking

// salad // 

• lacinato kale, stemmed and well chopped
• romaine
• bit of grated parmesan
• extra virgin olive oil (I used the lemon one from Nudo;- very subtle)
• rice vinegar
• pinch of salt + pepper

In a food processor, combine the garlic, scallions, pumpkin, olive oil, chili powder, salt and cumin. Run to combine. Add the rice and half of the beans and pulse ONLY a few times to just mix (we want minimal mixing here so it doesn't become a paste). Add the flaxmeal, oat flour and pulse them in. Add the rest of the beans and give it one or two more pulses (I add the beans in parts because I like the flecks of them in the patties). The mixture should be pretty tacky with texture to it. Not smooth. The mixture can be made in advance and kept covered in the fridge until ready to use.

Form the dough into four patties, about 1/2'' thick. Heat a thin layer of coconut oil over medium high heat in a large (non stick preferable) pan, working in batches if you need to. Once the oil is hot, gently add the patties to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until you get a golden crust, flip and cook another 2 minutes.

Prepare your salad or bun, top with you patty and garnish with cilantro and avocado if you wish.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT PENNE WITH PISTACHIO PESTO

Any other subject matter at this time, seems commonplace next to what is happening on the East Coast. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and business' who are hurting right now. I am inspired by the sense of community that comes from disasters like Hurricane Sandy and how we are capable of rallying around each other to make the best of things that are beyond our control. We need people.

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Earlier this year, I contributed to six different publications about vegetarian Thanksgiving dishes. Six! That's a lot! I realize that turkey is a big deal, but is it often people's favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal? Don't answer that. It's too late. My favorite part has always been the fresh vegetable side dishes, as they always seem the canvas for creative flavors and trying new things. I made this salad last year and my sister in law is bringing these green beans to the big dinner this year. Thanksgiving is typically a spread of heavy foods, lots of cream, gravy, butter and while I get that this is tradition, I self impose the responsibility to bring a contast to that. I'm testing out a few recipes in search of a new dish to bring to my family's table this year, and this one is certainly in the running. Maybe not the lightest of the options per se, but I try to contribute something that can act as a main dish for the vegetarians and a tasty side for everyone else. I wrote the vegetarian menu for a great spread in this months Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine, and while flipping through it to find my recipes, I earmarked this great looking pasta dish. I don't often make pasta, I can probably count the times on one hand, but this recipe had the potential to be more vegetable than starch focused. I like my pasta heavy on the vegetables, light on the pasta, so that is where you'd notice the biggest change in the original recipe. I added more squash, lots of greens and scaled back the amount of pasta. They also call for pepitas. I used toasted pistachios because I love them and already had some in my pantry. If you're bulking it up for an omnivorous family, some sausage could nudge itself in here, though I'd argue the dish lacks nothing on its own. 

This has been a pretty crazy season for us. Lots of travel, work, special occasions, book promoting and what not. All great things, but not exactly in moderation as of late. I'm really excited for life to slow up a bit in the next few months so I can process it all and soak this past year in. I need some stillness, quiet, time of staring into the vast ocean, long dinners with good friends, and an overall refresh. All of that is totally reasonable as we're heading into the holidays, right?! Until then, there will be some tasty squash penne.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT PENNE WITH PISTACHIO PESTO // Serves 4

Adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine, November 2010

I used a brown rice penne from Jovial pasta (a new favorite, the texture is wonderful for a GF pasta). I am not particularly fond of penne, for no good reason, and think small shells or some tagliatelle would work great too. The pesto can be made a few days in advance and kept in a covered container in the fridge. Any extra can be mixed with a splash of water and more lemon juice for a fabulous salad dressing. I would double it for that specific reason but I'll leave that up to you.

2 lbs. (one large) butternut squash, peeled seeded and cut into 1'' pieces

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil or melted coconut oil

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1/2 tsp. sea salt

bit of fresh grated nutmeg

10 oz. brown rice, quinoa or whole grain penne pasta, or any short noodle of choice

2 huge handfuls (about 2 cups) baby spinach or well chopped swiss chard

// pistachio pesto //

1 large/ 2 small cloves garlic

zest and juice of one small lemon or lime

1/3 cup toasted, unsalted pistachio nuts

1 jalapeno or serrano, seeded (I leave a few seeds for spice)

1 cup packed herbs, a mix of any: cilantro, parsley, chives, basil

1/4-1/3 cup grated parmesan or pecorino, plus more for garnish

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

splash of water

sea salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400' and set a large pot of salted water to boil. 

On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the butternut cubes with the olive oil (enough to coat), smoked paprika, salt, a grate of nutmeg and toss to coat. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until edges are charred. 

For the pesto, add the garlic, lemon zest and juice to the processor and pulse a few times to break down. Add the jalepeno, pistachios, herbs and run the processor to mix, about 30 seconds. Drizzle in the olive oil and a few pinches of salt and pepper until combined. Blitz in the parm and a splash of water. Season to taste. 

Cook the pasta according to instructions. Drain and reserve a cup of the cooking water. 

Put the pasta back into the pot along with the greens and a generous splash of pasta water. The warm pasta and water will wilt the greens perfectly. Add more water if needed. Stir in the squash and pesto.

Garnish with a fresh sprinkle of cheese, pepper and any leftover herbs.