I’ve shared it before elsewhere and in the past few weeks, have had four different people tell me they’ve made this dish.  If you like peanut butter, if you’re not sure how you’ll use up all those beet, turnip, mustard, spinach, kale, and whatever other greens, give this a try.  It freezes well if you want to put it by for later.  I also used it as a pizza topping last year at Firefly with great results.

(I kept putting off posting it here because I didn’t have a good picture, but I’ve let go of that.  This is what I’ve got and I keep forgetting to take a new one.  In the pictured version, I also threw in a drained can of “fried gluten with peanuts” from an Asian market that I had in the pantry.)

A bagful of greens in every bowl!

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced [Or whatever you'd like to use to add spice. You could use a bell pepper and some hot sauce.]
• 1 large carrot, slivered
• 1 sweet potato, sliced [Butternut or other winter squash works well, too.]
• ~2 cups water or broth
• All the greens!  Washed and chopped or torn into small pieces
• 2-4 Tbsp peanut butter
• Chopped peanuts for garnish
• olive oil
• salt to taste

Do this

1. Sauté the onion in olive oil and a little salt until  softened and translucent
2. Add the peppers and carrots and cook for a few more minutes
3. Add the sweet potato (or squash)
4. Add the broth or water, stir
5. Throw in all the greens!  Depending on the size of your vessel, you may need to do this in batches.  I recommend preparing this dish in a large pot to make this step easier.  Add them in reverse order of cooking time: collards first, then kale, then spinach later.
6. Keep covered until greens cook down significantly, stirring occasionally. Tongs are helpful here. It doesn’t take long.
7. Mix the peanut butter with a little warm water and stir in.  The amount of peanut butter will depend on your volume and how peanutty you want it.  You can always add more.
8. Simmer until everything is as cooked as you like it.
9. Serve over rice with a sprinkle of peanuts.

As it often my way, I looked at an assortment of recipes and combined them into something I thought would work.  The “ricotta” is mostly a cross between two different recipes in Veganomicon.  My original plan was to mix in spinach, but since I had the chard, used that.  Good thing, too, because without it, I would have been pretty short on stuffing, so definitely pick a green, or if you can’t stand the idea of vegetables mixed in, make extra ricotta.  You could also modify this recipe slightly for lasagna, which would maybe be a little less fancy but also save the stuffing time, though you’d have a higher pasta ratio.

The end result was quite delicious and I would definitely like to make this again.  Leftovers have been fantastic.  Even with the work of stuffing the shells, it was still pretty fast, and the most time-consuming part was our friend M. (who is a wonderful person, but a little slow in the kitchen) tearing and washing the chard.  But if you use frozen greens, this is *really* fast.

Fresh out of the oven!

Stuffed Shells

for the stuffing

• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1 lb extra firm tofu, excess liquid pressed out
• handful basil leaves, chopped
• cooked, chopped, drained chard (or thawed, chopped, and drained package of frozen spinach)

for the chard

• 2 bunches chard or spinach or similar leafy green, rinsed and chopped/torn into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• olive oil

and

• 1 box giant pasta shells
• 1 quart tomato sauce (perhaps I will someday post my recipe, but you can use store-bought, too)

Do this

1. Cook the shells according to package directions in well-salted water.  Drain and rinse in cool water.
2. Cook the chard: Saute garlic in olive oil over medium heat for a couple of minutes, then add chard, sprinkle with a little salt, and cover.  Stir as needed and when chard is darkened and cooked through, uncover to cook off excess liquid and/or squeeze it out.
3. Blend the first six stuffing ingredients thoroughly and transfer to bowl.  Crumble in tofu and mix well to ricotta-like texture.  Stir in the basil and chard and keep mixing until the greens are all through.
4. Cover the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan with ~1/3 of the sauce, then fill the shells (I used a regular spoon) and line them up in the pan.  This recipe was just right to stuff enough shells to fill the pan, though I had a bunch of empty shells left over.  Maybe they give you extra to account for breakage?  I dunno.  Pour the rest of the sauce over the top.
5. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

All stuffed and ready to be sauced

]]> http://frogfood.peace.net/index.php/2011/06/20/stuffed-shells/feed/ 0 http://frogfood.peace.net/index.php/2007/11/26/pumpkin-pie-with-maple-vanilla-sauce-and-roasted-maple-spiced-seeds/ http://frogfood.peace.net/index.php/2007/11/26/pumpkin-pie-with-maple-vanilla-sauce-and-roasted-maple-spiced-seeds/#comments Mon, 26 Nov 2007 15:54:39 +0000 jude http://frogfood.peace.net/index.php/2007/11/26/pumpkin-pie-with-maple-vanilla-sauce-and-roasted-maple-spiced-seeds/ I want to apologize for my long absence. Not only have we been having some web server problems, but the shortened days have made it very difficult for me to take pictures, since my sub-par camera means I need the sunlight. Rest assured, I have been eating well, and on the occasion of my birthday, decided it was time to get back in gear.

I made several dishes for a potluck Thanksgiving dinner I attended, including a pumpkin pie with assorted goodies. Having decided that coconut milk would be just right, I was going to improvise my own recipe when someone posted one from The Savvy Vegetarian that was just like what I had in mind, so I went ahead and used that one. Then I roasted the pumpkin seeds (sweetly this time) with the idea that they might make a good topping. The next day, having chilled the pie sufficiently, I considered how nice a whipped topping would be, so I used the leftover tofu and coconut milk to attempt one, but while it would have likely been perfect out of a whip-it (and was quite delicious), it was too thin on its own. I thickened it a bit with some tapioca before deciding to just call it a sauce. It worked wonderfully on the pie as well as on the apple crisp I’d also made.

Yay for experimentation! Click through for the many recipes.

Pumpkin Pie

• 1 3/4 cups fresh pumpkin puree (see below)
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup silken tofu
• 2 Tblsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp ginger
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 pie crust (see below)

1. Blend all ingredients except the flour (and the pie crust, duh) in a blender until smooth.
2. Lightly coat the pie crust with flour and pour in filling.
3. Bake in a preheated oven at 425° for 10 minutes, reduce to 350° and bake an additional 30 minutes.
4. Allow to cool completely (ideally, chill) before serving along with vanilla sauce and sweet pumpkin seeds (see below).

Pie Crust (for one two-crust or two one-crust pies)

I’ve been making this pie crust for years. It’s a pretty standard recipe and it just works, but I’m sure your favorite recipe will work just fine, too. I find it pretty straightforward, but I know a lot of people have trouble with pie crust, so let me know if you have specific questions, since I know I’m being brief here. I’ve taught a number of people, so if you’re local and need help, drop me a line.

• 2 2/3 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup shortening
• 7-8 Tbsp ice water

1. Using two knives or a pastry blender, cut the shortening into the flour and salt until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
2. Tossing gently with a fork, add the water one tablespoon at a time until the dough will hold together. If you want to be fancy, you can also use a water sprayer for this part.
3. Gather the dough into two equal balls and refrigerate while you’re not working with it.
4. Carefully roll one of the balls into a circle about 1″ large around than your pie plate. A flexible cutting board makes a great surface for this step, or use a piece of wax paper, parchment paper, or plastic wrap. Why? Because the easiest way to get it into the plate is to flip the plate onto the crust, flip the whole thing, and peel away the board/paper/plastic.
5. Carefully press the dough into the plate, taking care not to stretch it, and crimp or shape the edge as you desire. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Five-Minute Maple-Vanilla Sauce

• 12oz silken tofu, minus 1/2 cup
• 1 can coconut milk, minus 1/2 cup
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 2 Tbsp tapioca (optional)

1. Blend everything except the tapioca, adjusting sweetener and vanilla to taste.
2. If you want to thicken the sauce a bit, pour off about 2/3 cup of the sauce, mix in the tapioca, and microwave to boiling, then mix back in with the sauce.

Mashed Pumpkin

Cut a pumpkin in half, remove the stem, scoop out the guts, and place cut side down in a baking dish with about 1/4″ water. Bake at 350° for 1 hour (until tender), allow to cool, and mash or mill the pumpkin (sans skin, of course). If the pumpkin is very moist, let it sit in a cheesecloth-lined strainer.

Maple Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

• pumpkin guts
• 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil (like canola or safflower)
• 1-2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (ie, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves)

1. Separate the pumpkin seeds from the guts&stuff as best you can (no need to rinse or get anal about it).
2. (Optional step, but I think the results are better this way.) Spread the seeds out on a cookie sheet and leave to dry for a few hours or overnight. (The oven (turned off) is a good place for this.)
3. In a bowl, mix the seeds with the oil, maple syrup, salt, and spices. Spread on a cookie sheet and put in a 300° oven for 45 minutes or until done. Use a spatula to toss the seeds every 10 minutes or so and keep tasting.
4. Cool on parchment or wax paper to prevent sticking.

The important points to keep in mind when making this bread are avoid adding extra flour to the dough and handle it with a very light touch after rising. Extra flour is very tempting because the dough is so hard to work with, but really, don’t do it except for when you need it to shape the loaves. After rising, do not punch down and be very gentle while shaping. Also, you really can’t use too much flour for the shaping process. If you have silicone baking mats (sadly, I do not), this would be a very good time to use them.

Ciabatta

for the starter

• 1/2 tsp dry yeast
• 2/3 cup warm water
• 3 Tbsp soymilk (or the like)
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1 cup unbleached flour

for the dough

• 1/2 tsp dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

1. Make the Starter: Sprinkle the yeast into the water and milk in a large bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes, then add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Mix in the flour to form a loose batter. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let it rise for 12 hours or overnight. I like to do this in the oven.

2. Make the Dough: Sprinkle the yeast into the water in a small bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes, then stir to dissolve. Add along with olive oil to the start and mix well.

3. Mix in the flour and salt to form a wet, sticky dough. Beat steadily with a wooden spoon (be careful here if you live in Attleboro) for 5 minutes — the dough will become springy and start to pull away from the sides of the bowl, but will remain too soft to knead.

4. Cover the dough with a dish towel. Let rise until tripled in size and full of air bubbles, about 3 hours. DO NOT punch down the dough. Generously flour two baking sheets and have ready extra flour to dip yours hands in.

5. Use a dough scraper to divide the dough in half while in the bowl. Scoop half the dough out into one of the heavily floured baking sheets.

6. Use well-floured (do you detect a theme here?) hands to pull and stretch the dough to form a roughly rectangular loaf about 12″ long. Dust the loaf and yours hands again with flour. Neaten and plump up the load by running your fingers down each side and gently tucking under the edges of the dough. This an be challenging — just do your best and don’t overworry it.

7. Repeat the previous step with the other half of the dough. Leave the loaves uncovered to proof for about 20 minutes. The loaves will spreads out as well as rise. Remember, it’s supposed to look like a well-worn slipper.
8. Bake in a preheated oven at 425° for 30 minutes until risen, golden, and hollow-sounding when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack, then hide them if you don’t want them eaten immediately.

I wanted to can pickles this year and I’d tried to grow pickling cukes in my garden, but they didn’t really flourish. I ended up with many small ones, useful (& yummy) for one or two salads apiece, but not really appropriate for pickling, and I neglected to buy a bushel from a local farm. Ah well. Still, these were all nummy and quite popular at potlucks.

Both of these can be scaled as far up as you want to go and keep quite well, assuming you can keep them from getting et.

Sour Refrigerator Pickles (from this recipe)

• 1 1/2 lb cucumbers, sliced into rounds
• 8-12 cloves garlic
• 4 sprigs fresh dill

• 1 Tbsp mustard seed
• 1/2 tsp celery seed
• 1 Tbsp dill seed

• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups vinegar
• 3 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp sugar

1. Divide dill, garlic, and cucumbers among wide-mouthed pint or quart jars.

2. Mix the next four ingredients (spices) in a small bowl, crush slightly to release flavors, and divide amongst the jars.

3. Mix together the water, vinegar, salt, and sugar in a large bowl or measuring cup and fill each jar, allowing the liquid to fill the caps and topping off and carefully topping off.

4. Cap the jars, shake ‘em up, and refrigerate for at least two weeks before eating — the longer the better!

Notes: When you eat all the pickles, you can also refill the jars with more cucumbers and that works fine, too. Another option when making them is to heat the liquid (with the spices in it) to get things going a little faster. Despite the fact that I sliced them, these are NOT bread and butter pickles, and are quite sour, but I like it that way. In addition to munching on their own, they made very yummy additions to a grilled veggie dog or brat on a bun.

Sweet Swedish Refrigerator Pickles (from this recipe)

• 1 English cucumber or a comparable number of the regular kind
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 – 1 cup sugar (depending on just how sweet you want these to be)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 allspice berries

1. Slice the cucumbers very thinly (I used my food processor slicing disk), toss in a colander with the salt, and let them it while the rest of the dish is prepared, or up to 30 minutes.

2. Combine water, vinegar, sugar, bay leaf and allspice in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil, remove from heat, and allow to cool.

3. Rinse the salt off the cucumber slices and squeeze out as much moisture as possible, using paper towels to blot them dry.

4. Put the cucumbers in a medium bowl or jar along with the liquid, making sure the slices are completely submerged. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

This was actually my first time baking bread in a loaf pan, and the lesson learned was to grease more thoroughly next time (or acquire a non-stick or silicone pan). I couldn’t find a recipe that sounded just right, so I mixed some up, based largely on the pain ordinaire (fancy-speak for basic bread) in Ultimate Bread. I think I slightly overbaked, but the long process of getting it out of the dang pan may have been a factor there, too. Although I called this whole wheat, like most whole wheat breads, there is still a fair bit of white flour. After a few days, I did what I always do with my sandwich bread and froze the remainder in slices. It toasts up beautifully from the freezer.

Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

Ingredients

• 2 tsp dry yeast
• 1 1/3 cups warm water
• 2 cups unbleached white flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

1. Sprinkle the yeast into 1/2 cup of the water in a small bowl and leave for 5 minutes, then stir to dissolve. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl, make a well in the center, and pour in the dissolved yeast.

2. Use a wooden spoon to draw enough of the flour into the dissolved yeast to form a soft paste. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let the paste “sponge” for 20 minutes until frothy. (I like to sponge and rise in the oven with the light on, which maintains a sufficiently warm and draft-free environment.)

3. Pour about half the remaining water into the well and mix the flour in from the sides. Continue to mix, using as much of the water as needed to form a firm, moist dough.

4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface (my flexible cutting board works wonderfully) and knead until smooth, shiny, and elastic, about 10 minutes. Form into a round.

5. Put the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover with a dish towel. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2-2 hours. Punch down and let rest for 10 minutes.

6. Shape the dough into a long loaf by flattening then folding in thirds, rolling to slightly longer than the pan, tuck the ends under and place into the pan. A well-oiled pan, let me add, not merely lightly oiled. Cover with a dish towel and proof until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

7. Optionally, dissolve a little cornstarch in water, heat for a few minutes, and when cool, brush the top of the loaf. If you want a split top, you can also make a slash lengthwise with a razor or sharp knife. Bake in a preheated oven at 400° for 45 minutes or until the top is nicely browned and loaf sounds hollow when thumped underneath.

I have no doubt one of the keys in these in particular being so yummy is the really good Dutch process cocoa that my roomie acquired at Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport during a layover. While I’m sure you could get yummy results with regular cocoa, it would throw off the acid balance and who knows what might happen.

Chewy Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp flax seed meal (or 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp whole flax seeds)
• 1/2 cup soymilk
• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 1 1/2cups sugar (or less, even)
  
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup chocolate chips

In a small blender (I like to use the little container-chopper attachment on my hand blender for this), grind the flax into powder, then add soymilk and blend. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, cream the oil and sugar. Add the flax/soymilk mixture and mix well, then mix in the vanilla. (I usually use electric beaters for this part.)

Fold in the dry ingredients in batches. Go ahead and use your hands when the dough gets too stiff for a spatula. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls and flatten into ~1 1/2 discs an inch apart on an ungreased (optionally parchment-lined) baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes at 350°. Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes, then set them on a wire rack to cool completely.

The final steps are more important than they look! First, the cookies will not seem done after 10 minutes, but trust me (and Isa), and take them out. Similarly, do not try to remove them from the baking sheet immediately. They are still quite soft at that point and will fall apart. While still yummy, they won’t be as pretty. (Ask me how I know this.)

I usually cut the tofu into slices, but cubed it this time to facilitate skewering. It was hands-down the best grilled tofu I’ve ever had.

Marinated Tofu

Ingredients

• 1 pound firm tofu, drained
• 1/2 cup water
• scant 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup tamari
• 1 1/2 Tbsp mirin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp whole cloves (or 1/8 tsp ground)
• 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 1/4 tsp salt
• A grind or two ground black pepper

Wrap the tofu in a clean towel, top with a weighted plate or other heavy object for at least 10 minutes to press out water, or use your preferred method for same. (Don’t do this if you’re using silken tofu!)

In a small saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.

Cut the tofu into cubes or slices are desired and put into a bowl. Cover the tofu with the marinade and marinate overnight.

Add to a salad, grill, fry, eat plain, whatever. Or top slices with caramelized onions and bake. (Sometimes I include the caramelized onions with the marinade, too.)  This stuff is so good baked.

On the left is Chipotle Corn Soup (or maybe it needs a better name?) and is something I came up with. The first time, I just processed the corn raw, which was great, but I felt that roasting would really add depth so I wanted to try it that way, too. Then the second time, I didn’t roast because I was in a hurry. But after that, I took the time to grill the corn and really love the added smokiness. It’s great either way, though.

On the right is a Bean, Corn, and Chili Soup from DD’s Stillman CSA newsletter that Mark made while they were both over. The recipe called for pinto beans, but he also used Great Northern. All the vegetables except garlic were from my or DD’s share (the cilantro and celery I’d frozen), with tomatoes and basil from the garden. Very different from the first soup, it was still delicious.

Chipotle Corn Soup

Ingredients

• 6-12 ears of corn (use what you got)
• ~1/2 cup light coconut milk
• 2-3 cloves of garlic or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 chipotle chilis or 1/2 tsp chipotle powder (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp agave nectar (optional)

If you are roasting the corn, do that first, either in or out of the husk. Grill over medium-high flame until it starts to blacken. De-cob the corn, going over it twice with a knife to get all the creamy corn goodness. Meanwhile, if using fresh garlic, roast the cloves in the toaster oven.

Put the corn and garlic in a blender or food processor and pulse, adding enough coconut milk for the mixture to blend and shoving with a spoon or spatula as needed. Add salt and chipotle, tasting for desired level of spice. If using chipotle in adobo, the agave nectar is useful to counteract the vinegar, but not necessary when using dried or powder if your corn is naturally sweet.

Using a sieve or a food mill, strain the soup to remove the corn skins, then heat in a saucepan, again adjusting seasonings as desired. Garnish with cilantro (I didn’t have any handy) or tortilla chips as desired.

Bean, Corn, and Chili Soup (from Stillman’s Farm‘s newsletter)

Ingredients

• 2-3 cans pinto beans (we used one can pinto & one can Great Northern)
• 1 mild hot chili
• 3 gloves garlic
• 4 medium tomatoes, chopped (~2 cups)
• 2 medium carrots, chopped (~1 cup)
• 1 stalk celery with leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 ears corn, de-cobbed
• 2 Tbsp chopped basil
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

In a dutch oven or heavy stock pot, cook onion, garlic, and chili over medium heat 5 minutes or until tender. Add tomatoes and cook 15 minutes or until tomatoes break down, stirring often.

Add drained beans, carrots, celery, bay leaf, salt, and about 4 cups water (or more) to cover all the veggies. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the veggies are very tender, ~30 minutes or more.

Remove the bay leaf, and with potato masher (or immersion blender), mash the mixture to desired consistency. Stir in corn, basil, and cilantro, and simmer 5-10 minutes more until corn is tender, adding more water if you prefer a thinner soup.

In addition to eating it with chips (shown are Trader Joe’s Flax Seed Tortilla Chips), I think it’d work very well over quesadillas or other spicy dishes.  Last night, DD and I grilled some tempeh rubbed with a hot cajun mix and the salsa made for an excellent topping.

Salsa Verde (Tomatillo Salsa)

Ingredients

• 3 pts tomatillos
• 1/2 cup chopped white onion
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 3 jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well in warm water to wash off the weird sticky coating.  Cut in half, coat lightly with olive oil, and place cut side down on a roasting pan or cookie sheet.  Broil for 5-7 minutes, or until the skins have started to blacken and bubble.

Put tomatillos in a blender (or FP) along with the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth.  Cool and serve.