Mushroom/Nut or Seed/Dried Tomato Pâté
Servings: 8-12
Ingredients:
- 1 cup pecans or walnuts (or use sunflower seeds to make it nut-free)
- ½ cup dried porcini mushrooms (or shiitake mushroom works, too)
- 1 cup boiling water
- ½ lbs Portobello mushrooms (or crimini/brown mushrooms works, too)
- 2 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce if it doesn’t need to be gluten-free)
- 2 tablespoons tahini (or vegetable broth)
- ½ tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
- 1 teaspoon white miso (double-check the ingredients if you need it to be gluten-free)
- ¼ cup dried/dehydrated tomatoes
- Optional: pinch of black pepper (or freshly ground peppercorns)
Directions:
- Soak nuts (or sunflower seeds) in room temperature water for about an hour.
- Put the dried mushrooms in a small bowl and cover them with a cup of boiling water. Let the mushrooms soften for about 15 minutes. Rub the mushrooms to remove the grit (small rocks/dirt), and transfer to a small bowl. Make sure you reserve the liquid!
- Slice the Portobello/crimini/brown mushrooms into ¼ inch slices.
- In a bowl, whisk together the tamari, tahini (or vegetable broth), nutritional yeast, lemon juice, rosemary, miso, and optional black pepper.
- Add the sliced mushrooms and mix gently to coat the mushrooms. Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes (mix occasionally).
- In a small saucepan, combine the soaked porcini and dried tomatoes.
- Slowly pour in the porcini soaking liquid (through a fine sieve or cheese cloth so as to keep out any grit that may have come about via the soaking process).
- Bring the liquid to a boil, and cover and simmer over low heat until the tomatoes are tender (about 4 minutes).
- Drain the nuts (or sunflowers) and transfer to a food processor.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the marinated Portobellos, porcini, and tomatoes to the food processor and pulse until it becomes a coarse paste. Add more porcini liquid if needed.
- Put the pâté into a small serving bowl and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
Enjoy!
Note: you can make it several days in advance.
Adapted from: Holli Thompson
Stuffed Acorn Squash
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
- 2 acorn squash (halved and seeds scooped out)
For the stuffing:
- 1 yellow onion (chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 cup quinoa (pre-rinsed or rinse cold water before using)
- 2 cups + 2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable broth
- ½ cup chopped nuts or seeds (walnuts, pecans, almonds, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds)
- ½ cup dried cranberries (apple juice sweetened as opposed to sugar sweetened)
- 1-½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (finely chopped) or ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ¾ teaspoons fresh sage (finely chopped) or ¼ teaspoon dried sage
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions:
To cook the acorn squash:
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Halve the squash and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy bits.
- Bake cut side facing down on a baking pan lined with parchment paper for 25 to 35 minutes until the squash is fork-tender.
To make the quinoa filling:
- Heat the 2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable broth in a large high-sided pan or pot over medium-high heat. When the broth is hot, add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions turn translucent and just begin to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add the quinoa and 2 cups of vegetable broth and cover with lid. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the vegetable broth is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked.
- Once the quinoa is cooked, stir in all of the remaining ingredients, the nuts or seeds, cranberries, thyme, sage, pepper, and cinnamon.
- Remove from heat.
To stuff the acorn squash:
- Divide the quinoa mixture evenly among the acorn squash halves, packing it into the well of the squash. You may have extra quinoa leftover.
- Serve hot and garnish with more fresh thyme or sage as desired.
Note for making this in advance: you can prepare the entire dish ahead of time. Allow the squash and quinoa to cool completely before covering and storing in the fridge for up to 2 days. To reheat, cover in foil in an oven preheated to 400°F (200°C) until heated through. If you like you can remove the foil for the last 5 to 10 minutes to crisp up the top slightly.
Adapted from: It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken
Quick Pickled Carrot and Daikon (White) Radish
Makes: 4 cups
Main ingredients:
- 12-inch large daikon/white radish (julienned/cut into 3 to 4 thin matchsticks)
- 2 large carrots (julienned/cut into 3 to 4 thin matchsticks)
Brine ingredients:
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup rice wine vinegar
- 1 to 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
- Combine the pickle brine in a saucepan and boil on medium heat until the sugar dissolves (3 to 4 minutes). Stir occasionally. Remove from the heat and cool it down.
- Place the julienned carrots and radishes into a 4-quart mason jar and pour over the brine.
- Close the lid. Gently move the jar around a little bit to make sure the brine is fully covering the carrots and radishes.
- Leave the jar at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours, then move to the refrigerator.
- Chill the pickles for 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving for optimal taste.
Adapted from: My Korean Kitchen
