Romesco Potatoes

You know I'm always game for another potato recipe... I could very easily live off of potatoes for the rest of my life. This turned out to be a fresh new spin for the typical spud.

Romesco Sauce
5 ancho chiles (found dried in the aisle with Mexican specialty foods and spices)
2 tablespoons raw almonds
2 tablespoons blanched hazelnuts
1 cup olive oil + 4 tablespoons
1 thick slice of bread
1/3 cup canned pureed tomatoes
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)
1/2 lemon, for juicing
A splash of red wine vinegar
Salt

Potatoes
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
5 cloves garlic, crushed with the back of a knife
2 bay leaves
6 springs thyme, plus 2 teaspoons thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Wash the potatoes and stick them in the oven until fork tender.

In the meantime, remove and discard the seeds and stems from the chiles, then soak in warm water for 15 minutes to soften. On a small baking dish add the almonds and blanched hazelnuts and roast them in the oven for 8-10 minutes until they start turning golden and become fragrant.

To make the sauce: Over medium heat add 2 tablespoons of oil to a saute pan, once hot fry the bread on both sides until golden brown. Once the bread cools cut it into 1-inch cubes and set aside. Return the pan to the stove over high heat, add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil, once hot add the chiles, saute for 1-2 minutes. Add in the pureed tomatoes and a hefty punch of salt, cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring until some of the liquid has evaporated. Turn the heat off, leaving the chile-tomato mixture in the pan.

In the food processor pulse together the toasted nuts, garlic and fried bread until coarsely ground. Add in the chile-tomato mixture and process for another minute. With the machine running, slowly pour in the remaining up of olive oil and process until smooth. Don't panic when the sauce 'breaks' (separates into solids and oils), this is normal. Add the parsley, then season with lemon juice, vinegar and salt. Set the sauce aside while getting the potatoes ready.

Once the potatoes are fork tender pull them out of the oven and place them in a large casserole dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Using the fork, crush the potatoes into the pan, leaving some large chunks of potato intact. Drizzle with the olive oil, a hefty pinch of salt, and some fresh pepper. Scatter the garlic over top along with the bay leaves and thyme sprigs and leaves. Stick back in the oven and roast for another 15 minutes.

When the potatoes are done remove the thyme twigs and bay leaves before spooning a cup of the romesco sauce over top. Serve warm. Store leftover sauce in freezer for later use.

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Kale Burgers

I don't know about you, but I've had it up to my eyeballs with kale. I get it weekly in my organic food co-op box and frankly, eight months in, I'm sick of it. I've steamed it, sauteed it, served it raw, dehydrated it, juiced it, blended it, and baked it. I was officially going mental- yes, the kale was making me crazy. How much kale can one person eat? But then, by sheer miracle, I landed on a recipe that took kale and spun it in a completely different direction. Meet: The Kale Burger! And because I was so impressed with this oddity I am passing it along to you.

1 large bunch kale, well-washed and mostly dried
Hefty pinch of sea salt
1 tomato, chopped (try and get a Roma, they're less juicy)
1 tablespoon almond butter or tahini
2 garlic cloves, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup almond meal (or finely ground up blanched almonds if you're in a pinch)
1/4 cup all purpose of GF flour
Olive oil
1 tiny onion, sliced
1/4 cup plant-based mayo
Zest of a lemon
Juice of half a lemon

Derib kale (and ribs aside for future use- toss them in a smoothie or something), take the leaves and sprinkle with sea salt and massage with your hands for a second. Let rest for 15 minutes. In the meantime toss the tomato, almond butter (or tahini if you don't have it), one garlic clove, coriander, and cumin into the food processor and blend until smooth.



Rinse the salt off the kale. In a large saucepan heat a little olive oil, then toss the rinsed kale in and saute for just a few minutes until it wilts. Meanwhile, mix the almond meal and flour in a small bowl.  Once the kale has wilted down, transfer it to a bowl and allow to completely cool- if you're in a rush you can throw it in the fridge for a few minutes.

While the kale is cooling dice the remaining garlic clove and add it to the vegan mayo, along with the zest of the lemon and the juice from half of it. Refrigerate to allow flavors to marinate. Slice the onion and saute in a pan with some oil over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, until completely caramelized, then set aside.


Once the kale has cooled squeeze out all the excess water. Add the kale to the food processor with the tomato mixture and pulse several times until the kale is finally chopped. If the kale mixture is too wet to form into patties add a few tablespoons of the almond flour mixture. If it's too dry, then add some olive oil or water. After forming each burger, carefully coat each side in the almond flour mixture.

Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a non-stick pan (if you're not using a non-stick, spray it with non-stick spray before adding the oil, trust me on this one). Once the oil is hot add the burgers in, cooking three minutes per side.


Assemble: I served these bunless. I added a half teaspoon of the lemon garlic aioli to each burger and finished it off with the caramelized onions. I also had some leftover 'steak' mushrooms that I threw on top but the burger itself is so good I wouldn't worry about not having the mushrooms. Twice I paired these with potatoes, once with these sweet potato fries and the second time with potato skins, that recipe is coming soon.

This roughly make six mini burgers (which are very filling).

White Bean and Roasted Mushroom Soup

16 oz. mushrooms, halved or quartered

2 large sweet onions, quartered

3 garlic cloves, slightly crushed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1½ teaspoon salt, divided

1½ teaspoon pepper, divided

8-10 fresh sage leaves

8-10 stems + 1 tablespoon leaves fresh thyme

48 oz. dark vegetable broth 

3 15 oz. cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss the mushrooms, garlic and onion in the olive oil with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Spread onto a baking sheet, separating the mushrooms and placing them on one half of the baking sheet. Add the sage leaves and stems of the thyme and roast for 10 minutes, toss and roast for an additional 15.

Add the broth, beans, remaining salt and pepper, and fresh thyme leaves, and garlic powder to a large stock pot, bring to a low boil and reduce to a simmer.

Once the vegetables are done roasting, let cool slightly. Take 1 cup of the beans from the stock pot and stick in the blender along with a cup and a half of broth, the roasted onions, garlic and herbs- blend until smooth. Add the blended mixture to the stock pot and whisk until smooth, toss in the mushrooms and give it a quick stir.

*The recipe called for the beans to be used undrained, but I always drain and rinse my beans when using- your call! Also, I found this soup to be even better the next day.

Recipe adapted from Amy Johnson

Chocolate Truffles

A cook opens up the pantry and sees no dessert options in site, a baker opens up the pantry and the options are endless. This is basically how it went down when my friend came over for girl's night and we were craving something sweet. I had nothing on hand, since I don't usually bake. But she whipped through my pantry, pulling out a few ingredients, and lo and behold- chocolate truffles!

1 cup dark chocolate chips (make sure they contain no milk fat/solids)
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
1/2 tablespoon melted plant-based butter

Topping Suggestions:
Sweetened coconut flakes
Black sesame seeds + cinnamon
Brown sugar + coarse sea salt+ vanilla beans

Place the chocolate chips in a bowl, set aside. Boil the coconut milk, then remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips- allow it to sit for 1-2 minutes before stirring until it's smooth. Add in the melted butter, stir until combined. Once at room temperature, refrigerate over night (or place in freezer until hardened, 1-2 hours). Now that the ganache has chilled, prepare a baking sheet with wax paper. Using a 1/2 tablespoon scoop, roll the ganache into balls. Place back into the refrigerator for another 15 minutes to re-harden (your hands will soften them up as you're shaping them).

Once the truffles have reset in the fridge, roll them in your desired toppings. We rolled a 1/3 in sweetened coconut, another 1/3 in a black sesame seed cinnamon mix, and dusted the last 1/3 in a mixture of brown sugar, coarse sea salt, and vanilla beans. They all came out excellent!