Halloween Pumpkin

When I saw black quinoa in the cupboard and a small pumpkin on the counter, I knew I had to combine them for a festive Halloween dish.

I had found Organic Royal Black Quinoa at my local grocery store. It's organic and fair trade from Bolivia, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Larry was dubious - he said this dish looked unattractive but tasted good, which I take as a compliment.

I was surprised to find the texture and look of the black quinoa more appealing than the red or white kinds, and combined with shiitake mushrooms and cashews it had great flavor.

I could have served the quinoa as a side dish instead of in a pumpkin, but I enjoyed the combination. If you don't have a pumpkin, any squash like an acorn or delicata or hubbard will work just as well. Cook it in the same way, checking for doneness more frequently if it's a small squash.

Black quinoa keeps its color

Halloween Pumpkin
1 small pumpkin or other winter squash
1 cup black (or other color) quinoa
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced scallions, white and green parts
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup roasted, salted cashews
1 lime

Make a few slits around the top of the squash (to make sure it doesn't explode while cooking) and bake it in a 375°F oven for 30-60 minutes until a thin knife slides in easily. Set aside.

Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a fine mesh sieve, using hot water and then cold, to wash away the bitter saponins that coat the grain. Put it in a pot with 1 1/2 cups water. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce the heat so it simmers, and cook until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Set aside.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shiitakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are slightly crisp. Stir in the scallions and cook, stirring frequently, until they wilt. Remove from heat and stir in the soy sauce and vinegar. Stir in the quinoa and cashews, making sure to combine well. Then grate the zest of half the lime over the grain, and squeeze the juice from one half. Taste and add pepper and lime juice to taste.

Slice the top off the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and stringy insides. Pile the quinoa inside - there will be a lot leftover to serve on the side.

I carved the pumpkin into wedges to serve, and spooned the quinoa filling alongside on the plate. The quinoa did not hold together, but it all looked pretty together. I also could have scooped the flesh from the pumpkin along with some grain. Or just eaten the quinoa alone, which we will be doing as leftovers.

Serves 4-6

Cashew Coconut Kale

I like to cook greens a few times a week. They are full of minerals to strengthen our bones and nourish our nervous systems. Usually I either steam the greens or sauté them in a little oil with salt and chile flakes.

But the other day I tried this recipe from Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates, and found it to be really good. The picture is of the kale before I added the coconut-cashew mixture. Afterwards it was less photogenic, but really delicious. It's a little more work than just stir-frying the kale, but the flavor of the cashew-coconut sauce is worth it.

Cashew Coconut Kale
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, diced
2 tbsp oil
1/3 cup salted cashews
juice of 1/2 to 1 lime
1/2 cup coconut milk (freeze the rest of the can to use another day)
1 tsp curry powder
1 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped

Sauté onion, garlic and jalapeño in oil about 10 minutes until onion is translucent.

Meanwhile, blender the cashews, lime juice and coconut milk until smooth. Start with the smaller amount of lime juice, and add more to taste.

Add the curry powder to the frying onions. Cook 1 minute. Add the kale, along with the water still clinging to its leaves. Add a sprinkle more water if it looks too dry. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and adding water if needed, 5-8 minutes until tender.

Stir in the cashew-coconut sauce. Stir to coat. Cook until it's warmed through and serve.

Serves 3-4

Macadamia Nut Burgers

Sometimes a burger hits the spot.

In this case, a nut burger.

When my grandmother was a vegetarian in 1960s England, you could buy nut rissoles in a tin. I guess they were early gardenburgers, before refrigeration was as reliable as it is today.

These macadamia nut burgers we ate the other night are nothing like the hockey puck called a gardenburger. (I've never seen a nut rissole so I can't compare them.)

They were crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with texture from the nuts and celery.

We ate them with baked sweet potato fries and coleslaw - no buns. It was high protein fast food with a healthy twist.

I adapted the recipe from Rose Eliot's peanut burgers in her book The Complete Vegetarian Cuisine. It contains marmite, a staple of British school children and vegetarians (excellent source of B vitamins and a rich flavor similar to beef broth). You can buy it locally at Lucky Baldwin's Pub in Old Pasadena (along with other essentials like Branston pickle and Bird's custard powder).

The burgers will be good even without the marmite. You might add a little extra soy sauce if you like.

Macadamia Nut Burgers
3 tbsp butter or olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp marmite
1 cup roasted salted cashews
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
2/3 cup fresh whole wheat breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
extra breadcrumbs for coating
oil to coat the frypan

Grind the nuts fairly finely in a food processor or blender. Some large-ish bits are fine. Don't over-pulverize them and turn them to nut butter.

(You can also grind 1-2 slices of whole wheat bread to make the fresh breadcrumbs.)

Melt the butter or olive oil in a large saucepan and sauté the onion and celery until soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook another 1-2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and stir until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the soy sauce, marmite, nuts and fresh breadcrumbs.

Let the mixture cool until it's easy to handle, and then form 4 burgers about 1/3 inch thick. Press them together well, then pat dry breadcrumbs onto the top, turn them over, and pat more breadcrumbs on the other side. (The breadcrumbs will crisp up in the frypan and make a crunchy exterior.)

Warm the frypan over medium heat. Pour in enough oil to just cover the bottom of the pan. Cook the burgers about 5 minutes on each side, until browned and crisp.

Drain on paper towels, then serve hot.

Serves 4.

(Store the leftovers in the fridge. They reheat well in the toaster oven. The uncooked burgers will last a few days in the fridge. Cook as needed.)

Peach Salad

The peaches are extra good this year - so sweet and flavorful. We are enjoying them in our morning fruit, and the other day I added them to this salad.

It's a slight variation on a recipe from Jack Bishop's wonderful book A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen. He cooks vegetables with a flair, yet simply enough for everyday eating.

The dressing has a base of reduced orange juice, an excellent way to use less oil without making too tart a sauce. The sweet orange juice and peach balance well with the salty cashews.

It's a great salad to serve with a barbecue, or with a simple dinner of bread and cheese and corn on the cob.

Peach Salad
1/2 cup orange juice (from 1 orange)
2 tsp lime juice
2 tsp olive oil
4 cups butter lettuce
1 ripe peach
2 tbsp roasted, salted cashews

Heat orange juice in a small heavy pan over medium heat until it's syrupy, and reduced to a couple of tablespoons, about 15 minutes. Let cool a little, then whisk in the lime juice, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Toss lettuce with some of the dressing and spread on a plate. Arrange peaches on top and sprinkle with cashews. Sprinkle remaining dressing over top and serve.

Serves 2

Summer Salad

One of my favorite cookbooks is A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen by Jack Bishop. He has a gentle way with vegetables, making them tasty enough for his children to enjoy, yet allowing their flavors to come through.

His peach and lettuce salad tastes of summer and is great eaten outside with a dinner cooked on the barbecue.

It's also very healthy. A reduction of fresh orange juice replaces most of the oil in the dressing and enhances the flavor of the peaches. This recipe doubles easily.

Sometimes I use pumpkin seeds, and sometimes cashews. I like them both with the peaches, but last week I opted for the buttery crunch of cashews to enhance the soft crunch of the tender lettuce from Finley Farms.

Peach and Lettuce Salad
2 tbsp cashews
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (from 1 orange)
2 tsp lime juice
2 tsp olive oil
4 cups lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces
1 peach, halved, pitted and diced

Put orange juice in a small saucepan and cook until syrupy and reduced to about 1 tbsp, about 10 minutes. Let cool.

Toast cashews in a dry skillet until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Whisk lime juice and olive oil into orange juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Combine lettuce, peaches and cashews in a salad bowl. Toss with the dressing just before serving.

Serves 3-4