Maple-Herb Glazed Roasted Autumn Vegetables

I love some delicious oven roasted veggies during the cooler part of the year. They are great in a salad, casserole, soup or just on their own. Today I served them on a bed of savory brown rice with irish cheddar & spinach.

For today's recipe I whipped up a sauce that the chopped veggies marinated in before roasting. The marinade compliments the flavors of the veggies without dominating. It is composed of sweet maple syrup, a touch of mustard and garden fresh herbs. To enhance the pretty colors I used golden beets and a brilliant purple yam. You can really substitute any root veggies and winter squash you want in this adaptable recipe. Enjoy!

Marinade:
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 cup fresh italian parsley, minced
1 garlic clove, minced

Veggies:
1 purple yam, peeled
1 golden beet, peeled
1 acorn squash, peeled & seeds removed
6 carrots
2 yukon gold potatoes
1 yellow onion, skin removed

1. Whisk all marinade ingredients together and set aside.
2. Chop all veggies in large uniform pieces
3. Put veggies in a large casserole dish and cover with marinade. Mix well to coat. Let sit for 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake uncovered for 60-90 minutes. Check at 60 minutes. Cooking time will depend on size of veggie pieces.
5. Serve hot over savory brown with irish cheddar & spinach

Autumn Root Veggie & Kale Gratin

Earlier I posted that October was the beginning of soup season. I'd like to add that it's also the beginning of casserole season. Cooler temperatures mean I will actually turn the oven back on! I love a good casserole. Casseroles make the house smell amazing, once baking in the oven they free up my hands for more cooking or other projects, their ample servings make great lunches for our entire work week, they are freezable and I love to share casseroles with my friends! I find I am quite at my happiest during the winter months with a casserole in the oven, a soup bubbling in the crockpot and I'm curled under a blanket with a cup of my favorite tea and a good book. Simple pleasures!

Today's gratin was inspired by the autumn flavors of root vegetables, winter squash, and kale. Rutabaga is one of my favorite autumn/winter root vegetables. It does not have the spiciness of a turnip and is actually quite creamy and delicious. I encourage you to try the weird-looking neglected rutabaga this season! An exploration of my favorite neighborhood specialty cheese counter yielded a cow's milk gruyere from Switzerland and a goat's milk gouda from Holland. I returned from a trip to my own garden with a handful of fresh thyme and chives.

This casserole takes quite a few steps to prepare, so I'd save it for your day-off rather than a busy work night. It yields many delicious servings, so is well worth the effort!

Olive Oil
1 yukon gold potato, thinly sliced
1 yam, peeled & thinly sliced
1 rutabaga, peeled & thinly sliced
1 delicata squash, peeled, seeds removed & thinly sliced
2 cups shredded cheese, your choice (I used gruyere and gouda)
1 bunch lacinato kale, leaves de-ribbed, thinly sliced
1 yellow onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and minced
1 vegan broth cube
1 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup unsweetened plain soy milk
2 eggs
a handful fresh chives, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep your casserole dish by rubbing a tbsp or so of olive oil onto the bottom of the dish.
2. Sauté over medium heat the minced onion with a splash of olive oil. Cook a few minutes until translucent and lightly browned. Add the garlic and thyme and sauté a few minutes more until very fragrant. Set aside.
3. Begin layering with yam, rutabaga, 1 cup of cheese, potato, onion-garlic-herb mixture, kale, delicata squash.
4. Dissolve the broth cube into boiling water. Add the melted butter and soy milk. Whisk in the eggs until mixed. Pour this mixture over the casserole.
5. Top with remaining 1 cup of cheese and the chives.
6. Cover the casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Quinoa Big Bowl with Garlic Spinach & Roasted Yams

Quinoa Big Bowl with Garlic Spinach & Roasted Yams
Recipe inspired by "Delicious Big Bowl-Quinoa Recipe" on 101 cookbooks

Last spring I discovered a simple, delicious, seasonal recipe for quinoa, potatoes and asparagus on Heidi Swanson's 101 cookbooks website. At that time local asparagus was in season and I enjoyed this recipe on several occasions. I was also inspired to create quinoa big bowls with different seasonal produce throughout the year. Thank you Heidi! Quinoa big bowls are another great way to get creative with what you have in your refrigerator or garden or what seasonal veggies are looking good to you at your market. Last week my big bowl involved a bag of organic baby spinach, a can of black-eyed peas and a lonely garnet yam.

In case you are unfamiliar with quinoa, it is a small seed that looks kind of like millet and is often mistakenly called a cereal or grain. Quinoa is not a true cereal because it's not a grass. It is actually a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium) grown as a crop primarily for its edible seeds. Quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, being secondary only to the potato, and followed in third place by maize. In contemporary times this crop has come to be highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete food. This means it takes less quinoa protein to meet one's needs than wheat protein. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten free and considered easy to digest. (Info gathered from various sources including wikipedia and my studies at the Australasian College of Health Sciences.)

Now that you know Quinoa is really a SUPER FOOD, here's the recipe!
In Health,
Miss Jolie Ann

Quinoa Big Bowl with Garlic Spinach & Roasted Yams

about 4 servings

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1 organic garnet yam, peeled and diced

organic extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves organic garlic, peeled and minced

1 bag or bunch of organic spinach

1 cup cooked organic black-eyed peas

sea salt & black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Rinse well the quinoa is a wire mesh strainer (fine enough that the quinoa grains don't fall out).

3. Warm a tbsp of olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add the quinoa and toast for about 5 minutes. Add the water and cover the pot. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes. Once quinoa is cooked, leave the lid on pot and set aside.

4. While the quinoa is cooking place the diced yam on a cookie sheet with a splash of olive oil and sprinkle of salt and pepper. Bake for approximately 30 minutes until the pieces are soft and slightly crisp.

5. In a skillet warm about 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and lightly brown for a few minutes. Next add the spinach and cover the pan. Let cook for about 5 minutes until the spinach is wilted but still bright green. Remove from heat.

6. In each serving bowl combine a portion of the quinoa, roasted yam, garlic spinach, and black-eyed peas. Devour.

Spanish-Spiced Yam & Garbanzo Bean Soup

This recipe is adapted from the Gypsy Soup recipe in the Moosewood Cookbook (1992 edition) by Mollie Katzen. I started cooking this recipe 2 years ago and it's a great simple soup with several variations. I love the eclectic combination of the spanish spices. When this soup is cooking your will kitchen smell amazing! I adapted the recipe so that my version is more in harmony with seasonal produce during the winter. I usually serve this soup with some toasted garlic ciabatta bread.

In Health,

Miss Jolie Ann

Spanish-Spiced Yam & Garbanzo Bean Soup
Yields 5 servings

2 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
1 large organic yellow onion-chopped
5 medium organic garlic cloves-chopped
2 stalks organic celery-minced
1 medium organic garnet or jewel yam-peeled and chopped
1 tsp organic sea salt
2 tsp organic paprika
1 tsp organic turmeric
1 tsp organic dried basil
a pinch of organic cinnamon
a pinch of organic cayenne
1 organic bay leaf
1-28 oz can of organic chopped tomatoes
1-14 oz can of organic garbanzo beans
3 cups water

1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 10 minutes until the onion is soft.
2. Add the garlic, celery, yam, salt and continue to sauté for another 5 minutes.
3. Add the paprika, turmeric, basil, cinnamon, cayenne and stir to combine the spices and veggies. Continue to sauté for another 5 minutes.
4. Add the bay leaf, tomatoes, garbanzo beans and water. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to medium.
5. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for approximately 20 minutes. When the yams are very tender the soup is done.
6. Remove the bay leaf and serve. This soup stores well in the refrigerator for several meals.