Apple Cranberry Relish

(recipe from Saveur magazine)

1/8 cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cups fresh or frozen and defrosted cranberries
1 sweet apple, cored, peeled, and roughly chopped
1 1/4 cups unsweetened apple juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Cook garlic and onion until soft, 6-8 minutes.  Add cranberries and apples; cook until cranberries burst and apples are tender, about 15 minutes.  Add apple juice, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is slightly dry, about 45 minutes.  Let cool slightly and transfer to a food processor; pulse until coarsely ground.  Serve cold or at room temperature.

Polenta

(recipe from The Vegan Gourmet)

1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. salt
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Heat 4 cups water to a simmer over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.  Crush oregano with a mortar and pestle to a fine consistency, or crush thoroughly with your fingers, then add to the water along with the salt.  Pour in the cornmeal in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer about 20 minutes, stirring almost constantly with a wooden spoon.  As it cooks, the polenta will thicken.  When it is thick enough to pull away from the sides of the pan, the polenta is done.  Stir in the olive oil.  Pour the hot cooked polenta into a loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap so it does not dry out, and allow it to cool at room temperature for at least 1 hour, or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Polenta can be sliced and heated as desired.  Serve with sauteed veggies.

Toasted Muesli with Millet, Coconut, Pistachios, and Cranberries

(recipe from Whole Living magazine)

1/3 cup boiling water
1/2 cup whole millet
2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
3/4 cup shelled pistachios (I used walnuts)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup honey
1 Tbsp. coconut oil (I used olive oil)
1 tsp. fine-grain sea salt
2/3 cup dried cranberries (I used frozen cranberries)

In a bowl, pour boiling water over millet, cover with a plate, and let sit until softened, 30 minutes.  Drain.

Heat oven to 325F.  In a large bowl, combine drained millet, oats, pistachios, and coconut flakes.  (I also mixed in the frozen cranberries.)

In a small saucepan, bring honey, oil, and salt to a boil.  Pour over millet mixture and stir until combined.

Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring once, until golden, about 20 minutes.  Once cool, stir in dried cranberries.  Muesli keeps, stored in an airtight container, two weeks.

(Even with all of the substitutions I made, this was lovely.)

Curried Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Swiss Chard

(recipe adapted from The New York Times)

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
One 1-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
1 1/2 tsp. garam masala
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded if desired, then minced
4 to 5 cups vegetable broth as needed
2 lbs. orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups dried lentils
1 bay leaf
1 lb. Swiss chard, center ribs removed and diced, leaves thinly sliced
1 tsp. kosher salt, more to taste
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1/2 lime

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion and saute until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.  Add garlic, ginger, garam masala, curry powder and jalapeño.  Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Stir in 4 cups broth, sweet potatoes, lentils and bay leaf.  Increase heat to high and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes.  (If lentils seem dry, add 1 cup stock, or more if needed.)  Stir in chard and salt and pepper, and continue cooking until lentils are tender and chard is cooked, about 30 to 45 minutes.

Just before serving, stir in cilantro, lime zest and juice.

(Good flavor and fairly easy to make.  Keeps well.)

Curried Sweet Potato Latkes

(recipe from a magazine, not sure which one)

1 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes
1 small onion
1/2 cup raisins
2/3 cup flour
3 eggs
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. kosher salt

Peel and shred the sweet potatoes and transfer to a large bowl.  Grate or shred the onion, and add to the sweet potatoes along with the raisins and flour.

Separately in a small bowl, beat the eggs with the curry powder and salt.

Add the egg mixture to the sweet potato mixture and mix with your hands or a spoon.

Warm 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Drop 1/3-cupfuls of mixture into skillet and fry, pressing with a spatula to flatten, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side.  Keep warm in a 200F oven until ready to serve.  Serve with sour cream, if desired.

(Since one of my least favorite things is frying patties in a skillet, I put the entire sweet potato mixture in a large pie plate and baked in a 350F oven for 45 minutes.  Then cut into wedges.  Very delicious!)

Zucchini Eggplant Rolls

(recipe from Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine)

Eggplant slices:
1 large eggplant
Salt
Olive oil

Tomato sauce:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil (or 1 tsp. dried)

White bean puree:
One 15-oz. can cannellini beans
1/4 cup pine nuts (I used walnuts)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. fresh herbs (oregano, thyme, and basil are nice)

1 zucchini, cut into 3-inch matchsticks
1/4 cup breadcrumbs

Rinse the eggplant.  Cut off the top and bottom ends, so that the eggplant can stand vertically on a cutting board.  With a long knife, cut it vertically into slices 1/4-inch thick.  The first and last slices will have too much skin for easy rolling, so those will not be needed.  Choose your best eight slices (I used all of my slices) and gently rub both sides with salt.  Place them in a colander in the sink and allow them to drip for 30 minutes.  This tenderizes the eggplant and removes its bitterness.

While the eggplant sits, prepare the tomato sauce.  Saute the garlic in olive oil over medium heat until lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, red pepper, salt, and black pepper.  Lower the heat and simmer 15 minutes, breaking tomatoes apart with the back of the spoon.  Stir in basil.  Simmer over very low heat while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Preheat the over to 350F and return to the eggplant slices.  Rinse them under the faucet and pat them dry.  Brush both sides with olive oil and place on a baking sheet.  Roast for 20 minutes, until the thinner parts of the slices are golden brown.

While the eggplant roasts, prepare the white bean puree.  Put all the ingredients in a food processor and puree until uniform and smooth.  (If you have any leftover, this puree also makes a great spread for crackers and tomato sandwiches.)

When the roasted eggplant slices are cool enough to handle, assemble the rolls.  Thinly spread about a tablespoon of white bean puree across a slice of eggplant, then lay 3-4 (or more if thin) zucchini matchsticks across one end.  Beginning at that end, roll the eggplant up and place it in a baking dish, seam down.  When all of the rolls are in place, spoon the tomato sauce over them and top with breadcrumbs.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are golden.  Serve with pasta, risotto, or polenta.

(A bit of an effort, but very delicious!  So flavorful!)

Squash with Olive Oil and Garlic

(recipe from Maine magazine)

1 whole buttercup squash
1 head of garlic
Olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Place the whole buttercup squash on a cookie sheet.  Take the head of garlic, cut the top tips off, and place on a piece of aluminum foil.  Drizzle olive oil on top,  Wrap the foil around the head of garlic and put it on the cookie sheet.  Place squash and the garlic in the oven.

In 30 minutes or so, take the garlic out, if soft.  In an hour, take the squash out, if very soft.  Prick with a metal skewer to test.  Cut the squash in half, remove the seeds, and put the soft flesh in a bowl.  Add the roasted cloves of garlic to the squash, along with a little olive oil, and mash until the consistency is uniform.  Add salt and pepper to taste.