Morrocan Orange-Walnut Salad

Serves 4-6 (Note: this takes some time to prep., but it is delicious!)

6 Large Oranges
1 cup thinly sliced radishes
1 Tbs. honey (optional)
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp. cinnamon salt to taste

1 lb. mixed salad greens, cleaned dried and chilled
½ cup thinly sliced red onion

freshly ground black pepper
1 cup toasted walnut halves,
  (or chopped toasted walnuts)

At least one hour ahead: Peel and section the oranges using a serrated knife. First cut off the polar ends of the peel, then slice the peel off the sides. Cut in one side of the membrane and out the other using a gentle sawing motion, releasing each orange section into a bowl. Squeeze all excess juice from the remaining membrane into the bowl, and pick out the seeds if necessary. Discard the membrane. Drizzle honey if desired, and sprinkle cinnamon over the orange slices. Cover the bowl and let it stand at room temp. at least one hour.

Shortly before serving, toss the greens in a large bowl with the onion, radishes and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, add the oranges with all their liquid, and toss well. Served topped with walnuts.

Submitted by Cheryl Rowell, from Mollie Katzen’s The Enchanted Broccoli Forest

White Pizzas with Arugula

For the dough:
1 1/4 cups warm (100 to 110 degrees) water
2 packages dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
Good olive oil
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
Kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, sliced
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

For the topping:
3 cups grated Italian fontina cheese (8 ounces)
1 1/2 cups grated fresh mozzarella cheese (7 ounces)
11 ounces creamy goat cheese, such as montrachet, crumbled

For the vinaigrette:
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces baby arugula
1 lemon, sliced

Preparation:
Mix the dough.
Combine the water, yeast, honey and 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. When the yeast is dissolved, add 3 cups of flour, then 2 teaspoons salt, and mix on medium-low speed. While mixing, add up to 1 more cup of flour, or just enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with the flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to the bowl.
Knead by hand.
When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead it by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic.
Let it rise.Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Make garlic oil.Place 1/2 cup of olive oil, the garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook for 10 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn't burn. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. (Be sure your oven is clean!)
Portion the dough.
Dump the dough onto a board and divide it into 6 equal pieces. Place the doughs on sheet pans lined with parchment paper and cover them with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
Stretch the dough.
Press and stretch each ball into an 8-inch circle and place 2 circles on each sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (If you've chilled the dough, take it out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes ahead to let it come to room temperature.)
Top the dough.
Brush the pizzas with the garlic oil, and sprinkle each one liberally with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the pizzas evenly with fontina, mozzarella and goat cheese. Drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon more of the garlic oil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the crusts are crisp and the cheeses begin to brown.
Make the vinaigrette.
Meanwhile, whisk together 1/2 cup of olive oil, the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Add the greens.When the pizzas are done, place the arugula in a large bowl and toss with just enough lemon vinaigrette to moisten. Place a large bunch of arugula on each pizza and a slice of lemon and serve immediately.

TIP Make sure the bowl is warm before you put the water and yeast in; the water must be warm for the yeast to develop.
TIP Salt inhibits the growth of yeast; add half the flour, then the salt, and then the rest of the flour.
TIP To make sure yeast is still "alive," or active, put it in water and allow it to sit for a few minutes. If it becomes creamy or foamy, it's active.

from Ina Garten

Whole Beet Skillet

Serves 2 - 4

4-6 medium beets with fresh greens
2 Tbsp butter
1-2 Tbsp lemon juice
1-2 Tbsp ginger root (peeled and minced)
1-2 Tbsp honey

Cut greens off beets, leaving about 1” of greens on them. Place beets in large saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beets are tender when pricked with fork, 15-30 minutes, depending on size. While beets are cooking, remove stem from beet greens. Chop stems in 1” pieces. Chop greens separately. Drain the cooked beets and rinse with cold water. When beets have cooled enough to handle, slip peels off with fingers. Cut beets in slices. In saucepan sauté stems in 1-2 tablespoons butter until tender. Add greens and sauté until bright green and just tender. Add sliced beets and heat through. Stir in lemon juice, ginger and honey and serve immediately.

From Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert

Sweet Winter Squash Pie

Serves 8 to 10

1 10” single pie crust, unbaked
3 cups cooked, pureed winter squash
2 Tbsp molasses
3/4 cup honey
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups cream

Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl, combine the squash, molasses, honey, spices, salt, eggs and cream. Mix until completely smooth. Pour the filling in to the prepared pie crust and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake for another 45 minutes, until the custard is set.

The City Gardeners Cookbook (Seattle’s P-Patch Gardens)

Napa Cabbage Salad with Apples & Pecans

1/2 head Napa cabbage
2 stalks bok choi
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
2 apples, diced
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely broken

Dressing:
1/2 cup canola oil or other light-flavored oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 pinch celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger, very finely minced
1/2 teaspoon brown mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
2 tsp sugar or honey

Cut the cabbage leaves 1/4” wide strips. Chop bok choi stalks into 1” pieces; leaves into strips. Mix dressing ingredients and let rest for 5 minutes.

Toss together all salad ingredients with the dressing.

From www.recipezaar.com

Shallot Vinaigrette

1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. water
1 shallot
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Chill and serve over salad.

Morrocan Orange-Walnut Salad

Serves 4-6 (Note: this takes some time to prep., but it is delicious!)

6 Large Oranges
1 cup thinly sliced radishes
1 Tbs. honey (optional)

½ tsp. cinnamon

1 lb. mixed salad greens, cleaned dried and chilled
½ cup thinly sliced red onion
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
salt to taste
freshly ground black peppe

1 cup toasted walnut halves, (or chopped toasted walnuts)


At least one hour ahead:
Peel and section the oranges using a serrated knife. First cut off the polar ends of the peel, then slice the peel off the sides. Cut in one side of the membrane and out the other using a gentle sawing motion, releasing each orange section into a bowl. Squeeze all excess juice from the remaining membrane into the bowl, and pick out the seeds if necessary. Discard the membrane. Drizzle honey if desired, and sprinkle cinnamon over the orange slices. Cover the bowl and let it stand @ room temp. at least one hour.

Shortly before serving:
Toss the greens in a large bowl with the onion, radishes and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, add the oranges with all their liquid, and toss well. Served topped with walnuts.

Submitted by Cheryl Rowell, from Mollie Katzen’s The Enchanted Broccoli Forest

Polly's Pumpkin Soup

Serves 6 – 8

Butter for browning
1 pound cooked pumpkin*
1/2 cup diced onions
1 T. honey
12 oz. mushrooms
A dash of nutmeg
3 T. flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 tsp curry powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup half-and-half

In a large pot, melt the butter and brown onions and mushrooms. Stir in the flour and mix to combine. Stir in the curry powder, broth, pumpkin, honey, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the half-and-half and heat until just warm.

*Optional green sauce: 1 cup yogurt mixed with chopped chives, parsley, and green onions.
Ladle the soup into bowls and place a dollop of the green sauce on top if desired.

*Notes: We actually prefer this soup without the “green sauce” on top. I cook the pumpkin by quartering it, cleaning out the seeds and pulp, and then microwaving it until tender. Scoop the cooked pulp out of the skin and puree it in a processor.

Submitted by Margery Prazar

Asian Style Pasta

Serves 4

3 Tbs. soy sauce
3 Tbs. rice vinegar
2 Tbs. smooth peanut butter
1 Tbs. honey
3 garlic cloves minced
2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
2 eggplants (~ 1 lb. each) peeled and cut into ½ inch chunks
8 oz. snow peas, strings removed, halved diagonally
2 red bell peppers, ribs and seeds removed, cut into ½ inch wide strips
8 oz. papardelle or similar pasta

In a large bowl whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, peanut butter, honey, garlic and ginger; set aside.

Steam eggplant (turning occasionally) about 15 mins., Add peas and peppers and cook until these are crisp-tender and eggplant is tender (~5 min.). Remove steamer from pan.

Cook pasta until al dente.

Combine pasta and vegetables and toss with soy mixture. Serve warm or at room temperature. To make it more spicy add up to 1 tsp. of crushed red pepper to the sauce.

Submitted by Cheryl Rowell summarized from Everyday Food

Sauteed Greens

3 Tbl oil
1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 large clove garlic, crushed
1 leek sliced thin (or 2 scallions)
6-8 c bulky greens, chopped (kale, chard, beet greens, collards...)
1/4 c dry sherry or Chinese rice wine
1 Tbl vinegar or fresh lemon juice
1 tsp honey (optional)
2 Tbl tamari

Heat oil. Add garlic, ginger and leek. Sauté briefly. Add greens to coat with oil. Add sherry or wine, vinegar or lemon juice, honey (optional), and a few drops of water. Continue sautéing greens until tender. Add tamari just before serving. Remember that fresh greens shrink in cooking!

Notes: We do not use honey in cooking, as Ayurvedic knowledge says this alters the honey in an undesirable way. However, it is fine to stir the honey in at the *end* of cooking if you want that sweetness.

Variation: Sliced radishes are good to add in too!

Patti Andrews

Muesli Pancakes

Makes 10-12 pancakes

1 cup quick cooking oats
¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup skim milk
¾ cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup plain yogurt
¾ tsp each baking soda and baking powder
1 medium to large apple, cored, peeled and grated
3 eggs, beaten
¼ cup butter, melted, or ¼ cup vegetable oil

Stir together the oats, milk, yogurt and apple in a large mixing bowl. Allow to sit for 15 minutes. Add the eggs and stir to combine. In another bowl, sift together the flours, soda, and baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the oat mixture and stir well. Add the butter and mix. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a hot, lightly oiled griddle; cook over medium heat until well browned on both sides.

Serve with syrup, honey or jam.

Submitted by Cheryl Rowell; From the Stonyfield Farm Yogurt Cookbook by Med Cadoux Hirshberg

Butternut Squash and Tomato Bisque

Serves 6

Ingredients:
3 to 4 tablespoons butter or mild vegetable oil, such as corn or peanut
1 large onion
3 to 4 cups of chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes with their juices
1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
4 cups freshly made butternut squash puree (or pumpkin puree)
Salt to taste

Preparation:
In a 10-inch skillet, melt the butter or heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and sauté slowly, stirring often, until limp but not brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in 3 cups of the stock and let simmer, partially covered, about 15 minutes.

Pour the tomatoes with their juice into a food processor. Add maple syrup or honey and puree. Add the butternut squash and puree again. Strain the stock and add the onions to the processor. Puree again. Add the tomato/squash/onion puree to the stock. Season. Reheat and serve hot.

Sage pesto is an excellent garnish.

From Dairy Hollow House Soup and Bread