Tennessee Locavore

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Winning over Pear Haters with Red Cabbage, Pear, and Cranberry Slaw with Maple-Yogurt Dressing

Thanks for visiting my blog.  Please come visit me at my new site, Mouth From The South!

My husband has a severe aversion to pears.  I've tried feeding him the most delectable, melting specimens of pears in order to woo him over to the pear side.  How can you not like a fruit that gets so juicy when it's dead ripe that there is no way to eat one without juice running down your arm?  I've tried impressing him with how sensual of a treat they are.  I mean - this is a fruit with lady curves.  How can you not get behind a fruit this sexy?  What the hell is wrong with him?

All of this has been to no avail.  The man does not like pears. And despite all my ways to tempt him (or torture him - just ask him about the time I slipped him some pear Jelly Bellies), he's not been swayed.  The taste and the texture do not appeal to him.  Since he's not much of a picky eater, I just avoid cooking with them.  However I'm not averse to eating a pear in front of him with as many disgusting noises of ecstasy as I can muster.  Don't feel sorry for him - he knew what he was getting into when he married me.  He walked into this eyes wide open.

So, when it came to this week's Fall Fest ingredient, I overlooked all the recipes that involved large quantities of butter.  Because, clearly I would be the only one eating this and my hips and thighs have enough fat stored for the winter.  I made this delectable slaw and my husband came in and scooped up a mouthful while I watched with bated breath.  He chewed it thoughtfully and said "This has pears in it, right? It's not bad. I'd eat this."  People - if the pope himself swept in and canonized this slaw, it couldn't be higher praise than my husband's words.

This is one of the easiest slaws I've ever made and I couldn't stop eating it.  The dressing is addictive - it's such a simple combination but it's pure win.  I even used fat-free yogurt in it.  I'm still not sure how a fat-free item made it into our house but it needed to be used up so there you go.  Even with fat-free yogurt, this dressing was delicious enough to make me scrape the bowl with my finger.  Although, if I made it again, I'd make it with yogurt that had a higher fat content.

Red Cabbage, Pear, and Cranberry Slaw with Maple-Yogurt Dressing
Adapted from Cooking with Shelburne Farms

1 small shallot, minced
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (I used grade B)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar 
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 medium head red cabbage (around 1 1/2 pounds), cored & thinly sliced
1 cup fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped, or 1/2 cup whole dried sweetened cranberries (I used dried)
1 large ripe but firm pear, unpeeled and cut into matchsticks

Whisk together the shallot, maple syrup, cider vinegar, yogurt and salt together in a large bowl.

Toss together the cabbage, cranberries and pear with the dressing. Adjust seasonings to taste and let sit for at least 30 minutes.  I thought this was best when it had sat for several hours. 

 

Please click here for a printable recipe!  

Please join us by participating in Fall Fest 2010!  Post on your blog or in the comments or join us on Twitter by using #fallfest.

 

Apple Loaf Cake - A Sweet Slice of Fall

 

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Let me put my biases & handicaps up front.  I am not a fan of most low-fat, "healthy" baked goods.  I think they're usually one note as far as flavor goes and are crammed with so much sugar that you risk putting yourself into an insulin coma after eating them.  They're usually not much lower in calories than regular baked goods (again - because of all the sugar) and they don't satisfy me which seems to be a common problem with most low-fat baked goods.

I also am not that much of a baker.  Oh, I can make cookies, brownies, quick breads and even make a good pie crust.  But baking is not my strength so the idea of tinkering with a recipe is a bit scary for me.  But I'm determined to get out of my comfort zone - the only thing I'm risking is that a recipe won't turn out and that's not that big of a deal, is it?  

With that being said, when I was looking for a recipe that used apples I kept coming back to a recipe I had marked at one point in my favorite cookbook, Passionate Vegetarian.  I had found several other recipes from other sources I thought would be tasty but something about this simple loaf cake intrigued me.  The other recipes I was contemplating trying all sounded delicious but they all seemed to be drowning in fat with sour cream, cream and/or butter being used in such liberal quantities that the apples seemed almost an afterthought.  Apples are so delicious and so in season now that I wanted a recipe that celebrated apples.  I wanted a recipe that stressed that pure apple flavor, rather than smothering it.

Even so, I was a bit hesitant to use the whole wheat pastry flour that the author, Crescent Dragonwagon, suggested using instead of regular all-purpose flour.  I didn't want the cake to be too heavy and even though I've had very good results using whole wheat pastry flour, I felt a bit reluctant to add another "healthy" substitution to an already fairly low-fat cake.

I don't know why I ever doubted Crescent.  I'm sorry and it won't happen again.  This is a seriously delicious cake.  I made my husband hide it from me because during the course of two hours, I ate a third of it by myself, sliver by sliver, using the excuse that I had to neaten out the ends.  This cake tastes like fall - redolent with spices and with such a strong apple flavor.  It's got substance but it's in no way heavy.  I loved it so much as is that I never even thought to try to make it with regular flour.  Everyone I've served it to has enjoyed it and asked for the recipe.  It's going in our regular rotation.

I'm not a huge fan of raisins or nuts in baked goods.  Instead of using raisins, I substituted dried cranberries in for the raisins and left the nuts out.  I think the cranberries went very well with this cake and I wouldn't hesitate to use them again, even if I was making this cake for devoted raisin lovers.  I also decided to substitute butter in for the canola oil in the recipe.  If you'd rather use canola oil, go ahead.  Use 1/4 cup and increase the applesauce to 1 1/4 cups.  It's delicious both ways but I'm a devoted user of butter in all things baked so I tinkered and found that I liked it with the butter just a little bit more so that's the recipe I'm posting.  The recipe suggests sprinkling with powdered sugar for serving but I love it as is.

Please make sure you use high quality spices in this recipe.  Don't use the canister of cinnamon that's  been sitting in your pantry since 2004.  My local food co-op sells bulk spices so you can buy very small quantities of whatever spices you need.  You can also purchase wonderful spices online from Penzeys. I am in love with their Vietnamese Cinnamon.  I also consider their double strength vanilla a necessity in my kitchen.

 

Sweet Harvest Applesauce Breakfast Bundt Cake
Adapted from Passionate Vegetarian
Makes one 9-inch bundt cake, one 8-inch loaf cake or three 5-inch loaf cakes

Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, plus a little extra for the pan
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8-10 vigorous gratings of nutmeg
Dash of ground cloves
Dash of ground allspice
1/2 cup dried & sweetened cranberries
2-4 tablespoons walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons applesauce
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Equipment: 9 inch bundt pan, 8x4 inch loaf pan or three 5x2 inch loaf pans. (I used the 8-inch loaf pan) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Prepare your baking pan. Spray pan with cooking spray.  Dust the inside of the pan with a little flour, knocking out the excess.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. Reserve 1 tablespoon of this mixture and place in small bowl, along with the cranberries & nuts (if using). Toss this mixture well and set both bowls aside.

Combine the sugars with the egg, applesauce, melted butter and vanilla.  Using a wooden spoon, gently mix the flour mixture into the applesauce mixture.  Stir until combined and stir in cranberries (and nuts if using). 

Spoon the batter into your prepared pan.  Bake for 30-35 minutes(My pan took 40 minutes). Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into loaf to see if it comes out clean. Remove pan from oven and let cool on a wire rack for ten minutes.  Run a knife around the edges of pan and turn over onto the rack and rap sharply on the bottom of the pan to remove cake from pan. Let cool completely(if you have more will power than me!).

Please click here for a printable recipe!  

Please join us by participating in Fall Fest 2010!  Post on your blog or in the comments or join us on Twitter by using #fallfest.

 

 

Curried Onion & Spinach Pizzas and Why Curry Doesn't Suck

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I'm going to be honest with you.  I'm not a big fan of the flavor of curry.  It's not that I've ever hated the taste, I just never found myself craving it like I do some foods.  And a few years ago, an episode of food poisoning turned my meh attitude towards curry into an active dislike.  It wasn't the curry's fault.  Strangely enough, it was Greek food that was the culprit but curry was the unfortunate victim.

I'm kind of a weird bird though.  I hate having aversions to food.  I have very few of them and they tend to be oddly specific.  I hate cooked raisins and black walnuts.  Other than that, just about everything I can eat.  Granted - there are things I'm not super fond of (nuts in brownies) but I can eat them without feeling ill.  The idea of not being able to eat a food because it contains a certain ingredient irritates me.  I can think of few things more annoying than being a picky eater - not that it irritates me in other people but it irritates me to be the one picky one.

My curry aversion has had a strange hold on me so I've turned it into a project over the last couple of years.  I started out by adding it back in to my diet in small doses in a spoonful of food.  When I could handle that without feeling sick, I added it to foods that I really love.  So when I saw this recipe in Vegetarian Planet, I decided to give it a try. 

What did I think of this pizza?  I really liked it.  I'd love to rave on and on about it but I think that's still beyond me when it comes to curry.  But this recipe was really tasty and I would make it again.  Leftovers were eaten gladly and I think I might be able to finally move past my curry aversion.  The sweetness of the onions, the vegetal greenness of the spinach, the spices all mixed with the butteriness of the cheese makes this a win.  I did increase the cooking time for the onions and I liked more cilantro on it than the recipe called for.

Curried Onion and Spinach Pizzas
Adapted from Vegetarian Planet
Makes two 8-inch pizzas

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups sliced onion
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 garlic clove, minced
5 cups packed spinach leaves, large stems removed
Salt & freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons chopped cashews
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Your favorite pizza crust recipe - this is mine. This recipe will make four 8" pizzas and the toppings are enough for two pizzas.  Either double the toppings recipe or save the extra dough for later.

 Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Place pizza stone in oven to heat for an hour before baking.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until they turn light brown. Add curry powder, fennel seeds and garlic.  Cook, stirring for 1 minute.

Add spinach and 1 tablespoon water and stir until spinach wilts.  Season with salt & pepper.

Divide full recipe of pizza dough into four balls.  Put two of those balls back in the fridge to use later. Roll the other two balls out into two 8 inch pizzas.  Sprinkle a flat cookie sheet or pizza peel with cornmeal, then place the pizza dough onto the sheet.  

Top the pizzas with the spinach onion mixture. Slide pizza directly onto the baking stone.  Bake for 5 minutes.  Remove pizzas, sprinkle with mozzarella and the cashews and cook for 3 minutes more.  Top each pizza with cilantro, cut into pieces and serve.

 

Please click here for a printable recipe!  

Please join us by participating in Fall Fest 2010!  Post on your blog or in the comments or join us on Twitter by using #fallfest.

 

Camel Crickets and a Winter Squash & Potato Casserole with Gruyere Cheese

Thanks for visiting my blog.  Please come visit me at my new site, Mouth From The South!

Whenever I leave on a trip, I only need one guess in order to know what my husband will be eating while I'm gone - mashed potatoes.  Sometimes he mixes it up and makes hash browns and if he's feeling particularly crazy, he might make potatoes au gratin. My boy loves potatoes.  And really who can blame him?  They're one of the most comforting foods known to mankind.  

What makes my husband's potato love even more amazing is how traumatized he was by a bad potato experience.  When he was thirteen, his grandma sent him to the root cellar underneath the smokehouse to get some potatoes for Sunday dinner.  Marcus opened the door and as he did so, in his own words, about a billion camel crickets were on the back of the door and jumped on him.  After jumping up and down while screaming like a banshee, he made a pact to never enter the root cellar again.  In our house, my husband is the regular bug smasher or remover, except if it's a camel cricket.  We've only had two in our house during the seven years we've lived here but each time, I've been brought in to dispatch it.  Ask him about the camel cricket move I do with my hand on his arm to freak him out.

I have a lot of love for potatoes, this despite the fact that my parents once tried to kill us by feeding us about three tons of potatoes.  Ok - maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. But it honestly seemed like three tons of potatoes at the time.  When we lived in Brentwood, TN, my Dad put in a rather large garden.  As I remember, he planted two rows of potatoes.  I remember feeling like Almanzo from Farmer Boy when it came time to harvest them. I remember my Dad being a bit flummoxed by the quantities of potatoes that we harvested. The rest of that summer, lunch consisted of a potato with cheese melted on it.  Amazingly enough, the potatoes were so good, my brother and I didn't get sick of them.  But we do refer to it as our potato year.

Monday night, we had our neighborhood potluck and I needed to make something to bring.  I tend to bring vegetarian dishes to potlucks because I have so many friends that are vegetarians and I want there to be something they can eat at these functions.  These dishes also have to be Southern potluck worthy which usually means they need to not be too weird and it's always a winner if it involves cream or cheese.  

As I browse the web, I save recipes that I want to try later.  Doing a search on recipes containing potatoes, I found a wonderful casserole posted by Marisa McClellan who writes the wonderful blog, Food In Jars.  If you want more information about canning and preserving food, her blog is a must read.  I've gotten so many helpful tips and advice from her site.  

This casserole is delicious on so many different levels.  It's true comfort food but the sage and the nutmeg fancy it up a bit.  The sweetness of the winter squash adds a bit of twist to the standard mashed potato casserole.  It's light and fluffy and the Gruyère cheese mixed throughout the dish and sprinkled on top makes it truly amazing.  I was told by our friends and neighbors at the potluck that this was totally blog worthy.  Since it was the first dish gone, I think we found a winner.

Potato & Winter Squash Casserole with Gruyère Cheese
Adapted from Marisa McClellan
Serves 10-12 as a side dish

2 lbs potatoes, peeled,sliced in half and cut into 1/2 inch slices(choose a good mashing potato - I used Yukon Gold)
2 lbs winter squash, peeled,sliced in half and cut into 1/2 inch slices(I used butternut)
2 cups shredded Gruyere Cheese (this is about 9 ounces)
3/4 cups shredded Parmesan (this is about 1 ounce)
4 tablespoons butter
3 eggs, beaten
3-4 finely minced sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the potatoes & squash.  Cover, reduce heat and cook at a slow boil until soft (this took us 25 minutes).

While potatoes and squash are cooking, grate cheese and toss together.  Reserve 1 cup for sprinkling over the top.  

Drain potatoes and squash, reserving one cup of cooking water.  Return potatoes and squash to pot and mash well.  Add butter and 1 3/4 cups of cheese and mix well.  Add seasonings, stir and taste.  Adjust seasoning if needed.  Let cool for 5-10 minutes and stir in beaten eggs.  Add reserved cooking water until mixture is just slightly pourable.  

Pour potato & squash mixture into a baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees until until the top is browned and the casserole bubbles (this took us 45 minutes). Serve!

 

 

Please click here for a printable recipe!  

Please join us by participating in SummerFest 2010!  Post on your blog or in the comments or join us on Twitter by using #summerfood.