Dinner Archives - Rooting The Sun

pumpkin seed risotto + delicata, kale, apple

October 20, 2015 By Danielle 8 Comments

every day i’m opening my heart to one more thing, and never one less. i’m trying to understand a wide and varied perspective. i’m getting excited for new avenues as they reveal themselves, while paying homage to the ones traversed. to be lifted is to lift another. to make room, to be full. the moments where i’m seeking versus the moments where i know. i find that the things i anticipate will never have as big an impression on me as those that occur amongst the wealth of surprise. it’s when we least expect it that we’re taken for change and transformation. but i will never settle. we must absorb and digest to grow. compromise and take turns. when i get to the top i like to look up at what’s higher. and what’s up there is what i am.

we’re having sincerely fall-like weather. the skies are grey and the sun is a reflection in the eyes of the clouds. there are fat drops of rain occasionally hitting the ground. the summer vegetables that remain in the garden are protesting – some have attempted to lay down, others are quietly asking for release. the winter crop is stretching into the cold, welcoming the accompaniment. the garlic has peeked quietly from beneath its warm bed – i will keep it safe until the spring (a fantastical season we occasionally experience). daily i’m recording the union of vegetation and seasonal compass.

today in autumn, a risotto of pumpkin seed. the directions require an eight hour soaking prior to cooking – i highly recommend this step in order to soften the seeds while improving their digestibility. i’ve borrowed and influenced the risotto technique from my new roots – this is an excellent method for surpassing the use of a pressure cooker (while working with seed). my delight in this dish is solid, and i welcome you. i welcome your eyes, and i welcome your ears. i welcome what autumn means to you, and what emotions seasonality strikes within you. i encourage you to change the pace, if just for a second, just to feel that stir.

pumpkin seed risotto + delicata, kale, apple

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Author: Rooting The Sun

Serves: 2-3 servings

Ingredients

2 cups pepita (hulled pumpkin seed)
1-2 cups unsalted vegetable broth
2 shallots, sliced thin
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 / 4 tsp salt
1 / 4 tsp cayenne
1 small-medium delicata squash
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp honey
1 / 2 tsp cumin
1 / 4 bunch of curly kale
1 tsp chili powder
1 red or green apple, shaved or sliced thin
juice of 1-2 limes, for serving
cilantro, for serving

Instructions

soak pumpkin seeds in filtered water for eight hours. once softened blend ½ cup of pumpkin seed with ½ cup of water until broken down, set this mixture aside.
preheat oven to 400 degrees. slice delicata in half and scoop out the inner pulp. cut the squash into half moons and dress with oil, honey, and cumin. the skin does not require removal, it will soften with roasting. lay upon a medium baking sheet.
prepare kale by removing stem and tearing into smaller pieces. massage oil and chili powder into kale and lay out on a small baking sheet.
place delicata in oven. while roasting, heat 1 tsp of oil to a medium sauce pan and and sautee shallots until translucent, about 5 minutes. add garlic and heat until fragrant.
add remaining pumpkin seeds, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp cayenne, and 1 cup of broth and bring to a soft boil. reduce to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes. this is also the time frame you want to roast the squash in. the last ten minutes add the kale to the oven and roast until crisp.
the pumpkin seeds are ready when they have absorbed the liquid but also maintain a bite. if broth remains in pumpkin seeds and they appear cooked, remove lid. dually, if they seem to require more liquid, add it lightly and continue to cook with the lid off.
add reserved pumpkin seed and water mixture and heat - this will result in a thicker consistency for the risotto base.
serve risotto with delicata, kale, apple, lime, and cilantro.

red lentils, apple, leek, pomegranate + sage cider tahini dressing

October 18, 2015 By Danielle 6 Comments

sunday and the sun is high and bright. no obligations and no delay in autumn absorption. often in the past i have garnered anxiety for extremely lazy sundays – feeling the notion that there must be something to be done. where my inability to be idle has stemmed from i will never know, my speculations are too soft. what i do realize more and more is that we are nothing if we are unable to embrace the quiet and slow moments as they come. it’s in those moments that we are able to harmonize, relate, and open ourselves to intimacy. in those slow and stilled moments we are able to listen, internalize, react, and provide gratitude. strength for when we’re busy is curated by silent and sweet sundays (whatever day of the week that may be for you).

in the slow moments we can theorize. we can examine the pallid tree leaves with no scrutiny to the season or discrimination to the cold. we can leave vegetables for the neighbors. we can ask our garden what it needs, and be able to hear it when it tells us. we get to collect wisdom for the days when we may live to be considered wise. or wiser than before. i get to open the refrigerator and question the integrity of some of the contents. maybe research the stargazing conditions for the next week while simultaneously making plans to miss some of them. we allow ourselves to drink in the painted autumn landscapes before all is white and white is all there is. the hills are high, the sky is wide and long, and the valleys and meadows are open arms.

red lentils, apple, leek, pomegranate + sage cider tahini dressing

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Author: Rooting The Sun

Ingredients

1 cup red lentils
1 large leek, sliced lengthwise and chopped (top removed)
1 large apple (tart or sweet), diced
1 pomegranate, arils removed
sage dressing:
2 tbl tahini paste
2 tbl grapeseed oil
3 tbl water
1 tbl apple cider vinegar
1 / 8 tsp honey
1 tbl finely minced fresh sage

Instructions

rinse and pick across red lentils, removing any hard debris. fill a small pot with two cups of water and combine with lentils. bring lentils to a boil over medium-high heat, and reduce to the softest simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, 30 at the very most.
while lentils are cooking heat 1 tsp of oil in a medium skillet and cook leek until soft and lightly browned.
lentils will be tender when finished - drain any excess water if needed and transfer lentils to a large bowl or platter. toss lentils with leek, apple, and pomegranate.
to make the dressing, mix in a medium bowl the tahini, oil, water, vinegar, honey, and sage. serve to dress the salad.

Notes

for this recipe i used red lentils. i would like to note that red lentils often have the tendency to become 'mushy' when cooked. this is why i keep the simmer much to a low while cooking. if this is an unwelcome texture or possibility feel free to use other lentils and the outcome will remain delicious.

Sweet and Sour Eggplant Salad

September 29, 2015 By Danielle 2 Comments

The earth releases a pleasant and deep sigh and then it is autumn. The heat has escaped calmly and slowly, easing itself out backwards. In its place: a caressing breeze, an azure-sea sky, turmeric-golden tree leaves, and the definitive shift of pressures and change of season. The air that cradles our lungs is crisp, and we feel as though we could stroll forever – bleeding seamlessly into the atmosphere and fall landscapes. This is fruition to me – my favorite season. A lightness, a fullness, a sweetness, a spiciness. A period of harvest, farewell, greeting, and contentedness. A beautiful vehicle to the season of hibernation and quiet. We are kindred in spirit.

We’ve been enjoying the final whispers of our eggplants. They were very good to us this year – instrumental in producing all shapes, sizes and colors. As the inevitable frost will be the finality of some crops – it will bring a revitalization to others – such a harmonic aspect of the garden. Kale, for instance – an undeniable sweetness is invited to its leaves once frost has been tasted. But indeed we are bidding our eggplants a final descent. And to myself and them I muse – why not allow them a presence in the seasonal atmosphere?

I entitled this dish as a salad because I was generally at a loss. It’s lovely, seasonal, somewhat conversational, and a delight on the taste-buds. I think it’s best served atop rice or over a bed of spicy greens. Good tidings brings sweet and sour eggplant, coupled with fennel, green apple, and walnut.

Is it autumn where you are?

Sweet and Sour Eggplant Salad

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Author: Rooting The Sun

Ingredients

1 lb eggplant sliced thin/diced (depending on size)
1 tbl grapeseed (or preferred) oil
Sweet and Sour Sauce:
2 tbl rice vinegar
1 tbl tamari
2 tbl brown sugar
¼ tsp fish sauce
¼ tsp arrowroot powder
½ bulb fennel sliced thin/shaved
1 green apple cored and diced
½ cup walnuts lightly crushed

Instructions

heat oil in a medium skillet and sautee eggplant over medium-high heat until golden/brown, 5-7 minutes.
whisk together ingredients for sweet and sour sauce.
lower heat, make a well in the center of the sauteed eggplant and pour in the sauce.
allow to bubble and thicken slightly and incorporate the eggplant into the sauce. if it becomes too thick add a tablespoon or so of water.
combine sliced fennel, apple, and walnut. add eggplant.
garnish with fennel frond and sesame seeds
serve with rice or atop a bed of mixed spicy greens

Notes

use ingredients and measurements as a guide, adjust accordingly to taste and stock.

Curried Risotto with Squash Blossoms

August 15, 2015 By Danielle 6 Comments

There is a vague tension behind my eyes from being open for so long today. I feel like I saw a lot of things but didn’t really see anything. Do you ever get this feeling? I like opening the freezer and sticking my head inside of it on really hot days. This is not a very economical practice but one that brings fleeting contentedness. And since it’s so hot outside I am giving you risotto to eat. How this equates in my brain is beyond me and the planet Mars but I think all weekends should be filled with big bowls(/bellies) of satisfaction and delight. If you are looking between me and the stove and shaking your head vigorously then simply save this for a mere month. Squash plants are avid producers and will give to you until the very end.

Squash blossoms are pretty. It’s that deep yellow that forever has me transfixed. They begin to yawn so beautifully in the early morning, stretching out to welcome the bees. It’s no surprise that you can eat them. We get to eat so many attractive foods in this life. When selecting them for edibility I make the single recommendation that you choose male flowers (no fruit attached) so to not disturb your future crop of squash.

Despite my oculars telling me that sleep is a necessary horizon, I welcome the notion. I like the feeling of possibility that arrives in the morning of a new day. There is a slight giddiness to my frame that is accentuated by an endless cup of black chai tea. This is every morning. Like I am the squash trying to attract the bees. I really enjoy having their presence in the garden (and so do the squash plants). This year I was bent on planting flowers to maintain a bee population – this is one of the greatest things you can do. I once did a school project about their importance. Without bees we don’t eat. But with bees we get curried risotto with squash blossoms.

Curried Risotto with Squash Blossoms

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

Author: Rooting The Sun

Serves: Serves 2-4

Ingredients

1 tbl grapeseed oil
1 medium white onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
2 medium carrots chopped into coins
1 tsp minced lemongrass
1 cup aborio rice
1 tsp turmeric
¼ tsp coriander
¼ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp garam masala
¼ cup shredded coconut
½ cup white wine
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups heated vegetable stock
8-12 squash blossoms, stamens removed
dab of grapeseed oil
¼ tsp cumin

Instructions

To begin: Heat grapeseed oil in a large pot and cook onion and carrot until translucent and softened. Add garlic and lemongrass and heat until fragrant.
And then: Add aborio rice and toast until coated with oil. Add turmeric, coriander, chili powder, garam, and coconut and stir into rice and vegetable mixture.
Risotto: Add wine to pot and stir slowly until absorbed by the rice. Repeat this process with the coconut milk. Once absorbed, slowly add the heated vegetable stock - one cup at a time, making sure to give the rice time to adjust. Reduce heat/remove from heat once rice has cooked.
Squash blossoms: Add squash blossoms to a small saute pan with a dab of oil and cumin and heat.
Bowl: Serve risotto garnished with squash blossoms and coriander.

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