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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.

mustard maple pumpkin apple soup + macadamia gremolata

October 13, 2015 By Danielle 12 Comments

Last weekend left me more breathless than I’ve been in quite awhile. Do you ever have days where you have a full schedule, but somehow it’s an open invitation for the unexpected to happen? I try to keep my weekends soft and quiet, but occasionally there is a birthday, or I must tend to those necessary life obligations (like getting the car tuned up). Occasionally there is a friend’s final game to support. And occasionally all of this is somehow scheduled for one Saturday. There’s never a good time for your dog to eat something alien and unpleasant – but the oddest of aspects will prevail in the busiest of times, without fail. The only conclusion the vet was able to come to was that my dog is a one year old lab, and her very nature in life is to put foreign things in her mouth. We suspect green tomatoes. But my point is that a couple green tomatoes are equivalent to a late car appointment, a missed ride, a consequential (although beautiful) foot trek to the game, a lot of sweat, and fatigued birthday libations. Those moments where you can’t decide if the universe is laughing at you, conspiring against you, or opening your eyes to a bigger picture.

In the midst of the insanity was such a brilliant clarity. I made time to browse the modest stands of our weekend farmer’s market, quaint as it may be, and was able to meet some wonderful souls and talk apples. Our area isn’t known for its orchards, it is predominately the land of ranchers. But to discover those that are doing it, I was there in every dimension. I ended up purchasing a bag of humble mcintosh (a genuine reminder of the roads I dare call home). Their scent, deep and heady.

I did what any crazed brain would do – I souped some of them with a sugar pumpkin and called it fall. If you’re concerned that the soup is too sweet, fear not – the apples are tart (even green may be a viable option) and the mustard, thyme, and gremolata keep it grounded. I invite you to try it and if you do, let me know what you think. There are indeed many more ingredients to be celebrated besides pumpkin and apple, but the nurturing truth is that these elements are unfailingly fun, and seasonally whimsical. Mustard maple, pumpkin apple, autumn leaves are falling, soup.

Sweet autumn air sweetest friends – if you have green tomato moments you aren’t alone (except that we are able to eat them as humans).

5.0 from 2 reviews

mustard maple pumpkin apple soup + macadamia gremolata

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Author: Rooting The Sun

Ingredients

1 medium sugar pumpkin, skinned and cubed
1 lb tart apples (red or green), diced
1 large red onion, chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
½ tbl fresh thyme
1 tbl grapeseed oil
2 tbl maple syrup
1 tbl mustard
3 cups of vegetable stock (+ 1 cup for thinning and blending)
salt and pepper to taste
gremolata:
1 / 3 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup parsley, chopped coarsely
juice and zest of 1 lemon
l large garlic clove, minced finely

Instructions

heat oil in a dutch oven or large soup pot over medium-high heat. add thyme and red onion and cook until slightly softened. add garlic and cook just until fragrant.
add pumpkin and apples and cook until gently browned, 5-10 minutes. stir in maple syrup and mustard and cook to coat all ingredients, 1-2 minutes.
add vegetable stock and bring all to a boil. reduce heat, partially cover pot, and lightly simmer soup until vegetables are tender - about 30 minutes.
meanwhile assemble gremolata. in a medium bowl combine macadamia, parsley, lemon juice, lemon zest, and minced garlic.
when soup ingredients are tender, carefully transfer to a blender (in batches if necessary) and puree. thin any unwanted thickness out with additional vegetable stock.
return soup to heat and add salt and pepper to taste. enjoy soup in bowls garnished with gremolata.

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.

Fig Salad with Crispy Chanterelles

August 8, 2015 By Danielle 2 Comments

It’s August and what I can’t seem to figure out is how July is now behind us. In September I’ll be resetting my clock for another year and I will either be casually or dramatically (haven’t decided yet) reminded that years are infinite in theory but time is concrete in practice. This is ironically highlighted by my desire for a watch.

Today we are having thunderstorms for breakfast. Today I will look at my dog and understand that she knows me really well. If the sun doesn’t come out we’re still going to be jovial. If the clouds continue to gather we will address them personally. If she doesn’t like the taste of thunderstorms she doesn’t tell me.

A general buzz and hum is nesting sweetly in the kitchen- for it is that I have acquired both fruit and fungus for inspiration and illustration.

While chanterelles may grow in the black hills, the pacific northwest will always be the beacon in my mind. Foraging is somewhat of a sweet insanity that includes chasing the rain and training your eyes. The satisfaction is quite endless, verging maniacal at times.

And mania is easily calmed by the deep sweetness of figs.

There is something quite initial about figs to me, as if they are the primary source – the originators.

I have a summer salad I want to share with you. Peppery arugula, raw figs, green apple, gorgonzola, and chanterelles pan crisped in butter. This is gathered by a simple pepper vinaigrette, which I find quite complimentary of the already assertive flavors.

While this salad cannot bring back lost time, I do believe that it may briefly stop it.

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