Currently viewing the tag: "autumn"
Autumn comes and goes fast. In an attempt to slow down the season already pushed into streetlamp snowflakes and Christmas music, let us eat its bounty and keep in mind that the about a Winter Solstice is a month away. Autumn Dins is here. Here is a photo rundown of my intrepid dinner party, dish-by-dish.
Lite Noshes:
What brings out a veggie’s best features than a roast? I roasted a golden beet, a black radish, and a yellow onion and set out as an appetizer, accompaniments to the Grape, Sunflower Seed Arugula Salad. Since some can’t handle potent root vegetables, they sat on the side.
The Asparagus Tart with White Bean Pesto. This delicious starter’s puff pastry was one of the few items not made totally from scratch. Another one was the can of Navy Beans, a special small white bean that used to be a Navy staple. Unfortunately I did not take a shot of it all puffed up and golden brown as that marked the mad dash for dinner preparation. I was doing quite the juggling act.
Homemade Apple Sauce:
I knew I needed a sweet bite on the plate. I whipped up a big bowl of homemade apple sauce from some gorgeous Gala apples. I don’t know that I will ever eat jarred applesauce again. Simple perfection. I kept it chunky however I have been meaning to break in my potato ricer. Maybe next time…
Before and after.
Ah, the time I had during my advance prepping.
Winter Squash with Spiced Butter:
The majority of my dinner’s recipes were veganized versions of Bon Appetit‘s Thanksgiving issue. More advance prep, making the spiced butter from Earth Balance..
Did you ever grind whole nutmeg? What a pretty little pattern inside.
The Winter Squash in Spiced Butter & Pomegranate Seeds.
Cornbread Sausage & Pecan Dressing:
Probably my favorite part of the dinner.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Shallots and “Salt Pork”:
Well-loved by an omni-guest. Score!
Tamarind Seitan Kabobs: I got this recipe from Vegan YumYum. The Tamarind sauce was so damn good and the seitan, succulent. The Electrician grilled these up on the grill.
Seitan from scratch is the only way to go. That packaged stuff is kind of gummy. Plus you can infused your blob of vital wheat gluten with lots of flavor.
Braising in veggie broth.
Time to make the kabobs.
All ready to go.
Apple Cider Cake: Dessert of course. A big win by VCTOTW.
It was involved but with a big pay off. Here, whole cinnamon, allspice, and cloves simmer in some apple cider.
This mixture combined with an apple butter mixture… so you can imagine how flavorful this cake was.
Scrumptious!
I finally got to sit down and eat with my intimate group of guests and shared a toast. Happy Autumn! I am thankful for delicious food and true friends… and the ability to distinguish the difference. xo, v.v.
On the way to the farm we stopped at a new all-vegan bakery in Verona, New Jersey: Cupcraze. As per usual, when visiting an out-of-state bakery, I have to get at least 2 cupcakes. I chose this one above, their delicious banana split cupcake, and I am glad that I did. The moise banana cupcake was sprinkled with chocolate chips, topped with a smooth vanilla buttercream, chocolate drizzle and a maraschino cherry.
I had to also taste their festive chocolate cupcake with the subtly green buttercream and a fondant ghost. I never had vegan fondant! This was a nice, sweet bite that energized me after the drive back down state, before evening festivities.
And of course, a chocolate chip cookie. I have to always try a bakery’s chocolate chip cookie. I am happy to report that these cookies were spot-on vegan replicas of Linden’s cookies, a favorite of mine growing up.
Requisite shot of the bakery display case. So pretty…
Cupcraze is just a few weeks old. Check them out if you’re in their area and give them your support. They have plenty of gluten-free options and a great selection of delicious cupcake favorites.
And after the farm we had to hit the amazing Garden Cafe on the Green, Woodstock, NY’s all-vegan cafe. I have been hitting this spot for years now and it is always impresses. They do their simple dishes well, with love, care and attention to detail. We sprung for the quesadillas. These are really elevated quesadillas: not oily and over-stuffed with wet veggies. The olive is all you need… and guacamole, salsa and a dab of sour cream [store-bought].
My entree: The Fall Vegetable–Wild & Brown Rice Saute with Brussels, crispy tempeh with red wine mushroom sauce, a heavenly butternut squash terrine with pistachio gravy and sauteed kale and cabbage. Perfect bite of autumn.
Here is a gorgeous shop of the trees of Harriman, New York. I love autumn in New York!
Acorn squash. You know it is autumn when the barrels of acorn squash appear at the market, along with the pimply, phallic gourds. I started fantasizing about roasting acorn squash last weekend, thinking about biting into that taunt, black skin. In my fantasy, the acorn squash was steamed soft. But in the real world, I wanted caramelization, bubbling brown sugar sapping up the soft orange innards.
I have no clue how to ascertain the ripeness of an acorn squash. It turns out that one of my squashes was a bit ripe, the other a bit dry and fibrous. Both were about to take a brown butter bath at 350 degrees, so no big deal really. Oh, I was inspired by this recipe and photo spread. (From the “Pioneer Woman” and her like million dollar kitchen.)
Earth Balance and brown sugar (still using vegan granulated and blackstrap molasses since I have ample regular sugar) and rosemary. Boom! A glorious spread. I can see this being fantastic atop a sliced yam. I used dry rosemary just to not have to make a trip. I’m sure it is much, much more fragrant with fresh rosemary.
After an initial roast, each wedge got a dollop of the sweet stuff, then back in the oven.
And that’s autumn on a plate.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! When glorious autumn is seasonal. Chilly mornings give way to bright, potent sun. This often short-lived delicate balance is my favorite time of the year. And autumn eats are my favorite, too. Heartier, Earthier… I ❤ autumn!
So now, with a stream of sun and cool breeze entering the kitchen, my first installment of autumn cooking: Apple Sausage Wild Rice Stuffing
1 loaf old bread, chopped {spread on a baking sheet and heat for 15 minutes or so at 350 to firm up fresh bread}
1 package (16 oz) of vegan mushroom soup {I used portobello}
1 (8 oz) package vegetable broth
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup wild rice, cooked {I used the rest of the brown rice that was laying around and mixed it in with wild}
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup sunflower seeds {I wanted to finally finish off the bag of sunflower seeds in the pantry. The bread I used was seeded too. Next time I’d go for pecans.}
1/4 cup apple, chopped
1 Field Roast apple & sage sausage link, sliced
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and spread in a pan. 350 for about an hour, covered. Let it go uncovered for the last 20 minutes or so.
This delicious stuffing looks kind of seedy. More textures to tempt you with!
Another spectacular part of autumn are the sunsets. The sun and clouds looked ablaze, looked like the atmosphere of another planet.
And I will end this post with the most photogenic of the root veggies, my favorite, the beet.
There are those who love beets… and others.
The cold weather means a weekly batch of soup. Soul-warming soup. We’re still here in autumn so here is a preview of my looming soup-a-thon, a scrumptious carrot and coconut milk soup in autumn’s color.
Acorn squash stuffed with wheat berry, pecans, cranberry and green onion. A hearty edible bowl. If I was a superhero or super villain, I’d throw acorn squashes.
And while we’re in autumn, in light of the sun’s new position, Devendra Banhart. Can I like Devendra Banhart again? He got kind of annoying at some point. Here, we won’t look at his strange headware.
After making it to my dinner destination the night before, the day following my birthday was a bit more open. I wanted to wander a bit, remove myself from the track of routine set destination. But I knew I had to get good coffee and a baked good before exposing myself to the pace and rhythm of the Catskills. I started the day at Alternative Baker in Rosendale, a quaint little town 20 minutes or so from my motel in New Paltz. They had several vegan muffin options available but I opted for the strawberry-lemon. Looking out the lace curtains to the waking town before me, Rosendale seemed an idyllic small town. With its independent movie house, its tiny little recording studios, The New York Times on the bakery table and a lack of Paladino for Governor signage, I understood the allure of upstate New York. I was content as the resident pooch sniffing my boots under the table… and the muffin was moist and delicately delicious.
But I had to make the most of the morning if I wanted to make in back to the city in time to share dinner and drinks with my people. I needed to see fall’s foliage. It was one of the main reasons I opted to day trip north. And the region’s deciduous trees were wearing their finest peak colors and would soon be losing leaves. It is the deciduous trees of the temperate forest that trumps all other climate zones. Having an autumn birthday, I have always associated the colorful fall–trick or treat weather–with excitement. Below are some of my best shots, delivering us from Rosendale to New Paltz and into Woodstock for lunch.
Ah, lunch at Garden Cafe in Woodstock. This is one of my absolute favorite restaurants. Everything is always spot on: flavorful, fresh, thoughtful. Even a simple tofu sandwich is transformed into magic with a delicious curry base, sliced mango, caramelized onion and red pepper pressed into a scrumptious panino with amazing texture and taste. Even the side of greens is absolutely delish!
Time to head home!
Today was probably the most beautiful day ever this year. And I got to spend it was my little nieces and nephew, wandering around a corn maze under a bright Mr. Blue Sky. Though I forgot my camera at home, a 4 MP point & shoot did the trick, capturing all the day’s treats.
The girls with a squashed eggplant. Squash and eggplant: mmmmm.
Baby foot is the cutest thing ever invented.
That or Ring Pop-inspired smiles!
This weekend’s gorgeous crispy blue autumn sky was the perfect pairing for pumpkin. Autumn is my favorite time of year for many, many reasons. Fleshly squash varieties, pumpkins the color of foliage and their twisting curious stems, goosenecked, rumply crumpling gourds with acne, peanut pumpkins–to name a few. 
The Electrician‘s porch, hit by the Pumpkin Patrol. Also hit unsuspectedly, my folks house, in the early morning. 
There’s no time of year I like more than autumn. Crisp and rustling days with their Earth tones, a thick-socked morning giving way to as-long-as-you’re-in-the-sun afternoons and a fleece blanket draped night, draped–not buried. And chili is appropriate again. Chili, the perfect cool-weather eat. With some heart and some heat and as a vehicle for chopped green onion, my favorite garnish, chili travels well, gets better through the week and does wonders for my sinuses. Plus color! Topped with some fresh green and yellow, chili reels in the compliments during lunch.
Dear Beets,
I like the way you stay on my hands for hours, how peeling your earthened skin reveals the most vibrant purple-red. I think you invented purple-red. If I were born a root in the ground I, too, would grow the most vivid innards, like yours. I’d let my color bleed and ooze in pattern, in contrast, with all the bright, shocking life I could. I’d take over a dish, too, because I could.
I think if you bit a heart it’d have the feel of a boiled beet, like soft wood.
These photos are not enhanced in anyway but look! Look at how gorgeous they are. I have an irrational love of the beet. I’d like to wear one around my neck.
So these are the two fillings for my autumn ravioli for FoodSparrow’s Thanksgiving potluck. On the left, buttercup squash and sage filling, blogged here, and on the right, Vegalicious‘s beet ravioli.
Digressing from my beet love to get down to the nitty gritty, let’s talk making pasta. It is really, really easy but very time-consuming. Semolina flour makes a soft and bindy little blob of dough.
And it’s super easy to stretch this blob thin.
Not having a ravioli cutter, I used a regular old cookie cutter to shape my ravioli after dropping teaspoons of filling on the stretched dough. Jeez, this took a while. In order to avoid hasteful waste, I had to take 10 minute breaks, rating songs on iTunes and posting nonsense to facebook.
Wishing on many semolina stars, I wished for time and energy in heart and mind: The time and energy to extend their beat and pulse beyond the epidermis.
Some of the seams were thin so my fork did the trick and also made my ravioli look like bloomed flowers and a sunbeams. Sorry this is such a corny post.
Instead of immersing these delicate little babies in boiling water, I used Vegan for the People‘s method of steaming them in a small puddle of water and olive oil. This worked quite well!
I forgot to mention the sauces! On the left: roasted garlic and walnut sauce (here again) and on the right: fava bean sauce (here again). Both were delicious and easy to make! And fava beans, I never had them before. Hannibal Lechter kinda turned me off to them.
Finally I get to eat! AFter a really log morning of prepping this dish, I was able to eat some of the “irregular” ravioli and still have a ton for the potluck. Hope they are well received!
Hey baby, Wanna date?
So here starts my re-emergence into the kitchen… Adapting Nicole’s recipe (here) I whipped up some pecan date dirty blondies. Dirty because, as you can see below, these are hardly golden yellow. They are the hue of raw cane sugar, rich molasses, the color of crunchy autumn leaves, a mousy blondie with surprise nibbles of sweet, Medjool dates. And drenched in sweet cream cheese icing. Mmmmm. A totally adult dessert, these blondies are perfect with a hot tea or cidar. Now if only New York City’s temperatures can stay below 60 degrees.
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