We’re into the season of veggie harvest and hearty soups! Food writer Chris Perrin brings two new vegetarian recipes to the table (haha!) to keep good company with your soup bowl… If you’ve been following his tasty contributions here each month, you’ll know that Chris has a cook’s certification from the Kansas City Culinary Institute, writes for BIAO Magazine, food-blogs at Blog Well Done, and is working on his own vegan cookbook. Enjoy!   ~ Jen

Pumpkin Panini and Apple-Seitan Sandwich

Despite the fact it signals the end of the growing season, Fall is the time for one last culinary celebration. Gone are the spring vegetables, the tomatoes, and the peaches. Still, every autumn, the Earth erupts forth in a great bounty of fruits and vegetables in such great quantities that the ground must know it will produce nothing for the next five or six months.

Okay, that might be a little overly dramatic, but how else can you explain the flood of apples, cranberries, pumpkins, squash, and other gourds that invade grocery stores across the country every October? The problem, though, is that most of Fall foods are usually thought of as desert (pumpkin pie) or are much maligned (cranberry “sauce” from a tin can.) Even the most inventive thing done with the mighty apple tends to be chopping it up and throwing it into a salad.

Photo: jslander

That all changes today. Today, we are going to elevate Fall fare into the fantastic. We are going to make sandwiches! (And they’re going to be veg friendly, too.)

Pumpkin Panini

Pumpkin is a nutritious vegetable that really does not get the credit it deserves as a savory ingredient. When roasted it has a satisfying, meaty flesh that has a subtle earthy flavor and is not nearly as sweet as you might think. This particular sandwich is paired with good mozzarella cheese, sun dried tomatoes, and basil for a pumpkiny twist on an Italian favorite.

• 1 small sugar pie pumpkin or about a pound of regular pumpkin
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 16 sundried tomatoes
• 12 basil leaves
• 1 loaf of vegan bread, cut into half inch slices
• 4 tablespoons of vegenaise or mayonnaise
• 1 medium tomato, sliced thinly
• 1 cup of shredded mozzarella (vegan or regular)

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

Prepare the Pumpkin

Wash the outside of the pumpkin thoroughly and pat dry. Cut into quarters and remove the seeds and stem. Coat with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Bake the pumpkin for forty minutes or until fork tender. Remove and set aside to cool. Once cool, cut into thin slices roughly the same width as the tomato. You may choose to remove the pumpkin’s peel or leave it on as you choose.

Make the Spread

As the pumpkin is roasting, prepare the sun dried tomato mix. The idea is to have a chunky spread, not a sauce. To make it, put the sun dried tomatoes, two tablespoons of the tomatoes’ oil, and the basil into a food processor and pulse. Add the olive oil one tablespoon at a time until it reaches a consistency you like.

Make the Panini

Construct the sandwiches by taking a slice of bread and spreading a tablespoon of vegenaise on one side and a quarter of the shredded cheese on the other. Starting this way will help to water proof the bread for the cooking ahead.

Stack the pumpkin, one-quarter of the sun dried tomato spread, and two slices of tomatoes on the cheese side in that order. Sprinkle a little kosher salt on the tomato and top with the other slice of bread.

Finally, to make this a panini, pull out a skillet and coat in a bit of your favorite nonstick cooking spray or olive oil. When the pan gets hot, put two sandwiches on it and press them with a second skillet or a cookie sheet weighted down with cans. Cook this way for two minutes, then flip sandwiches and cook them weighted down for two more minutes. If the mozzarella is not fully melted, put the sandwich in the oven for a few minutes.

Serve with pumpkin bisque for an awesome pumpkin meal.

Apple/Seitan Sandwiches

Photo: mharvey75

Many years ago, before I stopped eating meat, my friend V introduced me to this sandwich, which she made using good mild summer sausage. I have changed it to use seitan, my favorite of the vegan “faux meat” products.

• 1 package store bought seitan
• 2 tablespoons sausage spice mix or 1 tablespoon each of black pepper and thyme and a pinch of red chili flake
• ½ cup of Dijon mustard
• ½ cup of apple cider vinegar
• Hard rolls or French bread cut into quarter inch slices
• 1 apple, cut into long slices
• 4 slices Swiss cheese (vegans: use vegan parmesan)

The first thing to do is change the flavor profile of the seitan slightly. Because seitan is an Asian dish, it is normally flavored with soy sauce, but that flavor can be lessened by boiling the seitan. Also, boiling tends to soften seitan and make it easier to chew.

To do this, bring a pot of water to boil. Use water, not broth, but flavor the water with sausage spice mix. Boil the seitan for about 5 minutes. Take it out of the water and bring back to room temperature.

While the seitan is cooling, mix the mustard and the cider vinegar in a bowl with a whisk.

Construct the sandwiches by covering the bottom of a roll or a piece of bread with seitan and adding a piece of cheese, a few slices of apple, and topping with the mustard/vinegar mix.

For more of what is going in Chris’ lunchbox, on his dinner table, and on his party menus, as well as thoughts on food and culture, food in the media, and even the occasional recipe featuring meat, check out Chris’ food blog, Blog Well Done.

Here’s a new favourite summertime supper recipe — perfect for when those patio tomato plants are being just a bit too generous with their fruitful bounty.

Tiny tomatoes are apparently custom-made to be roasted with garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then tossed with lovely greens: the late-season regrowth of baby spinach and herbs fresh from the garden — and luscious Asiago cheese!

Vegetable – Asiago Pasta

3 cups cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 bag (about 4 cups) baby spinach leaves
1 pkg 450g spaghettini (whole wheat)
1/2 cup shredded Asiago cheese
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil or parsley (we prefer basil)

Photo credit: ms.Tea

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Toss the tomatoes with balsamic vinegar, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Spread them on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast 20 to 30 minutes or until the tomatoes are shrivelled up and lightly browned.

Scrape tomatoes and juices into large bowl, and toss in the baby spinach.

Prepare the pasta according to the package directions, or to your own taste.

Toss the cooked pasta with the roasted tomatoes and spinach mixture, Asiago, and basil or parsley.

Serve warm, with extra cheese.

This recipe serves 4-6, unless you’re very hungry or (like me) very very keen on Asiago-flavoured healthy pasta dishes!

Notes:

Asiago cheese is the perfect taste complement for the other flavours, by the way, so don’t even think about cheaping out and trying to substitute another type of cheese! Yes, I know Asiago is a bit more pricey than some cheeses, but really… sometimes you’ve just got to go for the real thing.

I’ve also faked this recipe fairly successfully with dried basil but it’s just not quite the same — so, please, do spring for the fresh green bunches at the grocery store, if you don’t happen to grow your own basil. Parsley is also acceptable, but really it’s second-best.

You know I’m usually all in favour of clever substitutions in the kitchen, but for this recipe — go with the real ingredients, that’s my advice!

I love the rich aubergine colour and fat rounded curves of eggplant — surely the most elegant and mysterious of vegetables.

The only problem with eggplant, as I see it, is finding a way to cook and serve it that won’t have the household running madly off to a fast-food joint.

Enter the dinner-saving low-fat Cheesy Eggplant Bake, full of vaguely Italian tomatoe-y goodness and covered with bubbly mozzarella.

All Recipes has a similar one, but the recipe I picked up during the Healthy Eating Challenge is quick and easy.

It’s also delightfully virtuous — something like 250 calories per serving, in that range.

This recipe serves four.
(Really, it does.)

Cheesy Eggplant Bake

1 large eggplant
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 jar (660ml) Bella Tavola Strained Tomatoes with Basil *
3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

* I didn’t have any Bella Tavola Strained Tomatoes with Basil lying around when I felt moved to bake this tonight, so I subbed in a can of crushed tomatoes, a little minced garlic, a little dried basil (because it’s still too early to grab some from the garden), a pinch of hot pepper flakes, and a splash of fat-free Italian dressing: perfect!

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking oil spray.

Slice the eggplant in half-inch slices.

Dip each slice (one at a time, using shallow bowls) in the beaten egg, then in breadcrumbs to coat.

Lay the eggplant slices on the baking sheet and bake for 25 mnutes, turning them over halfway through the cooking time.

Meanwhile, pour 1/2 cup of your strained tomatoes into a 9 x 13 glass baking dish — I use Corningware, actually, no problem — and arrange the eggplant on top so the slices just slightly overlap.

Pour the rest of the strained tomatoes on top, and sprinkle with mozzarella.

Cover with foil and put them into the oven (still on at 375 °F) for 30 minutes; then take the foil off and bake for 10-15 minutes longer until the cheese is a lovely golden colour and everything bubbles.

Well, look who’s been doing his own stint of “reality TV” — and it doesn’t get any more real than cooking in front of the television cameras, people.

Last week, the delightful Ken Hoyt hit AM Northwest to demonstrate his recipe for delicious Savory Bread Pudding with Blue Cheese Sauce.

Watch our Ken do his kitchen thing in this video from the TV show, then grab the full recipe at his own oh-so-stylish blog.

This bread pudding sounds like the perfect savoury and comforting dish for a cold winter evening. Best yet, it’s a meal that can be mostly prepared the night before. Come home and toss it into the oven, make the sauce, and enjoy!

The only thing that could make it more perfect would be Ken Hoyt in situ to share. You have to adore a lifestyle guru who can get away with saying things like this:

A cheese sauce adds a little bit of dignity to a whole bunch of things — like broccoli that may not be so yummy. But you put a little cheese sauce on it and you can choke down any good thing…

Amen to that cheese sauce, my friend!

A little bit of bacon goes a long way…

If you love the taste of bacon but try to avoid it because of all that saturated fat, Bacon Pie is a quick and easy brunch idea that goes a long way to satisfy that bacon craving.

The recipe makes two pies, so it easily serves 6 people — but works out to only one slice of bacon for each. See? You can indulge a taste for bacon, without blowing a healthy diet!

Bacon Pie

5 – 6 slices of bacon, cooked (not too crisp)
Basic biscuit recipe (dry ingredients only — or 2 cups of a commercial biscuit mix)
¾ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
½ tsp dry mustard
½ – ⅓ cup milk
1 egg
½ – ¾ cup plain yogurt

Pre-heat oven to 425°F. Grease two standard-sized pie plates (I use a bit of the bacon fat for this).

Combine the biscuit mix, grated cheese, mustard and milk to make a soft dough. Knead about 30 seconds on a lightly floured board. Divide the dough in half and spread each half into one of the greased pie plates.

Crumble the cooked bacon on top.

Combine the egg and yogurt, and spread this over the pies to cover the bacon.

Bake 15 minutes at 425°F.

Cut into wedges and serve warm.

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When I’ve had a busy day, it’s good to have a quick and easy recipe for a dish that everyone in the family likes. This quick quiche makes its own crust, so there’s no need to take the time to make pastry when we’re all in a hurry to eat. And it is even more satisfying because the quiche uses up those bits and pieces of leftover food that try to hide in the back of the fridge!

In summer I like to serve this tasty quiche with a fresh green salad on the side. In fall and winter, when lettuce gets quite pricey around here, we go with gently-steamed young carrots or a variety of crisp raw veggies with a splash of Ranch dressing for dip.

Self-Crust Quiche

Pre-heat the oven to 350 °F.

Whisk together:
      1 1/2 cups milk
      3 eggs
      2 Tbsp melted butter
      1/2 cup dry biscuit mix
      salt and pepper to taste

Add:
      3/4 cups grated cheese (the sharper the better)
      1/2 cup leftover cooked vegetables (we like broccoli)

Add whatever amounts you like of any or all of these:
      grated onion
      minced green or sweet red pepper
      diced cooked ham
      crumbled bacon
      diced tofu
      finely diced tomato, very well-drained
      grated Parmesan cheese

Pour this mixture into a large, lightly greased pie plate. Sprinkle a little paprika on top, if desired. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until it’s set in the middle. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Into every woman’s life comes a need for a special sweet treat, something impressive you can whip up in a hurry. Like, when you suddenly learn that your in-laws are coming for tea, and they’ll be here in an hour!

You can make an emergency trip to the bakery (if there’s time, and if it’s open), or you can scrabble around in the kitchen cupboards and use what you have on hand to make an ordinary dessert a bit more fancy, or some combination of the two. Keeping just a couple of key ingredients on hand for domestic emergencies will make it that much easier.

Here are a few of our favourite sweets to put together quickly for company:

• Drizzle a bit of coffee-flavoured liqueur over a dollop of vanilla ice cream, and top it with a few curls of dark chocolate. Or try a splash of creme-de-menthe on lime sherbet, garnished with a citrus twist.
• Fancy up a basic spice cake (got a mix?) or some store-bought shortbread cookies with a simple caramel icing
• Serve up a trendy Dessert Soup in goblets or small pretty bowls. Blend 1 cup of fresh or frozen strawberries with 1 cup of plain yogurt, chill, and mix with 2 cups of ginger ale just before dishing it out.
• Chunks of store-bought pound cake are made special with Venetian Cream, also known as Zabaglione — an astonishingly easy and versatile Italian custard.
• Don’t underestimate the power of a nice cheese plate!
• Skip the dessert and serve a really good perked coffee (whipped cream and cinnamon sprinkles are optional) with homemade chocolate-dipped spoons for stirring.