2
Contents Starters Crescent wrapped baked apple brie
4
Bruschetta with tomato + basil
5
Sides Green bean salad
6
Sweet corn, bacon + tomato salad
7
Mains Pulled pork
8
Roasted eggplant with greek yogurt + pomegranate seeds
10
Winter squash soup
11
Pork roast with apples + onions
12
Cold sesame-peanut noodles
13
Crockpot Chicken with Butternut Squash, Pears + Cranberries
14
Cheaper than borscht lentils
15
Crockpot caramelized pork ramen soup with curry roasted acorn squash
16
3
Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) can Pillsbury refrigerated crescent rolls 1 (8 ounce) round Brie cheese 1/2 apple, sliced thinly
Prep: 5 min Total: 30 min Servings: 10
1/4 cup brown sugar 1 egg, beaten and crackers apple slices for serving
Preparation 1.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Unroll dough; separate crosswise into 2 sections. Press each section into 6-inch square, firmly pressing perforations to seal. (Scrape some of the white outer skin off the Brie, if desired.) 2. 3.
Place the Brie on center of first dough square.
4.
Arrange apple slices on top, and sprinkle the brown sugar on top of the apples.
5.
Pull up the sides of the bottom dough square, then place the remaining dough square on top of the Brie, apples and brown sugar.
6.
Press dough evenly around cheese, pressing to seal completely. Brush beaten egg all over the dough. Place on cookie sheet.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. If you serve it piping hot, all of the cheese with escape. Serve the Brie with crackers or apple slices. 7.
4 Crescent Wrapped Baked Apple Brie
Prep: 15 minutes
6 or 7 ripe plum tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more or less to taste
Total: 20 minutes
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
1 baguette French bread or similar Italian bread
Servings: Makes 24 small slices.
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
*To thinly slice basil leaves, stack the leaves on top of each other and roll up like a cigar. Then make thin slices from one end of the basil cigar to the other.
Ingredients
6-8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced* or chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt, more or less to taste
Preparation Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. As the water is heating make shallow cuts in a cross pattern at the tip ends of the tomatoes (this will make the tomatoes easier to peel). Once the water is boiling, remove the pot from the heat. Put the tomatoes in the hot water and blanch for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and let sit until cool enough to handle. Then gently peel off the tomato skins. Cut out the stem base with a paring knife. Cut the tomatoes into halves or quarters and squeeze out most of the juices and seeds. 1.
Preheat the oven to 450째F (230째C) with a rack in the top slot of the oven. Finely chop the tomatoes and place them in a medium bowl. Mix in the minced garlic, 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, and the balsamic vinegar. Stir in the thinly sliced basil and add salt and freshly ground black pepper, adding more to taste. Note, tomatoes love salt; you may need to add more than you expect. 2.
Use a bread knife to slice the baguette on the diagonal making half-inch thick slices. Brush one side of each slice with olive oil (a pastry brush helps here) and place olive oil-side down on a baking sheet or roasting pan. The baguette slices will toast best in the top rack of your oven, so you may need to work in batches to toast them all. When the oven has reached 450째F (230째C) place the slices in the oven on the top rack and toast for 5 to 6 minutes until lightly browned around the edges. 3.
Arrange the toasted bread on a platter, olive oil side facing up (the olive oil will help create a temporary barrier keeping the bread from getting soggy from the chopped tomatoes). Either serve the toasts plain with a bowl of the tomato bruschetta mixture on the side for people to top their own, or use a spoon to gently top each toasted bread slice with some of the tomato mixture. If you top each slice individually, do it right before serving. 4.
Bruschetta with Tomato + Basil
5
Ingredients 1/4 cup whole almonds (about 1-1/2ounces) 4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce 1 pound green beans, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Prep: 5 mins Total: 15 mins Servings: 4
2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 large garlic clove, pressed
Preparation 1.
Place almonds in small nonstick skillet. Stir over medium heat until almonds are lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.
Increase heat medium-high. Add 3 teaspoons soy sauce and stir until soy sauce evaporates and coats almonds, about 1 minute. Transfer to plate and cool. Chop almonds. 2.
Cook beans in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain. Rinse beans under cold water. Drain well. (Almonds and beans can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover almonds and store at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate beans; bring to room temperature before continuing.) 3.
Whisk vinegar, oil, garlic, ginger and remaining 1 teaspoon soy sauce in large bowl to blend. Add beans and toss to coat. Sprinkle green onions, cilantro and almonds over salad and serve. 4.
6 Green Bean Salad
Ingredients Prep: 10 mins
4 slices of thick-cut bacon
Total: 20 mins
1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
Servings: 4-6
cut kernels from 4 ears of corn (about 2 cups) 3 cups halved cherry tomatoes 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 3 tablespoons cider vinegar salt + pepper to taste
Preparation 1.
In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon to a plate and set aside.
Turn heat down to medium-low and add onions to the bacon drippings in the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion has softened – about 5 minutes. 2.
Add corn, turn heat back up to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until corn is tender and just starting to brown in spots – about 7 – 10 minutes. 3. 4.
Remove corn and onion mixture to a large mixing bowl and let cool for about 10 minutes.
5.
Meanwhile, cut the bacon crosswise into thin slices. Add the sliced tomatoes, bacon, basil, and vinegar to the bowl with the corn.
Sprinkle in a big pinch of salt and some fresh ground black pepper. Toss everything together, let sit for a few minutes, then toss again and taste. Add more salt and/or pepper if needed. Serve immediately at room temperature. 6.
Sweet Corn, Bacon + Tomato Salad
7
Ingredients Pork 1 head garlic, cloves peeled and minced 2 tablespoons kosher (grainy) salt 1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Sauce 1 cup apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup molasses or brown sugar 1 tablespoon chili flakes Other: maybe beer, pickle juice, worcestershire, mustard, tabasco, apple juice
Juice of one fresh lemon 1 (7 to 7 1/2 pound) bone-in pork shoulder with the fat on top
Preparation: 1.
If you’re not going to marinate it, preheat the oven to 350F.
Mix minced garlic, salt, oregano, vinegar and lemon juice together in a bowl. Pat pork dry all over. Using a small sharp knife make 1 inch deep slits on all meaty sides, twisting the knife to make small openings. (Don’t poke the fat, there is no reason to.) Push some of the garlic mixture into the openings with fingers. Rub remaining garlic stuff all over roast. 2.
3.
Marinate overnight or pop it in the oven now with the fat side up. Roast covered for an hour and a half.
Meanwhile, make your sauce by boiling all your sauce stuff together for a while. ~10 minutes. Pour it into a liquid measure. 4.
After the hour and a half is up, pour about half your liquid all over the roast, and let it roast uncovered for either: -3 1/2 hours at 350F: pretty good -5 hours at 275F: better 5.
8 Pulled Pork
When you feel like it or as frequently as every 30 minutes, use a brush to baste the roast with the liquid around it. If it starts running out of liquid, pour more liquid in there. If the liquid gets down to less than a cm it might start to caramelize then burn. 6.
When your time is up, move the roast onto a platter and let it sit without cutting into it for 10 minutes. This is called “letting the meat rest” it is important. 7.
In the meantime, put whatever sauce you have left together with the liquids in the roasting pan. If there’s more than a cup boil it down so you have about a cup. If you have less than a cup that’s ok. If you have a lot less than a cup I would suggest making more sauce. 8.
Use two forks to pull meat apart. Put meat in a bowl and pour sauce over. Scrape any crap out of the roasting pan into there also. 9.
Prep: 20 mins Total: 6.5 hours Servings: 20
9
Ingredients 2 large eggplants or a few smaller ones 1/3 cup olive oil dried thyme 1 pomegranate
juice of 1 lemon 1 tablespoon olive oil + drizzle to finish 1 small minced garlic clove Pinch of salt
Prep: 10 mins Total: 1 hour Servings: 4
1 tablespoon za’atar spice or a mix of sesame seeds, marjoram, and cumin 2/3 cup greek yogourt
Preparation: Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut eggplants in half lengthways. Use a knife to cut lines about ½ inch apart into the cut side of each eggplant half. The lines should go pretty deep but not go through the skin on the other side. 1.
Place the eggplant halves, cut side up, on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil. Keep on brushing them until all of the olive oil has been absorbed. Sprinkle with thyme and a bit of salt and pepper. Roast for about an hour. The flesh takes a long time to cook and should be very soft and a medium-brown colour. Remove from oven and leave a little time to cool. 2.
While the eggplant is cooking, cut the pomegranate into quarters. In a large bowl full of water, submerge the pomegranate and your hands. Break apart the pieces of pomegranate. The seeds will fall to the bottom and the flesh will float on top. Do this until all the seeds are in the bowl. Skim off the flesh and pour out the seeds into a strainer. 3.
To make the sauce, mix together the yogourt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and the pinch of salt in a bowl. If you let this sit for a while the garlic flavour gets really intense so be forewarned. Put the sauce in the fridge until you’re ready to eat. 4. 5.
Assembly: spoon sauce over eggplant halves. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and za’atar spice, and put a tiny drizzle of olive oil on top.
10 Roasted Eggplant with Greek Yogurt + Pomegranate Seeds
Ingredients Prep: 20 mins
Soup
Total: 30 mins
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or olive oil
Servings: 8
1 large onion, finely chopped 4 large garlic cloves, chopped 3 14 1/2-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth 8 cups 1-inch cubed pieces of peeled butternut squash (about 2 squashes)
1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh thyme 1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh sage 1/4 cup milk Croutons 24 1/4-inch-thick baguette bread slices 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme 1 teaspoon minced fresh sage
Preparation For soup Melt butter or oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sautĂŠ until tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, all squash and herbs; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes. 1.
Working in batches, puree soup in blender (or use a hand-blender in the pot). Return soup to same pot. Stir in milk; bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill. Rewarm over medium heat before serving.) 2.
For croutons Preheat broiler. Arrange bread on baking sheet. Broil until golden, about 1 minute. Turn over. Sprinkle cheese, then thyme and sage over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil until cheese melts, about 1 minute. 3. 4.
Ladle soup into bowls. Top each with croutons and serve.
Winter Squash Soup
11
Ingredients Pork 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil 1 whole Pork Shoulder Roast (also Called Pork Butt) Salt And Pepper, to taste 4 cups Apple Juice 1 cup Beef Stock
1 whole Bay Leaf Wild Rice 2-1/2 cups Wild Rice 4 cups Water
Prep: 15 Minutes Total: 2 Hours Servings: 8
3 cups Chicken Stock 1/2 stick 4 Tablespoons Butter 1/2 cup Chopped Pecans
3 whole Apples, Cored And Cut Into Wedges 3 whole Medium Onions, Sliced
Preparation 1.
OPTIONAL: Saute onions until brown. (Or you may just add them raw to the roast.)
To make the pork roast, heat olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Salt and pepper pork roast, then sear on all sides to give it some color. 2.
Reduce heat to low. Add apple juice, apple slices, onions, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 3 hours. (Or you may place in a 300 degree oven if you prefer.) 3.
Toward the end of the cooking time, make the rice: melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add pecans and saute for a couple of minutes. Add wild rice and liquid, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until all liquid is cooked out. 4.
When the roast is done, remove the roast, apples, and onions to a platter. Raise heat to medium-high (to high) and boil liquid, reducing it until thick and rich. 5. 6.
Spoon thick sauce over the roast, then cut the roast into slices. Serve with apples, onions, and wild rice.
7.
(Note: add fresh thyme or rosemary to the roast before cooking if you have it on hand!)
12 Pork Roast with Apples + Onions
Ingredients Prep: 20 mins
Kosher salt
Total: 1 hour
12 ounces flat Chinese egg noodles
Servings: 6
3/4 cup strong brewed green tea 1/3 cup natural peanut butter 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup rice vinegar (not seasoned) 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, plus more for topping 1 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 1 1 -inch piece ginger, peeled 1 small clove garlic 2 carrots, finely grated Chopped fresh cilantro and peanuts, for topping
1/4 cup roasted peanut oil
Preparation 1.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook as the label directs, then drain.
Meanwhile, make the sauce: Combine the green tea, peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar and peanut oil in a blender. Add the sesame seeds, chili-garlic sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt; process until smooth. 2. 3.
Toss the noodles with the peanut sauce and carrots in a large bowl. Chill about 1 hour. Top with cilantro, peanuts and more sesame seeds.
Cold Sesame-Peanut Noodles
13
Ingredients 1 butternut squash (1.5 lbs.), cubed 1 sweet onion, sliced 1 bosc pear, sliced 1 cup raw cranberries
2 bay leaves 1 tsp Sea salt 1 tsp pepper 2 tsp garlic powder 2 tsp cinnamon
1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into halves or quarters) 1 cup veggie or chicken broth
Preparation 1.
Layer squash cubes at the bottom of the crockpot.
2.
Put half of the onions, pears, and cranberries on top.
3.
Add 1 bay leaf and some spices.
4.
Arrange a layer of chicken on top of the spices.
5.
Add another layer of spices and the second bay leaf on top of the chicken.
6.
Add the remaining onion, pear, and cranberries.
7.
Pour the broth over the mixture.
8.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
14 Crockpot Chicken with Butternut Squash, Pears + Cranberries
Prep: 15 mins Cook: 6 hours Total: 6 hours +
Ingredients Prep: 20 mins
1 large or two small onions, roughly chopped
Total: 40 mins
1 knob of ginger, grated on the small part of your cheese grater
Serves: 6
Many, many cloves of garlic, minced 1/2 cup olive oil 2 cups dry green or brown lentils (red lentils get mushy & weird)
1 teaspoon chili flakes 2 tomatoes Sour cream or plain yogourt Optional: 2 carrots, thinly sliced 1 jalapeno, finely chopped 1 tablespoon curry paste
1 heaping tablespoon turmeric
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 heaping tablespoon garam masala
1 bunch cilantro, just chop it up including the stems, who cares
2 teaspoons cumin
Preparation Put 4 cups water and the 2 cups of lentils into a large pot over high heat. When that starts boiling, turn it down to medium-high and set the timer for 20 minutes. 1.
Heat 1/2 cup of olive oil or a mixture of olive oil and butter in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add your chopped up onions. When they become translucent, 4-ish minutes, add the minced garlic and grated ginger. Put in your carrots and jalapeno in also, if using (recommended). Stir and cook for another five or six minutes. Stir the lentils. 2.
Add to the frying pan the turmeric, garam masala, cumin, and chili flakes. Add curry paste and coriander seeds, if using. Stir it all up. Turn down to low until the timer goes off for the lentils, or for five minutes, whatever takes longer. If the lentils go off too early then just turn down to low heat & let em hang out. 3.
Look how much liquid is in your lentils. If more than 1 cm about the lentil level, drain it a little bit. If less, that’s cool. If no liquid, put some water in. 4.
Empty the contents of the frying pan into the lentils. Add your chopped up tomatoes and stir in the cilantro. Heat on medium until everything is hot & fragrant, ~10 min. 5. 6.
Serve with naan or pita if you can afford it. Serve over rice if you can’t. Plop some yogourt or sour cream on top. Cheaper than Borscht Lentils
15
1 tablespoon sambal oelek (chili paste) (or to taste)
Chopped carrots, sliced jalapenos, cilantro + green onions, for serving
The juice of 1 lime
Curry Roasted Acorn Squash
1 tablespoon Chinese five spice
1 medium acorn squash, seeded + diced
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup + 2-4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce <--Use low sodium
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon curry powder (I use spicy curry)
1/4 cup + 2-4 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 cups wild mushrooms, left whole - or button mushrooms, sliced
Ingredients Soup 2-3 pounds pork shoulder roast (or butt) 4 cups low sodium chicken broth, plus more of needed
1/4 cup fish sauce (use it!) 2 tablespoons thai red curry paste 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon brown sugar
4 packs Ramen noodles, seasoning packets discarded
1 tablespoon white miso paste 1 tablespoon brown sugar Pepper, to taste
4 soft boiled or fried eggs, for serving
Preparation Add the pork to the bowl of a crockpot. Pour the chicken broth, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup rice vinegar and fish sauce over the pork. Add the thai red curry paste, ginger, sambal oelek, juice of 1 lime, Chinese five spice powder, black pepper and 1 tablespoon brown sugar. 1. 2.
Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours (I recommend going low and slow).
3.
About 40 minutes before you are ready to eat, roast the squash. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
4.
In a small bowl mix together the melted coconut oil, curry powder, miso, brown sugar and a good pinch of pepper.
5.
Add the cubed squash to a greased baking sheet and pour the curry mixture over the squash. Toss well.
6.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, tossing a couple of times during cooking. You want the squash to be lightly browned and crisp.
Meanwhile, remove the pork from the crockpot and add the mushrooms. Cover the crockpot and crank the heat up to high. Lightly shred the pork with two forks or your hands. 7.
16 Crockpot Caramelized Pork Ramen Soup with Curry Roasted Acorn Squash
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sesame oil. Once hot, add just enough pork to cover just the surface of your skillet, do not over crowd. Sprinkle a little brown sugar over the pork, add 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, toss. Stir and allow the pork to continue to caramelize, about 3-5 minutes total. Remove the pork from the skillet, repeat with the remaining pork. 8.
Add the Ramen noodles to the crockpot and allow them to cook 5 minutes. Once the noodles are cooked, stir in only half of the pork. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with extra caramelized pork, curry roasted acorn squash and an egg. Season the egg with salt and pepper, Add the carrots, jalape単os, green onions and cilantro if desired. Happy slurping! 9.
Prep: 25 minutes Total: 7 hours, 25 minutes Yield: 4 bowls of soup + extra pork
17