Butternut and Beet Tacos

There come a point every year, about this time actually, when all of a sudden I am not exactly sick of, but maybe a little bored with the same roasted root situation. Don’t get me wrong, I love root veggies. I deeply love them all and will gladly keep on eating them for a few more months (it is only March after all so I am looking at at least 2 more good months of roots) but again, a little bored. So instead of just the usually roasted situation, we still roast but then, THEN, we taco them!. And we are not mad about it.

These tacos. Super easy and they bring out the best in roasted beets and butternut squash. Pilled in a tortilla (corn or flour, or not tortilla at all. Your choice) with some almond cream and topped with a crispy, crunchy, cabbage and onion slaw. A meal worth making any night or saving for a fun mid winter taco party. Or both because let face it, if you have a fridge like mine, it is packed with beets (and rutabagas, and turnips, and parsnips). And you probably have 4 butternut squash in your pantry too right? (Again, not mad about it.)

Now to the tacos!

The stuff. Some butternut squash, a few beets, shredded cabbage, half an onion, red wine vinegar, blanched and soaked almonds, a couple cloves of garlic, a little water, a lemon, salt and pepper, taco seasoning, an avocado, and tortillas.

Thinly slice the onion and toss it into a bowl along with the shredded cabbage, a pinch of salt, and the red wine vinegar. Really mix it up and then set aside.

Cut up the squash and the beets. 1/2 inch cubes are a good size.

Place the cut up squash and beets on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a touch of oil then really toss around with all the tacos seasoning.

Now into the oven to roast.

Almonds, garlic, salt and pepper, a little water, and juice of lemon, go into blender and blended until nice and smooth.

Oh almond cream. I could eat this entire bowl just like this, but don’t do that. You need it for the tacos.

Roasted and ready.

Now it’s taco time. You have your roasted squash and beets, almond cream, quick pickled crispy cabbage and onion slaw, tortillas (store bought or hand made), and avocado. Lemon or lime wedges are also a plus.

And then you make a taco. Roosts first, almond cream next, slaw on top of that, finished off with avocado. Squeeze on the lemon and into you mouth it goes.

-C

---

Butternut and Beet Tacos

makes 6-8 tacos

• 2 1/2 cups diced beets (2-3 large beets should do it)

• 2 1/2 cups diced butternut squash (peeled or not, up to you)

• 3 tablespoons taco seasoning or (1 tablespoon each cumin and chili power plus 1 teaspoon each paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. And a pinch or red pepper flakes)

• 1/2 cup blanched almonds (soaked in hot water for an hour or so)

• a lemon

• 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup warm water

• 2 cloves garlic

• salt and pepper

• Splash of oil

• 3 cups shredded cabbage (red, green, or a mixture of both)

• 1/2 an onion

• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• avocado for serving

• at least 6 small or medium sized flour or corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 450

Grab cabbage and onion. Thinly slice the onion and toss into a bowl with the shredded cabbage. Add a good sprinkle of salt and toss along with the red wine vinegar. Set aside but give it a good toss again before serving.

Dice up butternut squash and beets into 1/2 inch cube pieces. Place on baking sheet with a drizzle of oil and toss around along with the spice blend. Place into oven to bake for about 30 minutes.

While that’s roasting, strain almonds of soaking water and place into blender along with the 2 cloves garlic, the juice of the lemon, and 1/2 cup water. Blend until smooth. Add in a pinch of salt and pepper and blend. If the mixture is to thick, add in more water to thin it out. You want it to be like a sour cream consistency.

And when the squash and beets are nice and tender, remove from oven.

To assemble tacos.

Scoop some of the roasted beet and squash mixture onto a tortilla, add a good dollop or two of the almond cream, then top with some of the cabbage and onion slaw. Top it of with some sliced avocado and serve with a wedge of lemon or lime.

Tomato-y Roasted Red Cabbage

Most people who know me and know my eating habits think that I eat more carrots the anything else. Well it might be true that yes, I eat an excessive amount of carrots but what I probably eat even more of is cabbage. Yup, me and cabbage. Not shitting you, I eat at least a head a day. Why? Because it really is one of my favorite foods ever and the possibilities of how to eat it are endless. Sure most of the time I just eat it raw, toss with other veggies and mustard, but have you ever roasted cabbage? Oh man, roasted cabbage is A-MAZ-ING!!!!

Also, if you know me, I rarely make a dish other than salad that I am not planning on sharing. The other day I was home all by my lonesome, the mr wasn’t coming home for lunch so I decided that, what the hell, I should make something fancy for myself. This is that something.

Tender and crispy roasted cabbage with onions all up in a tomato sauces that gets nice and dark and delicious. I mean, come on. Doesn’t that sound amazing? This dish is so simple and yet so freaking fantastically good. It was the best thing I ate all week. And yes, it is a whole head of cabbage and I ate it all to my face. Didn't think about sharing with anyone. 😁

To the cabbage!

The stuff. A head of red cabbage, an onion, a lemon, a couple cloves or garlic, crushed tomatoes, and salt and pepper.

Mince or press the garlic (I just found a garlic press and decided to use it…. not bad) and slice the onion into thin rings .

Next cut cabbage into wedges about an inch thick. And don’t remove the core because you eat the core. It gets tender and delicious.

Grab a oven safe skillet and toss in the garlic and a good splash of water and start to heat on stove. Once the water evaporates, add in half of the crushed tomatoes. Stir around and bring to a soft bubble then add in half the onions.

Now layer in the cabbage wedges and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

On goes the rest of the onions and the rest of the tomatoes plus about a 1/3 cup of water. Sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper and toss the skillet into the oven.

An hour later, after flipping the wedges mid roast, you pull out the skillet of the most tender and crispy cabbage.

Now grab the lemon and squeeze on some of that juice!

Scoop onto a plate (pile it high) and squeeze more lemon if you want.

Now get on to eating.

-C

---

Tomato-y Roasted Red Cabbage

serves 1(as a meal) to about 4 as a side

• 1 small head of red cabbage

• 1 onion

• 3 cups crushed tomatoes (or 28 oz can)

• 2-3 cloves garlic

• a lemon

• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400

Grab cabbage and cut into inch thick wedges. Don’t bother with removing the core, it is delicious and you should eat it. Mince or garlic press garlic and slice onion into thin rings. Place garlic into a oven oven safe skillet, add about 1/4 cup of water, and place on stove on medium heat. Once water evaporates add in half of the crushed tomatoes and a good pinch of salt and pepper and cook until nice and hot. Then add in half of the cut onion rings and nestle in all the cabbage wedges. Sprinkle with a little more salt, dump the rest of the tomatoes on top and the rest of the onion rings. Also pour about 1/3 cup of water over the whole shebang then pop it into the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes, carefully remove skillet and flip the cabbage wedges over. Place back into oven for another 30 minutes.

Once top is crispy and delicious looking remove from oven, squeeze on the juice of a lemon, and then eat it. Straight From pan if you can’t wait, or serves on a plate alone or along side something that might not be as delicious as this.

Left overs are freaking amazing cold too.

Tofu Veggie Pot Pie

Pot pies. I grew up on them. But not real pot pies, no, it was those little frozen, single serve, terribly terrible nasty things. Yup. All you needed to do was turn on the oven or better yet, open the microwave, poke a few holes in the frozen pie, and 10 minutes later, food. The ultimate in afterschool snacks. Oh those days. What the heck was I thinking? But my best or, most vivid memory of those pies was when I was like 10 and was stabbing one of those frozen pot pies with a very sharp knife (again, the directions stated to add a vent hole) that went threw said pie and right into the palm of my hand. I remember screaming, blood everywhere, and thinking I just cut my hand off. Luckly, it was just a big gash and the knife didn’t go all the way threw my hand so that was good. And I think that was the last time I made a pot pie. Ha.

This pot pie is nothing like those pot pies. First off, it is not frozen which is good because you won’t accidentally stab a hole into your and. Secondly, it is not nasty. And third, it is freaking awesome. There are other things that make them vastly different, but you get the idea. This pot pie is full of good veggies and tofu that are nicely spiced with a creamy oat sauce that is alll wrapped up in a easy hot water pastry crust. Everything and more a real pot pie should be. Sure, it is definitely not as quick and easy as opening a cardboard box, stabbing, and tossing the contents into the microwave but screw that, we are here for the good stuff.

To the pot pie!

The stuff. Tofu, an onion, a couple carrots and a couple mushrooms, some frozen pies, garlic, oats, spicy mustard, and spices. Also salt and pepper, oil, flour, and some boiling water.

Start with the tofu. Grab a skillet, add a dash of oil and set o the stove on median heat. Cut the tofu into small cubs and pat as much of the liquid out as you can. Place tofu into skillet, sprinkle with a little salt, and let cook.

Whle tofu is cooking, cut up veggies into small, not tiny, pieces. And mince the garlic too.

Browned and tasty tofu.

Remove tofu from skillet and place into a bowl. Add all the veggies you just cut up into the skillet along with the spices and another pinch of slat ans lots of pepper. Keep on heat and cook.

While veggies are cooking, place water and oats into blender and blend until smooth. Making oat milk to thicken the whole shebang.

Once the veggies start to soften just a bit, add the tofu back in and add the mustard too. Then dump in the oat mixture you just blend up. Mix it al up and cook for a until it just start to thicken.

Now add in frozen peas, mix, and remove from heat. Set aside. It’s now time to make the crust.

FLour, hot oil, boil water and salt.

Add all the stuff together and mix until dough forms.

Dump hot dough onto counter and kneed for a minute of two. It shouldn’t be too hot to handle, but if it is, just wait a minute.

Once kneaded and unicorn. cut 2/3 of dough off and roll out about 1/8 inch thick either on a piece of parchment or a splat mat. IT is way, way easier to deal with then trying to roll it directly on the counter.

Place rolled out dough into spring form pan. It is going to rip and tear but guess what, no big deal. Just mush and patch the holes. That is the beauty of hot water crust. Once crust is all nice and uniform and all in the pan, dump in the filling.

Now roll out the top.

Place top on, seal it up, add some vent hole and make a few little hearts with any scraps you have (only if you want too!) Now into the oven this baby goes, about and hour, until a nice golden brown.

Done and beautiful and yeah, it sprang a little leak, but thats quite all right with me.

Remove he spring form. And probably do it on a pan. Any little leaks will well, leak out a bit. But again, it’s all good.

And now all you heave to do is eat it.

A pot pie in all its glory!

-C

---

Tofu Veggie Pot Pie

makes one 8 inch, 2 inch deep, pie

For the filling

• 1 medium sized yellow onion

• a few white button mushrooms (about a 1/2 cup diced)

• 1/2 cup frozen peas

• 2 small carrots

• 1/2 block (8oz) firm tofu

• 1 teaspoon each thyme, dill, rosemary, and ground ginger

• 2-3 cloves garlic

• 2 heaping tablespoons spicy brown or dijon mustard

• 1/4 cup old fashion oats

• 1 1/2 cups water

• salt and pepper

• a splash of oil

For Hot Water Crust

• 1 3/4 cups flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/3 cup coconut oil,warmed

• 1/3 cup neutral oil,warmed

• 1/3 cup boiling water

Before you start cooking know that you need to make the filling first and can even make it ahead of time. The crust needs to be used right away so don’t make that in advance!

Start with tofu. Cut into small 1/2 inch cubes then press as much liquid out as you can. Place a drop of oil into a large skillet and turn onto medium heat. Drop in cubed tofu and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Cook until browned.

While tofu cooks, dice up carrots, onion, and mushrooms. Mince the garlic. Once the tofu is browned, dump it in a bowl then add the veggies and garlic to the skillet. Also add in all the spices and another good pinch of salt and lots of pepper. Stir and then cook until veggies are slightly tender.

While veggies cook, place the oats and 1 1/2 cups water into blender and blend until smooth.

And after the veggies are slightly soften, add the tofu back in, along with the mustard and the oat mixture. Stir it all around and keep on medium heat for another few minutes until the oat milk just starts to thicken. Add in the frozen peas, stir, then remove from heat. Give it a taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.

Preheat oven to 375

Now for the crust. Place flour and salt in a big bowl and mix. Then add in warm oil (either heat on stove or in microwave) and boiling hot water. Mix unit it all comes together. Dump dough onto counter and knead for couple minutes until dough is uniform and smooth.

Cut 2/3 of the dough off and roll out in between parchment paper or on a splat mat to about 1/8 inch thick. Place into a spring form pan. It’s going to fall apart a bit but that is ok, just mush and patch up all the rips and tears so there are no holes. This dough is like play dough, very easy to manipulate. Once bottom crust is in, dump in the filling. Take the remaining dough and roll out the same way you did bottom and place on top. Seal the bottom and top crust by pinching it together. You want to try and avoid any holes so the filling doesn’t leak out. Once the crust is sealed, cut a little vent hole into the middle of the top then place pie into oven. Bake for an 60 -70 minutes or until crust is a nice golden brown.

Once baked, remove from oven and let cook for a few minutes. Then remove from pan by place pie on something like a bowl or cup that fits underneath the bottom of pan. Unlock the pan and slip ring down while the pie stays perched on cup. You can even pop the bottom of pan off if you feel like you can, but I say, why risk it. That is up to you. And sure, the pie might have sprung a little leak, but that is very much ok.

Now basically all you need to do is eat it so place pie on a big plate, grab a knife, and fork, and cut yourself a big ass piece of pot pie.

Leftovers store great in the fridge for a few days.

Orange Black Bean Chili

I have been on a severe citrus kick lately. Oranges, limes, lemons, kumquats. I want it all and have been eating it all. A lot of it all. Espeically the oranges which are just so good right now. We have been going through bags of them faster then ever and I am not mad about it.

Which then brings us to chili. Chili is one of the things that I make on a very regular bases. It’s beans, veggies, tomatoes, and a ton of spices. Easy as can be, most people like it, and I never get sick of it. I mean, how could you get sick of it, it is so good! Anyway. Chili, its great but have you ever added orange to it? Oh man is it amazing. Bright and acidic and sweet. The whole pot of chili just radiates more goodness, more intensity, more, moreness. (I know that doesn’t make sense but you get it.) It’s a whole new level of chili and I don’t if there will ever be a time when I don’t add orange to my chili again. Well at least during citrus season.

But enough about all that, what you really want is to just start making this orange black bean chili so you can eat it. I hear you, so I’ll let you at it.

To the chili!

The stuff. Oranges, black beans, crushed tomatoes, an onion, a couple carrots, a pepper, and jalapeños. Also lots of cumin, chili powder, ground ginger, garlic powder, and salt and pepper.

Small dice up the pepper, onion, carrots, and jalapeños. Don’t want it super spicy, don’t add the jalapeños.

All that stuff gets tossed into a big pot along with all the spices, some salt and pepper, and a little water too. Place on stove to start cooking down the veggies.

Slightly tender and smells amazing.

Now add in the beans, the tomatoes, and the zest and juice of an orange. Mix it all up, set it back on stove and keep on cooking,

Done and ready.

Now eat your chili, with extra orange slices to squeeze all over it of course. And maybe you want to serve it with some corn bread? That is entirely up to you, but who would be made about it?

-C

---

Orange Black Bean Chili

Serves 4-6 people

• 1 pound cooked black beans drained (about 5 cups or 3 cans)

• 5 cups crushed tomatoes (or 2 28oz cans)

• 2 oranges (navel or cara cara work)

• 2 carrots

• 1 large onion

• 1 bell pepper

• 2 jalapenos (optional)

• 2 heaping tablespoons cumin

• 2 tablespoon chili powder

• 2 teaspoons garlic powder

• 2 teaspoons ground ginger

• salt and pepper

Start by chopping up the veggies. Small dice the carrot, the onion and the pepper. If using jalapeño, dice that into small little bits too. And remove seeds for less heat or leave them if you like it. Once that is all cut up, dump it all into a large heavy bottom pot along with the cumin, chili powder, garlic and ginger powder, and about a teaspoon or so each of salt and pepper. Add about 1/2 cup water, mix it all up, and place the pot on stove on medium heat and start to cook the veggies and spices until they begin to smell fragrant and are ever so slightly tender, which should take 5-10 minutes.

Now add in the beans, the tomatoes, and the zest and juice of one orange. Mix together and keep cooking on medium heat, partially lidded, for about 45 minutes to an hour, stirring once in a while, until the chili has thicken and tastes good to you.

Once done, season to taste with more salt and pepper and either stir the juice of the second orange into the whole pot or serve with slices of orange to squeeze on top.

Eat. Store any left overs in fridge. Tastes delicious cold too.

Hasselback Turnips With Avocado Cream

It’s been 14 days since my last farm share pick up with 7 more days to go. (The farmers take a long break at the end of the year, which they all deserve but makes me sad. Or more like hungry.) It is a pretty long stretch for me to have to go without getting me some farm fresh goods. I have been making due, rationing out my roots (the greens were gone within days) and supplementing with lots and lots of frozen zucchini, Swiss chard, and broccoli, so it hasn’t been bad. But now I am worried because with al the supplementing, the chest freezer is looking a little more on the empty side then I would like. And it’s only January. I guess that is what happens when you eat your weight in vegetables everyday. 🤷‍♀️

Anyway, I am pretty much out of roots. The turnips were the last of what I had left besides the lone beet that I found stuffed in with the apples. And because they were the last roots and knowing I am not going to have any roots until next week, I wanted to do something a little special with them. That is why I hassledbacked them, which basically means I sliced them up without cutting completely through so they are cut but still stuck together. Does that make since? If not, just look at the pictures.

These turnips, oh these turnips. First off, roasted turnips are amazingly delicious and if you have never roasted one, well you need to get on it and do so. Secondly, the turnips I used are gIlfeather, which if you did not already know, are the Vermont state vegetable. But don’t worry, if you can’t find the gilfeather, regular old purple top turnips work and taste just as fantastic because all roasted turnips are so fantatic. When roasted I might describe them as the cooler, hipper, cousin of the baked potato. Add the avocado cream and seeds, which are the cooler friends of the cooler cousin, and you got yourself a cool dude party! Or basically just a way tastier baked potato situation with fixing.

Now don’t you want a tasty cool hassledback turnip? And yes, I keep wanting to call them David hasselbacks turnips too. Because they are so cool. Am I right? Haha!

To the turnips!

The stuff. Turnip. Either a couple smaller ones or a giant one, up to you. Also need an avocado, a little red wine vinegar and water, salt and pepper, garlic powder, olive oil, and some toasted seeds (if you want).

If using a giant turnip, cut in half. If using small ones, you can cut those in half too or leave them whole. Up to you.

Now to hasselback. Using two guides that are the same thickness (chopsticks or chip clips.. whatever you have lying around that you don’t mind nicking with a knife) slice into the turnip about ever 1/4 inch, right down to the guide, but not all the way through.

Hasselbacked.

Lightly oil a skillet or baking sheet and also rub a little oil all over the turnips and lay them hasselbacked side up. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a pinch of garlic powder. Then into a hot ass oven they go.

While the turnips are roasting , make up the avocado cream. Basic, just scoop avocado into bowl (if you have a stick blender) or blender, add in a pinch of salt, the water and vinegar, and blend until smooth.

And back to the turnips. Baked for a little longer then an hour and flipped once, now they are all roasted and crispy and all sorts of ready.

A freshly roasted hasseldbacked turnip smothered in avocado cream and sprinkle with toasted seeds.. Good things here friends. Good things.

-C

---

Hasselback Turnips With Avocado Cream

serves 2-4

• 1 large or 2 small turnips

• salt and pepper

• olive oil

• pinch or garlic powder

• an avocado

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon water

• handful of toasted mixed seeds (I used pumpkin and sunflower seeds)

Preheat oven to 450

Grab turnip(s) and wash thoughtful. If you buy the turnip from the store and it has a wax coating, peel the outer skin, otherwise, you don’t have to. Now to haseslback. Cut the large turnip in half or if using to small ones, you can just leave it whole. Take two, either chopsticks or something that is about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick, and place on either side of turnip to use as a cutting guid. Slice the turnip about ever 1/4 inch , right down to the guide, but not all the way through. After cutting, place on a lightly oiled skillet or baking sheet and drizzle a little oil in our hand and rub all over. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a pinch or garlic powder. Place the turnips in hot oven. Roasts for about an hour, or until the slices of the turnip start to brown and come apart. Also, if you want a little more crispy edge, half way through, drizzle on a little more oil. You can also flip (which I did) the turnip cut side down to finish roasting.

While turnips are roasting, make avocado puree. Scoop avocado into bowl or blender. Add in the water, vinegar, and a pinch or salt. Blend in blender or with stick blender until smooth. If to thick, drizzle in a little more water until desired consistency.

Once cooked and all crispy like, remove turnips from oven, place on a plate and slather on the avocado cream. Sprinkle on toasted seeds and eat to your face hole.