Okay.  I’m really excited about this because I don’t consider myself the best cook in the world and it’s a rare day I think one of my original recipes is worth repeating, SO PAY ATTENTION:

Mysteriously Good Noodle Dish

1/2 package whole wheat spaghetti noodles

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 collard greens, washed sliced with spine chopped into thin slices

ume vinegar

3 Bok Choy thingies, washed and chopped into bitesize pieces

3 Nappa cabbage leaves, washed and chopped into bitesize pieces

1 tablespoons cashew butter

1 tablespoons shoyu

2 tablespoons Vegenaise

Cook the whole wheat spaghetti noodles in boiling water, snapped in half, so they’re short. In a frying pan, heat the oil, add collards and saute with a sprinkle of ume vinegar.  Keep moving them around for a couple of minutes–collards take a little while to cook.  When they are soft and bright green, add the bok choy and Nappa.  Saute a few seconds, then add cashew butter mixed with shoyu.  Cover and let simmer for 3 minutes.  When noodles are done, strain them and stir in Vegenaise.  Serve yummy veg on top of noodles, and if it’s not yummy enough, add another sprinkle of ume vinegar.

While I’m on a recipe jag, IT’S TOFU TURKEY TIME!  Click here for the recipe.  I just made it in a cooking class last week and it turned out so well.   Your family will be very happy.  

I’m adding recipes for a cranberry sauce and a yam side dish… you lucky dogs!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Yam Casserole

Filling Ingredients:

4 garnet yams, washed, cut into 1 inch squares
2 cups spring water
pinch of sea salt
3 TB fresh apple juice
2 TB kuzu, dissolved in apple juice
3/4 cup barley malt or agave nectar (for sweeter casserole)
zest of one orange
1 tsp vanilla extract, alcohol-free variety
1 tsp cinnamon

Topping Ingredients:

1 cup pecan, chopped or halves
1/4-1/2 cup maple syrup

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Bring water and yams to a boil with pinch of sea salt. Cook over medium flame until tender.

3. Remove from water and place in large bowl. Mash with potato masher, or blend in food processor.

4. Add in dissolved kuzu and barley malt, and blend until smooth.

5. Stir in orange zest, cinnamon, and vanilla. Pour into casserole dish.

6. Mix pecans and maple syrup together in a bowl. Pour evenly over casserole and bake 1 hour.

Variation:
Add shredded coconut in with the pecan topping.

COOKED WHOLE-BERRY CRANBERRY SAUCE

3 cups fresh cranberries (1 standard 12-ounce package)
1 1/2 cups boiling water  (or apple juice)
pinch of sea salt
2 tablespoons kuzu
½ cup cold apple juice
3/8 cup maple syrup or brown rice syrup

   1. Wash and pick over the cranberries. Discard stems and soft berries.
   2. Place the cranberries in a saucepan.
   3. Cover with boiling liquid and turn the stove on to high heat.  Add pinch of salt.
   4. When the water begins to boil, continue to boil for a few minutes until all the berries have burst open.
   5. Turn off heat and stir with a wooden spoon, mashing some of the berries against the side of the pot until most of the berries are broken. It will be like a thin applesauce.
   6.  Dilute kuzu in cold apple juice, and add to cranberries, stirring constantly until slightly thickened and glossy.
   6. Add sweetener to warm cranberries and stir to dissolve. If you have trouble dissolving the sweetener, reheat to boiling, stirring constantly.
   7. Allow sauce to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cool. Sauce will set up as it cools.
 

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