Real Sophisticated Hor d'oerves

At the risk of never being invited to another social event that includes food again, I am going to confess that I am a bit particular about what I eat.  People who know me well (or not so well) know this about me.  It seems like any discussion around the food being served is either preceded or followed up by "I'm sure it's not healthy" or "it's probably not as good as yours" or (my favorite) "Can you eat this?".  Yes, I can eat it.  And, you're right, processed Velveeta cheese is not healthy.  Besides it not being healthy, unless you are catering to eighth graders, it's completely unsophisticated.  How awkward!  Ok, I would never be that rude towards hospitality.  I love comfort foods and, truth be told, if a bowl of melted Velveeta cheese was in the vicinity right now, I would probably eat it.  But I would never serve it.  I want my hor d'oerves to be unforgettable, but not because my guest's bodies revolt against them for three days.

Tonya and I taught a class last Thursday with the simple request of "hor d'oerves".  My favorite!  I have been known to turn a holiday dinner or two into hor d'oerves only, because they are so fun.  You can get creative and your guests don't walk away feeling as if they swallowed a brick.  So, we turned to The Real Food Daily Cookbook: Really Fresh, Really Good, Really Vegetarian for some fun and delicious recipes:  Lentil-Walnut Pate (served with Elana Amsterdam's Sesame Crackers) and Brown Rice Sushi.  These hor d'oerves are filled with wholesome ingredients and are so impressive both visually and in taste (I will upload images soon!).  Real Food Daily may use some ingredients that you are not familiar with, but I would encourage you to be adventurous.  The first forty pages contains a lot of detail around these ingredients and it can be used as a useful handbook for delving into, well like it says, really fresh, really good, really vegetarian food.

Party on!

Lentil Walnut Pate
This recipe is adapted from Real Food Daily .  The saltiness of the miso and the tanginess of the umeboshi paste both pair well with the earthy lentil/walnut combination. 

3/4 cup dried lentils
3 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar
1 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 1/2 tsp dried
3 tablespoons yellow miso
1 1/2 tablespoons umeboshi paste
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried
3/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup Tofutti (tofu sour cream)

Rinse the lentils in a fine mesh strainer.  Combine them with the 3 cups of water, onion, garlic cloves, and bay leaf in a medium sized sauce pan.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low.  Cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender.  Strain the beans saving the cooking liquid for another use (soup, maybe?).  Remove the bay leaf and cool.

Add the toasted walnuts to a food processer and process until a paste forms, scraping the sides as needed.  Add the lentil mixture and process until smooth.  Add the basil, thyme, miso, umeboshi paste, and pepper and mix until combined.

Line a bowl or mold with plastic wrap leaving a 3 inch overhang.  Transfer the mixture to the bowl, smoothing and packing the top with a rubber spatula.  Cover with the extra plastic and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.

When ready to serve, uncover the pate and invert it onto a serving platter.  Remove the plastic wrap entirely and spread the top with sour cream.  Serve with sesame crackers (recipe follows).

Sesame Crackers
Adapted from Elana's Pantry .  These little crackers are highly addictive, but are great to have around for a snack.  Make sure and roll them out thin.

3 cups almond flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 cup brown sesame seeds
2 eggs, whisked
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a medium sized bowl combine the almond flour, salt, and sesame seeds.  In a small bowl combine the eggs and coconut oil.  Add the wet ingredients to the dried and stir until well combined. 

Line two large baking sheets (12x16) with parchment paper.  Cut the dough in half and place one on each baking sheet.  Start with the first pan slightly pressing the dough to get it started before rolling it.  Cover it with a piece of parchment paper the same size of the pan and roll the dough out to cover the entire pan.  Remove the top piece of parchment paper and repeat with the second pan.  Score the dough into 2 inch squares and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. 

Allow the crackers to cool on the pan and then break them apart.  Store in an uncovered bowl at room temperature for up to a week.

Brown Rice Sushi
There is a little bit of work involved in making the different components, but much of it can be done in advance.  The final rolls go together in a snap and it is well worth it.  All of these are adapted from Real Food Daily. 

6 cups brown sushi rice (recipe follows)
6 nori sheets
6 collard green leaves, lightly steamed for 2 minutes
1/4 cup umeboshi paste
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
4 ounces marinated tempeh (recipe follows)
1 avocado, peeled and sliced into thin wedges
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch wide strips
1 large carrot, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch wide strips, and lightly steamed for 3 minutes
3 green onions cut into 1/2 inch wide strips
1/4 cup pickled daikon radish
Lemon-Ginger Dipping sauce (recipe follows)

Assembling the sushi:
Lay one nori sheet on top of a bambo mat (shiny side down).  Turn the sheet so one of the longest sides is closest to you.  Spread 1 cup of rice on the sheet leaving a 1/2 inch border on the long side furthest from you.  Spread 2 teaspoons of umeboshi paste in one horizontal line and top with one collard green leaf.  Now arrange horizontal strips of the remaining ingredients in the following order (1/6 of each ingredient per roll):

tempeh
carrots
cucumber
green onion
sesame seeds
green onion
daikon radish

Starting with the end closest to you, start rolling the bamboo mat, gripping tightly.  Moisten the nori at the opposite end and seal with the final roll.  With a sharp knife slice each roll into 8 equal pieces.  Sprinkle with more sesame seeds and serve with dipping sauce.

Brown Sushi Rice:
3 cups water
1 cup uncooked short-grain brown rice
1 cup uncooked sweet brown rice
2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
1 tablespoon mirin (rice wine vinegar)

Rinse both types of rice well.  Add the water and rice to a 4 1/2 quart pressure cooker and lock the lid in place.  Over high heat, raise the pressure to high.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow pressure to decrease before taking the lid off.  Combine the rice and the vinegars in a large bowl. 

Marinated Tempeh:
1/4 cup tamari
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh garlic
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
4 ounces tempeh
1 teaspoon coconut oil

Combine the tamari, water, garlic, mustard, and sesame oil in an 8 inch baking pan.  Slice the tempeh in half horizontally and add to the marinate coating it well.  Marinate for 1 hour, turning half way through.

Preheat the broiler.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and brush with coconut oil.  Lay the tempeh on the baking sheet in a single layer.  Do not throw out the marinate.  Broil the tempeh for 5 minutes and turn.  Brush the top with the reserved marinate and broil for 5 more minutes. Cool completely.

Lemon-Ginger Dipping Sauce:
1/4 cup tamari
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons mirin
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

Whisk all ingredients and serve on the side with sushi.

My Weekend

I had an amazing experience this past weekend in sort of an unexpected way.  Friday was my husband, Heath's, birthday so we dropped the kids off with Granny and headed to The Elm's Resort and Spa in Excelsior Springs for a weekend filled with massages, facials, and cat naps.  Excelsior Springs is only 35 minutes away from Parkville, but it is unfamiliar territory for us.  Like any "tourist", I perused the Elm's website to see what there was to do in the area and one place in particular caught my attention (to say the least):

VanTill Farms/Rayville Bakery
13986 Hwy C
Rayville, Missouri 64084
Phone: 816.776.2720
Website: http://www.vantillfarms.com/
The Van Till family's farming operation is bringing back the "good old days" in taste, nutrition, and the enjoyment of food. Food, wine and hospitality are available on this working farm.

They had me at "taste, nutrition, and the enjoyment of food".  I clicked on their website and grew even more excited.  Picture this:  farm, winery, heated garden patio enclosed in a greenhouse (that's where you dine), massive brick oven, organic ingredients grown right on their farm, homemade jellies, fresh wood-fired bread, cheese, and salami all surrounded by a manicured farmscape.  Did I mention this is only 35 minutes away from Parkville?!  Not only did I want to go there (or live there, whatever), I wanted them to be my friends. So, without hesitation, I shot off an email telling them I would be visting over the weekend and would love to have the opportunity to meet them.  Gosh, these things do not occur to me as sounding obnoxious until I am retelling them!  Oh well, Cliff VanTill graciously replied and welcomed us.

We were there on Friday night when they serve wood-fired pizza straight from their brick oven, which is located on the garden patio with the diners.  Fun.  They offer six varieties of their own wine, including Chambourcin, Norton, Vignoles, Chardonel, Sweet Red, and Sweet White.  The Sweet Red was popular among the patrons, but we really enjoyed the Norton along with our Mediterranean pizza.  It was quite delicious, especially for two people who are not typically fond of Missouri wine!

It was a busy night for the VanTill's, so we weren't able to talk with them, as we had hoped.  Cliff invited us back on Saturday morning, though, when his wife, Debbie, would be there and they wouldn't be serving food.  Heath and I returned and had a marvelous time.  As soon as Debbie pulled out her Peter Reinhart cookbooks and Nourishing Traditions book, I knew we would have a lot to talk about.  And we did talk a lot.  We toured their greenhouses and learned how they sold their fresh baked bread at the San Francisco farmer's market before relocating to Missouri in 2001.  I got some tips on making artisan bread, which I am anxious to play with, and Heath picked up some inspiration in the greenhouses for his garden.  Their dreams and ideas for VanTill Farms are incredible and after getting to know them just a little, I believe every one of those dreams will come true if the good Lord's willing.  Their free spirits are so refreshing in a time where conformity seems to be the easiest thing to do even though in the back of your head you know you should question more.

As much as I want to transcribe the entire three hours with the VanTill's right here, right now, I do want to talk about the recipe I am featuring.  The recipe is a smoothie inspired by one that Debbie and I collaborated to make on Saturday morning.  You see, I was talking about almond flour (shocker, I know) and where I buy it from since I cannot seem to grind it fine enough to just make it myself from whole almonds.  They happened to have grown almonds in California, so they are familiar with almond meal.  We went to "experiement" in the kitchen with their commercial BlendTec to see how it stood up to the test.  Short story is it passed and now I want a BlendTec.  We decided to make smoothies with the ground almonds while we had the smoothie machine out, so we went searching for ingredients.  I told her about the smoothies I make for my 23 month old, EJ, every single day: whole milk, coconut milk, homemade yogurt, banana and some other fruit, carrot and some type of green, like spinach, a good fat (ground flaxseed/flax oil, chia seeds or ground almonds, as examples), and then stevia to sweeten.  We ended up with cream, frozen strawberries, raw zucchini, ground almonds, and stevia to sweeten it.  It was divine.  Pretty much tasted like strawberry ice cream.  I'm changing up the recipe a little to use coconut milk in place of cream, since I don't always have cream on hand, but it will be every bit as good.  Trust me.

So, why did I say I had an amazing experience in an "unexpected" way?  As much inspiration as we got from the VanTill's about food and gardening you can multiply that by about a thousand to equal the inspiration we got about parenting.  We walked away from them feeling rejuvenated as parents and understood some things in a completely different light.  While the spa treatments were nice and we were able to get some R&R, I think our soul's really came out on top this trip.  That was a little unexpected.  In a good way, of course.

P.S.  Saturday afternoon the VanTill's fired up the brick oven again and offered baskets of wood-fired bread, cheese, and salami along with wine or non-alchoholic sangria (house made).  Then that evening they had a special garden patio dinner.  Unfortunately, we were not able to partake in either of these things, as we had facials and massages scheduled.  Next time.  One more thing, they are forming a new church with some friends and are holding services right there on the patio garden.  How cool is that?

Coconut Strawberry Smoothie

This can be done a thousand differnet ways.  Use any kind of milk in place of the coconut milk and same goes for the strawberries.  Any kind of frozen fruit will do.  Zucchini works well in smoothies, because it is so mild in flavor.  Spinach or some other type of mild green is also good.

1 cup coconut milk
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 small zucchini, diced
1/4 cup ground almonds
stevia to sweeten

Blend all ingredients until smooth.  For a thicker smoothie, add 1 cup crushed ice and blend until smooth.

Makes 2 servings

Make Cottage Cheese Yourself

People often look surprised when I tell them I make my own yogurt and butter, but when I tell them I make cottage cheese they look downright confused.  "Huh?  I didn't know you could make cottage cheese" is the typical response.  Well, it has to come from somewhere.  It may as well be from me.  Why would I want to make my own cottage cheese, you ask?  Let's count the reasons.

1.  It tastes so much better than what you buy at the store, like little tiny bits of fresh mozzarella cheese.
2.  You can choose the milk you use, which is hopefully fresh from a local farm with pastured cows who are free of hormones or antibiotics.  Those dairy's never sell cottage cheese.
3.  You can control the salt.  Ever notice how much sodium is in store bought cottage cheese?
4.  Because it is like little tiny bits of fresh mozzarella cheese, you can use it recipes, such as, eggplant parmesan or lasagne and it's divine.
5.  It doesn't taste sour like cottage cheese from the store can taste.
6.  It's cool.
7.  The kiddo's love it.
8.  It will change your life.

Ok, so I'm running out of things, but I really wanted a long list.  Bottom line is that it is super easy to make your own cottage cheese and the taste is far superior to what you would buy at the store.  So, you want to know my response to the people who look confused when I tell them I make my own cottage cheese?  I say, "Huh?  I didn't know they even still sold cottage cheese at the store."

Homemade Cottage Cheese
This is Alton Brown's method; however, I reduced the salt because I think his is too salty.  You can also use half and half or heavy cream instead of the whole milk.  That is what Alton uses.  I always have whole milk on hand, so I just use it.  Save your whey to make bread, soak grains, or lacto-ferment vegetables Nourishing Traditions style!

1 gallon skim milk
3/4 cup organic vinegar (white distilled or white wine - nothing too strong in flavor)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup whole milk
Equipment:  Candy thermometer and food processer (optional, but recommended)

1.  Pour the milk into a large stockpot and heat to 120 degrees over medium heat. 

Step 2:  Remove the pot from the heat and slowly pour in the vinegar while stirring.  Continue stirring for 1-2 minutes until the curds separate from the whey.  Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Step 3:  Line a fine meshed strainer with a tea towel (non fuzzy) and suspend it over a large bowl.  Pour the contents of the pot into the strainer so that the whey drains into the bowl and the curds are left in the tea towel.  Allow it to drain for 5 minutes.  (I know the picture below looks like a brain)

Step 4:  Gather the corners of the tea towel together and run the ball of curd under cold water until it is completely cooled.  Wring the water out so that the ball is dry.  Transfer to a food processer, add the salt, and pulse several times until it is broken up into small bits.

Step 5:  Transfer to a bowl and, if you are eating it right away, stir in the milk or cream.  Otherwise, wait until right before serving to add it.  It will turn into a sticky glob after sitting in the refrigerator if you add the additional liquid. 

Makes 1 pint or 2 cups

Yogurt

Everyone is eating greek yogurt these days, because of the high amount of protein it contains. The biggest complaint, though, is it feels like you are eating sour cream. You get used to it, but still long for Yoplait Boston Cream Pie. Consider making your own yogurt. You can control the tanginess with how long you let it process. I like mine right in the middle. To make greek yogurt, just strain your yogurt in a cheesecloth lined fine meshed strainer suspended over a bowl for several hours in the refrigerator. The whey will drain out leaving you with the protein. Strain overnight and you will have yogurt cheese. There is a million things you can do with this. It has the consistency of cream cheese, so use it as a substitute in your favorite recipes. I have used it in the recipe below in a spread packed with finely minced vegetables. You can use it as a dip with the crackers above, spread it on a bagel, or anything else you can imagine. This could easily transform into a fruit dip by using vanilla extract (or vanilla bean), any fruits (peaches would be especially nice), lemon, lime, or orange zest, or fresh grated ginger just to give you a few ideas.


Yogurt Cheese Vegetable Spread
Chop your vegetables fairly small before putting into the food processer. They will end up finely minced when finished so it can spread easily onto a bagel or crackers. To make more of a ranch flavored dip, add mashed garlic, parsley, and dill. Add the fresh herbs after most of the processing is finished. You just want to pulse it a few times to mix them in, not pulverize them.

16 ounces yogurt cheese*

2 tablespoons minced scallions, white and green parts
2 tablespoons finely chopped carrot
2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons finely chopped radish (2 radishes)
2 to 3 pinches kosher salt
1 pinch finely ground black pepper

Place the yogurt cheese, scallions, carrot, celery, radish, salt, and pepper in a food processor and process until the vegetables are minced very fine.

*Note:  To make yogurt cheese, line a fine meshed strainer with cheese cloth and suspend the strainer over a large bowl.  Place 32 ounces of yogurt into the strainer and cover with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate overnight.  The whey will separate and drain into the bowl leaving in the strainer a thick cheese. 

Creating Nut Butters

This may be one of my favorite things right now, which says a lot considering how much I play in the kitchen. Making your own nut butter is so incredibly easy you will wonder why you never did it before. But that's not my favorite part. Neither is the fact that it is cheaper to make it yourself. My favorite part is that you can customize your nut butter to use the ingredients that you want to use. Again, back to the idea of using ingredients that work for you. You can use coconut oil, if you choose. You can use raw honey. Or pure maple syrup. Or leave the sweetner out, altogether. You get the idea. It would be rare to look at the back of a peanut butter jar and find just the ingredients you were looking for.


I use coconut oil in my nut butters. I use it in a lot of things, actually. For years coconut oil has been a source of controversy, because it is comprised of saturated fat. Research has found, however, that because it is a medium chained fatty acid (MCFA) versus a long chained fatty acid (LCFA) our bodies metabolize it differently. Better. Some say it actually promotes fat burn by triggering an increase in metabolism. Click here and here to read more about the benefits of coconut oil. How cool is it to have the option to have coconut oil in your almond butter or peanut butter instead of some gross hydrogenated oil?

Roasted Rosemary Cashew Butter
This is more of a savory nut butter, but would be delicious served with apple slices or on toast drizzled with honey. Carrots also make a nice dipper. If you cannot find raw cashews, feel free to use roasted and skip step 1. If you buy salted cashews, omit the pinch of salt in the recipe.
8 ounces raw, unsalted cashews
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread cashews out onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, stirring once or twice to prevent burning. Remove from oven and add to a food processer. Turn the food processer on and run until a thick ball is formed, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl, as needed. When the thick ball is formed, remove the lid and add the coconut oil and honey. Turn the machine back on. Continue to run until the butter loosens up and it reaches the desired consistency. Transfer the cashew butter to a bowl and stir in the rosemary. The longer the butter sits, the more the flavor will develop.

Sweet and Spicy Nuts and Kettle Corn

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted 5 tablespoons agave nectar, divided
1/2 cup popcorn kernals
2 cups raw nuts (I used macadamia nuts and slivered almonds)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg

To make the nuts:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 1 tablespoon coconut oil, 2 tablespoons agave nectar, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in medium bowl. Add nuts and toss to coat. Spread nuts into a single layer in a glass baking dish. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove and cool.

To make popcorn:
Heat coconut oil and 3 tablespoons agave nectar in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add popcorn kernals and stir to coat well.. Cover with a tight fitting lid and turn down the heat just a bit. As the popcorn is popping shake the pot periodically to ensure the kernals are cooking evenly. When the popping stopes remove from heat and sprinkle with cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt, and nutmeg. Add nuts and stir with a large rubber spatula to combine. Serve.