Apple Jicama Chutney and A Thanksgiving-Inspired Sandwich

Do you know the difference between conserves, fruit butters, jams, jellies, marmalades, relishes, preserves, and chutneys?  I sure didn't, until I did some research in my handy, dandy Cooking A to Z.  I am still not up to reciting the differences on command, but I certainly enjoy the nuanced distinctions between each item (probably due to my word nerddom). This same text defines chutneys as "fruits of vegetables cooked very slowly with sugar, vinegar, and spices" (318).   I wasn't originally thinking chutney for this sandwich but rather a lovely accompaniment of green apple and jicama salad.  However, my jicama had been waiting for attention for a bit too long and wasn't as crisp as I would have liked.  (New to me:  jicama should be stored like other root veggies and NOT in the fridge in order to maximize life expectancy.  Thanks, Wikipedia!)  Consequently, I decided to go with a warm preparation, and, having recently made a tomato chutney, this adaptation was born!

Apple Jicama Chutney (very loosely inspired by the Apricot Chutney in Cooking A to Z)
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. cumin
1 small onion, diced
2 Granny Smith apples, diced
1 Jicama Root, diced
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/2-3/4 c. water
1/2-3/4 c. apple cider vinegar

Mix in a saucepot.  Bring to a boil -- reduce heat to simmer until mix is reduced by about half.

Use a marinade, spread, dip, etc.  This might also be cool to serve as a side -- a la a savoried up applesauce with a bit of crunch.  Makes about 2-3 c.

From the Test Kitchen: Garlic and Sage Sausages browning in the fry pan (from Carla Kelly's Vegan Al Fresco)

I topped the sausages with the chutney and brussels sprouts (5 to be exact), which I sliced thinly, sauteed in 1/2 t. oil, a bit of water, 1/2 t. maple syrup, and flashes of salt and pepper (my go to brussels prep, usually in larger quantity).  Then, I topped toasted pieces of the Butternut, Sage, and Garlic bread with chutney, then with sausages halves, and finally the brussels.

The review: If you know me well, you know that I fail equally at accepting compliments and recognizing my positives.  So, prepare...  This sandwich rocks...and, if only for this evening, I rule. :)  This is both holiday in a sandwich and holiday leftovers to the max.  Why wait until Thanksgiving?  Brussels, butternut, and apples are all in season!

Eat me; I am delicious.

Happy MOFO Day 1: Husk Cherries and Squash, Garlic, and Sage Bread

And so it begins...again.  Happy Vegan Month of Food 2011!

This wonderful event of communal spirit and blogging frenzy has even more eager participants than previous years and a diverse spread of blogging themes and categories.  To check out the many options, just click on the MOFO banner to the right. To those participating along with me, WOOHOO!

On this blog, I plan to explore different techniques, revise family classics, and hopefully introduce some new produce into your kitchens.  I'll bring lots of love for local products from the farm and from farmers' markets, as well as explorations of mindfulness from the kitchen, the mat, or wherever they happen to occur.

Without further ado, meet...the Husk Cherry.

I first encountered these delights at the farm I help out at on the weekend.  At first, I was a bit skeptical of the short row of ornamental-looking bushes.  This skepticism did not dissipate with the instruction that the cherries on the ground were actually the ripest or that they had a question mark Dum-Dum like taste to them.  Case in point: my hub, who tried it first, said ham 'n cheese, while another farmhand said that he got pineapple.  True, the hub was probably giving me a hard time, as he watched me peer critically at the cherry between my fingers and then grimace slightly at the odd feeling of squeezing out the fruit.  Still, despite my initial hesitation (and an unripe first bite), I have come to love these amazing fruits and their versatility.

If you can find them at your local farmers' market, enjoy them as an alternative to tomatoes in your salad or in savory dishes.  I've sliced them in half and used them in combination with chopped pistachios to provide the"crumb" to a butternut squash, greens, and quinoa balsamic bake; we also enjoyed them sauteed with brussels sprouts and pea shoots in a white balsamic and maple syrup sauce, which I served over a harvest grain blend.

For more information about these delicious bites, click here.

A potato bread revision...in progress.

Last year, I had this crazy notion to turn one of my favorite breakfast sides into bread -- thus, the sweet potato and sun-dried tomato bread was born.  In preparing for meals this upcoming week, I had a similar inclination -- instead of a beloved butternut risotto recipe, why not make a bread inspired by this dish?  So now, based on the Potato Bread recipe in Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, the butternut, sage, and roasted garlic bread is in progress.  Hope you'll check back tomorrow to see how it turned out!

Family, Food, and Fun!

Family visits are fantastic.  We had such a wonderful long weekend with family this past weekend.  At first, we thought simply that our cousin was coming on her mini-break between school terms, but then, her parents came to join her.  With the onset of their collective visit, our family in CT decided to come up to the house as well.  Given the massive snow and our general tendency to hibernate in these coldest months, it was such a warming event to have everyone together.  Of course, this also provided all the more reason to have some fun in the kitchen!

Menu highlights from the weekend:

Black bean and squash empanadas (Veganomicon):
Yes, they were so amazing that we couldn't help but make them again.  Interestingly, we made the dough thinner this time, and we liked that set up better.  With the same recipe as last time, we made 28 empanadas in total and fed five of us somewhere between comfortably and deliciously uncomfortable, if you catch my drift.  You could probably even stretch the dish to six people with additional sides available.

Resolution Guac (Spruced up "Green Pean Guacamole" from Whole Foods Market):
Have you seen those recipes calling for peas or edamame in place of and in addition to avocado in a guacamole recipe?  They seem to be popping up on food sites and in flyers with increasing frequency, probably in relation to this prime health resolution time of year.  Although curious about these adaptations, I previously resisted such interference with the extant perfection of avocado-only guacamole.  I take my guac seriously; I request and make it often; I do not like to share it, unless the batch is extremely large, because I like it.  A lot. Though I loathed the possibility of wasting good avocado,  I coerced myself into trying this recipe with the rationale that I could, in fact, eat twice as much guac without the accompanying guilt of eating a small child's weight in avocados.  I'm glad I tried it.  I did add an extra half of an avocado to this recipe (just because I needed to use it up), as well as some hot sauce (approx. 1 t), 1 T extra lime juice, and salt and pepper; I'd probably add some more spice, cilantro, garlic, and maybe tomatoes next time.  Although the recipe looks like it might not make enough for two people, not to mention eight, the peas really do extend the size of the dip.  Most tasters did not notice the peas and commented only that it was a bit heartier than the usual guacamole; they felt the taste was the same.   It nicely accompanied the empanadas and chips that were served at two different times over the weekend.  Will I convert to  "Resolution guac" at all eatings? Not necessarily, but I do think it is a tasty and more affordable alternative to avo-only guac, which is especially great when serving a larger crowd or when trying to mind the pennies.  Finally, this variation resists the unappealing oxidation of standard guac and thus extends its serving life.  Yay!

Maple-Sauteed Brussels and Broccoli
You know I'll eat brussels and broccoli all the time.  I wanted to do something with these that would help them accompany the empanadas.  Since the empanadas had a bit of maple syrup in the dough, I thought having  a maple presence with the Bs would be a fitting complement.  My only error with this dish was that I did not make enough; if you can prep these two items in a way that will have people battling to clean out the bowl,  I think it is worth a shot, especially if you have anti-brussel and broc folks in your home.  Here's my approximate recipe which I would double to serve 4-6 as a side dish, especially if a few of the diners already love these veggies.

1 T. olive oil
1/4 of a small red onion halved and thinly sliced
2 c. thinly sliced brussel sprouts
2 c. thinly sliced broccoli florets
1-2 T. maple syrup (I eyeballed -- I would add one, stir, taste, and add more as needed to desired
           sweetness)
 Salt and pepper

Heat oil over med. to med.-high heat in soup pot or large saute pan.  (I used a smaller saute pan, and I had escapees.)  Saute red onion, brussels, and broccoli until veggies are tender and lightly tanned. Eat immediately.

Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna (Ricotta from Vegan with a Vengeance)
I used a box of brown rice lasagna noodles, one container (approx. 16 oz.) baby bellas -- cleaned, destemmed, and sliced, and 12 oz. of one bag (16 oz.) of frozen chopped spinach (thawed).  Next time, I'd just use the whole bag of spinach and maybe add an additional 8 oz. of mushrooms.  I used silken tofu for the ricotta this time, because I bought the wrong tofu (oops!).  It worked out just fine and even gave some additional creaminess to the ricotta filling.  I was most proud of the sauce, however, as it was my adaptation of the family recipe.  I used 32 oz. for this lasagna.

Mom's Pasta Sauce (Veganized)
Makes 48 oz. of sauce; freezes well.

1-2 T olive oil

3-5 shallots, peeled and finely diced (# depends on size, approx. 1.5 c. total)

3-5 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely minced
1/2 c. red wine
28 oz. crushed tomatoes
28 oz. diced tomatoes (DO NOT DRAIN!)
1 T basil
1 T parsley
1/2 t. salt
pepper to taste

1. Lightly coat bottom of soup pot with oil (use as little as needed not to burn); heat to med./med.-high and saute shallot and garlic for 3-4 min. until just softening.  Deglaze
2. Reduce heat to med.-low.  Add crushed and diced tomatoes, basil, and parsley.  Stir,  and let simmer for 40 min, stirring occasionally during this time to make sure nothing sticks.  Add remaining wine, stir, and simmer for 10-20 min.  Should be thick and somewhat chunky at the end.  If you like thinner sauce, you may want to add a cup of water or stock or reduce cooking time.

Standard lasagna directions:
1. Cook noodles as directed; prep vegetables; make ricotta and refrigerate it until ready for layering.
2. Heat approximately 1 T of olive oil over med. heat.  Add mushrooms -- stir for about 1 min.  Then, add spinach, salt, and pepper (approx. 1/2 t. each sprinkled around). Saute for 2-4 min. until mushrooms are softened.
3. Put about 1/2 c. of sauce over the bottom of a larger rectangular pyrex dish (about the length of one noodle).  Then, layer 3 noodles over the sauce (they run the length of the dish), spread 1/2 of the ricotta mix on top of the noodles, sprinkle 1/2 of the mushroom/ spinach mix over the ricotta, and spread approx. 1 c. sauce across top of the veg. mix without disrupting layers below.  Repeat the direction in the last sentence (in this round I break noodles and place them the width of the pan).  Then, add last layer of noodles and top with remaining sauce.  (The truth is, I don't really measure anything here, just eyeball to reserve enough for all layers.)

Garlic Flatbread (Quick and Easy Vegan Bakesale):
I first made this recipe last summer when testing for this cookbook was wrapping up.  It has been requested repeatedly ever since.  There are so many willing cooks in our family -- what fun to make goodness together in the kitchen!

Sue's QEVB flatbread

The family that bakes together...:)

Just talking about this weekend is making me hungry.   We also enjoyed Dandie Krispie Treats, Snickerdoodle Donut Holes, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Vanilla Cheesecake which will be pictured and discussed further on The Revisionist's Treatery (just click on the link on my blogroll to check these out!).

To conclude our eating delights and our wonderful weekend, we went to an amazing restaurant in Boston called Tantric India Bistro that should be added to all vegan (and non-vegan) "Must-go" restaurant lists.  As evident on the website, the place is chic and modern, but it is also very welcoming with an incredibly warm, knowledgeable staff.  They had an actual vegan menu in addition to their standard menu (not just a note that items could be made vegan etc.), and the staff were knowledgeable about the lifestyle and dietary guidelines in general.  I have found that at non-vegetarian/vegan restaurants, this awareness and understanding is quite rare, so it was amazing to feel my choices were valued and accepted.  I tried the veg. samosa (YUM -- and I generally think these are way too greasy and heavy), the Aloo Gobi Masallam, and the Lauki Kofta in Tomato Gravy.  The last dish was my favorite by far, and I seriously could have eaten the gravy alone and been quite happy. I highly recommend you visit this restaurant if you live in the MA/RI area; it is worth the trip to the city.

Thanks again to our family for visiting; it was a delicious and enjoyable weekend!

Notes on T-Day Eats

Well, now that we are all quite full (if you have fantastic holiday portion control, I commend you, but the rest of us...), I am going to talk about various goodies made.  Heehee!

As you know, I stuffed stuffing for my vegan main dish on T Day.  Our lovely hosts had a variety of vegetables as well, but stuffing is my favorite part, and quite frankly, I wanted to have a special main dish in addition to (not just comprised of) steamed sides.

Cool things I learned:

1) Fig Balsamic is FANTASTIC!  After my simple salad posting, I kept thinking about different ways to use this item in savory dishes.  I thought about sauteing items in the balsamic, but then I thought that the beautiful flavor and sweet zing that it adds to a dish would be mellowed.  Given the already subtle flavor of many ingredients in this dish, I wanted that zing to be there.

2) Silicone mini-loaf pans are great for making/holding space in a bigger loaf pan full of stuffing.  Although ultimately I know it all goes to the same place, I wanted to be able to see all of the various components of my dish...and not just have them blend together.  I think that I could have been more successful in that, but I was trying to use what I had (and alas...no ring molds at the homestead).

3) Rosemary foccacia makes a fantastic stuffing base.  Given my fling and splash approach to the stuffing creation, I was so happy that it held up so well with the stock addition and then crisped up so nicely in the loaf pan.

Here was my recipe (very approximately):

Need a  9x5.5 (top)/8x5 (bottom) loaf pan and a mini-loaf pan

4c. cubed rosemary foccacia ( foccacia was homemade from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone -- I made the sandwich loaf recipe and used about 1/3 of it for the stuffing)
2 shallots -- peeled and diced
2 celery stalks -- finely diced
3 homemade seitan sausages -- diced
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Put cubed foccacia in a large bowl.  Preheat oven to 350, and oil the large loaf pan (oil inside) and mini-loaf pan (oil outside)  In a large pan, saute shallots, celery, and sausages for approx.5-7 min. until shallots and celery have softened. (I started with about 1 T. of oil to saute.) Then, toward the end of cooking time, add enough stock to cover veg. and bottom of pan (definitely eye ball this as you want veg. mix to be a thicker soup type consistency).  Post-stock addition, let simmer for a minute or two.  Then, dump veg. mix into bread bowl and mix; add salt and pepper to taste.  All bread should be lightly moistened but not soggy with liquid.  There was no liquid at the bottom of the bowl. Then, cover bottom of the loaf pan with bread mix.  Set mini-loaf pan in the middle on top of breaded bottom layer and surround with remaining bread mix.  Bake for 30 min.

While bread stuffing is baking, prep and make filling. If you do all prep and cleaning when you do this part of the recipe, your timing should be such that filling is done at about the same time that the bread stuffing comes out of the oven.  If you do it a different way, just keep filling warm as it does directly into the stuffing and then (hopefully) to table.

12 brussels sprouts -- peeled, bottom cut off, thinly sliced

1/4 c. thinly sliced fresh cranberries

8 white mushrooms -- cleaned, cored, thinly sliced

scant 1/4 c. pinot noir

2 c. roasted sweet potatoes, cut into smaller dice (which Hub made as side dish to bring to dinner)

1/4 c. finely chopped dried cranberries

Heat 1 T. of oil and saute brussels sprouts and fresh cranberries.  After about 5 min., add mushrooms; saute for 2-3 min. and deglaze with pinot (or sooner if pan is getting dry).  Then, add sweet potatoes.  Stir gently to blend and warm through.

Remove stuffing from oven and mini-loaf pan from center.  Fill rectangular indent with filling and top with chopped dried cranberries -- sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve with drizzle of fig balsamic. (Hub didn't have the drizzle and still loved it!)

We also made the roasted sweet potatoes mentioned above, apple crisp, and homemade vanilla almond ice cream.  Love the ice cream maker!

The next day, I of course wanted to have this stuffing again, but I mostly only had the bread stuffing left and not the filling.  So, I sauteed 2 diced shallots, 8 florets thinly sliced of broccoli, one additional sausage diced, and leftover butternut squash (about 1.5 c.).  I also loved the sweet potato element, so I attempted some sweet potato wraps.  This picture is not great, but I loved the possibilities with this, so I think I just need to play with wrapper thickness in the future.  I used the peeler this time, and it was a bit thin, so some of the other wrappers deflated a bit and the stuffing spilled out.  They were still yummy though! Baked them at 300 degrees for about 15-20 min. with stuffing in them, and then I topped them with sauteed veg. when they came out.  YUM!

I have always had a serious stuffing problem, as in, my T Day plate was always divided evenly between stuffing and broccoli casserole (which I am going to veganize for Christmas -- EEE!) with anything else as an aside  The addition of rosemary foccacia takes my stuffing issue to a whole new level.  Good thing it is all gone now.

The kitchen is finally and thoroughly clean...seems like a good time to cook something else!
K

Stuffed Seitan Sausage Stuffing -- Woot.

Yes, that's right.  I stuffed stuffing.  Save that bird -- stuffing's the word.  We can talk further tomorrow, but I have holiday food...zzzzzzz.

K

P.S. I also added fig balsamic.
P.P.S. There were fresh and dried cranberries.
P.P.P.S. Woot.

"Roots and Crucs" Two Ways and the Continuation of a Friday Family Tradition

Roots 'n Crucs Pizza

Maybe, somewhere deep down, the hub and I knew when we met that we had an eternal bond -- a bond that was founded in shared family tradition, a tradition that was reinforced virtually every Friday night, regardless of the season, participants, or ages.  PIZZA NIGHT!

Both the hub and I grew up with skilled pizza makers.  Even now, we eagerly try (usually successfully) to convince my mother and his father to make pizza when we are all together.  Although the hub and I have no doubt enjoyed many a pizza night outside of these full family gatherings, admittedly (she adds shame-facedly) -- we rarely do our own pizza entirely from scratch. But tonight... perhaps we made a solid start toward reinstating this tradition in our own home, though my toppings may be a bit more unconventional than traditional.

Roots and Crucs. (i.e. Cruciferous Vegetables) Two Ways
Saturday is usually market squared day at the homestead; we hit up the farmers market for a plethora of produce and then whatever larger supermarket best meets our needs for the week.  This week, I was ahead of the game, because ( by way of cleaning up said homestead) I sorted through various coupons and thus decided to just get the shopping done ahead of the pre-Thanksgiving crowd.  Although I was not actually going to the Christmas Tree Shop, I do LOVE a bargain, especially on groceries.

In addition to actually shopping for groceries, I much enjoy organizing my pantry and fridge -- a lovely ritual cleansing and recentering.  I know, I know...I am very involved with my foodstuffs.  That really shouldn't surprise you.  (The hub and I celebrated our "Wood" wedding anniversary this year, and I admit that I probably showed more jubilation over this year's wood shelf that he added to the pantry than previous more luxurious gifts!)  Anyway, when I got home, I noticed several lone root veggies chillin' in the crisper.  I recalled that here and there I had bought a singular veggie or pack of veggies for a recipe and then ended up using the other ingredients required by the intended recipe for something else.  Thus, my gracefully aging celeriac and the stalwart parsnips continued to persevere, even if relegated to the bottom of the drawer.  Enough, I declared!  I have vowed to limit food waste to trimmings and such, so I knew I had several things to prepare today so as to achieve my goal and reap the benefits of these flavorful veggies.

With some lingering lettuce and sunflower sprouts, I whipped up a salad for the weekend and early part of next week.  Then, with the root vegetables which (this time around) included one white turnip, one celeriac, 1 lb. carrots ( about 5 due to subtraction of 2 for fur helpers),  1 small pkg. (1lb.) parsnips, 1 yellow beet, 1/2 sweet potato remant, 1 small red onion, 1 remnant of garlic bulb (approx. 2/3 of med. original), I made Jae Steele's "Maple-Roasted Root Vegetables" which I found in my copy of her cookbook Get It Ripe.  The recipe is pretty much as simple as it sounds.  Mill around doing other kitchen fun for approximately an hour wherein you make pizza dough and occasionally shuffle around the veggies, and then....

Voila!

This picture hardly does justice to the glory of the maple-caramelized goodness that wafted from the oven at almost the moment of the pans' entry.  Nor does it do justice to the crispy outside of the veggies and gorgeous autumn colors of the dish.  Now, you can simply stop here...and you will convert people to all of these veggies, if you can manage to share the bowl.  Trust me, if there had not been a pizza plan, I would have been quite content to carry on with eating from said  for dinner bowl (maybe just with a fork instead of my fingers).

However, there was a pizza plan, and I still had some brussels sprouts, a broccoli crown, and some brown rice to put to use.

Complete Dish #1: Root 'n Crucs PIZZA
Call me a heretic if you want, but this is the best pizza I have ever had -- hands down.  If I had known what roots could do for my pizza experience, I would have branched out from my spinach garlic (with period crucs) haze years ago.

Roots n' Crucs Pizza Prior To Baking -- add a little Mozz. Daiya and GO!

In addition to the "roots,"  I sauteed up those "crucs," as well as a few mushrooms,  and added them to my roasted garlic tomato sauce-topped spelt flour crust.  The sauce was some leftover Muir Glen Pasta Sauce, and I found the crust recipe here http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-no-yeast-pizza-dough-254063.  Although both of our parents' recipes use yeast and their doughs are great, sometimes, you don't want that much fuss.  We LOVED this dough.  It made two perfectly-sized pizzas (about 6"); the crust was thin, but in about 20-22 min., it comes out fully cooked and with a flexible, lightly browned crust.

Dish #2: Warm Roots n' Crucs Salad
I simply added the leftover brown rice to my bowl of veggies and will warm in the oven in upcoming days for some additional wonderful meals.  I thought about adding something to increase wetness of the dish, but I decided that I like the vegetables to lend all the creaminess.  If you are mindful about oil usage, you can make this dish extremely healthy and delicious!

Slightly blurry, but the vibrant color and varying, yet complimentary, texture of this dish are evident!

Just in case you thought I forgot about dessert, check out THE REVISIONIST'S TREATERY! Also, if you recall my mentioning of pretzel fun, I was waylaid by pizza exploration. Check out the pretzel posts tomorrow!

Don't miss out -- add those roots and crucs to your pizza! The brussels were once again a brilliant surprise. And to think...I once only ate them disguised by a block of cheese. Shame on me! As for the missed opportunities with parsnips, celeriac, beets, and turnips, I have many more years of penance...

Enjoy the weekend...and the many ways in which to use a diverse offering of produce!
K

A little black pepper, warm salad, and Cab Franc

Sometimes, you just want vegetables -- simple vegetables; most often, I turn to a quick salad when such desire occurs.  However as fall becomes increasingly crisp, I find especially in the evening that I crave warmth, thus this evening's offering.  I included the wine at first because, this was to be my "Wednesday with Wine" post after all, but in eating the meal, I found the cab franc nicely enhanced the sweetness and pepperiness of the dish.

Warm Brussels Salad

Servings: 1 light entree portion or 2 side dish portions

Time: 15 min.

1 small sweet potato (shredded on smallest mandoline setting)

1 large carrot  or 2 small carrots (thinly sliced/finely chopped or mandolined,
                                                   as above; scant 1/4 c.)

scant 1/4 c. onion (preferably red, though I used yellow, since it was all I
                                                  had; finely diced or mandolined as above)

8 brussels sprouts (bottom cut off, top layers peeled away, each sprouts
                             thinly sliced into 5-6 pieces)

1 t. oil

salt (1/4-1/2 t.) and pepper (approx.1/2 t.)


1. Lightly oil saute pan to cover; heat over med-high heat.  Once heated, dump in sprout and onion pieces -- sprinkle with salt and pepper; saute for 5-7 min. until lightly browned and onions are softened, then add sweet potato/carrot shreds.  Shuffle around until warmed through or browned as you prefer.  My veggies took about 10-12 min., and they weren't browned to more of a crisp hash brown consistency (though I think that would be awesome for breakfast!).  Taste and add s/p as needed.


Clearly a simple dish, but it hit the spot -- great for slow eating and sipping.   As a bonus, the hub liked it, despite the fact that it had two of his least favorite items (sweet potatoes and brussels).  Hurrah!






        

Really --Brussels Sprouts?: A Brussels Breakfast Sandwich

The truth is that I have never been much of a breakfast sandwich person, and I'm not sure why.  This dish changed my perspective.  As I mentioned in yesterday's post, my goal was to transform my favorite breakfast of sweet potatoes and collards into a sandwich.  There were a few snags along the way like the barest whisper of sweet potato in the buns, which I discovered yesterday, and the extremely unfortunate state of collards this morning.  Thus, Tuesday is for both transformation and adaptation!


Brussels Breakfast Sandwich


Servings: 1 (easily made into more)


6 Brussels Sprouts  -- bottoms cut off, top layers peeled away,
sliced thinly into 4-5 pieces per sprout
2 T. finely chopped onion, preferably red or shallot
4 thinly sliced mushrooms
2 slices of tofu (little less than a quarter of standard block)


1 t. olive oil -- divided


Marinade:
2 T. leftover pumpkin pie mix (from the previous ice-cream making)
1/4 t. cumin
1/4 t. tumeric
1/4 t. crushed rosemary


Salt and Pepper


1. Prep tofu (pressing), vegetables, and marinade; for the marinade, simply mix all items in a bowl and adjust seasonings to taste.  (I tried not to over garlic this dish in order to maintain a good sweet/savory breakfast balance, but next time I might add a pinch of powder or a small clove to either the marinade or veg. mix respectively.)


2. Use 1/2 t. oil to lightly oil small saute pan.  Saute brussels sprouts and onion for 4-5 min.; then, add mushrooms and saute for an additional 2-3 min. until onions have softened, sprout sides are lightly browned, and mushrooms have softened.  Set aside 5-7 brussels sprout pieces; use an immersion blender to quickly blend remaining mushrooms, onions, sprouts.  Set aside.


3.  Toast Savory Sweet Potato Bun.  Cut and coat 1/2 in. pieces of tofu in marinade; add remaining oil and saute tofu.  Layer as you will (I suggest base, brussels, veg mix, tofu, sprinkle of salt and pepper, then bun top.)  Enjoy!


The veg. blend is a fantastic way to remove what some find to be the off-putting visual or idea of brussels sprouts, but the addition of sauteed sprout pieces adds a nice color to the sandwich.   I used the pumpkin pie mix, because I had it and because I wanted to up the sweet potato sweetness that was lacking in the buns.  I found this dish to be sweet, savory, very hearty, and a great way to begin a morning with substantial amounts of protein and vegetables!  Plus, I think it is a nice, potentially portable, and vibrant way to start a morning!  Just be sure not to overload on the veg. layer like I did and to stack as I suggested (not as I did).  Although ultimately some adjustments are needed in order to capture the sweet potato/collard combo that I was going for, I'm excited to make this dish again for future brunches, as it was a nice change from my standard breakfast and the usual tofu scramble.  Enjoy!

Note:  Please feel free to share my recipes/blog info; I thank you in advance for appropriate credit where it is due, as I will also do my best to cite and reference accordingly. Contact me with any questions or concerns.  Thank you.