STUFFED PORTABELLOS WITH HERB SAUCE

I wish I wrote in my journal more often than I do, but I seem to only find myself there when I am sad, working through decisions, or traveling. In each new journal, I have a list of goals on the back page. I always know where to find them, and it's fun looking at journals past to see what I actually attempted to pursue. The six pack abs and fluent spanish and are still pending a number of journals later. For some reason I've taken more action on those in my present journal, and in regards to cooking, I have: 'learn to make a tasty roast chicken' and 'perfect at least three new sauces'.

This recipe, sent to be by my Aunt Suzy who heard it on NPR's Splendid Table, certainly knocks out one of the three. It is easy, sweet, fresh and versatile. It is fairly thick, and would make an amazing spread on a sandwich. You could even thin it out and make it a salad dressing. Like I said, versatile, like the favorite sweatshirt of sauces.

STUFFED PORTABELLO MUSHROOMS WITH HERB SAUCE // Serves 4

4 Large Portabello Mushrooms

2 Bunches Fresh Spinach, Chopped

2 Cups Cooked Brown Rice, still warm

Zest of One Lemon

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

GEORGIAN CILANTRO SAUCE // The sauce is adapted from Martha Rose Shulman's series Recipes for Health in The New York Times. It keeps in the fridge for about 5 days, but be warned that the garlic develops as it sits and effects your breath accordingly.

2 oz Dried Apricots

1 Cup Boiling Water

1/3 Cup Toasted Walnuts

2 Garlic Cloves (to taste), halved, green shoots removed

1/4 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice

1/2 tsp. Salt (more to taste)

2 cups Cilantro, coarsely chopped

1 Cup Parsley, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup coarsely chopped mixed Basil, Tarragon, and Dill

1/4 Cup Walnut Oil (Extra Virgin Olive Oil works fine too)

3/4 Cup soaking water from the Apricots, as needed

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes

For the Sauce:

1. Place the dried apricots in a bowl and pour on the boiling water. Let sit for at least an hour, more if possible, even overnight. Drain over a measuring cup and retain 3/4 cup of the soaking water.

2. Turn on a food processor fitted with the steel blade, and drop in the garlic. When it is chopped and adhering to the sides of the bowl, stop the machine and scrape down the bowl. Add the walnuts, and process with the garlic. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the drained apricots, the lemon juice, salt, pepper and red pepper to the bowl, and process to a puree. Add the cilantro and other chopped herbs, and puree, stopping the machine to scrape down the sides several times. Combine the walnut oil and soaking water from the apricots, and with the machine running, gradually add it to the puree. Process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Taste and adjust salt. Best at room temperature.

For the Mushrooms:

Oven at 375’

3. Remove the stems from the mushrooms, brush both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and fresh pepper. Put them on a baking sheet, and bake on the upper rack for 8 minutes to soften. Remove.

4. Remove the stems from the spinach and give it a rough chop. Saute the spinach in 2 tbsp. olive oil until just wilted. Add to the warm brown rice and mix together. Add the lemon zest, pinch of salt and pepper. Amount of oil is your discretion here.

5. Add a heaping half cup of the spinach and rice mixture onto the gill side of the mushrooms and sprinkle with fresh herbs and desired amount of sauce.

HEARTY APPLE LOAF

There are days I feel like cooking, and there are days that it sounds like the last thing I’d like to do. Hugh does an excellent job of romancing you into the Sprouted Kitchen, but believe me, toast and hummus work fine for me some nights. For this experiment, I strapped on an apron to remind myself that I mean business. I doubled this recipe, trusting it would work out. I like to have a tasty option waiting for me for breakfast and I also wanted to take action on my long time intention to send a loaf to a new friend. If you make this, I suggest you do the same. I have never met a person who does not like surprise mail, and I guarantee there is someone in your life who could use a surprise.

The lovely thing about this hearty loaf, is that you could use apples, pears, stone fruit or berries and make it yours. Throw in whatever you’re in the mood for. If it is a day you need to toss in the rest of the bag of chocolate chips you have into the batter, I encourage that. It tastes more like a bread than a cake due to the whole grains and modest amount of sweetener.

HEARTY APPLE LOAF // Makes one loaf

2019 Recipe update: Phew, I’ve gotten better at writing recipes and cleaned this up. The photos show that I soaked the apples, but I don’t believe that to be a necessary step any longer. The directions reflect that change, despite the photos. If you need it to be gluten free, replace the pastry flour with a 1:1 GF All-Purpose like Bobs Red Mill or Cup for Cup.

2 eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup butter, just melted

1 tbsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup almond meal

½ cup cooked oatmeal

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tbsp. fresh grated ginger

1/2 tsp. sea salt

2/3 cup muscovado (or light brown) sugar (plus 2 tbsp for the top)

2 cups cored and chopped apples, small pieces

Oven at 375’

Butter the loaf pan or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.

Whisk the eggs, buttermilk, butter, vanilla and buttermilk together.

Add the dry ingredients together, including the cinnamon, ginger and salt and mix to combine. Gently mix in the buttermilk mixture til incorporated.

Fold in the apples, do not over mix.

Fill the loaf pan and sprinkle remaining 2 tbsp. of the muscavado. Bake on the middle rack for 45 minutes until golden on top and springy to the touch. Test for doneness with a toothpick, as the type of pan and oven vary. Remove and cool.

Serve toasted with a dollop of yogurt.

SPICED SWEET POTATOES AND CHICKPEAS

I am not sure there is a group of people more partial to fall, than the food blogger demographic. I have read countless posts and tweets about the elation brought to most via soups, squashes and pumpkin baked goods. Autumn is like the big hug we all get before the pale skin, freezing toes and overdose of holiday jingles. I do like me some good fall foods, but they seem to require a bit more time, ingredients, number of pots to clean and what forth. The pay off, is the complexity of layered flavors, the tenderness of braising and roasting and aromas that linger for hours. The art of delayed gratification. It's supposed to be 80' here this weekend, so the chilled leftovers of this dish are going to be heaped on a nice plate of spicy greens. I've got my arms out and ready for that hug autumn, where are you?

Note that yams and sweet potatoes are not the same thing, but either could work here. Yams are slightly less starchy, but in this recipe, the taste is not compromised. Be creative with the spices, if you like it spicy add a bit of red pepper, a squeeze of lime at the end if you enjoy citrus or more ginger if you like the zing.

SPICED SWEET POTATOES AND CHICKPEAS // Serves 4 as a side

I suggest serving this side, on a wide or long platter, not a bowl. When all the warm potatoes sit on top of each other, they continue to steam and get mushy.

1 Cup Dried Chickpeas/Garbanzos ,soaked in water overnight

3 Large Sweet Potatoes, peeled (about 3 lbs)

¾ Cup Finely Chopped Yellow Onion

2 tbsp. Melted Butter

1 tbsp. Olive Oil

1 tsp. Cinnamon

2 tbsp. Honey

2 tsp. Fresh Nutmeg

1 tbsp. Fresh Grated Ginger

1 Garlic Clove, minced

1 tsp. Salt

1 Lime Zest and Juice

Fresh Ground Pepper

3 tbsp. Fresh Thyme, leaves removed

Oven to 425’

1. In a medium pot, bring 3 cups of water to a boil, add the soaked beans. Gently boil for about 50 minutes until the beans are cooked through. Drain.

2. In the meantime, prepare the peeled potatoes. Cut off the ends and chop them into one inch cubes. Try to make them equal in size, shapes can vary. Put them in a large bowl.

3. In a small bowl, whisk the lime zest and juice, melted butter, oil, garlic, salt, honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg together. Pour the mix over the big bowl of potatoes, stir. Add the drained garbanzos, onions, 2 tbsp. of the fresh thyme and gently fold to cover everything in the spice mixture.

4. Spread the goods evenly onto a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 425’ in the upper third of the oven for 35-40 minutes, gently stirring halfway through for consistent browning.

5. Let cool a bit before serving, sprinkle fresh pepper, squeeze of lime,taste for salt and sprinkle remaining thyme on top.