We have moved into full on root vegetable season and so it is time to pull out this favorite recipe of mine. They are a frequent item on my personal chef service menus.  Today it is carrot patties but any root vegetable that you can grate works beautifully. I have made them with celery root,turnips, parsnips, as well as a mix of several different vegetables including winter squashes. These are really a version of latkes which traditionally are made with potatoes. Today they have an Asian kind of flair. You can season them however you like – like Italian ? blend in some rosemary, oregano, and maybe even some parmesan cheese. Mexican ? use squash and add in some cumin and chili. Top with guacamole.

Root vegetables in general are a powerhouse of good nutrition. They are high in B vitamins. Since they grow IN the ground, they contain lots of minerals ( as well as energetics of the earth element). They are very high in fiber. This time of year, they are abundant and fairly inexpensive.

Carrots contain lots of anti oxidants, beta carotene, and Vitamin C. In the spring we enjoy eating the tiny new carrots ( the REAL baby carrots, not the designer ones in the bags in the store) and this time of year, go ahead and eat the big ones. They are perfect for this recipe.

This is one of those recipes that constantly evolves. I have blended information from several recipes over the years, combined with experience and what my current tastes and nutritional needs are. I love that about cooking. I look at recipes as guides, as a partially filled in canvas. Feel free to add your tastes to this one.

Carrot Patties

1 c. grated carrots ( or any combination of root vegetables or squash that you like)
2 T. coconut flour
2 T. dried seaweed ( I use either wakame or dulse)
1 tsp. or more of fresh grated ginger
pepper to taste
2 fresh eggs, from pasture raised chickens
1 T. melted butter or coconut oil, as well as more for frying ( a few tablespoons)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and let it sit for a few minutes while frying pan/griddle heats. Coat the pan with enough oil so patties don’t stick. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto hot pan. You decide if you want them small ( if you are having this as a side dish) or larger ( for a main course). Cook a few minutes on each side.

I have served them with a simple sauce of tahini and miso ( about 3 parts tahini to 1 part miso, mix in 2 parts water) and have also enjoyed eating them plain. I think they make a fabulous breakfast!

* The photographer in me feels compelled to apologize. The carrots were indeed a deep beautiful orange color. I have yet to master the art of using my phone camera for inside pictures. This process today has definitely inspired me to replace my non working ( non phone) camera.

I needed to do some thinking out of the box this week for my vegetarian clients and for myself. It is so easy to get in a rut, eating the same thing all the time. There are those weight loss researchers ( sorry, don’t have any links for it) who say that eating mostly the same food all the time is good for weight loss. As a chef and an adventuresome eater ( and one who has lost and gained weight many times), I agree and disagree. I need a framework of foods that are recommended for me to eat AND I need variety. If I am bored with eating brown rice and salad everyday, then I am really likely to head to the cookie aisle or the ice cream shoppe. So, searching around for some healthy  carbohydrate alternatives to grain, I remembered wild rice. It is a grass, not a grain. It is a starchy carbohydrate but is high in amino acids (the building blocks for protein) and many minerals.

So here is my riff on a recipe found on the internet at www.bunkycooks.com. The original recipe called for dried cranberries. I cannot be the only one who is just not fond of those. And why are they found in so many things ?

Wild Rice Salad for the Fall

for the dressing:

1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 T. hemp oil
2 T. sherry vinegar ( or a flavored vinegar like fig balsamic would be really good)
1 tsp. honey
salt and pepper to taste

for the salad:
1 c. wild rice, rinsed well
2 c. vegetable or chicken broth
2 c. water
1 tart green apple, chopped
finely chopped vegetables totalling 2 cups ( suggestions = celery, green or red onion, cooked winter squash cubes, red pepper, carrots, raw or cooked zucchini)
1/2 c. chopped nuts ( I used hazelnuts. almonds or walnuts would be good. anything you like)
a tsp. or more of chopped fresh herbs – I used rosemary and thyme

and, if you must, the ubiquitous dried cranberries. Try it without, though. The apple and the honey make it nicely sweet.

Combine the broth, water and rice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes ( covered). Taste it to test for doneness. (It doesn’t get really soft. You want the grains to split and you will see the purplish insides.) Drain and cool the rice.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a medium sized salad bowl. Add the cooled rice and the remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly and enjoy.

I wish I would have added parsley for a bit more green. next time.

I love figs. Their season is short as is their shelf life. They are best eaten or cooked on the day you buy them, if not on the day they are picked. They are a powerhouse of minerals and are very sweet. Some say that it was a fig and not an apple that was picked by Eve in the Bible story about the Garden of Eden.

I recently had a friend and business associate help me with some things who didn’t want payment. How rare and refreshing is that ? So, in return, I baked him and his family some fig and apple crisp. Oh, the house smelled delicious!

I was able to score some beautiful figs and apples at the farmers’ market this weekend and put together this riff on a recipe from www.ifood.tv.

Fig and Apple Crisp

12 fresh figs, quartered
2 apples, chopped into bite sized pieces ( I used MacIntosh)
3 T. organic sugar ( depending on sweetness of fruit and your taste, you might use less)
1/2 c. oatmeal ( not quick cooking or instant)
1/2c. whole wheat or spelt flour
1 tsp. 5 spice powder ( in researching, I just discovered that the 5 spices represent the five tastes – sweet, salty,sour, bitter, and pungent)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 c. coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
2 T. coconut oil or butter

I buttered a small baking dish ( approx. 6″x6″) and filled it with the fruit. Mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl until everything is incorporated. Sprinkle over the fruit. Bake in a preheated 350º oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

This post is part of GNOWFGLINS Tuesday Twister . Please head over there and check the other posts.

]]> http://forlifepersonalchef.com/2010/09/26/fig-and-apple-crisp/feed/ 2 http://forlifepersonalchef.com/2009/11/11/pears/ http://forlifepersonalchef.com/2009/11/11/pears/#comments Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:48:46 +0000 Charity http://forlifepersonalchef.com/?p=265

I have so much fun this time of year watching the birds in my neighbors’ pear tree. It is loaded with pears that they leave for the birds. I think most of the birds get a bit drunk on all that yumminess. I have a love/hate relationship with pears. I love the taste and have a very narrow window of eating opportunity. If they are not the exact degree of ripeness… ewww. Too ripe and I cannot abide the mushiness, not ripe enough and they feel very weird on my teeth! Cooking them solves some of that issue. Some years I have made pear sauce or pear butter. This year I have a new favorite savory recipe.

Winter Squash stuffed with Sausage and Pears

adapted from Weight Watchers

serves 8

4 medium acorn squash ( you could use Delicata or some other small globe squash. I cannot remember the name of the kind I used!)

16 oz. chicken sausage ( sweet italian is good, I used pork and thus it was no longer a weight watching recipe)

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 c. chopped pears

1 1/3 c. part skim ricotta cheese ( I used soft goat cheese)

2 T chopped fresh parsley

1 c. panko or soft bread crumbs

2 T parmesan cheese

2 T olive oil

Preheat oven to 350º. Cut each squash in half crosswise and remove seeds. Cut a small slice off each squash bottom to help it stand upright. Place squash, cut side down in a baking dish. Bake uncovered, for 45 mins.

In a large skillet, cook sausage, onions, and garlic until sausage is no longer pink and onion is tender. Remove from heat, drain off any fat. Stir in cheese, pears, and parsley. ( I added some sage as well)

Turn squash cut side up in the baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon sausage mixture into the baked squash, mounding the mixture as necessary. Bake uncovered, about 20 mins. or until squash is tender.

Stir together bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over filling. ( feel free to use more cheese if not concerned about calories). Drizzle with olive oil and broil for 3-5 minutes or until crumbs are toasted.

For my personal chef clients, I offer this as a meal in and of itself and suggest they make a salad. If you wanted to continue the pear theme, add some sliced raw pears and crumbled blue cheese to that salad.

Pear season is passing, so give this a try.