Raw Cranberry Relish

This recipe is super easy and super delicious. I am all for the raw relish... although I love cooked cranberry sauce as well... a definite toss up. With all the hot dishes Thanksgiving typically brings to the table, it's nice to throw in a couple cool sides for a change.

Recipe

-16 oz cranberries rinsed(organic or course)

-2 Oranges with peal

-1/2 lemon with rind

-1/8 cup agave nectar

-1-2 Apples(any red)

Combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse until desired consistency. Use the rind of at least one orange and 1/2 of lemon as well. Additional agave may be desired for a sweeter relish.

Serves 6

Goji N' Berry Linzer Cookies

These cookies require a bit of work, but are well worth it atleast once during the holiday season. Goji berries are becoming more common and can usually be found at any natural market; they are highly nutritious and add a unique twist to the classic raspberry lizner.I combine a marionberry and cranberry preserve I had on hand, but any berry would pair great. The recipe goes a long ways since they are rolled so thin, so there should be plenty to share around!

Recipe :

dough-

-1 1/2 cup spelt flour - 1 cup buckwheat flour (could use all spelt)
-1/2 cup any flour for dusting
-3/4 stick butter
-3/4 cup agave nectar
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-1/2 teaspoon sea salt

-filling
-1/2 cup goji berrie -2 tablespoons agave nectar
-1/4 cup marionberry preserves(or other berry)
-1/4 cup cranberry preserves (or other berry)
-1/2 cup water

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl combine the spelt and buckwheat flour, plus salt. In seperate bowl combine melted butter, vanilla, and agave nectar. Fold wet ingredients into flour mixture until mixed well, the dough will be fairly stiff; place in refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Once chilled roll out on floured surface to about 1/8 of an inch thick. Cut out with perferated cut out, or any disired, with one half of the cookies(around 17) cut an additional hole in the center, with smaller cut out( hearts, stars, and perferated edges are all appealing) Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly brown.

Reconsitute the goji berries in 1/2 cup water for 10 minutes. Place goji berries and water used in pan with agave nectar, simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes. Combine other berry preserves, and set aside to cool.

When cookies have cooled place a heavy teaspoon worth of filling in the center of the bottom of the cookie without hole. Carefully place cookie with cut out on top, as not to spill over the filling.

makes around 18 cookies

Grand Finale Fennel Salad

This salad seems much more on the summer mode, and infact I often do make a similar fennel salad in the summer months, substituting the pomegranate with dried cranberries. However, this salad is great paired with hearty winter meals, and is especially delicious with a polenta main dish. The nastrisiums have survived the couple frosts here in the Northwest and added an extra zing to this piquiant dish.

Recipe

-1 large bulb of fennel sliced thin

- 1/2 pomegranate seeds

-1/4 green oilves sliced in half

- 1 tablesoon red wine vinegar

- 1 tablesppon oilve oil

-1 lemon (juice and rind)

-salt and peper to taste

Serves 4-6

In large bowl toss all ingredients and serve. If serving later, combine all ingredients except oil and vinegar, and place covered in refrigerator.

From the steets to the table...

So Simple Salsa

It's November already and still the summer harvest of tomatoes is yet to be used up. Having canned tomato everything over the past weeks, a fresh salsa sounded refreshing with much less fuss. This recipe can be elborated on with all kinds of fresh ingredients: corn, blackbeans, peach, mango, pineapple, red pepper, and the like. Use it as a base and throw in what's handy and the ammount of spice to your liking.

-5 cups chopped tomatoes

-1 tablesppon apple cider vinegar

-1 yellow or red onion diced

-1 bunch of cilantro

-3 cloves garlic

-1 teaspoon sea salt

-1 tablesppon fresh lemon juice

-1 small jalepeno without seeds(or with for super spicy

Whirl chopped tomatoes in food processor or blender, until all tomatoes are bite size, but not mush. Pour tomoatoes into large bowl and add aple cider vinegar, salt, and lemon. Throw onion, garlic, and jalepeno in food processor until diced fine and combine with tomatoes. Taste and adjust as needed. Refrigerate for up to two weeks.

Apple Sauce Cake

This recipe is a spin off of Heidi Swanson's 101cookbooks "Unfussy Apple Cake". However, most ingredients are swapped, but the result is a similar light, not too sweet coffee cake. Feel free to make adaptations as you see fit. The flours can easily be swapt for whole wheat, all-purpose or your flour of choice. This cake is most delicious drizziled with yogurt or a dolop of creme fraiche and of course along sige your favorite cup of coffee or tea.

Recipe

-2 apples cut in 1/2 inch cubes

-1/2 cup apple sauce
-1 cup barley flour
-1 cup spelt flour
-1/2 cup oat flour

-1 tablespoon baking powder

-1 teaspoon cinnimon
-1/4 cup butter softened
-1 egg

-1 teaspoon sea salt

-1/4 cup agave

-3/4 cup plain yogurt

-opptional: 1 teaspoon corse sugar sprinkled on top

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Oil 8 inch square or circular pan and set aside. Mix flours, salt, cinnimon, and baking powder in large bowl. In seperate bowl combine apple sauce, yogurt, agave, beaten egg, apple, and softened butter. Gently fold wet ingredients into dry, careful not to over mix. Spoon into pan and sprinkle with corse sugar and a dash of sea salt. place in oven for 20-30 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Serves 6-8

Wild Pumpkin Pilaf

This recipe is satisfying as a side salad or main course, especially on a dreary autumn night. It is a flexible recipe that is great with various ingredients. Start with the rice
and cubed squash then go wild from there!

Recipe:

2 cups wild rice pilaf
4 cups water
1 small pumpkin cut in ½ in. cubed
1 TBL sunflower oil
1 onion chopped
½ cup pumpkin seeds
½ pomegranate seeds
1 large crisp apple chopped
1 TBL lemon juice
1 TBL agave or maple syrup
Dash of sea salt and pepper
Optional: top with fresh goat cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degree. Cook rice in 4 cups of water on stove top or in rice cooker. (I prefer rice cooker so you can forget about it well you prepare the dish). Halve and clean out pumpkin (saving seeds of course!) cut off rind, and cut into ½ inch cubes. Toss onion and pumpkin in sunflower oil and maple syrup on large pan and place in oven for 30 minutes. Toast the pumpkin seeds in skillet with a dash of sea salt over medium heat for about 10 minutes, keeping a close eye, and tossing them often. Cut apple into ½ inch squares and soak in water with the 1 TBL lemon juice and set aside. Submerge pomegranate in large bowl of water and work to retrieve seeds, set aside. When the rice and pumpkin are done, toss all ingredients in large bowl. Serve warm topped with fresh goat cheese.

Serves 6

Cream of Watercress and Cauliflower Soup

Watercress is packed with antioxidants and rich in Vitamins A, C, and E, along with calcium, magnesium and iron. It can be foraged in marshy areas and along stream beds, or found in most markets and specialty stores. This bright green soup is simple and nourishing.

Recipe:

-2 bunches of watercress

-2 red potatoes sliced thin

-1 onion

-1 TBL butter or oil

-1/2 head of caulifower chopped

-3 cups Vegetable broth or water

-1 cup whole milk, or soy/rice/ almond(plain unsweetened)

-salt and pepper to taste

-few grates of nutmeg-optional: top with Creme fraiche and sprigs of watercress

Bring large pot of water to boil. Wash watercress and disregard the stems, leaving out 10-12 sprigs for garnish. Blanch watercress in boiling water for about 1 minute. Drain the water and rinse watercress in cool water, ring out with hands. In large soup pot melt butter, suttee onion and water cress for 2-3 minutes. Add potato, cauliflower and spices and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes. Add vegetable broth or water and let simmer 30 minutes. Pure'e soup in blender or food processor until smooth. Bring back to a low boil and add milk. Serve topped with creme fraiche and sprigs of watercress.

Serves 4

Pumpkin Spread Bread

Having just made a mondo batch of pumpkin butter, I am using it quite liberally. If you don't have pumpkin butter, you could use pumpkin pie filling, or better just boil down pumpkin and sweeten with agave or honey. This bread is super moist and not too sweet, it is a great base to start with: chocolate chip-walnut and currant-coconut are nice additions. Also having preserved sweet fall pears recently, I am using this as a sweetner and to add moisture. They work surprising well, store bought canned pears should work just fine... of course freshly preserved are better.

Recipe:

Dry Ingredients:

-1 heavy Cup Spelt Flour

-1 heavy Cup Barley Flour

-1 heavy Cup Oat Flour

-1 tsp Baking Soda

-1 tsp Baking Powder

-1/2 tsp Sea Salt

-1-2 tsp Cinnimon

-1 tsp All Spice

-tsp dash of Nutmeg

Wet Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Safflower Oil

1 1/2 Cup Pumpkin Butter

3/4 Cup Canner Pears (mashed)

1 TBL mollasis

1 Egg

(additional sweetner if disired )

optional: Chocolate chips, walnuts, currants, coconut shreads, other nuts and seeds

Preheat oven to 350degrees. Oil the loaf pan, dust with flour, and set aside.Combine dry ingredients in large bowl and set aside. Combine wet ingredients in seperate bowl, adding the egg(beaten) last. Fold wet ingredients into dry igredients.

Serves 8