Mustard Vinaigrette Green Beans

from: https://www.drgourmet.com/recipes/extras/mustardgreenbeans.shtml

(shown served with gardein stuffed turk'y and mashed potatoes)

Ingredients:
whole green beans + water

for sauce:
2 tsp dijon mustard (I used spicy brown)
2 tsp water
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

steam green beans for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, mix all sauce ingredients in a medium bowl. Toss green beans to coat.

Chili Seasoning

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp crushed red pepper
1 Tbsp dried minced onion
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp white sugar
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 to 1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp paprika (normal or smoked)
1 tsp onion powder


instructions:
mix all ingredients in a bowl. Add to your favorite chili recipe.


My Chili recipe:

1 batch chili seasoning
1 can red kidney beans
1 can black beans
2 (or 3) 8-oz cans tomato sauce
1 package vegetarian "beef" crumbles (like boca or morningstar)

brown "beef" in a large saucepan. Add sauce and both cans of beans (I usually drain and rinse the black beans but keep the liquid from the kidney beans.). Add seasoning and simmer for 10-15 minutes. If you need more liquid, add water or more tomato sauce. Server with your choice of toppings (frito's scoops, shredded cheese, avocado, etc.)

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Candied Walnuts

These take quite some time to make but are so worth it. Have to make at least once every fall!

INGREDIENTS:

RAVIOLI
1 butternut squash
few pinches salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg
1 package wonton wrappers (I used the nasoya ones which can be found in the produce section of the grocery store near the tofu)
splash of almond milk (or any kind of milk)

BUTTER SAUCE
unsalted butter (amount depends on how much ravioli you are serving - ravioli can be frozen, sauce should be made fresh)
few pinches sage
pinch of brown sugar (optional)
pinch of black pepper
pinch of salt (if using unsalted butter - optional)

CANDIED WALNUTS
walnuts
white granulated sugar (use 1 part sugar for 2 parts of walnuts)
parchment paper

DIRECTIONS
STEP 1 - Preparing the squash
Cutting and roasting the squash can be time consuming and I recommend doing this ahead of time (you can do it the night before and store in the fridge, or even freeze). Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. To prepare the squash, cut off the top stem. Slice the squash where the skinny part meets the bulbous part. cut the now cylindrical shaped piece lengthwise. cut the bulbous part in half as well and scoop out all the seeds. You should now have 4 pieces of squash - leave the skin on for now. line a sided pan with foil and coat with olive oil. Place squash in pan, flesh-side down and place pan in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes then turn squash over so that it is now skin down. Bake for another 20 minutes or so or until the squash is mushy and easily pierced with a fork. Let cool fully. Once cooled, peel skin off of squash using hands and/or a knife. Put squash pieces in a bowl and use a vegetable masher to mash it (alternatively, use a food processor if you want a finer puree). Add small amount of salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix. Add a few splashes of almond milk until desired consistency is reached - the mixture should be thick but smooth.

STEP 2 - Making the candied walnuts
I chose this as step 2 because you can do it ahead of time, while your squash is roasting. Chop walnuts into small pieces and add to a pan. Add sugar. I used a 2 cup bag of walnuts and 1 cup of sugar, but it can be scaled as you wish. Turn heat to medium and stir constantly. The sugar will melt (all on it's own, no water required!). Keep stirring until all sugar is melted and walnuts are coated, being careful not to burn. when done, spread walnuts on a piece of parchment paper to cool. once cool, store in a tupperware container.

STEP 3 - Making the raviolis
Spread a large piece of wax paper on the (clean) counter. put a bowl of water next to it as well as your bowl of squash mixture and package of wontons. wash hands! Take out 9 wonton wrappers at a time and arrange them on the wax paper. place a small amount (about a tsp) in the middle of each wrapper. dip finger in the water and trace around the edge of the wrapper. Fold into a triangle, pressing to seal the sides. Then, using more water, fold in the sides and top. Make sure they are well sealed and that no squash is coming out. Repeat for each and continue until wonton wrappers are gone (mine made just enough to fill them). As you work and finish a batch of 9, place raviolis in the freezer.

STEP 4 - Making the sauce and plating
To make the sauce, melt butter in a saucepan. (for 2 people eating, I used a 1/2 stick butter). Using medium heat, wait for butter to bubble. After a few minutes, add a few pinches of sage. Keep allowing butter to bubble until it turns golden brown, stirring frequently. Be careful not to burn it. In the end, optionally add a pinch of brown sugar and a pinch of salt.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of water with a splash of olive oil to a boil. Add ravioli and boil for a few minutes. (If frozen, boil for a few more). Place on plate, and top with browned butter and a handful of candied walnuts.

Classic Apple Pie

taken from: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/pies/old-fashioned-apple-pie/
This is the classic applie pie recipe we would use when making pies for thanksgiving.

CRUST
ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
6 - 8 tablespoons cold water

directions
1. Stir together all-purpose flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until pieces are pea size. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cold water over part of the mixture; gently toss with a fork. Push moistened dough to the side of the bowl. Repeat, using 1 tablespoon cold water at a time, until all the dough is moistened.


PIE
ingredients
6 cups thinly sliced peeled tart apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
dash ground cloves
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
Milk (optional)


directions
1. In a large mixing bowl toss apples with lemon juice. Combine granulated sugar, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Add to apples and toss until apples are coated. Set apple mixture aside.
2. Prepare Pastry for Double-Crust Pie. Divide dough in half. Form each half into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 ball of dough into a 12-inch circle. Ease pastry into a 9-inch pie plate.
3. Transfer apple mixture to pastry-lined pie plate. Dot with butter or margarine. Trim pastry even with pie plate. For top crust, roll out remaining dough. Cut slits in top crust. Place top crust on the filling. Seal and flute the edge. Brush with milk, if desired.
4. To prevent overbrowning, cover the edge of the pie with foil. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil; bake for 20 to 25 minutes more or until the top is golden brown and apples are tender. Serve warm with cheddar cheese, if desired. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

from the test kitchen
Make Ahead Tip : Up to seven days ahead, prepare pastry; roll into rounds. Stack between waxed paper on a baking sheet. Wrap, seal, label, and freeze. Thaw at room temperature before using. Pastry also may be refrigerated for up to three days.

Italian-Style Stuffed Peppers with Spaghetti

Ingredients (Peppers)
4-5 medium sized green bell peppers
1 package of vegetarian ground beef (I used boca crumbles)
1-2 small onions
1 large jar of tomato sauce (I used the shaw's organic brand roasted garlic)
~1/2 cup water
minced garlic (jarred)
spices: garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, cayenne, italian seasoning, red pepper flakes
shredded mozzarella cheese
parmesan and romano cheese (optional)

Ingredients (Spaghetti)
1 package spaghetti (I used the Barilla? Plus)
olive oil
parmesan/romano cheese
minced garlic (jarred)
spices: garlic powder, red pepper flakes, italian seasoning

Directions:
preheat over to 400 degrees F.

In a medium saucepan heat olive oil and some minced garlic. Chop onions and cook for a few minutes. Add veg meat and desired spices and cook until meat is slightly browned. Add about half the jar of tomato sauce to the mixture plus about 1/4 cup water (eyeball it - don't make it too soupy). Simmer for a few minutes.

While simmering, prepare peppers. For larger peppers, cut out the stem and cut lengthwise. Remove seeds.
For smaller peppers, remove seeds and fill from the top. Add parm/rem cheese to meat mixture and mix (if using). Fill peppers with filling and place in an oiled pan. Bake for about 20 minutes.

While peppers are baking, boil water for the spaghetti. Cook according to package directions. When finished, coat with olive oil. Add minced garlic, spices, and parmesan cheese to taste.

Remove peppers from oven and use remaining sauce to cover the peppers. (sauce can be watered down beforehand with ~1/4 cup or less of water, if necessary). Bake for another 5-10 minutes. Remove and cover peppers with mozzarella. Bake for another 5 minutes then serve with spaghetti.

Ryan's Ghost Pepper and Jalapeno Salsa

adapted from: http://www.insanechicken.com/blog/ghost-pepper-salsa-recipe/

Ingredients:

6 large tomatoes * , peeled and chopped
1 can plain diced tomatoes (optional - see below)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small/medium yellow onion, chopped
jalapenos, chopped (Ryan used 4)
ghost peppers, chopped (fresh - Ryan used 3)
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
small amount of water (optional)

*We only had 3 small/medium tomatoes from the garden plus some cherry tomatoes. we used these plus a can of plain diced tomatoes. If you have enough fresh tomato you can omit the canned. The canned added a significant amount of liquid so adding water was not necessary. I would wait til all ingredients are added before you decide whether more moisture is needed.

Instructions:
First, peel the tomatoes. To do this, bring a pot of water to boil. cut a shallow "X" pattern on the bottom of each tomato. Drop into boiling water for about 30 seconds until skin starts to wrinkle. Take out and place in a bath of ice water. Then peel the skin off and chop into chunks. (Very small tomatoes will only take a few seconds in the boiling water).

Add chopped tomatoes to a pan with all other ingredients. Turn up heat until bubbling then turn to low and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Let sit for 1-2 minutes. Add salsa to food processor or blender and pulse until desired consistency is reached. Refrigerate.

Black Bean Chili Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa

adapted from http://www.snixykitchen.com/2012/06/19/black-bean-chili-stuffed-peppers/

for stuffed peppers:
4 medium sized green (or red) bell peppers
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, minced (seeds in or out depending on preference - I left in about half the seeds)
2 tsp minced garlic
1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup corn (I used frozen)
1 15-ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes (I used fire-roasted garlic diced tomatoes)
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or 1 Tbsp chili powder + 1/4 tsp cayenne)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano (or italian seasoning)
1 tsp salt
shredded cheese for topping ( I used mozzarella but cheddar or pepper jack would be good also)

for quinoa on the side:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
2 Tbsp margarine
salt, pepper, garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne, and oregano to taste

directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat some olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook for a minute or so. Then add jalapeno and minced garlic and cook for a couple more minutes. Add black beans, corn (frozen), tomatoes and all spices. Bring to a simmer.
While simmering, prepare peppers to be stuffed. For smaller peppers, cut out the top and remove seeds. For larger peppers, cut out the top, slice lengthwise and remove seeds. Line a rectangular baking pan with tin foil and spray with cooking spray. Arrange peppers in pan. When some of the liquid has cooked off of the bean mixture, scoop it into the peppers, filling them as much as possible.
Cook peppers for about 30 minutes, or until tender.
While peppers are cooking, bring quinoa and water to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer (covered) for 10-15 minutes (until liquid is gone). Add margarine and spices to taste.
Once peppers have cooked for 30 minutes, add cheese on top and cook for 5 more minutes. Serve with quinoa. (Could also be served with rice)