“To see things in the seed, that is genius.” ~ Lao Tzu, Chinese Taoist philosopher (600 – 531 BC)

As we get ready to carve our Halloween pumpkins or to eat any one of a variety of fresh winter squashes, let’s think about saving the seeds to roast and eat as a snack. Squash seeds are very high in protein, Vitamin K, fiber, and many minerals. The zinc these seeds contain is particularly good at supporting men’s prostate health and bone density.

Preparing the squash seeds is very easy. You have to scrape the seeds out of the squash in order to carve or cook it anyway, so why not use them? Put the seeds into a medium bowl, add some water, and squish the seeds through your fingers to remove any pieces of squash that might be clinging. Drain the water off. If you don’t have time to toast the seeds right away, add some fresh water to them and keep in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours.

Making toasted squash seeds at home means that they can be prepared with much lower levels of salt than those that are commercially prepared, or no salt at all if that’s what your diet requires.

Toasted Squash Seeds

Makes ½ cup seeds
10 minutes active time, up to 2 hours in the oven

½ cup fresh, clean squash seeds, well drained
½ teaspoon olive oil
¼ teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 teaspoons salt

Preheat oven to 200° F.

Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl, then pour onto an oiled baking sheet. Place on the middle rack in the oven and roast for up to 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes, until they are dry and have begun to brown. Small seeds, like those from acorn squash, may be done after only 1 hour, but fat pumpkin seeds can take up to 2 hours.

Seeds that are not immediately eaten can be stored in a jar with a tight fitting lid, no refrigeration required, for up to a month.

If you aren’t planning on carving a pumpkin, it might be a good time to try out a holiday worthy stuffed squash recipe, especially if there will be some vegans or vegetarians at your table this fall or winter. This is surprisingly satisfying as a main course for Meatless Monday.

Last night we made a rice pilaf (see Mosaic Rice, page 50-52, in Mosaic Meals for suggestions) with wild and brown rice, onions and celery cooked in vegetable broth instead of water, with dried apricots, dried cranberries, and walnuts stirred in; we then used the mixture to fill roasted acorn squash halves for our supper. The squash is very easy to roast: Just split in half, scrape out the seeds, then spray or brush the inside with olive oil. Roast in an open pot, cut side up, at 350° F for 1 hour, or until tender – conveniently, about the same amount of time that it takes to make the rice!

“Train up a fig-tree in the way it should go, and when you are old sit under the shade of it.” ~ Charles Dickens, English novelist (1812 – 1870)

Dried figs are high in Vitamin K, potassium, and magnesium, calcium, copper, and dietary fiber. With all that nutrition, it hardly seems fair to make them part of a dessert. All that concentrated sweetness gives them away, though, so don’t question it.

In some instances, the less said the better and, likewise, the simplest of desserts can often punctuate the meal in the most substantial way. I’d say the beauty of this recipe is that it is so fast and easy, but the real beauty is that it tastes 5-stars elegant.

Stuffed Figs

Serves 2-4
Time: 5 minutes

1 ½ tablespoons cream cheese, softened, OR substitute such as Tofutti’s Better Than Cream Cheese
2 teaspoons orange marmalade
8 dried Mission figs
8 almonds

Mix the cream cheese with the marmalade, stirring until quite soft and well blended. Split the figs lengthwise without cutting all the way through – just enough to make a trench. Fill the trench with about 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture, then top with a single almond on edge.

Saturday is Sweetest Day. Go ahead and impress someone! For more information about figs, visit our August 20th post.

“Enough about this glass slipper. This Cinderella is going to need some running shoes.” ~ Jane Clayson, American television news correspondent and radio show host (1967 – )

Did you ever wonder what Cinderella did with the coach after it shrank back into a pumpkin? Well, we know! This strong, capable woman used the full bounty of her garden to make a lovely and very, very nutritious, creamy soup.

Daughter Katherine loves the opportunity Cinderella’s Soup gives her to make it a little different each time by using leftover bits of this and that. She suggests that you add spinach, Field Roast Sausages cut into little bits, and brown rice. Frozen vegetables work fine. We like to add the smoky, ground chipotle pepper to make it nice and spicy.

Garnishing the soup with a big spoonful of cold cranberry sauce or other sweet chutney (Mosaic Meals pages 106,107 and 114) is like adorning a princess with jewels – not really necessary, but it does up the “Wow” factor.

Cinderella’s Soup

Makes 4 cups
Time: 25 minutes

2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 ½ cups vegetable broth
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon thyme
¼ teaspoon rubbed sage
1 cup plain, unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage
2 cups of assorted vegetables, rice, and meat or meat substitute
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon ground chipotle pepper (optional)
Garnish with chutney, cranberry sauce, or pepitas (optional)

Sauté the onion in olive oil until softened, being careful to not allow it to brown. Stir in the garlic, pumpkin, vegetable broth, nutmeg, thyme, and sage to make a smooth mixture. If you will be including frozen vegetables, add them now, too.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for about 10 minutes – but have a lid ready because this mixture likes to splatter a little.

Stir in the Coconut Milk Beverage or other non-dairy milk, and whatever additions you wish to make. Thin with additional milk or broth to create the consistency you like best.

Return to a simmer for 5 minutes longer (just enough to warm the added ingredients) and remove from heat. Serve with garnishes as desired.

Caution: After eating Cinderella’s Soup, you might get an uncontrollable urge to run upstairs and clean the attic. Or, maybe just sit down with the kids to read some folk tales.

“Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” ~ Albert Einstein, German-Swiss Nobel laurete, theoretical physicist, and philosopher (1879-1955).

Last week, Larry and I stopped at Poole’s Tavern in Northville (MI) for a sandwich after attending the Ghoultide art show. I had the Vegetarian Portabella Mushroom sandwich and have been dreaming of it ever since. The tavern is too far from our house to just drop in with every craving, however, so I thought I’d try and come up with something similar. Not the same, but enough of a reminder. Now, if only the dirty dishes would disappear so effortlessly…

Unlike meat, mushrooms only require a few minutes to marinate; they absorb liquid rather quickly. And different from the typical split and stuffed pita, we’ll just be wrapping the bread around the filling to make it extra-easy.

Portabella Mushroom Wrap

Time: 25 minutes

For each generous serving:

1 large Portabella mushroom cap
2 tablespoons tamari or other soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic or cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon crushed dried oregano OR rosemary
2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce (see below)
dash of Liquid Smoke
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 slice Swiss cheese (optional)
¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
1 large pita loaf
¼ roasted red pepper, sliced
½ cup torn spinach leaves
Creamy dressing of your choice

Slice the mushroom into ½-inch thick chunks and put it into a bowl with the marinade ingredients: tamari or soy sauce, olive oil, vinegar, herbs, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, and garlic. Turn to coat, then allow to marinate for 10 minutes, turning once after 5 minutes. Lightly drain the mushroom pieces, reserving the marinade.

Heat up a dry non-stick skillet and add the mushroom pieces and onion. Cook until soft and any released liquid has been re-absorbed. If the pan starts to become dry before the mushrooms are cooked and the onion soft, just add some of the leftover marinade 1 teaspoon at a time.

If you are adding cheese, turn off the heat and lay the slice over the top of the mushroom pieces until it begins to melt.

Place the mushroom and onion mixture onto the pita loaf and top with the red pepper and spinach leaves. Add a creamy dressing, such as guacamole or the Tahini Goddess Dressing on page 120 in the Mosaic Meals cookbook, as desired. Fold the pita around the filling to eat.

This sandwich can get a little bit messy, so if you wish, simply wrap the bottom half in a piece of folded aluminum foil or waxed paper like the restaurants do to prevent dripping.

NOTE: Most brands of Worcestershire Sauce contain anchovies and are, therefore, not appropriate for vegetarians or vegans. The Kroger store brand does not include anchovies, so would be a good choice if it is available to you. Otherwise, mixing up a bit of your own is an easy enough task.

Homemade Worcestershire Sauce

Makes: 3/8 cup
Time: 2 minutes

¼ cup unfiltered cider vinegar
2 tablespoons molasses
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon liquid smoke

Measure ingredients into a small jar. Cover tightly and shake to blend.

Meatless Monday isn’t so bad now, is it? Here is an article about why Monday is going meatless: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-elam/meatless-monday-why-monday_b_730669.html to read while you’re eating your Portabella Mushroom Wrap.

“Even today, well-brought-up English girls are taught by their mothers to boil all veggies for at least a month and a half, just in case one of the dinner guests turns up without his teeth.” ~ Calvin Trillin, American journalist and humorist (1935- )

More years ago than I care to remember, whenever my garden overflowed with zucchini, I would make zucchini latkes using the same recipe as for potato pancakes. They were an excellent side dish, but didn’t have much appeal to the kids. For a long time, we didn’t have them, but last year they re-appeared on our table in a sleeker form.

This scaled down version, more user friendly for those who are not the fan of veggies that I am, is designed to be eaten with fingers and dipped in a favorite sauce. Approached as a treat, you might be surprised at the reception!

Part of the beauty of this dish is that zucchini is very receptive to a variety of seasonings. Since we were planning to eat them with Baba Ganoush, I seasoned them with curry and cilantro to complement the dip. You can change the herbs and spices up to suit the occasion. They are also very tasty prepared with a Taco Seasoning Mix (Mosaic Meals page 110) when served with Guacamole, for instance.

Hint: Shredding the zucchini with a small hand grater takes less than 2 minutes — not enough time to bother with messing up the food processor!

Zucchini-Teasers

Serves: 1 for lunch or 2 for a snack
Time: 15 minutes

1 medium zucchini, finely grated
½ green onion, sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon curry powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Olive oil spray or olive oil

Optional: Baba ganoush, hummus, Guacamole, barbecue sauce, sour cream, or a thick salad dressing of your choice for dipping

Squeeze the grated zucchini to get out excess liquid; they should be quite dry. Place into a medium bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients so that everything gets evenly mixed and a bit sticky (this can take a good minute). Using level tablespoonfuls of the mixture, form into small patties about ½-inch thick each, about 8 total.

Spray a non-stick skillet with the olive oil spray or brush on a thin layer of olive oil and place over medium heat. Lay the patties in the skillet so they don’t touch each other, and cook until brown and a little crispy, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook the second side, also about 4 minutes.

NOTE: The inside of these get very hot, so if you are going to be serving to a child, be sure to let them cool for a few minutes first.

To serve the Zucchini-Teasers as a lunch instead of a snack or appetizer, try roasting a handful of fresh green beans to go with them. Just wash the beans, blot dry, then place on a baking sheet and spray with olive oil spray and sprinkle with a little salt. Roast for 20 minutes at 400° F, turning halfway. They should be hot through, beginning to wilt and brown, but still a little crisp. They’re delicious for dipping, too.

Enjoy your weekend! We’ll see you back here on Monday.