Friday, October 03, 2008

VeganMoFo - Eating Local

Tomorrow I FINALLY get my first CSA box! I’ve been on the waiting list forever. AND I get to pick up my box at the farmers market, which I haven’t been able to visit in over month. It’s Herb Day at the market. What’s in season in Central Texas? I will be shopping for (or discovering in my box) my beloved broccoli, apples, kale, cauliflower, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, tomatoes, onions, turnips, cabbage, peppers, kohlrabi, and herbs – cilantro, mint, basil, and dill. Pears, figs, eggplant, and okra are abundant now too, but I’m not a fan.

Today I have two recipes for you that I’ve not yet tried, but intend to, from the Fall edition of “Edible Austin.” The first is from Lucinda Hutson, a nationally celebrated chef and author who lives in the cutest little purple bungalow here in town.



Pumpkin Hummus

Bright orange and a must for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and harvest feasts.

Ingredients:
1 t. cumin seeds
1 t. coriander seeds
½ t. whole allspice

4 cloves garlic
1 19-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz. can pumpkin
3 T. (or more) tahini
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 3 lemons
3 T. (or more) olive oil
2 t. (or more) chipotle powder or crushed dried ancho chile
salt & pepper

Directions:
In a skillet, toast the cumin and coriander seeds briefly until fragrant and set aside. When cool, grind toasted seeds with the allspice in an electric spice grinder and set aside.

In a food processor with the motor running, add garlic cloves and then the chickpeas, pumpkin, tahini, lemon zest, and juice. Sprinkle in the freshly ground spices, chipotle powder, and salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in enough olive oil to make it light and fluffy. Chill for several hours.

Garnish with cilantro and toasted pumpkin seeds, and serve with red bell pepper wedges, tortilla chips, or pita crisps.
(Just so there will be a food picture in this post, here’s a shot of a pumpkin hummus I made two years ago and posted.)


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This next recipe is a sweet treat using cajeta, or caramelized milk (caramel sauce), but just use vegan versions and it should be fabulous.

Apple Cajeta Tostadas

Serves 6

Ingredients:
6 whole wheat or multigrain tortillas
2 small green apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
½ t. cinnamon
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
6 T. cajeta

Directions:
Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with foil and spray with oil or nonstick spray. Place 3 tortillas on each pan and pierce each with a fork. Bake for 8 minutes or until golden.

Meanwhile, combine the chopped apples, sugar, cinnamon, and cheese in a bowl and mix well. Top each toasted tortilla with ½ cup of the apple mixture and drizzle 1 tablespoon of the cajeta. Bake the tostados for 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Cut each tostada into 4 wedges and serve.

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Let me know if you try either of the recipes and what you think, and I’ll do the same.

Tomorrow is going to be a great day - farmers market in the morning and watch Chase perform with his new band at night!

15 comments:

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Hahaha your pumpkin hummus *looks* a lot like my mousse! (I bet they taste vastly different, though.)

I love the idea; I'm going to have to try it.

Anonymous said...

You will love having the CSA every week! I couldn't live w/o my organic box at this point.

And pumpkin hummus sounds like a brilliant idea!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Hooray for local eats!!

Oooh, pumpkin hummus!!

Monique a.k.a. Mo said...

That hummus looks so good!

Amy said...

Ooo! I want a purple bungalow of my own! And I wish I could find somewhere around here that does CSA boxes. Sadly I've so far been out of luck.

That pumpkin hommus looks delicious!

Sheree' said...

I want to join CSA so bad. Our nearest farmers market is about a 40 or 45 mile round trip. I can't justify the gas. Needless to say I am so jealous. My parents in Texas have one right down the street from them. Dang!

I will be trying the hummus for sure. Good stuff!

Good luck Chase! Enjoy!

Catherine Weber said...

The pumpkin hummus sounds so delicious!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Not only do you totally rawk in your own right, but I just showed my sweet man the purple bungalow and the response I got was "it doesn't make that much difference to me and it would make you so very happy..." woo hoo; purple bungalow heaven here we come!

jessy said...

mmmmmmmmmmmm! pumkpin hummus sounds intriguing! i quite like the sound of it - i'll have to give that one a go! the tostadas sounds scrumptious, too! yay!

Anonymous said...

Woo hoo for purple houses, apple tostadas, pumpkin hummous, and I hope Chase's band rocks!

allularpunk said...

your farmers market sounds awesome! we have no herbs at ours...mostly just potatoes, peppers, green beans, and inedible squash these days (end of season blah). and that hummus looks so so good... AND what an adorable house! i want a purple house now.

A.M. said...

Pumpkin hummus sounds good to me, thanks for the recipe!

Amey said...

I can't believe you had to be on a waiting list for a CSA! That's crazy. I did a CSA for about 3 years and I LOVED it. I learned about so many excited ingredients, and I learned about the joys of eating locally and seasonally. I've never gone back.
:)

Bethany said...

that purple house is so cute. reminds me of when I lived in Maine. the town next to mine had a purple house in it where mostly everythign inside was purple. you could pay to go inside. but we didn't go inside ;-(.