Stuffing Instructions:
1) Place bread cubes on cookie sheet and dry them for 20 to 30
minutes in a 250 degree oven, uncovered.
2) Heat olive oil and butter in a large saute pan. Add onion and
carrots, and saute over medium heat for 3 minutes until lightly
caramelized. Add mushrooms, nuts, and poultry seasoning, continuing
to saute for 2 minutes. Add fresh herb, and transfer to a large
mixing bowl, then add dried bread cubes, and mix well with broth. Let
sit for 30 minutes until bread absorbs all the liquid and the
stuffing is fluffy. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Squash Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place squash halves cut-side-down on
a cookie sheet lined with foil, or use a nonstick pan. Add 1/2 cup
water and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until nearly tender.
2) Combine ginger ale, orange juice, tamari, honey, lemon juice
and pepper. Mix well and set aside. Place squash cavity-side-up in a
roasting pan. Brush generously with the glaze. Fill the cavity of
each squash with the mushroom stuffing, using an ice cream scoop or
large spoon. Pack stuffing in the cavity, forming a uniform mound.
3) Pour 1/2 cup water in the pan and bake 30 minutes, until squash
is lightly browned and stuffing is thoroughly heated.
Enjoy!

This recipe makes one large pie or large cake, or two smaller pies or two smaller cakes. I used one large pie pan and one small gratin type dish.
* Preheat the oven to 325° F. Grease the pie plates.
* Wash the cranberries or other fruit, leaving a little water on them.
* Place the fruit on the bottom of the pie plate. If you use nuts, put them on top of the fruit. Next sprinkle sugar over the top.
* In a mixing bowl, cream the remaining sugar with the eggs and butter. Stir in the vanilla extract and then finally fold in the flour and xanthan gum.
* Pour or spread the batter over the fruit.
* Bake for 35 – 45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted near the center of the crust comes out clean.
* Important step: Cool for 10 minutes and gently loosen the edges. If you are using a springform, it is particularly important to loosen the edges at this point. Wait until the pie cools completely before taking off the springform sides.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine crust ingredients in a food processor and blend together. Press into the bottoms of your ramikins, forming a thin crust.

Clean food processor.

Combine all the ingredients of your filling base in a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired. Remove 1 cup of the combined filling base and reserve. Now add the part two of the filling to the remaining filling base left in your food processor. (Pumpkin puree through the nutmeg and salt.) Process everything together. Taste and add a little more vanilla and/or salt if you think it needs it.

Now, take a clean spatula and carefully smooth the white, reserved filling base as the first cheesecake layer in all of your ramikins. Cover with pumpkin filling as the second cheesecake layer. You can leave a little mound in the center that is higher, but I’m not sure if it is necessary.

Place your ramikins in a baking dish with medium-steep sides. Fill the baking dish with hot water halfway up the sides of your ramikins, making sure not to get any water IN the ramikins.

Bake for 45- 50 minutes, cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for as long as possible- at least three hours. *sigh* Carefully remove from container or serve in ramikin. Enjoy!

Quarter potatoes and boil in a pot for 30 minutes or until soft enough to mash

Heat one tablespoon of butter in a pan on medium and add about 2 leeks worth of chopped crescent shapes, sauteeing until softened. Add your kale and an additional 1/2 tbsp. of butter. Sautee for a minute or so. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then add a dash of water, covering the pan and lowering the heat. Let cook on low for 10-20 minutes, covered, or until kale is buttery soft and leeks are nicely caramelized. Remove to a bowl. Melt another tbsp. of butter in the pan on medium heat and add your remaining leek crescents. Sautee for a minute or two and then add your thinly sliced cabbage. Cook your cabbage for about five minutes, and then add your remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter, generous amounts of salt and pepper to your taste, lower heat and cover until you have nice caramelized leeks and very soft, buttery cabbage with light browning. You may wish to turn the cabbage once during this.

While the cabbage mixture is cooking on the stove-top, mash your potatoes with a masher and add your glug of rich milk. Fold the leek-kale mixture into the potatoes gently. When the cabbage-leek mixture is done, you can add it to the potatoes as well. Don’t over-stir; you want the potatoes to have a slightly lumpy, rustic presentation.

Sprinkle with a dill-onion type herbal blend and serve.

Serve in a pretty piece of pottery as a side dish for a St. Patrick’s Day themed feast!

Combine spice blend in a small bowl. Reserve.

Heat oil in a very large cast iron or stainless steel pan on medium high. When oil is hot, add your diced sweet potatoes. While those are browning, prepare your beans.

In another pan (preferably cast iron, but nonstick is ok), heat your tablespoon of oil, saute your additional half of an onion until translucent and then add your black beans. Saute for a few minutes and sprinkle with some of your spice mixture. Saute for another few minutes and add your chili powder.

Back to the first pan. Once the sweet potatoes are brown on one side, turn them. Clear a small area in the pan and add a little oil to it, letting it heat. Then add your cumin seed to the oil, let sizzle, and mix throughout while sprinkling with some of the spice mixture. Add your onion and let start to turn translucent. Once it does, clear another area in your pan, add another drizzle of oil and toss in your diced mushrooms. Let them brown and then turn and sprinkle with spice mixture. Once they have browned, you are ready to add your beans. Mix them into the large pan with the sweet potatoes. At this point, reduce the heat, add the lid and let the flavors blend for a few minutes.

To make your green chili sauce, drain your roasted green chilies and mince them. Heat the oil in a saucepan on medium and add your minced onion and garlic. As it turns transluscent, add your minced green chilies, water, and arrowroot starch slurry. Heat to simmer and let thicken. Turn off heat and remove from burner when it has reached the desired texture.

When ready to serve you can sprinkle with (optional) cilantro. Invite guests to drizzle hash with your green chili sauce.

Delicious!

Peel your lotus root and slice as thinly as you can manage. A mandolin works very well for this. If it will be a while before you fry, you can put the slices in water with a little vinegar added. Before frying, drain and dry the slices thoroughly. A salad spinner works well. Be careful of any splattering while frying.

Prepare a wire rack with a pan underneath for excess oil to drip off while the chips cool.

When ready to fry, put at least one inch of canola oil in a deep, tall pan. I often use a soup pan. Heat the oil to 365F and carefully drop in a few dry lotus root chips. Use a metal strainer with a long handle or chopsticks to turn them. When they are golden brown, remove them to the wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with salt and smoked paprika if you like. Continue frying in small batches.

Serve and enjoy!

*If the lotus chips are not done enough in the center you can fry them twice- first to a light golden brown, then let cool slightly, and then fry once more to a full golden brown. Season after the last frying.

Bring water and salt to a boil and add your grits, lowering heat and covering. Let cook on low for 10-15 minutes. Take off heat, cool for 15 minutes, and then remove to a small square shaped container like tupperware. cool in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Meanwhile, prepare your eggplant. Slice or cut into 1/2 inch thick cubes, depending on your preference. Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey and seasoning blend in a small bowl. Whisk ingredients together. You can either baste your eggplant cubes with your marinade or dip your slices in the marinade. If you run out of marinade (depending on the size of your eggplant) just make more!

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and place your eggplant slices or cubes in a single layer on the sheet.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until eggplant has gotten soft and slightly caramelized. If you are making slices, turn over and bake another 10 minutes. The cubes may not need to be turned and baked more.

While eggplant is baking, remove your firm, cooled millet grits from the container. They should keep their shape. Carefully slice into rectangles about the size you would expect from bruschetta. Sprinkle with your seasoning herb and a touch of salt, if not included in the blend. Heat olive oil in a nonstick pan on medium. Place your millet “polenta” rectangles in the oil and fry until golden brown. Turn over and brown the other side. Remove to a serving plate.

If you like, you can caramelize some onions to top the dish with. Slice an onion and sautee in a little olive oil on low-med heat until it gets golden brown.

Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients.

Now, assemble the dish.

Top the millet croquettes with arugula and caramelized onions (optional). Drizzle a little dressing on top and add your roasted eggplant. Add some sprigs of arugula for garnish and serve. Enjoy!

*For a variation, you can add a little pasta sauce to the top of the eggplant while it is in its final roasting phase.

Prepare your tortilla press by lining it with a freezer bag with the sides cut out.

Slice plantain at an angle to get a long, oval slice. If the plantain is too green to easily remove the skin, carefully cut the skin off of each slice.

Prepare a wire rack above a wide, long pan for draining.

Preheat your canola oil (or other oil with a high smoke point) in a narrow, deep pan like a soup pan. Heat to 365F and you are ready to fry!

Place in the freezer bag lining your tortilla press and press down on the handle to create a large, flat “chip”.

Gently peel off your “chip” and carefully drop in the oil. Fry until golden brown on both sides. Remove chip from oil with a wire strainer and place on wire rack to cool. Season with a tiny smidgen of salt, and generous sprinkles of sugar and cinnamon.

Continue frying until all chips are done. You can place the rack (if oven safe) in an oven on 200F to keep warm if desired.

Serve and enjoy!