Savory Turnovers

After sleeping in and missing the Rose Parade,
we were pretty stumped on what else to do on New Years Day.
We lounged most of the day, watching the reruns of
the Rose Parade and the Twilight Zone Marathon.

We dug through stuff on the internet- to no avail.
Considered going to galleries or parks, but scraped that
and went driving for ideas instead. Unfortunately we
got stuck in the residual traffic of the Rose Parade
and made our way back towards home. We hit the vegan
restaurant Loving Hut in Alhambra on our way back for
a lite lunch. (I'll write more about that later!)

Then we hung around and tinkered until it was time to make
dinner. Ok, our lives don't revolve around food that much.
Its just that dinner involved a lot of prep work and it
was going to take awhile to make!

I wanted to make pockets or turnovers with the leftover
phyllo dough I used on my 'turkey' casserole.

So first we made our fillings... A squash and sage for
some and mushroom leek for the rest!

























































I started by making the same sized squares out of the
dough, coating each with melted earth balance.



















First as dollop of cashew cheese... Then the filling...





















It took a couple to get the hang of what exactly I wanted to do.
You can see in how my first one looked like a sad egg roll or a
pillow of some sort...













Bake for 15 minutes at 425-450F
After the first batch went in the oven, I started up a
red sauce. Later blended, it can be used for dipping or
just pouring over. Its a basic Italian, nothing more.












Out they come!

























All Crispy and golden like!





The mushroom and leek, inside and out!








The Squash covered with sauce...


We made these a little larger than party h'dourves, but
smaller than a turnover you'd get at a bakery. These would
be great smaller for parties or gatherings. I'll probably
be making them the next time we throw a party. A little
fattening with all the earthbalance. We had a lot left
over. This used half a package of phyllo, so we could have
made a lot more if we had wished.
Also, you can improv a lot with fillings. I'm already planning
a curried filling myself!

But our New Years was lovely. Its nice to kick back and
go all out on rich foods one in a while, thats why we have
holidays--right? To make foods like this special. I'd be
the size of a house if I ate this everyday. A couple times
a year is just fine for me, thanks. Now back to everyday life.

Sorrel and Sunshine Tofu

Its good to have friends in green places!

Yesterday I received a beautiful bunch of sorrel. YAY

I haven't had sorrel since I lived in California. We had a fair

bunch there and our dog loved to eat it in one quick chomp.

Sorrel is European in origin and has high levels of vitamin

A and C. The younger leaves are fruitier tasting and will get

more of a tang as it ages. This is due to the level oxalic acid

in the sorrel and also why you should not cook it in cast iron.

So if you're making sorrel soup, double check what stockpot

you use or else it will come out tasting metallic.

Sorrel is sometimes used interchangeably with spinach, but

can also be used as an herb in ways.

Sorrel is most commonly used in soups or sauces for fish.

I decided that tonight I would breakdown and do some fried

tofu cakes and let the fishes swim on by.

I rarely make fried foods, but when I do...

I served this dish with some golden veggies and a pot of wild rice.

The veg came out so perfect; butternut squash, carrots and yellow

bell pepper quickly sautéed with some vegetable broth.

The natural sweetness complimented the sorrel dish perfectly.

Sorrel and Sunshine Tofu

ingredients

Tofu

1 lb extra firm tofu, sliced in to 1/4" slabs (pressed and drained)

1/3 cup of cornstarch or arrowroot powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp chili powder

dash cayenne

salt and black pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients except the tofu. Coat each side of the

tofu slices and place in heated pan of oil. Cook until each side is

golden brown. Allow to drain and keep in a heated dish until all

are cooked and sauce is prepared.

Sauce

3 cups fresh sorrel, stemmed and chopped

2 tbsp earth balance or olive oil

1 1/2 tbsp mince onion

1 1/2 tbsp chopped capers

3 tablespoons almond milk

Heat oil or butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until

translucent, stirring to make sure it does not brown.

Add the Sorrel and stir, coating. The Sorrel will become wilted,

cook until it resembles a puree. Add the capers and almond milk

and cook a few minutes more. Keep on low until tofu is ready.

Peanut and Black-eyed Stew

Last weekend my Dad made a huge huge pot of black-eyed beans.

So after I got home with my brothers I wanted to make something

quick, easy, and something that would make a dent in that bucket

of beans that was smiling at me from the refrigerator.

We just had hoppin' john not too long ago and I came across this

in my copy of Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes. I think the recipe

is actually called "African Groundnut Stew" because of the

peanuts.

My version had to be twisted a little because I had no onions on

hand and chillies would have been too spicy for my little brother.

And I used cashews instead of peanuts... and I cut it in half

because there were only three of us... ha ha so I messed with it alot.

Ingredients

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small green bell pepper, cleaned and chopped

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp cumin

3/4 tsp fresh grated ginger

1 1/2- 2 cups butternut squash, seeded-peeled-cubed

3/4 cup + 2 tbsp water

2 tbsp peanut butter

2 tbsp cashews chopped

3/4 cup cooked black-eyed beans

Cook the garlic, pepper and spices in a tsp of oil for about a minute.

Add the squash and 3/4 cup of water and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat. Mix the peanut butter and 2 tbsp water and add to the

pot. Allow to simmer until the squash begins to look tender, about

15-20 minutes. Add the cashews (or originally peanuts) and the beans

and allow to cook for about 10 more minutes or until hot all the way

through. Serve over rice!