Lemon Maple Glazed Asparagus & Cranberries

I was a bit skeptical of this recipe from the name. Lemon and maple don't seem like 2 things that would go well together. Especially over Asparagus. Glad to say I was wrong! We made this recipe for Easter and it was a huge hit. We liked it so much we made it again a couple weeks later for another event. It's a nice change from the steamed or grilled asparagus we usually eat. We found the recipe on healthy/betterrecipes.com and I didn't have to adapt it at all.

Ingredients

1 lb asparagus
1/2 cup pecans
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 teaspoons lemon zest

Directions

Cut the woody ends off the asparagus. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and toast the pecans for 2-3 minutes. Remove them and set aside. Add the oil and heat on high. Place asparagus in a single layer and saute for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally once asparagus beings to blister and brown. Reduce heat to medium and add the maple syrup, cranberries and 1 tsp of the lemon zest. Stir and saute for 3 minutes or until asparagus is tender-crisp. Toss pecans with the asparagus for the last minute of cooking. Place in serving dish and sprinkle the remaining lemon zest on top.

Grandma's Stuffing

Grandma, actually refers to Kristie's Grandma. She gave me the recipe and I loved it so much I had to get it on here before I lost it! I served this stuffing at Thanksgiving and no one could tell it was gluten and dairy free. The ingredients and cooking methods aren't exact, as no Grandma ever is, so use it as a guide.

Ingredients

1 batch of Stuffing Bread Mix
1 1/2 cups celery and onion (ratio to your taste)
1 stick + Earth Balance
1 1/2 - 2 cups pork sausage (I used 2)
3 cups + chicken stock or stock made from the turkey neck

Directions

Melt about a tablespoon Earth Balance in a medium saute pan. Add the celery, onions, and a little water to the pan. Saute until the vegetables are al dente. Set aside, including the extra liquid.

Cook the pork sausage until brown. Set aside and save the drippings.

In a large bowl, combine the bread mix, vegetables, sausage, reserved water and drippings.

In a small bowl, beat 2 eggs. Add 1 sick melted Earth Balance and 1/4 cup water. Mix well and pour over the stuffing mixture. Stir to coat. Continue to add additional stock, 1 cup at time until stuffing mix is moist but not sopping.

This recipe can be cooked in the oven at 350 for 35-40 minutes or done in the crock pot. I did mine in the crock pot on low and it cooked for about 5 hours. It was done well before that but lasted nicely in there and gave me extra oven space. Every hour or so I checked on it and if it looked dried out, I added additional stock.

Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash

We are smack in the middle of the season that makes the ingredients in this 5-star dish shine. This risotto is inherently creamy before the parmesan is even added.  It is a recipe originally from Ina Garten, but I modified it to make it Dairy Free.

Ingredients

1 Butternut Squash (about 2 lbs.)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
6 cups chicken stock
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) Earth Balance
2 ounces pancetta, diced (4 slices of crumbled bacon is tasty as well)
1/2 cup minced shallots (2 large)
1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice (about 10 ounces)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (offered on the side for your non dairy free guests)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into 3/4-inch cubes. You should have about 6 cups. Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a small covered saucepan. Leave it on low heating to simmer.

In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and sauté the pancetta and shallots on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the shallots are translucent but not browned. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice plus the saffron, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes. Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock. Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total.

Off the heat add the roasted squash cubes and mix well.  I served this along side of a bowl of parmesan cheese.  This allowed the non dairy free guests to add a bit of cheese if they wanted, more importantly it kept the dish dairy free so that any leftovers would be safe for me to devour the next day!

Zucchini Cakes

This is another fabulous way to use up all my zucchini from the garden. The recipe is really easy to make. It works well as a side dish or as a main course, depending on what else you serve it with. I think adding a dash of Tabasco or cayenne pepper to the recipe would be a great way to spice it up. I found it in an Eating Well Magazine a few years ago and adapted it from there.

Ingredients

1 large egg
2/3 cup finely chopped shallots
1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 ground pepper
2 cups shredded zucchini (or summer squash)
1/2 cup Parma! Vegan Parmesan
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Preheat over to 400 degrees.

Beat egg in a large bowl. Stir in shallots, parsley, salt, and pepper. Place shredded zucchini in the center of a clean kitchen towel; gather up the ends and twist to squeeze out any liquid. (make sure to get it very dry or the cakes won't stick together) Add the zucchini and cheese to the bowl; stir to combine.

Heat oil in a cast iron pan. Pack 1/3 measuring cup with the mixture and squeeze out any extra liquid. Unmold the cup into the pan and gently pat it down to form a 3 inch cake. Repeat making 4 cakes.

Cook until brown and crispy about 4 minutes. Gently turn the cakes over and transfer the pan in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.