Meatless Mondays with Martha Stewart - Crusted Jerusalem Artichokes with Beluga Lentils, Kale, and Harissa

Jerusalem artichokes. Quite the mouthful of a name for such a little tuber.
If you're like me and slightly perplexed by this veggie, you'll be happy to know I've found a delicious way to cook them up, combined with beluga lentils, kale and fiery harissa dressing. It's a mid-winter, kick-in-the-pants, party-on-a-plate! What's more, it's a breeze to prepare and loaded with protein, fiber, super-charged minerals, and of course, tastiness.
Get the recipe here.

Peace,
Sarah B

ps - If you live in Denmark, check out my features in the current issues of Mad & Venner Magazine and Copenhagen Food Magazine.

Split Pea Sunshine & Saffron Soup

Ka-pow! The sun came out. Copenhagen is mighty cold, but it’s bright and beautiful. In fact, I was so inspired by the sun yesterday, that I made this soup to reflect my gratitude for the much-needed luminosity. 

But how does one capture the winter sun in a bowl? It has to include a few key elements, all of them bright and warming. Very much like my Butternut Squash Salad that became a quite literal translation of an autumn stroll, this soup began with little, round, golden spheres – sunny split peas. I added more glowing globe goodness with a Hokkaido pumpkin, and took things over the top with a sprinkling of saffron and carrots cut into fun, sun shapes. Smooth, mellow, yellow, and amusing – like the bold, golden brightness poking through the gloom.

Coming from Canada, I am all too familiar with split pea soup – it’s a staple in many households. I can remember those days when my mum was in a pinch to make supper, out came the can of Habitant! That particular style, and the traditional recipe, calls for a ham hock, but after many trials, I have nailed the veggie version. Split Pea Sunshine & Saffron Soup is a very special dish full of surprising flavour that will spread warmth from your heart to your toes.

Split Peas, Pretty Please!

Yes, split peas are a modest bunch, but don’t let their wallflower demeanor fool you – they are small but mighty! 

For starters, split peas are provide a lot of fiber, the soluble kind, which means they help lower cholesterol, prevent digestive disorders, and balance blood sugar. Soluble fiber is the kind that forms a gel-like substance in our digestive tract, binding to cholesterol-containing bile, which is then excreted. Soluble fiber also increases stool bulk, making it a fabulous constipation-combatant! Mmmm…who’s hungry? [1]

One of the other benefits of split peas is their high amount of Molybdenum (pronounced “muh-LIB-duh-nem”). Say what? Chances are you haven’t heard much about this element, but it is in fact essential for optimal health and longevity. Although required in very small amounts, Molybdenum supports bone growth and strengthening of the teeth. A low intake is associated with mouth and gum disorders, and may also cause impotence in men. [2] Those who eat a diet high in refined and processed foods are at risk for molybdenum deficiency. 

Don’t fret! Cover your molybdenum bases with Split Pea Sunshine & Saffron Soup. Just one cup of split peas provides 196% of your recommended daily intake; so gobble up for heaven’s sake!

Split peas are also high in protein, complex carbohydrates, folic acid, and virtually fat free. Put that in your bowl and eat it!

Split Pea Sunshine & Saffron Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 cup dried yellow split peas, soaked

a pinch of saffron (approx. 20 threads), soaked

knob of coconut oil or ghee

¼ tsp. cayenne (optional)

¼ tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. paprika

5 bay leaves

pinch of sea salt

2 large leeks, chopped

4 cloves garlic

1 small Hokkaido (or any winter squash/pumpkin), cubed

4 carrots (set aside two), chopped

6 cups vegetable broth

1 lemon

Directions:
1. Pick over split peas to remove any stones or debris. Place them in a bowl and cover with water. If possible, let soak for up to 8 hours – if not, set them aside until you cook with them.
2. In a very small bowl or cup, place a pinch of saffron (approx. 20 threads) and cover with a couple tablespoons of hot water. Let steep for at least 10 minutes (set aside until you cook with it).
3. In a large stock pot heat the oil and add the spices and bay leaves, stirring frequently for a minute or so (watch carefully so they do not burn). Add leeks, garlic, pumpkin, and carrots. Stir to coat with spice mix. If the pot becomes dry, add a little water. Cook for 5-10 minutes until veggies begin to soften.
4. Drain and rinse split peas, add to the pot. Cover with stock, add saffron-water, bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer.
*5. White the soup is simmering, cut out sun shapes with the carrots (this is totally optional, but fun. It also makes the soup very appealing for kids!). Pick out two very straight carrots. Wedge the entire length of your knife blade into the side of a carrot on a slight angle. Just beside that slice, wedge the knife blade in again at the opposite angle to meet the first cut (creating a very long triangular cut-out). Repeat all around the carrot, then slice thinly across the end of the carrot to make sun shapes. You will be able to get enough for the whole soup out of two carrots. Reserve a few for garnish. See photo for clarification.*
6. Once the peas are cooked through and soft, remove bay leaves. Using an immersion blender, blend on high until smooth (you can also use an upright blender). Thin with water if too thick. Add the juice of ½ lemon. Season to taste.
7. Add sun carrot shapes, simmer until softened (5 minutes). Serve immediately with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a couple carrot suns and a wedge of lemon juice.



I was talking to a friend of mine the other day who mentioned how many of my recipes taste better the day after. As someone with a healthy appetite, and who lives with someone of equal vigor, I don’t always get to test this theory out. BUT! Today’s lunch was leftover soup, and yowza – I’d definitely put this dish into the ‘make ahead’ category. Sometimes flavours and spices need some time to hang out together before they bond. In the case of saffron, it’s especially true.
Consider cooking up this soup a day before eating, or make sure there are leftovers. And to those of you who haven’t seen sun in a while, make a double batch of this and keep it in case of emergency!

Sources: [1] whfoods.com
[2] Balch, Phyllis A. Prescription for Nutritional Healing. New York, NY: Penguin, 2006.

Poppy Seed-Crusted Butternut Squash with Kale and Pomegranates

 
First of all, I need to send out a huge thank you to everyone for your support these past couple weeks. Your emails and messages have meant so much and really kept me up. Yes, it has been an ‘interesting’ time in our lives, but we’re getting used to a new routine and doing things a bit differently…slower. I can imagine that this is very much the shock new mothers experience when suddenly they have a completely dependent person on their hands (good practice, Mikkel says). However, he is getting better and spirits are high. We are both looking forward to the day when he can feed himself and tie his shoes! See? It is like having a baby, albeit a very big one.

So I’ve been coping by going for walks. Long walks. As the man can now move his fingers and send text messages, I’ve been able to leave the house for periods of time and he calls me back if he needs something. This is progress.
My walks are glorious, and I have been experiencing autumn on an entirely new level this year, since I am normally racing past it on my bicycle. We had a couple weeks straight of bright, low, blinding sun, which has now been replaced with storybook fog. Thick, soupy mist clinging to every golden leaf and moody canal reflection, turning the world into a giant watercolour painting. Guh. Stunning.
 I’ve been so moved by the riot of tones and textures on the forest floor and cobblestone streets, I made a dish to echo them all. Poppy Seed-Crusted Butternut Squash with Kale and Pomegranates, with a Maple Mustard Dressing is indeed autumn on a plate.

This dish combines some serious fall power-players when it comes to nutrition, and not coincidentally, are excellent choices for preparing the body as we head into a long winter. Another good reason for eating seasonally.

Butternut Squash – one of the best plant food sources of beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant, which is converted to vitamin A in the body. This helps preserve normal eyesight and may help to minimize the risk of cataracts. Butternut squash can help ward off those pesky cold-weather infections, but can also protect against cancer, stroke, and heart disease. [1]

Kale – the richest source of carotenoids in the leafy-green vegetable family, making it a top cancer-fighter. Kale helps to regulate estrogen, protects against heart disease, and regulates blood pressure. The calcium in kale is more absorbable by the body than milk (and ounce for ounce, contains more calcium than milk)! This makes it an excellent choice for both prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, arthritis and bone loss. [1]

Pomegranate – Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you will have heard time and time again how antioxidant-rich this fruit is. But you may not know that the jewel-like seeds also contain iron, calcium, vitamin C, magnesium, and a good dose of fiber. [1]


 
There is something to be said for living in a city that truly embraces eating seasonally. You just can’t get asparagus here in February. No peaches in May. Kale comes and goes in a matter of weeks in Copenhagen, so I am eating it up like a greens-starved maniac. And that goes for the rest of the ingredients: butternut squash and pomegranate are around from now until the New Year and then we bid farewell until next time. But what I discover every year that keeps me intrigued, are all the combinations of those seasonal foods that seem to mingle so effortlessly.

This dish was a great example of that. Even though I was really trying to emulate that fall colours from a more artistic standpoint (‘cause I’m a big food dork), the flavours really complimented one another too. In therapy, I believe they call this the “ah-ha” moment. It’s why tomatoes and basil are best buds, or pumpkin and sage – the seasons blatantly present us with what tastes best together. All we need to do is open our eyes, get in the kitchen and experiment. No fear! I honestly was a bit worried about this mash-up, but happily, it’s delicious. Of course it is. Nature knows best.



Poppy Seed-Crusted Butternut Squash with Kale and Pomegranates
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash
4 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. melted ghee or coconut oil
3 Tbsp. poppy seeds
couple pinches of sea salt

2 cups packed shredded kale
1 shallot
juice of ½ lemon
zest of 1 lemon
pinch of sea salt

Maple Mustard Dressing
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
pinch sea salt
1 tsp. pure Maple syrup
1 tsp. Dijon mustard

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Peel the squash, cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Cut into cubes. Toss with oil, minced garlic, poppy seeds, and sprinkle with sea salt. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast until fork-tender, not mushy (approx. 30-40 minutes)
2. While the squash is roasting, shred the kale by slicing it in very thin strips. Add the juice of ½ lemon, a pinch of sea salt and massage into kale to wilt. Set aside.
3. Make dressing by whisking all ingredients together. Pour over kale, toss to coat.
4. Remove the pomegranate seeds. Fill a bowl with water, cut the fruit in half, then roughly pry out the seeds with your fingers and let them fall into the water. The seeds with white pith will float to the top – remove the pith as much as possible leaving the seeds, which will then sink.
5. When the butternut squash has finished roasting, remove from oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Add to kale and mix. Toss with sliced shallot, pomegranate seeds, and garnish with lemon zest. Season to taste. Serve.

So life is a bit slower these days, and I’m actually grateful for that. This experience has forced me to be quieter, gentler, and more observant, leading me to look at being with a fresh perspective. If none of this had happened perhaps I would have biked right past the beauty of autumn, missing the confetti leaves scattered at the foot of the church, the shocking green of damp grass, the semi-bare branch of the tree, shivering just so. The walks are good. And when I come home to feed my husband? Well, that is even better.   

Sources: [1] Balch, Phyllis A. Prescription for Dietary Wellness. New York, NY: Penguin, 2003. 

Heart Beet Rawvioli with Pesto Oil

I don’t often get personal here on the blog, at least when it comes to talking about my private life, but something has happened that I simply can’t avoid mentioning.

My wonderful, thrill-seeking husband had a bad hang gliding accident and broke not one, but both of his arms. Walking into the hospital a week and a half ago and seeing him in casts from wrists to shoulders was a bit of a shock, and then learning of the extremely lengthy rehabilitation process that I will be such a huge part of, was intimidating. The man is literally a baby again. He can’t feed himself or drink on his own, he can’t put on his clothes or tie his shoes, he can’t pick up the phone, write an email, take a shower, or brush his teeth.

Between shifts at the restaurant, I’ve been living at the hospital, feeding, bathing, and dressing him. Despite the emotionally trying week it’s been for him, and myself, we’re just so grateful that he is okay. Nothing is permanent. He will be back to his old motorcycle racing, hang gliding self in a few months’ time (I’m trying to convince him to at least stay out of the air for a while, anyway). We are laughing through the challenges and experiencing our partnership expanding into new territory – nothing like a good sponge bath to bring you closer to your loved one! I am overwhelmed with tenderness and devotion to this man, which is why this week I was compelled to create something just for him. Call it an early valentine, a declaration of love, a just-because-you-mean-the-world-to-me edible gift. My heart beats with so much passion for him, so of course, Heart Beet Rawvioli it is.

Raw beetroot ravioli is not my original idea, and I’m sure many of you have seen it done before. But it’s been on my to-make and to-eat list for months now and I felt that this was my window of opportunity. Lucky you, now it's yours too.

Beet it!
Beetroots have been used for medicinal purposes since ancient times. They have a cleansing effect on the liver and can be used to treat liver maladies, kidney stones, and disorders of the gallbladder, stomach, and intestines. Beets aid digestion and the lymphatic system. They combat anemia, tone the blood and help build red blood cells. [1]

Beets also contain special types of pigments, called betalins. These pigments have been shown to support the body’s detoxification process (specifically, in Phase 2) by stimulating specific enzymes to “hook-up” with unwanted toxic substances to be neutralized and excreted. If you are exposed to toxins in your daily life (pesticides from non-organic food, pollution, body care products etc.), or simply looking for extra detox support, add a couple servings of beets to your diet every week. [2]
I know that with all the pain killers, antiemetics, sleep aids, and general anesthetics my husband is being pumped full of, (let's not even mention the hospital food) he certainly needs all the detox help he can get!



As gimmicky as it may seem, this dish totally won me over. I’ve never tried any version of raw “pasta” and “cheese” before, as I can be slightly cynical when it comes to taking a really delicious food and giving it a raw makeover. But, somehow this just worked for me; I found brilliance in the balance. The earthiness of the beet contrasts extremely well against the sweet pine nut filling. Their respective textures are also complimentary, as the rich, creaminess of the “cheese” absolutely needs to be cut with something light and crispy. The beets manage to do just that. With the drizzle of Pesto Oil to finish things off, the meal as a whole, lacks for nothing.

Since Copenhagen is drowning in beautiful beets at the moment, I chose the candy-striped beet route – who can resist a face like that? If you’ve never sliced into one of these varieties before, be prepared for an epic, aesthetic mind trip. They are the true psychedelics of the vegetable kingdom.
If you cannot find candy-striped beets, use the good ol’ red variety – they work just as well.


Heart Beet Rawvioli
Serves 4

Ingredients:
3 – 4 large beetroots (red, golden, or candy stripe beets)
juice of ½ lemon
1 ½ Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
Pine Nut “Cheese”
Pesto Oil
extra virgin olive oil, smoked sea salt, and chives for garnish

Directions:
1. Begin by cutting the ends of the beets, then peel them. Using a mandolin slicer or a very sharp knife, slice the beets as thinly as possible (this can be fiddly, so take your time.) When you have a bunch of slices, use a cookie cutter to make heart shapes. Alternatively, stack the beet slices and cut the rounded edges off to turn them into squares.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the juice of half a lemon, one and a half tablespoons of olive oil, and a pinch of sea salt. Add the prepared beet slices and toss to coat. Marinate for 1-2 hours.
3. Place about a teaspoon of Pine Nut “Cheese” on one beet slice, then top with another. Repeat until you have the amount of Rawviolis you desire.
4. Drizzle some Green Pesto Oil and extra virgin olive oil over top. Garnish with chives and smoked sea salt.  Serve immediately.



Pine Nut “Cheese”
Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:
1 cup pine nuts, soaked
1 Tbsp. minced shallot
2 Tbsp. minced chives
2 tsp.  nutritional yeast
zest of one lemon
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
a couple pinches of smoked salt, to taste (regular sea salt is fine)

Directions:
1. Soak pine nuts in water for at least 1 hour. Drain and rinse well.
2. In a food processor, place all ingredients and blend on high to mix. The consistency should be somewhat grainy and thick – like a heavy paste similar to goat cheese. 

Pesto Oil
Ingredients:
1 large clove garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. minced chives
1/3 cup packed basil leaves
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. water
½ tsp. agave or raw liquid honey
pinch of sea salt

Directions:
1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend on high to mix. The pesto oil should be quite fluid and runny.

When I brought these to the hospital the other day, even through the morphine-induced brain fog, my darling man coherently praised the Rawviolis. Yes, he thought they were made out of cabbage, but we’ll forgive him for that and blame the drugs.
If you have someone special in your life that needs a fresh, delicious, nourishing meal, put your heart on a plate and serve these up. After all, food is love.

Sources: [1] Balch, Phyllis A. Prescription for Dietary Wellness. New York, NY: Penguin, 2003.
               [2] whfoods.com

Meatless Mondays with Martha Stewart - Lemony Leeks with Chickpeas and Feta

Hey friends,
Guess what happens when you put a bunch of leeks in a pan with some veggie broth? Surprisingly, a totally mind-blowing flavour fest. Then guess what happens when you add lemon zest, dill, garlic, olive oil, goat feta, chickpeas, and lots of cracked black pepper? I'm not even gonna go there - use your imagination.

This was one of those last-minute throw together kind of lunches that honestly, I didn't expect much from. I mean, how awesome can leeks possibly taste?
Apparently, really awesome.
Please give these Lemony Leeks a try and find your bliss too.
Check out the recipe at Whole Living.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Love and Leeks,
Sarah B.