It’s strange. I don’t like peanut butter, but a good spicy Thai peanut sauce is one of my favorite things. I love it drizzled on just about everything and I discovered that it is a fabulous flavor pair with spinach. This recipe is re-worked to make it low-glycemic and vegan this time around and for the May vegan recipe challenge – SOS (a.k.a Sweet or Savory) - by Ricki of Diet, Dessert and Dogs and Kim of Affairs of Living. We agree with these two fabulous food bloggers: spinach is one of the healthiest things you can put in your mouth – calorie for calorie dark greens have the most nutrients of any food! We should all eat it every day!

I always had trouble making good peanut sauce until it finally dawned on me: to have really good Thai peanut sauce, you must start with really good peanut butter. It was one of those “Duh” moments for me!  It is a little more expensive, but you only use a little and it is well worth it. I like the all-natural “dark roasted” style with only two ingredients: salt and peanuts. I made this recipe with the idea of serving it cold on salads, so it is more like a vinaigrette than a sauce you would serve warm with chicken. I must admit that I tried to mimic Trader Joe’s Peanut Vinaigrette, which is also good BUT mine turned out even better – fresher tasting and more of a flavor punch!

I very lightly and briefly sauteed some rough chopped spinach for less than a minute until it just barely started to wilt. You could also blanch it quickly in boiling water. I then drained it and drizzled it with peanut vinaigrette, and sprinkled it with some diced roasted peanuts. Wow! Such an explosion of flavors!

SPICY THAI PEANUT  VINAIGRETTE on Wilted Spinach

Serves 4 – Prep and Cook time 20 minutes

1/3 cup all-natural dark roasted peanut butter
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
3 tablespoons agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon sriracha sauce
1 tablespoon grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
12 cup chopped fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup chopped roasted and lightly salted peanuts

Blend (or vigorously whisk) all ingredients except spinach and peanuts until smooth. Set aside at room temperature for flavors to blend.

Heat a large skillet or wok to medium high heat. Add a little canola oil to pan and then add spinach and stir constantly, for about 1 minutes, until spinach just begins to wilt. Arrange spinach on a serving platter.

Drizzle on peanut vinaigrette and sprinkle on peanuts and serve immediately.

Other food bloggers’ peanut vinaigrettes:
Cilantro Lime Peanut Vinaigrette, Gimme Some Oven
Peanut Dressing, Blazing Hot Wok

Other  fabulous looking Thai peanut sauce recipes (for serving warm) by fellow bloggers:
Red Curry Thai Peanut Sauce, Kalyn’s Kitchen, with coconut milk and red curry
My Mom’s Thai peanut sauce recipe, She Simmers, simmered with coconut milk
Peanut Noodle Saute with sauce, Closet Cooking, also with coconut milk
Peanut Chicken Stir Fry with sauce, Karina’s Kitchen, a zesty sauce with lime juice

–posted by Donna

With yesterday’s AMAZING Brussels sprouts slaw, it seems to be Cruciferous Veggie Week around here. Perhaps some broccoli and cauliflower coming up?  Anyway, on to today’s recipe from the archives. It doesn’t sound very sexy, but I thought it was just delicious. I adapted this from a Top Chef recipe, in fact! I saw contestant Stefan Richter (kind of the villain of the show, but undeniably talented) from the most recent season make this and was intrigued by the concept. So I snagged Stefan’s original recipe from the Bravo site, did a little tinkering, omitting more expensive ingredients like rendered duck fat, and simplifying it a bit, and voila.

BRAISED CABBAGE

1/4 cup butter (or olive oil, if vegan)
1 large onion, diced
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 medium red cabbage or half of one very large head, shredded
2 tart apples, diced
2 sticks cinnamon
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 cup red currant jelly
salt and pepper to taste

I shredded the cabbage in my Cuisinart – it was enough to fill the work bowl completely. Melt butter or heat oil in a large, deep, heavy pan or dutch oven. Add onion and sweat for about 5 minutes, until softened and getting a little color. Add sugar, vinegar, red wine, and salt; bring to a boil.

Add cabbage and toss to coat. Once cabbage begins to soften, stir in apples, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and cloves. Lower heat to medium-low and let simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Stir in currant jelly. Taste and adjust for seasoning.

Thanks, Stefan!

One thing to note: I found that this actually does NOT hold up very well overnight in the refrigerator. It’s not terrible, but it’s not as good as it was fresh and certainly doesn’t gain anything. I do recommend serving & eating it immediately.

– posted by Anne

It's not so scary.

“It just doesn’t add up! Fruit = good. Cake = great. Fruitcake = nasty crap.”   — Jim Gaffigan

Okay, I have to be honest, I really have never liked it before, but after reading this from Adventures in Crunchy Parenthood:

Now before you go telling me how nasty fruitcake is, let me tell you a little secret: there are two kinds of fruitcake. The one you are thinking of is the one with all the little candied fruit bits that have a weird flavor. Granted, it does have a weird flavor, but honestly, I love that kind too (don’t ask me why). But what you are really missing out on is REAL fruitcake. The fruitcake most people know today is full of little processed, candied fruits which have a flavoring called citron added to them. That’s the weird/gross/funny taste most people complain about. REAL fruitcake is made with just plain dried fruits and nuts, and can be customized to suit your particular tastes.

. . . as well as this from the esteemed Noble Pig, I decided to try making one that I might actually like, focusing on dried fruits I actually like, like dates and pineapples and such. Lo and behold, it really is a whole different experience! Basing it on the recipe in the first link, I decided to go ahead and make it vegan, since the eggs were the only thing making it not, and flax works really well as an egg substitute in quickbreads, muffins, many cookies and the like. Gluten-free is a must for me, but if it’s not an issue for you, use all-purpose or whatever flour you prefer.

Toddler eyes the fruitcake with trepidation

NO FEAR FRUITCAKE

2 cups dried dates, chopped
1/2 cup pecans
1 cup pineapple
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup gluten-free flour blend, such as Bob’s Red Mill
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 tablespoons flaxmeal or other egg replacement

Heat oven to 300° F. Coat a large loaf pan (9 x 5 x 3) with nonstick cooking spray. Stir the flaxmeal together with 3/4 cup warm water, set aside to let thicken (you can stir it occasionally). Mix fruits and nuts in one large mixing bowl, stir dry ingredients together with a fork in another.  Add to fruit and nuts, toss together. Add flaxmeal and vanilla, stir until well-combined – it will seem dry at first but eventually will be moistened through but very thick. Spread in pan.

Bake about 1 hour 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If necessary, cover with  foil during the last 30 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning. Remove from pan and place on cooling rack. Allow to cool completely and become completely firm before cutting, usually about 24 hours. Wrap tightly and store in refrigerator for up to two months.

What the hey, I'll give it a try!

– posted by Anne

Some more legume love coming your way – I eat lentils more regularly than just about any other pantry staple. Dahl, soups, and stews are the most common, but I’m always up for more.  Of course, the Legume Love Affair event is the perfect excuse! (Thanks to Susan for the original concept!)When I tried these, my first thought was that it was like lentil soup concentrated into burger form – but I’m not sure if that description would be appealing to anyone else (perhaps not everyone loves lentil soup as much as I do). So take that description or leave it, but do give these a try! Super cost-efficient, as it makes enough for a crowd, a family for a few meals, or a single person for over a week.

LENTILBURGERS

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons coriander
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup red lentils, sorted and rinsed
1 cup cornflake crumbs (I used the gluten-free Southern Homestyle brand)
1 tablespoon flaxseed meal, combined with 3 tablespoons warm water
1 cup pecans, very finely chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
additional salt and fresh black pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large pot.  Cook the onion, garlic, and spices over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, or until the onion has softened.  Stir in the lentils and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked and getting mushy, stirring frequently. Remove the lid during the last 10 minutes to evaporate any remaining liquid.

Transfer mixture to a large bowl and let cool for 15 minutes. Stir in the cornflake crumbs,  pecans and peas. Form into eight patties. Cover with plastic wrap on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for half an hour. Spray a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Cook the burgers about 4 minutes on each side, until the outsides are browned and they are heated through.

Serve solo or on toasted buns (wheat or otherwise)  with the fixings of your choice – I recommend a little bit of goat cheese along with tomatoes and sprouts, if in season.

– posted by Anne

Whatever your personal feelings might be re: Rachael Ray, particularly some of the nicknames and abbreviations she comes up with, honestly, I think this fits into the RayRay-invented category known as “stoup”, somewhere between a stew and a soup. Thinner than the former, thicker than the latter. What’s better than that for the beginning of October? This happens to be packed with nutrients, to boot. Make a double patch and throw some in the freezer (if you can stand to not gobble it all up the next day, as we did)!

SWEET POTATO, SPINACH, AND LENTIL STOUP

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 stalks celery, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
2 teaspoons basil
1 teaspoon oregano
2 cups red lentils
6 cups vegetable broth
4  cups water
about 2 pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed and diced (you can peel them if you want, but I didn’t)
2 large carrots, sliced
2 cups baby spinach leaves
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Sauté onions in oil over medium heat until beginning to soften. Add garlic and saute briefly. Add all other ingredients except carrots, potatoes, and spinach. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes, then add potatoes and carrots and reduce to a simmer for another 15 minutes. Add spinach and simmer again for an additional 15. Finish with fresh pepper to taste, and additional salt as desired.

– posted by Anne