Roasted Purple Cabbage

This is a colorful, delicious, flavor-packed veggie side!

Roasted Purple Cabbage

1 head of purple cabbage, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 of an onion, coarsely sliced

garlic powder

smoked paprika

chili powder

cinnamon

olive oil

sesame oil

coarse salt

pepper

optional garnish: Greek yogurt or (vegan) sour cream plus chili crisp

Spread the chopped cabbage and onion out onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle and drizzle the whole sheet with all other ingredients—you’ll be fine without measurements! For the spices, just give an all-over dusting of each. Add more of whatever you like (I suggest extra garlic and a lighter dusting of cinnamon). Drizzle generously with olive oil (at least 3 tablespoon) and a lighter sprinkle of sesame oil (approx 1 tablespoon). Toss a bit before putting it in the oven.

Roast at 450° F for about 30 minutes, turning/tossing half way through. You’ll know it’s done when some of the leaves are crispy and browned (but not burnt – see photo below).

Enjoy by itself or top with Greek yogurt and chili crisp. (You can also use sour cream, or non-dairy sour cream. I love Trader Joe’s chili crisp that comes in a small glass jar).

*TIP: This is best enjoyed right out of the oven as it loses crispiness as it cools.

Enjoy!

450F for 30 minutes…This is how it looks when it’s ready to come out of the oven.

This is delicious and I could eat half a sheet pan. Enjoy!

Shop the Forest Feast plate set this cabbage is pictured on here.

Butternut "Brisket" for Rosh Hashana

The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, is coming up this weekend and we always host a festive fall dinner. I’m constantly in search of a good vegetarian main course and in the past I’ve often done a Squash Lasagna. Brisket is a main dish commonly served at Rosh Hashana so I thought I’d do a vegetarian dish inspired by it. I ended up making a whole butternut squash sliced hasselback-style (which is easier than it looks!) and baked with some spices and herbs that are often used when making a meat brisket.

The trickiest part of this recipe is peeling the butternut. Use a potato peeler and shave down the sides while it’s whole. Hopefully your peeler is sharper than mine and this won’t be too much of a chore! After the squash is halved and the seeds removed, slice each one hasselback-style, like above. Some recipes suggest using chopsticks on either side, but I didn’t have any, so instead I used a couple of butter knives that I didn’t care much about. They create a bit of space between your knife and the cutting board so that you don’t cut all the way through and the whole thing stays intact.

Everything is baked and served in the same dish

Everything is combined in one casserole baking dish which makes it easy to serve as well. A spiced liquid is poured over the whole dish before baking. Pomegranate and chives are added once it comes out of the oven. I prefer to eat a myriad of sides and while this could be a veggie side, it’s so substantial and pretty in the dish that it feels like a main and accompanies several sides so nicely. Also, this goes without saying, but it could of course be served alongside actual brisket if that’s what you’re serving!

Sprinkle it with pomegranate and chives when it comes out of the oven

A festive, colorful vegetarian main course for a fall meal.

Butternut “Brisket” for Rosh Hashana

1 medium butternut squash (approx 3 pounds), peeled and cut hasselback style

Veg to scatter around the main squash:

• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into big cubes

• 2 carrots, cut into big cubes (I don’t bother peeling)

• 1 large red onion (or 2 small) cut into big cubes

• 5 dates (sliced in chunks)

• 1 handful (yellow) cherry tomatoes

• 3 bay leaves

For the sauce:

• 1/2 c veg broth

• 1/2 t paprika

• 1/4 t cinnamon

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 3 T honey (or maple syrup to make it vegan)

• 1/4 olive oil

• 1 t coarse salt

Garnish:

• 2 t chives, finely chopped

• 1/3 c fresh pomegranate seeds

• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions: (preheat oven to 425F)

1. Start by using a hand potato peeler to peel the skin off the butternut squash while it’s whole. This is the hardest part of this recipe, so hang in there! It just takes a few minutes. Go little by little around those curves.

2. Use a large knife to cut the squash in half lengthwise. I like to trim the bottom of the squash just a tiny bit to remove any remaining peel, but keep the stem (it’s pretty!). Use a spoon to remove the seeds.

3. Lay the 2 squash halves face-down on a cutting board. Starting with one of them, lay 2 butter knives (or chopsticks or wooden spoon handles) alongside the squash (see pic above). This keeps you from cutting all the way through and keeps the squash intact. This is hasselback! Looks pretty, but it’s not too hard–who knew?! Slice both squash halves from end to end. If some slices fall out as you go (mine did) just pop them back in. If you slice the whole thing in half, don’t worry, just push it together in the pan later. No one will notice!

4. Place both “hasselbacked” squash halves in a casserole dish, face down. I used an oval dish that’s 9x13”. Scatter all the other cubed vegetables, etc around the squash.

5. Combine all the sauce items and stir. Pour this mixture over the whole casserole.

6. A note on the dates: try to have them be submerged in the liquid otherwise they can get burnt and chewy and hard in the baking process (which I kinda like but it’s probably not for everyone!). If your squash was big, or your dish was big, or you had a LOT of veg piled up around it….you may want to add a bit more veg broth.

7. Let’s bake this thing! It should take about an hour at 425F in the middle rack. Half way through, open the oven and use a spoon to (carefully!!) spoon the liquid from the sides over the butternut and into those crevices. Stir the veg on the sides a bit and make sure those dates are underneath the liquid. At the 50-60 minute mark, use a fork and poke the squash and surrounding vegetables. If they are soft, it’s done! If your squash was on the bigger side, it might need a bit more time.

8. When it comes out of the oven, sprinkle the top with chives and fresh pomegranate seeds

9. Serve it hot and enjoy!

Suggestions for other items to serve it with (apples and honey are key at Rosh Hashana!):

• Round Challah

• Apple & Honey Mules (cocktails)

• Skillet Tofu and Onions

• Apple Matchstick Salad

• Roasted Zaatar Carrots

• Honey-Balsamic Green Beans

• Honey Cake

Shana Tovah!

Skillet Tofu and Onions

Even though tofu is something I eat and enjoy often, I didn’t include it until book #5 because I wanted to focus on ingredients that are less stereotypically vegetarian and more just generally vegetarian (if that makes sense?!) But it was time, and this is a dish we make often on weeknights. It fulfills the protein craving and combines some of my favorite flavors, all in one pan. Find it on page 169 of The Forest Feast Road Trip.

Blackberry Shrub Mocktail

During the past few years (and three kids later!), I have been experimenting more and more with mocktails. I love the way a mocktail can make happy hour or aperitif hour still feel special without the alcohol. Perfect during pregnancy, dry January, or really any time you want to leave out the alcohol. This one uses blackberries although you could easily sub in a different kind of fruit to change it up. Cheers!

BLACKBERRY SHRUB MOCKTAIL

(*makes a pitcher that serves 4-6, but see note below)

1 c fresh blackberries

6 sprigs fresh mint

1 liter seltzer

several drops bitter

1/3 c blackberry-flavored shrub (a non-alcoholic “drinking vinegar” often mixed into drinks. Here’s a suggested brand.)

ice

Finely chop leaves from 2 mint sprigs and combine in a small bowl with 1/2 c blackberries. Mash the berries and mint together until a jam forms.

Add 1/2 c water to the jam bowl and stir. Pour the mixture over a fine mesh sieve into a pitcher, pressing the remaining pulp with a spoon to remove as much moisture as possible. Add the the bitters and shrub to the pitcher and lastly the seltzer.

Stir with ice and serve in glasses garnished with the remaining mint leaves and berries. Use agave to sweeten, if desired.

***

*Since we aren’t really gathering these days, you can make this ahead for yourself (minus the seltzer) and keep it in the fridge for a couple days. Add a couple spoonfuls of the jam/shrub/bitters mixture to your glass then top off with seltzer, ice and garnish just before enjoying.

Embracing the Hygge Life!

The last few weeks (and days) have been challenging as we read the headlines and adjust to a new norm that requires us to practice social distancing during a global health pandemic. I’m trying to focus on the positive and thought it would be fun to share a HYGGE INSPIRED ROUNDUP since everyone is spending a lot of time at home!

Hygge is a Danish term that has become popular in recent years. While difficult to translate to a single word — it often involves good food + drink, warm, cozy things like socks + blankets + slippers, and spending time with people you love in the comforts of home.

Here are some simple and cozy ideas to do while we all spend more time at home…. now where did I put those socks?

***

Vegan Zucchini Almond Bread

Coconut Curry Butternut Soup

Challah Bread (last recipe in my 1st book, The Forest Feast)

Cauliflower Gratin

Pear Sauce (like apple sauce, but with pears!)

I love burning natural beeswax candles, like these made in Colorado.

Baking is certainly a warming way to spend an afternoon. This cookie recipe is part foraging and part baking…. you can use edible flowers or try it with fresh herbs! I once asked my produce department at my local grocery store to order edible flowers and they did so (for free!) within 2 days. But you can also order some online or grow your own.

Here’s Leela Cyd’s Floral Sugar Cookies. Also check out her book Tasting Hygge!

Photo Credit + Recipe © Leela Cyd

Happy Cozy Cooking!

xx

Erin