Maple Roasted Fingerlings

I don't think the holidays are a time to show off cooking skills. To spend hours toiling away in the kitchen, stressing over getting everything just so. I'd much rather be sleeping in . . . or eating . . . or chatting with family . . . or running the annual 8K on Thanksgiving day.

So, this side is one of those dishes you can just throw together and sort of forget about -- at least for the most part. It's simple, that's for sure, but it's got some flair all its own!

MAPLE ROASTED FINGERLINGS

What you'll need . . . 

• 2 pounds fingerling potatoes (other thin-skinned would work, too)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• Salt + pepper to taste
• Dash (or 7) smoked paprika 
• 1 teaspoon dry basil or rosemary

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. And I'd recommend using a rectangular baking dish (preferably glass).
2. Scrub potatoes until clean + place in your baking dish. In a small bowl, mix together the oil, maple syrup, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and basil/rosemary (I'd recommend the latter, but I was out!).
3. Dribble mixture over potatoes and toss until well coated. 
4. Bake for 15 minutes, then mix around and return to oven. Repeat until you've baked potatoes 45 minutes to 1 hour. Until browned, but not dried out on the inside.
5. Let cool slightly before serving, and feel free to ladle any of the extra maple mixture on top.

So far, Thanksgiving Brunch is looking pretty tasty -- no? Between soft boiled eggs atop spinach toast, Bittersweet Pumpkin Pie, and now these taters, I think we're off to a good start. But just wait till you see what I have in store for you next!

What way do you lean at brunch -- savory or sweet?

I'd have to say (and I know this seems like cheating), I like a good mix between the two. One of my all-time favorite recipes has got to be Basil Pesto French Toast.

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Pumpkin Rut

I've made so many different soups, stews, breads, desserts, etc. with pumpkin. In autumn, I buy a large can of it nearly every week at the grocery store. I don't even think about it, but it's there in the cart at checkout time.

I sat for a good hour trying to think of something NEW to do with pumpkin. Well, that's not all I did during said hour, but you know how it goes when something's on your mind. You carry it with you.

I decided to ask Google for some help.

I searched "ways to use canned pumpkin" and it yielded some good links:

Bon Appetit's 11 Ways to Use Canned Pumpkin
TLC's 10 Ways to Use Canned Pumpkin (Besides in a Pie)
Self.com's 4 Tasty Ways to Use Canned Pumpkin
Food Network's Leftover Canned Pumpkin 5 Ways
Momadvice.com's 8 Ways to Use Canned or Fresh Pumpkin

If you add in my Food for Runners post with 18 pumpkin recipes, I entertained 56 creative, delicious ideas. But many of these recipes -- pumpkin butter, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin smoothies, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin cookies, etc., etc., etc. -- are sort of been-there-done-that for me.

What to do?


rolled PUMPKIN LASAGNA 
in a SMOKY PUMPKIN CHEDDAR SAUCE

What you'll need for the pasta . . . 

• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1+ cup unbleached white flour
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree 
• 1 tablespoon flax meal + 3 tablespoons hot water (= flax egg)
• 3 tablespoons water

Method . . . 

1. In a food processor, pulse walnuts until they become meal. Then add the flours and salt. Pulse until combined.
2. Add in the pumpkin puree, the flax egg, and water. Mix until a dough ball is formed.
3. Take out of processor. If dough is sticky, knead in more flour until it isn't.
4. Let rest at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. 
5. Then generously flour a work surface and roll out into a large rectangle. Cut into 8 smaller, longer lasagna rectangles (as shown below). 
6. Set aside until ready for use. 
7. Best part: There is no need to boil noodles before baking lasagna rolls.

What you'll need for the sauce . . .

• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-1/2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup almond milk (or regular milk)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 to 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Method for sauce . . .

1. Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add in the garlic and let cook for a couple minutes.
2. Then add the cayenne and paprika. Mix until garlic is coated. 
3. Add the rest of the ingredients -- all but the cheese.
4. Once it sauce is well incorporated take off heat and stir in cheese.

What you'll need for the filling . . .

• 1 block extra firm tofu, drained well
• 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 small tomato, diced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method . . . 

1. Simply crumble the tofu into a large bowl, toss with the black beans and diced tomato.
2. Season with the salt and pepper. 
3.  The key is making sure the tofu is as drained as possible. Otherwise you may have some soggy pasta (but it isn't terrible if that happens).

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spritz an 8" x 8" (9" x 9" works, too) pan with some olive oil. Then pour in 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the sauce into the bottom
2. Lay out your lasagna noodles. Spread each evenly with some sauce, making sure that you have a good 1/2 cup or more of sauce left over.
3. Then evenly distribute the filling mixture.
4. Starting at one end, roll the pasta and then place into your baking dish -- one right next to another.
5. When you have finished rolling the pasta, cover with the remaining sauce.
6. You may also choose to add a bit of shredded cheese on top. 
7. Cover dish with foil and place in oven to 45 minutes.
8. Then take off the foil and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. 
9. We actually did this and then turned off the heat and left the dish in there for another 25 minutes while we gave Ada a bath and it turned out great.

My weakness as a food photographer?

Taking photos of cooked pasta dishes. I never, ever get a good shot! The finished pumpkin pasta tastes much better than this photo would lead you to believe.


Anyway, that's how I busted out of my pumpkin rut. And not only did we have a great dinner, we still have half the food left over for tomorrow's lunch. I'll be the first to say that this recipe SEEMS long and complicated, but I assure you -- it wasn't terribly difficult. Even for a weeknight.

Also, if you'd rather use ricotta in place of tofu, that would be delicious! Alternatively, if you'd like to make this recipe vegan, omit all cheese and consider adding in some nutritional yeast for the flavor.

Have you come across any new, fun pumpkin recipes lately? I'd like to make something sweet that I haven't tried before. Hmmm.

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Smoked Chipotle Bean Burgers

Bean burgers are an easy way to get in a solid vegetarian meal. But how you season them can make or break their tastiness. Stephen's brother gifted us some Smoked Paprika-Chipotle seasoning for Christmas . . . and I knew the minute we opened it that it'd be perfect in tons of recipes, but especially burgers.

You can spice these patties anyway you like. But if you're going for a semi-authentic taste (but let's be real -- I'm not trying to replicate meaty burgers), try a smoked variety. I've noticed more and more smoked spices popping up on grocery shelves. They're great for soups and stews, too!

CHIPOTLE BEAN BURGERS

What you'll need . . .

• 1/4 cup red quinoa
• 1 cup water
• 2 large cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce (Frank's RedHot Kickin' BBQ)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon smoky paprika chipotle seasoning (or whatever seasoning you want)
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup (we used a habanero-infused variety!)
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can canelli beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional, but fun!)

Method . . .

1. In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup of water with the red quinoa until boiling.
2. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment or foil. Set aside.
3. Continue cooking and stirring until all the liquid is absorbed and quinoa is cooked through.
4. In a food processor, combine the garlic, BBQ sauce, olive oil, chipotle seasoning, and maple syrup.
5. Then add in the black beans canelli beans, breadcrumbs, chocolate chips, and quinoa. Mix until incorporated, but still a bit chunky.
6. Form into 12 patties and place on the baking sheet.
7. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes on each side. The outsides of the burger will be crisp while the insides remain somewhat smushy (but tasty).

NAAN

I used this quick and easy naan recipe, but modified it in the following ways:

• I made only a half batch, as I froze half of the burgers this recipe makes.
• I used half white bread flour, half whole wheat flour.
• I omitted the sugar.
• I let the dough rise for 30 minutes, but skipped the second 1-hour rise with wonderful results.
• I portioned out the pieces so it made 8 small naan versus only 5 as the recipe specifies.
• I used olive oil in place of the Ghee.
• I imagine if you'd like to make the recipe vegan, you could use a flax egg (see our handy conversion chart) in place of the egg.

If you'd like to check out some of our other burger recipes, try these:

Chickpea Burgers
Vegetarian Juicy Lucy
Black Bean-Tempeh Burgers
Black Bean-Spinach Burgers

And if you follow (never home)maker, baby! -- today I wrote about why breastfeeding SUCKS. No, it isn't another rant.

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FREEZE!

After we posted about our goal to freeze meals before Baby A is born, we got a lot of email/comment questions regarding our methods -- especially related to our use of glass containers. We're new to freezing, so our tips aren't our own, and -- at this point -- they aren't even well tested.

H.O.W.E.V.E.R. I bought a book a couple months ago called Put 'Em Up: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook, from Drying and Freezing to Canning and Pickling. We've followed the guidelines they prescribe and also added some of our own along the way.

Here's the process:

We first gather our quart-sized glass jars (our favorite are wide-mouth, but we've used all of those already) and rinse them with super-hot water. Let air dry.


While the jars dry, we prepare whatever we want to fill the jars with. So far, we've made Pumpkin Chili, 15-Minute Applesauce, and Thai Jambalaya.


Then, we fill the jars. It isn't absolutely necessary, but we purchased one of those canning funnels to aid with transporting our food to the jars. It was less than two dollars, and I'd say well worth it. Far less mess to clean up afterward.


This part is important: We leave 2 to 3 inches of space for expansion from the top of the food to the top of the jar. The reason glass jars explode in the freezer is because, as with anytime a liquid freezes, the liquid WILL expand. If there isn't any place for it to go: BOOM.

Also important: We let everything cool to room temperature before putting on the lids. To speed up the process, I've placed the jars in the refrigerator for an hour or two with good success.


To be extra safe . . . we then take a square of plastic wrap and fold it into a smaller square (that's either double or quadrupled over) to serve as a temporary lid. We secure the plastic wrap with the medal jar top, but not too tightly. This way, if something expands like CRAZY, it'll have at least some room to escape.


We gather all the jars and head to our lovely basement where our new upright freezer is located.

Note: You don't need a fancy upright freezer to freeze foods. We bought one because we're participating in a frozen farm share program this winter and wanted more space for storage. The thing set us back around $300.


If you don't have a dedicated freezer or you have a chest freezer, simply stack your jars inside and let chill overnight. You can then replace the tops of the jars with the metal inserts the following day, once everything is solid.


If you do have a freezer, chances are it may have coiled shelves that are incredibly cold. We never set our to-be frozen jars on these coils. Instead, we stack 'em in the door shelves to avoid the bottom freezing much faster than the top. Again, it's one of our weird, made-up methods . . . but we feel safer doing it this way.

We wait a good 24 hours before returning to the jars to replace the temporary tops with the metal lids. And at that point, we move the jars to the coiled shelves.


Oh, and don't forget to use a Sharpie to write the date on the top of your food! Most frozen items last 6 full months. It's glorious. So far, we have 12 quarts of chili/jambalaya (which, for us, equals 12 meals) and 4 quarts of applesauce (so about 4 weeks' worth).


What should we freeze next?!

Veteran food-freezers: Are we missing anything? Any tips to add to this process? And do you have other methods you prefer over freezing in glass? We'd love to hear your thoughts. Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Ring-O-Fire Garlic Knots

Hey! Happy Saturday. I wanted to hop on here to pass along my new favorite garlic knots recipe. They're based off the pumpkin garlic knots we love so much, but Stephen found a great way to make 'em even cheaper!

Then I found a way to make 'em even tastier . . .


RING-O-FIRE GARLIC KNOTS

What you'll need . . .

• 1 cup warm water
• 2-1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup carrot puree (instructions below)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups (plus up to 1/2 cup) bread flour

Method . . .

1. Pour warm water into a small dish and add yeast. Mix with a fork and let sit until frothy. About five minutes.
2. In the meantime, drain and rinse canned carrots (the no-salt added kind is best) and mash them with a fork until they have an applesauce consistency. Alternatively, you can steam carrots and puree. Anything to get 1/4 cup.
3. In the small dish with your yeast mixture, pour in the carrot puree, maple syrup, and olive oil. Mix well.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together your bread flour (you may also use half bread flour, half whole wheat flour) and salt. Then use your fist to create an impression in the middle to pour your wet ingredients into.
5. Mix in the wet ingredients with a spatula . . . and then give up and just knead with your hands. You may need to add extra flour. Do so 1/4 cup at a time. Knead for 5 minutes until you form a nice, elastic ball.
6. Then wipe out that large bowl and lightly coat with olive oil. place the dough inside and cover it with plastic wrap or a damp paper towel. Let rise for at least two hours.
7. Dough should double in size. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F -- preferably with a pizza stone inside. If not, a regular pan should do just fine.
8. Punch the dough down and divide in half. You may freeze one half for up to a month (likely more, but I haven't tried it) or use it later in the week. Take the other half and divide into knots (you can make like 8 really big knots or 16 really small knots -- or anything in-between). More detailed instructions can be found here.
9. Bake for between 10 and 15 minutes -- depending on size -- until golden brown.

In that same large bowl (again, wiped out), pour in 1/3 cup oil -- we like avocado oil for this recipe -- with 3 to 5 cloves of minced garlic . . . as well as some salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese (to taste), 1/4 teaspoon (more if you're daring) cayenne pepper, and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon smoked paprika.

We enjoyed the knots so much, I made four batches of dough ahead of time last Sunday so we'd have a lot over the next month. Problem is, we ate most of them for dinners this week!


Have a great weekend. And if you missed it, I wrote about what I feel is a 9-month Double Shift (you know -- being pregnant and working 40 hours a week) over on (never home)maker, baby!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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