Eggplant Purses, Jeweled Cous Cous & Asparagus Puree

Crispy phyllo purses filled with caramelized eggplant, red bell pepper and seitan, served with fluffy cous cous studded with almonds, apricots, cranberries and fresh asparagus puree.

Eggplant Purses
serves 4
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 eggplant, peeled, small dice
1/2 yellow onion, small dice
8 oz seitan, small dice
1/2 red bell pepper, small dice
salt and pepper
3 tbl chopped, fresh parsley
1 roll phyllo dough, thawed

Saute the eggplant and onion in olive oil over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes until the eggplant has started to brown and break down. Add the seitan and red bell pepper. If the pan is too dry, add a bit more olive oil. Season with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Cook until the seitan is golden brown. Remove from the heat and add the parsley. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if necessary.
Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Unroll the phyllo and place 2 sheets on top of each other. Brush with a little bit of olive oil and then top with 2 more sheets. Brush again with oil and finish by topping with 2 more sheets. Cut the phyllo in half horizontally then in thirds vertically, leaving you with 6 squares. Fill each square with a good amount of eggplant mix and bring all of the phyllo up to create a pouch. Flip over and place on the baking sheet. Continue until all of your filling is done.
Brush the tops of each purse with olive oil and bake for 25 minutes or until the phyllo is nice and golden brown.

Jeweled Cous Cous
1 cup water
1/2 cup cous cous
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
2 tbl dried cranberries
2 tbl minced, dried apricots
2 tbl sliced almonds
salt and pepper

Bring the water to a boil and add the cous cous. Remove from heat and cover. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Fluff with a fork and add the olive oil, cranberries, apricots and almonds. Season with salt and pepper.

Asparagus Puree
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
3 tbl roughly chopped white onion
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup vegetable broth
salt and pepper

Sweat the onions in olive oil until soft and translucent. Add the asparagus and garlic and saute for 10 minutes until the asparagus is tender. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a blender and add the broth. Blend until smooth, adding more broth if necessary. Taste and re-season.

Bella Crusted Tempeh, Asparagus, Creamy Polenta and Pickled Cherries

When making a mental note in the back of my head to make dinner that involved the least amount of oven as possible, I somehow created a dinner that used up all four burners AND the oven. A serious backfire on my part, but the end result made me regret only that my fan is not powerful enough.
Moving on, I have now come to the conclusion that you just cannot go wrong with pickling produce! These tart cherries mellowed just enough to work perfectly with this savory dish and tasted great with fresh asparagus and woody mushrooms.

Baby Bella Crusted Tempeh
4 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
1/2 small spanish onion, rough chop
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
12 oz tempeh, cut into thirds
2 tbl dijon mustard
3 tbl extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375.
Combine the mushrooms, onions, pepper and thyme in a food processor and pulse into very fine crumbs.
Season the tempeh on all sides with salt and pepper. Coat all sides of the tempeh with mustard and use your hands to pack a layer of the mushroom mix around each piece.
Saute in oil over medium-high heat until seared and golden brown on both sides. Transfer to the oven and allow to bake through for 15 more minutes. Season with salt while still hot.

Creamy Polenta
4 cups water
salt and pepper
1 cup polenta (not instant)
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil

Bring the water to a boil in a pot. Slowly stream in the polenta while whisking continuously to avoid clumps. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook over low heat, whisking every couple minutes for 20 minutes until soft and creamy. (Or check the cook time on the back of your package. I have noticed the cooking times really differentiate.) Once the polenta has cooked, add a glug of olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pickled Cherries
2 cups fresh cherries
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 dried bay leaves

Prick each cherry with a fork or toothpick so the pickling liquid can macerate each cherry.
Combine all of the remaining ingredients (except cherries) in a pot and bring to a boil.
Remove from the heat and pour over the cherries. Once cooled, remove the bay leaves then cover and chill.

Asparagus/Puree
1 head asparagus, ends trimmed
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Blanch and shock the asparagus and remove 6 stalks or so to the side. Combine those reserved stalks in a small blender with salt, pepper and enough oil to puree into a thin puree. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Quickly saute the bulk of the blanched asparagus in a tiny bit of oil just to crisp, then season to taste.