Butternut Squash Chickpea Cakes with Red Onion Marmalade & Cucumber Raita

Cooling cucumber raita and sweet red onion jam accompany spiced butternut squash cakes with chickpeas, cornmeal, cilantro and lemon.

Butternut Squash Chickpea Cakes
9 small cakes
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil, plus more for cooking
3 cups butternut squash, peeled, small dice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
salt and pepper
1-15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup cornmeal, plus more for coating
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbl minced cilantro
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 1/2 tsp ener-g egg replacer mixed with 2 tbl water until frothy
juice of 1/2 lemon

Saute the squash in olive oil with cinnamon, salt and pepper until tender.
Transfer to a bowl and add the chickpeas, cornmeal, garlic, cilantro, garam masala, cumin, thyme, cayenne, ener-g egg and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Mash until only a few beans are left whole. Form into small patties. Chill for 15 minutes.
Pour a thin layer of olive oil in the pan and heat up.
Coat the patties in cornmeal then saute until golden brown on both sides, 10 minutes total.

Cucumber Raita
1-6oz plain coconut yogurt
1 cup minced cucumber, seeded (about 3/4 a cucumber)
3 tbl minced cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all of the ingredients and let chill for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Red Onion Marmalade
1 large red onion, large dice
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tbl organic light brown sugar
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
salt and pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until thick and jam-like.

Fried Sweet Potato, Rye Waffle, Onion Jam & Boysenberry Syrup

Tonight's dinner was inspired by my brother, whose apparent claim to fame is creating chicken and waffles. Despite his lack of a grasp on reality, it got me thinking about how that sweet and salty taste is one of the most delicious combinations. Eat this for breakfast, brunch or dinner.


Tender, seasoned pan-fried sweet potato filets over a crisp dark rye waffle served with sweet onion jam and a drizzle of boysenberry syrup.

Fried Sweet Potato
2 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2" slices
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tbl creole seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
canola oil, for frying

Place the sweet potato slices in a pot of cold, salted water and bring to a boil. Boil for 7-10 minutes until 2/3rds of the way cooked. Drain and pat dry.
Combine the flour, seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Coat the slices in the flour and let sit while the oil heats up.
Pour 1/4" worth of oil in a large saute pan and heat to 350.
Dredge the sweet potato in the flour mixture once more then fry until golden brown and cooked through.
Drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt.

Rye Waffle
makes 2 large waffles
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dark rye flour
2 tbl turbinado sugar
1 tbl baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbl canola oil
1 1/2-2 cups plain almond milk
boysenberry syrup

Combine the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the oil and almond milk and whisk to combine. The batter should be thick but pourable. Add more almond milk if necessary.
Preheat a waffle iron and cook until golden brown. Makes two large waffles, more or less depending on the size and shape of your machine.

Onion Jam
3 tbl vegan butter
1 medium sized red onion, small dice
1 medium sized yellow onion, small dice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 tbl turbinado sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup red wine

Melt the butter in a medium sized pot. Add the onions, salt and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes to allow the onions to start to soften. Add the sugar and toss to combine. Add the vinegar and wine and raise the heat to high. Cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally until all of the liquid has been absorbed and the jam is thick.

Herb Spaetzle with Shallot Marmalade & Roasted Carrots

Spaetzle! I was extra excited to make this tonight because I have seen it being made so many times but was always oddly intimidated by the whole- pushing-through-the-colander-into the pot process. It was easy but took a tiny bit of elbow grease because the colander I was using is clearly not intended to make spaetzle with. If you have a flat grater, hold that over the pot and it works even better.


Tiny homemade pasta dumplings tossed with fresh herbs and just a hint of garlic. Served with roasted carrots and sweet shallot marmalade.

Herb Spaeztle
1 tsp ener-g egg replacer
1 tsp water
3 tbl melted earth balance vegan butter
1 1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup ap flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, grated
3 tbl chopped fresh parsley
3 tbl chopped fresh chives

First, set up your work space.
Get a bowl of ice water ready to the side to put the spaetzle in after they've cooked.
Prepare a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg replacer and water for 1 minute until slightly frothy. Add the butter and water. Mix to combine. Add the flours and salt. The dough should be thinner than bread dough but much thicker than pancake batter. Add more water if necessary.
To form the spaetzle, hold a large holed colander over the simmering water and push the dough through the holes with a spatula. Do this in batches so you don't overcrowd the pot. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the spaetzle floats to the surface, stirring gently to prevent sticking. Drain from the hot water and dump into the bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process.
Once all of the spaetzle has cooked, drain from the cold water and saute in olive oil and garlic for 3-4 minutes until they get some color and a slight toast. Toss with parsley, chives and season with lots of salt and pepper.

Shallot Marmalade
2 cups shallots, small dice
1/4 cup organic cane sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbl water
1/4 tsp salt

Combine the shallots, sugar, vinegar, water and 1/4 tsp salt. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until thickened and sweet. Season with salt to taste.

Roasted Carrots
5 carrots, halved vertically
1 tbl fresh thyme leaves
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425. Toss the carrots with the remaining ingredients. Roast in a single layer for 15-20 minutes until tender and caramelized.