Red Curry Cauliflower Soup

By: Claire Tenscher

Mmm mmm, smooth cauliflower soups are great. This one has a Thai kick thanks to Red Curry Paste. 

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Ingredients

1 large (or half an extra large!) head of cauliflower, broken into florets, stems chopped
1/4 c olive oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1-2 oz Red Curry Paste (1/2 to 1/3 of a jar)
Zest of 1 lemon
1-2 tsp lemon juice
1.5 cups +.5 cups of broth (separated)
1 can of Lite Coconut Milk*
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbl rice vinegar

Salt/Pepper to taste
Sunflower seeds for garnish

*If you would prefer, use half a can of coconut water mixed with an equal part (about 3/4c) water. 

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400degrees Farenheit. Place the cauliflower on a baking sheet (lined with a Silpat if you have one) and drizzle with 2Tbl of the olive oil. Toss the cauliflower around with your hands so it is all coated. Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast until the cauliflower is golden brown with toasty tips.

2. Pour 1Tbl of olive oil into a stock pot and heat to medium. Add the onion and a dash of salt. Sautee until the onions are translucent (4minutes). Add the curry paste (more or less depending on your comfort with spicy food) and lemon zest.

3. Raise the heat to medium-high and add .5 cups of broth and the lemon juice to deglaze the pan.

4. Add the cauliflower to the pot (reserving some of the prettier florets for garnishing if you like). Add the remaining broth, coconut milk, and sugar. Stir occasionally until everything is warm. Remove from heat and add the rice vinegar.

5. Blend the soup mixture. An immersion blender is ideal, you can also use a standard blender or Cuisinart, taking care to avoid hot steam escaping from the lid. Batches work best if you aren't using the immersion blender.

6. Serve the soup with roasted florets on top, and roasted sunflower seeds if you have 'em.

Adapted from the Southern Vegetarian Cookbook

Cajun Style Orca Beans and Rice

By: Claire Tenscher

Start this recipe the night before; the beans do require soaking! We wanted to come up with a clever use for Orca beans that tied in to the flavors of Mardi Gras.  The Orca beans were a total surprise; they kept their black and white splotches after we'd cooked them. They are a mild bean with a firm texture that will hold up well in soups or bean salads like this one. 

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Ingredients:

1 lb.  Dry Orca Beans
2 Tbs  Olive oil
1 medium Yellow Onion, chopped
2-3 stalks Celery, chopped
1 small Green Bell Pepper, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tsp  Cumin
½ tsp  Thyme
1 tsp  Basil
¼ tsp  Sage
½ tsp  Oregano
1/3 cup  Lime juice (about 3 limes)
1-2  Bay leaves
½ cup Fresh Parsley, minced
1 tsp  Hot sauce, your choice!

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3-4 cups of cooked rice
½ cup sliced scallions

1. Soak the dry beans in water overnight in a covered vessel.  Drain the beans.
2. Heat the oil in large saucepan over medium heat.  Saute onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic, cumin, thyme, basil, sage and oregano for 7-10 minute or until soft.  Add the drained beans, bay leaves and enough water to cover everything by about an inch.  Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 45 minutes.  Add extra hot water if needed in order to keep all the ingredients below the water level.
4. When the beans are soft, add in salt, pepper, parsley and hot sauce to taste.
5. Serve over hot rice and garnish with the scallions.

Let the good times roll!

Stuffed Carnival Squash

By: Claire Tenscher

I've been a big fan of stuffed squash since I was a kid. The recipes in Molly Katzen's Moosewood cookbook - cottage cheese and apple stuffed squash and a thanksgiving-style-stuffing filled squash- were a staple of our family meal plans. This recipe features locally grown Carnival Squash. If you'd like to substitute acorn squash (perhaps you grew some this summer?) feel free. The Carnival Squash has a more buttery flesh and is slightly sweeter. 

I had an extra carnival squash that I thought I would peel and cube for later eating. I quickly realized why Butternut squash is the only one you ever see frozen - and you never see any recipes calling for cubed acorn squash. The ridges make acorn and carnival very difficult to peel! I baked the extra instead and scooped the cooked flesh out to eat with my breakfast cereal.

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Ingredients
3-4 Carnival Squash
Olive Oil
3/4lb Fake Meat crumbles or ground pork (I used a full package of the Gimme Lean Sausage, but my inspiration used ground pork!)
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
.5 cup chopped celery
.5 cup chopped carrot
Juice from 1/2 of a lemon
1.5 cup cooked rice (leftover from a stir-fry the night before)
1 10oz package frozen spinach (thawed, drained, then chopped)
.5 cup walnuts (chopped then toasted)
2 tsp dried oregano
Seasoning salt and vegetable broth- if desired

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2) Set the squash on their sides then cut 1/4 of the squash off lengthwise. This will form your squash's hat. Scoop out the seeds and stringy things. Drizzle some olive oil in the body of the squash, use your fingers to coat the inside flesh with oil. Set them on a baking sheet.
3) Saute your meat or meat substitute until it is golden brown (or in the case of pork, until it is no longer pink). If using Gimme Lean, use some olive oil in the pan to prevent sticking. Remove from the pan.

4) Heat 1 tbl of olive oil to medium heat in the same pan then toss in the onion, celery and carrot. Cook them for around 8 minutes, until they begin to soften.
5) If you have vegetable broth on hand, or a boullion cube, now is the chance to use it. Toss half a cup in the vegetable pan, with the lemon juice, to deglaze.
6) Return the meat/fake meat to the pan with the rice, spinach, walnuts, oregano and seasoning salt to taste. Heat until the rice is warmed through, usually 5 minutes or so. Take the pan off the hot burner.
7) Fill the hollowed squash with your stuffing, place the lid over the mixture and bake for a little over an hour. You'll want to remove them from the oven when the squash is tender and ready to eat.
8) Enjoy!

Berryvale Customers Donate $6000+ to Boles Fire Fund

Berryvale crew members present a check to Shasta Regional Community Foundation Staff. Photo courtesy Mt. Shasta Area Newspapers. 

We had a great article in the Mt. Shasta Herald last week detailing this donation. I've paraphrased it here for those of you who are interested:

Berryvale began a change round up program September 15th of this year. Our customers are asked if they want to round up their change to the nearest dollar for a specific non-profit. The Boles Fire was a huge thing for our shared community and we knew it was the right time to implement the round-up program. In the 25 days that we asked customers if they wanted to round up they donated $6,264.09! That is all from the generosity of individuals who shop at Berryvale. We are so grateful that we have such a wonderful group of people around us.

We donated some additional funds - directly from Berryvale and some from our bag-fee fund - to bring the total to $10,000.  Berryvale doesn’t retain any of the money we collect from our bag charge – it’s meant to reduce the total consumption of bags, not to be punitive. In the past we’ve donated to Plates for People.

We’re presenting the check to the Shasta Regional Community Foundation, who will see that it gets distributed effectively. Their Community Disaster Relief Fund was set up in response to the fire. The SRCF generously decided to not assess administrative fees for this specific fund. 

(http://www.shastarcf.org/funds/community-disaster-relief-fund) for more info.

Butternut Squash Risotto

By: Claire Tenscher

A good friend of mine introduced me to winter-evening-butternut squash risotto. I will eat it in any season. But when fall arrives and it begins to get dark early, I get a hankering for its chewy squashy flavors. This recipe, adapted with help from her, creates a huge batch, perfect for leftovers and filling enough to be a main course. I was lucky enough to use a squash my stepmother grew this summer, but all the ingredients are available at Berryvale.

A note for anyone who hasn’t made risotto yet: Arborio rice uniquely absorbs liquid and forms a creamy consistency when cooked properly due to its unique starch content.  To get the perfect texture one gradually adds liquid (1/2cup to 1cup at a time) to the rice for about 40 minutes. Each time you add liquid you allow the rice to absorb it before adding more.

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Sauteed Butternut Squash

While only half a squash is needed for the Risotto, I recommend cooking the whole thing and using it on salads, for pasta and as a snack all week.

1 Butternut Squash

4 Tbl Olive Oil

Salt to Taste

Pepper to Taste

1) Cutting the Squash:

Use the biggest cutting board you have, squash cutting can be a dangerous business, it’s imperative to not crowd yourself! Cut off the top and bottom of the squash, then peel. Cut the squash into two halves. Slice both halves down the middle (this is the hardest part). Scoop out the seeds and pulp. Slice each quarter of the squash into large slices about ½” thick. Stack these slices up and cut them into sticks. The sticks can then be turned and cut into perfect, easy dice. Repeat that with the other pieces: quarters to slices to sticks to dice!

2) Cooking the Squash: Pour about 4 tablespoons oil into a nice big skillet (or do this in two batches if you don’t have access to a giant skillet). Heat the oil on medium high heat until a drop of water sizzles immediately when dropped in the pot. Add your squash and a pinch of salt and pepper if you like it. Sautee until the sides have browned to your liking and the squash dice are tender all the way through. Use that as an excuse to snack on some of the squash. Once you are happy with the tenderness and brownness set the squash aside and get to work on the risotto!

Risotto Ingredients

Olive Oil

½ a butternut squash, diced and roasted as above

1 medium yellow onion finely chopped

1.5 cups Arborio Rice

6 cups broth (low sodium is best)

1/2 cup + a splash Dry White Wine (optional)

1)    Put the broth in a pot on a back burner over low or medium heat. It’s best to add warm broth to the risotto. You can also make a stock using bouillon cubes and water.  I would suggest a low sodium broth, the salt adds up quickly in Risotto because of the way the liquid is absorbed and cooked off.

2)    No need to wash the squash pan, keep it on medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive Oil. When it’s warmed, add the chopped onion.

3)    Once the onion is softened – this will take about 10 minutes so it doesn’t brown – it is time to add the Arborio Rice. Turn up the heat a little bit. Measure it in and put it on top of the onions. Sautee for around a minute and a half, this gives a great toasted flavor.

4) Add the white wine and stir until little liquid is left. The heat should be high enough that the wine comes to a boil fairly quickly.

5) The Broth Step: It is time to start gradually adding liquid. I generally use a partially full 1 cup measure to add warmed broth to the risotto. Stir kindly and let the rice absorb the liquid. If you don’t see the liquid simmering in the pan, turn your heat up slightly, we don’t want a full boil though, at a simmer the rice cooks evenly.

6) After a few minutes, when the broth has nearly vanished add another cup of liquid.

7) As the rice plumps up, add salt and pepper if needed.

8) Continue adding liquid (a la step 6), until the rice seems done. Taste it to check the flavor (more pepper?) and see if it is tender enough. Depending on how al dente you like it, keep cooking. If you are running low on broth, add some water to your warmed broth on the back burner.

9) When the rice is done to your liking, add the butternut squash. If you want a creamier risotto it can be added with the liquid about half way through cooking. Stir gently, add a little broth if it seems too thick.

10) Optional Dairy: If you are vegan, skip this step or use your favorite vegan cheese! Add a splash of cream and/or about a half cup of grated Parmesan.

11 Remove the risotto from the heat and cover. Let it sit for 2 minutes. Yes, it’s hard; but this step makes it creamy and perfect. Wash the stock pan, set the table, just leave it alone.

12) Eat immediately.

Serve with sautéed chard, or a salad.

Non-GMO Month

Recipe Series: Toby's Protein Smoothie

By: Claire Tenscher

I saw Toby’s smoothie in the refrigerator and tracked him down to find out what was in it. I had never considered putting dry oats in a smoothie; I always thought you had to cook them. His recipe is very simple and has lots of protein but it tastes like dessert to me.

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Ingredients: 

1 C Rolled Oats
1⁄2 C blueberries
1 banana
1 TBL Flax Seed
1 Scoop of protein powder (or two, just a single serving depending on which brand you use)
1-2 TBL Peanut Butter
1.5-2 C Milk

Blend!

I made a version with homemade Sprouted Almond Milk and vegan Pea Protein and it turned out great.  I’ve made it several times with other fruits and almond butter, every time it is filling. I really enjoy the texture that the oats add.