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Pumpkin Risotto

Thanksgiving is my favorite time of the year. It’s special to me because it marks the official start of the Holiday and Xmas season and because I was actually born on a Thanksgiving Day a few years ago.

To me the rituals of Thanksgiving are most precious – the sharing with family, the cooking and wanting to please your loved ones and the action of giving thanks for all that we have today. To give thanks without asking anything in return is one of the principles of YOGA and maybe, my connection to Thanksgiving and how much I enjoy this holiday are signs of me possibly practicing yoga before this life.

I always give thanks to the Supreme Being for everything I do have – my life, my family, my health, my ability to see, hear, speak, walk, communicate, my roof, my family, those who love me and those who I love. But I also give thanks for all those things I do not have… those things we might think we need in our lives, and the very fact we do not have them might very well be a blessing. I always thank God for keeping those wishes away from me… because I must learn to appreciate that life is perfect just as it is and that we do not need anything else but the moment we are living. The present is the only thing we need to continue evolving and growing as spiritual beings in this physical existence.

Ever since I became vegetarian, Thanksgiving has been a challenge in the sense that I was truly attached to the flavors and smells of the traditional omnivore menu. But in recent years I’ve taken it upon myself to search and create recipes that are in tune with the season, but completely vegetarian and satisfying at the same time. And when I say in tune with the season, I mean the seasons in the US, because in Puerto Rico, it’s hot and humid on Thanksgiving, just like any other summer day.

This year I decided to try a Pumpkin Risotto. Something easy, yet delicious that I could make at my grandma’s house. This year Thanksgiving will be only her, my mom and I, and I don’t want to carry stuff from my home to hers. I did a test run of this recipe first and here are the results… Something you can make any time of the year, but resonates really well in Fall and Winter. Here’s how I did it…

PUMPKIN RISOTTO

1 box of Archer Farms’ 4 cheese risotto mix

1 cup pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

½ tbs olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

2 ounces Fontina cheese, cubed small

1 ounce Blue cheese, I use Danish blue, grated or in crumbles

¼ cup Pecorino Romano, grated

¼ cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

First, we need to roast the pumpkin. Place the cleaned pumpkin on a baking sheet, drizzle the olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper and roast in a 350 F oven for about 20-30 minutes. I do this in my toaster oven.
When the pumpkin is about to be done, start preparing the risotto mixture according to the directions on the package. I place 2 ½ cups of water to boil. When the water starts to boil, mix contents of rice and season packets. Mix together well and leave uncovered.
After the pumpkin is done, place in the pumpkin seeds another baking sheet and roast dry for about 10-12 minutes. Watch them closely so they do not burn. They’ll change color from green to brownish.
When the rice is halfway done, add the pumpkin pieces, the Fontina cheese and the Blue cheese. Mix well so the cheese pieces melt well. If the pumpkin stays in big pieces, kind of crush them against the side of the saucepan. The idea is for the pumpkin pieces to mix well with the rice sauce and make it kind of orangey.
When the rice is done, about 17-20 minutes, turn off the stove, add the Pecorino Romano cheese and cover. The sauce will thicken upon standing. Leave it covered for about 15-20 minutes so the sauce thickens and the temperature lowers so you won’t burn the roof of your mouth and can taste the cheeses and pumpkin. Do not skip the waiting step, no matter how hungry you might be… I speak from experience, and burning the roof of your mouth is not fun.
When serving, sprinkle some roasted pumpkin seeds on top for a nice look and great crunchy bite.

I enjoyed this risotto with my sweet plantains and a side salad.

It’s super easy to make. It’s great if you’re only cooking for a small group, but if you want to feed more than 2-3 with this, just double the recipe – no problem. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I hope my mom and grandma like it too.

Thanks to you for always touching base with me here at KarmaFree Cooking. I definitely count you as part of my blessings.

Tags: blue cheese, fontina, pecorino romano, pumpkin, rice

Comments 3 Comments
Categories main courses, Thanksgiving

Vanilla Maple Carrots

21 Jan

Believe it or not… this is one of the recipes that started it all. I found this recipe in the November 2007 issue of Martha Stewart Living, did it and was sooooo easy and tasty that I shared it with my friend Kathleen. She made it, liked it and posted it on her blog Kathleen’s Vegetarian Kitchen. The rest… is blogosphere history.

So far, I have made this about 3 times at the Yoga Center I attend and I always get requests to make it again. I know my pictures are not yet to Martha’s standards, but with practice, I hope to get there one day… at least the flavors are already there.

Again, the times I have done this, I have done 5 lbs. of carrots at a time. So I will follow the original recipe’s quantities to adapt to the regular household amounts.

VANILLA MAPLE CARROTS

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices

1 cup water

1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise

3 tbsp pure maple syrup

1-2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp butter

Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine carrots and water in a large skillet or saucepan. Season the water with salt and scrape the insides of the vanilla pod and mix in with the water. Throw in the vanilla pod left as well.
Bring to a simmer and cook carrots until they’re tender, about 10-13 minutes. Martha’s recipe says the water evaporates, mine never does evaporate a lot. So….
Drain all the water from the carrots.
Add syrup, honey, pepper and toss to combine. Be careful not to break up any carrots.

This makes a great side dish on any night, but would also work particularly well for Thanksgiving or for any potluck dinner.

Tags: carrots, honey, maple syrup, vanilla bean

Comments 3 Comments
Categories side dishes, Thanksgiving

Sweet Potato Flan

26 Nov

This is a recipe to dissipate any myths that good desserts can only be made with eggs. This is an egg-less flan full of flavor and smooth texture.

I use the sweet potato with an orange-colored flesh, which are also called yams. In Spanish, or at least in Puerto Rico, we call these “batata mameya”. I included some pictures for reassurance. These, I find, are tad less sweet than the white sweet potato.

SWEET POTATO FLAN

1 medium sweet potato, baked – about 1 cup of baked flesh

1 carton evaporated milk

1 can condensed milk

1 pack of cream cheese – you can use 1/3 less fat version

2 tablespoons vanilla extract or vanilla powder

3 tablespoons cornstarch

strip of lemon rind or grated lemon zest

3/4 cup brown sugar – for caramel

Bake the sweet potato in a 400 degree oven for 30-45 minutes. I encourage you to do this ahead of time. Just cut the ends of the potato, pierce it with a fork all around and bake.
After baking, remove the flesh from the skin and mash it well with a fork.
Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.
Place brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Mix a bit of water and carmelize about 10 -12 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix in a blender or food processor the baked sweet potato flesh, milks, cream cheese, vanilla and cornstarch. You’ll also mix in the grated lemon zest, if using. If using a piece of lemon rind, don’t put it in yet. If you feel the blender is too full, just mix the milks first. Take some out, blend the sweet potato with the remaining milks and then put it all together. It will fit.
Drizzle the caramel in a glass dish and twirl making sure you cover the whole bottom of the dish with caramel. Careful if using a metal baking dish… the caramel is hot and heats the metal FAST.
Pour flan mixture on top of the caramel.
Drop in the piece of lemon peel.
Place baking dish in a water bath.
Bake in oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. You’ll know it’s done when the top is browned and a knife or wooden skewer comes out clean.
Take out of the water bath and chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.
When ready to serve… Release over a dish so the caramel side is on top.

If you rather make a traditional vanilla flan, just omit the sweet potato and only use 2 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch.

Tags: cheese, Egg-free, sweet potato, vanilla

Comments 2 Comments
Categories desserts, Thanksgiving

Arugula-Red Onion and Orange Salad

24 Nov

This is a recipe I learned while I was at a cooking seminar this past April called the Conscious Gourmet. This was a wonderful 5 day vegetarian cooking course in Jupiter, FL. It was lead by Diane Carlson and I learned to work with new ingredients and new flavor combinations.

I chose this salad for my Thanksgiving menu because it has curry and that gave me a Autumn feel to it. My apologies for forgetting to take a picture of this… I will make it again a do a whole photo shoot for you.

ARUGULA-RED ONION AND ORANGE SALAD

1 cup fresh orange juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 tablespoon light sesame oil or canola oil

1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced crosswise

4 cups arugula leaves

2 navel oranges

Pour the orange juice into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce, uncovered until you have 1/3 cup, about 15 minutes.

Combine the reduced juice in a small bowl with the garlic, salt and vinegar. Whisk in the curry powder and oil. Cut the top and bottom of the oranges. Peel them with a knife, removing all the white pith exposing the flesh. Cut segments of the orange following the line of each orange division. or you can just cut them crosswise, making discs of orange.
Heat 1″ of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and add onions. Blanch for 30 seconds. Drain and plunge in cold water to stop the cooking. Drain again.
Place the arugula in a bowl along with the onions and orange segments. Just before serving, toss with the dressing and serve.

My mom loved the salad. Even though we normally do not mix vegetable salads with fruits, she admitted the orange helps cool off your palate from the heat of the curry dressing. This is a very tasty salad.

Try it and tell me your impressions.