Tag Archives: vegetarian

Apple Cranberry Sauce

November 25, 2025 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

Cranberry sauce always seems like the dish that gets most forgotten about at the Thanksgiving table. The tart cranberry – who needs that when you’ve got rich gravy, juicy turkey, creamy mashed potatoes, and buttery stuffing?

I agree with Samin Nosrat that cranberry sauce is a necessary part of the Thanksgiving menu as it’s one of the only acidic dishes to make an appearance. It cuts through the buttery, the creamy and the richness. It also is the most beautiful dish to accentuate your holiday table with a ruby-red glow.

You could easily open up a can, slide it out onto a platter and call it a day, but with minimal effort you could have a gorgeous side dish that’s sure to delight your Thanksgiving guests.

I add apple to my recipe because it counterbalances the tartness of the cranberries and it’s my foolproof method to ensure the sauce thickens. The apples become the same color as the cranberries so no one will even realize they are there.

I use foraged lowbush cranberries (also called lingonberries) but you can use the cranberries from the grocery store and it works the same way.

Easy Cranberry Sauce with Apples

Serves 6-8
Prep & Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

12-14 ounces cranberries, fresh or frozen
2 cups finely diced apples (peel the apples first)
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
A pinch of salt
1/3 cup apple cider
1 cinnamon stick

Directions:

Add all the ingredients to a pot and heat over medium high, stirring all the while. When it comes to a simmer, turn down the heat and cook until the cranberries have popped and the apples are soft, about 15-20 minutes (till it looks like jam). Gently smash the berries with a wooden spoon against the side of the pan as they simmer. At first it’ll seem like it’s never going to look like cranberry sauce and then it transforms and becomes deep red and sort of glossy.

Let cool, remove cinnamon stick, transfer to an airtight container, and store in the fridge till ready to serve.

Cooking, recipes

Legit Falafel Mix

February 1, 2025 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

I’m usually not one to write more than a few sentences before a recipe, but this one warrants a little explanation.

I am not too familiar with making my own falafel patties. I’ve used a box mix before but that wasn’t worth writing about. The other day my sister told me she had the most delicious falafel at work and asked her coworker for the recipe. My sis came over last week with the recipe and ingredients, but we realized parts of the recipe were unclear so we had to make some guesses.

One thing was clear: you have to make falafel from dried chickpeas and not canned chickpeas. I didn’t know this having not grown up eating falafel. But soaking the chickpeas for 12-18 hours is the base ingredient for crispy, flavorful falafel that hold together perfectly. You don’t cook the chickpeas first. Frying the falafel cooks the chickpeas. If you use canned they will not hold together well and will be mushy.

Note: we soaked enough chickpeas for two batches of falafel. You can freeze the remaining soaked chickpeas for another time – it still comes out great!

Ok, four paragraphs wasn’t so bad! Here’s how we made the falafel. I included a recipe for a tomato cucumber salad as well.

Delicious Falafel Mix

1 batch makes about 25 falafel patties

Ingredients for the chickpeas (enough for 2 batches of falafel):

2 quarts water
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 pound dry chickpeas

Ingredients for the falafel:

¼ of a leek, roughly chopped
1 pound of soaked chickpeas (NOT CANNED OR COOKED), fully drained
¼ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
¼ cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Squeeze of fresh lemon
1.5-2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
½ teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon cumin
A pinch of ground allspice
2-3 tablespoons chickpea flour
⅛ teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
Cooking oil, for frying

Directions:

The day before you want to make falafel, you’ll need to start soaking the chickpeas. Fill a pot with the water and add the baking soda. Add the chickpeas, cover, and soak them 12-18 hours. Drain and store in the fridge or freezer until ready to make your falafel.

On falafel day:

Soak the leek pieces in water to remove any grit. Put the leeks and chickpeas in a salad spinner and spin to remove as much water as possible.

Place the leeks, chickpeas, cilantro, parsley, celery, onion and garlic in a food processor and pulse it until it is paste-like, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula often.

Place mixture in a bowl and add the lemon juice, salt, pepper, coriander, cumin, allspice, chickpea flour, baking powder and baking soda. Mix well and form into falafel patties. If mixture is too moist, add a little more chickpea flour. If too dry, add a little more lemon juice. The falafel should be sort of wet but should hold together without bits falling off.

Heat a half inch of oil in a cast iron skillet till about 350F. Fry 6-8 falafel at a time so as not to bring down the heat of the oil. Fry till crispy and dark brown, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Place on a paper towel-lined sheet pan. Serve with all the falafel fixins.

Tomato and cucumber salad

Ingredients:

2 roma tomatoes or 15 cherry tomatoes, diced
Half an English cucumber, diced
¼ cups minced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon garlic infused olive oil (or plain olive oil)
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients and place in fridge until ready to serve.

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Curried Coconut Creamed Spinach

January 11, 2025 alaskaknitnat 1 Comment

I have very little experience with Indian-inspired dishes, so I’m not sure what to call this meal I made tonight. It was so delicious, though, that I had to jot it down so I could remember it for later.

Indian-Style Coconut Creamed Spinach with Squash and Potatoes

Serves 6
Cook time: 35 minutes (not counting cooking the squash)

Ingredients:

1.5-2 pounds of delicata squash (butternut squash would work too)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1, 4-ounce can yellow curry paste
1, 13.5-ounce can coconut milk (the kind in the Asian section of the grocery store)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
8-10 ounces fresh spinach leaves
3/4 cup chicken stock
zest of 1 lime
salt, to taste
1 pound fingerling potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks (any ol’ potatoes would do)
dollop of cream, to serve
lime juice, to serve
Rice, to serve

Directions:

Cook the squash however you prefer. I cubed mine, tossed it in olive oil and agave nectar, and roasted it in a 425F oven for 25 minutes. Set aside.

In a medium dutch oven, heat the coconut oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the curry paste, coconut milk, and tomato paste and whisk till well combined. Add the spinach leaves and chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat, cover and simmer for about 7 minutes, until the spinach leaves are cooked through.

Remove pot from heat and carefully blend with an immersion blender or place into a blender and return to the pan once it’s well blended. Add the lime zest and salt to taste. Add the potatoes, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.

Add the squash to the pot and stir until everything is mixed well.

Serve over rice with a dollop of cream and a squeeze of lime juice.

alaska, Cooking, Italian, Pasta, recipes

White vegetarian lasagna with wild porcini

August 18, 2016 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

This is my favorite time of year in Anchorage. It’s cool, rainy and chock full of mushrooms. It’s a mushroom wonderland out there!

I grew up eating boletus mushrooms and this year they have been abundant. If you’re interested in picking them, check out my handy mushroom guide.

Continue reading White vegetarian lasagna with wild porcini →

asian, Cooking, recipes

Rainbow Stir Fry with Orange Garlic Sauce

September 11, 2014 alaskaknitnat 1 Comment

I’ve been eating an awful lot of burgers lately. Not sure why, but I felt like a healthy dinner was in order. My two-year-old son and I decided on a veggie-packed stir fry. Today at the grocery store he helped me pick out many colors of the rainbow: red bell pepper, carrots, broccoli and purple cabbage.

I never use a recipe when I make stir-fry sauce, so all of the following measurements are approximate. Feel free to substitute vegetables of your choice. This recipe seems to have a lot of ingredients, but most of them are staples in my cabinet so it wasn’t an expensive dish. You could also add beef or chicken, I just forgot to thaw out any meat for tonight.

Rainbow Stir Fry with Orange Garlic Sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Coconut oil

1/2 red bell pepper, julienned

1/2 large carrot, julienned

1/2 cup fresh green beans

1 small head of broccoli, cut into small florets

1/4 of a small red cabbage, chopped

4 crimini mushrooms, sliced

1/2 onion, chopped

1 brick of firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes

3 green onions, chopped

For the sauce:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup chicken stock

2 tsp. rice vinegar

1/2 tsp. agave nectar

2 Tbs. orange juice

1 Tbs. chili garlic sauce

1 tsp. powdered or freshly grated ginger

splash of fish sauce

splash of sesame oil

freshly ground pepper

1/2 tsp. corn starch

Directions:

I like to serve this over brown rice. I recommend Alton Brown’s technique, which takes an hour in the oven, so prepare your rice and then start on the stir fry when there’s about 30 minutes remaining.

Whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside.

In a large frying pan or wok, add two tablespoons of coconut oil and crank up the heat to high. Add the tofu and don’t move it for one minute. This will create a nice brown crust. Gently turn tofu to brown the other sides and set it aside for later.

Add another tablespoon of coconut oil and reheat the pan. Add all of the veggies except the green onions and toss till well coated in the oil. Let the pan heat up again and add 1/4 cup of water or chicken stock. Cover and steam for about 7 minutes, until the broccoli and carrots are just tender.

Pour in the sauce and coat the vegetables evenly. Add the green onions and tofu and gently toss. Serve over brown rice.

alaska, Cooking, Italian, Pasta, recipes, salad

Wild Porcini Orzo with Grilled Portobello Caps

June 23, 2014 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

Last year we picked hundreds of pounds of boletes — wild porcini mushrooms. We dried them and have since not consumed many of them; so before we hit mushroom season this summer we decided we better start using these earthy, flavorful morsels.

Wild mushrooms pair well with risotto. I had a half box of Barilla Orzo pasta, which look like grains of rice. I thought the orzo would taste super with portobello and porcini with a hint of lemon and garlic.

Costco sells a four pack of portobello caps for just a few dollars. I lightly marinated them in oil and vinegar then grilled them over high heat and topped them with roasted bell peppers and chèvre. The fresh arugula salad was the perfect accompaniment to the meal with a simple lemon vinaigrette.

This is a quick meal that’s hearty and vegetarian too.

Wild Porcini Orzo with Grilled Portobello Caps and Baby Arugula Salad

Serves 3

Ingredients:

4 portobello caps

1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms

4 Tbs. butter

Olive oil

2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

1 cup dry orzo pasta

2 cloves garlic

zest and juice of one lemon

1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese

1/4 cup crumbled chèvre

3 mini bell peppers

salt and pepper

Directions:

Bring a cup of water to boil. Pour over the dried mushrooms and cover. Set aside for 15 minutes. Remove the stems from portobello caps and set aside. Remove the gills with a spoon. Lightly score the tops of three of the caps with a paring knife. Reserve one cap for the orzo. Combine 1/3 cup olive oil, the vinegars, one minced clove of garlic salt and pepper to a one-gallon ziploc bag. Carefully add the caps, seal and gently toss to coat the caps. Let sit 30 minutes to an hour.

Chop the stems and one portobello cap. Remove the porcini mushrooms and reserve the liquid. Chop the porcini. Set aside.

Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the orzo for 7 minutes. Drain and set aside. Lightly toss with olive oil so they don’t stick together. Meanwhile, heat the butter and one tablespoon olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add the chopped mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes until some of the liquid has evaporated from them. Add the lemon zest and one minced clove of garlic. Cook for another couple of minutes, till garlic is fragrant. Add the orzo, 1/4 cup of reserved mushroom liquid and the juice of 1/2 lemon. Toss thoroughly and season with salt and pepper.

Set all burners on your gas grill to high and heat for 15 minutes. Chop the tops off the bell peppers and remove the seeds. Skewer them on a metal skewer. Turn grill burners to med-high and set the peppers and the mushroom caps, top side down, on the grill. Cover and grill for about 4 minutes. Flip and grill another 4 minutes. Remove everything from grill and slice the peppers. Serve the caps with sliced peppers and crumbled chèvre alongside the orzo, sprinkled with grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

For the salad: Top baby arugula with sliced cherry tomatoes, blueberries and crumbed chèvre. Squeeze fresh lemon on top and drizzle on extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Cooking, recipes, side dishes

Braised Red Cabbage

April 8, 2014 alaskaknitnat 5 Comments

Around my birthday last month I went to the garage to find something in the chest freezer only to see it full of Omaha Steak Company boxes. Turns out my mother-in-law sent us five meaty meals to cook up with very little prep. One hunk of meat was corned beef brisket. Mmm…corned beef with mustard and cabbage.

I prefer red cabbage not only for its vibrant color, but it’s packed with tons more vitamin A than green. I once had Thanksgiving with a Hungarian guest. She brought a red cabbage dish that was tangy and sweet. She said it was a traditional recipe in her country.

I never got the recipe, but I decided to use Bon Appétit’s as a guideline. The dish was tender, tangy and sweet, just as I anticipated. The julienned granny smith apple rounds out the flavors. This braised red cabbage went perfectly with our corned beef and mashed potatoes.

Braised Red Cabbage

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 head red cabbage, cored and sliced

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic

3/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 tsp. allspice

2 tsp. sugar

2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

1 granny smith apple, cut into matchsticks

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat olive oil over medium-high flame in a large pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook till onions are soft and starting to brown, about 8 minutes. Add the cabbage, salt, pepper, allspice, and sugar and toss to evenly coat with oil. Cook till cabbage is wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the stock, cover and turn down the heat. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the apples and vinegar, recover and simmer another 15 minutes.

Cooking, Italian, Pasta, recipes

How to Make Marinara in Bulk

March 17, 2014 alaskaknitnat 6 Comments

I never thought I’d be a label reader. But then I had a child and started feeding him. I quickly realized there’s a lot of extra stuff in store-bought food. I could be making a lot of that food myself and it would probably be cheaper.

Then again I am pretty lazy. I’ll make homemade marinara every once in a while, but when I’m in a pinch, I just go buy the jarred stuff. If I want the good jarred stuff it usually costs about $4.

Here is where I take a lesson from good ol’ dad. My entire life he has cooked sauce in bulk and freezes jars of it for later. I’ve been saving quite a few pickle and sauce jars so why not give it a try?

It was easy and in the end cost less than half as much as store bought; and it’s probably twice as good.

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 GIANT 106-oz. cans of crushed tomatoes – $2.99 apiece at Costco

25 cloves of garlic, smashed

about 1/3 cup good olive oil

1/4 cup dried basil

2 Tbs. dried oregano

2 Tbs. sugar

8 dried red chilis

salt and pepper to taste

6-7 large 40-oz. jars with lids

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in an extra large stock pot over medium-high. When oil is heated, toss in the garlic and turn heat to medium. Stir frequently and sauté till garlic is golden, about five minutes. Add all the other ingredients and turn heat to high. Cover and bring to a simmer. Turn heat to med-low and simmer for about two hours, stirring every once in a while so sauce doesn’t burn.

Let cool and spoon into jars. Do not fill right to the top because the sauce will expand in the freezer and then you’d have a sauce bomb to clean up later. If sauce is still hot enough, the jars might self seal as once they cool on the counter. Freeze up to six months.

To thaw: Defrost in microwave according to your microwave settings or leave out on the counter during the day. Once it’s slightly thawed and can be loosened into a sauce pot, thaw the rest of the way over medium-low flame.