Autumn Fruit Salad

What happens when you're invited to a company picnic and the only 'salads' you see people have signed up for are of the potato and macaroni variety? Sign up to bring a fruit salad, of course!

But oh no! It's September, berries have gone out of season ages ago and you're mildly allergic to cantaloupe and honeydew!

Answer: Autumn Fruit Salad, a lovely concoction of warming spices and fruits that are coming into season in the fall. Note that this was made for a party, so it's something like 12 servings.

Mats
5 'eating' apples - I used Paula Red apples, but something like Honeycrisp or Fuji would also work. Go for a crisp variety
2 pears - I used Nashi pears because they were closest to being ripe
5 naval oranges
2 pink grapefruits
1c pomegranate seeds (from 2 pomegranates, if you can't buy them pre-seeded)
3/4c brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp cardamom
1 star anise

Core and chop the apples and pears into 1/2 inch chunks, and throw them in a large bowl

Supreme 4 oranges and both grapefruits, making sure to save the rind bits and as much of the juice as you can.

Transfer the juices to a small saucepan, then juice the remaining orange into the pan. Mush up the pulp and try to get as much juice out as possible. Squeeze the rinds from the supremed oranges and grapefruits over the saucepan, again, trying to extract all the juice. Discard the rinds.

Heat the juice mix over low heat, then add the sugar, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and star anise.

Bring to a very, very low boil and cook for 15 minutes, to get the syrup to thicken.

Pick out the star anise bit, then pour the syrup over the fruit mix and stir well.

Top with the pomegranate seeds and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Miso Stew

It's getting colder here, so I expect to be making more and more stews and soups. While this vegetable soup was tasty, I find myself coming more and more to the conclusion that I just don't like tofu. Perhaps next time I'll try making it with tempeh instead.

Mats
6 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 1/2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thick rounds
1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice wine or sake
1 leek, white parts only, washed and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
1c button mushrooms, washed and sliced thinly
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
6oz green beans, washed and cut into bite sized bits
4 Tbsp miso. I used a dark miso because I like a strong flavor. Lighter miso will yield a more delicate flavor
8 oz tofu (or possibly tempeh), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4 green onions, chopped
1 tsp sesame oil (optional)

Heat 5 cups water over high heat. Bring to a boil and add the dried shiitake mushrooms, the peeled ginger, soy sauce and sake. Reduce heat to medium and boil for 10 minutes.

Strain out the solids and discard. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the button mushrooms and leek. Boil for 5 minutes.

Add the sweet potato and green beans, cover, and boil for 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the miso with 1c hot water and stir until the miso is dissolved. Add the miso to the soup and cook for 3 minutes.

Turn the heat to low and add the tofu. Don't boil! Let the tofu heat through for 2 minutes, then scoop and serve garnished with sliced green onion and a drizzle (less than 1/4 tsp) sesame oil

Baked Alaskan Salmon with Pecan crunch topping

This was a really fast and really delicious dinner. I was able to score sockeye salmon, but regular farm-raised is delicious as well.

Mats
4, 6-oz portions of salmon, skin on
3 Tbsp butter, melted
3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
5 Tbsp honey
1/2c pecans, chopped
1/4c breadcrumbs

Rinse the salmon under cold, running water to remove scales. They can be a bit persnickety to get out from the skin, so I suggest running you fingers against the grain to try and identify and remove as many as possible. Pat dry with paper towels.

Cover a baking sheet in aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Place the salmon skin-side down on the tray.

In a small bowl, melt the butter (30 seconds in the microwave should do the trick), then combine the Dijon mustard and honey with the butter. Stir well

Crush the pecans as small as possible. I ran mine through the food processor so I ended up more with pecan dust than anything resembling a nut.

Add the pecan dust and 1/4c breadcrumbs to the butter mixture. Stir well to combine.

Pour the topping over the salmon fillets. It's pretty viscous, but will slide off the edges - that's fine, it makes a nice envelope around the fish.

Bake at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes.

I served mine with wild rice and edamame.

Vegetarian Korma

While I really liked this one, it came out a bit too spicy for my husband's taste. He's not really a fan of either curry or coconut, but I really liked it!

Mats
1c short grain unwashed rice
2c vegetable stock
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp ground dried ginger
2 russet potatoes, washed and cubed
4 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
1/4c raw cashews. My husband can't eat whole nuts, so I ran them through a food processor.
1c shelled edamame
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized chunks
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 can coconut milk, stirred well to combine
1 1/2 Tbsp red curry powder

Put the rice and vegetable stock in a pot, cover, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 20 minutes

Meanwhile, in a large wok, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the ginger and garlic, cook for 1 minute.

Add the potatoes, cashews, curry powder and carrots, stir, and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the edamame, peppers, the can of coconut milk and 1c water. Stir thoroughly. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

When the rice finishes cooking, add it to the wok and stir well. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, then serve.