A Very Veggie Thanksgiving

Spicy Lentil Quinoa Nut Loaf from http://foodandspice.blogspot.com

3/4 cup of brown lentils, picked over for stones and well rinsed in a strainer
1/2 cup of quinoa, soaked overnight in a small pot with 1 cup of water
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup of cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 - 4 green or red chilies or jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of curry powder (or make your own with a dash of asafetida, 1/2 teaspoon of ground mustard powder, 1/2 teaspoon of fennel seeds, 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom, a pinch of saffron, freshly cracked black pepper, 3 tablespoons of dried fenugreek leaves)
2 tablespoons of oil or butter
2/3 cup of dry roasted, unsalted cashews, roughly chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup of steal cut oats
3/4 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes, drained and roughly chopped
1 cup of fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Bring the quinoa to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed - about 15 minutes. Set aside.

In a medium pot, combine the lentils with 2 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until tender and the liquid is absorbed. Set aside.

Heat the oil or butter in a frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, mushrooms, chilies and saute for 5 - 7 minutes. Add the curry powder and stir and fry for another minute or so.

In a large bowl, combine the lentils, quinoa, onion mushroom mixture, cashews, eggs, oats, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, curry powder, sea salt and black pepper. Stir well to combine.

Transfer to a greased loaf pan, press down evenly and bake in a preheated 350 oven for 30 - 40 minutes until golden brown on the top.

Apple Butter Recipe from SimplyRecipes.com

Ingredients

• 4 lbs of good cooking apples (we use Granny Smith or Gravenstein)
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups water
• Sugar (about 4 cups, see cooking instructions)
• Salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

Equipment Needed

• 1 wide 8-quart pan (Stainless steel or copper with stainless steel lining)
• A food mill or a chinois sieve
• A large (8 cup) measuring cup pourer
• 6-8 8-ounce canning jars

Method

Preparing the Fruit

1 Cut the apples into quarters, without peeling or coring them (much of the pectin is in the cores and flavor in the peels), cut out damaged parts.

First Stage of Cooking

2 Put them into large pot, add the vinegar and water, cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cook until apples are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Measure out the purée and add the sugar and spices

3 Ladle apple mixture into a chinois sieve (or foodmill) and using a pestle force pulp from the chinois into a large bowl below. Measure resulting puree. Add 1/2 cup of sugar for each cup of apple pulp. Stir to dissolve sugar. Add a dash of salt, and the cinnamon, ground cloves, allspice, lemon rind and juice. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Second Stage of Cooking

4 Cook uncovered in a large, wide, thick-bottomed pot on medium low heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Scrape the bottom of the pot while you stir to make sure a crust is not forming at the bottom. Cook until thick and smooth (about 1 to 2 hours). A small bit spooned onto a chilled (in the freezer) plate will be thick, not runny. You can also cook the purée on low heat, stirring only occasionally, but this will take much longer as stirring encourages evaporation. (Note the wider the pan the better, as there is more surface for evaporation.)

Canning

5 There are several ways to sterilize your jars for canning. You can run them through a short cycle on your dishwasher. You can place them in a large pot (12 quart) of water on top of a steaming rack (so they don't touch the bottom of the pan), and bring the water to a boil for 10 minutes. Or you can rinse out the jars, dry them, and place them, without lids, in a 200°F oven for 10 minutes.
6 Pour into hot, sterilized jars and seal. If you plan to store the apple butter un-refrigerated, make sure to follow proper canning procedures. Before applying the lids, sterilize the lids by placing them in a bowl and pouring boiling water over them. Wipe the rims of the jars clean before applying the lids. I use a hot water bath for 10 minutes to ensure a good seal.
As an alternative to stove cooking the puree you can cook uncovered in a microwave, on medium heat to simmer, for around 30 minutes.
Makes a little more than 3 pint jars.

Pear-Rosemary Cocktails from MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients

• 6 to 10 Seckel pears
• 4 cups (32 ounces) vodka
• 1 cup sugar
• 12 sprigs fresh rosemary plus more for garnish
• 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) pear nectar
• 4 cups (32 ounces) sparkling water

Directions

1. Put enough pears into a 48-ounce glass jar to fill. Add vodka. Seal jar, and let stand at room temperature 2 weeks (up to 2 months).
2. Heat sugar and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add rosemary; remove from heat. Let stand 30 minutes. Discard rosemary. Let cool completely. Syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 month.
3. Fill 12-ounce glasses halfway with ice. Add 4 tablespoons vodka, 2 tablespoons syrup, and 3 tablespoons pear nectar to each. Top with 1/2 cup sparkling water. Serve garnished with rosemary sprigs.