How to cook a Brown Butter Pumpkin Sage Risotto

Brown Butter Pumpkin Sage Risotto 

with Hazelnut Brussels Sprouts

Risotto

• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. fresh sage, chopped
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 1 cup pearl barley
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 ½ lb. pumpkin, or butternut squash,about 6 cups, cut into uniformpieces and pulsed in a food processor until shredded
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese

Brown the butter in a sauce pan with the sage. Add the onion and barley,sauté until the barley is fragrant and the onions are translucent. Add the garlic, thyme, white wine, vegetable broth, and the shredded squash. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil and reduce the heat to a simmer,uncovered, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes or until the barley is cooked through but still chewy and the squash is falling apart. Add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat and stir in cheese. 

Hazelnut Brussels Sprouts

• 1 quart Brussels sprouts, cleaned
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• ¼ cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Melt the butter with the lemon zest. Toss the Brussels sprouts in the
butter and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a sheet pan and
roast for about 9 minutes in a 375˚F oven. Remove from the oven and toss with the hazelnuts. Continue to bake about 6-7 minutes until the Brussels sprouts are tender. Spoon over the risotto to serve.

Comfy Vegan Winter Stuffed Pepper with a Cashew Lime Cream Sauce

Peppers

• 4 large PA red bell peppers Olive oil, as needed

Remove the tops and seeds from the peppers. Brush with olive oil.

Sweet Potato and Potato Filling

• ½ large PA sweet potato, ½-inch dice
• 1 large PA russet potato, ½-inch dice
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. coriander
• Salt and pepper

To mak potatoes, preheat your oven to 400˚F. Place the diced sweet
potatoes and potatoes onto the sheet tray and toss with the olive oil,
cumin, salt, and pepper to coat. Slide the tray into the oven and roast until the pieces are soft and also cooked through, about 25 minutes. Remove the tray and lower the heat to 350˚F. While the potatoes are cooking, make the quinoa and start the enchilada sauce.

Quinoa

• ½ cup quinoa
• 1 cup water

To make the quinoa, combine ½ cup rinsed quinoa with 1 cup of water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. 

Enchilada Sauce

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour (or glutenfree flour blends)
• 1 Tbsp. ground chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• ¼ tsp. dried oregano
• ¼ tsp. salt, to taste
• Pinch of cinnamon
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Measure the dry ingredients (flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder,oregano, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg) into a small bowl and place it near the stove. Then place the tomato paste and broth near the stove.

In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, warm the oil until it’s hot
enough that a light sprinkle of the flour mixture sizzles on contact. Once it’s ready, pour in the flour mixture. Whisk constantly, about 1 minute. Then whisk the tomato paste into the mixture, then slowly pour in the broth while whisking constantly to remove any lumps.

Raise the heat to medium-high and bring your mixture to simmer, then reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, whisking
often, for about 5 or 7 minutes, until the sauce has thickened for bit. The sauce will further thicken as it cools. Remove from the heat, then whisk in the vinegar and season to taste with freshly ground black pepper and more salt if necessary.

Pumpkin Seed Crumble

• ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds
• ½ tsp. coriander seeds
• ½ tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. nutritional yeast
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor, stopping to scrape down the sides if needed. Grind until fine. Set aside.

Assembling the Peppers

• Peppers
• Potato filling
• 1½ cups black beans
• Quinoa
• Pumpkin seed mixture
• Enchilada sauce

With the oven preheated to 350°F, lightly oil a 9x13-inch baking pan; set aside.

Put everything in bowls and set up an assembly line from left to right:bowl of potato filling, bowl of black beans, the quinoa, the pumpkin 

seed mixture, and the enchilada sauce. *Extra fillings can be saved and combined to make a side dish.

Divide the fillings between the 4 bell peppers, gently packing it down to make each pepper full and then arrange them upright in the prepared pan: add a spoonful of the potatoes, a spoonful of black beans, a spoonful of quinoa, and several spoonfuls of enchilada sauce to fill pepper. Then cover with the pumpkin seed crumble on top.

Cover snugly with a foil and make bake for 1 hour. Take out halfway through
and cover with the remaining enchilada sauce. Put the peppers back in the oven and cook until they are tender and juicy and the filling is hot throughout. Remove from the oven.

Cashew Lime Cream Sauce

• ¾ cup raw cashews, soaked for 3 hours or more
• Juice and zest of 1 lime (about ¼ cup of juice)
• Splash of white wine vinegar
• Fat pinch of sea salt
• 4 Tbsp. filtered water

While the peppers are cooking, make the Cashew Lime Cream Sauce.Place the drained cashews in the bender along with the remaining ingredients. Blend on high until you have a creamy and smooth mixture.Scrape the lime cream into a container, chill and cover until you’re ready to serve it.

Plating

Serve the vegan peppers hot with a dollop of cashew lime cream and extra pumpkin seed crumble on top. Optional: top with diced avocado, green onions, and cilantro