Roasted Red Peppers, Cranberry Poached Pears, Wilted Arugula and Seasoned Squash

Dear Faithful Yammies,
Last week was a busy one for those at the Hot Yam! We not only served a total of 180 loyal eaters (plus volunteers) on our regular Thursday lunch but we went ahead and catered another 50 lucky new college students at the event "Home is Where the Fork is" without even breaking a sweat! (ok maybe we were sweating a little bit). We couldn't have done it all without our amazing volunteers who dedicate their precious study time to us every week. So here is a Big

THANK YOU !!!!

to everyone who came out to help (and eat).

In addition I'm here to share some of those lovely delicacies you encountered on your plate.
As always these recipes are altered to accommodate many more eaters then you may have in your home, so simply remember to downsize when you are putting together your own shopping list



First up

Roasted Squash and Wilted Arugula Salad /w Warm Maple Syrup Vinaigrette (for 250)

Approx 75 pounds butternut squash, peeled and 3/4-inch) diced

• 5-6 L extra virgin olive oil
• 1 litre pure maple syrup
• 1 cup Kosher salt and 1/2 freshly ground black pepper
• 6 cups dried cranberries
• 9 litres apple cider or apple juice
• 6 cups cider vinegar
• 5 cups minched shallots
• 2 cups Dijon mustard
• 50 big bunches baby arugula (4 oz each)
• 15 cups walnut halves, toasted
• ¼ cup lemon zest, optional

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the butternut squash on a sheet pan. Add 375 ml olive oil, the maple syrup, 1 cup salt and ½ cup pepper and toss. Roast the squash for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until tender. Add the cranberries to the pan for the last 5 minutes.

While the squash is roasting, combine the apple cider, vinegar, and shallots in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the cider is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Off the heat, whisk in the mustard, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.

During service, place the arugula in a large salad bowl and add the roasted squash mixture, the walnuts, and the zest. Spoon just enough vinaigrette over the salad to moisten and toss well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Then time for some

Sweet Potato, Apple, Carrot, and Red Lentil Soup (for 250)

1-2/3 cups margaine or olive oil

• 12 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped small
• 20 large carrots, peeled and chopped small
• 8 apples, peeled, cored and chopped small
• 7 onion, chopped small
• 3-1/3 cups red lentils
• 1 tablespoon and 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons a 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon and 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon and 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon and 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 30 cups vegetable broth

1. Melt the butter in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Place the chopped sweet potatoes, carrots, apple, and onion in the pot. Stir and cook the apples and vegetables until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. (Will have to do in 3 batches, 2 pots)
2. Stir the lentils, ginger, ground black pepper, salt, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and vegetable broth into the pot with the apple and vegetable mixture. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils and vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes.
3. Working in batches, pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.
4. Return the pureed soup to the cooking pot. Bring back to a simmer over medium-high heat, about 10 minutes. Add water as needed to thin the soup to your preferred consistency. Serve with yogurt for garnish.

Quinoa-sunflower stuffing in turkey-shaped roasted red peppers (for 250)

(from "3 Bowls: Vegetarian Recipes from an American Zen Buddhist Monastery")

• 1 litres canola or corn oil
• 20 medium onion, diced
• 20 teaspoon sea salt
• 60 large celery ribs, chopped
• 35 cups mushrooms, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 50 large carrots, grated
• 60 garlic cloves, minced
• 0.8 cup dried sage
• ½ cup dried basil, crumbled
• 3 tbsp and 2 tsp ground fennel seeds
• 3 tbsp and 2 tsp, thyme crumbled
• 3 tbsp and 2 tsp, oregano crumbled
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 15 cups quinoa (dry)
• 300 ml tamari / soy sauce / Bragg's
• 20 cups sunflower seeds, toasted and ground
• 84 small or medium bell peppers, whatever is cheap, tops cut off (probably green)

Preparation:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and salt and saute, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the celery and saute until it is bright and tender, about 3 minutes more. Add the mushrooms, carrots, garlic, sage, basil, fennel seeds, oregano, adn thyme and saute until the mushrooms and carrots soften and most of the juices have evaporated, about 10 minutes.
2. Add 37.5 cups cold water, the quinoa and tamari and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low, cover, and simmer until the water is completely absorbed and the quinoa is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the sunflower seeds.
3. Stuff peppers full with stuffing, bake in 400 oven until peppers are softish, cut into thirds

and for desert!

Cranberry Poached Pears (for 250, 1/2 pear each)

45 cups cranberry juice cocktail

• 3-3/4 cups white sugar
• 15 cinnamon stick
• 4 star anise
• 120 Bosc pears, peeled with stems intact (about 3 half-bushels?)

Place cranberry juice, sugar, and cinnamon stick into a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and simmer until the sugar dissolves. Meanwhile, peel the pears, leaving the stem intact.

1. Place the pears into the simmering juice and cover. Cook until the pears are tender, turning occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes. Once tender, remove the saucepan from the heat, and set aside to cool to room temperature. Turn the pears a few times as they cool so the color remains even.

If you were attended Where the Fork is and wanted to recreate some lucious local cuisine then please proceed

Tofu Dill Pizzatas (for 50)

- 15 blocks extra firm tofu

• 5 red onions
• 10 cloves garlic (start with 7?)

- 3 bunches dill

- 1.85 cups dijon mustard

- 1.85 cups apple cider vinegar

- 3 lemons

- 1/3 cup olive oil

- 50-60 pitas

• 12 tomatoes, diced OR 6 cucumbers, sliced thinly (depends on whats local and freshest and ripest; we can do a mix as well)

Combine and mash everything except for ½ bunch of dill and cukes/tomatoes; Toast slightly pita

Spread tofu onto pitas; Garnish with cukes/tomatoes and a bit of remaining dill; Cut into quarters

Apple Crisp (for 50, 5 recipes)

For the filling
20 lbs apples (I use Roma)
2 1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 1/2 cup sugar (I use Florida Crystals)
2 1/2 cup apple juice or water
2 tablespoon arrowroot powder (cornstarch will work too)
5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cloves

For the topping
5 cup quick cooking oats (not instant)
5 cup flour
5 cup light brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 2/3 cup canola oil
15 tablespoon soy milk
5 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F

Peel, core and thinly slice apples. Dissolve the arrowroot in the apple juice or water. Set aside.

Place apples and raisins in the baking dish, add sugars and spices and combine everything well (you may need to use your hands to do this). Pour arrowroot mixture over everything.

To prepare the topping, in a medium bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Add oil, soymilk, and vanilla, mix well. Crumble topping over the apples. Bake for 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Zucchini bread (for 50, 5 recipes)

15 tbsp of flaxseed meal (boil 3 parts water, add 1 part seeds, cook

and stir until the consistency of eggs)

7.5 cups granulated sugar

5 c vegetable oil

10 cups coarsely grated raw zucchini

15 tsp vanilla

15 c flour

5 tsp salt

5 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

15 tsp cinnamon

2 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Instructions:

1. Grease pans. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and dry spices.

3. Mix in the sugar and wet ingredients: egg substitute, vanilla,

oil. (The recipe says "mix dry ingreds, then wet, then stir wet into

dry" but that dirties too many pans for me.)

4. Mix in the zucchini.

5. Bake for ~60 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. The

bread should still be moist in the middle, just not gooey.

6. Cool for 20 minutes before removing from pan.

Califlower and Potato Gratin (for 50, 6 recipes)

INGREDIENTS

6 large heads cauliflower

• 6 pounds potatoes
• 6 medium onions, diced
• 7.5 cups (1.875 L) soy milk
• 4.5 cup water
• 1 cup and 1 TBSP raw cashews
• 6 teaspoon salt
• 6/8 teaspoon white pepper
• 6/8 teaspoon nutmeg bv
• 1 cup and 1 TBSP oil
• 2 cup unbleached flour
• 3 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 teaspoon garlic powder

• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

• ¾ cups tablespoons whole wheat bread crumbs
• 3 teaspoons paprika

METHOD

Cut the cauliflower into medium pieces and potatoes in a medium dice, and place in a bowl with the onions. Set aside.

Blend the soy milk, water, cashews, salt, white and black pepper, nutmeg, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast in a blender until smooth. Pour into a saucepan and gently heat, stirring often. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small saucepan. Add the flour to make a roux. Then whisk the heated soy milk mixture into the roux to make a light, creamy sauce. For a thicker sauce, use more roux. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and stir.

Oil a casserole dish. Pour the vegetable and sauce mixture into the pan and press lightly. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the vegetables and cover with paprika. Cover and bake in a preheated oven at 180C/350F for 45 to 55 minutes.

Chocolate Pudding (4 servings, 3 for sample and (1) for demo)

6 (2) cups soy milk
9 (3) T arrowroot starch
1 ½ (1/2) cup sugar
1 (1/3) cups cocoa power
3 (1) t vanilla extract
3/8 (1/8) t almond extract

in a small saucepan off the heat whisk together the soy milk and arrowroot until the arrowroot is dissolved. add the sugar and coca powder. place over meduim heat and whisk constantly until the mixture thickens, about 7 minutes. once the mixture starts to bubble and is quite thick, turn the heat off. mix in the extracts. chill in fridge for an hour and then cover them with plastic wrap and leave in fridge overnight.

Love Always,

A Yam