Thanksgiving

Oh Thanksgiving, how it snuck up on us this year. It seems as if just yesterday it was summer, and now there is a chill in the crisp blue air and we are entering the season of winter holidays. Our favourite.

Family, friends, cooking, sharing, and being grateful for it all are all the things that I adore the most. Which is precisely why I love Thanksgiving.

I realize that the holiday is about abundance and tradition. This colourful dinner is about a new, albeit delicious, abundance. The kind that will satisfy your belly, nourish your body, but won't leave you reaching for the antacid drawer. As for tradition, here at Golubka we always try to push the envelope and come up with tasty and healthy alternatives. That is our own little tradition.

Begin with turkey-shaped tarts filled with caramelized onions, mushrooms, fava beans and pomegranate sauce. A great combination of hearty flavours.

Then, try a parsnip pasta - a winter root vegetable marinated in wine, and mixed with a creamy sauce of macadamia, sage and thyme.

Continue with vegetable skewers - any vegetables of your choice marinated in an aromatic mixture of oils, herbs, and spices. And what is Thanksgiving without a good cranberry sauce? Ours contains Irish moss, so that it can be presented on a plate in perfect little scoops. Just like ice cream.

And for dessert - pumpkin pie. A pumpkin spice crust filled with a coconut and carrot custard.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Eat well and rest well.

Veggie Kebabs

(You can use any vegetables you like)
2 each orange and red bell peppers - cut into different holiday shapes
1 package crimini mushrooms - cut in halves or quarters, depending on the size
yellow grape tomatoes
1 onion - cut into 1" pieces
1 eggplant - cut into 1" pieces

Marinade

(adapted from The Raw 50)
1 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 red bell pepper - chopped
juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
salt - to taste
1 cup fresh cilantro

Soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes.
Mix all the marinade ingredients, except the cilantro, in a blender. Add the cilantro and pulse to incorporate. Thread the vegetables on the skewers, and pour marinade over them. Place kebabs in the dehydrator to marinate at 95F for 2 hours or more.

Turkey Tarts
Tart Crust recipe here

Filling

(adapted from Raw Food/Real World)
3 medium onions - sliced thinly
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup nama shoyu
1/2 cup brown rice vinegar
1/4 cup Jerusalem artichoke syrup OR raw agave syrup
3 cups walnuts - soaked for about 2 hours
1 clove garlic - coarsely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
1 small red chili pepper

Cover onions with warm water and lemon juice for 30 minutes, drain and rinse thoroughly. Combine nama shoyu, vinegar, and syrup. Pour the mixture over onions, and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain, leaving a little liquid, and spread on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays. Dehydrate at 115F for 24 hours or until crispy. Blend the onions in a high speed blender with 1 1/2 cups of purified water, chili pepper, and a pinch of salt.
In a food processor, pulse the walnuts and garlic with a pinch of salt to achieve tiny granules. In the food processor, add the onion mixture to walnuts and mix until a paste-like consistency is achieved. If needed, add water, salt and pepper.

Topping

(adapted from Raw Food/Real World)
1/2 lb king oyster, trumpet, or any mushrooms of your choice
1/4 cup Jerusalem artichoke syrup OR raw agave syrup

3/4 cup brown rice vinegar
1 cup purified water
2-4 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 garlic clove - crushed
1 shallot - coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons black peppercorn

2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 red chili pepper - coarsely chopped
1 cup shelled fresh fava beans OR green peas OR chopped asparagus (if you can get a hold of fresh fava beans, they look and taste the best in this recipe)

Clean the mushrooms and cut into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle with salt to taste.
Mix the syrup, vinegar, water, and a pinch of salt, and pour the mixture over the mushrooms. Crush the fresh herbs with the help of mortar and pestle. Combine with the rest of the ingredients, with the exception of fava beans, in a piece of cheesecloth. Tie the sides of the cheesecloth together and immerse in the marinade.
If using fava beans, slice them lengthwise to make 2-3 pieces. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and let sit for at least 30 minutes.
When ready to assemble the tarts, drain the mushrooms, discarding the rest of ingredients in cheesecloth, and combine with fava beans.

Assembly
Divide the filling between tarts. Most likely you'll have extra filling, which makes for an excellent spread. Finish with the topping, fresh pomegranate kernels, and pomegranate sauce.

Pomegranate juice
Score the skin of a pomegranate to make 8 parts. Fill a large bowl with water, and break the fruit into 8 pieces holding it under water. Separate the kernels from the skin and white parts under water. The kernels should fall on the bottom of the bowl, while the rest will rise on the surface. Discard the skin and white parts, and drain the kernels using a colander. In a high speed blender, carefully pulse the kernels, releasing the flesh and juice, but not breaking down the seeds. Strain through a fine strainer and discard the seeds.

Pomegranate Sauce
4-5 fresh figs OR soaked dry figs
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
salt -optional

splash of aged balsamic vinegar-optional

Parsnip Pasta

(adapted from Living Raw Food)
4 medium parsnips - peeled and sliced thinly with a spiral slicer, mandoline, or a sharp knife
1/4 cup Pinot Grigio OR other light wine
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients together and let marinate for a few hours at room temperature.

Macadamia Herb Cream
2 cups macadamia OR pine nuts - soaked for 1 hour or more
1/2 cup purified water
1/4 cup Pinot Grigio
1 small shallot - peeled and chopped
about 8 sage leaves
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon white truffle oil OR walnut oil
pinch of ground nutmeg
sea salt

In a high speed blender, combine all the ingredients until very smooth. Add more water if needed. Adjust salt. Thoroughly coat the marinated parsnips with the cream.

Cranberry Sauce
8 ounces fresh cranberries
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/4 cup Jerusalem artichoke syrup OR raw agave syrup
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup Irish moss - soaked in hot water for at least 10 minutes

In a high speed blender, combine all the ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate until the sauce sets.

Pumpkin Pie
Crust recipe - same as pumpkin Halloween cookies here
Pumpkin tops - same as matcha Halloween cookies here and raw matcha chocolate (raw cocoa butter, agave, and matcha)

Filling
1 cup fresh carrot juice
1/2 cup meat of young Thai coconut
1/2 cup Brazil nut milk OR any other nut or coconut milk
1/2 cup raw agave syrup
1/2 cup coconut butter
1/4 cup date paste
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup Irish moss - soaked in hot water for at least 10 minutes

In a high speed blender, combine all the ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate for several hours, or until set and ready to be spooned into the crust.

You can make pumpkin shaped pies by using 3d molds, or make a traditional pie by pushing the crust into shape in a pie dish and topping with the filling.

After seeing some bad press on agave syrup, I started to try more alternative sweeteners like Jerusalem artichoke syrup. It's less sweet than agave, and has a specific taste, but I really love it.

Colour Wheel Wraps

I am ever-captivated by the creativity and extravagance of Japanese cuisine. I could stare at this set of photos for hours on end, mesmerised and intrigued by the mysterious ingredients and the form they take. Only the Japanese can make food so aesthetic, vibrant, and unique - all at the same time. The combination of ancient traditions and brave modernism bring their food culture to untouched heights.

Here, we combined maki-sushi rolling techniques with our favourite spicy Thai wrap recipe.

The result was exactly what I've imagined and dreamed of making - a flavourful and striking dish. This particular rolling technique is called Rokusha or colour wheel, a very appropriate title.

The colourful wrappers alone can be eaten as a snack, kid-approved by Paloma. (The same recipe was used to make the edible leaves that accompanied our Halloween cookies).

I am always in a state of excitement when cooking, but preparing this dish left me especially exhilarated - so much visual stimulation!

Green Wrapper
3 cups zucchini - cubed
meat of 1 fresh young Thai coconut
1/4 cup water of young Thai coconut

1/4 cup ground golden flax seeds
1 bunch cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Yellow Wrapper
flesh of 2 ripe mangos
2 1/2 medium carrots
meat of 1 fresh young Thai coconut
1/4 cup water of young Thai coconut

1/4 cup ground golden flax seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric

Purple Wrapper
1 small papaya OR 1 large mango
1/2 small beet root
meat of 1 fresh young coconut
1/4 cup ground golden flax seeds

If you decide to make the rolls exactly like ours, you might need to double the amount of ingredients for your wrappers in order to have enough wrapping material for each group of ingredients within each colour roll.

Blend all the ingredients for each colour wrap separately in a high speed blender. Spread thickly on Teflex sheet-lined dehydrator trays, and dehydrate for about 3-4 hours, or until dry to touch. Flip and peel away the Teflex sheets. Dehydrate for another 30 minutes to an hour, until the underside is completely dry, but the wraps are still pliable. The dehydration time, thickness, and final colour can vary significantly, depending on the quality of produce used.

Filling

(adapted from Raw Food/Real World)

1/2 cup chopped raw cashews
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup agave syrup
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoon chopped ginger
1 small chili - seeded and chopped
11/2 tablespoon nama shoyu

1 cup raw almond butter
1/2 head savoy cabbage - shredded
1 handful cilantro

1 handful basil - torn

1 handful mint leaves

1 large carrot - cut into thin strips
1 large mango - cut into strips
1 cucumber - seeded and cut into strips

Mix cashews with sesame oil and salt. Set aside.

Puree the next 5 ingredients in a high speed blender. Add the almond butter while the blender is still running, at a low speed.

Using your hands, thoroughly combine the shredded cabbage with the blended mixture, salted cashews, and herbs.

The rolling technique used here is called Rokusha or colour wheel, and you can find step-by step rolling instructions in a sushi encyclopedia. Start with rolling the spicy cabbage for the center in any color wrap you prefer. Then roll each of the remaining ingredients individually. Arrange them around the center as shown in the photos. Using a sushi mat, roll everything together into one whole wrap. Wet the edges of the wrappers to help them stay together. Let the rolls sit in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Using a very sharp knife, cut into pieces of desired thickness, or eat whole as a wrap.