Nutty Cauliflower Pilaf

Last night we went to our friends' house for their annual Friendsgiving party. The celebration has grown to about 40 people and features the most amazing potluck feast you can imagine! We all sign up for dishes in advance and this year I brought a Nutty Cauliflower Pilaf using a bag of Taylor Farms Cauliflower Pearls. I thought this would be a good one to bring since it's gluten-free and we have several friends that are gluten intolerant. (Also, one of the only vegetables I can currently get Ezra to eat is cauliflower in this riced/pearl form!) I mixed the cauliflower with quinoa to give it a bit more substance, and for crunch and chew, you can mix in any nuts, seeds or dried berries you have on hand. This will be making a repeat appearance at our Thanksgiving table this Thursday.

I also made a couple quick, seasonal sides to go with it: A simple Kale Salad with baby kale, persimmons and pomegranate seeds, plus some Crispy Old Bay Brussels (see recipes below.)

Nutty Cauliflower Pilaf

16 oz (1 bag) Taylor Farms Cauliflower Pearls

1 c cooked red or white quinoa

2T butter

2T olive oil

1/4 c golden raisins

1/4 c dried cherries

1/4 c shelled whole pistachios (or chop, if you prefer)

1/4 c sunflower seeds

salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, sauté the cauliflower pearls with the butter and olive oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are softer, translucent and just starting to brown. Mix in all other ingredients and serve warm in a bowl or on a platter. Serves 6 as a side (easily doubled or tripled for a larger group).

Kale Salad with Persimmon & Pomegranate

11 oz (1 box) Taylor Farms Organic Baby Kale

1 Fuyu persimmon (I leave the peel on)

1/3 c fresh pomegranate seeds (about a 1/2  pomegranate)

Place baby kale on a large platter and top with slices of persimmon and pomegranate seeds. Use your favorite balsamic dressing. Serves about 6. 

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Crispy Old Bay Brussels

9 oz (1 bag) Taylor Farms Shaved Brussels Sprouts

Olive oil

Old Bay seasoning

Spread the brussels out on a baking sheet in a thin, even layer and drizzle the entire surface generously with olive oil and sprinkle with plenty of Old Bay seasoning (which adds saltiness and spiciness). Roast in the oven at 400ºF for about 20 minutes, tossing once or twice, until some bits are brown and crispy. Check it occasionally to make sure it's not burning. Serve hot. This dish is best served relatively soon after roasting, as the crispiness will reduce with time. Serves about 4 as a side.

We are hosting Thanksgiving for the first time this year– 18 people for dinner in our little cabin will be quite cozy...we are excited! Check my Instagram stories for more (@theforestfeast). 

Happy Thanksgiving,

Erin

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This post was done in partnership with Taylor Farms. Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Forest Feast possible.

Pomegranate Punch & Oprah!

I'm super excited to have 4 Forest Feast recipes in the current holiday issue of O, the Oprah Magazine (Dec. 2016)! I LOVE Oprah and was so excited to be included in her annual "favorite things" issue. They chose a couple from my new book and a couple from my blog that are great for holiday entertaining. 

There's a Pomegranate punch adapted from The Forest Feast Gatherings (see below), plus a Sparkling Old-Fashioned Punch, a Cran-Rosemary Punch and a Hot Chai Nog that is spiked with rum. 

Cheers!

Persimmon Inspired Thanksgiving Sides

Those who know me well know I am a *little* obsessed with persimmons. There's a short window of time in California each Fall when Fuyu persimmons (pictured above; the only type I care about) are abundant and that window is NOW! I love working them into the Thanksgiving meal.  If you have access to them as well, here are some of my favorite ways to use them. Click each picture below for more recipe info.

Persimmon Salad

I make this every Thanksgiving and often add avocado, too!

Persimmon Cranberry Sauce

Persimmon Squash Salad with Radicchio

also: 

Persimmon Brie Appetizer + A Simple Green Salad with Persimmon

We are hosting Thanksgiving this year for the first time ever! I'll be back soon with my menu ideas...Cheers!

Happy Halloween! Pumpkin Smoothies

We had so much fun taking Ezra to the pumpkin patch this year! This is the first year he was old enough to really enjoy it and pick a pumpkin himself. Today he is dressed up as a little cow (he loves farm animals). We don't really get trick-or-treaters up here in the woods so we are heading to town for some festivities this evening. 

Just a little #tbt to these Pumpkin Smoothies from a few years ago.

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Smoothies

3/4 c milk (I use almond)

1 frozen banana

1/2 c pumpkin purée

a pinch of cinnamon & nutmeg

honey

a few ice cubes

Blend and enjoy! Makes 2 or 3 small smoothies.

Grilled Fig Cocktail with Rosemary & Cider

Someday, I dream of having a fig tree in the back yard. If you've never had a fresh fig, go now, quick! They are almost out of the markets, and they are delicious. I usually eat them raw, sliced in half with any kind of cheese and a glass of wine at cocktail hour. I put a recipe in my first book of them drizzled with honey, red pepper flakes, goat cheese and mint. I've mixed dried figs into a quinoa dish and caramelized them with shallots for a salad. I have even BBQed them before, but have never attempted adding them to a cocktail, and let me tell you- this was a winner. I muddled grilled rosemary figs with apple cider and Hangar 1 Straight Vodka for a Fall cocktail that is not too sweet and has a subtle smoky flavor which is deliciously unique.

 I love the weather in early fall when you can feel the seasons shifting, but it's still warm enough to grill. You can thread these figs onto sprigs of rosemary in advance and thrown them on the grill as it's heating up. The figs just need to get warmed and a bit charred, so that the juices start to flow and they pick up a little of that smoky flavor. Picking rosemary rather that buying it is preferable if you have access to a bush because the stems are much sturdier for skewering the figs. If you are using store-bought sprigs, you may consider making a hole in each fig first with a skewer before pushing the sprigs through.

Grilled Fig Cocktail

makes 1 drink

2/3 c apple cider

3T (or 1 shot) of Hangar 1 Straight Vodka

2 fresh figs

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Angostura bitters

Thread one fresh fig onto a sprig of fresh rosemary. You may want to pierce the fig with a kebab stick and remove a few of the needles to thread the fig on more easily. Put the fig and rosemary on a hot BBQ for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the fig is warm and juicy and slightly charred (but not burned). Remove the fig (discard the rosemary) and put it in a mixing class with the apple cider and vodka. Muddle (or mash with a wooden spoon) the grilled fig, Hangar 1 Straight Vodka, and apple cider. Strain, then stir in bitters and ice. Garnish with half of a fresh fig on a short kebab stick and a rosemary sprig. 

I am expecting #2, so I had some expert taste-testers at a recent gathering on the deck. Even my husband Jonathan, who usually prefers drinking Hangar 1 Vodka on the rocks, was a fan of this one!

Cheers!

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This post was done in partnership with Hangar 1 Vodka, a local brand we use and love.