Make room at the table for everyone this holiday season with these delicious plant forward main dishes! These recipes highlight Michigan produce and provide options for all eaters.
Spiced Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Make this stand-out dish that everyone will enjoy. Top your local cauliflower head with a bright turmeric and yogurt mixture before roasting. Everyone will be fighting over the crispy exterior!
Ingredients
• 1 medium cauliflower (2 pounds)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
• 4 cups mixed spring greens
• ½ cup chopped mixed fresh herbs (any combination of cilantro, mint and/or parsley)
• ¼ cup toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Spiced Turmeric Sauce
• ½ cup whole milk Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon maple syrup or honey
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and loosely line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Slice the bottom of the core off the cauliflower so that it sits evenly on the baking sheet. Drizzle 1½ tablespoons of the olive oil over the cauliflower and use your hands to coat it evenly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 45 minutes.
To make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric, maple syrup, salt, and cayenne.
Remove the cauliflower from the oven and use a fork to gently start to pull apart the crevices of the cauliflower. Pour another 1½ tablespoons of olive oil and the lemon juice over the cauliflower, especially into the crevices. Return the cauliflower to the oven and roast for another 15 minutes.
Remove the cauliflower from the oven and spread ¼ of the yogurt sauce all over. Roast for another 15 minutes.
In a large bowl, toss the spring greens with a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, and a pinch of salt. Set aside for now.
MAKE IT NUT FREE: Technically, pine nuts are seeds, but they can be problematic for those with nut allergies. To be safe, substitute pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) for the pine nuts or almonds.MAKE IT DAIRY FREE/VEGAN: I haven’t tried, but I suspect that you could use plain vegan yogurt in place of the Greek yogurt. Please leave a comment if you try it!
Remove the cauliflower from the oven. It should be tender outside and fork-tender inside. Top the cauliflower with more sauce and sprinkle with the herbs and toasted pine nuts. Slice into quarters and serve with the salad and the remaining sauce on the side.
Reprinted from Love & Lemons Every Day by arrangement with Avery, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © 2019, Jeanine Donofrio.
Recipe and photo courtesy of Cookie + Kate
Baked Acorn Squash with Creamy Polenta
Try this comforting and striking meal from Eden Foods! While the squash roasts, it’s easy to make the creamy polenta scented with savory thyme and sage.
• 2 medium acorn squash, halved, seeds removed
• 1 Tbsp EDEN Safflower Oil, for oiling the squash skin and baking pan
• 1 Tbsp EDEN Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for sautéing vegetables
• 1/3 cup onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup celery, minced
• 1 cup EDENSOY Unsweetened
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 tsp EDEN Sea Salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup organic yellow corn grits (polenta), coarsely ground variety
• 1/4 tsp dried sage or dried poultry seasoning
• 1 pinch dried thyme
• 1 pinch dried rosemary
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds, dry pan roasted
• 2 or 3 drop EDEN Tamari or Shoyu Soy Sauce, for season sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°. Lightly oil the squash skin with safflower oil. Lightly oil a baking pan. Place the squash, cut side down, in the baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until tender when poked with a fork or knife.
While the squash is baking, prepare the polenta stuffing. Heat up the olive oil in a medium saucepan and sauté the onions and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the celery and sauté 2 minutes. Add the EDENSOY, water, sea salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Slowly whisk in the polenta, stirring constantly, and bring to a boil. Reduce the flame to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes or until thick. Remove from the heat.
Rinse the sunflower seeds and dry roast about 7 to 10 minutes over medium heat until slightly brown. Add soy sauce and stir to mix. Remove from heat.
Stir the sage, thyme and rosemary into the polenta. Add extra pepper or sea salt if desired.
Remove the squash from the oven, and turn over so that the cut side faces up. Fill each squash half with equal amounts of polenta. Sprinkle the sunflower seeds over the polenta. Garnish with equal amounts of parsley. Return to the oven and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the topping begins to brown slightly. Remove and place on a serving platter.
Recipe Courtesy of Eden Foods
Savory Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie
Topped with golden mashed potatoes, this classic comfort dish works well for holidays and weeknight meals. Get creative and swap in your favorite seasonal veggies for personalized twist.
Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie Filling:
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 shallots, minced (or some onions and garlic)
• 16 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 6 carrots, peeled and chopped (about 2 cups)
• fresh herbs to taste (I used 1 sprig of rosemary, thyme, and a bay leaf)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1–2 cups veggie broth
• 1 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
• 2 cups frozen peas
Mashed Potatoes:
• 6 Yukon gold potatoes (about 2 pounds)
• 1/2 cup full fat Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup butter or olive oil
• salt to taste
Instructions
Make the mashed potatoes: Peel the potatoes. Boil them until fork tender (you want them to mash easily). Drain, mash, and mix in yogurt and butter. Season to taste. (You can also use the Instant Pot method which is quick and easy! That’s what I do.)
Make the veggies: In a large oven-safe pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until fragrant. Add mushrooms, carrots, and whole herbs (you will pull the herbs out later). Sauté until carrots are softened.
Make the gravy: Add tomato paste and flour to the pot and stir. Pour in the red wine (sizzzzle) and scrape all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Let the wine cook out for a minute or two. Slowly add the broth, stirring it in until a gravy starts to form. Season with salt. Simmer over low heat to get it thickened even further.
Bake: Remove the herbs. Stir in the peas, spread the mashed potatoes on top (brush with butter to be extra awesome), and bake for 15 minutes at 350. I finished mine on the broil setting for a few minutes to get it nice and brown on top.
Gluten Free Variation: Skip the flour and stir in about 3/4 cup mashed potatoes to the veggies and liquid to make a “gravy.” Easy. Tasty.
Vegan Version: Use olive oil in place of butter and non-dairy milk in place of the yogurt.
Meat Version: Add browned ground meat to the gravy mixture. Yummy!
Pro Texture Tip: I chopped up half of my mushrooms so there would be a better texture variety in the filling. If you don’t want to use red wine, just sub a little more liquid. No problem.
Recipe courtesy of Pinch of Yum