Zucchini Bread

It might have come from the bank, or church, or fire department, but one thing is certain; you'll find one in every small town Maine kitchen. It's a cookbook with recipes submitted by your friends and neighbors. We think these self-published cookbooks from our civic institutions are the most authentic representations of community available to us. In that vein, we've set to scouring our mothers' shelves looking up recipes for classic Maine dishes with an eye toward modernizing them and making them vegan. This one is a bit of a vamp on a recipe taken from a collection from the Lincoln County 911 Dispatchers' Favorite Recipes cookbook.

There has been an abundance of great local zucchini about and this tasty bread instantly popped into mind. We got our zucchini from Dan at Seasonal Corner in Biddeford. We love pretty much all he's had to offer and we're super excited to hear that he's planning on going to full time next year when he'll have retail on site at the farm and will be turning out on Wednesdays at the Saco Farmers' Market. We can't wait.

We also recommend using another local vegan product in the baking of your zucchini bread. Pastor Chuck's Organic Applesauce is the way to go to add moistness to the bread without any of the cholesterol or guilty conscience of using eggs. They're based out of Portland and there's even a handy list of retailers on their website where you can pick up the goods.

1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups peeled, grated zucchini
2 cups organic sugar
1 cup applesauce
1 cup corn oil
2 tsp. pure vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cardamom
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix until thoroughly blended. Grease and flour two bread loaf pans. Divide evenly. Bakes up yummy in 35-40 minutes. Your mileage may vary depending upon your oven's temperament.

Roasted Eggplant Lasagna

Sometimes you just NEED some comfort food. What do you crave when the topic comes up? Mac and cheese, stew, or maybe ice cream? Around here the answer is lasagna. It doesn't get much better than something bubbly out of the oven, and when a casserole is the mission, Missus Gray takes the call.

This truly is a labor of love. When she mentioned that she was making it I immediately asked who was coming over. It's a hearty dish for a family dinner or maybe you just need enough to have some for leftovers as we did. This made for a few good lunches after the fact. Starting with all fresh ingredients really makes the difference and the time you spend preparing this lovely dish will be greatly appreciated by those who are so lucky to get some.

The more ingredients you can get sourced locally the better this dish will be. Again we've used balsamic from LeRoux Kitchen, and vegetables from Alewive's Brook Farm and Seasonal Corner.

Sauce

1 medium onion, diced
1 cup carrot, diced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 28 oz. can petite diced tomato
2 tbsp. tomato paste
vegetable stock
water
1 cup fresh basil, rough chop
1/2 tbsp. dried oregano
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp. agave nectar
1/2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion, carrot, and garlic in olive oil on medium to medium high for 5 minutes taking care not to burn garlic. Add tomato paste and stir, coating the veg. Continue cooking 7-10 minutes or until veggies are all tender and the mixture takes on a nice orange color.

Add tomatoes and reserve can. Fill can half with vegetable stock and half with water. Add liquid to vegetable mixture followed by basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce, allowing sauce to simmer somewhat briskly for 35-40 minutes. Add agave and balsamic vinegar and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.

Lemon Basil "Ricotta"

1 package extra firm tofu, pressed
2 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
8-10 fresh basil leaves, rough chop
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. olive oil

Crumble tofu by hand into a mixing bowl. Add lemon juice, basil, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Now get your hands a little dirty. Mash it thoroughly. Incorporate all ingredients together until texture resembles ricotta. Now let mixture set for about a half hour in the refrigerator or until ready for assembly.

Fillings
1 large eggplant, peeled and sliced lengthwise, about 1/4" thick

olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat eggplant with olive oil and season to taste. Place on shallow baking pan and cook for 25 minutes, turning over halfway.

5 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced

2 oz. olive oil

Saute mushrooms over medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until tender and all excess liquid is evaporated.

Assembly

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Using a lightly oiled 9X9 baking pan layer as such:

• 1/2 cup sauce
• ready to bake lasagna noodles
• eggplant
• mushrooms
• 1/2 cup sauce
• 1/2 of the ricotta mixture
• ready to bake lasagna noodles
• 1/2 cup sauce
• ready to bake lasagna noodles
• eggplant
• mushrooms
• 1/2 cup sauce
• 1/2 of the ricotta mixture
• ready to bake lasagna noodles

Top with sauce and sprinkle with vegan grated "cheese" if you've got it. We used this one. Drizzle olive oil. Loosely cover pan with foil. Cook for 35 minutes then remove foil. Cook for another 10-15 minutes or until top is golden and bubbling.

Garlic Scape Biscuits

This idea has been kicking around in our heads for weeks. We've seriously just been waiting for the scapes to show up. If you read yesterday's post, you already know that garlic scapes just touched down at the Saco Farmers' Market and we scooped up as many as we could. They keep forever and we intend to keep playing with them in the coming weeks. We consider garlic scapes a product worthy of far more acclaim in the produce world. From what we could tell, not too many people are adding the gentle greens of young garlic into a biscuit, so we thought we'd try.

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

6 tbsp. vegan margarine

1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk

1/4 cup finely chopped garlic scapes

1/2 tbsp. egg replacer mixed with 1 1/2 tbsp. water for "egg" wash

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Thoroughly mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Using a fork or dough cutter incorporate margarine with dry mix. Make sure you start with very cold vegan margarine and cut it into the dry mix until it appears course or resembles cornmeal. Make a well in the center of the flour and margarine mixture. Pour the soy milk into the well and mix it into the dry mix until it begins to come together. Add the garlic scapes and fold gently to distribute the scapes throughout. Be careful not to overwork as this encourages gluten development and could lead to a tougher texture. That's a big no-no in the biscuit game.

When the dough comes together turn out onto a floured surface and knead for about a minute adding a little more flour if the dough sticks. Roll the dough out to about a half inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter or drink glass push firmly down onto the dough to cut out your biscuits. Try not to twist as you push down as this could crimp the edges of the dough together and inhibit fluffiness. If scraps remain, gently fold the pieces back together rather than try to work them into a ball. Again, we're trying to avoid tough biscuits with this step. Roll and cut as necessary. Place on an ungreased sheet and brush with egg replacer mixture. Cook on center rack in the oven for about 12-15 minutes. Enjoy while still warm. Makes a dozen biscuits.

Seasonal Corner

We love linking up with farmers at the local markets and farm stands and what we're pleased that what we're doing is being received quite favorably. These guys and gals just love talking about their work with consumers who are excited about local agriculture. We're about a month in at the Saco Farmers' Market and things are really starting to pick up. We stopped in last weekend to pick up some produce and baked goods for the kids. While the sky threatened to open up I chatted with Dan Bedard of Seasonal Corner.

Seasonal Corner is a MOFGA certified farm in Biddeford that sells at the Saco Farmers' Market and produces fresh vegetables, herbs and berries. They've also got this great line of low temperature dried herbs and vegetables. This process ensures the highest quality in taste and nutrition. I didn't even mention the lettuces yet. We've been enjoying the most massive salads around here for the last couple of days

The quality of the food is of course first and foremost, but I thought maybe the coolest thing I learned in chatting with Dan was that he maintains the farm's Facebook page. He updates religiously each week before and after the market, telling what is going to be available that week, and another post in summary of the week's business at the market and offering thanks to the customers. The community is responsive and friendly and that's a community we want to be part of.

While I was at it I thought I would press Dan for a recipe. He was more than happy to oblige, and the ingredient highlighted is especially appropriate as Seasonal Corner was offering kale that week at the market. We'd love to claim that as insider information, but it's right there on the Facebook page for all to see. Go sign up. Now try Dan's recipe for Kale Chips.

The kale chips are very simple to cook. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Select baby kale leaves with small stems. Leaves should be no larger than 8 inches. Wash and pat dry. Lightly coat with first cold press olive oil and lightly season with sea salt. Cook coated kale until crispy. This should take about 8 to 10 minutes. It will reduce almost 75%. What a treat.

Traditional Pesto with Gnocchi

We were a little hesitant to post a recipe for pesto. It's really rather simplistic to make so why bother? We decided though, that it's the quality of the individual ingredients you select that's most important, and there's no shortage of those here in Maine for us to highlight.

The seeds for this idea were planted when Missus Gray brought home a bunch of fresh basil from Olivia's Garden in New Gloucester. Really that's not that out of the ordinary. It's on our shopping list every week anyway. Primarily because we've found that Olivia's consistently offers some of the highest quality tomatoes and basil around. If we're not buying farmers' market tomatoes, they're Olivia's. Olivia's Garden is also associated with Maine-ly Hydroponics and their greenhouses are close to Pineland at 163 Valley Farm Road, New Gloucester. Their fine 'maters often find their way to the Saco Farmers' Market as well.

Another face that's consistently at the Saco Farmers' Market is Lakonía Greek Products. It's their olive oil that we've decided to use as the other showcase flavor in our pesto. Lakonía is a family business with roots on the Peloponnese peninsula, in the company's namesake region. When founder Daphne Contraros Rioux rediscovered her homeland in 1990 she also discovered the fine quality unfiltered olive oils and after a while started shipping it back to the states, more specifically Saco, and selling it at the Farmer's Market. We love the stuff. Try the early harvest oils which are spicy, brash, and green in all the good ways. The late harvest is mellow and smooth with, as the website says, hints of almonds and sea spray. Sounds luscious! Try either here in the pesto depending upon your preference.

One last plug. Even though they're not in Maine, we think Rising Moon Organics products are swell. We coated their Garlic & Basil Gnocchi with our pesto and were real happy with the results. Many of their products are certified vegan and all of them are organic. Try the ravioli too.

1 bunch fresh basil, leaves removed
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup walnuts
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

In food processor combine garlic, walnuts, and kosher salt. Process to a fine grind. Add basil leaves and process again until the basil is minced. With processor running, slowly add olive oil followed by lemon juice. We gobbled ours right up but it will definitely store for a couple of weeks if properly refrigerated. Cover surface of pesto with a layer of olive oil to prevent discoloration. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Roasted Beet and Israeli Couscous Salad

Summer is quickly approaching and grills everywhere are being uncovered. It's time for picnics
and barbecues with all the trimmings. We're big fans of pasta salads and maybe even bigger fans of beets. Truth told, Missus Gray led a fairly sheltered life not having had beets until she was about a quarter century old. Now she can't get enough of them. We spotted some great looking beets being offered by Alewive's Brook Farm at last weekend's Saco Farmers Market.We saw this as the perfect opportunity to try to nail down a recipe that had been stewing in our minds for a while. Should be great as the weather gets warmer. Bring it to your next vegan barbecue!




3/4 pound beets (approx. 6)
1 medium yellow onion
1/2 tbsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 package (8.8 oz.) Israeli couscous, cooked and cooled
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel beets and cut into matchstick sized pieces and place in a roasting pan. Do the same with the onions. Toss with kosher salt, black pepper, and 2 tsp. olive oil. Cover the dish and cook for 40 minutes or until beets are fork tender. Allow the beet and onion mixture to cool.

When cool add beet mixture to bowl with cooked Israeli couscous. Add vinegar and olive oil to roasting pan and use whisk to incorporate vinegar and oil with any remaining liquids from the beets. This stuff tastes great and we wouldn't want to leave it behind. It has great flavor and will add color to our salad. We've essentially made a pan vinaigrette.

Add pan dressing to couscous and beets and toss thoroughly to combine, adding walnuts as well. The color of the beets and vinaigrette will stain the Israeli couscous a deep pink and create the most eye-poppingest salad you've ever seen. Serves 8-10 depending on how much you dig beets. Dig. Beets. Yeah? Never mind.

Sunday Morning Hash

This is Missus Gray's hash. It's tried and tested. It's been in the Sunday morning breakfast repertoire around our house since before we went vegan. It's so tasty it defies boundaries. It didn't always contain smoked paprika though. We recently realized there was no excuse for using paprika that wasn't smoked. It's an indispensable element of this dish. So swap out the potatoes for other varieties, use red onions or green, but please, PLEASE make sure you use smoked paprika. The husband had his with his maple mustard but it really is truly for those who like a spicy mustard. I'm not that hardcore.

2/3 pound each sliced 1/4" thick:

• new red potatoes (not peeled)
• new yellow potatoes (not peeled)
• sweet potatoes (peeled)

1 3/4 cup onions sliced lengthwise
2 large garlic cloves chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. salt
light pinch cayenne or to your taste
cooking spray

Boil potatoes at a rolling boil for 10 minutes or until fork tender depending upon your cooktop. Drain, cool, and reserve. In a large skillet, we like cast iron, heat oil over medium heat and add onion and garlic. Toss and DON'T SCORCH. Ever had scorched garlic? Blargh. Cook for 2 minutes.

Add potatoes, chili powder, cayenne, paprika, and salt. Toss to coat. Now the fun part. With spatula, shove mixture to one side of the pan and hit empty side with the cooking spray. Shove it again the other way and repeat. Press mixture firmly into bottom of pan making an even layer. Now don't touch. Walk away. Don't walk away, that's dangerous. Maybe as far as the sink. You want the bottom of the hash to get brown and crispy. This should take about 4-6 minutes.

Brown one side then flip. How many flips that takes you will probably depend on the size of your spatula. Don't worry if it gets broken up a little at this point. Press again, allowing underside to crisp. Home stretch! The idea is to get the crispy bits into the middle and create love throughout. Toss, and press again. Allow to crisp one last time for a couple minutes. It's not rocket science, just serve it! Serves 4 but we did it with 2.

Maine Maple Mustard With Stout

Condiments are important. A sweet potato french fry is delicious but the right dip can put it right over the top. It's the accoutrements really that make life worth living. We've set out to prove it with this Maine Maple Mustard. We're highlighting the lighter flavors of Grade A Medium Amber from Maine Maple Products Inc. The flavor balance on this mustard leans toward the sweet side, but it's done in order to counterbalance the heat from the mustard. I'm quite fond of a sweet and spicy mustard and it was perfect this morning with some hash.

To offer some more depth of flavor we've also included beer. We picked a stout in complement to the maple flavors and we think the pairing is spot on. Go with your own favorite local stout. Here in Maine we happen to have a brewery of national acclaim. That brewery of course is Allagash Brewing Company, makers of innovative Belgian style beers, located right in Portland. There were a lot of people abuzz about their Allagash Black when it was first introduced a few years back. We were amongst those. Use this unique Belgian style stout for an extra touch of elegance in this maple mustard and nosh away. The sweet potato fries and pretzels are at the ready.

1/4 cup brown mustard seeds
1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds

1 cup water

1 garlic clove

1/2 cup white vinegar

1 cup stout

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 tbsp. ground mustard

1 tsp. salt

Soak brown and yellow mustard seeds together in water for two hours. In food processor combine soaked mustard seeds and any remaining liquid with garlic and vinegar. Process until mustard seeds are busted up fairly well. Add maple syrup, beer, dry mustard, and salt processing until well incorporated. Makes about 2 cups.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Balsamic

Local food isn't only about local food producers. It's also about supporting independent stores who carry products you enjoy. LeRoux Kitchen on Commercial Street in Portland is a foodie's dream. They carry many, many specialty foodstuffs and kitchen gadgets. They started in Maine but have been well received, opening stores in Martha's Vineyard and most recently, Portsmouth, NH. One of our favorite product lines they offer has always been the wide selection of fine, aged balsamic vinegars. They come in funky, refillable bottles and there are a number of different flavors and ages to choose from. Try a white balsamic in a salad dressing or the more traditional pairing of balsamic with fruit such as strawberries.

Here we've used their 15 year balsamic at the end of the cooking process to add just a simple note of complexity to the earthy flavors of Brussels sprouts. Try this along side of a full flavored brown ale like Smuttynose's Old Brown Dog.

1 lb. Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, tough outer leaves removed, and halved

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth

1 tbsp. olive oil

generous pinch pepper

1 1/2 tbsp. aged balsamic vinegar

salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In roasting pan combine Brussels sprouts, sliced shallot, vegetable broth, olive oil, and pepper. Toss to coat and cover. Roast for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and peek inside. Looks good, yeah? We're not done. Add balsamic, salt to taste, and stir to coat the sprouts. Make sure you're scraping up any caramelized bits on pan. That's the good stuff. Cover and cook for 15 more minutes. Serves 2 normal folks or 1 Jereme.

Bean Suppah

It's SUPPAH, not SUPPER. Get it right. It's ingrained in our history. Every one of us Mainers has been to at least one. It's the heart of the community. Not very vegan, but wholesome in it's own way. We've set out here to create a vegan version of the New England tradition. Baked beans are sacred, and here we think we've done them right.

We're all about utilizing the local bounty and it doesn't get much more local to us than Harris Farm; it's less than 6 miles away! They're our regular go-to for Maine Maple Sunday and they're a regular face at the Saco Farmers' Market which kicked off this weekend. We've included their fine maple product in this here recipe using their Grade A Dark Amber for the maple notes in our baked beans.

1 lb. white navy beans, soaked overnight
1 medium onion, rough chop
1 clove garlic, minced
2/3 cup molasses
2/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 1/3 tbsp. tamari
2 tsp. dry mustard


Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Drain beans and put soaked beans into large pot with 3 parts water per 1 parts beans by volume. Bring water to boil. Reduce to low, rolling boil and cook for 20 minutes. While beans are cooking put onions and garlic in large, deep casserole or preferably a beanpot. Drain and rinse par-cooked beans, reserving the cooking liquid.

In a saucepan, combine 2 cups liquid from the beans, molasses, maple syrup, ketchup, vinegar, tamari, and dry mustard, heating gently as to incorporate. As the sauce gets yummers, place beans in casserole with onions and garlic. Top with sauce, cover, and bake. After two hours check the beans to make sure they're not getting dry. If necessary, add more of your reserved cooking liquid. Replace cover, cooking for an additional 2 hours. You'll be able to tell when the beans are done by pressing them gently. They should yield under light pressure, their skin breaking and getting a little smooshy. Makes 8 hearty servings.

While we were at it we whipped up a brown bread recipe too. It's not much of a bean suppah without the brown bread after all. Couldn't we all benefit from a little more molasses in our life anyway?

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp. white vinegar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Combine all dry ingredients. In another bowl combine all wet ingredients making sure molasses and maple syrup are incorporated. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Now pour the wet ingredients into the well and stir with dry ingredients until just mixed. We poured ours into a 9" x 9" inch pan and baked for 40 minutes. Again, keep an eye on it and call it done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. 12 servings.

"Creamed" Fiddleheads On Toast

We anxiously await this time of year; the emergence of fiddleheads. Fiddleheads are the coiled leaves of the ostrich fern, harvested in the early Spring before they've had a chance to open. Many a meal at camp featured a side of these delicate wild greens. They're delicious simply blanched or if you're looking for something a little richer, coat and deep fry the buggers.

We decided to offer a take on creamed asparagus on toast, substituting the seasonal specialty of fiddleheads. My wife's suggestion is to include some fresh nutmeg as you would any béchamel, but I took a pass. I've included it in this recipe as optional. Find yourself a nice, local bakery with a hearty loaf of bread. Here we've used When Pigs Fly Sourdough.


1 pound fiddleheads well rinsed and ends trimmed
6 cups water
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
3 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. freshly grated lemon zest
generous pinch dill weed (use fresh if you gots)
black pepper to taste
ground fresh nutmeg (optional)
4 slices of your favorite local bread

Season water with approximately 2 teaspoons of salt and bring to a boil. Drop fiddleheads into boiling water and continue cooking on high for about 10 minutes.

While fiddleheads are boiling mix flour with soy milk and place over medium heat until it starts to thicken being careful not to boil. At this time your fiddleheads should be about done. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Add reserved cooking liquid to flour and soy milk mixture and continue to thicken adding pepper, dill, nutmeg, and lemon zest. Start your bread to toast. Toss cooked fiddleheads with finished "cream" sauce and serve over toast. Serves 4.

The Great Vegan Staple

Hummus. Real original right? Maybe not, but the reason hummus is a staple is that vegans and omnis alike can enjoy it. There are a few things you can do to make hummus better though. First off, canned beans are for chumps. They have loads of sodium, are costly, and it's not that hard to prepare your beans from scratch anyway. Additionally, respect the traditional, but don't be afraid to make it your own. The inclusion of hot sauce, in this case Cholula, is our own touch and it serves the dual purpose of providing a bit of spice AND a little acid as well.

20 oz. cooked chickpeas

2 large garlic cloves

1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup water

2 tsp. hot sauce (Cholula Original)

1/2 tbsp. salt

1 tsp. cumin

3 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice

Instructions: Just whiz it all up until smooth.

Serves: Bring friends.