This year in review: part one.

Hoping you all are having a great holiday season.
Less than a week ago I made my last batch of almond toffee.
Christmas Eve and Christmas day saw us dining in and out with various family members.
Today we bid our daughter farewell as she drove back to her current place of employment.
Soon we will be spending New Years Eve with family on the central California coast.
Busy, busy, busy, which is why I have not posted much lately.

This is a good time to look back over the past year of foodiness and post my favorite recipes from each month. So it it not too overwhelming for me or you, I am doing it in two parts.

Here are my favorites from last January through June.

1) Laurie's Chili: such a great winter/ ski season dish. So easy to make and easy to make meaty or vegan depending on your proclivities. Serve it with my cornbread or millet muffins and a green salad !!

2) Green Soup: I make this more than any other recipe from 2012. Green soup has become a weekly part of our food intake. I do love it with parsnips for that creamy texture.

3) Brussel Sprouts, my way: I made these tiny cabbages as a side dish this Christmas Eve.  My 9 year old great-niece adored them, asked for seconds and thirds !! Just goes to show you, anything if prepared well can be a hit !!

4) Sundried Tomato Pate in Collard Leaves: These little bundles sound so strange but are so amazingly tasty !!

5) Zucchini Bites: what a great way to use summer squash and what a delicious appetizer !! You could make these same bites with grated carrots for a winter treat.

6) Summer Fruit Tart: This dessert got such rave reviews wherever it went. To winterize it use kiwis, Fuyu persimmons, oranges and pomegranate seeds, yum.

Sundried Tomato Pate in Collard Wraps

Hopefully that title won't send you running the other direction in horror. I know they sound like what we call around here "hippie food". And while they are made with things like raw collard leaves and soaked cashews, they are very tasty and easy to make.

Let's start with the pate. As always I adapted this recipe, it came from a recipe my wonderful friend and yoga teacher made us for dinner a few weeks ago*.

Sundried Tomato Pate.

First off let me just set the record straight, my tomatoes were not "sundried". Where I live two blocks from the ocean, with 60 to 85 % humidity, we can not dry anything in the sun, so mine were dried in my dehydrator. No big deal they taste the same.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups cashews ( soaked for a couple of hours or overnight.)
3/4 cup dried tomatoes, (soaked in warm water for a couple hours or overnight.)
1/2 cup water from the tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh parsley
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil (or flax oil)

a bunch of collard leaves
1-2 avocados
a handful of arugula, other small greens or sprouts

* The version my friend made used almonds and fresh basil ( I chose fresh parsley since basil is not quite in season yet.)

1) Soak the nuts and tomatoes in separate  bowls for a few hours or overnight.
 Save the water from the tomatoes.
2) In the food processor, whiz the garlic clove first then add the nuts.
Blend until the nuts are creamy.

3) Add the parsley, lemon juice, tomatoes, tomato water, soy sauce, dried basil, salt, pepper and olive oil. Blend well. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

4) Wash and stem the collard leaves by cutting them along the center vein.

5) At one end of half a leaf spread 1-2 tablespoons of the pate. Add a slice of avocado, and a piece of arugula. Carefully roll it up.

6) Place seam side down on a plate and serve !! They will last several days in the fridge and travel well for potlucks. You can use other leaves as well, lettuce or cabbage.
The pate itself would be great in sandwiches or as a dip with homemade crackers.