You may know Mary Ellen from shopping at our West Village store. What you may not know is that she has been the chef and mastermind behind some of your favorite spots in the city including Dimes, Saltie and Court Street Grocers. She regularly graces us with her “experiments” and we are her happy guinea pigs. Her curiosity and refined palate simply stun us and so we enlisted her to make Thanksgiving magic. Enjoy!
ROASTED NUTS & SEEDS WITH CACAO, MAPLE, THYME AND SAGE
4 cups mixed raw nuts and seeds
1 cup cacao nibs
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil (or ghee)
1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
1 lemon, zested
1 tablespoon sea salt
Preheat oven to 350 F. Toss all ingredients together in a bowl and spread out evenly on a baking sheet.
Bake for 8 minutes, stir and bake for 8 minutes more - or until nuts are slightly browned and fragrant. Set aside to cool and serve. Enjoy!
SWEET POTATOES WITH TAHINI, ROASTED HAZELNUTS & PICKLED GOJI BERRIES
TAHINI SAUCE
1/4 cup tahini
1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste
PICKLED GOJI BERRIES
1/2 cup goji berries
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup hazelnuts
2 large sweet potatoes, rinsed and cut into rounds
STEP ONE: ASSEMBLE TAHINI SAUCE
Preheat oven to 400F. In a bowl combine tahini, vinegar, garlic, water and olive oil. Mix well until smooth and creamy. Season with salt. Set aside.
STEP 2: PICKLE GOJI BERRIES
Combine everything except gojis in a small saucepan and set over low heat. Whisk quickly. Do not let boil. Turn heat off as soon as salt and sugar are dissolved. Add goji berries to the liquid and let sit until they are plump and rehydrated. Transfer to a container (with their liquid) until ready to use.
STEP 3: ROAST HAZELNUTS
Spread hazelnuts out on a baking sheet and place them in pre-heated oven. Roast for 5 minutes, rotate and roast for 5 more - checking constantly to make sure they don't burn. Remove from the oven when lightly browned, set aside.
STEP 4: COOK SWEET POTATOES
Rub sweet potatoes all over with olive oil and salt and place on a baking sheet. Do not overcrowd the pan. Roast them in the oven until tender and slightly caramelized (a little longer than you'd think).
STEP 5: ASSEMBLE
Place warm sweet potato rounds on a large platter, drizzle tahini sauce over them generously. Top with hazelnuts and goji berries and serve!
KABOCHA SQUASH PIE WITH PEPITA & CARDAMOM CRUST
Makes one 9-inch tart
FILLING
3 lbs kabocha squash (2½ cups after baking)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup full fat coconut milk
1 tablespoon The Coconut Butter
½ cup and 1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ginger
1 tablespoon arrowroot
1 teaspoon salt
CRUST
1 1/4 cup gluten free rolled oats
1 cup pepitas
3/4 cup brown rice flower
1/2 cup coconut oil (plus 1 tablespoon to oil pan)
1 tablespoon ground cardamom
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon salt
STEP 1: PREPARE THE FILLING
Preheat oven to 400F. Halve squash horizontally and scoop out and discard seeds. Coat entire squash with olive oil and place cut-side down on a baking pan. Roast until tender enough to poke through with a fork. Remove from oven, allow to cool and then scoop out enough flesh to measure 2½ cups. In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients until thoroughly combined and smooth, scraping down the sides with a spatula as needed.
STEP 2: MAKE THE CRUST
Combine oats and pepitas in a food processor and blend until finely ground. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until combined, scraping down sides when necessary. If mixture is too dry, add 1 tablespoon water. Remove and let rest for about a half hour.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Generously grease pie pan with coconut oil. Place dough ball in the center of pan and press down to cover entire surface evenly, leaving extra around the edges if possible. With a fork, prick the dough on the entire bottom of the pan. Fold up the dough around the edges and press down firmly with the tines of the fork. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, rotate and then for another 10 or until crust is set and golden brown.
STEP 3: MAKE THE PIE
Make sure oven is at 350 F. Fill pie crusts with the squash mixture (you may have leftover - great mix-in with coconut yogurt!). Place pie in oven. Bake for 20 minutes, rotate and bake for 20 more. Remove from the oven when the pie turns a rich amber color and just starts to crack. Once the pie has cooled, place in fridge for an hour or so to completely set.
Serve and enjoy!
