Inspiration is just not that hard to come by when you’re dealing with seasonal produce. You’ve got a fridge full of stuff and the “what to eat tonight” question becomes, “what do I do with these veggies?”

I had a few leeks and a large homely-looking celery root kicking around my fridge, and what seemed like a problem vegetable drawer became an elegant dinner solution. The idea, to give credit where it is due, came from an old recipe from an old New York Times cookbook for leeks stuffed with salmon mousse. See - inspiration everywhere!

The thing that surprises me most about celery root is that so many people have never had it before and these selfsame people, upon trying it for the first time, declare to love it. Anyone who loves mashed potatoes - and let’s be honest here, who doesn’t love mashed potatoes - is sure to become quickly enamoured of mashed celeric.

So even if you don’t have the patience to blanch and stuff leek leaves, at the very least throw a celery root into your next batch of mashed potatoes. But for those of you who are up for a fun and fancy winter dish, give this a try. You can plate these babies up on a bed of green or black lentils, serve with some crusty wholegrain bread and you’ll be just as fancy as a New York Times food section writer.

Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Serves: 4 - 5

Leeks Stuffed with Celery Root Mash

1 large celery root
1 medium potatoes
3 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
3 fat leeks
2 free-range eggs
1 1/2 cups grated salty (Fontina, Gruyere, Parmesan, etc) cheese
butter
salt and pepper
1/2 cup veggie stock
1/2 cup white wine

Bring a medium pot of salted water to boil.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Clean the celery root and potato, cut into large chunks and simmer until soft, about 20 minutes. Throw in the garlic cloves in when the roots have 5 minutes left to cook.

Mix together the veggie stock and white wine.

Reserving the hot water, drain the roots and garlic and add to a large bowl. Combine with the cheese, eggs, and enough of the stock/wine so it mashes smoothly with a potato masher or hand mixer. Adjust for salt and pepper.

To prepare the leeks, separate about 10 of the largest outside leaves from each stalk (for 20 leaves total), and trim off any dark or tough parts of the leaves - often about half the leaf. Rinse each leaf. Drop the leaves into the reserved hot water and return to a boil, covered for about 5 minutes until the leeks are pliable.

Drain the leeks. Taking one leaf start from the root (light-colored) end and spoon a teaspoon of the root mash near the end. Roll the leek leaf up from the root end to the tip.

Butter an 8 or 9 inch square glass pan, or 2 quart casserole.

Place the stuffed leeks neatly in the pan. Pour in the remaining veggie stock / wine mix so that the bottom half-inch of the leeks are submerged.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until heated through and the edges of some leeks just barely begin to brown.

Serve over a bed of your favorite beans.

Well, it’s December. It’s dark, it’s windy, it’s coooooold. My Internet has been down for weeks, my camera isn’t functioning*, and the zipper busted on my warmest winter coat.

So, gentle readers, I’m sending you this recipe in faith that the Winter Solstice will come swiftly, and without any more damage to my personal items or psyche.

The bright spot in all this is my fridge full of hearty winter crops from my new winter CSA share. Homely things like turnips, rutabagas, kohlrabi and parsnips. They look so dirty, plain and unlovable filling up my fridge that it’s a joy Cinderella-ing them into happy bone-warming meals.

This is an easy one. You can make it even when your patience has all but been sucked out like the weak winter light. It’s very forgiving. Use garlic instead of leaks. Mismeasure the flour and milk. Eat it for breakfast with eggs, lunch with beans, or dinner by yourself and It’s a Wonderful Life.

*Below photo shot with a borrowed Nikon D40

Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6 as a side dish

Pan-sized Sunchoke Latkes

8 large sunchokes, or enough to make 6 cups grated
1 leek, chopped
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup milk/soymilk
2 eggs or egg replacer
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper
olive oil for frying

Scrub the sunchokes well but do not peel. As your mother always says, that’s where the vitamins are. Plus, it’s a pain in the ass. Grate the sunchokes with a box grater.

In a large bowl mix together the grated sunchoke, leek, flour, milk, egg, salt and pepper.

Heat a good bit of oil in a medium-sized (8 inch or so) skillet. Add 1/2 the sunchoke mix so there is a complete but thin layer of the batter in the skillet. Fry slowly over medium-low heat.

Once the edges are starting to brown (about 5-7 minutes), use a spatula to release the latke from the bottom of the pan, put a plate over the top of the skillet and invert quickly.

Add a bit more oil to the pan, bring to heat, and slide the latke back into the pan, cooked side up. Cook for another 5-7 minutes until golden on the second side.

The recipe above is enough to make two 8-inch latkes. If you’re quick on the draw you can cook them both up at the same time (in separate pans, of course) or make the first one, keep it in a 200 degree oven to warm, then cook the second.

You can cut into wedges to serve or just let your guests go at them like wild animals. Very good topped with Winter Sage Pesto.

Bjork once noted in an interview that she sometimes writes her lyrics in English, translates them to Icelandic, and then translates them back to English. Neat, no?

Similarly, this recipe has gone through a series telephone-like translations and I think you’ll find the results equally (or more, quoth the Li’l Sis) delicious than the original recipe. I learned to make Khichri (a classic Indian comfort dish - sometimes the first solid food a baby eats) from Nalini Mehta and I posted this recipe of a traditional Khichri combination last year. A friend, who I will refer to as Mr. Appleseed, surprised me on a dark rainy October night with a big pot of complex-scented rice, peas, and veggies very similar to the below recipe. I was extremely pleased to be treated to a hot home-cooked meal (the downside of having a food blog is that I’m always the one sweating it out in the kitchen) and even more flattered so to find that dish I was eating was in fact based on one of my very own recipes. How endearing! Admittedly, I am highly susceptible to flattery when eating delicious food prepared by hands other than my own.

So anyway - here is my new recipe for Green Autumn Khichri based on Mr. Appleseed’s Khichri which is based on my other Khichri recipe, which I initially adapted from Nalini Mehta. Chewy short-grain brown rice makes a great base for the smoky green split peas and the combination of vegetables is just plain inspired.

Serves: 4 hungry people
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Green Autumn Khichri

Olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
8 cloves
8 black peppercorns
1 tsp turmeric
¼ tsp asafetida, optional
½ tsp coriander powder
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1 ½ cup green split peas, toor dal, or moog dal
1 ¼ cups short grain brown rice
7 cups water
1 inch fresh ginger, minced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno (I used red), minced (de-seed if you don’t like things very spicy)
3 carrots, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 japanese eggplants, cut into coins
1 bunch swiss chard, chopped
salt

Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large pot and toss in the dried spices: cumin seeds, cloves, and peppercorns. Stir them for few minutes until they turn a few shades darker.

Add the ground spices: ginger, turmeric, asafetida, coriander, cumin, and garam masala and stir.

Add the peas and rice, stirring to coat them with the spices, then add the water.

Bring the rice mixture to a low boil, set a lid on and simmer for 20 minutes. Tip: this could be a good time to chop your veggies.

Stir well, check to see if more water is needed (like a risotto, this mix “eats” water) and add the vegetables: garlic, carrots, green peppers, hot peppers, eggplant, and chard.

Covered, bring the pot to a simmer and stir occasionally for another 40 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the rice is mushy. Add salt to taste.

Mexican, Tex-Mex, and other South-of-the-Border cuisine is a favorite in the Vanesscipes household.

The Li’l Sis can, and has, subsisted solely on burritos for days at a time, provoking comments like, “I bet your insides are stuffed with rice and beans!” and “OMG, you’re a walking burrito!” and other such highly-polished gems of humor.

Tostadas, however, really are superfun. They’re so crunchy and immalleable you must show restraint when taking a bite as not to send the whole thing crackling down the front of your shirt. And it’s hard to show restraint when something is as tasty as a tostada, so save your fancy shirt for another night.

Serves: 4
Time: 30 minutes

Avocado and Chard Tostadas

2 bunches chard, preferably rainbow because it’s awesome
4 cloves garlic, minced
corn or vegetable oil
12 or more small corn tortillas
1 can of vegetarian refried beans
1/2 jar or so green tomatillo salsa
3 avocados, cut into moon-shaped slices
queso fresco*, crumbled
1/2 red onion, diced
handful cilantro, chopped
2 limes, sliced

Wash the chard and separate the leafy part from the ribs. Cut the leafy part into ribbons and the ribs into slices. Sauté with the minced garlic for about 20 minutes, or until wilted and soft. Add salt to taste.

Grab a small skillet - one that’s just larger than your corn tortillas. Fill it with a half-inch of oil and heat the oil for few minutes on medium heat. Add one tortilla and deep-fry until golden in spots on one side. Flip with a tongs and fry until golden on the other side. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel. Repeat with the other tortillas. You can keep these warm in the oven or serve them room temp and crispy if it’s hot outside.

Heat a can of refried beans (or mash your own pintos) in a small saucepan over low heat.

Assemble the tostadas thusly:
Crispy tortilla on the bottom, slathered with a thin base of refried beans. Spoon over a tablespoon or so of green tomatillo salsa. Next, top with 3 slices of avocado, and a sprinkle of chopped red onion, crumbled queso fresco*, and chopped cilantro.

*I insist on queso fresco - a crumbly, salty, fresh Mexican cheese. But you could use white cheddar if your hunt for queso fresco turns out unsuccessful.

Serve with lime wedges on the side.

I know that you’re thinking:
1) another pink meal?
2) grapefruit and … wasabi?

Since this is my blog, I’ve got the home court advantage and intend nip your skepticism before it even begins to pretend to bud.

So, 1) Yes, pink. Isn’t pink was new black? And even if it isn’t who’s eating black food anyway? Pink is the color of Love and “in the pink” means healthy so it’s the perfect color for a refreshing spring meal in the season of twitterpation and rejuvenation.

And then 2). Why yes, grapefruit and wasabi: tart and juicy and sweet and spicy. Check out this tasty-looking Spicy Grapefruit Coleslaw from SusanV of FatFree Vegan if you don’t believe me but really! - the wasabi and almond butter combine in a complex and unctuous sauce that makes this dish a jaunty country cousin of the traditional Pad Thai. The crisp green beans and succulent pink grapefruit segments counterpoint the rich noodles, creating a dish full of love and health.

Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4

Wasabi Noodles with Grapefruit

4 servings of thick Asian-style noodles, fettuccini, or linguine. I used whole wheat linguine
4 handfuls of green beans, ends snapped, cut into 2″ pieces
2 grapefruits, supremed*
16oz block of extra firm tofu, cut into 1/4 inch dice

2 tsp wasabi paste, more or less to your taste
2 - 3 Tbsp almond butter
reserved grapefruit juice
salt to taste

sesame oil
black sesame seeds
fresh basil or mint, chiffonaded (is that a word?)

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