Tuesday, November 6, 2012

The Maui Vegetarian...Chopped!

Chef Brian and I decided to do our own, private and untelevised segment of Chopped. Well, let me back up a little bit...Chef Brian was recently asked to be a guest chef for Melissa's Produce Company. He was asked to use certain seasonal ingredients as the main attraction in order to create his own dish. I won't tell you what those secret ingredients are-you can guess for now. I will be posting the link to the Guest Chef article when it comes out next month.

So that brings us to the fun part. Because after all, I wanted to get involved too! So here I will feature my dish--Again, you'll have to wait to see Chef Brian's dish--and I have no doubt that you will love it, so just be patient and enjoy this one for now. Try out my recipe and see how you like it. Check out www.melissas.com to find the best produce. Enjoy!

Grilled Quinoa Steak with Tangerine Chile Lime Glaze
Blackeyed Pea, Plantain and Collard Ragout
Twice-Baked Butternut Squash and Okinawan Sweet Potato
Plantain Chips for garnish

4 Servings

Twice-Baked Butternut Squash and Okinawan Sweet Potato

1 medium Okinawan Sweet Potato
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt

1 lb. Butternut Squash, cut in half and remove seeds and membrane
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. olive oil
¾ tsp. fresh ginger, grated

Rinse sweet potato and butternut squash. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until pierced easily with a knife. Let cool; remove skins by peeling.
For the Okinawan sweet potato: mash the potato with the olive oil and salt using a mixer or by hand until well incorporated and smooth. Set aside.
For the Butternut Squash: mash the squash with remaining ingredients until well incorporated and smooth.
Using a piping bag with large star tip, spoon in both the sweet potato and squash side by side. Twist end and pipe onto baking sheet. Bake at 500 degrees for 5 minutes; until tips are browned. Remove and plate.


Quinoa Steaks

¾ cup quinoa
½ small onion, diced fine
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. dulse flakes
1 ½ cups water
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover, allowing to simmer for 30 minutes until soft and fluffy and all liquid is absorbed.
Transfer to a food processor fitted with a S-blade. Process until smooth and mixture forms one mass. Allow to cool enough to handle. Divide into four pieces and form into patties ½” thick. Lightly coat with olive oil and grill until marks appear. Set aside.


Caramelized Tangerine Chile Lime Glaze

8 tangerines, juiced
2 limes, juiced
¼ cup agave nectar
1 tsp. pico de gallo seasoning
Place tangerine and lime juice in a small sauce pan. Bring to a low boil and allow to simmer until reduced to half. Continue to simmer until it caramelizes (when brown color appears). The consistency should be a thick syrup. Remove from heat and add the agave and pico de gallo seasoning. If flavor is not sweet enough, add more agave.


Black-eyed Pea, Plantain & Collard Ragout

3 Tbsp. macadamia nut oil, divided
1 clove garlic, minced
2 shallots, diced
1 green plantain, diced ¼”
1 cup cooked black-eyed peas
1 collard leaf, chopped
½ tsp. marjoram
1 cup vegetable stock
½-1 tsp. salt
Heat half of the oil in a sauté pan. Add the plantain and brown. Remove to a dish and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil in the same sauté pan and add the garlic and shallots. Stir frequently until softened. Add back in the plantain. Then add the black-eyed peas, marjoram, and vegetable stock. Stir to combine and reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Add salt to taste. Simmer until liquid is nearly absorbed and plantain is cooked through.

Plantain Chips for garnish
Slice plantain on the bias thin. Fry in hot oil until browned, both sides. Remove and salt.