1) Grandma Knapp's Strawberry Pie:
Ingredients:
3 oz cream cheese
1 qt fresh strawberries; use more to make a fuller pie
1/4-3/4 cup sugar; adjust sugar to personal taste preference
3 tbs corn starch
1 pie shell
Directions:
Bake the pie shell and while still warm spread the cream cheese smoothly on the crust. Add 1/2 quart of fresh whole berries, or as many as needed to form a bottom layer of whole berries one berry thick.
Prepare the remaining berries by mashing and cooking with the sugar and corn starch. Pour hot mash over the berries in the pie shell.
Chill and serve cold with whipped cream.
Variation use semi-sweet dark chocolate in place of cream cheese for the base; delicious, and you may need to put back in the oven briefly to soften the chocolate before adding the strawberries.
2) Winter Squash & Bean Soup
(original recipe from the book: “3 Bowls – Vegetarian Recipes from an American Zen Buddhist Monastery” by Seppo Ed Farrey)
I do a variation on the recipe and it has become my favorite winter soup! I use what ever winter squash I have on hand – Buttercup, Sunshine, ChaCha, or Chiogggia.
Likewise, since I grew Cranberry shell beans, I used them instead of black beans.
1) Prepare beans by soaking overnight, or bringing to boil in sufficient water and then letting cool for an hour. Pressure cook beans for 3-4 minutes or until soft and well cooked. Use 1-2 cups of cooked beans or about ½ cup dry beans.
2) Prepare squash by quartering, removing seeds, and then pressure cooking for 8-10 minutes or until soft and well cooked. Scoop flesh of squash from the skin (or use skin and all), and set aside. Use about 4 cups cooked squash.
3) Saute onion and garlic (quantity of each to individual taste) in oil or butter, add the cooked squash, half the beans, and enough water to thin. Puree, adding water as needed since it will thicken as pureed. Season with 1-2 tbs tamari and salt and black pepper if desired.
4) Add the other half of the beans, and simmer for a few minutes.
The original recipe suggests serving hot with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of cilantro. Sometimes I will add stewed tomatoes, cooked rice, apple sauce, or cooked greens like kale.