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Recipes

Homemade Tahini Dreams

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Q U I C K Q U I N C E J A M ✨ ok so maybe not a true jam but this quince spread is super simple and delicious. It’s a tangy, slightly sweet topper for any of your breakfast dishes (or just by itself!) You can top off oatmeal, yogurt, grits, or even add it into your pb&j. I had a few quince rolling around on the counter (I had definitely forgotten about) and after a few minutes on the stove had a tasty spread I can keep on hand!This is an awesome way to use up most bruised or overripe fruits so they don’t go to waste 🍑 ✨Ingredients:
- 1 or 2 medium ripe quince, overly ripe when possible
- 1/3 - 2/3 cup water
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- pinch of saltTo-Do’s:
1. Roughly chop quince into small pieces and add to small saucepan. Add 1/3 cup water and bring to a boil.
2. Once boiled, turn heat down to low and let simmer for 8-10 minutes (or until tender) with a tight fitting lid. Check on after about 5 minutes, if water looks low add remaining 1/3 cup. After about 8-10 quince should be soft and easily mashed with a fork.
3. Remove from heat. Add maple syrup and pinch of salt. Use a fork to mash down all pieces into a textured purée.
4. Enjoy! Best when warm.This quick jam will keep for about a week in the fridge or 3-4 months in the freezer! Quince fall smoothies anyone? What else would you use this spread for?? #closedloopcookingThanks to @joelleflegal for the inspiration!

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T H A N K S G I V I N G S A L A D S 🌱 I’m particularly excited for this salad to make an appearance on our Thanksgiving table. I am all about a colorful plant-based side dish during the holidays. This vibrant salad is full of seasonal root produce and a perfect balance of cold weather flavors. Bitter radicchio paired with shaved fennel root and a mountain rose apple make for an unexpected salad combination. Toasted nuts and seeds add a satisfying crunch and a tahini shallot dressing brings everything together in creamy harmony. Let’s give thanks. 🙏Recipe is up on closedloopcooking.com today!! Let us know if you give it a try #closedloopcooking 💜✨

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P E R S I M M O N S W O R K S H O P - 11 / 23 @portlandcookshop !Very excited to partner with Cookshop to put on this seasonally inspired class. Join us for a morning of learning about Persimmons! We’ll be demoing a few ways to use persimmons in sweet and savory dishes and we’ll have folx from @portlandfruittreeproject on hand to talk about their work and answer any burning persimmon questions. Plus, we’ll be handing out samples, recipes, and all participants will leave with a bag of persimmons to use at home.Get your tickets today! Link in bio ✨ What are you cooking up with persimmons? #closedloopcooking

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Regrowing green onions 🌱aka scallions are a seriously resilient piece of produce. You can eat right up to the root, using the green and white parts in salads, stir-fries, chili, and more. Thicc soups just don’t feel complete without a handful of scallion rings on top, am I right?How to regrow green onions: 1. Leave approx 1 inch of white stem / root. Chop off the rest and eat / store for later use. 2. In a small container place roots and fill with about ½ inch of water. 3. Leave on counter for 5 - 7 days, changing the water every other day to avoid any mold growth. Make sure the roots are always covered with water. You’ll see growth over the next few days! You can snip off the greens to eat and allow the plant to keep growing. 4. You can also plant your onions in soil and keep in the kitchen! Just make sure to always leave a bit of white to keep the growth process going.Have you tried regrowing green onions?? #closedloopcooking

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Seasonal fruit finds - QUINCEVery excited to test out this beautifully aromatic pear cousin. Quince are a new to me discovery I’ll be testing out this week. I was drawn into the farmer’s market stand by a waft of citrusy floral with notes of vanilla and greeted by this ugly number. Always one for imperfect produce I gathered a few quince and brought them home.You can eat quince raw but it is incredibly astringent, not necessarily something you’d eat more than a bite or two of. They cook down well and in a few minutes with a quarter cup of water you can have stewed quince to add to your homemade oats, granola, or other breakfast dishes.I’ve heard good things about a quince jam but am looking for other ideas to try out this lovely find! What are you making with quince?? #closedloopcooking

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Cast iron toasted squash seeds!Nothing says fall like flavorful, toasted seeds. You can save just about all kinds of squash seeds for toasting. I used a cast-iron skillet to brown these, flavored with loads of nutritional yeast, black pepper, salt, chili powder, a splash of apple cider vinegar, and a little olive oil. A perfect snack you can cook up in 10 minutes!I also love this @finexcookware cast iron (from @made.trade - not a sponsored post!) Makes toasting these leftover squash seeds super easy.
They are quite literally the BEST snack! Versatile little flavor vehicles that just get my true snack self. You can season squash seeds to your liking, sweeten them up with a bit of cinnamon or go wild with nutritional yeast. It’s a roller coaster of taste over here friends.One of my favorite fall eats, these disappeared almost immediately! What are your favorite fall snacks? #closedloopcooking

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🍌🍌Does anyone else purposefully leave bananas on the counter to over-ripen just so you can make banana bread at the end of the week? (Both hands raised.) Banana bread is an easy favorite to use up that spotty produce and justify a healthy-ish treat on a regular basis. Flax seed topping totally counts by the way.I love how experimental and forgiving this bread is. You can add in any variety of mix-ins and still turn out a delicious loaf. I opted for a no-sugar option today, just sweetened with bananas and a little maple syrup, and it was perfect! A nice nut butter spread to balance things out and you’re golden!Still testing out our recipe over here, we’ll have one up on the site soon!What else are you hoarding bruised bananas for?? #closedloopcooking

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Ginger Apple Quick Pickles 🍎
Y’all these apple quick pickles are FANTASTIC and completely unexpected. Had the chance to test these out @portlandfarmers today for a disco pickle demo with the folx @cookfirstpdx ✨ We had a brilliant time making quick pickles together and these were a crowd favorite. Super simple and sure to go as fast as you can make them! Not to mention a great way to use up bruised apples you might not otherwise eat. 👼
PS you can totally save your apple cores for apple scrap vinegar!Ginger Apple Quick Pickles
Ingredients: - Approx 2 apples, a tart variety works well here - 1 - 2 inch (knobs) of fresh ginger root - 1 tsp whole clovesPickling liquid
Ingredients: - 1 cup white vinegar or apple cider vinegar (or a combination) - 1 cups water - 1 tbsp kosher salt - 1 tbsp sugar (optional) 
To-do’s: 1. Wash and dry 1 quart size mason jar.  2. Combine pickling liquid ingredients into small pot and bring to a boil. Take off heat. 3. Chop apples into roughly ¼” inch slices. Roughly chop ginger into small pieces. Fill mason jar with apples, ginger, and cloves. Leave about an inch of room at the top of the jar. 4. Pour (hot) pickling liquid into jar and cover apples. Press down and add in a few more if space allows, keep about an inch of empty space at the top of the jar. 5. Cover and leave on counter to cool, 1 - 2 hours. Once cool, tighten lid and place in fridge. Great same day but flavor will improve over the next few days. Keeps up to a month.How do you quick pickle?? #closedloopcooking

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Very excited to bring @hippiemoji onto the team with a quarterly series on low waste habits! ✨🎉 Her first piece is up on closedloopcooking.com today! Moji will help us navigate steps for starting and maintaining sustainable lifestyle changes.
✨
“My first step when working with my clients, and my suggestion for you, is to start with a trash audit. Before you take your trash outside, take a look inside the bin. Notice each individual item and take a moment to think about how it ended up there. When I think back to when I started my low waste journey, I noticed I was throwing away a lot of food waste. All those carrot tops, apple cores, and lettuce bottoms were stinking up my trash bin and then being piled into an even stinkier landfill. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 20% of the waste in landfills is food waste. As it attempts to break down in the landfill, it generates methane which is a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. These realizations led me to start diverting all my food waste from the landfill and composting it instead.” ✨
Let’s change what we’re finding in the bin! Do your own trash audit! What did you pull out?? #closedloopcooking

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Perfectly imperfect peppers. 🌶✨ One grumpy old man pepper and one store-ready conventional pepper. Both chop up exactly the same and taste identical. Sadly, you’re not as likely to see this old man at your typical grocery store as it doesn’t meet produce beauty standards. Thankfully your local farmer’s market does not discriminate against free-free peppers! These beauties are from @andreabemis of Tumbleweed Farm here in Oregon and are both going to good use. Thank you @thtwhtkatiesaid for gifting me your extra produce! 😘💚 What ugly produce are you eating? #closedloopcooking

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Red onion quick pickles 🔥
Quick pickles are an easy, ingenious way to get vinegared items into your mouth as soon as possible. An awesome beginner project for anyone interested in the acidic side of life and a versatile condiment that you can and should eat before most social interactions. 
Get creative with your aromatic add-ins here. Maybe dice up a little sad ginger or forgotten garlic or throw in some herbaceous stems. This is a great recipe to use up those leftover aromatics you were definitely sure you would use when you bought them. Toss em in a quick pickle!INGREDIENTS
* 1 red onion
* 1 serrano pepper or other aromatics (ginger, garlic, herbs or herb stems)
* ½ cup white vinegar
* ½ cup apple cider vinegar (or sub more white vinegar)
* 2 tbsp sugar
* 1 tbsp kosher saltTO-DO’S
* Slice onion and pepper / aromatics thinly. Clean and dry a glass jar or similar container (with a lid.) Place onion and pepper / aromatics into container with pepper / aromatics evenly distributed (ish.)
* Mix vinegars, sugar, and salt in bowl and stir together until dissolved.
* Carefully pour vinegar mixture over onions and pepper / aromatics. Use a fork to press vegetables down and try to submerge completely.
* Loosely cover container with lid and let sit on the counter for at least 1 – 2 hours before enjoying. The longer you can let the onions sit the more flavor they will take on. This container can rest on the counter overnight before going into the fridge as well. Make sure to tighten the lid when putting away.
* Add to salads, bowls, stir fries, sandwiches, and more! These keep well in the fridge for about 3 months.Did you try this recipe out? How quickly did you pickle? #closedloopcooking

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A leafy green PSA! 💚You can absolutely eat your radish, turnip, beet, + kohlrabi greens and stems. They’re tender enough to just eat raw, mixed in with a salad, or thrown in a quick stir fry! Incredibly versatile and a great way to use up all of your produce. Don’t let these delicious baby greens go to waste people, fulfil your civic duty.What do you eat your radish greens with?? 🌱 #closedloopcooking

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Baby’s first KIMCHI! 🌶
Had the pleasure of attending a kimchi workshop with @boochymomma the fermentation chef at Tartine, during the @rouxportland food conference this weekend. I’ve waded into the waters of fermentation, and know that this will continue to be a big part of Closed Loop Cooking moving forward, so I was excited to get some hands-on experience with one of THE fermentation experts. Changing the nature of your produce can feel overwhelming, I’m always triple checking to make sure I followed the steps correctly. Fermentation is a sort of nebulous art form but the more I dive in, the more I realize what a great outlet for all of our ends, stems, and scraps!A counter fermentation is a perfect way to repurpose otherwise wasted produce odds + ends. This kimchi made use of radish + kohlrabi greens, stems, and bulbs, pineapple + ginger pulp puree (leftover from juicing), chili flakes, salt, a bit of sugar, and loads of gochujang (spicy red chili paste!) Just imagine that salty, spicy smell! This will live on the counter for the next few weeks and I’ll keep y’all posted on how it turns out.
What all do you put in your kimchi?? I need all the add-ins! #closedloopcooking

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Thinking about those last frosted berries from summer as we roll into fall. I’m ready for it though, aren’t you? This vegan blackberry cheesecake is the perfect way to reminisce and use up any frozen fruits we have hanging around the freezer (as if!) and a delish almond pulp crust to repurpose your leftovers from DIY almond milk.https://closedloopcooking.com/creamy-blackberry-vegan-cheesecake-bars/What are you topping with frozen berries? #closedloopcooking

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Thinking about this sea salt crispy flatbread aka #packagefree matzo as an all-the-time snack. Single use cracker packaging be gone! We can DIY it now folks and it’s so easy! Perfect for dipping in our carrot top + wilty kale dip ✨🌱 What goes on your crispy flatbread?? #closedloopcooking
This beautiful vid made with @ole_richie 💕🙏

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* Dried rosemary * 🌱Hauled an armful of free rosemary home the other weekend, neighborhoods in Portland are just teeming with this fragrant herb. Rosemary is one of my favorites flavors, it pairs well with most savory dishes and elevates sweeter items like scones, crusts, and granola. I love using fresh herbs but as fall rolls around drying out rosemary to save for later use is a great option. I washed, dried, and laid out my individual branches on our kitchen table for about two weeks until the leaves were completely dried out. Very easy for those without a dehydrator! ✨What other herbs are you drying? #closedloopcooking

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Color crushin on these purple - orange carrot tops. Perfect ends for scrap stock. You can keep em in the freezer with all your other odd pieces until you have bough to make vegetable stock! 💫 #closedloopcooking

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Thinking about some last fruits of summer as we roll into September. I want to pack in as much ripe flavor as I can in these next two weeks. Here’s to canning, jamming, and pickling! 💫What are you storing for fall? #closedloopcooking

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Thinking about those last peaches of summer and what else I can get them into before fall comes around the corner. Mood tea towels in shop (with more designs on the way!) #closedloopcooking 📷 @byrainbowpink 💕

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Easy Baba Ganoush! 🍆 (is this appropriate now? 😅) We’ve got a plethora of rag-tag eggplants (aubergines) in the crisper I’ve been trying to use up. Normally I’m not a fan, but with so many eggplants around (CSA life) I had to think of something. My deep love of tahini inspired a super savory baba ganoush and let me tell ya, this dip is DIVINE! I’m a total convert!It’s a perfect spread for just about anything. We put it on tacos with homemade tortillas (stay tuned), eggs in the morning, flax seed crackers and crudite. I’m seriously impressed by this versatile eggplanty-goodness.  Ingredients: - 3 to 4 large globe eggplants (or several smaller, equivalent) - approx 3 tbsp olive oil - 1/4 c tahini (you can DIY!) - 2 cloves garlic - approx 1 tbsp salt - 1/2 tbsp chili powder - juice from 1 lemon  To-do’s: - Preheat oven to 400°. Slice eggplants in half, lengthwise. Brush on olive oil to cover cut side and place evenly on large baking sheet. Use a fork and poke 4 - 5 times into the outside of the eggplant. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes, until inside flesh is tender. - Once cooked, scoop out inside of eggplants and place into food processor. Add in tahini, garlic, salt, chili powder, and lemon juice. Puree until smooth. (Feel free to add more spice to taste.) - Enjoy! Best when warm, serve as dip with just about anything. Keeps in the fridge about 1 week. 
Give it a try and let us know what you think! #closedloopcooking

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