Living with Wild Abandon and the Art of Foraging

"Live your life with wild abandon!"

I can't quite say where this phrase came from but interestingly enough it was the very thing that came to mind when I sat down to write THIS: my latest culinary adventure. As a writer, words and phrases are always popping up into my head. haha  But, then I instantly thought it was so fitting when you consider who Melanie and I really are behind the scenes.  So before I get to our latest recipe I thought I'd take an opportunity to share just a little bit more about that.  A little more in-depth peek into who we, the Peas, are. It's been awhile (almost a year, actually) since we've done that and I thought it might be nice.

~For those new to our blog, here's a link to our very first post. 

Amber- dreadhead, gypsy traveler and coffee-lover 

Mell- fun, fancy-free and love incarnated

Both of us, wives, moms, artists, lovers, natural parenting advocates, barefoot in the grass, beach loving gals, 

 and total tree-huggers! 

Living our lives with wild abandon, is to us, living life to the fullest, living life freely and with a view toward love in all things; it's something that we Peas strongly believe in.  In addition to being cousins, crazy and being vegan (heehee),  it's one of the many attributes that Melanie and I share, one of the major components that bond us together. We are both gypsy souls and hopeless dreamers (myself a bit more so than Mell, I think heehee).  We believe that Life is precious and our mission here to live courageously from the heart, own our passions, find our joys and inspire others to do the same. It is the very reason we made the decision to start this blogging adventure. We are all on this journey together and we must do what we can to make it a beautiful one!

That having been said, my latest recipe comes straight out of  "the wild" and into my kitchen.  And it coincides with one of my latest passions . . .

Foraging: the act of finding and gathering or harvesting wild foods. Foraging can mean a hike in the mountains searching for elusive morels, heading out to the local (pesticide-free!) park (or your very own lawn) to pick dandelion greens or plantains (not bananas but the weed) or even picking the apples from the branches of your neighbor's tree that hang over into your yard.*

My darling husband demonstrating the art of foraging wild leeks. heehee
 (from an outing in the woods a few years back). 

Here in upstate New York, the countrysides and backwoods are covered with all sorts of edibles. One of my favorites are the wild leeks (aka ramps) that grow quite abundantly.  I first tried them a couple of years back when while out on a nature hike with the kids, my friend pointed them out to me.  I have used them in all sorts of recipes, mostly as just a substitute for onion or garlic but
This is the first time I have created a recipe in which they take complete center stage and really shine.  I am so pleased with this dish! And am so excited to share it with you all.

Quinoa Stuffed Ramp Leaves

(appetizer portion)

Originally I had intended to also use maitake mushrooms in this dish, as well.  They are known locally as Hen of the Woods and are found in the forest areas of where I live (amongst the oaks); another easily foraged wild edible. They are not just tasty but are also highly medicinal.  Unfortunately, I waited too long and the mushroom was starting to go bad so I couldn't use it. I highly recommend it though and encourage you to give it a try if you are able to find it in your area. I also have a friend who is a garlic farmer (garlic is a big crop where I live) and intended to put a bit of garlic in this dish but opted out knowing the wild ramps would be flavorful enough. 

Ingredients:

10-12 medium to large sized ramp leaves

5 ramp stems

4 ramp leaves

1/4- 1/2 cup of finely diced sweet onion

1 c. quinoa 

2 cups of water (or vegetable broth)

1 1/2 cups of fresh baby spinach, finely chopped

1/2 c. of vegan mock sausage/ground beef **

1-2 tsp. yellow curry powder

1-2 tbsp. of unrefined coconut oil
About 1 cup of your favorite tomato based pasta sauce

First off, get your quinoa cooking. 

 Rinse and place in a saucepan and sautee over medium high heat until dry and just starting to brown.  This will bring out it's natural nutty flavor.  Carefully pour in your broth and bring to a boil. Simmer for 12 minutes (or until liquid has dissolved).  Then turn off the heat and let sit.

This is my favorite most flavorful veggie broth I like.

Rinse your ramps well and break the leaves from the stem/bulb.

These will be you leaves for stuffing.  Set them aside for now. 

PREHEAT your oven to 350 degrees. And lightly grease a glass baking dish with some coconut oil.

Dice 5 of the stems (as you would a green onion) and choose three more leaves (in addition to the ones you will use for stuffing). Finely chop the leaves.  Dice your sweet onion.  

Heat 1 tbsp of coconut oil in a pan. When hot, toss in your ramps and onion and cook until translucent and tender. Add in your spinach and stir to wilt. Turn off your pan but leave on the stove.

Prepare your veggie meat mixture or if you are using one that is already made, simply add 1/2 cup into your pan, stir with the veggie mixture and warm a bit.

Transfer to a bowl and add 1 cup of quinoa to the bowl and your yellow curry to season.  The meat mixture I used was already seasoned and so I didn't find I needed any additional salt (as well as the quinoa which was also seasoned from the broth) but should you find you need it, simply add a bit of sea salt and pepper to taste. 

Stir well to incorporate. The mixture should be sticky and binding. If it is not, you can add in the equivalent of one egg (via chia, flax or egg-replacer. Directions at bottom of this post.)

Take your ramp leaves and run them over gently with your fingers to make them more pliable for wrapping. 

Simply stuff  each leaf with about a tablespoon of filling and roll up over the center. No worries if your stuffing is pouring out the sides. It will stay intact and I think it makes it more visually interesting. 

Place in your prepared baking dish and brush each one lightly with a bit more coconut oil. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes.

AS A SIDE NOTE: I happen to love coconut oil and it is a staple in our household.  I also think it works beautifully with this dish with the curry flavor but olive oil would be an easy and just as tasty subsitute. 

Drizzled with a bit of your favorite tomato sauce, this is a beautiful party dish served appetizer style but for a meal I combined it with a bit of oven baked polenta and steamed broccolini with a hemp seed butter and dash of hawaiian sea salt.


I loved how this dish turned out and hope you do too!

Love and Light,
~Amber~

TO MAKE ONE VEGAN EGG:
Place 1 tablespoon of flax seed (freshly ground) or chia seed in 3 tablespoons of water. Whisk together and let sit in the fridge for 15 minutes.  To make an egg replacer egg, simply dissolve 1 1/2 tsp. of the egg replacer powder in 2 tablespoons of warm water. Whisk until frothy and add immediately.

*taken from the following site: http://localfoods.about.com/od/localfoodsglossary/g/Foraging.htm
** I used Neat prepackaged veggie burger mix but I think Gimme Lean sausage/ground meat would also be a good option.