Proving that vegetables can be as satisfying as meat, this nutty mushroom pâté adapted from Food + Wine will satisfy even the heartiest of omnivores.

1 C pecans
1/2 C dried porcini mushrooms
1 C boiling water
1/2 # portobello mushrooms, stemmed
2 T tamari
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 T nutritional yeast
1/2 T fresh lemon juice
1 tsp chopped rosemary
1 tsp light miso
2 dry-packed sun-dried tomato halves
Salt
Toasted baguette slices, for serving

Put the pecans in a bowl and cover with cold water. Let stand for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, in a small heatproof bowl, cover the porcini with the boiling water and let stand until softened, about 15 minutes. Rub the porcini to remove grit; transfer them to a small bowl. Reserve the soaking liquid. Cut the portobello caps in half and, with a sharp paring knife, trim off the dark gills on the underside of each one. Slice the caps into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. In a bowl, whisk together the tamari, olive oil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, rosemary and miso. Add the sliced portobellos and toss to coat thoroughly. Let stand for 15 minutes, tossing occasionally.

In a small saucepan, combine the soaked porcini and sun-dried tomatoes. Slowly pour in the porcini soaking liquid, stopping before you reach the grit at the bottom. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat until the tomatoes are tender, about 4 minutes.

Drain the pecans and transfer them to a food processor. With a slotted spoon, transfer the marinated portobellos, porcini and tomatoes to the processor; puree to a coarse paste, adding about 1/4 cup of the porcini cooking liquid. Add a little more of the porcini liquid if the mixture is too thick. Season lightly with salt.

Transfer the pâté to a crock and serve with toasted baguette.

Lunch Box: Summer Salads

Ingredients:

· 1 C vegetable or chicken stock
· 1 C brown and/or wild rice mixture
· 1 C dry French green lentils
· 1/4 C Leblanc Almond Oil*
· 1/4 C BR Cohn Extra Virgin Olive Oil*
· 1/4 C BR Cohn Raspberry Vinegar*
· 2 garlic cloves, minced and mashed
· 3/4 C finely diced red onion
· 1 C dried cranberries
· 1 C chopped almonds, toasted
· Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

· Combine 1 cup water and the stock in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the rice, cover and simmer over medium heat until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 30 minutes.

· Meanwhile, place lentils in a saucepan over medium heat and cover with 11/4 cups water. Simmer until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and let cool. In a large salad bowl, combine the cooked rice and lentils.

· Prepare a vinaigrette by whisking together the walnut oil olive oil, vinegar and garlic in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the lentils and rice. Add the red onion, dried cranberries and slivered almonds. Season with salt and pepper as desired.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

* These products are available for purchase at Datz.

Have some fun while you eat lunch and learn how to cook something new! Sign up for a Lunch Box lesson this week. You can find registration information on our website at www.datzdeli.com.

From Lunch Box Monday July 26: Homage to Jacques Pepin

Ingredients

• 1/3 C Lucero Mission Extra Virgin Olive oil*
• 3 T fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp Les Moulins Mahjoub Harissa*
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• One 5-# seedless watermelon, scooped into balls with a melon baller or cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks (10 cups), chilled
• 1/2 # feta cheese, crumbled (2 cups)
• 1 1/4 C pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
• 1 small red onion, cut into slivers
• 1 C mint, coarsely chopped

Method

• In a large bowl, whisk the oil, lemon juice, salt, harissa and pepper.
• Add the watermelon, feta, olives and onion and toss gently. Garnish with the mint and serve.

* These products are available at Datz

Cook’s Note: For a fun serving suggestion, reserve the scooped out watermelon rind and use as a bowl for the salad. Great for picnics!

Be sure to sign up for one of our weekday Lunch Box lessons. You can find more information and register on www.datzdeli.com.