A Simple Greek-Style Eggplant

Are you ready for the holidays? Surprisingly I am; gifts are purchased, decorations are up, and I’m going to bake cookies later today. We’re hosting Christmas this year for Dan’s family - all @30 of them - we’ll need a few card tables to get through the dinner part but other than that we’re good and looking forward to getting the band back together (so to speak). 

In my shopping travels, I’ve been searching for a cast/enamel brasier. I know you are shaking your head at this moment saying “girl those are for meat, you don’t eat meat” wrong. Dan did a lovely fish dish on Saturday and last night I did a Simple Greek-Style Eggplant that will definitely be made again and again. 

Eggplant is one of those vegetables that gets a bad rap - not everyone loves it - but I love eggplant in all of its forms - globe, Japanese, white, purple, red, striped - you name it I love it. Also known as aubergines, eggplant belongs to the nightshade family and is used in many different dishes around the world. Many people consider it a vegetable however, they are technically a fruit as they grow from a flowering plant and contain seeds. This year we grew a dwarf version of eggplant - it was prolific, had very few seeds, and was not bitter. 

There are also many health benefits they are low in calories and carbs and contain manganese, folate, potassium, and vitamins K and C. They are high in antioxidants and may reduce the risk of heart disease, and help with blood sugar control and weight loss. This simple and delicious fruit is a great addition to any healthy diet.

But enough about the science! Let's eat - also, check out that beautiful brasier. 

Ingredients:

1 large globe eggplant cut into cubes

1 large yellow onion - chopped

1 green bell pepper - diced

1 carrot - peeled and chopped

6 large garlic cloves - minced

2 - 3 bay leaves

1.5 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp dry oregano

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp ground pepper

dash of salt

28 ounces chopped tomatoes

2 - 15 ounce cans of chickpeas (I used 1 chickpea and one white Canelli)

olive oil

fresh herbs to garnish - i.e. parsley and/or mint. 

Instructions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place eggplant cubes in a colander over a large bowl or directly over your sink, and sprinkle with salt. Set aside 20 minutes or so to allow the eggplant to "sweat out" bitterness. Rinse with water and pat dry.

In a large braiser, heat ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil over medium-high until shimmering but not smoking. Add onions, peppers, and chopped carrots. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly, then add garlic, bay leaf, spices, and a dash of salt. Cook another minute, stirring until fragrant.

Add eggplant, chopped tomato, chickpeas, and reserved chickpea liquid. Stir to combine. Bring to a rolling boil for 10 minutes or so. Stir often. Remove from the stovetop, cover, and transfer to oven.

Cook in the oven for 45 minutes until eggplant is fully cooked through to very tender. (While eggplant is braising, check once or twice to see if more liquid is needed. If so, remove from oven briefly and stir in about ½ cup of water at a time.)

When eggplant is ready, remove from oven, and garnish with fresh herbs (parsley or mint). Serve hot or at room temperature with a side of Greek yogurt or even Tzatziki sauce and pita bread.

Thanks for stopping by!

That's a Wrap - or is it?

It’s official, the 2023 gardening season has begun. After putting this year's garden to bed I planted garlic for next year. If you’ve never tried to grow garlic you should give it a shot it’s so easy to grow. You put it in the ground sometime between mid to late October, cover it with mulch, and forget about it until next Spring.

We are still working through last year's garden. We harvested about 20 honeynut butternut squash, 15 delicate (from one plant), and a few acorns. The green tomatoes have now ripened so we are working fast and furiously to eat them because I don’t have room for another batch of sauce - so it’s tomato sandwiches, Caprese salads, and tomatoes on pretty much everything. 

This year we got back to having a Halloween Party and it was fun. We dressed up as solar systems, cooked some appetizers, and carved pumpkins. Everyone had a good time! The next generation of pumpkin carvers joined us - my husband's cousin, his wife, and their little 2-year-old daughter got in on the carving action. Their daughter especially liked removing the pumpkin's guts. 

There were some great costumes - Marie Antoinette, Hippies, Aliens dressed as humans, the sun, and a couple of TV show characters I was not familiar with. It was great to see old as well as some new faces. And the pumpkins were fun - spiders, smiles, and ghosts.

 

One of my favorite things for an easy dinner is grain bowls. You roast some veggies, cook some rice (or whatever grain you have), chop some cold veggies and toss it all in a bowl with a sauce. You can add tofu or another protein but generally, I like it without. 

In our last grain bowl adventure, I added a simple tomato salad drizzled with oil and vinegar and topped with feta - it was delicious. 

Grain Bowls

Ingredients:

2 small delicata squash - cut in half and seeds removed

4 - 5 small carrots (we had some small purple ones from the garden)

1 - red or yellow pepper - cut into chunks

a handful of brussels sprouts - cleaned, trimmed, and halved

1 container of mushrooms - cleaned and cut in half

Spices - I used paprika, garlic, cumin, and a little cayenne pepper

1 - 2 T olive oil

rice - I had leftover basmati 

Instructions 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prep all vegetables as instructed above and place them on a large rimmed baking dish. 

Mix olive oil and all spices together and pour over vegetables. Toss to coat. Bake until cooked through. 

Tomato salad

Ingredients:

2 large tomatoes - thickly sliced

a handful of spinach - used to line the serving platter

balsamic vinegar

olive oil

feta cheese 

Instructions:

Trim spinach ends and line the serving platter with a single layer. Slice the tomatoes and place them on top of the spinach. Drizzle a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the tomatoes and top with crumbled feta. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Northern Collard Greens - Vegetarian Style

October already - where does the time go. The tomatoes are winding down, the squash is maturing, and the kale and collards are ready to harvest. The temps are beginning to dip into the 30s and the possibility of frost is real - so it looks like fried green tomatoes are in our future. 

I’ve been ready to clean out the green bean bed but every time I go out there my little green frog friend is quietly sitting on the leaves and I just don’t have the heart to destroy his habitat so it sits there but I know one day soon I will have to take it down and he will have to move on. 

Every year I struggle to decide what to do with the collard greens. I really like them but when I think of them I think of bacon, ham, and black-eyed peas - none of which I love. I've stuffed them with a spicy tofu mixture and baked them in a rich tomato sauce. I’ve also blanched them and used them in place of a wrap for sandwiches or frozen them to use later in soups and stews but I never get rave reviews from Dan in either of those situations - the real problem is they are fibrous so you need some way to break them down. 

I’ve been experimenting off and on this summer and think I’ve finally found something that Dan gave the thumbs up on - Northern Collard Greens - vegetarian style.

Ingredients:

3 strips of veggie bacon 

1 lb collard greens

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1 - 2 small summer squash - small chunks

1 cup zucchini - small chunks

1 - 2 veggie sausages thinly sliced

1/4 cup veggie broth - divided

1 T apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Microwave veggie bacon until slightly crisp. In a pan add collard greens, cherry tomatoes, broth, and apple cider vinegar. Stir gently over medium heat to combine for approx. 6 minutes. Add the zucchini, summer squash, veggie sausages, and a bit more broth and simmer until the collards have softened. 

I served them with a little leftover orzo rice and some baked acorn squash (from the garden). We'll definitely try them again. Thanks for stopping by!

 

A Sweet and Savory Delicata Squash

My counter is filled with tomatoes; German Pinks, Brandywine, Early Girl, Juliet, Sweet 100’s, Mortgage Lifter, and Better Boy. I’ve made 2 batches of sauce and there is definitely another one later this week.

We have consumed countless toasted tomato and mayo sandwiches, had them in salads, with eggs, in ratatouille, tarts, and galettes. Let’s just say the tomatoes are ripening at a rapid pace. But there is truly nothing like a fresh tomato that you’ve just picked from your garden there is no comparison to the grocery store variety even in peak season. 

I’ve also been harvesting at least 2 zucchini and summer squash a day - it’s time to chop and freeze these for winter soups, stews, and chili. The winter squash are continuing to grow and ripen and as luck would have it one of our delicata squash was ready. 

This is my first attempt at growing delicata. I’ve talked to other gardeners and my expectation was that I would get about 5 squash per plant, which isn’t great but I was still willing to give it a try because I love the flavor. To my surprise, we have 9 squash so almost double - my expectations have been exceeded!

The delicate flavor of delicata called for something a little sweet and savory so I combined 2 recipes, substituted vegan butter for regular unsalted, and served it on top of salad greens - it was delicious. 

Ingredients:

2 Delicata squashes halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch inch thick pieces

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon miso paste

1 tablespoon maple syrup honey and agave are fine substitutes

1 tablespoon vegan butter at room temperature

1 scallion finely sliced, for garnish (optional)

Toasted sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425ºF. In a bowl, add the sliced squash and toss with sesame oil to coat. Spread the squash in a single layer on a parchment-lined or well-greased baking sheet and roast for 30-35 minutes, turning once halfway through, until lightly golden on both sides.

While the squash is roasting, mix the miso, maple syrup, and vegan butter in a small bowl and stir to combine. Brush one side of the roasted squash with the miso-butter mixture and roast for another 10 minutes until the squash is glazed and brown. 

Remove to a platter and sprinkle with scallions and sesame seeds if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

A Simple and Delicious Tomato Sauce

We're harvesting tomatoes! The warm/cool temps have launched the tomatoes into ripening mode. In the past week, I’ve picked about a pound of tomatoes each day and I don’t see that stopping anytime soon. 

We’ve also harvested our first delicata squash and the green beans are finally coming in. I was beginning to feel like that space had been wasted and there were a couple times I was tempted to pull the entire pole bean mess down and start over but I’m glad I stuck it out. I have planted another round of bush beans (fingers crossed that the package is labeled correctly) with luck we’ll get an excellent second crop. 

I have to say the winter squash is our signature crop - the Honeynut butternut squash has exploded. Every time I go out to the garden I find a few more; some are going to be large and others small but all have that sweet promise of soups, stews, baked with maple syrup and walnuts, stuffed with wild rice …. the possibilities are endless. 

Meanwhile back in tomato land, I’ve got 3 areas on the counter; one for tomatoes that are for sandwiches (normally the heirlooms and meaty tomatoes), one for gazpacho, and one for the need to use now, which means make the sauce. The gazpacho pile is short-lived because you can only have so much gazpacho but I do love a batch or 2 every summer. And for those of you who know I find no redeeming qualities in tomato juice - don’t ask, I can’t explain it. 

I try to keep my go-to tomato sauce simple so that when I pull it out of the freezer I can transform it into whatever I want. Sometimes it's chili, others a red pasta sauce and sometimes I need it for a nice curry. Many people will tell you that paste (Roma) tomatoes are the best for sauce but I disagree, if you have a high-speed blender like a Vitamix, you can use any tomatoes, which in my humble opinion, deepens the flavor. 

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - enough to fill the bottom of a large roasting pan

1 head of garlic - roughly chopped

2 onions - roughly chopped

olive oil 

1 handful of fresh basil (more or less it’s up to you)

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400. Wash and chop tomatoes (I cut large tomatoes into 6 pieces, cherries in half and quarter smaller ones) and put in a single layer in a large roasting pan. Add garlic and onions and a generous pour of olive oil. Stir to make sure all tomatoes are oil-covered and place in the oven to roast for @ 1.5 hours or until the juices are almost gone. Check on the sauce and stir at the 45-minute mark and then every 15 minutes after. 

Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Scrape all tomato bits into a high-speed blender and blend on high until seeds and skins are obliterated @ 1 minute. Pour into freezer bags and freeze for later use. 

Thanks for stopping by!

A Berry Vegan Tart

It’s almost the end of August - where does the time go? Parts of the garden are flourishing and other parts - meh. I harvested about 2 pounds of black turtle beans, zucchini is still producing, summer squash is picking up steam, tomatoes are now ripening, chard, kale, and collards holding their own and we ate our first midget melon - it was sweet and delicious. 

What’s not so great - green beans, cucumbers, and peppers. I think I mentioned that I planted what the package said were bush beans but turned out they were pole beans. I have lots of flowers and bees but no beans - ugh. The cucumbers never really got started, I got maybe 5 and then pulled the plant - something was having a field day. And the green peppers, well they never even flowered. Go figure. 

We were heading to a friend's house for a pool party and dinner - what a great combination. I’m normally the salad, appetizer, side dish person but this time I brought a dessert. We had a great evening; good food, good conversation, and great company. 

Ingredients - Crust

1.5 cups oats

3/4 c pecans

1/4 c coconut oil, melted

3T maple syrup

1/4 t salt

Ingredients - custard

1 - 13.5 ounce can of full-fat coconut milk

3/4 c unsweetened vegan milk

2/3 c sugar

1.5 t vanilla

1/4 cup plus 2T corn starch

1/4t salt

1/4t turmeric

Ingredients - topping

strawberries

raspberries

blueberries

Instructions - crust

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a tart pan and set aside. 

In a food processor, place oats and process for about 1 minute or until ground into flour. Add pecans, and pulse a few times until finely ground but not oily. Add coconut oil, maple syrup, and salt and pulse again until the mixture holds together. 

Put the pecan mixture into the tart pan and use your fingers to spread evenly across the bottom and sides, pressing firmly. Poke crust evenly with a fork, then place in the oven and bake for 10 - 15 minutes until lightly browned. Set aside to cool

For the custard

Combine coconut milk, vegan milk, sugar, vanilla, cornstarch, salt, and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking to combine. Use a rubber spatula to stir the mixture slowly and evenly as it cooks to prevent scorching. Cook until custard is thick and bubbling - @ 7 minutes. Remove from heat, pour the custard into a bowl, and cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a film from forming. Chill until cold - at least 2 hours. 

To assemble the tart:

Whisk chilled custard to smooth, adding 1T milk at a time if the custard is too thick to spread. Spoon into cooled crust and spread evenly with a spatula. Arrange fruit across the top of the custard. For best results, serve within a few hours. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Vegan Walnut Basil Pesto

The basil is in and pesto season has begun - but in my case not the traditional type. I’ve been experimenting for the past 6 months with eating small amounts of cow's milk cheese and for the most part, I still get the same reaction. However, I have noticed that I can tolerate Parmesan cheese with minimal (still some) effects. 

I pulled most of the basil from the garden this morning before the rain hit and turned it into pesto - vegan pesto. I use walnuts for 2 reasons - they are much cheaper than pine nuts and they are better for you from a health perspective. To keep things cheese free I use nutritional yeast instead of cheese -  the nutritional yeast gives the pesto the cheesy flavor and a little bit of lemon juice provides balance. 

We’re still working on using up last year's pesto but we have a new batch from the 2022 harvest that we’ll be eating soon enough.

Ingredients:

2 cups packed basil leaves (no stems)

3T walnuts 

3 cloves garlic 

1T lemon juice

2 - 3T olive oil

2T nutritional yeast

1/4t salt

3 - 4 T water (more if needed)

Instructions:

Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and mix. Divide into small containers (a little pesto goes a long way) and freeze. 

What’s your favorite way to use pesto - drop me a line in the comment section below. Thanks for stopping by!

We’re in the Swiss Chard

It’s the middle of July and the garden is exploding - we’re definitely in zucchini season (I pick at least one each day) and the chard, collards, kale, and basil are in good form. I picked the last of the sugar snap peas today and last night I pulled them out. Time to plant some cold season crops like carrots, kale, turnips, beets, beans, spinach, and more greens - yay!

The winter squash is maturing (I have 2 delicata squash that are looking lovely and the honey nut are blossoming. I love watching the bees in my early morning garden check hop from flower to flower - they are so beautiful.  

The beans are still lagging and the Japanese beetles are making havoc with them. The cucumber is flowering (with only very small cukes) and the Minnesota Midgets have So. Many. Flowers.! The black turtle beans are also exploding. Fall harvest will be amazing - I hope. 

I’ve been asked to consider taking the lead of a community garden in Minneapolis next year, although they would like to plant fall crops I’m not sure that is doable with the time remaining. I’m interested but would definitely need some help - they have over 3000 square feet (according to the writeup) but the pictures seem smaller, I guess there is room for expansion.

I harvested a large amount of chard yesterday morning with the intention of adding it to dinner. I also had 5 zucchini, one yellow squash, and some pantry items to use up - so dinner was an onion, chard, zucchini, bean, tomato, and summer squash grain bowl, which as it turned out was quite good. 

Ingredients 

1 onion - chopped 

1 summer squash - sliced and then cut in half

1 medium zucchini - sliced and then cut in half

2 1/2 C swiss chard - stems and leaves - roughly chopped

1 can of diced tomatoes 

1/2 cup veggie broth

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 

2 cloves garlic - minced 

Instructions:

In a medium-sized pan add 1T olive oil and onion and chard stems, and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Add squash, zucchini, diced tomatoes, and broth let simmer until squash starts to soften. Add chard leaves and red pepper flakes. Saute until squash is tender and chard is wilted. 

Serve over rice with pita bread and fruit. 

Salad Night

When the temps are supposed to rise to 96 in Minnesota I get up early and get my garden chores done. I watered, killed a few Asian Beetles (I left their bodies on the ground as a sign of things to come for others who might think defoliating my plants is a good idea), and then watched the bees fly from squash flower to squash flower it was inspiring. Oh, I picked the first Sweet 100 cherry tomato and let Dan eat it because tomatoes are his favorite. 

This week I will most likely pull the garlic and sugar snap peas and plant another round of carrots or beans or chard - not sure yet. In August I will plant some spinach and other cold crops. Speaking of sugar snaps - I’ve been talking to my community garden friends and they are all disappointed with this year's crop - they are not tasty; except mine are. Mine do get some shade and my Master Gardener friends are attributing the bad flavor/texture to the 100-degree days we had a while back but not sure - every year produces different results even if you think you are doing the exact same thing.

I thought about going out to dinner but when I look in the fridge I see 4 zucchini, @1.5 lbs. of sugar snap peas, and a massive amount of greens all that needs to be used before they expire. I was not in favor of turning on the stove or burners for that matter so I defaulted to - Salad Night! Three salads, two plates, and 2 hearty appetites. 

The first salad - Seafood Salad - is not a vegetarian dish but it’s super easy to make. The second - Sugar snap pea and edamame salad is vegetarian and has only 7 ingredients. The last - Dressed greens with blueberries, peaches, and feta - super easy.

Seafood Salad

Ingredients

1 pkg mock crab

2 stalks of celery - chopped

3 scallions - chopped 

fresh dill 

mayo

Instructions:

Finely chop celery and scallions and add them to a bowl. Add shredded mock crab and then chopped dill. Mix all with mayo and add salt and pepper to taste

Sugar Snap Pea and Edamame Salad

Dressing Ingredients:

2 green onions - finely diced

2T olive oil

2T fresh lemon juice

1t - maple syrup

Salt and pepper to taste

Veggies:

@ 1lb sugar snap peas - cleaned and trimmed

10 oz frozen edamame - thawed

Instructions:

Combine dressing ingredients and set aside. Steam edamame and sugar snap peas until crisp-tender. Toss peas with dressing - serve hot or cold. 

Dress Greens with Blueberries, Peaches, and Feta

Ingredients:

Leaf lettuce

Kale

Swiss chard

Collard greens 

1/2 cup blueberries

1 peach - peeled and sliced 

Feta cheese - to taste

Salt 

Pepper

Dressing:

2T - olive oil

1T - balsamic vinegar

1t - maple syrup

Instructions:

Mix dressing ingredients and set aside. Clean, wash and tear greens. Add blueberries, peaches, and crumble feta. Toss with dressing and serve.

After dinner, we headed to Frio Frio a local haunt that serves hand-crafted popsicles (I am sure they call them something else). I had a raspberry hibiscus and Dan had a blueberry & greek yogurt - a nice end to a simple and lovely meal.

Thanks for stopping by!