Baba Ghanoush

I love eggplant, and I love baba ghanoush, a lovely dip served similar to hummus, but with eggplant instead of chickpeas. It's also smoky and garlicky and just delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 large eggplant
• 1/4 cup tahini, plus more as needed
• 1 bulb, plus 1 minced clove of garlic
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• salt, to taste
• oil olive
• chopped parsley

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Place a bulb of garlic on a piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap tightly so that no oil can escape. Place into oven.
• Pierce the skin of the eggplants 4-5 times with a fork.
• If you  have a grill or gas stove, roast the whole eggplant, turning so that the skin turns black. If not, go to next step.
• Prepare a sheet tray by lining with foiling and coating with olive oil 
• Slice eggplants in half length-wise and transfer eggplant to baking sheet, cut side down
• Roast in oven until completely soft, about 20-30 minutes depending on size.
• Remove and let cool slightly. Scope out the roasted eggplant, discarding the skins, and place in a bowl.
• Using a fork, immersion blender, or food processor mash the eggplant.
• Add the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, cumin and mix. Add more tahini and lemon juice as needed.
• Drizzle with olive oil and chopped parsley. 
• Serve with pita chips, baby carrots, or sliced cucumbers.

Note: I like to make this at least a few hours ahead of time, or even the day before, so that the flavors have a chance to mingle. 

Whipped Cauliflower

Ahh, whipped cauliflower--some refer to it ask Faux Mashed Potatoes. But there are no such things as a fake potatoes. Potatoes are sacred to me, so don't even try to mess with them. Thanks.

While cauliflower can be prepared similar to mashed potatoes, and can be served in lieu of mashed potatoes, as a low carb option, this is a tasty dish all on it's own.  This is very simple recipe, but it gives a nice consistency and you can dress it up or down as you wish.

Whipped Cauliflower

Ingredients:

• 1 medium head of cauliflower
• 3-4 Tbsp. butter
• 2-3 Tbsp. half and half or heavy cream
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Clean and cut up the cauliflower, steam for about 10 minutes, until soft and tender--easily pierced with a fork.
• In a bowl with and immersion blender, add remaining ingredients and whip until smooth.
• Stir in any cheese, herbs, or other additions you wish.
• Serve while hot.

OMGarlic Scapes!!!!!

So in my CSA share last week, I got 10 garlic scapes. If they hadn't been labelled, I wouldn't have even known what those green swirly things were. I didn't feel bad though, I split my share with my friend, she went to culinary school. A few days after we got our share and she asked me what I did with mine.

Luckily, I had already hit the Internet and discovered that garlic scapes are the green tops of the garlic plant. They're similar to green onions or chives; however, they they have a lovely mild, sweet taste of garlic.

I LOVE garlic and always have it around. What self-respecting Italian-American lives in a house where there is no garlic in the kitchen? Exactly. So, I was super-excited and have been enjoying them all week! I put them in an omelet. I whipped them into some cream cheese to schmear on a bagel. I made brushetta. I sauteed them with some zucchini. I tossed them in a salad. I put them in a chicken marinade. I made salad dressing.

I had my garlic and it was lovely. Because the taste was so mild, I used garlic in ways I normally wouldn't. Sometimes, my beloved garlic gets a little overpowering, especially when you don't cook it. I would never have mixed crushed garlic into cream cheese for my morning bagel. I would be unkissable for a day!!! The brushetta was my favorite--it just made it taste so fresh--and I don't usually get to enjoy the flavor of garlic in a salad, so that was very enjoyable. So I learned about another new vegetable and maybe now you have too!

I hope they put some more in my basket next week.

Sauteed Swiss Chard

I'm getting lots of leafy greens from my CSA so it's time to experiment... Here goes a Maria original!

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 large clove garlic, pressed
• 3-4 cup Swiss Chard, stems removed and chopped 
• 1 cup diced tomato
• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can Canelli beans, drained and rinsed
• Crumbled feta cheese (optional)

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium heat.
2. Add garlic and onions, saute 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the Swiss Chard, cook for an addition 3-5 minutes, stirring occaisonally until chard starts to soften and onions are clear.
4. Add the tomatoes and beans and stir simmer 2-3 minutes, until ingredients are warmed thorough.
5. Serve with crumbled feta on top, or a vegan alternative.

Vegetable Curry Rice

This is an easy one-pot meal you can make on the stove or in a rice cooker. Just put all the ingredients together and in about 20-30 minutes, it's done. I really like this dish for potlucks, because I can make it in my rice cooker in about 30 minutes, so it's hot and fresh. It's also vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free, so it basically will be edible by everyone, unless of course they don't like curry.

Vegetable Curry Rice

• 2 cups white or brown rice (I prefer basmati or jasmine)
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas (I prefer fresh)
• 2 Tbsp. curry spice mix (use a pre-made blend or see below)

Curry spice blend:

• 1 Tbsp. curry powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• garlic powder (optional)

Fill a pot with the proper amount of water according to directions (soaking brown rice if instructed). Bring to a boil. Add the rice, vegetables, and spice and cook rice until water is absorbed and rice is fluffy.

If using a rice cooker, you can soak the rice in the cooker and when ready, add the vegetables and spice and turn the rice cooker on. It should be ready in about 20-30 minutes depending on your rice cooker.


Notes:

1. To save time chopping vegetables can buy Mirapoux (diced celery, carrots, onions) at Trader Joe's in their vegetable section. They also have fresh English peas that work well.
2. You can also toss in chopped roasted or baked chicken.

Sweet Potato Kale Soup

My body was craving something fresh and hearty and healthy. So I came up with this. It's a Maria original and I'm quite pleased with the results. I love me some kale and it's soooooo good for you, low in calories and high of antioxidant vitamins, and phytonutrients, as well as tons of fiber.

Sweet Potato and Kale Soup
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 cups chopped kale
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 quarts stock, vegetable or chicken
1 can garbazo beans, drained
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. red pepper (optional)

Put all the ingredients in a crockpot for 4-6 hours on HIGH or 8 to 10 hours on LOW.

On the stove, put all the ingredients in a stock pot, bring to a boil and simmer 30 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.

Pepper Steak

There are some recipes your Mom, grandmother, and aunts make that you just can't seem to master. My aunt and my Dad each make a killer Pepper Steak that you would swear was take out from the Chinese restaurant. I haven't mastered it, but I made an attempt and my dinner was quite yummy and I think you'll like it too. Of course, I could just ask for the recipes I guess, but I'm stubborn like that!

Pepper Steak

1 lb steak (sliced thin--see Tips and Tricks below)

2 green peppers, sliced

1 medium yellow onion, sliced into thin strips

8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced into thin strips

1 small clove garlic, minced

Sauce:

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ginger

3 Tbsp. corn starch

black pepper

In a wok, or large saute or frying pan, add the sliced steak. Stir for the first few minutes so each slice is separated. Add the onions, stir. Then add the peppers and mushrooms, stir. Cover for 5 minutes to let all the ingredients cook. Uncover, add sauce, and let simmer uncovered, stirring often, until the sauce started to thicken and vegetables are cooked, yet still firm.

Serve over rice.

Tips and Tricks:

• If you put the steak in the freezer for about an hour, it will firm up enough to be able to get those evenly cut, ultra thin slices.
  
  
• Slice the peppers and onions into long strips. It's easier too eat with chopsticks.
  
  
• You can use any kind of rice, however, my absolute favorite for any kind of Asian dish is Thai Jasmine rice. It's an aromatic rice that's just a little sticky. I could eat bowlfuls of stuff.