Eggplant recipe

Recipe from Tali - dish she brought to postcard party today.  Delish with crackers/ pita chips.

 Here is the eggplant recipe. I'm not sure I can call it a recipe since it's just throwing things together. How does one teach kids to cook with "a little bit of this, and a little bit of that?" 

- sauté diced eggplant until they are really soft and browned. 

- add fresh or canned dices tomatoes and tomato paste (see photo below) 👇

- add cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, salt, and sugar to taste 

- I like it cold. I mentioned to Holly about my clever neighbor who put feta and egg on it, like shakshuka!

Pomegranate, Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Dip / Muhummara

From Amy Riolo’s. The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook 

“This piquant sweet and sour dip has origins in Persia and is now popular across the Middle East and in Turkey.  Recently touted as a ‘beauty dip’ by American magazines for the skin enhancing qualities found in its three main ingredients - red peppers, walnuts and pomegranate - this recipe is quick to become a favorite of those who try it for the first time.”

Pomegranate juice and seeds were used in natural medicines for curing a wide variety of ailments; they appeared in records back to 1550 BCE.  They made their way to America with Spanish settlers in 1769, and are now grown in California and Arizona.  

INGREDIENTS: 

7 oz roasted red peppers, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs or almond flour

1/3 cup walnuts

4 cloves garlic, minced

Juice of 1 lemon

4 Tbsp pomegranate molasses (I used ~2)

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt

1/4 cup EVOO

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the all the ingredients except the oil.  Pulse on and off until a thick paste forms.  Then, gradually pour EVOO into the running food processor.  Taste the purée and adjust the salt as needed.  Serve at room temperature. 

Creamy butternut squash pasta

https://www.loveandlemons.com/butternut-squash-pasta/?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=3+Plant-Based+Dinners+to+Try+This+Week%20-%207382114 

Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 40 mins

Serves 4

Roasted squash, sage, and thyme fill this creamy butternut squash pasta with cozy autumn flavor. Serve it with sautéed broccoli or any veggie side dish you like.This ended up too thick to use as a pasta sauce, but it was delicious as a dip - especially with fenugreek roti from Guru grocery store.  Can try it with more water to thin it out for a sauce, and maybe add more of the flavorings. 

Ingredients

• ½ small butternut squash, halved vertically, and seeded
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots, coarsely chopped (½ cup)
• 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• ¾ cup water
• ½ cup raw cashews
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 10 fresh sage leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, plus a few leaves for garnish
• 12 ounces rotini pasta
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Sauteed broccoli, for serving, optional

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Drizzle the squash with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place cut-side down on the baking sheet. Wrap the shallot and garlic cloves in foil with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and place on the baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes or until the squash is soft. 
• Scoop 1 cup of the squash flesh and transfer to a blender with the shallot, peeled garlic, water, cashews, 2 tablespoons olive oil, nutritional yeast, vinegar, sage, thyme, ¾ teaspoon salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Blend until creamy.
• Cook the pasta according to package directions in a pot of salted boiling water. Reserve 1 cup of the hot pasta water.
• Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Stir in the sauce, adding 1/2 to 1 cup of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce and coat the pasta. Season with ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt. Top with freshly ground black pepper, a few thyme leaves and sautéed broccoli, if desired.