Polenta cakes with spaghetti squash and veggie stew

This was quite the gourmet meal, it looked pretty, tasted good and was very satisfying on a chilly fall evening. All of the ingredients except the polenta  and chick peas are from Fair Foods.

Polenta Cakes with Spaghetti Squash and Veggie Stew

1 Spaghetti squash
1 onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic diced
1 banana pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 medium yellow summer squash, chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 medium eggplant, peeled and chopped
2 stalkes of cellery, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1 can chick peas
1 24 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme leaves
salt and pepper
1 Polenta log
breadcrumbs

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the whole spaghetti squash in the oven and bake until the squash is soft to the touch and can be easily pierced with a knife. (about 45 - 60 min) Set aside.
2. In a large stock pot heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil add onion and cook until opaque. Add the celery, peppers, garlic, zucchini, squash and eggplant. Add salt and pepper to taste. Saute until veggies are softened. Add wine and stir for 1 min, then add tomatoes, chick peas and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then reduce burner to low and simmer for 20 min.
3. While the stew cooks unwrap the polenta and slice it into 1 inch rounds. Gently press each cake into breadcrumbs to coat on all sides. In a heavy bottomed skillet melt 1 tbsp butter over medium heat. add polenta cakes and brown until they have a nice crust then turn and brown the other side.
4. Halve the spaghetti squash. Scoop out the seeds, then using a fork remove the flesh. Serve each polenta cake with a cup of spaghetti squash beside it and veggie stew on top.

This recipe is awesome and as we speak my kitchen smells amazing!!! Delicious on toast but also pears excellently with goat cheese. Enjoy!!

Vanilla Pear Jam

Found at Food In Jars

makes 3.5 pints (fills seven half pint jars)

8 cups chopped Bartlett pears (or any smooth, thin-skinned pear. No need to peel.)
2 vanilla beans, split and scraped
4 cups sugar
1 packet liquid pectin(I used a powdered)

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, combine chopped pears, sugar and vanilla beans and vanilla seeds.
2. Cook over medium heat until the fruit can easily be smashed with the back of a wooden spoon.
3. Use a potato masher or immersion blender to break the fruit down into a mostly-smooth sauce (remove the vanilla bean solids before blending).
4. Add the pectin and bring to a rolling boil. Let boil for a full five minutes in order to active the pectin,
5. Fill jars, wipe rims to remove any residual jam, apply lids (heat canning lids in a small pot over very low heat while you’re preparing the jam to ensure a good seal) and screw on the rims.
6. Process the filled jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes (start the timer when the pot has returned to a boil).
7. Remove jars from pot and place the jars on a towel-lined counter top. Let them cool undisturbed for  two hours. During this time, the lids should seal.
8. Check to ensure the jars have sealed by pushing down on the center of the lid. If it feels solid and doesn’t move, it is sealed.

Just an amendment...Dana and I only used half of the sugar and we mashed the pears (kind of) with a potato masher because we think that chunky jam that tastes more like pears is better. Other than that we followed the recipe.

Papaya Jam

I came into a box of beautiful Papayas this week and decided to make jam. It came out really well. There were 8 Papayas in my box and I used 7 of them. If you have less Papaya you can halve the recipe and it will come out fine. I prefer to chop the Papayas instead of mash them. I like having the bits of fruit in my jam. :)

Fresh Papaya Jam

8 cups finely chopped Papaya (skins and seeds removed)
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 envelopes of pectin
7 cups sugar


In a large heavy stockpot bring papaya, orange juice and pectin to a boil. Cook for about 10 min until the fruit is cooked and soft. Add the sugar and return to a boil. Allow the jam to boil for exactly one minute then remove from the heat. Fill prepared sterilized hot jars and process in a water bath for 10 min.

Barley with Acorn Squash and Broccoli

This recipe has a real unique blend of ingredients that makes it intriguing and perfect for a fall day.

Barley with Acorn Squash and Broccoli

1 Medium Acorn Squash
1 Bunch of Broccoli cut into floretts (or about 4 cups frozen broccoli floretts)
1 cup Barley
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 minced onion
1 can chick peas
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup rasins
Shaved Parmesan

Preheat oven to 450. Half squash and remove the seeds, then slice into 1/2 inch slices. On a rimmed baking sheet toss with 2 teaspoons veggie oil, salt and pepper, then arrange in a single layer. On another rimmed baking sheet prepare the fresh broccoli the same way. Place baking sheets in the lower and upper thirds of the oven, squash up and broccoli down, and roast until tender, about 30 min.

While squash and broccoli roast cook barley according to package directions. (I cooked mine with a garlic clove in the water to add taste) Set aside.

In a small bowl prepare dressing, whisk lemon juice, olive oil and 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper.  Set aside.

(This is where the recipe can be different if you are using frozen broccoli) In a large skillet bring 1/3 cup water to a boil, add 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar and chopped onion. (if you are using frozen broccoli steam it here with the onion.) When the onion is cooked and most of the water evaporated add chick peas, raisins to warm, then turn off the heat. Add squash, broccoli and barley and toss. When you are ready to serve add dressing and walnuts and toss again. Serve topped with Parmesan shavings.

Arugula Pesto

I got a ton of Arugula the other day and I decided to use a lot of it to make pesto. I used this recipe and then I froze the sauce in ice cube trays. When it was frozen I popped out the sauce cubes and stored them in a freezer bag. Now I can easily use them as pesto sauce or to season stewed tomatoes. I used walnuts instead of pine nuts and it worked just fine.

 Ingredients

• 4 cups packed fresh arugula
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup pure olive oil
• 2 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted, plus 1 tablespoon)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Prepare an ice water bath in a large bowl, and bring a large pot of water to a boil. Put the arugula in a large sieve and plunge it into the boiling water. Immediately immerse all the arugula and stir so that it blanches evenly. Blanch for about 15 seconds. Remove, shake off the excess water, then plunge the arugula into the ice water bath and stir again so it cools as fast as possible. Drain well.

Squeeze the water out of the arugula with your hands until very dry. Roughly chop the arugula and put in a blender. Add the garlic, salt and pepper to taste, olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the pine nuts, and the vitamin C, if using. Blend for at least 30 seconds. In this way the green of the arugula will thoroughly color the oil. Add the cheese and pulse to combine. The pesto will keep several days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
Pull out before dinner to get to room temperature. Before serving, add the remaining 1 tablespoon toasted pinenuts.

Red Lentil Roasted Red Pepper Soup

I love red lentils. They are smaller and lighter than the traditional green or brown lentils, they  cook up excellently in this hearty and flavorful soup.

Red Lentil & Roasted Red Pepper Soup

1 tbsp oil`
1 onion chopped
5 garlic cloves chopped
1 yellow summer squash chopped
2 large carrots chopped
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 bag of red lentils
1/2 cup white wine
3 roasted red peppers
1- 24 oz can of chopped tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
salt & pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
grated parmesian cheese for serving

Heat oil over medium heat in a stockpot. Add veggies and saute until onion is soft, then add red pepper flakes and stir for 1 min. Add lentils, wine, peppers, tomatoes and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook covered over low heat until the lentils have swelled and veggies are cooked. (30 -45 min) Using a blender, puree the soup in batches. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the vinegar. Serve sprinkled with cheese.

Melanzani Salata

This is a traditional Greek dip also sometimes referred to as Baba Ganoush, my grandmother made for us a lot at the end of summer when the eggplants were fresh. It is beautifully flavorful and packed with great things for your body. It also seems to be a great way to get eggplant-o-phobes to eat this amazing veggie.

Melanzani Salata

3 medium eggplants
5 garlic cloves lightly rubbed with veggie oil
the juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tablesppons of Olive Oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place washed, whole eggplants in a large baking dish along with the 5 garlic cloves in skin and rubbed with veggie oil. Bake together 1 1/2 -2 hours until the eggplants are shriveled and very soft and the garlic is browned and soft inside when you poke it. Let them stand for a while until they are cooled. Then peel the eggplant and garlic cloves and place the soft insides into a blender or food processor. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and process. Serve warm or chilled with pita or veggies.