Roasted Eggplant Dip

1 eggplant, chopped
1 onion, peeled, chopped
2 red peppers, seeded, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 Tbsp. tomato paste

Roast eggplant, onion and red pepper at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until nicely browned, turning once.
Add to other ingredients and pulse in a blender a few times, until desired consistency.
Serve with crackers, vegetables, bread, anything!


*A couple other ideas for eggplant:
1. Slice, spread with olive oil, salt and pepper then roast or grill or fry in a pan. You can also use breading if frying.
2. Slice into discs, spray with cooking oil spray, salt, garlic powder. Set on baking sheet then top with a tomato slice and any seasonings desired (oregano, basil, garlic, etc.) and bake in oven until light brown.

Stuffed Mushrooms

1 bunch spinach
12 mushrooms
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. green onions, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c. cottage cheese or ricotta
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt


Preheat oven to 375.
Wash spinach, remove stems and chop fine. Wash mushrooms, set caps aside, remove stems and chop them fine.
In a skillet, melt butter and add onions, garlic and chopped mushrooms stems. Saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Place in mixing bowl. Add cheeses and spices. Mix well.
Use fingers to lightly oil the tops of the mushroom caps. Place them on a cooling rack with a baking sheet underneath. Fill each cap with cheese mixture and bake for about 20 minutes, until tops are lightly browned. Serve hot.

If you don't know what to do with eggplant from today's co-op, you should definitely try this recipe!  I could eat it every day--it is SOOOOOOOO good! While I'm at it, I'll post a fabulous recipe for Carrot Ginger soup-- Also, amazing!

“Tomato Gratin” From Creative Cooking the Costco Way

This makes A LOT, so you might want to make half the first time to see.

Submitted by Ashley Jensen

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, sliced

2 red or green bell peppers, seeded and sliced into rounds

2 eggplants, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 pounds small zucchini, sliced into rounds

2 pounds tomatoes, sliced

4 pinches of dried savory and thyme, mixed

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese or fine bread crumbs

(or mixture of both)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large frying

pan over medium heat. Add onions and brown slightly. Add peppers,

eggplant, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste; cook gently, stirring

occasionally, until softened.

2. Place the cooked vegetables in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange

zucchini and tomato slices on top in overlapping rows. Sprinkle with

savory and thyme, salt and pepper to taste, and 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Bake for 30 minutes.

3. Sprinkle with Parmesan and remaining olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Ashley’s Favorite Spaghetti Sauce and Veggies

To make this into the best ever Spaghetti sauce, puree half of the Tomato Gratin veggies after they are done cooking and add a little bit of spaghetti sauce from a can (1/2 cup or so—until you get the desired redness of sauce).  Serve with noodles and the other half of the veggies.  It is full of vegetables that I would never be able to get my kids to eat otherwise, but they love this and agree that it is the “Best Ever.”

Carrot Ginger Soup from Creative Cooking the Costco Way

This is surprisingly delicious and filling! I love it!

Submitted by Ashley Jensen

7 tablespoons butter, divided

3/4 cup chopped onions

1/3 cup peeled and minced fresh ginger

6 cups chicken broth

2 pounds Mercer Ranch* carrots

1 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional

Salt and pepper

Cream for garnish

1. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Add onions and ginger; cook for 5-7 minutes, or until onions soften. Add

broth, carrots and sugar. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes.

2. Purée in a blender or food processor (strain if desired). Return to the pan

and stir in half-and-half. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes.

3. In a large saucepan, melt the remaining butter and stir in flour; cook over

medium heat until bubbly. Slowly add the carrot mixture, stirring constantly

until well blended. Season with cinnamon and salt and pepper to taste.

4. Garnish each serving with a swirl of cream. Makes 6 servings.

Produce ordered for Sept. 28th

Only 6 people voted :(  Please let me know how you feel about the voting.  It takes a lot of time each week to retype it all into the blog.  I enjoy having the option to vote since it helps me make sure everyone has a say in what is ordered, but please let me know how you feel.  Is it mondays? Would you like me to put the new voting up sooner?  Just let me know.

13 items this week.....
Blueberry, Bananas, Mushrooms, Spinach, Eggplant, Cauliflower, Red Potato, Green Beans, Peaches, Strawberry, Gala Apples (Granny was almost twice the price), Red Onion, Green Leaf Lettuce

Produce ordered for September 21st

13 items
Bananas, Avocados :), Red Potato, Pineapple :), Golden Delicious apples, Carrots, Celery, Roma Tomatoes, Pears, Raspberry, Green Beans, Yellow onion, Lime

Black Bean Taco Salad

Dressing:

1/4 c. tomatoes
1/4 c. cilantro
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. grated lime rind
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1/4 tsp. EACH salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin
1 clove garlic

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Salad:

8 c. lettuce, thinly sliced
2 grilled chicken breasts, diced
1 c. chopped tomatoes
1 c. red or green bell pepper
1/2 c. chopped green onion
1/2 c. frozen corn
1 avocado, diced
1/2 c. shredded cheese (opt)
1 can black beans, rinsed
2 c. crushed tortilla chips

Combine lettuce, chicken, veggies and beans. Pour dressing over salad and toss well to coat. Sprinkle with tortilla chips and serve.

Breakfast Banana Splits

bananas cooked oatmeal (thick)
strawberry sauce*
blueberry sauce*
granola

Slice a banana length-wise and place in dish. Put 2 ice cream scoops of oatmeal on banana, drizzle with berry sauces and sprinkle with granola.

*To make strawberry and blueberry sauce: Place 2-3 cups berries (frozen or fresh) in blender. Add a few tablespoons of sweetener (honey is great) and blend until smooth. Add water if needed. Strain seeds out through fine strainer if desired.

Broccoli Curry Recipe

2 c. brown rice, rinsed well

4 c. water

2 Tbsp. coconut oil

3 stems broccoli (including most of stalks), cut into bite size pieces

8 oz. mushrooms, washed well, cut into thirds {or other veggies- see note}

1 14 oz. can coconut milk

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 Tbsp. curry powder

1 1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 c. cilantro, chopped

1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

Bring water and rice to boil, cover and simmer over low for 45 minutes. {or just cook in rice cooker}

Saute broccoli in oil for 5 min., then add mushrooms and saute another 2 min.

Blend coconut milk, cornstarch, curry powder and salt in blender. Add to vegetable mixture. Heat over medium-high, stirring frequently, gradually reducing to a simmer until sauce is thickened.

Toss mixture into rice and add parsley, cilantro and tomatoes. Serve hot.

Note: I don't put mushrooms in because I don't like them. Instead I add other veggies that I have on hand. I have made it with asparagus and green beans, both were really good in it. I also have made it with out the cilantro when I didn't have it and it was still really good. You could also add chicken if your family prefers meat for dinner.

Produce ordered for Sept. 14th

Bananas, Strawberry, Oranges, Red Grapes, Peaches, Green Bean, Broccoli, Sweet Potato, Kiwi, Golden Delicious Apples, Clementines, Romaine Lettuce, Kale, Sugar Peas

Produce ordered for September 7th

15 items + green onions on the extras table.
Bananas,  Peaches, Golden Delicious Apples, Red Potato, Green Beans, Oranges, Blueberries, Romaine Lettuce, Kiwi, Yellow Squash, Zucchini, Corn, Cauliflower, Carrots, Grapefruit and (some extra green onions on the extras table, first come first serve)

Peach, Plum, Strawberry Smoothie

3 Peaches peeled
1 Golden delicious apples
1 plum (peeled)
10 or so strawberries (without stem)
Unsweetened almond milk (almost covering fruit)
Handful of Kale
1/2 cup water
Ice - 10 or so cubes
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 Tbl Agave Nectar

My kids loved it!  The best test of all!  Enjoy!

Clean out the kitchen Soup

So... I had quite a few veggies that were nearing their end and  wondered what I could do with them so they wouldn't go to waste.  Found a recipe called "clean out the pantry soup" and tweaked it into this...

Saute...
1 medium onion - diced
3 cloves garlic - minced
1/2 cube of butter
1-2 T olive oil

Then blend together into a puree the following... (all the things my kids won't eat, if they know its there)
4 celery stalks
handful or so of spinach
1/2 bag of carrots
small bag of bean sprouts
6 green onions

Add to the onion/garlic...
Puree mixture
raw or frozen peas - equivalent to one package
raw or frozen broccoli - equivalent to one package
3 cans of black beans
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 cup of quinoa
2 cans of chicken or equivalent

Add to taste...
Parsley
Marjoram
Italian Seasoning
Salt & Pepper

Serve with bread bowls or rolls - I used the Brazilian cheese bread rolls
The nice thing about this recipe is that you can tweak it, just remember to taste it as you go.
FYI, this makes a lot of soup.  It fed my family 3 meals, but feel free to freeze it if you won't use it right away.  My kids loved this, they really enjoyed trying to guess the "secret ingredients" (puree).  I had to give hints, not even Alan could guess them.  Love it!