Butternut Peanut Soup

Ingredients:

1 butternut

1 large onion and/or 1-3 shallots if you want to get fancy.

3 cloves garlic

2 heaping tbs chopped ginger (about a 1/4 cup)

4 heaping tbsp peanut butter

4 tbsp Soy sauce

Veggie boullion (1 or 2 cubes)

oregano

Salt and black pepper to taste

Kale (chopped in thin strips)

and/or any other veggies you want to toss in (carrots, broccoli and cauliflower are yummy additions but really, anything goes!)

Fresh herbs (basil, cilantro or parsley)

Lime

INSTRUCTIONS

Chop butternut and fry in olive oil or palm oil until browned

Transfer to a pot with just enough water to cover it and boil until soft. 

In the meantime, saute onions (and/or shallots)

Once soft, mash the butternut in the pot and then add the rest of the ingredients (except the fresh herbs and lime) and more water.

Bring to a boil and stir until peanut butter dissolves (just a few minutes)

Garnish with microgreens and/or fresh herbs (basil, cilantro or parsley works!)

And of course, I recommend a splash of lime juice and crushed chiltepin or cayenne in your bowl to spice it up.

Fried Green Bananas

If you have access to a banana tree and are feeling impatient, or perhaps, the tree falls over before the bananas ripen on the stalk (which may have happened last week to us!), it’s good to know that eating green bananas is actually better for you in a couple of ways, though both ripe and unripe bananas are nutritious. So, here’s a few ideas on how to use green bananas, and a recipe of sorts:

Put them in a paper bag for a couple of days. When they start to turn yellow (or not), try frying these semi-green bananas in palm or coconut oil with a sprinkle of salt. Spice them up with any or none of these: paprika, crushed garlic, cayenne pepper and/or lime juice.

Think about the benefits of the green banana’s resistant starch and pectin that contribute to your gut health and blood sugar regulation. Dream about a trip to central america where you can get these left and right! (C:)

Laotian-Inspired Eggplant

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs. roasted sesame oil

• 3 cups cut into 1 inch slices Japanese eggplant

• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

• 3 cloves garlic, chopped

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes tomatoes, cut in halves

• 3 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce

• Juice from one orange

• Juice from one lime

• 1 tbs miso

• 1 box pea shoots

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint (optional)

Instructions

Heat oil in wok or large pan over high heat. Add eggplant, onion and garlic and stir-fry 6 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and stir-fry for two more minutes. Add soy sauce, orange and lime juice, and pea shoots and cook 2 minutes more. Garnish with mint. Serve over rice.

You can add tofu to the stir-fry to make it a complete dinner. Add your favorite pepper to spice it up. I’m learning to do this on my own plate, to keep it palatable for my kids. It’s tough not making everything spicy right from the start!

Eggplant and Zucchini Fries

Check out this article Do You Really Need to Salt Eggplant and other recipe ideas for this strange and nutritious fruit.

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplants (cut into 1 inch slices, then cut each slice into 1 inch sticks)

1 large, two medium or three small zucchinis (cut into 1 inch thick sticks)

3 eggs

1 cup almond flour

1 cup corn meal or bread crumbs

1 cup grated parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast

2 tsp salt

spices of your choice (I like 1 tsp each oregano or italian seasoning mix, paprika, garlic powder and black pepper)

olive oil

Instructions:

In a small bowl, blend the first five dry ingredients (including the spices)

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a fork

then add the eggplant and zucchini sticks and mix with the egg.

Sprinkle with the dry mixture until well coated

Place on a tray lined with parchment paper, drizzle with olive oil and bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.

Don’t even take out the sauce if you want kids to love them as is… or dip in a marinara or barbecue sauce as a special treat.

Delicata Squash Biscuits

Delicata Squash

INGREDIENTS: 

1 cup milk of your choice (I use unsweetened almond milk)

1 tbs lemon juice

2 cups flour (try 1 1/2 cups buckwheat flour and 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour)

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ tsp  baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp each thyme, sage & rosemary (or any italian herb mix!)

1 delicata squash, peeled and seeds removed

5 tablespoons butter (traditional or vegan)

1 tablespoon honey or molasses

1. Preheat oven to 450

2. There are many options in this step—you can cut the squash in 1/2-inch slices and, In a food processor, shred the squash slices. (I cut the squash in 1/2 and shredded it manually on a cheese grater—this works but is quite a workout!) Alternatively, you can boil them until soft and then skip the processing and shredding. 

2. Add lemon to milk and set aside.

3. Mix dry ingredients.

4. Add cold butter and blend until it looks like sand, trying not to warm butter too much.

5. Add milk & lemon, squash, and honey or molasses and mix.

6. Drop spoonfuls onto baking pan and bake for 10-15 minutes, until fluffy and golden brown.

Potato Tacos with Microgreens

Potato tacos with pea shoots over our City Heights skyline—life is good.

INGREDIENTS: 

potatoes

olive oil

paprika

salt and/or vegetable broth

corn tortillas

carrots

microgreens (our current favorites for this are broccoli, daikon radish or kohlrabi)

1. Boil potatoes until cooked

2. Strain then mash with a little olive oil, paprika, salt and/or vegetable broth

3. Fill warm tortilla with mashed potatoes and top with shredded carrots, and microgreens. 

My four-year-old is always excited to choose whether he wants his taco folded in half or rolled. I enjoy putting lemon and chiltepin on mine...What do you put on your tacos?

Savory Almond Veggie Balls

Ingredients: 

Almond Veggie Balls in tomato soup.

1 small zucchini (or ½ a large one), grated

3 chard leaves, finely chopped

1 large cooked carrot (or 2 small)

1 cup almond flour

1 cube veggie bouillon

1 egg

1 cup dry oatmeal

½ cup bread crumbs

1. Mix and mash all ingredients. 

2. Let sit for a few minutes until consistency of dough is firm. 

3. Form 1 ½ inch balls.

4. Drop them into boiling water or your favorite soup (ours is tomato!) and boil for 10 minutes. 

Makes about 18 veggie balls.

Enjoy!