Recipe

In my personal life, I have been experiencing lots of changes that I have not written about on our blog. First, I am very happy to share that my honey and I are going to have our first baby in early fall. I have reached the halfway point, and am really excited. My happiness is tempered by a certain amount of not sadness excatly, but something closer to anxiety, because my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer a few weeks ago. On Tuesday my Mom had surgery, and it went very, very, well. I am home with my parents (aren't they cute?) this week to help out around the house a bit, and to spend some time with them.

When the weather is the way it is, staying in is the best option unless you are travelling via sled dog. When I stay in I love to try out new recipes. 

When I went to pick up my Fresh Market Bag @ CRC my mother pointed out a nice little batch of habaneros that were donated from the Greener Grocer. So, in my boredom (because school was cancelled), I decided to use the chiles in my chili.

*CAUTION* use gloves!

Ok, so way back when, Amanda made this AWESOME vegan pasta dish for our Local Matters Food Educator screening of PolyCultures (good movie; hits home!) and we have been waiting a looong time to get it, and when you get something this good you mos def share!

I really love this soup; it was one of the recipes I prepared in the week following Thanksgiving when I was feeling kind of yucky.With some toasted whole grain bread, it is really satisfying. It calls for no oil or other fat (that's why it is called zero soup- it has no fat!), but still has great flavor. It comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, Moosewood Restaurant New Classics.

Ingredients:

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cups diced onions

1 cup diced celery

1 cup peeled and diced carrots

1 cup green beans

1 1/2 cups finely chopped breen cabbage (I sometimes use kale instead)

1 cup diced red bell peppers

4 garlic cloves, minced

 3 cups diced tomatoes in juice (28-ounce can)

2 T. soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos

Ok, so I promised to provide more recipes for those who have a person in our lives that we have to ween off of meat at every meal.  Here is another very hearty meal that they may not even notice is meatless.

I love eggplant, it is a great "meaty" fruit (we just went over fruits in Food is Elementary class, so I have to use the correct nomenclature, or believe me, the students will notice! lol) and because it can be so hearty, it is easy to eat it without the presence of meat. This Moroccan inspired dish is sure to please.

(the recipe is for a meal for two)

ROASTED EGGPLANT

1 small whole eggplant (around 5 in long)

2 tsp. pine nuts, toasted

1/2 cup cooked brown rice

I love, love, love bok-choy, and think that it is an excellent addition to nearly any stir-fry. One of my recent  Greener Grocer Fresh Market Bags featured baby bok-choy plus a great stir-fry recipe that I tried and though was really delicious. Enjoy!

Bok-Choy and Shiitake Mushroom Stir-Fry

This is currently my favorite go-to weeknight recipe. The sauce and vegetables require no cooking and can be prepared in the time it takes for the noodles to be prepared (including the time it takes for the water to come to a boil). Last night, I doubled the sauce recipe and have enough to use for tempeh dipping sticks tonight, which I'll serve with a thai-style slaw. I'd still love the recipe even if it took twice the time to prepare it, it is seriously delicious.

I used buckwheat soba noodles last night, and they were incredible...I highly recommend them for this recipe.

Summer Salad with Corn, Tomatoes, and Avocado

 The following recipe is one of my absolute summer favorites. I started making it last summer, and it quickly became a staple. Nearly all of the ingredients can be found locally right now. If you've not had great luck with your tomatoes this season, the Greener Grocer consistently carries delicious, local heirloom varieties...I highly recommend checking out their selection. This salad lends itself to experimentation, additions, and substitutions, so have fun with it!

2 small heads romaine lettuce cut or torn into bite-size pieces

1 15 ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

2 ears corn, kernels cut off the cob

2 avocados, chopped