Ratatouille and Collards over Creamy Polenta

My garden's production level is declining rapidly.

As the days grow shorter and brisker, my lovely fruits and delicate tomatoes shrink back to their pre-spring states and my herbs begin to wither.

The one upside to the start of autumn? Autumn fruits and vegetables!! Unfortunately, most autumn-season fruits require slightly more robust roots (usually in the form of trees) that my garden is just not quite equipped for, but I have been absolutely smitten with the wide and colorful smattering of pears and apples that have cropped up at the farmers market.

But the best part? Eggplant! Squash! Corn! Pumpkin! Potatoes! Alright, so those are multiple parts, but they are all equally exciting and the emergence of cooler weather means a BUNCH of new veggies to cook with.

Eep!

I decided to make a dish that would cram in as many autumn veggies as flexibly as possible: Ratatouille

Isn't it pretty?

And to pair it with? Not rice! Not pasta! Not bread!

POLENTA!! It's like the oatmeal of dinner. I absolutely adore polenta.

The ratatouille is a pretty flexible dish. This version is actually more of a ratatouille niçoise, but there's no need to get too formal.

The main thing that makes a ratatouille and ratatouille is the tomato and herb base, paired with some combination of squash vegetables, garlic, and onions.

I used eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers and carrots, but you could virtually use any type of squash and root vegetable combination.

Beets perhaps?!

Here is a rough recipe (You can cook your polenta according to the directions on the backburner!)

Ratatouille (serves 2)

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
• 4 big cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 medium eggplant, cubed
• 2 small or 1 large zucchini, cubed
• 4 carrots, chopped or shredded
• 2 bell peppers, cut into strips
• 1/2 - 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 large handful fresh basil (chiffonaded)
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt

Begin by caramelizing your onion in the olive oil (medium low heat) in a large skillet. After about 6 or 7 minutes, add in the garlic and saute for a few more minutes.

Add the eggplant, zucchini, carrots and bell peppers along with about 1/4 cup vegetable broth. Stir it all together, turn the heat to low and place a top on. Allow to simmer and the veggies to soften for 6-7 minutes.

After the veggies soften a bit, crank up the heat to medium high and add the rest of the ingredients (except the vegetable broth).

Saute all ingredients together for an additional 6-7 minutes, adding vegetable broth if it gets too dry (but you don't want it to be soupy either!)

What I like to do is, while the Ratatouille is cooking, chop your collard greens and then when the Ratatouille is complete, dump it into a big bowl and use the same pan to cook your collards. They only take a few minutes so just cook em' up and serve both the Ratatouille and the Collards over a big ol' bowl of polenta.

A perfect autumn evening meal!

Enjoy!

Live long and prosper! And enjoy autumn's bounty!

Garden Fresh Homemade Pizza

There is something so inherently satisfying about pizza. It's just good - in almost any form and there's no better way to make it better than to make it good for you too :)

This pizza is the epitome of good for you. Plus, if you are anything like me and you have basil and various other vegetables overtaking your garden, it is a great way to use a bunch of fresh ingredients in one hit.

I may not even need to give you an explicitly laid out recipe for this one -it's that easy.

Take one part Trader Joe's herb pizza crust, one part Trader Joe's pizza sauce, and one part fresh garden vegetables of choice and viola - a beautiful and healthy dinner that anyone can enjoy.

(In case you are wondering, I used about 2 cups packed spinach, one GIANT handful basil, one yellow and one green zucchini, six halved cherry tomatoes and one green bell pepper and to top my pizza - in that order).

Bake at 425 for 25-30 minutes and enjoy!

Try to squeeze as many colors as possible in there to assure you are getting the max variety of veggie-based vitamins!



Live long and prosper! Healthy comfort food style :)

Avocado Pesto Pasta Salad with Grilled Zucchini

 

Summer in Portland is the best anywhere. The beautiful clear days, lush greenery and plethora of outdoor related activities and events make all those long rainy fall/winter/spring days seem worth it. The Summer Farmers Markets alone make living in Portland worth it. The local food and farm community that we have here is so wonderful and they have taken huge steps to make local food affordable and accessible. Check out some of these great local farms (many of which offer CSAs as well!)

• Baird Family Orchards (Cherries are in season - EAT THEIR RAINIERS!)
• Groundwork Organics (Based in Junction City - they offer a killer CSA)
• Spring Hill Farm (They always have a huuuge booth at the downtown market)
• Unger Farms (The best strawberries I've ever had. And they have a U-pick as well!)
• Wag Eggs (The owner of this farm works with my uncle and let me tell you, he treats his chickens magnificently. The man knows his hens)

This week, aside from Strawberries being in the last week or so of their heavy fruiting season and blueberries hitting the beginning of their season, Zucchini (my favorite of the squashes) were 2 for $1 at my one of my favorite little farm stands (Spring Hill). And basil was $3 for a bunch as big as a small bouquet of flowers. Accordingly, I purchased four huge zucchini--two yellow, two green--and one giant bunch of basil, all for less than the price of a latte. What did I do with all of the delicious farm fresh goods, you ask? I did this: 

 

BBQ-Ready Summertime Pasta Salad!

The recipe is pretty simple and has no added oils - only the oil from the avocado :) The main thing with this recipe, however, is that you want to make it shortly before serving because otherwise the avocado will begin to brown and will make the whole thing look a little frumpy and un-summery. 

Avocado Pesto Pasta Salad

• 1 package bowtie (farfelle) pasta (whole what if you can find it!)
• 2 large zucchini, sliced and grilled
• 5 cloves garlic
• 3 large handfuls of basil (this is difficult to measure, but go overboard if you're worried - you can never have too much basil!)
• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Braggs or soy sauce
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper or 2 tsp Sriracha (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in the bowtie pasta. Boil for about 12-14 minutes, depending on the type of pasta you are using. When the pasta is cooked fully, drain it in a large colander and run it under cold water until the pasta is cool to the touch.

Place the garlic, basil, avocados, walnuts, lemon juice and Braggs into the food processor. Pulse for 20-30 seconds or until smooth. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides as needed.

Add in the nutritional yeast and seasoning and pulse a few more times.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, the avocado pesto and both kinds of tomatoes until everything is evenly coated. Then gently stir in all but 8 or so slices of zucchini. Garnish the top of the pasta with the remaining slices and a basil leaf and pop in the fridge for 15 minutes or so and then serve!

Note on grilling zucchini: You can do this on a BBQ or simply on the stove top. I just coated a pan with a very thin layer of sunflower oil and then browned the zucchini rounds lightly on each side over medium heat (about 3 minutes on each side).



Live long and prosper! And support your local farmers!