Eat Veggies, save the planet

• 3 large apples. peeled , cored and chopped
• 1.5 cup[s finely chopped walnuts
• 3 TBSP honey
• 1/2-3/4 cup sweet red wine
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

1. Put apples and wine in bowl. Stir.
2. Add honey. You can warm it up to pour better.
3. Add walnuts and cinnamon. Stir
4. refrigerate until dinner.

On Passover we always make the traditional Ashkenazi haroset with apples, walnuts, wine and honey and a second Sephardi haroset.  After searching the internet I found this recipe from Surinam .  Apparently there have been Jews in Surinam since 1532. Wow.

• 3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
• 2 cups walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1.5 cups dried apples
• 1.5 cups of dried prunes
• 1.5 cups of raisins
• 1 cup of sweet red wine
• 1 TBSP cinnamon
• 1/2 cups of cherry preserves

1. Put the dried fruit in a pot cover with water and bring to a boil.
2. LTurn off heat and let sit for 15 minutes.
3. Drain fruit. you can drink the water; it is sweet and delicious.
4. Finely chop the fruit.
5. Put the coconut and wine in a saucepan. Turn stove to medium and stir until well mixed.
6. Add the nuts and sugar and continue to stir.
7. Add the chopped fruits and the cherry jam
8. Turn off heat and add cinnamon. Mix well.
9. Refrigerate until dinner.

When the dried Fava beans were 1/2 done I could skin them

I grew about 18 cabbages this year. I fermented many quarts of sauerkraut and made many bowls of coleslaw. Here is the coleslaw recipe I make most often.

• 1 small head of cabbage or 1/2 a large one.
• 2 carrots, large
• 3 TBSP sugar
• 4 TBSP canola oil
• 6 TBSP apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp of kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp of caraway or celery seeds(optional)
• 1/2 tsp dried basil(optional)

1. Grate the carrots.
2. Thinly slice the cabbage.
3. Whisk together the sugar, salt, pepper, oil and vinegar.
4. Add the dressing to the cabbage and carrots and stir.
5. Add optional basil or seeds and mix again.
6. Put in fridge and let sit for 24 hrs..

Rose and I dined at Gracias Madre Mexican Restaurant in the Mission district of San Francisco. The refried black beans were delcious. When I returned home to Austin, Texas  I decided to try my hand at replicating this deliciousness. I do believe my results are  excellent even though I left out the pasilla peppers I wanted to add because my hubbie does not like hot.

• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 onion
• 2 TBSP canola oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4- 2 tsps. chipotle powder(if not using fresh chiles)
• 2.5 cups of cooked black beans
• 3/4 cups liquid from cooking the black beans

1. Roast the unskinned garlic cloves in a cast iron pan on medium, turning once until golden brown for about 15 minutes.
2. Saute the onion in the oil until soft on low medium
3. Put the peeled garlic, onions, oil, salt and chipotle powder in the blender with the black bean liquid.
4. Blend until smooth..
5. Add the black beans and blend again until very smooth.
6. Put mixture into cast iron pan and heat. Be careful as it splatters.
7. Serves 4.

My youngest daughter likes this soup and so do my friends it seems. I served it at a luncheon and they all asked for the recipe. So here it is.

I think you can use whatever veggies you want. I use whatever I have fresh from my garden. To me this is more a winter soup than a summer soup, but then remember it was 80 degrees F in Austin yesterday. My winter may be your summer.

• 5 TBSP tahini
• 3 TBSP soy sauce
• 1 TBSP lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 4.5 cups of vegetable stock
• 2 carrots
• 1 onion
• 3 cups of broccoli
• 5 TBSP of fresh parsley, chopped

1. Stir together the tahini, soy sauce, lemon juice, cumin(freshly ground is best), with 1/3 cup of the broth until smooth. Set aside,
2. Bring the broth to a boil, turn pot down to medium and add broccoli, onions, carrots, and tomatoes. All veggies should be cut into small pieces.
3. Simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add the tahini mixture and parsley.
5. Cook 3 minutes and cover.
6. Serve.