Eat Veggies, save the planet

When you have over 20 butternut squashes on your counter you have to get creative. I made this curry for a potluck and it was well received. I used my microplane to grate the garlic and ginger. This way I didn’t need to peel them.

• 3 TBSP olive oil
•  2 onions, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 inch root of ginger, peeled and grated.
• 2 large or 3 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• large handful of flat leaf parsely , finely chopped
• small handful of thyme , finely chopped
• 15 oz. coconut milk
• salt and pepper
• 10 curry leaves
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp tumeric

1. Heat the oil and add the onions. Stir for one minute
2. Add the garlic and ginger. Stir. Cook until soft.
3. Add the curry leaves, allspice, cayenne, pepper and tumeric. Stir.
4. Toss in the butternut squash and stir again.
5. Add vegetable broth to cover the squash and bring to a boil.
6. Turn down to a simmer and cook until the butternut squash is soft. Test with a fork.
7. Add the parsley, thyme and coconut milk. Cook for another 10 minutes.
8.  DO NOT let the coconut milk boil.
9. Add salt to taste, about 1 tsp.

We often see dolmas served at parties and since they are vegan I can usually eat them. But John says they are too greasy and slimy so I decided to make them with less oil. I didn’t have grape leaves so I used Swiss Chard from the garden. The leaves were so big that after I cut out the tough stem out each leaf could be cut again in half to make 4 dolmas. Here is my recipe.

• 3 TBSP olive oil
• 1 cup rice
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1 TBSP currants
• 1 TBSP dried dill leaves
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 ts allspice
• 1.5 tsp sucanat
• 2 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• A bunch of Swiss Chard

Filling

1. Put 2 TBSP of the olive oil in a medium hot cast iron pan and saute onions, stirring for 1 minute.
2. Add the rice, currants , dill, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper and allspice. Stir.
3. Add the vegetable broth, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Cool.

Leaves

1. Put a stainless steel frying pan with 2 inches of water on to boil.
2. Lower the heat.
3. After deveining the C leaf put it in the simmering water until it is completely wilted.
4. Remove and fill with 1/2 TBSP of filling.
5. Roll it up into a cylinder and put it in a covered casserole pan.  The dolmas should be about 1.5 inches in diameter and about 2 inches olong.
6. Continue until all your filling is gone.
7. You should have about 20 dolmas.

Broth

1. Combine broth, 1 TBSP of olive oil, the lemon juice, 1/4 tsp salt.
2. Cover the dolmas with this mixture.
3. Put lid on casserole and bake in 325 oven for 30 minutes.
4. Take out, uncover and cool.

I found a recipe for Tuscan kale and Canneloni beans, but I had Russian kale and white kidney beans. So I made this Tuscan-like dish my way. The red Russian kale was the first kale I picked from my Fall garden in Austin in 2011.

• 1 lb of kale leaves, stemmed removed.
• 1 cup of cooked white kidney beans
• 1 small white onion
• 1 large clove of garlic
• 1/3 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 2 pinches of sage

1. Slice onion and saute in 2 tsp olive oil.
2. Add garlic and saute for another minute.
3. While the onion and garlic are sauteing cut the washed, wet  kale into very thin strips.
4. Add to pan, cover and cook for 5-10 minutes on low.
5. Add beans, salt, sage, oregano and pepper. Stir.
6. Saute covered for one more minute.
7. Serve.

• 1 Eggplant, about 1.25 pounds
• 2 TBSP peanut butter, crunchy or smooth(no corn syrup)
• 2 TBSP soy sauce
• 2 TBSP Rice vinegar
• 1 TBSP toasted sesame oil
• 2 tsp sugar or maple syrup
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chili paste, optional
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 6 TBSP chopped fresh cilantro

1. Cut the epplant(s) into 3 inch segments about 1 inch wide
2. Steam eggplants for 15 minutes until soft.
3. Combine peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar or maple syrup, salt,chili paste and fresh ginger in a bowl.
4. Add steamed eggplant while hot.
5. Stir.
6. let cool in refrigerator.
7. Add cilantro leaves and stir again

I have so many eggplants that i have given oodles away to my daughter’s coop, to the food bank and to friends. Just as I thought I couldn’t eat another one I found a variation of this recipe and voila, here I am eating more eggplant.