This is Doug's favorite bok choy dish. I just change out the other ingredients every once in awhile. But it's always made with chicken broth, olive oil, fresh garlic, onions, and bok choy. This time I decided to experiment with some fresh parsley, celery leaves, fresh sage. And then I added zucchini and celery.
The great thing about having a stir fry dish is that you can put pretty much anything in it. Last night we were just eating up our CSA veggies with this dish.
Stir fry with broccoli, green beans, baby Maui onions, shaved carrots, garlic, jasmine rice and soy sauce.
From Organic Authority:
Frightfully Delicious! Pumpkin Pesto Bruschetta Recipe http://www.organicauthority.com/appetizers/pumpkin-pesto-bruschetta-recipe.html
Using fresh roasted pumpkin along with tasty pine nuts and leaves of basil, this savory pumpkin pesto bruschetta recipe is a smart choice for pre-dinner appetizers, an afternoon snack for the gang or as a harvest cocktail party hors-d’oeuvre. Bright orange pumpkin meat provides high levels of vitamins A and C, along with plenty of fiber and potassium as well.
This recipe delivers a cornucopia of fall flavors by using fresh, organic ingredients picked at the peak of flavor. If time is short, you can roast the pumpkin and make the pesto mix a day or two before the party, and then assemble your bruschettas just before your celebration begins starts. This recipe makes about 40 appetizer servings.
Ingredients
1 pie pumpkin (also called sugar pumpkins)
2 loaves fresh baked baguettes or gluten-free loaves
1 white or yellow onion, chopped
8 ounces goat cheese
½ cup olive oil + 2 Tablespoons + extra for drizzling pumpkin before roasting
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
½ cup pine nuts
3 cloves garlic
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
½ cup roasted pepitos (shelled pumpkin seeds)
Method
1. Wash and dry your sweet pie pumpkin, then slice it in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon (you can roast these seeds to use for the topping; just be sure to shell them first). Drizzle the pumpkin halves with olive oil, and sprinkle them lightly with salt and pepper.
2. Place the pumpkin halves face down on a baking dish, and roast for 45-60 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until tender and beginning to caramelize. Scoop out the flesh and discard the skin. Turn your oven up to 400 degrees in preparation for the bruschetta.
3. While the pumpkin is roasting, you can prepare your fresh pesto sauce. In a food processor or blender, combine the basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan cheese, ½ cup olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Puree until the mixture is well blended.
4. Now prepare your pumpkin topping. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a medium saucepan and heat on high; add your onions and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until brown.
5. Combine the roasted pumpkin flesh with the sautéed onions and season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. With a serrated knife, slice your bread diagonally to create pieces that are about ½” thick. Place the slices on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for about 5 minutes.
7. Assemble the bruschetta by layering onto the toasted slices of bread the pesto first, followed by the pumpkin mixture. Top with a tuft of goat cheese and a light sprinkled of roasted pepitos. Serve immediately.
Alternatives:
For a quicker rendition of this recipe, you can use your favorite jarred pesto sauce and/or pumpkin. Just be sure to buy plain pumpkin and not pumpkin pie mix.
Spice it up by adding 2 teaspoons of Cholula or your favorite hot sauce to the pumpkin and onion mixture.
And their Perfect Pesto Recipe:
http://www.organicauthority.com/organic-food/organic-food-articles/perfect-pesto.html
Gregorio’s Pesto
2 handfuls spinach leaves
1 handful basil leaves
2-4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup olive oil (more or less), divided
1/2 cup shelled, toasted pine nuts
6-8 oz. ground Parmesan cheese
Fill the bowl of a food processor with cleaned spinach and basil leaves and peeled cloves of garlic. Drizzle in olive oil to lubricate and pulse. Add pine nuts that have been toasted at 300F for a few minutes, and Parmesan cheese. Continuously drizzle small amounts of olive oil while running the machine until you have a runny paste. Taste and season with sea salt, if necessary (I usually find the Parmesan adds enough salt).
Pasta with Pesto
Serves 4
4 scallions, chopped2 cups dry pasta noodles (penne, macaroni, fusilli, rotilli, or farfalle (bowtie))
2/3 cup water or broth (more, if boiling pasta separately)
1 –1 1/2 lb. fish filets (flounder, tilapia, halibut, salmon, or whatever you prefer)
4 cups eggplant, small cubes
4 cups zucchini, small cubes
1 cup yellow or orange bell pepper, small cubes
1/2 cup pesto
4-8 roasted green chiles, peeled, stemmed, seeded, chopped (optional)
Method 1:
Boil water and prepare pasta according to package directions. Place fish in oiled baking dish and in the oven at 300F until cooked through. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a deep skillet and sauté eggplant, zucchini and bell pepper until veggies are fork-tender. Place hot veggies in a large serving bowl with drained pasta and toss with pesto and chiles until well blended. You may want to add some of the reserved pasta water to help the pesto distribute evenly. Serve on a plate with a piece of fish.
Method 2:
Preheat oven to 450F. Spray inside of 3 1/2 or 4-qt cast iron Dutch oven and lid with olive oil. Scatter with scallions. Pour pasta into pot. Add liquid and stir to coat noodles well. Spread into even layer across base.
Set fish in next. In a medium bowl, mix zucchini, eggplant, and bell pepper with pesto. Mix well to distribute the pesto. Add the chiles, if desired. Spread vegetables into thick layer atop fish. Cover and bake for 45 minutes, or until 3 minutes after the aroma of a fully-cooked meal wafts from the oven.
From Organic Authority:
Cooking With Winter Squash: Steaming, Mashing, Roasting, Baking http://www.organicauthority.com/eco-chic-table/cooking-with-winter-squash-recipes.html
We made this on Thursday. I started with this recipe at this link but modified it a bit based on what I had.
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/butternut-squash-lasagna-10000000698656/
Butternut squash lasagna
1 butternut squash
1 batch (at least 10 cups) of fresh spinach
3 cups chopped onions
1 jar of a sweet basil marinara sauce or something similar or make your own sauce
1 15 ounce container of ricotta cheese
1 pack of provolone cheese
1 pack of Parmesan cheese
1 cup fresh chopped parsley
2 eggs
1 box lasagna noodles
If you prefer you can buy the no boil lasagna noodles. Otherwise boil a pan of water and follow the directions on the package.
Place the whole butternut squash in the microwave and cook on high for 5 minutes to soften for peeling and cutting. Let the squash cool off. Peel the butternut squash with a vegetable peeler or knife. Clean out the seeds. Cut into small bite size pieces.
Cut the stems off the spinach and wash the leaves.
Chop the onion into bite size pieces.
In a pan, add onions to a little bit of olive oil; saute 4 minutes or until tender. Set aside
In the same pan, add spinach to a little bit of olive oil; saute 1 1/2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Set aside.
Combine provolone, parsley, eggs, and ricotta cheeses in a large bowl.
Coat the bottom and sides of baking dish with cooking spray. We use PAM with olive oil.
Spread 1/2 cup marinara in the bottom of the dish.
Arrange a layer of noodles over sauce; spread 1 cup cheese mixture over noodles.
Arrange 1 1/2 cups squash over cheese mixture; spread 3/4 cup sauce over squash.
Arrange another layer of noodles over sauce; spread 1 cup cheese mixture over the noodles.
Arrange 1 1/2 cups onion mixture over cheese mixture; spread 3/4 cup sauce over spinach mixture.
Arrange another layer of noodles over sauce; spread 1 cup Marinara evenly over noodles.
Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan.
Repeat procedure with remaining ingredients in remaining pan.
Cover the pan with foil.
Bake at 375° for 30 minutes.
Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes.
The next time I make this, I'm going to make a couple more modifications. I will coat the squash in brown sugar before putting into the dish. And I will use goat cheese in the cheese mixture. This should give it a nice sweet taste. I will also try to find a sweeter sauce or make my own.
Steamed asparagus with a sauce that includes:
1 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh Basil or if you use the spice - 1 TSP.
1/4 cup chopped onion
5 cloves of garlic (peeled)
juice of two lemons or as I used, 2/3 cup of lemon juice
3 TSPs of olive oil
Place the ingredients into a blender or food processor and puree into a sauce. Add the sauced to steamed asparagus.
Add a little Parmesan cheese on top.
From Sacred Source Nutrition:
Great to know what these numbers mean. Look at the bar code and you can tell if your produce is organically grown, contains pesticides or is a genetically modified crop.
From Sacred Source Nutrition:
How many of these have you tried? What's your favorite?
From Sacred Source Nutrition:
The many benefits of eating the colors of the rainbow!
From Sacred Source Nutrition:
Why do we need to consume iron in our diets? Iron is an integral part of many proteins and enzymes that maintain good health. In humans, iron is the centre molecule of hemoglobin, an essential protein involved in oxygen transport to our cells. A deficiency of iron limits oxygen delivery to cells, resulting in fatigue, poor work performance, and decreased immunity. More is not better in this case (or in most cases when it comes to dietary advice) so no need to start gulping down fragmented foods - otherwise known as supplements - (unless, of course, you've consulted with a nutritionist and are working to rectify a serious imbalance.) Excess amounts of iron can result in toxicity and even death. The iron that we get in food comes in the exact proportion (like all whole foods) that deliver optimal health. The composition and exact proportions of nutrients as delivered by whole foods simply can't be beat with supplements. Whole foods are always the better option. Other considerations, fresh, ripe, raw, and organic. Ps...local too ;)
This dish included zucchini, potatoes, celery, celery leaves, sweet onions, garlic, basil spice, parsley spice and oregano spice in a honey Dijon dressing.
