By: SuzanneYoder
For the Crispy Onion Topping:
2 large onions, minced
Salt
1 cup cooking oil
Make the crispy onion topping – in a large skillet, heat the cooking oil over medium-high heat. Cook the minced onion, stirring often, until they turn a nice caramelized brown. Add a generous amount of salt to help the onions crisp. Onions must be crispy, but not burned (15-20 minutes).
For Tomato Sauce:
Cooking oil
1 small onion, grated
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground coriander
½ -1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 28-oz can tomato sauce
Salt and pepper
1-2 tbsp distilled white vinegar
Make the tomato sauce – in a saucepan, heat 1 tbsp cooking oil. Add the grated onion, cook on medium-high until the onion turns a translucent gold (do not brown). Now add the garlic, coriander, and red pepper flakes, if using, and saute briefly until fragrant (30-45 seconds more).
Stir in tomato sauce and pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens (15 minutes or so).
Stir in the distilled white vinegar, and turn the heat to low. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.
For Koshari:
1 ½ cup brown lentils, picked over and well rinsed
1 ½ cup medium-grain rice, rinsed, soaked in water for 15 minutes, drained
½ tsp each salt and pepper
½ tsp coriander
2 cups elbow pasta
Cooking oil
Water
1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
Make the Koshari – Bring lentils and 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot or saucepan over high heat. Add 1 tsp of cumin and 1 tsp of garlic powder. Reduce the heat to low and cook until lentils are just tender (15-17 minutes). Drain from water and season with a little salt.
Cook the rice in the saucepan over medium-high heat with 1 tbsp cooking oil, salt, pepper, and coriander. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring regularly. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed.
Cook the pasta al dente. Drain.
Warm the canned chickpeas on the stove and add 1 tsp each of cumin, coriander, and garlic powder. Add salt to taste.
To serve, fluff the rice and lentils with a fork and transfer to a serving platter. Top with the elbow pasta and ½ of the tomato sauce, then the chickpeas, and finally ½ of the crispy onions for garnish.
By: SuzanneYoder
Ingredients:
4 medium potatoes, sliced into circles
2 medium eggplants, sliced into circles
24 oz. spaghetti sauce
4 Tbsp canola or grapeseed oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
½ a bell pepper, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground coriander
½ cup warm water
Salt and black pepper
Parsley or cilantro for garnish
Directions:
Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a wide cast-iron or frying pan over high heat and saute the eggplant until golden brown.
Grease a casserole dish and spread a layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom. Place sliced potatoes in the bottom of the dish and cover with another layer of sauce.
Add a layer of sauteed eggplant and top with the sliced onion, bell pepper, garlic, and tomatoes.
Mix the cumin and coriander in the warm water and pour evenly over the layer of vegetables. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 min. Bake longer for a softer potato layer.
Garnish with parsley or cilantro and serve with warm pita.
By: SuzanneYoder
Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs. sweet potatoes
1 ½ tsp. ground cumin
2 small cloves garlic (chopped)
1 ½ tsp. ground coriander
2 big handfuls of fresh cilantro (chopped)
Juice of half a lemon
Scant cup chickpea flour
Splash of olive oil
Sprinkling of toasted sesame seed
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°F and roast sweet potatoes until just tender – 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool and peel.
Put the sweet potatoes, cumin, garlic, ground coriander, cilantro, lemon juice and chickpea flour in a large bowl. Mash until smooth with no large chunks. Refrigerate for up to an hour. Mix should be sticky rather than really wet. If necessary, add a tablespoon or so of chickpea flour (water content of sweet potatoes varies).
Heat oven to 400°F. Scoop mixture with spoon or scoop, shape into ball (as large or small as you prefer) and place on oiled baking sheet. Spray with olive oil, sprinkle with sesame seed, than add salt and pepper to taste.
Bake about 15 minutes until bases of the balls are golden brown.
Additional Notes:
Play around with size and shape. We like these flattened a little and have browned them in a skillet before baking. Good with soup or as an appetizer.
By: SuzanneYoder
Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
2 to 3 pounds butternut squash (peeled, seeded, and cubed).*
Olive oil spray
2 cups quinoa, rinsed
3 cups vegetable broth or water
1 to 1½ cups Medjool dates (pitted and chopped)
3 Tbs. fresh sage (chopped)
Salt and pepper to taste
High-quality olive oil
*Frozen squash will not work in this recipe. If you purchase pre-prepped squash you will probably need about 1½ pounds.
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Directions:
Place butternut squash on sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Spray with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast squash until fork tender. Depending on the size of the pieces of squash you have this should take 30 to 40 minutes.
Place quinoa in a large dry skillet. Roast over medium heat until fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir frequently. Add vegetable broth or water to quinoa in skillet. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Stir frequently.
Remove quinoa from heat and set aside, still covered. Steam will complete cooking. Allow quinoa to cool slightly. Toss in roasted squash, dates, and sage leaves. Taste and adjust seasonings. (Fresh sage can be expensive. Try subbing some poultry seasoning instead if this is a concern.)
Toss quinoa mix gently with a little bit of high-quality olive oil. Serve slightly warm or room temperature.
Additional Notes:
We added 8 ounces sautéed sliced mushrooms, 3 or 4 sliced green onions, and 2 cups baby spinach. Add the spinach while the quinoa is still warm so greens will wilt a little. Roast pumpkin seeds and serve on the side to add some nice crunchy texture to this dish.
If you or your friends or family do not like dates, try substituting chopped dried apricots or apples, or golden raisins. Whatever dried fruit you use, start with ¾ to 1 cup and add to suit your taste. If you don’t like the dried fruit at all, substitute some shredded carrots. Add carrot to warm quinoa to cook slightly.
By: SuzanneYoder
Yields 4 whole peppers or 8 half peppers.
Ingredients:
4 large sweet peppers, red, yellow, or orange (green peppers won’t work)
2 Tbs. fresh lemon or lime juice
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, chopped or put through press
1⁄2 inch piece fresh ginger root
1⁄4 tsp. salt
Directions:
If serving whole peppers, carefully cut the cap end off and set aside. Clean the seeds and veins out of the peppers and set caps and peppers aside. If serving half peppers, cut the peppers into “boats” by slicing vertically from top to bottom and proceed as directed. *We prefer the half peppers.
Prepare marinade by placing juice, oil, garlic, ginger root, and salt in a food processor; whirl until mixture is smooth. Brush insides of peppers with marinade and set aside while you prepare the filling.
Filling:
2 Tbs. oil
½ tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. ground turmeric
1 large fresh ripe tomato, finely chopped, drain off extra liquid
2 Tbs. golden raisins
¼ to ½ cup hummus
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
1 clove garlic (minced or pressed)
1 large potato (about 1¼ cups) peeled and cut into ¼” cubes*
Salt and sugar to taste
Carrot hummus
Optional: ¼ cup cilantro (chopped)
*We like to substitute this with sweet potato
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the cumin seeds, turmeric, onion, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Sauté just until the onion is beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
Add the potato, cabbage, tomato, and raisins and cook for 2 minutes then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook the vegetable mixture until the potatoes and cabbage are just soft, stirring occasionally, about 10 or 15 minutes. After 10 minutes, if vegetable mixture is wet, uncover and cook off some of the liquid. Stir in the cilantro, if using, and cook an additional minute.
Stir in the hummus and remove from heat. Stir in any leftover marinade, taste, and adjust seasonings. Add additional salt, pepper, or a little sugar if mixture has any bitterness. Spoon the filling into the peppers.
If cooking peppers whole, put caps in place, anchoring them with toothpicks if necessary. Either grill the peppers for 20 to 30 minutes, until soft and glossy or bake at 350°F in a foil-lined pan for about 30 to 40 minutes. If grilling half peppers, cover partway through with foil if the filling starts to dry out.
We enjoy this recipe with Lantana Sriracha.
Additional notes:
These are worth the time and getting stained by the turmeric. They are good both ways but are terrific grilled. Leave them on the grill long enough to let the skin char just a little. Serve hot.
The little sweet peppers that have recently appeared in markets make good appetizers when stuffed and heated through. Just cut off and discard the caps – no need to try to seed these. Proceed as directed but watch these as they cook quickly.
I have had good luck using well-drained canned diced tomato when good fresh tomatoes are not available.