Pear Bread with Cranberries and Ginger

Adapted from Gluten Free Gigi

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 pears, peeled, diced and cored, cooked with ½ cup water until tender, cooled
• 1/2 cup agave
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal mixed with 3 tablespoons water - let stand to thicken
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup fresh cranberries, halved

METHOD: 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Lightly grease loaf pan
• In large mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt and ginger
• Puree pears in food processor
• Add agave, flaxseed/water mixture, oil and vanilla; process until smooth
• Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until combined
• Stir in cranberries
• Pour into loaf pan and bake 50 - 60 minutes

NOTES:
The pears were not very sweet so it could have used a little more agave or some sugar.

Curried Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup

Adapted from The Daily Green

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable margarine
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 ribs celery, chopped (I used the tops of the stalk with leaves)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon dried ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 8 cups water
• 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
• 16 ounces (about 2 cups) dried lentils, rinsed and sorted
• sea salt
• cayenne pepper

METHOD:

• Melt margarine in soup pot.
• Add sweet potatoes, celery and onion; cook stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes
• Add garlic, curry, ginger, cumin and coriander; cook while stirring for 1 minute
• Add water, bouillon cubes and lentils and bring to a boil
• Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tender, about 40 minutes
• Season with salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper

Collard Green, Sweet Potato and Black-Eyed Pea Soup

Adapted from Healthy Endeavors

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 cups water
• 2 1/2 vegetable bouillon cubes
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, diced
• 1 bunch collard greens, chopped
• 3 cups cooked black-eyed peas
• 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

• Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until soft, about 5-7 minutes
• Add water, bouillon and sweet potatoes; bring to boil and simmer 10 minutes
• Add tomatoes, collard greens and spices and simmer until collards are tender, 10-15 minutes
• Stir in cooked black-eyed peas
• Season to taste with salt and pepper

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

Adapted from Baking Bites

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup organic sugar
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance Coconut Spread
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup fresh cranberries, halved

METHOD:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease loaf pan
• Beat wet ingredients together with hand mixer
• Whisk dry ingredients together
• Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients, mixing only until just blended
• Stir in cranberries and pour batter into loaf pan
• Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean
• Cool in pan for 15 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack

Brown Rice Vegetable Soup

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup brown rice
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 6 cups water
• 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
• 5-6 carrots, diced
• 1 daikon, diced
• 10 ounce package frozen spinach

METHOD:

• Heat oil in soup pot and saute onion and garlic until onion starts to turn transluscent
• Add brown rice and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly
• Stir in spices
• Add water and bouillon cubes, cover and bring to boil
• Lower heat and simmer 40 minutes
• Add vegetables, bring to boil, lower heat, cover and simmer 10 more minutes
• Salt to taste

COMMENTS:
Had some vegetables left over from the last produce share and a package of frozen spinach that needed to be used up so I threw it all together in a soup and it turned out great.

Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash and Savoy Cabbage

Adapted from Epicurious

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 6 cups cooked black beans
• 2 cups water
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 1-28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 small head savoy cabbage, chopped

METHOD:

• Heat oil in stock pot over medium-high heat
• Add onions and garlic and saute about 9 minutes until tender and golden
• Add butternut squash; stir 2 minutes
• Stir in chili powder and cumin
• Stir in beans, water, bouillon and tomatoes; bring to a boil
• Reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 10 minutes until squash starts to become tender
• Stir in cabbage and simmer, covered, about 10-15 minutes until cabbage is tender
• Season with salt and pepper

COMMENTS:
The original recipe calls for Swiss chard instead of Savoy cabbage.  I had Savoy cabbage to use up so I substituted.  Tastes great but a little too tough and crunchy so the texture of the chard would probably work better.

Teriyaki Vegetable Stir-Fry

Adapted from Betty Crocker and Mark BIttman

INGREDIENTS:

• 1-2 tablespoons oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced (about 2 cups)
• 4 carrots, sliced thin or into matchsticks
• 1 medium daikon, sliced thin or into matchsticks
• 1 bok choy, leaves separated from stems; leaves sliced and stems cut 1/4 inch thick
• 1-5 ounce bag Japanese curly noodles, broken into small pieces and prepared according to package directions
• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

METHOD:

• Heat oil in large pot; saute garlic and onion for 1 minute
• Add carrots and saute another minute
• Add bok choy stems and daikon and cook for 3 minutes or until tender crisp
• Add 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil, also bring cooking water to boil for noodles
• Stir in bok choy leaves and cook for 3 minutes while broken noodles cook separately
• Stir in drained and rinsed noodles
• Stir in teriyaki sauce

Mini Pasta with Baby Turnips and Greens

Adapted from The Farm at Miller's Crossing

INGREDIENTS:

• 1-2 bunches (about 15) baby salad turnips
• 4-6 ounces mini pasta
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 hot pepper, minced
• Veggie Parmesan cheese

METHOD:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil; add 1 tablespoon salt
• While water is heating, cut roots off of turnips, remove leaves and cut turnips in half
• Leave turnip leaves whole and cut stems into 1 inch pieces
• Put turnips in the boiling water and cook a few minutes until tender; remove
• Put stems then leaves in the same boiling water, removing when tender
• Add pasta to the same boiling water and cook per package directions
• While pasta is cooking, heat oil in skillet
• Add garlic and hot pepper; saute until garlic is pale gold
• Add cooked turnips, stems and leaves
• Add cooked, drained pasta and a little of the cooking water
• Serve with veggie Parmesan cheese

COMMENTS:
There would normally be more greens but due to frost, at least half of the leaves had yellowed and could not be used.  Delicious regardless!