Chef Liz Arraj
 
Serves 4

1/2 lb. penne pasta (1⁄2 box)
2 TBSP. olive oil
1 medium eggplant (about 1 1⁄4 lb.) cubed
1/2 lb. cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 lb. mozzarella, cubed
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve ¼ cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add the eggplant. Cook, tossing occasionally, until golden brown and tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes, garlic, crushed red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Cook, tossing, until the tomatoes soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Add the tomato mixture to the pasta, along with the mozzarella and reserved cooking water. Toss to combine. Sprinkle with the basil.

 
Tasty tip:
Sometimes eggplant are bitter. A neat little trick to rid yourself of bitter eggplant is to simply thinly slice and lay the rounds out on a baking sheet. Sprinkle kosher salt over the eggplant and let sit there for around 10 minutes or until small little bead of liquid appear on the slices of eggplant. Rinse before using them in a dish. This technique is called 'Sweating the Eggplant."

CSA members have received chard a few times, plus if you pick up from the farm you just received beautiful beet greens too (which are practically the same thing as chard).  I have a feeling it might be accumulating in some of your fridges, so I thought I would share a tasty recipe Dallas uses from our favorite recipe book, "Simply In Season". It's always a favorite at potlucks and it uses a lot of chard! People who say they don't like chard usually like this dish. 

Chard Cheese Bake

Serves 4

1 pound of Swiss chard or spinach (chopped)
Cook and thoroughly drain.

4 eggs (beaten)
1 cup milk
1 cup Swiss cheese or another cheese (shredded)
1 cup bread (cubed)
1/2 cup green onions (sliced)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
Combine with cooked greens. Pour into a greased 2-quart baking dish. Cover and bake in preheated oven at 375 until set, 25-30 minutes. 

​Veggie & Soba Bowl by Chef Liz Arraj

Serves 4

2 bundles of Soba noodles
2 cups of cremini mushrooms or mushroom of your choice, halved and sliced
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced thin
2 small zucchini, cut into half moon slices
1 pepper, chopped
8 oz. Tofurky Sesame chicken
1/4 cup scallions, sliced, garnish
Salt to taste
 
1. Cook Soba noodles according to package. Drain and cool.
2. Combine mushrooms, zucchini, pepper and carrots in large frying pan, cook for 10 minutes.
3. Add Tofurky Sesame chicken.
4. Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Garnish with scallions.
 

Tasty Tip:
Anytime you are cooking noodles for a cold salad an easy way to do that is to simply cook, drain hot water, rinse with cold water and then put on a baking sheet, letting them cool all the way. To keep the noodles from becoming dry, toss them with a small amount of oil. 

​Ganesha's Bowl of Plenty by Chef Liz Arraj

Serves 4
​
The bowl:
3 TBSP. olive oil
2 spring onions, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cup of cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp. curry powder
1 bunch of Swiss chard, de-ribbed, chopped into small, bite sized pieces
2 TBSP. rice vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup of Basmati rice/1 cup of coconut milk/1 cup of water
1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained


The Garnish:
1/2 of red bell pepper, minced
1/4 cup of cilantro, roughly chopped


1. In large frying pan put olive oil, onion, mushrooms, curry powder, salt, pepper, chard, rice vinegar and cook for about 10 minutes until chard is cooked down and soft. Add minced garlic and cook for another 3 minutes.
3. In medium-sized sauce pan, put rice, water and coconut milk, bring to boil, then lower heat and cover. Cook for 20 minutes. Add chickpeas on top of cooked rice, re-cover and let the steam of the rice warm up your beans.
4. Mince the bell pepper for the garnish.
5. When the rice is done, arrange your bowl and garnish with minced bell pepper. Enjoy!

Tasty Tip:
Creating a well balanced Bowl of Plenty is easy! If you have 20 minutes to your day and keep in mind the four components of your bowl, the variations can be endless! Pick your grain, a green, a protein and a sauce to go on top. 

Spicy Collard Green Quesadillas by Chef Liz Arraj

Serves 4

2 bunches of collards, de-stemmed and chiffonade
2 TBSP. olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. curry powder
Freshly squeezed juice of one orange
Salt to taste
Tortillas
Pepper Jack cheese


1. In a large pot, boil water. Add chiffonade pieces of collards and cook uncovered for about 8 minutes.
2. Set up a bowl of ice water while waiting for the collards to cook. Take the collard pieces and plunge into ice cold water, stopping the cooking process and keeping the color bright green. Gently press water out of greens.
3. In pan add olive oil and sauté garlic for one minutes. Add freshly squeezed orange juice, curry powder and salt to taste. Sauté lightly and set aside on plate.
4. Prepare your tortilla with cheese and greens and slowly fry quesadilla in pan until golden brown on each side. Serve with your choice of salsa, sour cream and avocado.


Tasty Tip:
Anytime you want to retain the bright colors of  your vegetables, simply boil some water, have ice water waiting in a bowl. Toss your veggies in the hot water and then plunge them into ice water. Using this method only slightly cooks the veggie and by putting them in cold water, it stops the cooking process but allows you to maintain the color of your food. This is called parboiling.