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Recipes for 2/23/23 Veggie Basket

Check out these amazing recipes coordinated with the ingredients in this week's Organic Fruit & Vegetable basket.


To sign up for a Weekly or Bi-weekly Organic Basket click here https://www.gdorganics.com/book-online


This Week's Ingredients

Collard Greens Local

Fennel, Local (In the large & Jumbo baskets)

Orange Sweet Potato,

Eggplant, Local

Celery,

Green Bell Peppers, Local

Sugar Plum Cherry Tomatoes,


Apples, Pink Lady, Extra Fancy

Bananas

Valencia Oranges


Meal #1


Entrée ( Main Course)

Penne With Eggplant, Bell Peppers, and Celery

Ingredients

6 ounces of penne 1 tablespoon vegetable oil ¼ eggplant, diced ½ red bell pepper, chopped 0.5 green bell pepper, chopped 1 celery stick, sliced salt 1 garlic clove, chopped ½ cup heavy cream 1 ounce camembert

How to Make

Add the pasta in a saucepan full of simmering water. Cook them according to the instructions on the package.

Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the diced eggplant and cook it until golden brown. Add the bell peppers and celery and give it a good stir. Soften the veggies for the next 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and the pasta.

Add the heavy cream, stir, and cook the pasta for 1 more minute.

Serve the pasta with Camembert cheese and a touch of paprika powder!

https://sodelicious.recipes/recipe/penne-with-eggplant-bell-peppers-and-celery/




Side #1

Apple and Celery Salad with Cherry Tomatoes

Prep Time 20 mins Total Time 20 mins

Ingredients

5 apples

1 celery or leek

500 g cherry tomato (s)

1 bunch spring onion (s)

2 bunches chives

100 ml apple cider vinegar

150 ml oil (sunflower oil)

1 tablespoon maple syrup

0.5 teaspoon ½ salt

0.5 teaspoon ½ pepper


Instructions

Peel and core the apples and cut into fine leaves or cubes. Then cut off the roots of the celery, wash the individual stems and cut into fine cubes. Then wash the cherry tomatoes and cut in half. Cut the spring onions into fine rolls and wash them off with cold water.

Put all the prepared ingredients in a bowl and mix in the chives, cut into fine rolls.

For the dressing, mix apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, salt and pepper together until the salt has dissolved. Add the oil and mix well as well. Fold the dressing into the salad and let it steep for half an hour, covered. Then season again to taste and serve.

Instead of celery, leeks can also be used in the salad. This is cut into fine strips, briefly blanched in boiling and salted water and chilled in cold water before being added to the salad. Tastes very tasty in summer. Especially when grilling.

https://bosskitchen.com/apple-and-celery-salad-with-cherry-tomatoes/





Side #2

Southern-style greens with vegan eggplant “salt-pork”


Ingredients:


1 bunch greens (feel free to substitute kale or some other such silliness, but My Heart Belongs to Collards), chopped

2 medium eggplants, peeled and diced

3/4 c cider vinegar

1/3 c water

2/3 c flavorless oil (if you don’t want to use Canola, then grapeseed maybe? Just not olive or coconut or something that has a taste)

1/4 cup Braggs liquid aminos

1 tbsp liquid smoke

3.5 tbsp kosher salt

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp turmeric


STEP ONE: EGGPLANT

Marinate the night prior to serving:

1. Toss the eggplant in 2 tbsp of the salt. Set aside in a colander to drain for two hours.

2. Mix the remaining ingredients in a non-reactive bowl, whisking well to make sure they’re completely mixed.

3. Toss the eggplant into the marinade– be sure it’s entirely submerged– and refrigerate overnight.

4. The next day, before starting on the greens, bake the eggplant in the marinade at 200 degrees for 2 hours. You’re essentially making a quick confit with the eggplant.

5. Drain eggplant but reserve the marinade.

6. Add 1/4 cup of the marinade to a saute pan; saute the eggplant in the marinade for 15 minutes.


STEP TWO: GREENS

1. In a large pot, bring the cider vinegar and water to a boil.

2. When the liquid begins to boil, add the eggplant. Cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes.

3. Add the collard greens. Let cook on low for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add vinegar and/or water to taste as needed.


Serve with cornbread to soak up that delicious potlikker!


*BONUS: Also works with wild greens like garlic mustard and dock!


https://medium.com/invironment/southern-style-greens-with-vegan-eggplant-salt-pork-689a9866cc








Dessert



Orange Dream Bars

Ingredients

CRUST:

▢1 cup (226g) unsalted butter

▢2 cups (248g) all-purpose flour

▢½ cup (100g) granulated sugar

▢¼ teaspoon salt

FILLING:

▢½ cup (119ml) fresh squeezed orange juice

▢Zest of 1 orange

▢1 teaspoon orange extract

▢1 ½ cups (150g) granulated sugar

▢¼ cup (31g) all-purpose flour

▢½ teaspoon baking powder

▢4 large eggs

▢Powdered sugar for topping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×13” pan with foil or parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Beat butter with a hand or a stand mixer until creamy, then add the flour, sugar, and salt and beat until a dough forms. (If you’re using a hand mixer it will take extra time.) Press the crust into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 18 minutes.

A few minutes before the crust comes out of the oven, prepare the filling. Place all filling ingredients into a blender jar and blend until smooth, a few seconds to almost a minute, depending on your blender. You can also do this with a whisk in a large bowl.

Carefully pour filling over evenly over hot crust. Return to oven and bake until the top is no longer jiggly, about 20-23 minutes. Cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar and slicing into bars.

Notes

Don’t strain the fresh squeezed juice – that pulp adds flavor!

The orange extract is essential here to amp up the orange flavor.

Use your favorite oranges! For the zest be sure to use at least 1 tablespoon (or more if your orange is larger).

Make sure your crust is compacted firmly. Any holes in the bottom can cause the filling to leak through, ending in upside down bars. This is not usually a problem with shortbread crusts like this one (it happens more if you’re using a cookie crust) but just in case it happens, that’s why.

Want a crunchier crust? Bake it for 22 minutes before topping.

https://www.crazyforcrust.com/orange-dream-bars/#wprm-recipe-container-41666




Meal #2




Entrée (Main Course)

VEGAN LENTIL STEW WITH SWEET POTATOES AND COLLARD GREENS

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

3 large carrots, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken for non-vegetarian)

2 cups water

1 15-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes (not drained)

1 cup green lentils, rinsed

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 teaspoons cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 bunch collard greens, stem and ribs removed and cut into thin ribbons

Pinch chili flakes

Sea salt and pepper, to taste


INSTRUCTIONS

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large soup pot.

Add diced onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook until softened but not browned (about 7-10 minutes).

Add in the entire can of fire-roasted tomatoes, a heavy pinch of sea salt and pepper, cumin, turmeric, oregano, curry, chili flakes, and thyme. Stir.

Add broth and water; bring to a simmer.

Add rinsed lentils. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

At 15 minutes, add diced sweet potatoes.

Cover and cook for 25-30 minutes, until lentils and potato are tender. Add your collard greens the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.

Taste and adjust your seasoning and salt and pepper.

Serve in bowls topped with avocado, fresh squeezed lime, and a drizzle of olive oil.


TO SERVE:

Avocado

Lime

Drizzle of olive oil

ADDITIONAL SERVING IDEAS:

Sour cream or Greek yogurt

Cilantro

Pickled jalapenos

Shredded cheese

Tortilla chips

https://www.parsnipsandpastries.com/vegan-sweet-potato-lentil-collard-greens-stew/


Side #1

Crunchy Fennel Orange Salad

Ingredients

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced crosswise


4 celery stalks, peeled and thinly sliced on the bias


1 bunch radishes, about 5, thinly sliced


1 orange, peeled and sectioned (working over a bowl to save the juice)


1/4 cup sherry vinegar


1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil


3/4 teaspoon salt


Pinch of sugar


Pinch of cayenne pepper


Directions

In a salad bowl, toss together the fennel, celery, radishes, and orange segments.


Whisk together the orange juice, sherry vinegar, olive oil, salt, sugar, and cayenne. Pour over the salad and toss to combine. Serve, or cover and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

https://www.marthastewart.com/344244/crunchy-fennel-orange-salad




Side #2

Bell Peppers Baked with Tomatoes

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Servings: 4



Ingredients:

6 bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips

or bite-size pieces

12 oz. cherry tomatoes, stemmed

4 to 5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbs. red wine vinegar or 2 tsp. each balsamic

and red wine vinegar

2 tsp. minced fresh oregano, marjoram or

thyme leaves

1 tsp. sugar, or to taste

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 Tbs. fresh basil leaves, torn or finely shredded


Directions:

Preheat an oven to 400°F.

In a large bowl, mix the bell peppers, tomatoes, half of the garlic, the olive oil, half of the vinegar, the oregano, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix well and spread out in a single layer in a large baking pan.

Roast the vegetables for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, turn the vegetables so that they will brown evenly, and return them to the oven. Continue to roast until the peppers are slightly charred at the edges and the tomatoes are soft and tender and have begun to form a sauce, about 10 minutes more.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining garlic to taste and the remaining vinegar. Let cool until warm or room temperature. Garnish with the basil just before serving. Serves 4 to 6.