Ratatouille

Ingredients:

1 eggplant, diced
1 large zucchini, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 shallot, minced
3 tomatoes, diced
rosemary
marjoram
basil
1/4 cup passata
olive oil

Salt the eggplant pieces and set aside for 1 hour. Squeeze out eggplant with paper towels.

Cook the onions and shallots in the oil on low heat until slightly caramelized. Remove from the pan. Add more oil and the bay leaves. Cook each vegetable separately in the skillet, then add all the cooked vegatables, tomatoes, passata, rosemary, and marjoram. Cover and cook until tomatoes have wilted. Remove from heat and stir in the basil and some more olive oil.

Blackberry Freekeh Salad

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cup blackberries
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon raspberry or pomegranate balsamic vinegar
a pinch of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon honey
salt
1 cup freekeh
1/2 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
4 cups salad greens
1/4 cup pistachios, toasted and chopped

Mash 1/2 cup of the blackberries and run through a fine mesh sieve. Stir in olive oil, vinegar, garlic, honey, and salt. Set aside.

Cook the freekeh until al dente. Set aside to cool.

Toss salad greens with the fennel. Top with the freekeh, pistachios, and remaining blackberries. Sprinkle with the salad dressing and toss.

Moroccan Spiced Carrot Soup

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon oil
2 leeks, white parts only, chopped
6 carrots
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ginger, minced
harissa, to taste
vegetable stock
salt
juice of half a lemon or lime
cilantro, chopped

Saute the leeks in the oil and add carrots, garlic, and ginger. Stir in the harissa until aromatic and then the stock. Simmer for 20 minutes, until carrots are tender.

Puree the mixture in a blender and return to saucepan. Season with salt and add juice just before removing from heat. Garnish with the cilantro and some chickpea croutons.

Orange and Goji Berry Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup whole flour
1 cup grains (millet, steel cut oats, quinoa, amaranth, barley, etc)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup oil
1 flax egg
1/2 cup fruit juice of choice
3/4 cup orange juice
1/3 cup goji berries

Combine the grains and allow to soak in the orange juice a couple of hours or overnight.

Stir egg, oil, and fruit juice until thoroughly combined. Add the grains and goji berries, then gradually add flours, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

Bake in muffin pan at 375 for 20-25 minutes until golden.

Hummus Wraps

Ingredients:

1 cup hummus
4 large tortillas
1 cup shredded vegan pepper jack
3/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
3/4 cup carrot, shredded
1 cucumber, thinly sliced into spears
1 green onion
1 tomato, finely chopped
romaine lettuce
2 tablespoons cilantro (optional)

Spread hummus onto each tortilla and arrange remaining ingredients in the center. Roll like a burrito , cut in half, and serve.

*variation: use black bean spread and replace red pepper with green and carrot with corn or sweet potato

Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1-2/3 cup bread flour
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cup butter
1-1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 cup plus two tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 pound 60% chocolate (can substitute half with toffee bits)
coarse salt

Combine dry ingredients and set aside.

Cream butter and sugars until well incorporated and beat in the vanilla and eggs, one at a time.

Gradually add the dry ingredients.

Fold in the chocolate.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 24 hours then allow to sit at room temperature for an hour.

Scoop 2 tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes until edges are golden.

Red Lentil Potato Soup

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large rib celery, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 russet potato, diced
1 cup red lentils
4 cups vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
juice of 1/2 small lemon
salt and black pepper

Cook onion and garlic in the oil and add celery and carrot. Cook until tender then add potato, lentils, and stock. Simmer 40 minutes until potatoes and lentils are cooked through. Transfer to blender and puree until smooth. Return to saucepan and season with cumin, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Stir in lemon juice after removing from heat.

Garnish with croutons or roasted chickpeas.

Zatar Grilled Eggplant and Lentil Salad

Ingredients:

6 small eggplants
salt and black pepper
olive oil
1 tablespoon zatar
1 cup beluga lentils, soaked
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 cups fresh herbs (mint, parsley, dill, cilantro), chopped
juice and zest of 1 lemon

Slice eggplants into 1/2 inch rounds. Salt and set aside for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the lentils and allow to cool.

Squeeze the eggplant slices with paper towels and toss with oil, zatar, and salt. Grill or roast until cooked through.

Toss the lentils with the herbs, pine nuts, salt, pepper, lemon juice, lemon zest, and olive oil. Top with the grilled eggplant.

Sprinkle with more zatar and some tahini. Serve with hummus, if desired.

Baumkuchen

Ingredients:

3/4 cup almond paste
3 tablespoons cream
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sugar
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup cake flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
5 ounces apricot jam
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 tablespoon honey
2 ounces chocolate

Beat the almond paste with cream. Add the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Alternately add egg yolks with the flour and cornstarch. Set aside.

Beat  egg whites until stiff peaks. Fold into the almond batter, half at a time.

Line a 6-9 inch springform pan with parchment paper. Spread 1/4 cup of the batter into the bottom of the pan. Use a brush to spread it evenly. Broil until evenly browned. Remove from the oven and repeat. Spread with the apricot jam every three layers until batter is all used up.

Allow cake to cool in the fridge overnight. Remove cake from pan and invert. Cover top and sides of cake with a thin layer of jam.

Melt butter in a double broiler and add vanilla, honey, and chocolate. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes and pour the glaze over the cake. Cover the sides of the cake with the slivered almonds. Refrigerate until the glaze sets.