Moroccan Stuffed Tomatoes

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for brushing baking dish
6 medium ripe tomatoes, tops sliced off and seeds removed
1 medium onion,thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
450g zucchini, trimmed and grated
3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro (coriander)
1/3 teaspoon chili flakes, or to taste
3 tablespoons roasted shelled pistachios.

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush a baking dish, large enough to hold the tomatoes snugly, with a little olive oil. Arrange the tomatoes in the dish, cut side up, and sprinkle lightly with salt.

2. Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat, and add 3 tablespoons olive oil. Heat until shimmering. Add onion and sauté until golden and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and zucchini, and sauté until the zucchini is just starting to soften, about 2 minutes.

3. Remove pan from the heat, and add cilantro, chile flakes, and 2 tablespoons pistachios, mixing well. Divide the filling equally among the tomatoes, mounding the tops.

4. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked as desired. Garnish with the remaining pistachios. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Mussel soup

500g mussels (out of shells) We used frozen mussels
1 onion, diced
6 tomatoes, diced
4 bay leaves
500ml dry white wine
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pinch saffron
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (to taste)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (to taste)
pepper, to taste
basil, chopped for garnish
parsley, chopped for garnish

Directions:

Fry onions in oil until brown, add all the ingredients except mussels. Cook for about 10 minutes

Add mussels
cook another 10 minutes on low heat

Black Bean Burgers w/ Spicy Mango Sauce and Guacamole


Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
6-8 hamburger buns

Patties
6 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, small dice
1 can black beans, drained
1 small carrot, finely diced or shredded (about ½ cup)
½ cup cornmeal
½ cup breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon chili powder
¼ bunch cilantro, chopped (Coriander)
¼ cup water (little bit at a time, otherwise it may become to sloppy)

Spicy Mango Sauce

1 mango, peeled and cut
½ cup sun dried tomatoes, whole or sliced ( we used fresh tomatoes)
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar, but any kind will do

Guacamole
3 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, and peeled
½ lime, juiced
¼ cup salsa
black pepper

Procedure

Patties;

1.In a large pan, sauté onions in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat until tender and slightly caramelized

2.In a large bowl, use a large spoon or your hands to mash together beans, carrots, cornmeal, breadcrumbs, chili powder, salt, coriander leaves, ¼ cup water, and caramelized onions. If mixture is too dry to hold together, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time.

3. Using your hands, form mini burger patties that match the size of your buns or mini slider rolls.

4.In a large non-stick pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium/high heat and fry patties. Let each patty get browned and slightly crisp on each side before flipping (about 3 minutes on each side). Add more olive oil to pan as you continue to fry more patties.

Spicy Mango Sauce

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Guacamole

In a large bowl, mash together the avocado and lime juice, then fold in the salsa.

pepper to taste.

Assembly

Slice each roll or bun in half and layer a couple teaspoons of mango sauce, 1 black bean patty, and about a tablespoon of guacamole.

If you have extra mango sauce, you can use it as a dip for your fries!

Green banana curry

2 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon red pepper powder
4 big green bananas, deskinned,cubed and soaked in cold salty water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup coconut milk

Puree (done coarsely)
1 big onion
4 dried garlic, deskinned
2 tomatoes

Directions
1Heat oil in a non stick heavy base skillet.2Add salt, red pepper powder and turmeric powder.3Immediately add bananas and saute for about 2-3 minutes.4Let bananas go brown on the edges.5Add puree and fresh lemon juice.6Add 1/2 cup water and cover tightly.7Bring to a boil and let it simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes.8Finally add the coconut milk, cover again for 5 minutes on low heat and serve warm with steamed rice or steamed noodles.

Okra (Jhatpat Bhindi)

300 grams (about 12 oz.) okra cut into small (1/4") pieces
1 cup(s) onion sliced finely
3 tablespoon(s) oil
1 teaspoon(s) each of red chili powder, coriander powder and cumin powder
½ teaspoon(s) each of turmeric powder and hot spice mix (garam masala) powder
2 green chili(es) slit
a squeeze of lemon

Heat oil on medium level in a pan for about 2 minute(s).
Add onions, and stir fry on medium level for about 4 minutes or till they are very lightly browned. Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala. Fry again for a few seconds.
Add the okra and the slit green chili(es). Add a dash of lemon. Mix well. Cover and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes or till the okra is cooked but firm.

Thai Butternut Squash, With Tofu, Coconut Milk and Toasted Almonds

Thai Butternut Squash, With Tofu, Coconut Milk and Toasted Almonds



4 - 6 servings: Serve Thai Tofu Butternut Squash with any kind of grain or noodle



Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, 2 - 3 lb
2 stalks celery or 1 fennel bulb
2 medium carrots
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded. If you don't have it, use 1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne
2 thin slices raw ginger, peeled, or 1/2 - 1 tsp dried ginger, if you don't have fresh
2 Tbsp sunflower oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin seed
1 tsp. ground coriander seed
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground fennel seed
2 cups coconut milk
1/2 lb firm tofu
1/2 cup blanched toasted almonds (recipe below)
Fresh cilantro and/or basil leaves for garnish
Blanched Toasted Almonds:

Boil 1 cup water. Add almonds and remove from heat, let stand for 2 minutes
Drain and rinse in cold water
Slip off the skins and spread out to drydry
Heat 1 tsp oil in a heavy fry pan, and toast the almonds, stirring frequently
Or roast dry in the oven on low, 250 - 275 degrees, stirring frequently
Sliced Tofu:

Use 1/2 of a 1 lb block of firm tofu
Rinse and pat dry
Cut in 2" X 1/2" X 1/2" sticks
Keep covered in the fridge until you need them
Recipe Directions:

If you're serving this with a grain, put that on to cook first, or while the veggies simmer, depending on how long the cooking time
Heat ghee or oil on med. in a large shallow saucepan
Mince the fresh jalapeno and ginger, if you're using them
Cut the squash in thick rounds, and peel by cutting down around the sides
Remove the seeds, and dice in 1" pieces
Thinly slice the celery or fennel,and carrots
Add the veggies to the oil, turn the heat up a bit, and sauté for five minutes
Add the remaining spices, and stir another few minutes
Add the coconut milk and salt, bring to boil, then simmer on low until veggies are tender, about 20 minutes, stirring several times
Add the tofu and toasted almonds, and simmer another 5 minutes