“I doubt that the imagination can be suppressed. If you truly eradicated it in a child, he would grow up to be an eggplant.” ~ Ursula K. Le Guin, American science fiction and fantasy author (1929 – )

Prior to the 18th Century, the Western world thought of eggplant purely as an ornamental plant. It is beautiful, isn’t it? In the garden, it is one of the easiest of vegetables to grow.

Tahini – also known as sesame butter – is a paste made by pureeing roasted sesame seeds. One tablespoon has about 3 grams of good quality protein, and is also a very good source of calcium and iron. It has a somewhat bitter, nutty flavor, that compliments the eggplant in Baba Ganoush well, but tahini is also high in fat, so it is best to use it sparingly.

Baba Ganoush (also spelled Baba Ghanoujh) is a tasty, creamy dip that is popular fare in Middle Eastern restaurants, served with pita or other flat bread as an appetizer. Since this dip is served cold, Baba Ganoush is a good choice to serve on a hot evening. It is also an especially appealing form to those who are looking for different ways to encounter vegetables.

For this recipe, if tahini is not readily available, you can substitute with almond butter or peanut butter with very pleasant results (although, not quite the same). The eggplant in Baba Ganoush is traditionally grilled or roasted until the skin blisters, but in the heat of summer or if we are in a hurry, cooking it in the microwave oven is perfectly acceptable, if only a bit less smoky in flavor.

Baba Ganoush/Eggplant Dip

Makes 1 ½ cups
Time: 10 minutes + 2 hours chill time

1 medium eggplant
¼ cup tahini
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground chipotle pepper (optional)

¼ cup pitted black olives, coarsely chopped (optional, for garnish)
2 teaspoons olive oil (optional, for garnish)

To cook the eggplant in the microwave oven, remove the stem end and cut the eggplant in half lengthwise. Place the halves in a microwave-safe casserole dish, cut side up, and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Cook on highest power for 5 minutes or until soft, then allow to rest until cool enough to handle comfortably.

Alternatively, if you wish to roast or grill the eggplant, pierce the skin of the whole eggplant with a fork in several places to provide a place for steam to escape. Grill over hot coals or roast in a baking dish in a 400° oven for about 40 minutes, until the skin is blistered and the whole eggplant has gone soft.

When cool enough to handle, scrape the soft meat of the eggplant into a bowl or food processor container, discarding the skin and stem. Measure the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, salt, cumin, and pepper into the bowl with the eggplant and mash with a fork or process to puree until very smooth. Refrigerate for 2 hours so flavors have a chance to blend.

To serve, place the dip in a bowl or spread onto the center of a plate so that it is about one inch thick. Garnish with the olives and drizzle with the olive oil, if desired.

Lacking a party, we ate the Baba Ganoush for supper last night with Curried Lentils from the Mosaic Meals cookbook (page 68) and some mini-loaves of pita bread to scoop it all up; very satisfying with a favorite brew and pleasant conversation on the side.

Thank you for stopping by. We hope you have a pleasant weekend and see you again on Monday!

“He who goes to bed hungry dreams of pancakes.”
~ Maltese proverb.

If you have been dreaming of pancakes, then it is certainly time to get out the skillet. Pancakes are a type of quick bread, easier to make on our conventional stoves than the way they were originally prepared on hot stones in prehistoric days.

In this recipe, the coconut helps to hold the ingredients together so that eggs are not needed. We used whole wheat flour to give them added fiber, protein, and flavor. Using the easily digested coconut milk beverage provides added nutrients like Vitamin B12 and calcium along with enhancing the coconut flavor. The blueberries are powerful antioxidants and rich in Vitamin C.

Even unsweetened coconut adds natural sweetness, but if you only have the sweetened variety, by all means don’t let it stop you.

Coconut Blueberry Pancakes

Serves 2
Time: 5 minutes to mix + 2-3 minutes per side cooking time (so, if you have a large enough griddle, about 5 minutes to cook them all)

¾ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
¾ cup non-dairy milk like So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage
2 teaspoons canola oil
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup blueberries (thawed, if frozen)

Measure the flour, coconut, baking powder and sugar into a bowl and stir to blend.
Measure the milk, oil, and extract into a measuring cup. Pour the liquid ingredients all at once into the dry ingredients, stirring with a fork until batter is smooth. Add the blueberries, and stir just enough to mix them in.

Heat griddle or large frying pan, brushed or sprayed with oil, until it is hot enough to make a single drop of water dance. Make 4 pancakes with 1/3 cup of batter each, allowing to cook until the edges begin to brown (if you use whole wheat flour, they won’t make as many bubbles on top as you may be accustomed to). Flip and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes, until the bottom has lightly browned. Serve hot.

These pancakes are great simply spread with a nut butter. If you are looking for something a little different, though, this sauce is less sweet than regular pancake syrup and the pure white color provides a beautiful contrast to the nutty brown of the pancakes, as you can see in the photo above.

Sweet Coconut Sauce

Makes ½ cup
Time: 5 minutes

½ cup non-dairy creamer, such as So Delicious Coconut Creamer, divided
¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Measure ¼ cup of the coconut creamer, the shredded coconut and the sugar into a small saucepan. Stir to blend and bring to a boil over medium heat. Meanwhile, mix the cornstarch into the remaining creamer, stirring with a fork until all the lumps are gone.

When the coconut mixture reaches a boil, stir in the cornstarch mixture and continue stirring constantly until mixture thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Serve while still warm, spooning over pancakes to taste.

Our book, Mosaic Meals: Bringing Vegans, Vegetarians, and Omnivores Together has recipes for Morning Smiles (beverages) that are lovely with these pancakes, especially the Mimosa on page 6. Mmmmm!

“He is the very pineapple of politeness!” ~ Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Irish dramatist (1751-1816)

In doing research for today’s post, I learned that a pineapple is actually a cluster of many tiny fruits, each one marked by what we refer to as an eye, and what we call the core is actually the stem. Fresh pineapple is very high in Vitamin C, the especially healthy enzyme bromelain, and the mineral manganese. Unfortunately, much of the Vitamin C and nearly all of the bromelain are destroyed by the heat used in the canning process, so choose fresh whenever possible.

For a small household, using up a fresh pineapple can be a problem, so we generally stick with buying it in small cans. Canned pineapple retains enough Vitamin C and manganese to still qualify it as having some redeeming value against its naturally high sugar content. Vitamin C is a natural protector for our cells, and manganese is essential for producing energy.

When I make sweet treats, it is really difficult to not overindulge. A whole cake is too much for just two people, begging to be eaten rather than going to waste as it loses freshness. Even if the ingredients are fresh and as natural as possible, it is still possible to consume more than we should.

In addition to the whole grains and the healthy serving of nuts this one has, part of what is really good about Muggies is that they are made in individual portions. One reasonably sized serving and it is gone, even if you are wishing for more!

Pineapple Upside Down Muggie

Serves 1
Time: 5 minutes prep + 5 minutes to cool

2 tablespoons pineapple tidbits, drained if stored in liquid
½ cherry (optional)
2 teaspoons canola oil
5 teaspoons water
1 teaspoon vinegar
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon quick cooking oats
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt

Measure the pineapple tidbits into a 12-ounce capacity microwave-safe mug and nestle the cherry down into the center.

Place remaining ingredients in the order given into a small bowl. Stir with a fork only just enough to make a batter, about 15 strokes, being sure to scrape the bottom to incorporate all the flour. Immediately pour the batter over the pineapple in the mug, then bake in a microwave oven on high for 1 minute. Allow to rest for 5 minutes, then serve while still warm.

Place a dessert plate over the top of the mug, then – keeping a hand on the plate’s bottom – flip plate and mug over in unison and allow the Muggie to settle on the plate for a few seconds before removing mug.

We’re going to enjoy the little break in the heat today with a bicycle ride and a picnic at a park on the route. With any luck, we’ll find a farmer’s fresh fruit stand on the way, too.

“It’s true that I did get the girl, but then my grandfather always said, ‘Even a blind chicken finds a few grains of corn now and then.’” ~ Lyle Lovett, American singer and songwriter (1957-)

Corn is complicated. It is classified as a grain, a vegetable, and a fruit. It comes in different colors. Some of it is suitable for the table and some of it isn’t. Most of it is genetically modified, which frightens me away from a lot of products that contain corn or corn byproducts. However, genetically modified sweet corn is not approved to carry an organic label. Until there are further studies verifying its safety, organic will always be my choice for corn.

As soon as corn is picked, the naturally occurring sugars in it begin to turn into less flavorful starches that make the corn chewier. If you have access to sweet corn that was picked within the day, it is so sweet and tender, it doesn’t even require cooking.

Without a corn stalk nearby, the next best option for maintaining fresh quality is from the freezer. Unlike a lot of fruits and vegetables, corn maintains its fresh form well, even when defrosted. Corn’s pleasant flavor is backed up by contributing significant quantities of protein, Vitamin C, thiamin, niacin, folate, minerals, and dietary fiber.

On a hot summer day when you want to include cold foods in your meal, think about corn in salads. One medium size cob of fresh corn will yield about ½ cup of kernels. Yellow sweet corn’s sunny color is a beautiful plate brightener.

For this salad, where the corn claims center stage, you can use very fresh or frozen (no need to defrost before assembly) yellow, white, or combo corn. HINT: If you have fresh corn available, cutting the corn from the cob is less messy if you balance it on top of a small plastic bowl placed upside down in the center of a larger bowl, as in the photo above as demonstrated by Larry, the hand model.

Corn Salad with Chipotle-Lime Dressing

Makes 6 (½ cup) servings
Time: 10 minutes prep + 20 minutes resting time

Toss salad ingredients together in a large bowl:
2 cups corn kernels (cut from 4 freshly picked ears or use frozen)
1 red bell pepper, seeded, cut in small dice
1 cup fresh basil or mint leaves, chopped
¼ cup onion cut in small dice

For dressing, measure ingredients into a jar that holds at least 6 ounces:
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cumin seed

Cover the jar tightly and shake vigorously until well blended. Pour dressing over the corn mixture and allow the salad to rest for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Corn salad is a natural side dish to any grilled entrée, but since it was raining, I served it with potato pancakes in which I substituted ¼ cup of hummus for each egg to make them vegan-friendly. What will you put on the plate with yours?

“Most good work habits are just common sense, Don’t stick beans up your nostrils.” ~ Richard Bayer, Ph.D., American economist, ethicist, and author.

The economy of beans lies in that they are protein and fiber rich, almost fat free, and just plain cheap. A pound of dried beans costs just a little more than a dollar and makes enough for 8 main dish servings or 13 side dish servings. The number of recipes to use them seems to be limitless.

Black Beans (a.k.a. black turtle beans) are a rich, creamy textured legume native to South America. They are available dried, and canned whole or refried. Canned varieties may contain a lot of salt (sodium), so be sure to read the label if this is a problem for you.

If you have been lucky enough to have a friend from Cuba or of Cuban ancestry, then you have also likely had the good fortune to taste their black beans. Unlike a lot of other bean dishes that are heavily seasoned, often with hot peppers, Cuban Black Beans have a light, sweet and sour flavor that leads them to easily compliment many other foods.

Serve Cuban Black Beans as a side dish with ham sandwiches, or as a nutritionally complete main dish topping brown rice or sweet potatoes. In this photo, we put them on top of roasted sweet potatoes for a supper that took only 15 minutes to prepare. I began cooking the large sweet potato in the microwave oven (6 minutes + 7 resting) and then prepared the beans so that everything was ready at the same time.

Cuban Black Beans

Serves 2 as a main dish, 4 as a side dish
Time: 15 minutes

2 teaspoons olive oil
¼ cup diced red onion
½ red or green bell pepper, diced
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 (15-ounce/1 ¾ cups) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon dried oregano OR 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped oregano
2 teaspoons agave nectar or other sweetener
2 tablespoons vinegar – balsamic or red wine vinegars are best for this

Soften the onion in olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes, taking care not to let it brown. Stir in the bell pepper and garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the beans, oregano, sweetener, and vinegar, and stir over burner until bubbly. You can smash some of the beans, as I do, to create a thicker mixture if you wish.

Cuba has a rich musical culture. Check to see if your local library has CD’s of Cuban musicians available for loan to complete your dinner theme. It will spark conversation and maybe even a little impromptu dancing!