Awesome Baba Ganoush

Ingredients

• 1 medium whole eggplant
• 1 bulb of garlic
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tbsp tahini
• Sea salt
• Olive oil
• Garnish - fresh scallion, parsley, sweet or hot peppers and sumac (if available)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and position the rack to the middle rung
2. Pierce eggplant with fork
3. Drizzle olive oil and sea salt over eggplant and bulb of garlic
4. Place whole eggplant and garlic in shallow pan and place into oven
5. Cook 45 minutes (or until it appears to start to collapse a little and renders some juice)
6. Remove pan from oven
7. Peel and remove stem and all skin from eggplant
8. Add juice from pan, 1 clove garlic, lemon juice, tahini, a pinch of salt to blender and pulse until smooth
9. Garnish with chopped scallion and parsley; thinly sliced ribbons of sweet or hot peppers and sumac 
10. Serve chilled or at room temperature with any entree, sandwich, veggies or chips; (especially good with fresh naan or pita bread)

Bean Soup (Navy Bean Flour)

• 1 cups natural whole navy bean flour
• 4 cups water
• 2 medium onions chopped
• 5 celery stalks chopped
• 1 green bell peppers chopped
• 3 carrots chopped
• 1 teaspoon sage
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• Pinch of cumin (optional)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 oz. tomato paste
• 1/3 cup herb olive oil

Add oil to medium sized pan and saute vegetables and spices until wilted on low heat.  Add water and continue to cook with a medium flame.  Add navy bean until thickened and warmed through.  Blend mixture with electric blender until smooth.

Serve warm with a garnish of raw chopped onion, cilantro, tomato.  Enjoy with whole wheat toast and cheddar cheese cubes.

Garden Fresh Winter Collard Greens

Ingredients

• 1 diced onion
• 3 cloves chopped garlic
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon chicken bullion 
• sea salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• 1 whole tomato
• 2 lbs greens chopped
• 1 whole jalapeno (optional)
• Olive oil (to saute herbs)
• Dash of baking soda

Instructions

1. Cut greens into 6-8" squares
2. Soak greens in room temperature salted water for several hours
3. Rinse well; hand crushing and tenderizing as you clean them
4. In a large deep pot, heat olive oi
5. Saute onion until tender then add garlic and cook an additional 2-3 minutes (do not burn garlic)
6. Add one cup chicken broth
7. Add seasoning (bullion, salt, pepper, baking soda)
8. Add greens (greens will wilt down as they cook)
9. Add remaining chicken broth
10. Bring to a boil for 15 minutes
11. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 hours or until fork tender
12. While cooking, add more broth as needed

** if you grow your collard greens pick them after the first frost

Delicious Five Spice Pan Roasted Duck

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic, minced or mashed
• Chinese five spice powder
• 1/4 cup Soy sauce
• Large piece ginger, sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Salt used to loosen skin
• 1 whole duck

Preparation

• Wash and massage the duck
• To loosen the skin rub with salt, then rinse well
• Using a paring knife pierce skin and fat layer every 2 inches over the entire front and back of duck.  During roasting, the fat melts away and the skin crisps.
• Scald the duck which will allow the skin to tighten and render fat more quickly.  
• Take boiling water then baste duck with large spoon until the skin tighten
• Rub seasonings all over the skin
• Air dry the duck at least overnight or even better 2 nights.  
• Slide it into the fridge, uncovered
• Roast the duck in a roasting pan with a rack so the duck is not cooking in its own juices
• 450F (first 15 minutes)
• Lower heat to 350F then roast 15 minutes per pound

Rack should be on the lowest rung.  To prevent smoke, add 1/4 inch of water to the pan.  When finish let duck rest at least 15 minutes before carving.

Favorite Hummus

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups cooked garbanzo beans [hulls removed]
• 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sumac

In a blender, add 1 clove of garlic. Add the garbanzo beans (reserve about 1 tablespoon for garnish). Add lemon juice, tahini, additional garlic and salt in blender. Blend until smooth and well mixed.

Transfer the mixture to the serving bowl of your choice. Sprinkle with sumac and pour olive oil over the top. Garnish with reserved garbanzo beans.

Black Bean Hummus

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 cups cooked black beans
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Substitute well blended black sesame seeds blended in sesame oil (for 1.5 tablespoons tahini)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Mince garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Add black beans, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and all other ingrediants....  process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.

Serve as dip or complimentary sauce with any entree.