Thai Spicy Eggplant with Sweet Basil

Serves 2-3
1 cup jasmine rice
2 Tbs. peanut or vegetable oil
½ to 1 tsp. crushed red pepper, or to taste
3 baby eggplants, cubed into bite-sized chunks
1 medium-sized onion, diced
1 medium-sized red bell pepper, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbs. white vinegar
3 Tbs. dark soy sauce, such as tamari
2 Tbs. dark brown sugar
20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn
Cook jasmine rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat a deep skillet or wok-shaped pan over high heat. Add oil and crushed red pepper, and let sizzle for 10 to 15 seconds. Add eggplant, and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic, and stir-fry for 3 minutes more. Add vinegar and soy sauce. Sprinkle with sugar, and toss for 1 or 2 minutes longer. Remove pan from heat, add basil leaves and toss to combine with eggplant. Serve over hot cooked rice.
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Smothered Summer Squash with Basil

Serves 4
Smothering is a Cajun cooking term that refers to browning anything from meat to vegetables in oil, then braising it in a small amount of liquid, tightly covered, until tender.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 lb medium yellow squash, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then add half of squash and sauté, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer browned squash to a bowl, then heat remaining tablespoon oil and sauté remaining squash in same manner. Return squash in bowl to skillet. Add garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, 1 minute. Add water, salt, and pepper and simmer briskly, covered, until squash is tender and most of liquid is evaporated, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in basil.
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Sweet Potato Basil Soup

Serves 3-4
2 sweet potatoes or yams, diced
½ yellow onion, sliced
1 (14oz) can of coconut milk
1 cup vegetable broth
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon dried basil
salt and pepper, to taste
Place all ingredients in the crockpot. Mix around. Cook for 3 hours on high. Use a hand blender, blender, or food processor and puree mixture until smooth. My 9 cup food processor fit it all just perfectly.

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Simple Basil Butter

1/4 cup basil leaves
3 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
1 pinch white sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
Place basil leaves and garlic in food processor or blender; pulse until chopped. Add lemon, salt, sugar--pulse to combine. Place butter in mixture and process until smooth. Good luck not eating it all at once!

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Breakfast Spaghetti Squash Egg Nests

Serves 2

2 cups cooked spaghetti squash (about ½ of a baked spaghetti squash)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 green onions, diced
½ egg
1 tablespoon fresh basil finely chopped
½-1 teaspoon sea salt
1-2 tablespoons almond flour (depending on the wateriness of the squash)
4 eggs (1 per nest)
1-2 tablespoons oil
Turn oven on broil. In a bowl combine the squash, garlic,green onions, egg, basil salt and almond flour. Mix. Heat a large cast iron pan over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Add a mound of the spaghetti squash mixture to the pan. Using a spoon push into the center of the mound, making about a 1 inch round opening at the center. Crack an egg into the center of each spaghetti squash mound, widening the circle as needed to get the egg to fit. Assemble one nest at a time, fitting about 2-4 nests into a cast iron pan. Continue to cook the nests until the bottom becomes crisp (but not burned). Place the cast iron pan under the broiler. Broil for for 3-4 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs cooked. Remove from the oven, plate and serve.

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Summer Squash Casserole

Serves 6

1 medium zucchini, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 medium yellow zucchini, ribbons
Fresh cilantro or basil or dill, chopped (or all 3)
2 cups cheese
3/4 cup pesto
1/2 red onion, sliced
3 medium tomatoes, sliced
Salt and pepper
Opptional: 2-4 cups rotisserie chicken, or tofu sausage, chopped

Preheat oven to 400. Grease or spray a 9×13 pan. Layer the bottom with sliced squash. Spread 1/2 the pesto over the sliced squash, 1/2 of the chopped chicken, 1/2 of the zucchini ribbons (use a potato peeler to make these), 1 cup of cheese, 1/2 of the fresh herbs, and salt and pepper. Repeat above step, ending with sliced tomatoes on top. Place a large piece of foil over the pan to seal. Bake at 400 for 35-40 minutes, until squash is tender but not overcooked. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

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Basil Turnip Hash

Serves 2-4

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium turnips (about 1 pound), finely diced
2 medium potatoes (about 1 pound), finely diced
1 sweet onion, finely diced
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup coarsely torn basil leaves

In a large cast-iron skillet, heat olive oil over high heat. Add turnips and potatoes and cook about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and dark browned on all sides. Add onion, paprika, and salt, and turn the heat to medium-low. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until translucent and sweet. Stir in half the basil. To serve, spoon hash onto plates and top with remaining basil.
 
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Pinto Bean Salad

Serves 4
1/2 cup dry pinto beans, picked over and soaked for 12 hours
1 1/2 cups water
1 medium organic tomato, diced
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp fresh minced parsley
1/4 cup organic sweet corn, fresh or frozen, blanched 1 minute
1 tsp ume plum vinegar, or to taste
Cook dried beans on stovetop or in crockpot until soft. Drain and combine olive oil, garlic, parsley, ume vinegar, lemon and lime juices in a small mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. Place cooked beans and all remaining ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Pour the dressing over and toss well. Serve as is or refrigerate 1 hour before serving.
 
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