Featured Recipes
This month's recipes are favorites of my family for two reasons. First, they are so easy to make and second, I can easily substitute different fruits and vegetables in these dishes depending what is in my garden or fridge.
Heather McDougall
Baked Apple & Pear Dessert
This is a very simple, yet satisfying, healthy dessert. Usually made with just apples and yams, I have added pears.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Baking Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 4
1 medium garnet yams
1 large baking-type apple
1 large pear
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
½ cup water
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Peel the yam and slice thinly. Peel and core the apple and pear and cut into thin wedges.
Layer the yams, apples and pears into a square non-stick baking dish. Combine the applesauce and water and pour over the layered ingredients. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Cover and bake for 50 minutes. Serve warm.
 Broccoli Bisque
Kale is actually something that my whole family will eat, so I try to put it in as many dishes as possible. For this recipe, I stir in 1 cup of thinly sliced kale into the soup about 5 minutes before it's finished. I also have a lot of cauliflower in my garden as well, so we like to put it, roasted or steamed, in the soup before serving.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6-8
4 cups broccoli florets
3 cups vegetable broth
2 cups frozen chopped hash brown potatoes
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
2 ½ cups non-dairy milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Place the broccoli, broth, potatoes, onion and dill weed in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Process the soup in batches in a blender, return to pot, add the non-dairy milk, and the mustard and the white pepper. Heat through and serve at once.
 Fresh Fruit Cobbler
Be sure to use sweet, ripe, seasonal fruit in this recipe. Peaches and nectarines are a delicious choice, but any stone fruit will work. For a fresh strawberry pie, see hint below.
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 8
4 cups sliced fresh peaches or nectarines
1/3 cup apricot preserves
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
3 tablespoons flour
½ cup quick cooking oats
2 tablespoons cornmeal
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place the sliced peaches in a bowl. Combine the preserves, lemon juice and nutmeg together in another bowl. Spoon over the peaches and mix gently. Sprinkle the flour on the top and then mix again. Place in a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 30 minutes.
Place the oats and cornmeal in a bowl. Combine maple syrup and vanilla and pour over the oat mixture. Mix well.
Remove the cobbler from the oven and reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Crumble the oat mixture over the pie filling and return to the oven. Bake for additional 15 minutes. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving. May be served warm or cold.
HINT: For a fresh strawberry pie, substitute sliced fresh strawberries for the peaches and strawberry preserves for the apricot preserves. Reduce the initial baking time by 10 minutes.
 Italian Potato Salad
For this recipe, I took out the mushrooms that are usually in this salad because my boys prefer it without. Since it is tomato season, I have a lot of cherry tomatoes in my garden so have substituted those instead.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 5-7 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour
Servings: 4-6
5 large red potatoes, scrubbed and sliced 1/4 inch thick
½ pound cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup chopped, roasted red pepper
¾ cup oil-free Italian dressing
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
Drop the potatoes into boiling water and cook for 5-7 minutes. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour over the potatoes and toss to mix. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
 Ventana Lentil Stew
We eat this with steamed rice and baked tortilla chips. One of the things in our garden that we have had so much fun growing, and eating, is peppers. Most of what we have are jalapeño and shishito peppers, which we have pickled and roasted with excellent results. This recipe uses some of those jalapeño peppers, and kale, which is always growing in my garden.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves: 6 to 8
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
2 cups green lentils
2 cups chopped fingerling potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
¼ to ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
2 cups baby spinach leaves or thinly sliced kale
Hot sauce, for serving
Put the onion, garlic, and jalapeños in a large saucepan along with ½ cup of water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lentils, potatoes, ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder, and 5½ cups more water. Cover and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 1 hour. Stir in the greens and cook 5 minutes. Add additional chili powder to taste.
Serve hot in bowls, with hot sauce on the side.
Photos by Emma Roche of PlantPlate
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