Spaghetti with Eggplant

Submitted by Conner Evans

 

Ingredients 

1 med. eggplant

olive oil

1 finely chopped clove garlic

1 1/2 - 2 cups peeled, cored, chopped tomatoes

     (or 1 can diced )

hot pepper flakes to taste

1 lb. spaghetti, cooked & drained

 

Directions 

Cut off the ends of the eggplant & discard.  Cut eggplant into quarter inch rounds or chunks.  Place in mixing bowl and sprinkle with 1 T. salt.  Mix well and let stand an hour or more. 

 

Rinse & drain the eggplant and squeeze out extra juice.

 

Heat about 3 T olive oil in skillet, add garlic and eggplant and cook eggplant on all sides until golden.  Add tomatoes, hot pepper flakes and other seasonings you like

(such as a generous pinch of Italian dried herbs).  Stir well, cover and cook on low for 10-15 minutes.

 

You can personalize this to your own taste by adding chopped onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, etc. when you add the tomatoes.  Serve on top of spaghetti

Salsa Chicken

Submitted by Stefanie Moore

I like this recipe because I usually already have all of the ingredients at home!

Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
4 tsp taco seasoning mix
1 cup salsa
1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese
sour cream (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Spray a 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle taco seasoning on both sides of chicken and place in the dish. Pour salsa over the chicken. Bake for 25-35 minutes. Sprinkle chicken evenly with cheese and bake for an additional 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with sour cream if desired and serve.

Tortilla Soup

Submitted by Carla Winter

As you can see I follow the original recipe VERY loosely :) so I'm sure you could put whatever in there.

Ingredients

4 cooked and shredded chicken breast

1 garlic clove

A slice of butter

2 -14.5 ounce cans of chicken broth

2-14.5 ounce cans of chopped stewed tomatoes

1 cup of salsa

.5 cup of chopped cilantro

1 T or more of cumin

1-2 cans of black beans

.5 bag-1 bag of corn

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours (or I've done high for 3-4).

Serve with crushed chips, sour cream and cheese.

*I've literally thrown in all kinds of stuff like celery or whatever.  I think last time I had 3-4 different jars opened of different kinds of salsa, verde sauce...and I just dumped them all in there :)

Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Submitted by Stefanie Moore

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash, about 2 pounds, halved lengthwise, seeds and fibers removed
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper (I usually use black pepper)
• 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano 
• 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Rub the cut slices of the squash with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Set the squash, cut side down, on a baking sheet and roast until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the oven. When cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh from the squash and place in a large bowl, discarding the skin. Mash into a chunky puree with a potato masher, then let cool, about 15 minutes.

Add the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, oregano, chopped sage and nutmeg and work into the warm squash. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and using your hands, work into a smooth, soft dough. Cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel and let rest for 30 to 45 minutes. If your dough feels too sticky, gradually add flour a little at a time until you reach a good consistency. I ended up adding approximately 3 cups of flour.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion between your palms into a long rope, about 3/4-inch thick. If the rope won't hold together, return it to the bowl with the remaining dough and work in more flour, 1 teaspoon at a time, as needed. Cut each rope of dough into 3/4-inch long pieces. Press each piece against the tines of a floured fork, then drop into the lightly floured surface.

(Gnocchi also can be placed in a single layer on a lightly floured baking sheet and refrigerated for several hours. Alternately, the gnocchi can be frozen for 1 hour then transferred to an airtight container and frozen for up to 1 month.)

In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water and the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt to a low boil.

Add the gnocchi in batches and cook just until they float to the top, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes (or 3 minutes for frozen gnocchi.)

We added pesto to ours and served it with a side salad. This recipe made enough that we were able to freeze half of the gnocchi.