Pepperonata

1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 yellow onion, minced
2 red bell peppers
2 green bell peppers
1 yellow bell pepper (or another green or red one)
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves
1/2 red onion, sliced into paper thin slices for garnish
2 tablespoons minced parsley for garnish

DIRECTIONS:
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the 1/2 cup olive
oil until it is hot but not smoking. Add garlic and yellow
onion and saute, stirring until lightly colored (apx 3 min).
Halve the peppers; remove seeds and trim away white ribs.
Cut lengthwise into strips 1/2 inch wide. Add all peppers
to skillet at one time and stir to blend with garlic-onion
mixture. Add tomatoes and salt and mix gently. Scatter oregano
leaves across top. Cover and simmer slowly until peppers are
soft (12 to 15 minutes). Remove from heat and transfer to
serving bowl to cool. Serve peppers at room temperature,
garnishing the top with sliced red onion and minced parsley.

A note about peppers:  Peppers freeze very well raw.  You can hollow them out and freeze them whole for stuffing or you can cup them up into pieces to add to stir-fries,  tomato sauce and vegetable sautés.

MESCLUN SALAD WITH SHALLOT VINAIGRETTE

Feel free to create your own mesclun mix. We suggest baby red oakleaf, baby arugula, mâche, and bite-size pieces of Belgian endive, frisée, and radicchio.
Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 20 min

1/4 cup finely chopped shallot
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil (preferably French) or safflower oil
1 lb mesclun (mixed baby salad greens)

Whisk together shallot, mustard, and vinegar. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified, and season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, toss salad greens with just enough dressing to coat.

Makes 8 servings.

Mesclun Salad

8 cups (about 1/2 pound) mesclun (mixed baby greens), rinsed and spun
dry
2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or to taste
2 teaspoons Sherry vinegar (available at specialty foods shops and some supermarkets) or other wine vinegar

In a salad bowl toss the mesclun well with the oil and drizzle it with the vinegar. Season the salad with salt and pepper and toss it well.

GLAZED BABY TURNIPS AND CARROTS

1 pound baby turnips (about 2 pounds with greens attached) or regular turnips
3/4 pound baby carrots (about 2 pounds with green attached)
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Trim baby turnips and carrots, leaving about 1/2-inch stems if green were attached, and peel if desired. If using regular turnips, peel and cut into 1-inch pieces. In a steamer set over boiling water steam turnips and carrots separately, covered, until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Vegetables may be prepared up to this point 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled.

In a large heavy skillet cook vegetables in butter with sugar and salt and pepper to taste over moderately low heat, stirring, until heated through and glazed, about 4 minutes.

Serves 6.

Keep Warm With Easy Vegetarian Chili

3 cups tomato sauce
3 cups low sodium broth(vegetable, beef or chicken)
1 can red kidney beans
1 can mixed beans
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 med onion, diced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic crushed
Pepper and crushed chilies or tobasco to taste

This recipe is very quick and simple to help you get a nutritious and hearty meal on the table when you don’t have a lot of time or energy. Using the tomato sauce cuts down on cooking time. If you really don’t want to wash and dice vegetables, you can use mixed frozen vegetables and buy the presliced mushrooms.

Put everything in a pot and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring a few times. Enjoy with garlic bread, corn chips or rice.

Eggplant Parmesan

Serving Size : 8
Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
1 cup unseasoned — dry bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp dried basil
4 egg whites
1/2 tsp salt
2 medium eggplants (about 2 pounds) — unpeeled, each cut into 8
Olive oil cooking spray
3 cups low-fat — tomato-based pasta sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese — part-skim
2 tbsp chopped — fresh parsley

In a shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and basil. Mix well.
In another shallow bowl, lightly beat together egg whites and salt. Working one at a time, dip eggplant slices into egg whites, then into crumb mixture. Turn to coat both sides with crumbs. Place slices on 1 large or 2 small baking sheets that have been sprayed with non-stick spray.
Spray tops of slices lightly with olive oil cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Remove eggplant slices from oven, turn them over, and spray again with cooking spray. Return to oven and bake for 15 more minutes.
To assemble casserole, spoon 1 cup pasta sauce over bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Top with 1 /2 eggplant slices. Spoon another 1 cup sauce over eggplant, followed by 1 /2 mozzareila. Repeat layering with remaining eggplant slices, sauce, and mozzareila. Sprinkle parsley over top.
Return to oven and bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes, until cheese is completely melted and sauce is bubbly. Serve immediately.