Adapted from Alice Waters's recipe (https://food52.com/recipes/14155-alice-waters-ratatouille)

Serves 3

• 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more to taste
• 1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 4 to 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 bunch basil, tied in a bouquet with kitchen twine + 6 basil leaves, chopped
• 1 pinch dried chile flakes
• 1 sweet peppers, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 medium summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 2 ripe medium tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• Salt to taste

½ lb mushrooms
1 leek
2 cloves garlic
kale or spinach
1 medium white potato
grated cheese
5-6 eggs, well beaten

Pre-heat oven to 375°

Slice the white part of the leek, combine with diced garlic.

In a large, oven-safe sautee pan or cast iron, sautee in olive oil until soft and lightly browned. Add in muchrooms and more olive oil as needed, continue until mushrooms are cooked, soft, and reduced in size. Add in balsamic vinegar kale an continue sauteeing until fully wilted and reduced. Remove from pan and set aside.

1 C red lentils
3 T nit'r qibe / oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp ground cardamom
⅓ C berbere spice
salt, pepper, sugar to taste

Place the onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor or blender and puree. Add a little water if necessary.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the berbere spice and cardamom, stirring constantly to cook spices through, about 1 minute

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon ground sumac
Kosher salt

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses or ½ tsp. honey
2 cups (lightly packed) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves with tender stems
¼ cup pomegranate seeds

Toss onion, sugar, and sumac in a medium bowl; season with salt and let sit 30 minutes. Add oil, vinegar, and pomegranate molasses and toss to combine; let sit 5 minutes.

Just before serving, toss in parsley and pomegranate seeds; season with salt. Could add crumbled feta as well.

We first had this salad at a Thai/Lao restaurant in Virginia. It was freakin' awesome, and so we set making it at home. We combined three recipes and the result was quite good.

Garlic scape pesto is a wonderful thing. It is delicious, easy to make*, easy to use, and freezes well. We try and make a big batch of this when garlic scapes appear at the farmer's market in late spring. Freeze in ice cube trays for easy use later.

2 cups garlic scapes, cut into ½" pieces (stringy and blender-killing otherwise!)
⅔ cup olive oil
1 cup shredded parmesan (or substitute) cheese
⅓ cup pine nuts
⅓ tsp salt

Blend all ingredients in food processor until a pasty consistency.

I had a hankering for Thai food since we're currently planning a trip to Thailand. I did a quick search, and voila! I modified the curry recipe from here. I have to admit this isn't the most authentic or even delicious green curry recipe, but frankly it's pretty easy to make and can be made mostly without often hard to find ingredients.

I personally prefer this recipe with extra firm tofu, but it could theoretically go with any protein. Fish or seafood would be best, followed by chicken.

Serves 4.