Sunday Night Cooking Challenge (on Wednesday)

One-Pot Rataouille, from Sunset Magazine

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14 1/2 oz. each) diced tomatoes
8 ounces eggplant, rinsed and diced
About 1/2 teaspoon salt
About 1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound bell peppers, diced
8 ounces zucchini, diced

I added:
Couscous, Quinoa, or pasta
Goat Cheese

The recipe also called for these ingredients but I didn’t use them and it turned out great:
8 ounces yellow summer squash, diced
3/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1. In your biggest frying pan, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and simmer for about a minute.
2. Add tomatoes (with juice), eggplant, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is soft when pierced, about 10 minutes.
3. Prepare couscous or grain of your choice according to package directions.
3. Stir in bell peppers, zucchini, and yellow squash. Return to a simmer, cover, and cook until squash is tender when pierced, 8 to 10 minutes longer.
4. (I skipped this step) Stir in basil and remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve on top of the couscous and sprinkled with goat cheese. The goat cheese is key as it brings it to a new level of delish that will make you happy to eat it for lunch the next few days!

Sunday Night Cooking Challenge

A delicious summer dish that can replace those $10 midtown salads for a few days of lunches! Also great for picnics – or waiting in line for Shakespeare in the Park tickets.

This makes a TON— you could use half the pasta and make half the sauce if you get sick of leftovers quickly.

Peanut Noodles with Pears
(adapted from Real Simple)

1 box pasta (small shapes work best—you can use spaghetti but it tends to fuse into one giant peanut sauce lump)
1 cup smooth natural peanut butter (chunky will not work as well – I’ve tried it)
1 cup water, at room temperature
¼ cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil*
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 pears (even better if they aren’t ripe)
1 cucumber
5 scallions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup peanuts, roughly chopped (optional)

Chop up the pears & cucumbers & scallions while the pasta cooks. Drain the pasta, rinse with cold water & drain again. Combine PB, water, vinegar, oil & salt in a bowl and stir to make a smooth sauce (this will take a few minutes of stirring but eventually will combine). Toss the sauce with pasta and toppings, add peanuts on top for garnish if you like. Stick in the fridge and eat for days.

* Yes, this recipe does require the purchase of some specialty ingredients which Recession This! is generally opposed to—stay tuned for more recipes featuring sesame oil!