Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes with Minted Grain Salad
Serves: 6-8
Difficulty: Easy
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes

A great way to serve a healthy salad. Mix this up with any kind of grain that you prefer.

2 cups cooked grain (quinoa, pearl barley, rice, etc…)
1/4 cup diced tomato
1/4 cup diced cucumber
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped mint
1 tablespoon finely sliced scallions, white portion only
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
16 cherry tomatoes

Combine the cooked grain, tomato, cucumber, parsley, mint and scallions in a bowl. Stir in the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cut the core from the cherry tomatoes and make two cuts into the tomato and open it up. Stuff the tomatoes with some of the salad.

Notes
Most any grain would do well in this recipe. I choose quinoa because it cooks fast, is healthy and I had it readily available.
Add more or less of any ingredient to taste.

Spicy Sweet Potatoes
Serves: 3-4
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 5-8 minutes
Cook Time: ~15 minutes

Cayenne pepper gives these fries a nice subtle heat!

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Stir together olive oil, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Coat the sweet potato slices with the maple mixture and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, then turn the potato slices over, brush with any remaining maple mixture, and continue baking until tender in the middle, and crispy on the edges, about 7 minutes more.

Pumpkin Empanadas
Serves: 16
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Pumpkin Filling
One 15 ounce can pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Dough
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 (1/2 ounce) packages dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups flour, divided in half
3/4 cup vegetable shortening

Mix the filling ingredients together and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine water, sugar, salt, yeast, baking powder, and cinnamon. Using an electric mixer, gradually blend in half of the flour. Add shortening and thoroughly mix, then gradually blend in remaining flour. Divide dough into 4 equal parts, and then shape each of those parts into 4 dough balls. Work the dough balls between the palms of your well-floured hands until somewhat flattened, then roll out on a floured surface into circles approximately 4 inches in diameter and 1/8-inch thick. Put about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of pumpkin filling in the center of each circle. Moisten the edges; fold dough over and press edges together lightly with a fork. Bake on a greased cookie sheet until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.

Notes
If you don’t have any pumpkin pie spice, trying combining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ginger, and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves, or just use one teaspoon of cinnamon.

We are taking a little break but Season 3 will be coming out in late November. There will also be an HD version of the show. Check the website for new HD feeds.

Eggplant Curry
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Eggplant never tasted better! Even non-eggplant lovers will eat this recipe!

1 large eggplant
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds or ground cumin
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 bunch cilantro, finely chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Cut the eggplant in half and place it cut side down on a medium baking sheet. Bake 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until tender. Remove from heat, cool, peel, and chop. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Mix in cumin and onion. Cook and stir until onion is tender.
Mix garlic, ginger, curry powder, and tomatoes into the saucepan, and cook about 1 minute. Stir in coconut milk. Mix in eggplant and jalapeno pepper, and season with salt. Cover, and cook 10 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to avoid burning. Remove cover, reduce heat to low, and continue cooking about 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro to serve.

Notes
Try some carrots, green beans, zucchini or other veggies to add color and texture to this yummy curry!
Omit the coconut milk if you don’t have any on hand.
Parsley instead of cilantro might be a nice change.