The summer’s harvest is in! What fantastic eating! It all began with our CSA box of veggies and cheese.
We got eggplant, sweet corn, Italian frying peppers (like bell peppers), red beets, Italian garlic, Thai basil (in the bag), sweet Spanish onions, carrots…
…and cucumbers, grape tomatoes, summer squash, broccoli, Sweet Sarah’s melon…
…and tomatillos, gold potatoes…
…and sesame greens. These greens have a slightly minty flavor and are fantastic in lettuce wraps!
These were super easy and surprisingly delicious. I didn’t expect much from these wraps and yet I devoured them! For a filling, you can be really creative – just add a grain, some veggies, and drizzle in a yummy sauce.
Jill’s Sesame Green Wraps
- Grain: Quinoa (great source of protein!)
- Veggies: Cucumber, Carrots, Ginger (mince them for easier eating)
- Sauce: 2 tablespoons tamari, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, 1 garlic clove minced, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Green: Sesame Greens
For more variations on this recipe, check out the Fran’s House of Ayurveda blog.
Plus, because we also got some cheese this week, I got to enjoy some wine, homemade crackers and delicious camembert cheese. A perfect meal!
I made lunch the other day and as I sat down to eat it I realized how beautiful it was, so I took some pictures. Then, I realized how delicious it was and decided to share the concoction with you!
I made this, ate it, and cleaned up in less than 45 minutes. Pretty awesome! I warmed up some refried beans, placed them on the whole wheat tortilla and topped it with some chunks of cheddar cheese. Then, I chopped up a zucchini and some sesame greens and sautéed them with some garlic in clarified butter for about 5 minutes. I sprinkled them with cumin, salt and pepper and added the mixture to the tortilla. Then I topped it with pickled jalapeño peppers, fresh tomatoes, and sour cream. Wow. It’s hard to get a better lunch than that!
The meal that stole the show was the Thai Eggplant Sauté that I served with the Sesame Wraps. It looks humble but we inhaled this as fast as our mouths could chew. I didn’t add any spiciness to it at all, but it lends itself well to being spiced if you would like. Just toss in a hot pepper with the onion and bell pepper mixture to make your mouth enjoy some heat.
I used Thai basil here and if you can find it I highly recommend it. It tastes like basil with a deeper flavor of anise too. In this dish that anise somehow made everything meld together really well. Loved it! Regular basil would work too, if you can’t find Thai basil.
I do recommend salting and draining the eggplant for this recipe. Salting helps the eggplant to release extra moisture and become reticent to absorb too much oil. We don’t want soggy eggplant here! Be sure to rinse off the salt before cooking; the tamari will have plenty of salt for the dish.
- 1 eggplant
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 1 onion
- 1 bell pepper
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced Thai basil
- 3 tablespoons tamari
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup basmati rice
- Rinse the rice well. Place in a medium saucepan and add 1 2/3 cup water and some salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook until all the water is absorbed or the rice is tender. Drain if necessary. Set aside.
- Peel the eggplant (unless you really like the peeling) and chop into 1/2 inch chunks. Place in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Let drain while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Chop the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Set aside (or place in a small bowl) until ready to use.
- In a small bowl, mix together the tamari, brown sugar, and vinegar. Mince the Thai basil.
- Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet (or wok) over medium-high heat. Rinse the eggplant and add to the hot skillet. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until soft. Add the tamari mixture and let cook for 1-2 minutes to let the veggies absorb the flavors. Remove from heat and stir in the Thai basil. Serve over rice.