Shawna Coronado's Pumpkin Harvest

Also, happy World Pasta Day!  Good grief, so much going on.  We better get right into

Penne with Basil and Pumpkin Bechamel

Wow…so let’s see…  This recipe is my #meatlessmonday post for Meatless Monday. 

It’s also the last of the 2009 Nude & Eco-Cheap Cooking recipes for this year (boo!  I know, I’m bummed.)  I’d team up with the awesome Shawna Coronado for any cooking challenge anywhere and I am going to miss all her delicious veggies.  Still, as winter touches the Midwest, all her nude (no chemicals) eco-friendly veggies are going away and without the veggies, it’s hard to feed a family of four for less then $10.50! 

But, if she’s up for it, I’m would love to see a 2010 Nude & Eco-Cheap Cooking Initiative!

Oh, and before I forget,  it’s also World Pasta Day, which can only be celebrated by eating pasta.  Which is how we get to this crazy recipe  I dreamed up. 

Making Penne with Basil and Pumpkin Bechamel

This recipe is going to be a tiny bit time consuming since we’re going to make our own pumpkin puree with fresh out-of-the-garden pumpkin.  You can substitute canned, but it won’t be as good or as cheap!  After that, it’s merely a case of making the bechamel and eating.

You will need:

• 1 Sugar Pie Pumpkin (free from Shawna’s garden)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (free for the challenge)
• Salt and pepper (free for the challenge)
• 1 package penne ($3.00)
• 2 tablespoons butter (50 cents)
• 2 tablespoons flour (free for the challenge)
• 3 cups heavy cream at room temperature ($5.00)
• Pinch of nutmeg (25 cents)
• 4-6 leaves basil, sliced thinly (free from Shawna’s garden)

That’s a total of $8.75!  Another successful challenge.

Preheat your oven to 350.

Cut the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds and coat with olive oil.  Then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.  Put the pumpkin on a cookie sheet cut side down and roast for 45 minutes or until fork tender.  Then remove from the oven.

Once it’s cool enough, peel the pumpkin, cut it into chunks and puree in the food processor.  If the puree is too thick, you can loosen it with a little water, broth, or cream.  Add a little extra salt and taste for flavor.  It’s not going to taste like pie or anything because it’s not seasoned for that.  It should have a mild, earthly flavor instead.

Next, prepare the pasta to package directions in well salted water.  Remove while al dente.

When the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a skillet over a medium flame.  When the butter is melted, mix in the two tablespoons of flour to form a paste.  Continue to cook for about 30-60 seconds or until you get a nutty aroma.  Then pour in the room temperature cream and let it get warm.   Finally, add the pumpkin and let the sauce thicken.

Serve the sauce on the penne.  Top with basil.

And enjoy this final 2009 Nude & Eco-Cheap Cooking recipe!

Related posts:

1. #meatlessmonday Meets the 2009 Nude & Eco-Cheap Cooking Initiative Recipe 14: Pumpkin Soup[caption id="attachment_706" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Shawna Coronado's Pumpkin Harvest"][/caption] Yep, that’s...
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Shawna Coronado's Pumpkin Harvest

Yep, that’s right.  It’s another #meatlessmonday and another installment of the 2009 Nude & Echo-Cheap Cooking Initiative.  Today we’re making

Pumpkin Soup

If you’re not familiar with the 2009 Nude & Eco-Cheap Cooking Initiative, that’s where I take the delicious veggies grown by the always awesome Shawna Coronado and turn them into a meal for a family of four that costs less than $11.50.  Can I do it?

Yes I can with this easy, but delicious pumpkin soup.

I actually love pumpkin season.  I think it’s kind of a shame that it only seems to be popular for about two months.  Still, every year people go NUTS for pumpkins: pumpkin desserts, pumpkin soups, pumpkin coffee drinks, pumpkin pizza, and so on.  Then even before the Thanksgiving leftovers are done…BOOM… everyone’s on to peppermint or sugar cookies or some other Christmas phase.  Anyway, I’m ranting.

The good news is that for the next month or so we can continue to enjoy pumpkin recipes like this one.

Making Pumpkin Soup

This recipe is so easy, but it takes a little while to make because you want to cook the pumpkin before you put it into the soup.  Boiled pumpkin sounds ridiculously unappetizing and the stuff would take forever to boil anyway. So, instead, you need to bake it first.  Once it’s ready, the rest of the soup is a breeze.

You will need:

• 1 pumpkin, halved and seeded (free from Shawna’s garden)
• 8 tablespoons olive oil, divided (free as part of the challenge)
• 1 loaf bread ($2.00)
• 1 clove of garlic (5 cents)
• 1 medium yellow (non-sweet) onion, 1/4 inch dice (free from Shawna’s garden)
• 16 ounces of mushrooms, cleaned and sliced ($3.50)
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 6 cups broth ($1.50)
• 2 cups heavy cream ($3.50)
• 4 leaves basil, thinly sliced (free from Shawna’s garden)

Total: $10.55 (cream is expensive, but still made it!!)

Heat your oven to 350 degrees.  Cover both halves of the pumpkin in about two tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt.  Bake for forty-five minutes cut side down or until the pumpkin is fork tender.

When the pumpkin is finished, let it cool and then cut into a small dice and set aside.

Next, cut the loaf of bread in half and then cut into 2 inch wide pieces. Rub with the cut clove of garlic and drizzle with olive oil.

In a soup pot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil then saute the onions until they start to turn translucent.  Then add the mushrooms and cook them until the are brown and shriveled.  Add the black pepper and the broth and bring to a boil.    (At this point, put the bread in the oven and keep an eye on it.  You will want to remove it when it gets brown.)

When the broth is boiling, add the cream and bring the soup back to a boil.

Finally, add the pumpkin and let it get warm. 

Serve with the basil on top of the soup and enjoy!

Related posts:

1. #meatlessmonday Meets the 2009 Nude & Eco-Cheap Cooking Initiative Recipe 15: Pumpkin Bechamel[caption id="attachment_706" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Shawna Coronado's Pumpkin Harvest"][/caption] Also, happy...
2. #MeatlessMonday meets 2009 Nude & Eco-Cheap Cooking Initiative Recipe 13: Eggplant Rolltini [caption id="attachment_685" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Broccoli and Eggplant"][/caption] Okay, it’s...
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Broccoli and Eggplant

Okay, it’s #meatlessmonday again, which means it’s time to do right by yourself and the earth by going twenty-four short hours without meat.  Sound tough?  Not when you have

Eggplant Rollitini

I just love eggplant and I swear after this, so will you!

Also, you may have noticed, this is another fantasic 2009 Nude & Eco-Cheap Cooking Initiative recipe, wherein I take the delicious vegetables that Shawna Coronado has grown and make them into dinner for family of four for less than $11.50.  Sadly, because winter is here (feels like it never left did it??? ) the growing season is almost over, so there won’t be many more of these in 2009.  But fear not, while the veggies keep coming, so will delicious, healthy dinners for less than $11.50.

With that being said, this particular recipe was inspired by Jasper’s here in Kansas City.  It was one of the dishes Chef fixed during the Best Meal I Ever Ate.   It was wonderful then and I just hope I can do it justice for less than $11.50!

Making Eggplant Rollatini

The bulk of this meal will be the eggplant rollitini, which is simply grilled or sauteed slices of eggplant rolled around thick, creamy ricotta cheese.  To give the meal a little bulk, we take the beautiful looking broccoli, saute it up, and then add it to some pasta for a complete meal–all for less than $11.50!

One quick note: This recipe may read as a little disjointed, but the idea is to get hot eggplant and pasta on the table at the same time so I mixed the steps for both recipes together.

You will need:

• 1 eggplant, sliced lengthwise in 1/4 inch strips (free from Shawna’s garden)
• Salt to taste (free for the challenge)
• 12 tablespoons olive oil (free for the challenge) (divided)
• 1 head broccoli, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (free from Shawna’s garden)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (50 cents)
• Pinch red pepper flake (5 cents)
• Pepper to taste (free for the challenge)
• 12 ounces ricotta (3.50)
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder (25 cents)
• 4 services whole wheat pasta ($2.00)
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan (75 cents)

Total: $7.05 (That’s way under $11.50!)

Eggplant Preproduction

Sprinkle the eggplant generously on both sides with salt and let it sit on a cookie cooling rack or cookie sheet for up to an hour.  This will slowly start to draw some of the water out of the eggplant.

While the salt is doing its thing, mix the ricotta and the garlic powder. 

Pasta Production

Set aside the eggplant and bring a saucepan full of water to boil.  Add the broccoli and cook for 3 minutes.  Immediately dump into a bowl of ice cold water to stop the cooking process.

Next, add about 8 tablespoons of olive oil with the minced garlic and red pepper flake to a skillet.  Set the heat to medium and let the oil slowly get hot.  Once the oil starts to bubble, add the broccoli and wait for the oil to bubble again.  Then set the heat to low.

Also, get the pasta cooking according to package directions.

Eggplant Time

Finally, you can make the eggplant.

When you are ready to cook the eggplant, wipe the salt off with a paper towel then brush with olive oil.  (This should take about 2 tablespoons to do both sides of the eggplant, but could be as many as 4.)  Then sprinkle with black pepper.

In a skillet over medium heat, cook the eggplant 2 minuntes on each side or until the eggplant is still firm, but cooked through.  Put a tablespoon of ricotta on each eggplant slice and roll it around the ricotta.

Bring It On Home

When the pasta is ready, drain it and mix the pasta in the olive oil sauce.  Serve alongside the eggplant and enjoy!

Related posts:

1. #meatlessmonday Meets the 2009 Nude & Eco-Cheap Cooking Initiative Recipe 15: Pumpkin Bechamel[caption id="attachment_706" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Shawna Coronado's Pumpkin Harvest"][/caption] Also, happy...
2. #meatlessmonday Meets the 2009 Nude & Eco-Cheap Cooking Initiative Recipe 14: Pumpkin Soup[caption id="attachment_706" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Shawna Coronado's Pumpkin Harvest"][/caption] Yep, that’s...
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Shawna Coronado's Fall Harvest

When Shawna Coronado sent me that image you see to your right and told me to make something with it for the 2009 Nude & Eco-Cheap Cooking Initiative, I got really excited.  See, I love pumpkin and I love to make savory meals out of it.  And I knew, knew I could make a delicious dish with it for only $11.50.

So today we’re making

Baked Rice In a Pumpkin

For only $7.00!

I hope you’re ready for this.  It’s easy to make and easy to clean up.  It’s delicious and it’s got the coolest serving presentation: bake the rice in the pumpkin, then serve it tableside in a pumpkin.  It’s like the snake meal from Indiana Jones, but it’s pumpkin.  And there’s no baby snakes.  But other than that, just like it.

Also cool is the fact that this is one of those recipes that you can experiment with to your heart’s content.  All you need to do is keep the proper ratio of water to rice and make sure the pumpkin bakes through and you are good to go.

Baking Rice In a Pumpkin

Baking rice in a pumpkin is simple.  Cut the pumpkin.  Hollow it out.  Put all of your ingredients into the pumpkin.  Bake.  Come back in an about 30 minutes.  When the pumpkin is fork tender, the dish is done.

You will need:

• 1 pound breakfast sausage ($3.50)
• Sugar pie pumpkin (the larger, especially the taller, the better) (free from Shawna’s garden)
• 2 cups white rice ($1.00)
• 4 cups chicken stock ($2.00 or make veggie stock for free)
• 1 green pepper, seeded and diced (free from Shawna’s garden)
• 1 tablespoon thyme (50 cents)

Total: $7.00

Preheat oven to 350.

Okay, so I fibbed a bit.  There is one additional step.  Brown and drain your sausage before you dump it into the pumpkin.  For safety purposes if nothing else.

EDIT: I fibbed again.  There’s another step I want to introduce.  Go ahead and make the rice in the stock before you put it in the pumpkin.  It will ensure the rice gets cooked.

Cut as little of the top off the pumpkin as you can and hollow out the insides.  Save the seeds for toasting.

Put the cooked rice, sausage, green pepper, and thyme in the pumpkin.  Put the top back on the pumpkin.

Bake for 30 minutes.  Come back and check to see if the top of the pumpkin is fork tender and the rice is done.  If neither is true, check back every 10 minutes.  I have found it’s nearly impossible to overcook the pumpkin, so don’t worry about cooking time.

Bring the pumpkin table side, cut and eat right there.  Enjoy!

Shawna took that delicious picture.

Related posts:

1. #meatlessmonday Meets the 2009 Nude & Eco-Cheap Cooking Initiative Recipe 14: Pumpkin Soup[caption id="attachment_706" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Shawna Coronado's Pumpkin Harvest"][/caption] Yep, that’s...
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Tonight, I am combining two fantastic traditions: #MeatlessMonday and the 2009 Nude & Eco-Cheap Cooking Initiative. #MeatlessMonday is my weekly commitment to show you a delicious way to eat meat-free once a week while the 2009 Nude & Eco-Cheap Cooking Initiative is where Shawna Coronado grows the vegetables and I turn them into a dinner for four for under $11.50.

#MeatlessMonday is all about getting more healthy fruits and vegetables into your life and what better way to do it than with produce fresh out of Shawna’s (or your) garden?  So maybe for this #meatlessmonday (or next), I hope you’re having:

Fried Zucchini Napoleons, Cucumber Salad, and Mashed Beets

Wow, that’s like a complete meal with sides and everything.  Look at me go!

Making the Zucchini Napoleons

Fried Zucchini

As near as I can tell, a Napoleon is any type of stacked food.  It comes from the fact Napoleon was a little on the short side and used to stand on …  Okay, that’s a lie.  According to Wikipedia, a Napoleon originally started off as a dessert where puff pastry was layered with sweetened creams.  In France, they’re called a Mille-feuille.  We call it a Napoleon because of our gratitude to Napoleon for the Louisiana Purchase … Okay, that’s a lie, too.  We call it a Napoleon because it came from Naples and even though it was originally a dessert, the term “Napoleon” has been generalized to all types of stacked foods.

You will need:

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes (free from Shawna’s garden)
• 2-3 tablespoons cooking oil
• 2-3 zucchini, cut lengthwise, 1/4 thick (free from Shawna’s garden)
• 1 cup flour (free because of the challenge rules)
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder (.10 cents)
• 2 teaspoons salt (free because of the challenge)
• 2 eggs (50 cents)
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs ($2.50)
• 4 oz Mozzarella cheese ($2.50)
• Oil for frying
• 6-8 leaves of basil (free from Shawna’s garden)

Subtotal: $5.60

Okay, the first thing to do is get the cherry tomatoes cooking.  Preheat the oven at 350 degrees.  Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and sprinkle with oil, salt, and pepper.  Cook the tomatoes 30 minutes or until they are shriveled, sweet, and delicious.

While the tomatoes are baking, create a three stage dipping station.  Put the flour in one bowl with the salt and garlic powder.  Beat the eggs and put them in the second bowl.  Finally, put the panko in the third.  Dredge the zucchini in the flour using your dry hand, then dip it in the egg.  With your wet hand, flip the zucchini and put it in the panko.  Finally, cover both sides of the zucchini with panko using your dry hand.  Let the zucchini rest for 5 minutes.

Fry in 350 degree oil until the zucchini is golden brown.  Sprinkle with salt and let it rest.

When you take the tomatoes out of the oven, don’t turn it off.  Instead, assemble the Napoleons by layering the zucchini, then the cheese, then a few tomatoes, then another layer of zucchini, cheese and tomoatoes.  Bake in the oven until the cheese melts.  This should be about 6 minutes.

If you have some left over marinara, warm it up and pour a tablespoon over the top of the Napoleons before serving.   Use the basil for garnish.

Thanks to Matt Chatfield from the Kansas City Culinary Intitute.  One of his dishes was my inspiration for this.

Cucumber Salad

Okay, this is a real easy side that my grandmother makes.  It’s so simple, but it’s really good!

You will need:

• 2 cups vinegar ($1.00)
• 4 tablespoons sugar (25 cents)
• 4 cucumbers (free from Shawna’s garden), peeled and diced

Subtotal: $1.25

About two hours before serving, boil the vinegar.  Add the suger and stir.  Let the vinegar cool.

Mix all ingredients in a refrigerator-safe container and keep cool until serving.

Mashed Beets

Mashed beets are slightly sweet, filling, and a great side dish anytime you’d normally use mashed potoates.  They’re just as easy to make as mashed potatoes, too.

You will need:

• 1 pound beets, washed well
• 4 tablespoons butter (75 cents)
• (optional) 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (varies)

Subtotal: $.75

Boil the beets in salted water until fork tender.  This usually takes about 30-45 minutes.  Mash with the butter and the optional balsamic.

That’s a total of $7.45 (plus balsamic) to feed four people a healthy, delicious, #meatlessmonday which is very, very cheap.  I hope you see how economical having a home garden is.  If you look at the prices, Shawna’s garden cut the price of this meal down dramatically!

Now, all that’s left is to enjoy!

Thanks Shawna Coronado and RobotSkirt for the image.

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Forunately, we’re not.  So to show off the fruits (well, vegetables) of Shawna’s labor, we’re making

Eggplant Green Curry

Shawna's July Bounty

Why?  Well, because when Shawna gives you eggplant, you make curry.  It’s a rule.  Look it up. 

See, just yesterday she sent me the pic you see to your right.  There is so much in that picture I want to cook with, I hardly know what to do with myself.  But, first thing’s first.  When I saw that eggplant, I knew I wanted to cook it and eat it.  So I decided on eggplant curry.

Making Eggplant Green Curry

Of all the dishes in the 2009 Nude & Eco-Cheap Cooking Initiative, this one probably lets the ingredients speak for themselves the least.  But I really like curry, especially Thai green curry, and I knew I wanted to do something nice and cheap that I could work curry into.  Here is what I made.

You will need:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic (20 cents)
• 1 eggplant, cut into 2 inch pieces
• Other vegetables you have from the garden, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2-100 dried Asian chilis  (okay, I used about 10) (10 cents)
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cans Coconut Milk (about $7)
• 2 Kafir lime leaves sliced very thin (about 50 cents)
• 1 stalk lemongrass, sliced (about $1)
• 2 tablespoons curry paste of your choice

Depending on the vegetables you use, you may need to do some precooking.  I blanched the asparagus I put in my curry, but everything else I just threw in the skillet.

Over medium heat, add the vegetable oil.  When hot, add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.  Add the eggplant and any other long cooking vegetables (carrots, onions, zucchini) and cook until they start to turn soft (usually about 10 minutes).  Then add any quick cooking veggies and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the chilis and stir fry them for 30 seconds then add the water, coconut milk, the kafir lime leaves, the lemongrass, and the curry paste.  Boil the curry until it has reduced by half.

Serve over rice and enjoy!

Related posts:

1. #MeatlessMonday meets 2009 Nude & Eco-Cheap Cooking Initiative Recipe 13: Eggplant Rolltini [caption id="attachment_685" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Broccoli and Eggplant"][/caption] Okay, it’s...
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