simple | Megan Peck Cooks

It can be difficult to eat healthy this time of year. Especially here in the Northeast where we just made it through one of the coldest February’s on record. Heavier fatty foods like mac and cheese or meatloaf and mashed potatoes are often enticing while really fresh produce is harder and harder to find. We have to remind ourselves to “eat your vegetables” like our mothers always said, because the idea of a salad for lunch when it’s 5 degrees outside, just doesn’t cut it. Enter the Middle Eastern Vegetable Bake. This vegetable mélange is the solution to healthy eating and cold weather cravings – with a touch of warmth.

An old-fashioned recipe, straight from “The Art of Good Cooking,” by my grandmother Paula Peck – this is a healthy lunch or side dish that is sure to provide those daily servings of vegetables you’re missing. Easy-to-find vegetables like zucchini, eggplant, red pepper, cabbage, onion, potatoes, and carrots are thrown together into a casserole then baked until softened and the flavors are combined. The fragrant aroma of garlic and fresh parsley fills the kitchen as it bakes. Any excuse to use the oven to help heat the house up this time of year is a bonus but the resulting guiltless veggie dish makes it even better.

I’m not sure what makes this dish Middle Eastern – if I had to guess, it would be the addition of grapes. It sounds a bit strange but baked grapes add a sweetness that the other vegetables are missing and balances the dish. The different textures and juices of the vegetables in this simple casserole, will make remembering to eat your vegetables this winter, a much easier task.

Middle Eastern Vegetable Bake

Ingredients

½ cup olive oil

1 small eggplant, cut in cubes

2 small tomatoes, sliced ½ inch thick

1 medium zucchini, cut in ½ inch slices

1 medium red pepper, cubed

8 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 onion, sliced

3 stalks of celery, diced

1 cup shredded cabbage

1 cup diced green beans

3 carrots, peeled and sliced into ¼ inch slices

2 medium red potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ cubes

1 cup seedless grapes

1 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon crumbled bay leaf

salt

pepper

hot sauce (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour a few tablespoons of the olive oil in a large casserole or baking dish. Make one individual layer of each of the vegetables (including a layer of garlic) and grapes, seasoning each layer with salt, pepper, parsly, oregano, basil, bay leaf, and a little olive oil. Make the top layer an assortment of all of the vegetables. Bake uncovered for 30-50 minutes or until all vegetables are tender. Serve warm with hot sauce (if using).

Serves. 8

Warming one pot meals are a welcome site this time of year. After shoveling multiple inches of snow in the bone-chilling cold, coming home to a hot steaming bowl of chili could not be more comforting. Plus this chili is healthy (bonus!). I used turkey instead of beef for this lowfat version but the spices and an uncommon special ingredient round out the flavors of this dish to make it just as tasty as the beef version. The special ingredient is chocolate. Yes, chocolate. Not the sweet kind but unsweetened and no, you won’t taste it. It simply adds a deep rich flavor to the chili.

This recipe is a combination I created from recipes I’ve made in the past by both my mother and grandmother. I always liked the zing of the canned diced tomatoes and green chile in my mother’s recipe – pantry items are always a plus this time of year. While my grandmother used beef brisket instead of ground turkey in her beef chili recipe in “The Art of Good Cooking,” she also used that magical special ingredient, chocolate. Together with beans, garlic, onion, and of course, chili powder, this is one irresistible easy weeknight meal.

The harshest days of winter may have come late this year but they are here now and it’s probably no surprise that I turn to classic dishes such as this to get me through the worst of it. I can eat this chili all week, it gets better as it sits. Just change up the toppings: avocado and cheese for a few days then tomato and sour cream. Top it off with a sprinkle of cilantro and the freezing snowy days seem just a little more bearable.

Turkey Chili with All The Fixins

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 lb of ground turkey

½ teaspoon salt

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

1 ½ tablespoons of chili powder

1/8 teaspoon cumin

¼ oz unsweetened chocolate or ½ tablespoon cocoa powder

2 tablespoons tomato paste

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes in juice

4 oz can chopped green chiles

15 oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups of broth or water

salt and pepper

Toppings

diced avocado

grated cheddar cheese

chopped cilantro

diced tomato

sour cream

chopped onion

Instructions

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat for 1 minute. Add ground turkey and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Brown while breaking up meat with a spatula until pink is no longer visible. Remove turkey from pan and set aside.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and leftover turkey juices over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Let sauté for a few minutes, until onion is translucent. Add chili and cumin. Add chocolate and allow to melt. Stir in tomato paste, diced tomatoes, green chiles.

Bring to a simmer and add beans. Add broth or water and bring to a simmer. Add cooked ground turkey and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve hot with choice of toppings.