This colorful combination of sauteed vegetable is as appealing to the eye as it is to the tongue.  Fresh spinach is wilted into this medley of Italian spiced vegetables in this easy-to-prepare, delicious dish.  Finished with some red pepper flake and finely grated Parmesan cheese, this could easily become one of your families favorite way to have their vegetables.

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Italian Vegetable Medley with Wilted Spinach

Squash, onion, and peppers sautéed until tender tossed with fresh spinach make a colorful and delicious side dish to most any meal.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 2-3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow squash, sliced
• 1 small zucchini squash, sliced
• 1 red pepper, seeded and sliced
• 1 green pepper, seeded and sliced
• 1 medium-sized white onion, sliced
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 1½ teaspoons Italian herbs
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• 2 cups fresh spinach, loosely packed
• 1 teaspoon Red pepper flake, optional
• ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Instructions

• Cut squash, peppers, and onion into similar sized pieces. Different shapes will make your dish more interesting. Cut garlic into thin slices
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil. When oil is shimmering add squash, peppers, onion, and garlic. Stir to coat all vegetables with oil.
• Add Italian spice. Lightly season pan with salt.
• Stir vegetable to cook evenly about 15 minutes or until tender.
• When vegetables are tender, remove pan from heat and add spinach. Toss to mix. The heat from the vegetable will wilt the spinach.
• Add red pepper flake and Parmesan cheese if desired.

Notes

Cook the vegetables to your families liking. I prefer a little crunch on my veggies so I cook them for a shorter amount of time.

Red pepper flake and Parmesan cheese make a nice addition.

Pepper, garlic, and spices are used to create an amazingly deep flavored chili sauce called harissa. Originating in Tunisia, this North Africa pepper sauce is also common in Libya, Algeria and Morocco. Used as an ingredient in goat or fish stew, harissa is also used in lablabi, a chickpea soup usually eaten for breakfast, and to flavor couscous. In addition the paste like pepper sauce makes an excellent rub for meats and eggplant. In regions like Tunisia that experience extreme temperatures and have little refrigeration, hot pepper paste is believed to act as a preservative for meat.

Recipes vary for harissa vary according to the household and the region. Ingredients can include cumin, red peppers, garlic, coriander, and lemon juice. Saharan versions of the sauce are made with peppers that give it a smoky flavor.

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Harissa

Peppers, garlic, and spices are used to create an amazingly deep flavored chili sauce called harissa.

Course Sauce

Cuisine North African

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Servings 1 cup

Ingredients

• 10-12 dried red chili peppers
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground caraway seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin

Instructions

• Soak the dried chilies in hot water for 30 – 45 minutes. Drain. Remove stems and seeds (I kept about half of the seeds to add heat).
• Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree.
• Store harissa in the refrigerator in a tightly closed jar.

Notes

I find it very helpful to wear gloves when handling hot peppers.

Shredded carrots, nuts, dried fruit, and a few spices give these vegan energy treats the flavor and texture of a moist slice of the real thing. Packed only with natural ingredients, these tasty little balls make the perfect companion to your morning cup of coffee, as mid day pick me up, or an after school treat for the kids. Satisfying and full of flavor, these little guys even serve well as an after dinner treat for those of you watching your waistlines.

Pulse to chop walnuts in the food processor and set aside.

Chop dates.

Add walnuts back in and pulse to mix.

Add spices and molasses, pulse to combine. Transfer mixture to a bowl.

Shred carrots and add to nut and date mixture.

Add rest of ingredients and mix well to completely combine. Use a small scoop or teaspoon to make bite size balls.

Roll balls in toasted coconut.

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Carrot Cake Energy Bites

Shredded carrots, nuts, dried fruit, and a few spices give these vegan energy treats the flavor and texture of a moist slice of the real thing. Packed only with natural ingredients, these tasty little balls make the perfect companion to your morning cup of coffee, as mid day pick me up, or an after school treat for the kids.

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Healthy, Vegan

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 18 Energy Bites

Ingredients

• ½ cup walnuts rough chopped
• 12 pitted dried dates rough chopped
• ½ teaspoon molasses or honey
• 1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 2 large carrots peeled and finely shredded
• ¼ cup golden raisins snipped
• ¼ cup pecans finely chopped
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut toasted

Instructions

• Place 1 cup of shredded coconut in a small skillet and toast over medium heat stirring often to avoid burning. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool.
• Place walnuts in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Take care not to process to long, we are not making walnut butter here. Remove chopped nuts from the food processor and set aside.
• Rough chop the dates and then place them in the food processor and pulse until ground. Return chopped walnuts and pulse to combine well. Make sure all the nuts are chopped fine, you will not make nut butter at this point since the dates are combined with the nuts. 
• Add the molasses or honey, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and nutmeg. Pulse until everything is mixed together well. Transfer mixture to mixing bowl.
• Peel carrots. Using a microplane finely shred the carrots. Add to mixture and stir to combine. This will take a bit of doing, but it will all come together. Mix until everything is completely combined.
• Add the raisins and pecans. Mix well.
• Using a small scoop or spoon, roll about a tablespoon of the mixture in your hands to create a ball.
• Place the toasted coconut in a shallow bowl. Roll the balls one at a time in the coconut to coat.
• Transfer on to a parchment lined baking sheet to set up.
• Store the energy balls in tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes

Shredded carrots add a lot of moisture. If mixture is too wet, add more chopped nuts. Toasting the nuts will add more flavor but is not necessary. If you prefer use honey instead of molasses. Makes about 18 – 1″ balls.