Included in this week’s produce boxes we have Eggplant, Kale and Parsley. Eggplant is a great source of vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamine, Magnesium, Copper and more! It’s also amazing to cook Autumn meals with.
The purpose of these recipes is to give you some inspiration for the week ahead. We’ve suggested meal ideas based on our produce selection and they can all be enjoyed on their own, or with any protein that suits your appetite.
Enjoy!
Slow Roasted Butter Eggplant Curry
Inspired by the family favourite butter chicken, this vegie version slow-cooks the eggplant until meltingly tender. Serve in whole pieces or break up the eggplant and stir through the sauce.
- 100ml coconut oil
- 20g unsalted butter
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 5cm (25g) ginger, finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp each ground turmeric, cumin & garam masala
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 400ml coconut milk
- 2 tbs tandoori paste
- 1-2 eggplants, halved lengthways, flesh scored
- Coriander, roti & lime pickle, to serve
Preheat oven to 180°C. Heat oil and butter in a large ovenproof pan over medium heat. Add onion, ginger and garlic with 1 tsp salt flakes, and cook, stirring, for 15-20 minutes until softened and light golden. Stir in the spices and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add tomatoes and coconut milk and bring to a simmer.
Spread tandoori paste over the scored flesh of the eggplant. Partially submerge the eggplant in the sauce, flesh-side up and scatter eggplant lightly with sea salt flakes. Roast for 1 hour 10 minutes or until eggplant is very tender and sauce is thick and reduced. Season to taste and scatter with coriander. Serve with roti and lime pickle alongside.
Kale & Quinoa Salad with Avocado
Precooked quinoa helps keep this healthy salad recipe quick and simple. Loaded with black beans, kale, and avocado, this recipe is as filling as it is nutritious.
- 1 small, sweet potato, peeled and cut into small pieces
- 2 ½ teaspoons olive oil, divided
- ½ avocado
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons water
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- ¾ cup no-salt-added canned black beans, rinsed
- 1 ½ cups chopped baby kale
- 2 tablespoons pepitas
- 1 spring onion, chopped
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
Toss sweet potato and 1 tsp. oil on a baking sheet. Roast, stirring once halfway through, until tender, about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1 1/2 tsp. oil, avocado, lime juice, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, and 1 Tbsp. water in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Add 1 Tbsp. water, if needed, to reach desired consistency.
Combine the sweet potato, quinoa, black beans, and kale in a medium bowl. Drizzle with the avocado dressing and gently toss to coat. Top with pepitas and scallion.
Pumpkin, Feta and Parsley Patties
The best way to use up your leftover pumpkin. Mixed with feta, pine nuts and parsley they can be made into easy and quick-to-cook patties or mini burgers.
- 300g cooked pumpkin, roughly mashed
- ½ pack feta, roughly crumbled
- a handful parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
- for dusting flour, any type will do
- olive oil
- lemon wedges, to serve
- natural yoghurt, to serve
- green salad, to serve
Mix the pumpkin, feta, parsley and pine nuts and season well. Shape into 2 patties and dust with flour. Chill for 20-30 minutes. Heat a little oil in a non-stick pan and fry the patties for 10 minutes, turning carefully once, until golden. Serve with lemon wedges and natural yogurt on the side, and a green salad, if you like.
Garlicky Kale and Mushroom Pasta
This light and flavourful pasta is ready to eat in just 25 minutes and made with a handful of nourishing ingredients.
- 340g Pasta of your choice
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 spring onion, thinly sliced
- 5 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 cups mushrooms of choice, sliced
- 3 cups kale, chopped
- 1/2 cup pasta water (reserved)
- 1 pinch salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup shaved parmigiano cheese
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of pasta water.
Meanwhile heat the oil in a skillet and add the spring onion and garlic, cook until fragrant.
Add the mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes until it softens and start to turn golden brown. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper.
Add chopped kale and toss to a gentle sauté (about 3 minutes) until leaves start to wilt but maintain it's shape.
Transfer veggies to pasta bowl. Add reserved pasta water and toss to combine. Season with red pepper flakes and parmigiano cheese
Broccoli and Parsley Pesto
This vibrant broccoli pesto is quick and easy to make! Whizz it together and toss it with pasta for a easy weeknight dinner.
- 1 heaping cup very small broccoli floret pieces
- ½ cup fresh parsley
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Bring a medium pot of water to boil and place a bowl of ice water nearby. Blanch the broccoli in the boiling water for 30 seconds, and then use a slotted spoon to scoop it into the ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and pat dry.
Place the broccoli into a food processor with the parsley, olive oil, cheese, lemon juice and zest, garlic, salt, and several grinds of fresh pepper. Pulse until combined.
If desired, toss the pesto with cooked pasta. Serve with pine nuts, red pepper flakes, and additional cheese. Season to taste and serve.
Roasted eggplant with creamed cauliflower and salsa verde
Serve this recipe as a terrific side with your favourite protein, or as an impressive vegetarian dish.
- ½ cauliflower, cut into florets with stalk
- 1¼ cups (310ml) cream
- 1-2 eggplants, halved lengthways
- Extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
- SALSA VERDE
- 1 green capsicum, finely diced
- 2 spring onions, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbs finely chopped capers
- 1/3 cup finely chopped gherkins
- 1 tbs finely chopped anchovies (optional)
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- ½ bunch mint, finely chopped
- ½ bunch basil, finely chopped
- 2 sprigs tarragon, finely chopped
- Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- ½ cup (125ml) extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tbs sugar
To make the creamed cauliflower, place cauliflower in a saucepan and cover with cold salted water. Place over high heat, bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain, then return the cauliflower to the pan and add the cream. Place back on the heat and cook for another 5 minutes so the cream reduces slightly.
Pour into a blender (or use a stick blender) and process until silky and smooth. If it is too thick, add more cream until you are happy with the consistency. Season to taste. Cool, then refrigerate until required.
For the salsa verde, combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate for half a day to let the flavours blend and develop. Check the seasoning and add a little more lemon juice if you think it’s required. (You can keep this in the fridge for up to a week.)
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place a cast-iron or other heavy-based pan over high heat. Score the eggplant flesh in a 5mm-deep criss-cross pattern. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Once the pan is hot, place a couple of the eggplant halves in, cut side down. Cook for 2 minutes, until the flesh has begun to caramelise.
Place the cooked eggplant halves cut side up on a baking tray, then repeat with the remaining eggplant halves. Place the baking tray into the preheated oven and cook for another 20-30 minutes, until very soft.
To serve, heat the creamed cauliflower on the stovetop or in a microwave, and spoon a liberal amount onto the centre of warm plates. Top this with an eggplant half, then spoon over a generous amount of the salsa verde. Serve immediately.
Hokkien Noodle Stir-Fry
Fast, fresh and full of nutritious vegetables.
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes, plus extra to serve
- ½ onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1cm piece of ginger, grated
- 1 Bok choy, finely sliced
- 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
- 2 carrots, finely sliced
- 8 baby corn cobs, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 red capsicum, finely sliced
- 5 mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
- ¼ red cabbage, shredded
- 250g hokkien noodles
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves
To make the dressing, in a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil with the soy sauce, oyster sauce and chilli flakes. Set aside.
Heat the remaining sesame oil in a wok or large saucepan over high heat, add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook for 2minutes, or until the onion is softened. Throw in all the veggies and stir-fry for 10–15 minutes, until tender.
Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, drain and add to the veggies. Toss through the dressing and cook for 2minutes to allow the noodles to soak up the flavour.
Divide the stir-fry between serving bowls, scatter over the coriander and more chilli flakes if you like it spicy.
If you would like to check out the latest produce selection, click here to visit the Seasonal FarmBOX product page and be sure to secure your Thursday delivery if you haven't already.