Pesto Ratatouille

Ratatouille is a French vegetable dish, and an incredibly popular Disney movie. This is not a traditional Ratatouille, and in that vein we took similar creativity in making a pesto. That said, it was delicious and I can’t wait to make it again.

We have had fun experimenting with pesto in the past (you may recall Tomato Pesto SaladChicken Pesto Pasta, and Easy Pesto Egg Bake) and last weekend I was craving vegetables at every turn. I have always wanted us to make a Ratatouille but we have had a lot of tomato-based meals lately; so when Brent suggested we use pesto instead of a tomato sauce, I agreed.

We hope you’ll find this variation on a provincial French classic as fun and tasty as we did!

Braised Cabbage with Pancetta

This week we have a braised cabbage recipe that is inspired by our international travels. Cabbage is often served as a part of salads or fermented as sauerkraut, but we learned that braised cabbage is delicious—especially when cooked with a pork product (this time it’s pancetta).

We make cabbage salads on a regular basis, and have posted a few recipes in the past: Mediterranean ColeslawTandy Cajun Cabbage Slaw, and Celery Seed Cabbage Slaw are three of our favorites. This week, we bring you a cabbage cooked with pancetta and carrots. We know you’ll enjoy it!

Karottensalat (German Carrot Salad)

I can’t remember why, but a couple of weeks ago Brent and I thought it would be a good idea to buy one of those 10-lb bags of carrots at Costco. I had visions of carrot juice in the morning, carrot soufflés, and finding other creative ways to use the carrots. Admittedly, we have made neither juice nor soufflé of carrot.

Fortunately, Brent remembered that during our first trip to Germany, we enjoyed a carrot salad that was bright and tangy as we sat on a bench outside Nymphenburg Palace. In our research, we found quite a few varieties but we settled on keeping our version simple. We’re enjoying it now, and I think we’ll be making it more often once spring time arrives. It’s a perfect side dish for a picnic or cookout!

Homemade Fig Jam

There’s something magical about fruit trees. In our experience, which admittedly is very little, they don’t require much work and reap many benefits. Our fig tree produced a great harvest, more than either of us expected between early August and mid-October. In case you missed our other recipes, we had a lot of fun creating Chicken and Fig Tagine, Cider-Braised Boneless Short Ribs with Figs, Arugula and Fresh Fig Salad, and Fig Coconut Yogurt.

Today, even though we’re away on vacation, we bring you another fig recipe: homemade fig jam. It is great on rice crackers; you might also enjoy it with a soft cheese like brie (if you can tolerate high-quality dairy) or Kite Hill almond-based Cream Cheese Style Spread. Brent’s mom used it with almond butter on sprouted bread (a new twist on PB&J!) and plans to use it instead of store-bought fruit spread in her Linzer cookies for Christmas. Whether you have your own fig tree or find them at the store, we hope you’ll enjoy making and eating this fig jam or any of our other fig recipes. Let us know what you decide to do—we would love to hear from you!

Bacon, Kale & Onion Sauté

When I was a kid, breakfast foods were for breakfast and everything else was for lunch or dinner. As I’ve grown up, I’ve slowly come to find that all foods taste good all the time. I love “brinner” (breakfast for dinner) and dinner foods for breakfast.

This is one dish that can be served any time of day, on its own or as a side dish. I love this recipe for its simplicity and its ability to use in a variety of situations. It’s so fast and easy to make—it’s perfect for a quick meal any time of day. I’ve eaten it alone for dinner and with eggs (scrambled, fried over hard, and even poached) for breakfast. You might also want to serve it as a side with a roast chicken or pork tenderloin or even steak. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!