1. Preheat oven 400 degrees.
2.  Drizzle veggies with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Spread out evenly on a sheet pan.  Roast vegetables till done.  Eggplant 30-45 minutes, zucchini 1o minutes, squash 30-45 minutes, red peppers 30-45 minutes.

3.  Layer veggies starting with an eggplant slice as the base.  Spread ricotta and pesto between layers of veggies alternating between the two.  Top with a dallop of ricotta on top of the last layer.
4.  Reheat stacks in 350 degrees for 15 minutes till heated through.  Serve with balsamic reduction and roasted red pepper sauce.

Balsamic Reduction:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
Reduced to a thick sauce.

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce:
1 clove garlic
1 roasted red pepper
1/2 cup goat cheese or feta cheese
1.  In food processor or with a hand held mixer zip together the 3 ingredients.

To Plate:
Place a dallop of the roasted red pepper sauce on the plate.  Run a spoon through it and then place the veggie stack on top.  Drizzle around the stack with balsamic reduction.  Serve.

Basically what hit home for me in this book is that “What happens to a culture when it loses some essential part of itself?  People are telling us that home cooking and the family table are on the endangered species list-small farmers and producers are, too- and that these age-old practices and ways of life, cornerstones of our civilization, will become extinct if we don’t stop and take notice and protect and preserve them.”

That is what I think street food brings to a community.  It can be so diverse.  An eggroll stand at one end of the street, a hot dog cart next to that, and then a falafel stand at the other end of the street.

At the end the Kitchen Sisters propose this question: “Who glues your community together through food?  Who is cooking on your corner?  What traditions are vanishing from your neighborhood, your family, the planet?…It’s the food, but more than that, it’s the fellowship…Food is our universal language; it’s what we have in common.  When in doubt, cook.”

Just in my own experience of cooking at the farmers markets I have felt the love of the community and the neighborhood.  The support and the relationships you make with the people are the most important.  I love getting to know people, their family, and their pets.  Food as fellowship has made me feel more a part of a community than I have ever felt.  Being able to make that connection with people and start a conversation about food, health, the local farmers and the environment has been one of the best parts of vending at the farmers markets!  It’s what I love along with feeding people really good food.

You can check out my food stand, Foxy Falafel, at local markets in Minneapolis, MN.
Check out www.foxyfalafel.com for more information.

http://www.elanaspantry.com/chocolate-chip-cookies/

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
10 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup agave nectar
1 cup dark chocolate 73%

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl
2. Stir together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl
3. Mix wet ingredients into dry
4. Form 1¨ balls and press onto a parchment lined baking sheet
5. Bake at 350° for 7-10 minutes
6. Cool and serve

Stuffed Mini Peppers

These little devils are super tasty.  You can find mini sweet peppers at the farmers markets in the fall and also in the grocery stores every so often.   I cut off the tops and take out the pith and seeds on the inside.

For the goat cheese herb stuffing:
yield 6 mini peppers

4 oz goat cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1 Tbsp Total Mixed Herbs
Pinch of Salt and Pepper

1.  Mix in small bowl goat cheese and shredded mozzarella.  Add any fresh herbs you have around or else use 1 tsp each of dried basil and oregano.

2.  Stuff peppers with cheese and put the top back on.

3.  Bake 400 degrees for 15 minutes uncovered.  Enjoy!

Learn more here: http://www.kefir.net/

I have been making kefir for the past few months using raw unpasteurized milk. I usually can’t handle eating too much dairy, but the kefir is easily digested and super tasty blended with frozen fruit as a smoothie.