Bread of Life Food Share

09/25/2026

Eggplant is plentiful at the Bread of Life Food Share right now. This recipe is one way to prepare an often misunderstood vegetable that is simple, tastes great and makes good leftovers.

You will need:

Olive oil, vegetable oil, or a combination, for frying

2 pounds (0.9 kg) eggplant (about 2 Italian eggplant or several small ones), sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds

Kosher or regular salt salt

1 1/4 cups (360 ml) tomato sauce

3/4 pound shredded fresh mozzarella - or cheese of your choice.

Fresh oregano leaves (from about 4 sprigs) or fresh basil leaves (from 1 or 2 sprigs), torn

Putting it all together:

Get some of the liquid out of the eggplant so it won’t be soggy once cooked. To do this set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet or in your sink. Arrange eggplant slices on the rack and sprinkle lightly on both sides with salt. Let stand 20 minutes, then blot dry with paper towels.

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). While the oven is heating, add oil to a large cast iron skillet (or any frypan) and heat over high heat until shimmering. Working in 3 to 4 batches, fry eggplant slices, turning, until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer fried eggplant to a paper towel–lined half sheet pan to drain well, replacing paper towels as needed. Season lightly with salt. Repeat with remaining eggplant, topping up oil as needed.

In a baking dish, arrange a layer of eggplant slices. Top with a thin layer of tomato sauce, followed by shredded cheese and oregano or basil leaves. Continue layering eggplant, sauce, cheese, and herbs to fill baking dish. Do not add oregano or basil to the top layer.

Bake the eggplant/tomato sauce and cheese until bubbling and browned on top, 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes to reabsorb juices. Sprinkle with oregano or basil leaves and serve.

This is really good for dinner. My husband enjoys it for breakfast as well with a fried egg on top.

09/19/2026

There is a lot of cabbage around right now and it makes for really good sides or as the full meal. You can add whatever you wish to this basic recipe. Protein of any kind, animal, fish or plant based goes particularly well. It is also really nice with rice or noodles.

You will need:
1/2 large head green cabbage or one small head, chopped
4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
1 shallot or green onion thinly sliced
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon oil
salt to taste
red pepper flakes optional, to taste
soy sauce or tamari to taste
rice vinegar
sesame oil to taste

Putting it together:
Prep the veggies, then add the oil and butter to a large pan over medium heat. Once melted, add the garlic and shallot or green onion. Cook down for a couple minutes, or until tender.
Add a pinch of salt, red pepper flakes and the cabbage. Toss to coat the cabbage in the oil.
Once the cabbage has started to wilt, add a splash of soy sauce & rice vinegar. Toss again and cook until desired consistency is reached.*

Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Serve hot with protein, rice or noodles.

09/02/2026

Another zucchini recipe for you! Zucchini and patty pan squash, like carrots, are everywhere right now.

This recipe is zucchini with your choice of sausage or protein. Chicken, turkey, pork, or beef sausage will all work here. Spicey or mild are all good. Tofu or textured vegetable protein will work as well if marinated for a couple of hours in your choice of marinade before cooking the recipe.

What you will need:

4 zucchini (about 6 oz. each)
3 tsp. oil, divided
2 small links sausage or equivalent tofu (about 6 oz. total)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
3 oz your choice of cheese, coarsely grated
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, plus more for sprinkling. If you don’t like cilantro, just use more green onions.
Kosher salt and pepper

Putting it all together:

Place rimmed baking sheet in oven and heat to 450°F. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and, using teaspoon, remove seeds and hollow out each zucchini half. Brush cut sides with 1 teaspoon oil, then place, cut sides down, on heated baking sheet. Roast 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in large skillet on medium-high. Add sausage or substitute and cook, breaking up, until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to bowl.

Add scallions to protein and toss to combine.

Fold in cheese and cilantro. Turn zucchini cut sides up and season with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Divide protein mixture among zucchini halves (about 1/4 cup per half) and roast until zucchini are just tender, 8 to 10 minutes more. Sprinkle with cilantro or green onion if desired.

 Keep an eye on it as it cooks, some ovens run hotter than others so you want to avoid it over cooking.

These go well with sweet chili sauce, Sriracha mayo, ketchup, or your condiment of choice. Leftovers are also really good for breakfast with an egg on top.

Enjoy!!!

08/27/2026

Carrots are everywhere right now. It’s the season. Here is a recipe for a salad I make a lot. The vegetables can all be found at the Bread of Life food share.

Asian Carrot Salad

You will need:

Vegetables:

3 medium carrots. You can shred them or cut them into match sticks
2 red, orange or yellow bell peppers cut into thin slices. Don’t use the green ones, they need to be sweet.
1/4 cup chopped green onion
2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Dressing:

2Tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (this is optional but they add a nice kick to the salad)

Garnish to taste:

1/3 cup chopped roasted nuts - peanuts and cashews are good. I also add extra cilantro and chopped green onion.

Putting it all together:

Add vegetables to a bowl, mix dressing and add to vegetables. Cover the bowl and let it sit in the fridge for 20 minutes or so. Give the salad a good stir and add nuts just before serving.

08/15/2026

After a summer hiatus Recipe of the Week is back. Zucchini is everywhere right now and nothing is easier to make than Zucchini fritters. We eat them with sweet chili sauce. They are also excellent with sour cream, chipotle mayo and ketchup. You can add other vegetables to them as well. Corn is a favourite addition. Enjoy!

07/10/2026

07/10/2026

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06/18/2026

Hobo Casserole

My app for creating the recipe of the week template is being temperamental so I am doing this the old fashioned way. Hobo casserole - Mom’s name for it - is a good way to use up leftovers. We had it in many forms as we were growing up. Mom grew up during the depression so I imagine there is a story here.

The casserole combines cooked ground protein (beef, chicken or tofu) with cooked rice and shredded cheese in a 1:1:1 ration. Combine all the ingredients, season to taste and heat on the stovetop in a frying pan or in the microwave until the cheese is melted and the rice and meat are heated through. Once done, sprinkle with your favourite herbs and enjoy. Ketchup, sweet thai chili sauce and barbecue sauce can be used as a condiment with this. Add a salad and it makes a good dinner with leftovers (if there are any 🙂 ) for lunch.

06/07/2026

Before I discovered it had a name, Shakshuka was part of my menu planning particularly during periods of my life when times were tough. We still eat it because it is good. Shakshuka is basically thick tomato sauce in which you poach eggs, with variations found in most cultures and cuisines . I have seen all sorts of complicated recipes for it but they all boil down to that. You can make your favourite tomato sauce or use your favourite out of a can - either works well as long as it is thick. The toppings are what makes it special, ranging from all types of cheese, to peppers and chopped herbs. A couple of my favourite topping combos are feta cheese and peppers, or sharp cheese and cilantro/parsley/chopped green onions.

Shakshuka can be made on the stovetop cooker or hot plate in a Tagine (Moroccan clay cooker) or frying pan with a lid. I use cast iron but a regular metal frying pan is fine. It is excellent for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

05/29/2026