Organic “Food to Live By” Holiday Recipes

Food to Live By: The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook by Earthbound Farm founder Myra Goodman and co-authors offers pleasing style with good-quality, wholesome ingredients. You can make all of the recipes organic if you choose organic ingredients.

Some sample recipes are included below for your holiday cooking fun, but in the cookbook, you’ll also find recipes for Sweet Corn Chowder, Farm Stand Carrot Cake and more. I’m getting hungry!

Myra’s cookbook contains more than 250 recipes, plus full-color photos — and even some shopping tips and serving ideas. She also includes “field guides” to produce and “Farm Fresh” information boxes, as well as her own family stories and beliefs about how personal food choices can make a big difference.

Enjoy the following recipes from Food to Live By. Sauce recipes for both dishes are included at the bottom of this post. While vegetarian recipes are included here, this cookbook also features recipes with meat as well.

Tricolor Spaghetti Squash

Serves 4 to 6

• 1 large spaghetti squash (about 4 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for oiling the baking dish
• Coarse (kosher) salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup (about 3/4 ounce) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup (about 1 ounce) shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup Emerald Green Pesto (recipe follows) or good-quality store-bought pesto
• 1/2 cup Farm Stand Marinara Sauce (recipe follows) or good-quality store-bought marinara sauce

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350ºF.

2. Pierce the skin of the spaghetti squash with the tip of a knife in several places. Place the squash on a rimmed baking sheet and add water to a depth of about 1/8 inch. Bake the squash until a fork easily pierces its flesh, 70 to 90 minutes. Let the squash cool. Leave the oven turned on.

3. Oil an 8-inch-square baking dish, then set it aside.

4. When the squash is cool enough to handle, cut off and discard the stem end. Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Remove and discard the seeds and their stringy fibers. Scrape the squash flesh with a fork so that it pulls apart in spaghetti-like strands. Transfer the strands of squash to a large bowl and fluff them with a fork to separate them. The squash can be prepared up to this point and refrigerated, covered, for up to 3 days.

5. Add the olive oil to the squash and toss so that all the strands are coated, then season it with salt and pepper to taste. Place the squash in the prepared baking dish, pressing on it with the back of a wooden spoon to flatten it into a single layer.

6. Mix the Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses in a small bowl.

7. Starting at one edge of the baking dish and working from left to right, spread the pesto over the squash so that it covers a third of it. Spread the cheese mixture over the middle third of the squash. Finally, spread the marinara sauce over the remaining third. The idea is to form 3 vertical stripes, duplicating the green, white, and red bands on the Italian flag. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake the squash for 15 minutes.

8. Uncover the baking dish and continue to bake the squash until the cheese has melted and the marinara sauce is bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Serve the squash hot.

Grilled Vegetable Lasagna with Emerald Green Pesto

Serves 10

• 3 medium-size eggplants, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 3 medium-size yellow summer squash, cut lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices
• 3 medium-size zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices
• 1 cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large red bell peppers
• 8 ounces lasagna noodles
• 1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 cups (24 ounces) ricotta cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup minced fresh basil
• 1/3 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 4 cups Farm Stand Marinara Sauce (recipe follows) or good-quality store-bought marinara sauce
• 12 ounces mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated (about 3 cups)
• 2/3 cup Emerald Green Pesto (recipe follows) or store-bought pesto

1. Place the eggplant, squash, and zucchini on a baking tray and brush them on both sides with some of the olive oil. Lightly season them with salt and pepper.

2. Set up a barbecue grill and preheat it to medium.

3. Grill the eggplant until just soft, 2 1/2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the grilled eggplant to a wire rack to cool. Leave the grill burning.

4. Grill the squash and zucchini until just soft, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the grilled squash and zucchini to the wire rack with the eggplant to cool. Leave the grill burning.

5. Place the bell peppers on the grill and cook, turning frequently, until the skin is just charred black, about 10 minutes. Transfer the bell peppers to a paper bag, close it tightly, and let the peppers steam for about 5 minutes. Remove the peppers from the bag and, when they are cool enough to handle, pull off the charred skin. Discard the skin, seeds, and stems and cut the roasted peppers into long, 1-inch-wide strips.

6. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the lasagna noodles and cook according to the package directions until just tender. Do not undercook the lasagna noodles because they will not continue to cook in the oven. Drain the noodles well and lay them out flat on a clean dish towel (not terry cloth) so they do not stick together.

7. Place 3/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese and the ricotta cheese, eggs, basil, and parsley in a small bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and stir well to combine.

8. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375ºF.

9. Brush a 9 by 13–inch baking pan lightly with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce. Arrange one fourth of the lasagna noodles in a single layer over the marinara sauce, trimming them to fit if necessary. Arrange half of the eggplant slices over the noodles. Spread half of the ricotta mixture evenly over the eggplant and sprinkle a third of the mozzarella on top.

10. Arrange a third of the remaining lasagna noodles over the mozzarella. Spread about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the marinara sauce over the pasta (the lasagna will hold together better and be easier to serve if you use thin layers of marinara sauce). Cover the sauce with a layer each of the squash, zucchini, and red peppers, using them all up. Spread the remaining ricotta mixture over the vegetables and top this with half
of the remaining mozzarella.

11. Arrange half of the remaining lasagna noodles over the mozzarella and cover them with the remaining eggplant. Brush the eggplant with the pesto and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top.

12. Arrange the remaining lasagna noodles over the mozzarella. Spread about 1 cup of the marinara sauce over the noodles so they are completely covered and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese on top.

13. Bake the lasagna until it is hot and bubbly, about 1 hour. Remove the pan from the oven and let the lasagna rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting it. Heat the remaining marinara sauce (about 2 cups) in a small saucepan over medium heat. Slice the lasagna and serve it while still hot, with the remaining marinara sauce on the side.

Farm Stand Marinara Sauce

Makes about 5 cups

• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 small carrot, coarsely chopped
• 1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup dry red wine
• 5 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped, juices reserved, or 2 cans (28 ounces each) diced or crushed tomatoes, with their juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil,
• or 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano,
• or 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves,
• or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black
• pepper, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• red pepper flakes
• 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar (optional)

1. Place the garlic and carrot in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the onion and continue to pulse until minced, scraping the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula occasionally.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until soft but not browned, about 11 minutes. Add the wine and stir well, loosening any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced slightly, about 3 minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes and their juices to the pot. Add the basil, oregano, and thyme and let simmer gently until the flavors are concentrated, 35 to 45 minutes. Add the salt and pepper. Taste for sweetness and, if the sauce tastes too acidic, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar. If you are not planning on using the sauce immediately, let it cool to room temperature. It can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.

Emerald Green Pesto

Makes about 2 cups

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 6 packed cups fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 packed cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, baby spinach, or more basil
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 cup olive oil, plus (optional) more for storing the pesto
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (3 ounces) finely and freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Place the garlic, basil, parsley, and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.

2. With the machine running constantly, add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream, until the pesto is smooth, stopping when needed to scrape the side with a rubber spatula.

3. Transfer the pesto to a medium-size bowl. Add the salt and Parmesan cheese and stir to combine.

(Images and recipes via Food to Live By, Myra Goodman)