By Lisa Shaub

Cut up the eggplant into small pieces. Cook for 5 minutes in 1 cup water, until the water is dark. Dump the water and add another cup of water. Cook for five minutes and dump this water. Add tomato, garlic, kalamata olive, onion, rosemary, and salt. Cook for 20 minutes, If the mixture seems dry, add water as it cooks. When the eggplants are soft the spread is done. Take off the stove and add olive oil. Add more garlic and salt if necessary.

​Serve warm on Brushetta, on fresh pasta, or as a dip.

By Frances Wilson

You know the popular East Village BYOB Indian restaurant, Pana? The one with all the sparkling lights and often a line out the door on weekend evenings? Well right below it, on 1st Ave and E 6th street, is one of my favorite stores, Dual.

When I first discovered Dual a few years back, it was tough getting myself to leave. Although the space is tiny, the amount of spices, teas, salts and exotic ingredients that I didn’t even know I needed was overwhelmingly amazing. And the prices cannot be beat. 

I feel incredibly lucky that affordable (and incredible) places like this still exist – and in my neighborhood nonetheless! Dual reminds me every time I go in, why I love NYC so much.

My staples from Dual: kaffir lime leaf, cinnamon, smoked paprika, cumin powder, ground coriander, turmeric, pink peppercorn, coconut chips, Thai red curry paste, pink Himalaya sea salt, dried lavender, jasmine green tea, peppermint tea (this list continues, but I’ll cut myself off . . .). And a few recent fun purchases: activated charcoal, green bamboo rice and dried papaya leaf.

Definitely, go visit Dual so you can add an interesting flavorful kick to your next CSA meal!

​And a few other notable spice stores if you want to go exploring:
SOS Chefs
Kalustyan's

1-2 Chicken Pathan Patties (depending on how many you’re cooking for)
Pathan Patties can be purchased for $3 at Honest Chops, my East Village butcher (another staple store of mine).

​All spice quantities can be adjusted to your taste . . . this is a ballpark estimate of what I used; I usually just toss in without measuring.

2 tsp turmeric (I love adding turmeric to collards because it brightens their color and makes them look perkier and more appetizing)
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
pinch of cayenne
¼ tsp salt
1 onion (halved and sliced)
1 clove garlic
¼ C raisins
¼ cup sliced almonds

For the collards:
Slice garlic and onions and toss into a pan with some olive oil (or you can use coconut oil). Sauté until aromatic and semi-soft. Add spices and salt, stir for 1 minute. Add in raisins and collards and cook down slowly, adding a little water if the pan is getting dried out. Once the collards have cooked through, sprinkle with sliced almonds.

For the patties: grill or pan-fry as you would a hamburger.

By Christopher Totaro

Directions:
​✼ In a large pot, melt 11/2 tablespoons of butter and 1 teaspoon of coconut oil over high heat. 
✼ Add diced potatoes and cook until browned on the edges, stirring occasionally. 
✼ Meanwhile, break off five or six florets from the cauliflower and place them in a vegetable steamer. Continue to steam over high heat until crisp-tender; set aside.
✼ In a smaller skillet, melt the other 11/2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Once bubbly, add the chopped onion and green pepper. Stir and cover until tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
✼ Cook until soft and then add the minced garlic and smoked paprika. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about one minute more. 
✼ Sprinkle on the flour and mix into the onion-pepper-garlic mix. Stir to combine (adding more butter if necessary.)
✼ Once the potatoes in the large pot are brown, lower the heat to medium and add the onion-pepper-garlic mix. Add 1 cup of the miso-ginger broth and stir thoroughly. 
✼ Add the fresh basil & cilantro, steamed cauliflower, drained cashews, salt & pepper, red pepper flakes, cumin, and the remaining 1 cup of miso-ginger broth to a high-powered blender. Blend until smooth; remove from blender and set aside.
✼ Add corn to the large pot and stir until just heated through. 
✼ Add the cauliflower-cashew cream from the blender to the large pot and stir. 
✼ Serve & garnish.