Warm Lentil Salad with Goat Cheese

-Bring 10 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan.

-Wash and sort 1 cup green lentils.

-Add lentils, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain.

-Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking.

-Chop up the following into small dice.

1 fennel bulb

2 carrots

4-5 green onions

The stems from 1 bunch of rainbow chard

-Add the diced vegetables to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, about 10 minutes.

-Chop up some basil, dill or parsley, about 4 TBS in all.

-Roll the leaves from the rainbow chard bunch up and cut them into small slivers.

-Stir in the following:

2 TBS balsamic or sherry vinegar

1 TBS olive oil

The chopped herbs and rainbow chard

-Transfer to a large bowl.

-Drain lentils and add to bowl with vegetables.

-Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

-Crumble 4 ounces fresh goat chevre into bowl and toss gently to combine.

Tuscan Style Cranberry Beans with Fresh Herbs and Parmesan

-Soak 1 pound of Cranberry beans for 3-12 hours in 10 cups of water.

-Finely chop the following:

1 onion

2 carrots

2 stalks of celery

-Add 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil and the chopped vegetables to a large pot with a tightly fitting lid.

-Saute for 5 minutes, then rinse and drain beans and add them to the pot.

-Add 1 tsp sea salt and 8 cups of water, cover and bring to a boil.

-Preheat your oven to 325 then put the beans in the oven and cook for 1.5 hours.

-Finely chop and add the following:

¼ cup parsley

3 cloves of garlic

2 TBS fresh thyme

-Mix into the beans, then cook for 15 more minutes until beans are soft.

-Finish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Tofu Scramble

-Heat 1 TBS of olive oil in a large skillet.

-Crumble 1 cube firm tofu and add it to the pan.

-Grate 2-4 carrots. 

-Chop up 1/2 bunch green onions.

-Add the carrots and the onion to the tofu. 

-Cook until vegetables are tender.

-Wash and chop 1-2 large handfuls of snow peas and add.    

-Then add some chopped rainbow chard or beet greens along with 2 cloves minced garlic.  

-Add a pinch of salt, and then sprinkle with ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese.  

-Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Ronde de Nice Squash and Carrot Fritters with Yogurt Dip

Summer Squash and Carrot Fritters with Yogurt Dip

-Grate 4 small carrots.

-Then grate 2 large Ronde de Nice summer squash.

-To make the batter for the fritters: in a large bowl, whisk together the following:

1 cup flour, more as needed

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp sea salt

-In a separate large bowl, whisk together the following

1 cup milk, more as needed

1 large egg

¼ tsp grated lemon zest

¼ tsp pepper

-Pour dry ingredients into wet; whisk until just blended, batter should be slightly thicker than cream. If it’s too thick, add some milk; if it’s too thin, sprinkle with additional flour.

-Stir in the carrots, zucchini and scallions.

-Allow to rest for 30 minutes.

-To make the yogurt dip: using a mortar and pestle or the back of a knife, mash together the 1 finely chopped garlic clove and ¼ tsp sea salt.

-In a small bowl, whisk together:

½ cup plain yogurt

1 TBS chopped mint or cilantro

1 TBS extra virgin olive oil

The garlic/salt mixture

-Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

-Fill a wide saucepan with 1 inch of olive oil; heat until the temperature registers 375 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer (or until a small drip of batter browns immediately).

-Line a cookie sheet with paper towels.

-Working in batches, drop battered vegetables by the tablespoon into the oil, being sure not to overcrowd the pan.

-Fry, turning occasionally, until golden all over, about 3 to 4 minutes.

-Use a slotted spoon to transfer fritters to the cookie sheet to drain.

-Transfer fritters to a platter or plate; sprinkle with sea salt and serve with yogurt dip.