-In a large salad bowl combine the following:
2 cucumbers or lemon cucumbers (peeled and de-seeded)
2-3 tomatoes
Half a pint of Sungold cherry tomatoes.
1/3 cup pitted and chopped Kalmata olives
-Gently toss and add the following:
2 TSP freshly squeezed lemon juice (or 2 TBS Balsamic vinegar)
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp dried oregano
1 clove finely minced garlic
Sea salt
-Toss again and then top with 6 oz crumbled sheep's milk feta cheese.
From Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking.
-Snap the Brussels sprouts off of the stem.
-Trim the ends of the sprouts a little if they need it.
-Cut each sprout in half.
-Heat 1 TBS of olive oil in a large skillet.
-Place the sprouts in the pan, flat side down.
-Sprinkle with a couple of pinches of salt, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
-Once they are just tender, uncover and turn up the heat and cook until deep brown and caramelized.
-Toss them once or twice to get them brown all over.
-Season with more salt, a few grind of pepper and a dusting of grated cheese-smoked gouda, Parmesan or Sharp white cheddar would be nice.
Serves 2 to 4 depending on size of cabbage and appetite of people.
-Preheat the oven to 400°F.
-Cut 1 head cabbage into halves, then quarters, then eighths. There is no need to remove the core.
-Place the cabbage wedges on the prepared baking sheet.
-Drizzle with 1-2 TBS extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with Celtic sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
-Insert in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the bottom layers are golden brown in places.
-Cut the tops off of 1 bunch of golden beets.
-Steam the beets whole for 20-25 minutes.
-Peel 1 bunch of carrots then cut into 2-inch pieces.
-Add the carrots to the beets and steam for another 10 minutes until both the beets and carrots are soft.
-Drain off the water, and slip the beet skins under running water.
-Cut each beet into 6 large wedge shaped pieces.
-Chop 1/4 cup of walnuts or pecans.
-Place in a skillet lightly toast in a skillet for a few minutes, being careful not to burn them. Set aside.
-Melt about 1-2 TBS of butter in a large sauté pan.
-Squeeze 2 cloves of garlic through a press and add to the pan.
-Sauté for about 1-2 minutes and then add the beet and carrot pieces.
-Toss gently and cook for about 2 minutes more.
-Remove from heat and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.
-Add a few TBS of crumbled chevre goat cheese and the toasted nuts.
-Serve warm.
-Peel then grate 1 bunch of golden beets.
-Add a handful of chopped fresh basil, dill or parsley to the bowl.
-Mix in 4 TBS olive oil, 2-3 TBS rice vinegar and some toasted sesame seeds.
-Add sea salt and pepper to taste.
-Serve at room temperature or chilled.
-Peel and cube 1 bunch of golden beets.
-Wash and then dice up 4-5 carrots.
-Chop up 1 onion or 1 leek.
-Mince up 4 TBS of fresh ginger
-Finely grate 1 TBS of lemon peel.
-Melt 2 TBS butter with 2 TBS olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
-Add the beets, carrots and onions/leeks to the butter along with the ginger and the lemon peel.
-Cover and cook 15 minutes.
-Add 4 cups of broth and bring to a boil.
-Cover, reduce heat and simmer until beets are very tender, about ½ hour.
-Remove from heat and let stand 20 minutes.
-Puree soup in blender until smooth.
-Return to pot, add 1 TBS fresh lemon juice and thin with more broth if desired.
-Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
-In a small saucepan, heat ½ cup assorted olives, 3 fresh thyme sprigs, 3 TBS extra-virgin olive oil, ½ tsp grated lemon zest and ¼ tsp black pepper over low heat until fragrant (do not simmer).
-Cool to room temperature.
-Cut 1 log of chevre style goat cheese into ½ inch rounds.
-Spoon the olive mixture over the cheese and serve.
This recipes works well for both Roma and green beans.
-Wash, trim and cut 3/4 pound of beans into 3-inch lengths.
-To make the stir-fry sauce add the following together in a small bowl:
¼ cup soy sauce
3 TBS sake
1½ TBS sugar
½ cup water
-Stir to dissolve sugar.
-Set aside.
-Heat 1½ TBS ghee or extra virgin olive oil in a wok until very hot.
-Add 4 cloves of finely chopped garlic and stir-fry over high for about 15 seconds.
-Add beans and stir-fry over high heat for about 1 minute.
-Add sauce mixture and heat until boiling.
-Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes.
-Uncover, increase heat to high and cook stirring occasionally until sauce is reduced to a glaze and beans are just tender.
-Serve hot or at room temperature or even cold the next day.
-In a large bowl, whisk together theh following:
2 TBS minced fresh ginger
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp olive oil
1 TBS rice wine vinegar
1 TBS soy sauce
-Grate 1 bunch of carrots and 1 watermelon radish.
-Toss the vegetables in the bowl with the vinaigrette and season to taste with sea salt and pepper.
-Serve cold or at room temperature.
-Wash 1 bunch of broccolini.
-Cut off about ½ inch of the bottom and peel off any tough skin.
-Cut each stem in half.
-Boil a large pot of salted water. Add the broccolini and cook uncovered until crisp-tender, 3 minutes, then drain.
-Heat 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate high heat until hot but not smoking.
-Add 2 TBS minced ginger and 2 cloves chopped garlic, stirring for 15 seconds.
-Add broccolini and ½ tsp sea salt and sauté until just tender, about 2 minutes.
-Wash 4 or 5 scapes, then cut 2 inches off of the very end of the flower bud.
-Chop the scapes into pieces, then add to a blender container.
-Puree with ½ cup extra virgin olive oil in a blender until smooth.
-Then add 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese and 1 TBS fresh lemon juice.
-Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.
-Serve on bread, crackers, or toss with pasta.
-Chop 1.5 pounds of unpeeled potatoes into 1-inch chunks.
-Crush 2-3 cloves of garlic with the back of a chef’s knife.
-Take the skins off.
-Add the potatoes and garlic to a medium sized saucepan and cover with water.
-Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until very tender, about 20 minutes.
-Drain, and then return the potatoes to the pan.
-Mash well.
Heat together the following in a small sauce pan over medium heat:
1 cup whole milk
4-6 TBS good butter
1/2 tsp sea salt
Some freshly ground black pepper
-Add the hot liquid then stir well to incorporate everything.
-Taste for salt and serve warm.
-Separate the leaves from 1 bunch of bok choy.
-Cut the stems into thin strips and roughly chop the leaves, keeping them separate.
-Heat 2 TBS roasted peanut oil in a large skillet.
-Add the bok choy stalks and stir-fry over medium high heat for 2 minutes.
-Add 6 cloves of finely chopped fresh garlic and stir-fry 2 minutes longer.
-Add the bok choy greens, 1-cup chicken or vegetable stock and salt to taste.
-Cover, reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes.
-Remove the cover and raise the heat again, simmering briskly until the excess liquid has evaporated, about 3-4 minutes.
-Cut up 1 pound of potatoes into 1-inch chunks.
-Peel about ½ a rutabaga (you want about 2 cups) and cut into 1-inch chunks.
-Unpeel 3-5 cloves of garlic, leaving them whole.
-Add all of the above to a medium sized saucepan and cover with water.
-Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until very tender, about 20-25 minutes.
-Drain, and then return the vegetables to the pan.
-Mash a few times, then add ½ cup half and half, a pinch of salt and some pepper.
-Cut 1 bunch of arugula into 1-inch strips then wash and spin dry.
-Take the kernels off of 2 ears of raw sweet corn.
-Cut 1 cucumber in half, scrape out the seeds and dice into half moon shaped pieces.
-Cut a pint of Sungold cherry tomatoes in half (or some Blush tomatoes).
-Top the arugula with all of the above.
For the dressing, in a jar with a tight fitting lid combine the following:
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp stone ground mustard
A pinch of sea salt and pepper
-Shake well, then dress the salad and toss.
-Top with ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese.
A fresh light version of hummus made with raw summer squash.
-Dice up 1 large summer squash. Place in the bowl of a food processor.
-Add in the following:
2 TBS raw tahini
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
1 clove of crushed garlic
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp sea salt
-Process until smooth, stopping once or twice to scrape the sides of the bowl.
-Serve with wedges of cucumber or fennel.
-This hummus will keep up to 5 days in the fridge.
-Shell 1 pound of fresh shell beans.
-Make a big X on the bottom of 2 tomatoes.
-Submerge in boiling water for 3 minutes.
-Drain tomatoes and then peel under running water.
-Roughly chop the tomatoes
-Finely chop the following:
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
-Sauté a few minutes in some good olive oil in a medium saucepan.
-Add the beans and chopped tomatoes with water to cover.
-Simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes (taste the beans to make sure they’re cooked through and creamy).
-Add some sea salt to taste and some chopped herbs, sage is the most popular, but use whatever you have.
-These beans make a great starter course served in their own cooking water, drizzled with some more olive oil. Or mash them and put them on toast as crostini.
This recipe was adapted from Chez Panisse Vegetables, by Alice Waters. This one is made with sage, but you can also use marjoram, oregano, basil, or rosemary. This version doesn't call for any spice, but try adding a good pinch of hot pepper, or get out the preserved peppers and pass them at the table.
-Shell 1.5 pounds shell beans. You should end up with about 1.5 to 2 cups shelled beans.
-Rinse the beans in cold water and put them in a medium saucepan with water to cover by about 1 inch.
-Bring the water to a boil, skimming off any foam that floats to the surface and add 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil.
-Reduce the heat and gently simmer the beans, stirring occasionally, until tender, 15 to 30 minutes.
-If the beans start to peek through the liquid during the cooking process, add a splash more water.
-Remove from the heat and season the bean liquid with 1/2 tsp sea salt, the beans will absorb the salt gradually. Set the beans aside to cool in the cooking liquid.
-Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
-Make an X through the skin of 2 tomatoes, then cover with boiling water.
-Let the tomatoes sit for 4 minutes, then drain and peel under cold running water.
-Roughly chop the tomatoes then set aside.
To make breadcrumbs:
-Put 2 slices of bread in a food processor and whirl until finely chopped. You can also chop by hand.
-Put 1 TBS butter or olive oil in a large skillet and cook stirring often until lightly toasted. Set aside.
-Chop up the following into small dice:
1 onion
1 head fennel or 4 stalks celery
-Warm a medium sauté pan over medium heat and add 2 TBS of extra virgin olive oil and the onion and fennel/celery.
-Season with sea salt and cook until the onion is tender, about 6 minutes.
-Finely chop 3 cloves of garlic and 3 fresh sage leaves or 2 rosemary sprigs.
-Add the garlic and sage and sauté just until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
-Add the tomatoes, season again with more sea salt and cook for 1 to 2 more minutes, until the tomatoes are softened.
-Drain the cooled beans, reserving the liquid.
-Combine the beans in a gratin dish with the onion, fennel/celery and tomato mixture and stir to combine.
-Add enough of the bean-cooking water to almost cover. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, if necessary.
-Combine the bread crumbs with 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle them over the beans in an even layer.
-Bake until the juices are bubbling at the edges and the bread crumbs are evenly browned, about 45 minutes.
-Serve warm.
Combine the following…
-2 tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped.
-1 jalapeno pepper (optional) seeded and finely chopped.
-1 small clove garlic put through a garlic press,
-1 small onion, finely chopped.
-½ bunch cilantro, finely chopped.
-2 TBS fresh lime juice and ½ tsp sea salt.
-Let stand for 1 hour, drain a little if necessary.
-Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
-In a microwave-safe glass bowl, microwave 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, stopping and stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth.
-Holding a strawberry by the stem end, dip it in the melted chocolate, letting the excess drip off, then transfer to the prepared baking sheet. As you set the strawberry down, slide it ½ inch to the side to prevent the formation of a chocolate “foot.”
-Repeat with the remaining berries, you need about 20 strawberries in all.
-Refrigerate the strawberries on the baking sheet until the chocolate is firm, at least 30 minutes.