Recipes

Serves 6 or more

This is a recipe from Nava Atlas ‘Wild About Greens.’ I wanted to share this great dish with you!

1 c. red quinoa, rinsed in a sieve
10 ounces kale, de-stemmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 c. fresh or thawed corn kernels
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. halved cherry or grape tomatoes
2 Tbs. lemon juice, or more, to taste
1/4 c. minced basil or dill, to taste
sea salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 c. toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish

1. Combine the quinoa with 2 c. water in a medium saucepan.

2. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer gently for 15 minutes until the stock is absorbed.

3. Allow the cooked quinoa to cool to room temperature.

4. In a large serving bowl, massage the kale by rubbing small amounts of olive oil in your palms and massaging the kale for 30-60 seconds, until it turns bright green and softens.

5. Add cooked quinoa to the kale in the serving bowl, along with the remaining ingredients.

6. Stir well, sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and serve.

Serves 4

3 Tbs. whole almonds
1 pound summer squash
2 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 minced garlic clove
sea salt and pepper
spinach, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
Peccorino cheese or parmesan

1. Toast almonds and coarsely crush. Meanwhile, trim the ends off the squash. Using a vegetable peeler, thinly slice the squash lengthwise into strips and transfer to a large bowl.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt to taste. Pour dressing over squash. Let stand for a few minutes, then add a few handfuls of spinach. Shave a little Pecorino or parmesan cheese over the squash and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the crushed almonds.

Serves 8

You can certainly substitute wheat berries, barley, or other plump grains . The salad is good warm, at room temperature, and chilled.

2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. sea salt
1 c. buttermilk (if you don’t have buttermilk, you can add a Tbs. of vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of milk and let it stand for about 15 minutes and it works like buttermilk!)
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. chopped dill
1/2 c. chopped chives or greens of scallion
1 Tbs. chopped thyme
7 radishes, sliced paper thin
3 summer squash, sliced paper thin
1 medium head fennel, trimmed and sliced paper thin
4 c. cooked farro or other grain
of choice
chopped chives or scallions for garnish

1. Combine garlic and salt on a cutting board. Mash into a paste using the flat side of your knife. Place in a medium jar or bowl, then add buttermilk and vinegar. Whisk together and let stand for 5 minutes or so. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, then the herbs.

2. In a large bowl gently toss the radishes, squash, and fennel, with the grains. Add 1 cup of the dressing and toss again. Let stand for 10 minutes, taste and adjust with more dressing, if needed, and salt to taste. Serve topped with the chives or scallions.

I know we didn’t get fennel this week, but this is a simple, wonderful soup, so I thought I would share it anyway. Maybe you have a little fennel left from last week!

3 Tbs. olive oil
2 medium fennel bulbs, sliced fronds reserved
2 1/4 pounds carrots, thickly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
10 c. broth of choice
3c. cooked wild rice
2 Tbs. blood orange juice or orange juice
parmesan cheese for soup topping

1. Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add fennel and saute 3-4 minutes, until softened.

2. Stir in carrots and cook another 10 minutes to soften and start taking in some color. Stir in garlic and cook another 30 seconds.

3. Stir in broth. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer until carrots are tender, another 15 minutes or so.

4. Stir in wild rice, bring back to a simmer, taste, add more salt if needed.

5. Serve dusted with parmesan cheese and fennel fronds.

This dish is spicy and hot, and makes a wonderful side dish.

1/2 c. chopped radishes
a few radish leaves, cut into thin shreds
1 onion, fine diced
2-3 chilies of choice, seeded, and finely chopped (you can leave the seeds in if you want fiery hot!)
1/2 tsp. fresh chopped ginger
1 Tbs. finely chopped cilantro (I used the basil)
1 1/2 tsp. oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
3/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 c. plain yogurt or more

1. Heat a small pan on medium heat. Add the oil and crack mustard seeds in the pan.

2. Add the onions, ginger, and chiles. Stir until soft and it turns slightly brown, about 4 minutes.

3. Add the radishes and leaves and cook for another 2 minutes, then remove from the stove. The radish will be just cooked and still have a bite to it.

4. Sprinkle with basil or cilantro just before you remove it from the stove. You can let it cool or store it in the refrigerator if not using immediately.

5. When ready to serve, take the sauteed ingredients and mix with yogurt. Adjust the salt, depending on the sourness of the yogurt. Serve immediately. If you let it sit foe a while, the yogurt gets a purple hue from the radishes. It is beautiful!

Serves 6

1 bunch kale, washed and stemmed
1 bunch chard, washed and stemmed
1/4 c. cashew butter (or almond or peanut)
1 Tbs. curry paste (see recipe below)
1 Tbs. tamari soy sauce
1/4 c. water, up to 3/4 c.

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the greens. Return to a boil and cook 2 minutes, maintaining bright green color. Drain and squeeze out any excess water.

2. Combine cashew butter (or nut butter of choice), curry paste, tamari, and 1/4 c. water in a blender and blend until creamy. Add additional water in increments until a thick yogurt-like consistency is achieved.

3. Reheat the greens in a skillet and toss with just enough sauce to coat.

Curry Paste
2 onions from the “bunch”, finely chopped
1/4 c. olive oil
1 Tbs. cumin seed
1/4 tsp. fenugreek seed
1/4 tsp. whole cloves
1/2 tsp. whole black peppercorns
1 Tbs. coriander seed
1 1/2 tsp. mustard seed
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbs. tumeric
1/4 tsp. cardamom
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1 Tbs. ginger, peeled and chopped

1. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the onions and saute until very soft. While the onions are cooking, grind the cumin, fenugreek, cloves, peppercorns, and coriander into a fine pulp.

2. Mix the newly-ground spices with the whole mustard seeds, allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, tumeric, and cayenne. Set aside.

3. Add the ginger to the onions and let it cook a few minutes. Add the spice blend to the onions and ginger, cook 5 more minutes. Store in refrigerator where it will keep for at least a month.

Serves 6

3 apples, sliced
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice, divided
1/2 C sliced almonds
about 10 cups of mixed Asian greens, (Pac Choi and Tatsoi), lettuce, and radicchio for color and a taste of bitterness
3 oz. blue cheese (optional)

Dressing
1/2 c. olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp. sweetener
3/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. freshly cracked pepper

1. Toss the apple slices with 1 Tbs. of the lemon juice to prevent them from darkening, and set aside.

2. Toast the almonds in a large, dry skillet over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, shaking the pan often to prevent burning.

3. Make the dressing in a large bowl by whisking together the remaining 3 Tbs. lemon juice, oil, garlic, sweetener, salt, and pepper.

4. Add the greens to the bowl, toss with the dressing. Arrange the salad on a platter or individual salad plates, and top with the apple slices, toasted almonds, and blue cheese.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

1/2 c. white miso
6 Tbs. oil of choice (I use olive oil)
1/4 c. (packed) finely grated carrot
2 Tbs. finely grated peeled ginger
2 Tbs. unseasoned rice vinegar
4 tsp. sesame seeds, toasted
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
2 tsp. honey

Place miso, oil, grated carrots, ginger, vinegar, sesame seeds, sesame oil, honey, and 1/4 c. water in resuable container. Cover and shake vigorously until well combined. Cover and chill. Can be made 2 days ahead!

Serves 6

3 c. cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 c. diagonally sliced celery
1 c. finely chopped broccoli florets
1/2 c. grated carrot
1/4 c. thinly sliced onion
1/4 c. unsalted sunflower seed kernels
1/2 can whole water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 c. fresh orange sections
1/4 c. sliced almonds, toasted

Dressing
1/4 c. low sodium soy sauce
3 Tbs. rice vinegar
1 Tbs. lime juice
1 Tbs. honey
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/3 c. oil of choice

1. To prepare the slaw, combine the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well to combine.

2. To prepare the dressing, combine the soy sauce and next 6 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add oil to soy sauce mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle dressing over slaw, tossing gently to coat. Add the dressing slowly, as you may not want to use all of it. Top slaw with oranges and almonds.

Serves 5

1-2 bunches chard
1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 heads radicchio, cored, cut into 1 inch wedges, leaves separated (about 4 cups)
1 Tbs. red wine vinegar (or more)
2 Tbs. currants (optional)
1/4 c. pine nuts, toasted

1. Cut ribs from chard and cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Slice leaves lengthwise into 1-inch strips.

2. Melt butter with oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook onion until it is tender, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Add chard ribs; cover and cook until tender, about 6 minutes more. Working in batches, add the chard leaves and radicchio to the pot, stirring until wilted. Cook, uncovered, until vegetables are tender, stirring often, 8-10 minutes. Stir in vinegar and currants, if desired. Season with salt and pepper and add more vinegar to taste, if desired.

3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chard mixture to a bowl or serving platter. Sprinkle with pine nuts and serve.