Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups half-and-half or coconut milk
2 pounds potatoes, peeled (optional) and chopped
1 bay leaf
2 cups water
sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 cups chopped broccoli florets
1½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
croutons for topping
Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and celery; cook stirring until softened, about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, half-and-half or coconut milk, potatoes, bay leaf, 2 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to medium low and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, season broccoli with salt and steam until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.
4. When potatoes are tender, turn off the heat and remove the bay leaf from the soup. Puree soup with a handheld or upright blender (in batches), until smooth. Thin with water, if necessary. Return soup to a simmer over medium-low heat. Stir in broccoli and season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve topped with croutons.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant, peeled, trimmed, and cut into four roughly 4-inch cubes
1½ teaspoons sea salt
2 bell peppers
2 small summer squash
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tomatoes
2 garlic, minced
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon sweetener
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 cup plain yogurt
Directions:
1. Sprinkle eggplant cubes with ½ teaspoon salt and set aside in a colander to drain for about ½ hour.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
3. Cut the bell peppers and zucchini into ¾-inch pieces. Rinse the eggplant and drain well. In a large roasting pan, combine the drained eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini, and ¼ cup olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and the black pepper and toss to coat everything well. Spread the vegetables evenly and roast for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes in ½-inch cubes and set aside. In a saucepan, heat the remaining olive oil, stir in the garlic, and sauté on medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook until softened, 1-2 minutes. Stir in the water, sweetener, vinegar, and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Remove the tomato sauce from the heat.
5. When the vegetables are done roasting, layer them in the bottom of an un-oiled, shallow baking sheet or serving platter. Cover the vegetables with the tomato sauce and dollops of yogurt. Serve at room temperature or cold.
Serves 6
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil. divided
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1½ cups chopped onions
½ cup chopped celery
½ cups chopped carrots
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons green chilies, minced or ½-1 can of green chilies (the canned chilies are milder, but have a nice flavor that continues to develop in any leftover bisque)
6 cups chicken stock
sea salt
½ cup half-and-half or coconut milk
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over cubed squash. Toss to coat then spread onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes until very tender. Let cool.
3. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots. Saute for 10 minutes or until vegetables are just tender.
4. Add the garlic and chilies; sauté for 2 minutes. Add the squash cubes, then add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add salt. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat. And while the soup is hot, puree with a hand blender or in batches with an upright blender.
6. Stir in half-and-half or coconut milk. Season with black pepper and add more salt if needed. Transfer bisque to bowls and top each serving with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt.
Serves 8
Ingredients:
1 pound eggplant, or a little more
olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped mint
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped basil, plus leaves for garnish
12 slices toasted baguette, or crackers
Directions:
1. Preheat broiler. Peel the eggplant and slice it into rounds about ½-inch thick. Brush both sides with oil, set on a sheet pan, and broil about 6 inches from the heat until golden, 12-15 minutes. Turn and brown on the other side. When done, stack the eggplant slices together so they will steam and finishing cooking. Toast pine nuts in a small, dry skillet over low heat until golden. (If using walnuts, toast them in a 350 degree oven for 7- 10 minutes, until fragrant.)
2. Pound the garlic and pine nuts with ½ teaspoon salt until smooth. Coarsely chop the eggplant, then work it into a somewhat rough puree with a mortar and pestle or the food processor. Add a little lemon juice to sharpen the flavors, taster for salt, season with pepper, and stir in the herbs.
3. Spread the puree on the toasted bread or crackers, garnish with a basil leaf, and pass around as an appetizer.
Makes approx. 1 cup
Ingredients:
½ cup wild rice
1 large celeriac (celery root)
2 large leeks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 celery rib, diced
1 cup thinly sliced potato
¼ cup chopped parsley, plus extra for garnish
1 bay leaf
1 thyme sprig
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups half-and-half or coconut milk
truffle oil (optional)
Directions:
1. Cover wild rice with 5 cups of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 45 minutes or until tender.
2. Thickly cut away the celery root skins, then quarter and chop the root into bite-sized pieces. You should have about 3 cups. Chop and wash the leeks, using the whites and only the tender parts of green.
3. Melt butter in a soup pot. Add the vegetables, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, and 1½ teaspoons salt. Cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes then add the stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the cream or coconut milk and simmer for another 20 minutes. Taste for salt and season with pepper.
4. To give the soup a creamy background, puree 1 cup of the vegetables and return to the pot. If soup is too thick, thin with some of the leftover rice water or additional stock.
5. Divide the soup among soup bowls then add a mound of the wild rice to each. Garnish each bowl with parsley and a drop of olive oil or truffle oil to finish.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 head Romanesco (or regular) cauliflower
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems removed, leaves finely chopped
2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon
½ cup chopped green olives (Spanish or Greek are very nice)
2 tablespoon drained capers, rinsed
1/3 cup olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Manchego cheese
Directions:
1. Cut cauliflower into small florets; peel and dice the stems. Put the parsley tarragon, and olives in a bowl with the capers, oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and plenty of pepper.
2. Steam the cauliflower over salted water for 5 minutes. Dump it into the bowl with the dressing and toss well. Taste for salt and season with pepper. Serve with a little Manchego cheese grated or shaved over the top.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed, and halved
1 small lemon, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
Directions:
1. Position racks in upper and lower third of the oven; preheat to 425 degrees.
2. Toss Brussels sprouts, lemon, garlic, oil, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Divide sprouts between 2 large rimmed baking sheets and spread in an even layer.
3. Roast without stirring for 10 minutes. Switch the pans top to bottom and continue roasting, without stirring, until lightly browned and tender, about 8-10 minutes more. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and pine nuts.
Serves 6
Ingredients:
5 pounds delicata squash
4 shallots, quartered lengthwise
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon sea salt, plus a pinch, divided
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ cup honey
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup pomegranate seeds
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
¼ cup fresh mint, chopped
Directions:
1. Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 400 degrees.
2. Halve the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Cut crosswise into 1-inch thick slices. Toss the squash slices and shallots with oil, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper in a large bowl. Divide between 2 large rimmed baking sheets.
3. Roast, turning each piece over and rotating the pans top to bottom halfway through, until the squash is tender and caramelized in spots, 30-40 minutes. Transfer the squash to a serving platter.
4. A few minutes before serving, combine the honey, vinegar, and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a lively simmer and cook, watching closely toward the end, until reduced to about ½ cup, 5-8 minutes. Immediately drizzle syrup over the squash. Serve topped with pomegranate seeds pine nuts and mint.
Serves 12, 3-5 pieces each
Ingredients:
Butternut Squash Filling:
2 cups roasted butternut squash puree (roast squash ahead of time)
1 cup ricotta cheese
½ cup milk (or more, if needed. May sub non-dairy milk)
¼ plus 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Spinach Filling:
1 cup cooked spinach (can also use cooked chard)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Other Ingredients:
10 ounces lasagna noodles, cooked (for gluten free, use brown rice lasagna noodles)
1½ cups mozzarella cheese, or more
½ cup parmesan cheese (for top)
Italian seasoning or your choice of seasoning
Basil
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Butternut Squash Filling – using your food processor, combine 2 cups of the roasted butternut squash puree with the ricotta cheese, milk, salt, and nutmeg. Add more milk if needed to make the filling creamy. Mix vey well, taste and add more salt, if needed.
3. Spinach Filling – combine spinach or chard, ricotta cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix, taste, and add more salt and pepper if needed.
4. Cooking the Lasagna Noodles
5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Rinse in cold water, drain. Using a knife, cut your noodles to fit your baking dish.
Lasagna Assembly
1. Prepare an 11 by 8.5 by 3 inches deep baking dish (or any large baking dish). Grease the dish lightly with olive oil. Spread 1/3 of the butternut filling on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle lightly with mozzarella. Top with cooked lasagna noodles without overlapping (usually takes 3).
2. Spread half of the Spinach or chard filling over the noodles. Top lightly with mozzarella. Top with cooked noodles.
3. Spread another layer of butternut squash filling (using another 1/3 of it), then sprinkle lightly with mozzarella. Top with noodles.
4. Spread the remaining spinach/chard filling over the noodles. Top lightly with mozzarella. Top with remaining noodles.
5. Spread the remaining butternut squash filling over the final layer of noodles, sprinkle with grated Parmesan and remaining mozzarella (about ½ cup). Generously sprinkle the cheese with seasoning of choice, chopped basil leaves and paprika.
6. Cover the dish with parchment paper then foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and paper and bake for another 10 minutes or until top is lightly browned.
Serves up to 10, depending on size of serving
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, sliced
2 cups small cauliflower florets
¼ cup water
5 cups chopped kale
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
½ teaspoon sea salt, divided
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
8 large eggs
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ cup crumbled goat cheese or shredded Manchego cheese
Directions:
1. Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler to high.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown, 2-4 minutes. Add cauliflower and water. Cover and cook until just tender, about 6 minutes. Add kale, garlic, thyme, and ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper each; cook, stirring often until the kale is wilted, 2-3 minutes.
3. Whisk the eggs, paprika, and remaining ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the vegetables to the egg mixture; gently stir to combine. Wipe the pan clean, add in the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat over medium heat. Pour in the egg mixture and top with cheese. Cover and cook until the edges are set and the bottom is brown, 4-5 minutes.
4. Transfer the pan to the oven and broil until the top of the frittata is just cooked, 2-3 minutes.
Serves 4