Recipes

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
4 squash, thinly sliced
1/2 cup packed fresh basil, cut into thin ribbons
1 tablespoon lemon juice
sea salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the shallot, stirring frequently, until it is fragrant and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the squash and cook until crisp-tender, stirring occasionally, about 4-5 minutes and the squash is lightly browned in spots.
2. Turn off the heat and stir in the basil. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1/2 cup hijiki (seaweed) – optional
1 tablespoon shoyu (soy sauce)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup onion, halved and sliced
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
pinch of sea salt
2 cups fresh green beans
Juice from 2 tablespoons grated ginger

Directions:
1. If using – place the hijiki in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Soak for about 30 minutes, then drain and rinse in a colander to rid the hijiki of any remaining grit. Combine the hijiki, shoyu, and water to almost cover in a saucepan. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until the water has nearly evaporated, about 30-40 minutes.
3. While the hijiki is cooking, heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and salt and saute for about 4 minutes, or until translucent.
4. Cut the tips from the green beans, and add to the onions. Cover and cook until the beans are tender-crisp, about 3-5 minutes. Add the hijiki , if using, and ginger juice. Mix well, and cook for 1-2 minutes more to marry the flavors. Serve immediately.

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
2 large leeks, well rinsed, and finely chopped (use all the white, and the tender
part of the green)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup Arborio or Carnaroll rice
1/4 cup white wine
3 cups vegetable stock, heated
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup snipped chives or green part of scallions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, leeks, and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft, 6-8 minutes.
2. Add the butter and rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until the rice is hot, 1-2 minutes. Then stir in the wine and cook until all of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes.
3. Add 1 cup of the heated vegetable stock, stirring constantly, to bring out the starch in the rice. When almost all of the stock has been absorbed, add another cup. Repeat until all of the stock has been absorbed, about 20 minutes total. (The risotto is meant to be fully cooked, not al dente, for this recipe.) Remove the pan from heat and let mixture cool for 20 minutes.
4. Sir in the feta, eggs, chives, and parsley into the risotto. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste. When it is cool enough to handle, form the mixture into 12 ½-inch thick cakes, about 1/3 cup each, and refrigerate them, uncovered until they are completely cold, at least 4 hours. (The cakes can be well wrapped and refrigerated for up to 2 days before cooking.)
5. Just before serving, heat the oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high heat. Arrange the cakes in the skillet so they do not touch (it may be necessary to do batches), and cook until the bottom is crisp and browned, about 3 minutes. Turn the cakes over and cook the other side until golden and warmed through, about 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Makes 12 cakes

Ingredients:
1½ pounds potatoes, scrubbed
Sea salt
About 4 cups water
About 8 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed, blanched and cut into 1-inch lengths
2 large ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 small red onion, halved and very thinly sliced
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup medium dice celery
2 tablespoons capers
pinch of dried red pepper flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Place potatoes in large pot, add 1 teaspoon salt and enough cold water to cover. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 20-30 minutes, depending on their size.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, place the green beans, tomatoes, red onion, olives, parsley, celery, capers, and red pepper flakes in a large mixing bowl, and stir gently to combine.
3. Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, and oregano in a small glass jar and seal the lid tightly. Shake the jar vigorously to combine. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper to taste, and set aside at room temperature.
4. When the potatoes are tender, drain them immediately, and then let them cool until they can be handled. Cut the potatoes into small pieces and set them in the bean mixture. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables and gently toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. The salad can be served at room temperature or chilled. (It can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, covered.)

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
Curry Vinaigrette (recipe below)
1 pound beets
6 scallions. minced
lemon juice or red wine vinegar, to taste
1/2 cup currants
1 bunch arugula, washed
2 firm apples, sweet or tart, as you prefer
1 celery heart, sliced into pieces 1/4-inch
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions:

1. Prepare the vinaigrette and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 40 degrees. Leaving the tails and 1 inch of the stems on the beets, rinse them and put them in a baking pan with 1/4 inch of water, cover and bake them until tender when pierced with a knife, 25-40 minutes, depending no the size of the beets. Take care to not over cook them. When cool enough to handle, peel the beets, slice them in half, then into wedges, and toss them with 2 teaspoon of the vinaigrette and half of the scallions. Add lemon juice or vinegar to make them a little tart. Set them aside.
3. Cover the currants with hot water and let them stand to soften for 15 minutes. Then drain, gently squeeze them to remove the extra water, add them to the cooked beets.
4. Trim the arugula stems. Quarter the apples then slice them into thin slices. Combine them with the celery, walnuts, and the rest of the scallions; toss with 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Dress the arugula with the rest of the dressing and set out on plates or a large platter. Arrange the beets on top of the greens with the celery, apples, and walnuts scattered over and around them.

CURRY VINAIGRETTE

1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, peels and grated
1½ tablespoons lemon juice or red wine vinegar, or more to taste
6 tablespoons vinegar

Directions:

1. Pound the garlic in a mortar and pestle with the salt until it forms a smooth paste. Add the curry powder and ginger sand work into the garlic. Stir in the lemon juicer vinegar, then whisk in the oil.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1½ tablespoons safflower oil
2 medium leeks, trimmed, cleaned thoroughly and chopped (about 2 cups)
1 medium onion, sliced (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
1¼ pounds potatoes, coarsely cubed (about 3 cups)
3 cups chicken stock
1½ cups water
10 ounces arugula, washed, trimmed, to yield 4 cups
freshly ground pepper and sea salt to taste
Yogurt, 2 tablespoons per serving
4 arugula leaves finely slivered for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large pot. Add leeks, and onion; cook over moderately low heat, stirring often, until softened, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with fennel and stir 30 seconds.
2. Add potatoes, broth and water. Simmer 25 minutes, until soft. Add arugula and cook another 10 minutes longer, to until stems are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Puree to rough or smooth texture in a food processor or blender. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot or chilled topped with the yogurt and garnished with the arugula slivers.

Makes about 6 cups

Ingredients:
2 cups broth of choice diluted with 2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 minced onion, leek, shallot, or spring onion
1 cup total of mixed grains such as wild rice, brown rice, faro, arborio rice, or medium-grain white rice,
kept separate
5 large leaves chard, kale, arugula, or spinach
Sea salt to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Squeeze of lemon for serving

Directions:

1. Place the diluted broth in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, lower the heat and keep on a low simmer, covered.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add the butter and melt, swirling until foamy. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes, stirring often.
3. Set the timer for 1 hour, stir in the wild or brown rice, stirring constantly, toasting lightly, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in a ladle of broth and keep stirring until mostly absorbed, about 2-3 minutes. Add more broth, return to a simmer and cover. Keep on medium-low heat, and repeat stirring and adding broth every 5 minutes or so. Let the broth boil down before adding the next grain.
4. After 15 minutes, add the faro then repeat the instructions above. After another 20 minutes add the arborio or medium-grain rice and repeat the instructions for 15 minutes. If you run out of broth, add boiling water.
5. If using chard as part of the greens, remove stems and chop finely, then chop the leaves into 1-inch pieces.
6. During the last 5 minutes of cooking the risotto, stir in the chard stems with some broth and cover. After 5 minutes, add the chard leaves and other greens and cook another 3-5 minutes, until the grains and greens are tender.
7. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir in the Parmesan and lemon juice. Serve right away with extra Parmesan.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1½ pounds summer squash, grated
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onion
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1/4 cup fine dried bread crumbs
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Drain grated squash in a colander for 30 minutes. While squash is draining, melt 2 teaspoons butter in a wide frying g pan over medium heat. Add onions, stir often until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Scrape into a bowl.
2. Mix drained squash, crumbs, eggs, green onion, parsley, basil, walnuts, and cheese with onion in a bowl.
3. In a frying pan, melt the remaining butter over medium-high heat. Ladle 3 ¼-cup mounds into the pan, spreading each to make a 3-inch patty. Cook until all patties are lightly browned not the bottom (about 3 minutes). With a wide spatula, turn patties over; continue to cook until browned on the other side, about 3 minutes more. Remove from and keep warm.
4. Repeat step 3 to cook remaining squash mixture, making 3 more patties.

Makes 6 patties

Ingredients:
1¼ cup pinto beans, soaked overnight
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon oregano
1 lb tomatoes, chopped, reserve the juice
2 ancho chilies
1 pound mixed summer squash
4 ears corn (2 cups kernels)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon coriandre seeds
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
2 yellow onions, small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons red chili powder, or more to taste
8 ounces green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
4 ounces Jack or Muenster cheese
Whole cilantro leaves for garnish

Directions:

1. Cook the pre-soaked beans for about 1 1/2 -2 hours in plenty of water with the salt, bay leaf, and oregano. Remove from heat when they are soft, but not mushy, as they will continue to cook in the stew. Drain the beans and save the broth.
2. Prepare the tomatoes. Open the chili pods and remove the seeds and veins, then cut the chilies into narrow strips. Cut the squash into large pieces, shave the kernels from the corn. Grind the cumin and coriander seeds into a powder in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet, and saute the onions over high heat for 1-2 minutes. Lower the heat, add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and coriander, stirring everything together. Add a little bean broth so the chili doesn’t burn or scorch. Cook until the onions have begun to soften, about 4 minutes, then add the tomatoes and stew for about 5 minutes. Stir in the squash, corn, green beans, and chili strips along with the cooked beans and enough of the bean broth to make them a fairly wet stew. Cook slowly until the vegetables are done, about 15- 20 minutes. Taste the stew and adjust the seasoning.
4. Stir in the cheese and chopped cilantro. To serve – garnish each bowl with some of the whole cilantro leaves.

Serves 6

Ingredients:
1½ pounds summer squash, diced or sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 large green garlic plus tender greens, finely chopped
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the squash a handful at a time, letting each batch gain a little color before adding the next. Saute until the squash is golden and tender, about 7 minutes.
2. Remove to a serving dish and toss with the parsley, garlic, lemon zest and season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4