Recipes

Ingredients:
½ pound kale (about 4 cups chopped)
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cups cooked cannellini beans
4-5 cups bean water, vegetable stock, or water
2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
6 fresh sage leaves, or ½ teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper
½ cup finely ground cornmeal (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or to taste)
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Remove stems from kale and roughly chop the leaves. Soak the leaves in a bowl of cold water while you prepare the soup.
2. In a soup pot, sauté the garlic in the olive oil for just a half a minute. Add about half of the cooked beans and part of the stock or water to the pot. Puree the rest of the beans and stock in a blender or food processor along with the tomato paste and sage. Stir the pureed beans into the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Drain the kale. Mix it into the soup and simmer for at least ½ hour, until tender.
4. Mix the cornmeal (if using) with the lemon juice and enough water to make 1 cup. Pour this paste slowly into the simmering soup while stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Simmer the soup for another 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If necessary, use a heat diffuser to prevent scorching. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust seasonings. Serve the soup immediately, topped with fresh Parmesan.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
10 medium carrots, trimmed and cut into 3 x ¼ x ¼-inch matchsticks
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
zest of 2 lemons – removed with a vegetable peeler and thinly sliced into long strips
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a non-reactive pot over low heat. Stir in the cayenne pepper. Add the carrots, onion, and lemon zest and mix well. Cover the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are tender but not mushy and the onions have softened and turned light yellow, about 45 minutes.
2. Stir in the Chinese five-spice powder, lemon juice, and salt and cook for 30 seconds more. Serve warm.

Serves 8

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 small red onion, quartered
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
½ teaspoon shrimp paste (optional)
1 fiery green chili, sliced in half lengthwise (remove the seeds and veins for a milder effect)
4 cups cubed winter squash, 1-inch (I love butternut)
chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

1. In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil and stir-fry the chopped onion until it’s nicely browned but not burned.
2. Liquefy the quartered onion, garlic, ginger, and shrimp paste in a food processor or blender. Add this mixture to the chopped onion in the wok or skillet and stir-fry until the oil comes out – until you have cooked away all the liquid. When this happens, you’ll see it. It may take as long as 10 minutes. Then stir in the chili halves.
3. Add the cubed squash and 1 cup of water or stock. Reduce the heat and cover. Add more water as needed to prevent sticking, only enough so the water will be cooked away as soon as the squash is tender, and the dish will be dry. Then it is done.
4. Top with chopped cilantro leaves and serve at once.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon packed ground cumin
2 oranges, peeled and thinly sliced
1½-2 red onions, very thinly sliced
¼ cup Nicoise olives, or of choice

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, orange juice, lemon juice, salt, and cumin. Let stand for about 10 minutes to develop the flavors.

2. Meanwhile, arrange oranges and onion slices alternatively and overlapping on a platter. Sprinkle the olives around. Pour the dressing over the onions and oranges and serve.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 pounds green beans, tailed
1½ pounds tomatoes, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks
½ cup scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
½ cup olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
½ cup coarsely chopped dill or basil
½ lemon

Directions:

1. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil plus a generous amount of sea salt, about 1 tablespoon, to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add the beans. Bring the water back to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. While the beans are cooking, prepare a very cold ice bath in a large bowl. Drain the beans and plunge into the ice water. Stir, toss and set aside.
2. While the beans are chilling, combine the tomatoes with the remaining 2 teaspoons sea salt and the scallions in a bowl. Toss and allow to sit for 20 minutes.
3. Add the olive oil and pepper to the tomatoes. Drain the beans. Toss thoroughly with the tomatoes. Allow to sit until ready to serve, for up to 1 hour.
4. Toss in the dill or basil and squeeze lemon over the salad to serve.

Makes 8 cups

Ingredients:
2 pounds medium beets, trimmed and scrubbed
7 teaspoons rice wine vinegar, plus additional for chilling the beets
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
3 large celery ribs, trimmed and cut across into ¼-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
¼ cup coarsely chopped dill
½ teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Place the beets in a saucepan. Cover with water by 2 inches and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until a sharp knife slips easily into the flesh; add water as necessary to keep the beets covered. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Rub off skins. Cut into ½-inch wedges.
2. Place the beets in a bowl. Add the rice vinegar and mix well. Cover and chill for several hours or overnight.
3. Combine the beets in a large bowl with the remaining 4 teaspoons rice vinegar and then the remaining ingredients. Mix well and serve.

Makes 4 cups

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 meaty peppers, cored but left whole
1½ heads garlic, cloves separated, smashed and peeled
1 2-ounce can anchovy fillets, drained, reserving the oil
1 teaspoon Greek oregano
freshly ground black pepper
2 10-ounce rounds buffalo milk mozzarella, or other fresh mozzarella

Directions:

1. Place rack in upper third of oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Coat a 16×13-inch roasting pan with a little oil. Add the peppers and drizzle with the remaining oil. Roast for 30 minutes. Turn the peppers over and rotate in the pan. Cook for another 30 minutes.
3. Turn the peppers and rotate in the pan again. Add the garlic to the center of the pan. Cook another 15 minutes. Turn the garlic over. Cook for another 15 minutes, or until the peppers are very soft and collapsed.
4. Remove the garlic and peppers to a plate. Loosen the caramelized juices from the pan with a wooden spoon. Pour over the peppers. Cover loosely with a cloth and let cool.
5. To make the peppers with anchovies – just before serving, drain the liquid from the peppers into a small saucepan. Stir in 1 teaspoon dried Greek oregano and the reserved anchovy oil. Add 2 or more chopped anchovy fillets and cook over low heat until the anchovy dissolves. Taste for saltiness. Add freshly ground pepper. Let cool.
6. To serve, slice the mozzarella lengthwise. Arrange the peppers and garlic on a platter, overlapping peppers and garlic with the mozzarella slices. Top with anchovy fillets. Drizzle the dressing on top.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower
½ cup currants, soaked 15 minutes, then drained
3 carrots, finely diced
¼ cup finely chopped flat-leafed parsley
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons ground coriander
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
½ cup olive oil

Directions:

1. Remove core and stems of cauliflower and cut into pea-sized pieces. Alternatively, you can cut cauliflower into chunks and pulse in the food processor until it resembles grainy crumbs. Place in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add currants, carrots, parsley, and cilantro and mix well.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and orange juice together with the ground coriander, salt, and pepper. Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking constantly until dressing is emulsified.
4. Add dressing to cauliflower couscous mixture and fold thoroughly until well combined. Allow flavors to marinate together for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
5. Before serving, season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

Serves 6

Ingredients:
¼ cup dark or golden raisins
¼ cup dried apricots, cut into ¼-inch strips
½ cup full-bodied red wine
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1 large Spanish onion, chopped coarse
1 sweet pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into ¼-inch dice
1 or more Serrano or jalapeno peppers. Stemmed, seeded, and minced
1½ pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½-inch chunks
1 teaspoon each: ground cinnamon, ground cumin, ground coriander, and whole mustard seed
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (low sodium)
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
½ cup minced fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Soak raisins and apricots in wine; set aside.
2. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic and sauté until fragrant but not brown, about 1 minute. Increase to medium-high and add onion, peppers (sweet and hot), and squash.       Saute until squash starts to brown, 3-5 minutes. Add dried fruit, wine, and spices; cook to blend flavors, about 1 minute. Add stock and bring to a simmer.
3. Cover skillet and braise vegetables in oven until squash is tender, not mushy, 10-12 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper; garnish with cilantro.

Serves 6 as a side dish

Ingredients:
4 medium carrots, peeled and grated
1 pound whole jicama, peeled and grated
2 apples, grated
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
¼ cup olive oil or avocado oil
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chiffonade (whole leaves rolled together and sliced into “ribbons”)
Sea salt to taste

Directions:

1. First make the dressing: in a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, lime juice, and vinegar with the oil until emulsified and season to taste with salt.

2. Grate carrots, jicama, and apple into bowl with dressing.

3. Toss everything together along with the mint and serve immediately.

Serves 6