Recipes

Ingredients:
2½ tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon orange juice
2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups shredded carrots (3-4 medium)
1 cup chopped cabbage
1 large crisp apple, chopped
1 cup sprouts
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons sunflower seeds, lightly toasted
freshly ground black pepper to taste
lime wedges for serving (optional)

Directions:

1. Whisk together orange juice, vinegar, salt, cinnamon, and cumin in a large bowl.  Add the carrots, cabbage, apple, sprouts, cilantro, and sunflower seeds; toss to combine with the dressing. Season with pepper. Serve with the lime wedges, if desired.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

The Salad:
½ cup skinned raw peanuts
1 teaspoon peanut oil
1 large carrot
4 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage
2 cups slivered lettuce leaves
3 scallions, including greens, finely sliced diagonally
¼ cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
2 tablespoons torn basil leaves

The Dressing:
½ jalapeno chili, finely diced (remove the seeds and fine membrane – that’s where most of the heat hides!)
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sweetener
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup roasted peanut oil, or oil of choice

Directions:

1. Heat the peanuts in oil over medium-low heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until lightly browned after a few minutes. Blot with paper towels and set aside.
2. With a vegetable peeler, remove the long strips of carrot until you reach the core.
3. Combine the cabbage, lettuce, and carrot with everything except the nuts. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and toss with the greens. Add the peanuts just before serving.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1 pound squash
2  teaspoons capers
1-3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
grated zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 shallot, finely diced
1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon finely chopped basil or marjoram
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Slice the squash into even-size pieces of any desired shape.
2. Rinse the capers, squeeze out any excess liquid, and roughly chop them. Work them into the butter with the lemon zest, lemon juice, shallot, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper.
3. Steam or sauté the squash until tender, about 5 minutes.  Place in a bowl and toss with the butter and serve warm.

Makes 4 servings

This is a delicious recipe and worth the effort. It needs to be served immediately!

Ingredients:

The Garlic Infusion:
¾-1 cup minced green garlic, about 5 small heads
1 cup cream or half-and-half
1 sprig thyme

The Souffle:
4 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus extra for the dish
½ freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 bunch chard, stems removed
4 tablespoons flour of choice
1 and 1/3 cups milk or alternative
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 scant cup (about 4 ounces) mild goat cheese
4 egg yolks
6 egg whites

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 6-cup souffle dish or gratin dish and dust with a few tablespoons of Parmesan cheese.
2. Put the garlic, cream, and thyme in a small saucepan over low heat. Bring slowly to a boil, then turn off the heat, cover, and let steep for 15 minutes.
3. Wash the chard well, then wilt it in a skillet with the water clinging to the leaves. Tip it to a colander, press out the moisture, then finely chop.
4. Melt the 4 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour, and cook for 1 minute while stirring. Whisk in the milk and stir until it thickens. Add 1 teaspoon salt, then stir in the goat cheese and remaining Parmesan cheese. Turn off the heat and stir in the egg yolks, chard, and the garlic-cream mixture. Season with pepper.
5. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form firm peaks that are just a bit on the soft side. Fold the whites and base together.  Scrape the batter into the prepared dish and bake until golden brown and set, about 25 minutes for gratin dish, 30 minutes for soufflé dish

*Before you bake, prepare a baking pan larger than the soufflé dish, set it in the oven with the filled soufflé dish, then add a little warm water, to fill about 1/3 the way up. This is called a Bain Marie, water bath, which helps the soufflé cook evenly and gives it “moisture”. When removing from the oven, take the soufflé out of the water bath first.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1/3 cup pine nuts
sea salt
1 head frisee
1 head escarole, leaves removed and torn into bite-sized pieces
½ bunch lettuce, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup sliced strawberries
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves torn into pieces
3 scallions, thinly sliced
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or lemon juice, or more to taste

Directions:

1. Toast the pine nuts in a small skillet over medium heat, shuffling the pan back and forth until they’re golden. Remove from heat immediately and put in a bowl with a pinch of salt.

2. Separate the frisee leaves at the base, discarding the tough leaves. Mix the escarole and lettuce with the frisee in a large bowl. Refrigerate until needed.

3. Slice the strawberries lengthwise.

4. Toss the greens with the mint and scallions. Sprinkle with salt and toss again. Pour the oil over them and toss until lightly coated. Add the vinegar or lemon, toss, and taste for tartness and salt. Divide among salad plates and garnish with the strawberries and pine nuts.

Serves 6

Ingredients:
6 ounces dried rice sticks, buckwheat soba noodles, or other Asian noodles
1-2 kohlrabi, grated
1-2 carrots, grated
5 radishes, sliced into rounds, then sliced to matchsticks
1/3 cup cilantro leaves
1 small head lettuce or a mix of escarole, frisee and lettuce
3 tablespoons roasted unsalted peanuts or nuts of choice, coarsely chopped

Dressing:
½ fresh green or red chili pepper, seeded and minced
1½ tablespoons sweetener
¼ rice vinegar
¼ cup fish sauce or soy sauce
2 cloves green garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Make the dressing by whisking or processing in a blender all of the ingredients until sweetener is dissolved and garlic and chili are finely minced. Set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and bring the water back to a boil. Cook the noodles are soft, about 3 minutes, then drain in a colander and refresh with cold water. If you are using noodles other than rice noodles, cook according to the package. Stir in a teaspoon of oil into noodle if not using right away to keep them from sticking together.
3. In a large bowl, combine the noodles, kohlrabi, radishes, carrots, green onions, mint, and cilantro leaves. Add just enough dressing to coat and toss gently.
4. Divide greens mixture among plates and top with noodle mixture. Garnish with chopped peanuts and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Combine in a large non-reactive pan. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes:

1½ cups water
½ cup dry white wine
1 small onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed
½ teaspoon peppercorns
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf

After 10 minutes, add 3 small fennel bulbs, trimmed and quartered, but still attached to the base.  If there is not enough liquid, add water to cover. Simmer, uncovered, until the fennel is tender when pierced with a knife, 15-20 minutes. Let cool in the liquid. To serve, remove fennel with a slotted spoon to a serving platter and sprinkle with chopped fennel greens and 1 teaspoon minced fresh cilantro (optional).   Serve the quarters whole or thinly slice them.

Serves 4-6

Serving raw summer squash is a lovely change of pace. Sliced into ribbons, the squashes have a light, satisfying crunch and refreshing flavor. The addition of basil, pine nuts and a little goat cheese makes this a delectable, and healthy, summer salad or side dish.

Ingredients:
1½ pounds squash
1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chiffonade of basil
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
2 ounces goat cheese

Directions:

1. Trim the ends off the squash, and using a mandoline, vegetable peeler, or knife, cut the squash lengthwise into very thin strips.
2. Place in   a large bowl with the shallots, olive oil, and vinegar, and gently toss to combine. Let stand 10 minutes.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Then add the basil and pine nuts and gently toss to combine.
4. Transfer to a serving dish and crumble goat cheese on top. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Frisee refers to a variety of endive with curly, pale green or yellowish leaves.  Sometimes it is called curly endive or chicory. Frisee does not have the cylindrical shaped leaves, but is rather shaggy. Frisee is similar to, but has smaller leaves than, escarole. Like escarole it is frequently used in salads. It can have a slightly bitter flavor and is much milder than other varieties of endive such as radicchio or Belgian endive.

Ingredients:
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 ounce ginger root, peeled and grated (about 1-inch piece)
1 small squash, cubed
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sweetener (optional)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 bunch frisee, separated and torn into pieces
1 bunch lettuce, leaves torn into pieces
1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced
¼ cup chopped cilantro or parsley

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and cubed squash.  Saute for 5 minutes, turning the pieces so they are brown and crisp on the outside. Add the wine vinegar, sweetener, and salt and raise the heat and coo k for another minute.
2. Meanwhile, heat the sesame oil in a pan and throw in the frisee and fennel. Saute for about 1 minute, just until the frisse begins to barely wilt. Turn off the heat, mix in the lettuce, and transfer the leaves to a platter.  Pour the squash over the greens and sprinkle with cilantro.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 kohlrabi, peeled and grated
3 carrots, grated
1 fennel bulb, chopped
bunch of parsley, chopped
2 ounces pine nuts
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Thoroughly mix all vegetables in large bowl with the parsley. Fry the pine nuts with the garlic and olive oil until golden. Add these to the salad.
2. Add the wine vinegar and seasonings to the oil in the pan, together with a good teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Stir well and pour over the salad.
3. Toss and leave to marinate for 1 hour.

Serves 4