Ingredients:
½ cup water
1 small clove garlic
1 fresh hot pepper of choice, split lengthwise, seeds removed
6 small tomatoes, cut into quarters
sea salt
1½ pounds squash
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
juice of ½ lemon
Directions:
1. Combine water, garlic, hot pepper, and tomatoes in a large skillet over low heat. Add a generous pinch of salt. Cover partway, bring to a simmer, and cook 4-5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cut the squash lengthwise into long strips about 1/3-inch thick. Cut the strips in half both ways; all the pieces will have skin on them.
3. Add the squash to the skillet and toss with tongs. Cover part way and cook, tossing once or twice, until the squash is just tender, 8-10 minutes.
4. Remove the squash from the skillet with tongs and arrange on a serving dish. Turn the heat up under the skillet and reduce the juices by half. Stir the lemon zest into the juices and spoon over the squash. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.
5. Serve at room temperature.
Serves 4
This is for those of you who asked for the recipe at the Discovery Program benefit on Saturday. If you like chutney, I think this one will please you, and it is so simple to make.
Ingredients:
1½ pound apples, cored and coarsely chopped
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (I like a little spicier chutney, so I add a bit more to taste)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice or cloves (I use the allspice)
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
a slight pinch of cayenne to taste
1/3 cup golden raisins
Directions:
1. Place the apples in a medium sized saucepan with all the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes, or until everything is soft. You will need to watch the pot and stir occasionally. If the apples start to stick, add a little splash of apple cider or juice to keep them from burning. Once the apples have started to break down it is important to keep a watch on them – they tend to burn quickly if not stirred a lot towards the end of the cooking.
2. Cool when soft and put into a jar with a tight lid. Can be stored in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.
For the benefit, I sliced and toasted a baguette then put a dollop of the chutney on and a sprinkle of fresh goat cheese. Then I grated fresh lemon zest to garnish the top and add a little sass to taste. You can play with the spices to make the chutney to your taste. You can also use other dried fruits instead of the golden raisins, such as apricots or cranberries.
Yield: about 1½ cups
Ingredients:
1½ cups red cabbage, shredded
3 carrots, coarsely grated
1½ tablespoons parsley, roughly chopped
2 apples, quartered, cored, and sliced
handful of radishes, sliced
2 celery sticks, sliced
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
Dressing:
2 teaspoons grated ginger, or more to taste
1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice, or more to taste
4 tablespoons olive oil
Directions:
1. Prepare all the ingredients for the salad and mix them in a large bowl.
2. Put all the dressing ingredients into a small bowl. Season and whisk together until slightly thickened. Pour over the salad and toss until evenly coated.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
Dressing:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 clove garlic, minced
Salad:
½ cup apple cider
2 apples, cored and diced
1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and leaves cut into bite-sized pieces
3 cooked beets, medium dice
Directions:
1. Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a large bowl; set aside.
2. Cook cider in a large skillet until most of the liquid has cooked off. Add the apples and cook for a few more minutes to slightly soften.
3. Let cool then add the apples to the bowl with the dressing and the remaining ingredients. Toss well to coat.
Ingredients:
2 large cooked beets
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 cup sweetener of choice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
½ cup flour of choice
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon espresso powder
½ cup mini chocolate chips or ¼ cup cocoa nibs
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a square 9-inch baking dish with oil.
2. Puree the beets in a food processor or blender until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. You should have 1 cup. Set aside.
3. Whisk together the butter and sweetener in a bowl until smooth. Add the vanilla, then whisk in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in beets.
4. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and espresso powder in a separate bowl. Fold flour mixture into beet mixture until just combined. Stir in chips. Pour into the prepared pan.
5. Bake 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool, then cut into 16 squares.
Makes 16 brownies
Ingredients:
For the Dressing:
5 sun-dried tomato halves (not packed in oil)
½ cup hot water
½ cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Salad:
1 bunch chard, stems removed, and cut into very thin slices and leaves torn into big pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
5-6 radishes, trimmed and sliced thin
2 carrots, grated
Directions:
For the Dressing:
1. Cover the tomatoes with the hot water and let them sit for about 30 minutes to reconstitute.
2. Take the tomatoes out of the water (save the soaking liquid), chop them and put them in a blender with the buttermilk. Whir them around until the tomatoes are pureed. Add the oil and vinegar, 2 tablespoons of the soaking water, and salt and pepper to taste. Whir to combine into a creamy dressing. Taste the dressing with a piece of chard and adjust the seasoning. Pour it into a jar.
For the Salad:
1. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chard stems and lightly sauté for about 3 minutes, until the stems begin to soften. Add the leaves and sauté for a few more minutes, just until the chard has slightly wilted. Remove from heat and the skillet.
2. Mix the carrots and radishes in a salad bowl and toss with enough dressing to just coat. Add the chard and toss with another 1/3 cup of dressing, just enough to coat, or to your desired consistency. The extra dressing will keep in the refrigerator for about 1 week.
Ingredients:
¼ cup cubed pancetta OR 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large bunch kale, stems removed, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces
4 cups of stock of choice, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ onion, chopped
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 medium apple, cored and chopped
¼ cup crème fraiche, mascarpone cheese, or plain yogurt
freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the pancetta for 1 minute (if using), just until barely browning. If not using the pancetta, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet.
2. Add the kale and stir to coat. Add a sprinkle more olive oil if the kale starts to stick to the pan. Cook, stirring, until the kale begins to wilt. Add 2 cups of stock, lower the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
3. Transfer the mixture to a blender, reserving some as a second batch if blender jar is more than ½ full.
4. In the same skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil and cook the onions with salt until just barely showing color. Add the chopped apples and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until apples have softened and onions are translucent.
5. Transfer mixture to blender, reserving half if you reserved half the kale mixture earlier.
6. Working in two batches, add half the remaining stock (1 cup) cover and puree until smooth. If working with one batch, add all the remaining stock and puree until smooth. When working with hot liquids, it’s wise to hold down the blender lid with a kitchen towel in case some liquid escapes when the motor is engaged.
7. If the soup seems too thick, add more stock or water until it reaches the desired consistency.
8. Garnish with a dollop of crème fraiche, mascarpone, or yogurt, and a few grinds of black pepper.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 largish red onions, sliced thinly into half-moons
¼ cup olive oil
sea salt
3 cloves garlic, crushed
6 anchovy filets, chopped
6 sweet peppers, cut into ½-inch wide slices
4 tomatoes, copped
½-¾ teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Put the onions and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add a pinch of salt and cook until onions soften, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and anchovies and cook for a minute or two, stirring, until the anchovies melt into the oil. Add the peppers and tomatoes, season with oregano, salt, and pepper, and lower the heat to medium-low.
3. Cover and cook, stirring once in a while, for about 30 minutes, until the peppers are tender, but not mushy. Taste for seasoning.
4. Let the peperonata sit for about 30 minutes before serving. Makes a great appetizer when served with crostini.
Serves 4-8
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
1 cauliflower, broken into medium florets
sea salt
a big pinch of saffron threads (you can find inexpensive saffron in packages at Trader Joe’s, or in bulk at Staff of Life in Santa Cruz, or in the spice section of the grocery store)
1½ cups chicken stock or of choice
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leafed parsley
Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a wide saucepan (or a deep skillet) over medium heat and add the onion. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the onion is starting to soften. Turn the heat to medium-high, add the cauliflower and a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring once in a while, for about 10 minutes, or until the cauliflower has taken on some color; the florets are an irregular shape, so don’t expect even browning.
2. Crumble in the saffron and pour in the stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Take off the cover, turn the heat to high and cook until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. (For crispier cauliflower, use only 1 cup of stock and cook covered for 12 minutes then uncover and proceed as above.)
3. Spoon the cauliflower into a serving bowl and sprinkle with parsley.
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large red onion, diced
1 large pepper, cut into ½-inch chunks
3 cloves garlic, minced
¾ pound small red potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
¾ cups water or stock
1 pound summer squash, halved and cut lengthwise into ½-inch slices
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1¾ cups cooked black beans, or canned (rinsed and drained)
2 tablespoons peanut butter
¾ teaspoons oregano
¾ teaspoons sea salt
1 cup corn kernels
Directions:
1. In a Dutch oven or flameproof casserole, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, pepper, and garlic, and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft, about 7 minutes.
2. Add the potatoes and water or stock. Cover and cook until firm-tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the squash, tomatoes and their juice, black beans, peanut butter, oregano, and salt. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until squash and potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Stir in the corn and cook until it is heated through, about 2 minutes.
Makes 4 servings