Ingredients:
Salad:
Lettuce
2 Asian pears, cored and sliced
2 cups strawberries
1 cup blackberries (optional)
Dressing:
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons honey or pure maple syrup
1/4 cup plain yogurt
Directions:
1. Wash lettuce leaves and arrange on 4 salad plates.
2. Arrange pear slices in a pinwheel pattern on top of lettuce.
3. Wash and dry strawberries (and blackberries, if using). Arrange strawberries between pear slicers. Scatter the blackberries over the pear slices.
4. Mix dressing ingredients together well. Drizzle over the composed salads evenly. Serve.
Serves 4
Broccoli is commonly acknowledged as a super food. High in fiber, broccoli is a good source of vitamin B-6, and is also rich in calcium and vitamin C.
Ingredients:
Salad:
6 ounces rice noodles
1 cup broccoli, cut up
1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and cut into bite sized pieces, then “massaged”
1 cucumber, sliced
1/2 cup peanuts
Dressing:
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
12-16 drops sesame oil
12-16 drops chile oil
1/4 cup olive oil
Directions:
1. Boil noodles until just soft, do not over cook. Rinse in cold water.
2. Stem broccoli for about 2 minutes, until crisp-tender.
3. Prepare the “massaged” kale
4. To make the dressing, mix all the dressing ingredients together. You can play with the sesame and chile oils to get the flavors you like. When adding salt. remember the noodles are bland, so the dressing may require more salt than expected.
5. To compose the salad, make a bed of kale. Layer the noodles, then the cucumber, broccoli., peanuts, and dressing.
Ingredients:
1 (9-inch) pie crust (recipe below)
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped leeks
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
8 cups chopped, cleaned Swiss chard
1 1/4 cups grated Gruyere cheese
2 eggs, beaten
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake pie shell for 6-7 minutes, and remove from oven.
2. Saute onions, leeks, and garlic in olive oil and a little water until tender. Add nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste.
3. Toss in Swiss chard and cook for about 1 minute, until chard begins to wilt and reduce in size, without cooking it all the way down. Remove from heat.
4. Spoon chard mixture over bottom of pie crust. Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese over chard mixture. Pour eggs over chard and cheese evenly and slowly. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bale at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until eggs are set. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Serves 8
BASIC PIE CRUST
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup unbleached flour or whole wheat pastry flour
3 tablespoons iced water
Directions:
1. Cut butter into small pieces and begin wit a light touch to quickly work the butter into the flour with your hands or a fork until the butter is fairly well distributed.
2. Add the salt and mix lightly. Add the water and mix with a fork only until he ingredients are moistened.
3. Lightly and quickly form a ball. Flour a pastry cloth or board and roll or pat out the dough into a round about 6-inches in diameter. Roll or press into pie or tart dish.
Ingredients:
1 pound green beans, stem ends removed
3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce (recipe below, or you can use a bottled sauce if you wish)
Directions:
1. In a skillet, saute beans in water, adding water along the way, until beans are the desired texture, crisp-tender. Allow the water to evaporate, then continue to cook beans until black spots appear on most of the beans. Toss regularly during the cooking process.
2. Reduce heat, add teriyaki sauce and an equal amount of water, and continue to toss and cook for another 30-60 seconds, taking care not to burn the sauce. Serve hot.
Serves 4
TERIYAKI SAUCE
Ingredients:
1 cup shoe or soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon finely minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
8-10 drops sesame oil
3/4 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
Directions:
In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together until well combined. This sauce will last for weeks in the refrigerator!
Ingredients:
1 pound broccoli
1 tablespoon flour of choice
1 cup milk or milk substitute (such as almond, rice, soy…), divided
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon sea salt
pinch of ground white pepper
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
Directions:
1. Trim ½ inch off broccoli stalks; remove the tough outer layer with a vegetable peeler. Cut the broccoli lengthwise so the florets attached to the long stalks are 1-2 inches wide. (If the broccoli is just florets, omit direction for the stalks.)
2. Bring 1 inch water to a boil in a large pot fitted with a steamer basket. Steam the broccoli until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, whisk flour and ¼ cup milk in a small bowl until smooth. Heat the remaining ¾ cup milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat until steaming. Whisk in the flour mixture, cook, whisking, until thickened, 2-4 minutes.
4. Remove from heat; add cheese, sea salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Drizzle over the broccoli. Serve warm.
Serves 4
You probably have this recipe already, but I like it so much, I am writing it again! Hope you enjoy it. It is a big hit with children, especially if they make it. Makes about 1 cup depending on the size of avocados.
Ingredients:
1-2 ripe avocados, cut into chunks
½ cup chopped dates, soaked in warm water for about 1 hour ( you may want to use more dates depending on the thickness you want)
2½ teaspoons cocoa powder, or more to taste
¼ plus teaspoon vanilla (optional)
¼ ground cinnamon (optional)
1/8 teaspoon or less cayenne powder (optional)
¼ cup water plus 1/8 cup
sweetener of choice, to taste
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Directions:
1. Place all ingredients (except 1/8 cup water) in a food processor or blender. Process until well blended.
2. Taste and adjust flavors to your liking. Add the 1/8 cup extra water if needed to thin the pudding. Serve immediately or chilled topped with ground nuts, fruit, or toppings of your choice.
Ingredients:
Goat Cheese Rounds:
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons paprika
teaspoon fresh chopped thyme
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
16 (1/3-inch thick) rounds chilled soft fresh goat cheese (from one 11 ounce log)
Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 shallot, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
5 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt
Salad:
1 pound potatoes, halved (or quartered, depending on size)
8 cups loosely packed lettuces. Mixed
1/3 cup packed fresh basil leaves (tear the large leaves into smaller pieces)
12 ounces small tomatoes
½ cup black olives of choice
Directions:
For the cheese rounds:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper. Mix first 6 ingredients in a shallow bowl. Dip cut sides of goat cheese rounds into spice mixture to coat. Place on paper on the baking sheet. Chill to serve. Do ahead (can be up to 1 day ahead). Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature to serve.
For vinaigrette:
Whisk first 4 ingredients together in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season with sea salt and pepper. Can be made a day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Re-whisk before using.
For the salad:
1. Steam potatoes until just tender, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cool.
2. Combine greens and basil in a large bowl. Add enough vinaigrette to coat lightly; toss. Arrange on a platter. Add potatoes and tomatoes to the same bowl and add remaining dressing and toss to coat. Arrange potatoes and tomatoes atop greens. Scatter the olives over. Surround with the goat cheese rounds.
Makes 4 main-course servings
Ingredients:
2 medium leeks
1 tablespoon oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4¼ cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 head romaine (or other) lettuce
¼ cup fresh tarragon
black pepper, freshly ground
lemon juice to taste
lemon zest to taste
plain yogurt, to garnish, optional
Directions:
1. Thoroughly wash the leeks and slice them into half circles, discarding the root end.
2. Heat in a large saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. Add the leeks and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened and just beginning to turn golden, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the stock and salt and bring to a simmer. Turn heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes to soften leeks further.
4. While the soup base is simmering, slice the whole head of lettuce crosswise into 1-inch thick stripes and discard the base. Wash the lettuce and drain it in a colander or salad spinner.
5. Stir the lettuce into the soup, increase heat to medium, and cook, uncovered until the lettuce is wilted and softened, about 45 minutes.
6. Stir in the tarragon leaves (you may want to use less if you want a lighter tasting soup). Puree the soup in batches in a blender or use an immersion blender) until very smooth. When the soup is blended, return to the pan and gently reheat. Taste and season with salt, pepper, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
7. Optional garnish – Vigorously stir yogurt, adding tiny amounts water until it falls off the spoon in a thick stream. Hold a spoonful about 6 inches above the bowl and let it fall in a circular or zigzag pattern on the soup.
Serves 12
“Pickled” Padron peppers in a tangy, sweet brine are a fantastic accompaniment to salad dressings, marinades and more!
Ingredients:
½ teaspoon oil
12 fresh (or more) Padron peppers
3 cups white wine vinegar
½ cup sugar
4 cloves garlic, peeled, halved
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place peppers in the skillet; cook and stir until peppers are shiny and lightly blistered, 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer whole hot peppers to1 quart mason jar and press down.
2. Combine white wine vinegar, sugar, garlic, black peppercorns, and red pepper flakes in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, remove from heat. Pour over peppers in the mason jar, leaving about 1/2–inch head space. Screw on 2-piece top; let seal over 24 hours.
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced and separated into rings
1 shallot, sliced
3 cups kale, stems removed and leaves shredded
1 cup chicken stock or stock of choice
2 cups cooked spaghetti (I like to use brown rice or quinoa spaghetti)
freshly grated cheese of choice (Asiago, Romano, Parmesan…)
Directions:
1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat then add the oil, onion, shallot, and garlic. Reduce heat to medium and sauté until onion is just wilted, about 5 minutes (be careful not to burn the garlic).
2. Add kale and continue to saute until it wilts and brightens in color a bit, about 1 minute. Then add the stock and cover loosely. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook until most of the stock has evaporated and kale is soft, but still a lively green, about 7 -10 minutes. Stir in the pasta and continue to simmer until heated through, about 1 minute.
3. Serve hot, sprinkled with cheese.
Makes 4 servings