Characteristic: gluten free

  I talk about vinaigrettes and suggestions for keeping salads interesting here but having a good, basic vinaigrette on hand merits its own post.     I keep my Dressing Jar in the fridge, ready for any lettuces, vegetables--raw or cooked--or grains or beans that might need enlivening. It literally is often the key to quickly turning something into a meal.   You can make this version or use a different vinegar, oil, herb(s), etc. I typically make a batch and then continue topping it off, as needed, for 2 weeks or so and then use it up, clean the jar and start over. Dressing ingredients (vinegars, oils) keep very well so you can do this less often too.   Add fresh tarragon or dill, chives, basil, parsley or most any tender herb to offer some variety when using it.  ... Read more »

A lovely meal for a warm evening. Use whatever fish you'd like and vary the slaw ingredients to suit your needs. This makes more slaw than you can probably use in your tacos but it is delicious and is lovely on its own as well. ... Read more »

Especially in the spring when the lettuces are buttery soft and tender I eat large quantities of this kind of salad--a simple vinaigrette, maybe a sliced scallion and little crumbled cheese and mounds of fresh lettuces.  ... Read more »

  This combination of sauteed bok choy and scallions with fresh herbs, roasted peanuts, rice noodles and a fish-sauce based dressing can be a light meal-in-one. You can substitute different vegetables--carrots, peas, zucchini, tat soi, or mustard greens would all be good. ... Read more »

Quickly broiling garlic scapes further sweetens this juicy, fleeting treat. The garlic scape or whistle is the flower stem and flower (usually still in bud form) that grows from hard-necked garlic plants in late spring. You can certainly use smaller white beans or chickpeas for this dish and change the herbs and nuts to suit your taste and/or what you have on hand.... Read more »

This is an inauthentic rip off of a Sicilian dish Jim Dixon of Real Good Food wrote about. It's hearty and satisfying and bright and shows off romanesco's flavor and texture so well. ... Read more »

When spicy spring greens like arugula and mustard greens are abundant this makes a perfect lunch or dinner salad. ... Read more »

This is hardly a recipe but it's such a tasty combination and template for a quick dinner. Use cauliflower, roasted squash or greens or pretty much any vegetable you have. Skip the meat if you don't have it or use other leftover meats.... Read more »

This sauce is inspired by my friend Bryant Terry's Spicy Mustard Greens in his book Afro-Vegan. I've changed it quite a bit but the combination of flavors is mostly his and it's such a treat to find a jar of this in your fridge. I, as Bryant suggests, stir some into rice or couscous I'm cooking but I also love it on toast (with a little goat cheese if you'd like) or with beans or tossed with roasted vegetables or with eggs.   I started making this with radish and turnips tops I needed to use up--I was purchasing lots of radishes and turnips for a series of cooking classes and the greens weren't going to keep that long so I turned them into this sauce (which  keeps well for 4-5 days) and you could certainly use most any leafy green you can think of and in any combination.    ... Read more »

If you don't have time to roast the cauliflower steam or boil it until just tender. It's also delicious much like in this very similar recipe. And you can substitute broccoli or winter squash or sweet potatoes or regular potatoes for the cauliflower or roast a combination of veggies. You may have leftover salsa verde which is good on most anything from plain grains, to eggs, to sandwiches.... Read more »

This dish is loosely inspired by Kumi Rao of Ruchikala. Kumi cooks spectacular Indian Fusion food. I was MC'ing a cooking demo she did of a classic Indian vegetable dish that inspired this, much simplified version. You can substitute most any vegetable here, just make sure to cut it quite small and avoid watery vegetables like summer squash or tomatoes. Cauliflower would be wonderful here. Chopping the vegetables small and cooking over fairly high heat to brown the vegetables is what sets this dish apart.  My son proclaimed this the best broccoli he's ever had. . . he does love Indian spices/food . . . You could make a meal of this by serving it over rice or lentils and topping it with some yogurt or an egg. ... Read more »

This salad is so quick and so good. Use oranges, cara caras or grapefruit. Citrus and fennel are a wonderful pairing. Red onion would be more typical than scallions but scallions are what I had on hand. Scale this up or down as needed. You can't go wrong.... Read more »

Lentil soup is easy to make in quantity to have enough for lunches for the week or freeze for a future meal. I vary my lentil soups endlessly and also have this one with sweet potatoes, bacon and cilantro and this one with barley.   Just use this as a template and use whatever spices, herbs and vegetables you have on hand or particularly like. I often toss in chard or spinach or other greens during the last few minutes of cooking. You can also toss in a handful of rice when you add the lentils or add leftover cooked rice at the end, for a lovely variation. And skip the sausage for a vegan version.... Read more »

--loosely inspired by Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters   You can mix and match most any kind of leafy green including escarole--a great use for a big head of escarole in fact. I used beet and turnip greens, chard and collard greens in this batch. If you have any kind of wine open, use the suggested amount. If you don't use broth or water mixed with 2 teaspoons of vinegar. This dish is even better the next day. You can also mix these greens with pasta or cook them down a bit more with borlotti or white beans.... Read more »

Unlike this dish that uses the same three ingredients, this one is quick. Don't be tempted to skip the blanching step--it does add a few minutes to your prep but the results are worth it.  ... Read more »

It doesn't get much simpler or better. Big leeks, little leeks, use most of the green parts or none  . . . a few stalks of green garlic if you happen to have them or none. Just sauté them in butter and enjoy!... Read more »

This pesto came about much in the same way this radish top version did. I use a combination of blanched greens and fresh herbs to make a quick pesto-like sauce. In this case I dressed spaghetti with it and it had a nice kick from red pepper flakes and did include a little cheese, which the radish top version does not.   Use whatever combination of greens and tender, leafy herbs (not sage or rosemary) and see what you get. I particularly like adding sorrel to this for its nice tart flavor. This is a wonderful way to work through a lot of leafy greens that, in the case of radish tops, don't tend to keep very well.   You can spread this pesto on salmon, toss it with warm lentils or beans, stir some into eggs, spread on a sandwich mixed with mayo or goat cheese (or as is), or garnish a soup with it, etc.  Or you can toss it with pasta, as I've done here for an ultra quick meal.   The pesto will keep for about 3 days in the fridge.... Read more »

There are so many nights when I'm grateful for the work I put in at times when I don't need to put dinner on the table in 30 minutes. Things like already cooked beans and a jar of veggie bouillon base and frozen, roasted tomatoes all add so much flavor. You can just as well use canned beans and tomatoes for this quick, satisfying soup.   An onion, some celery and these pantry ingredients turn into a simple soup/stew topped with a garlicky parsley sauce. The beans, tomatoes and rosemary were so flavorful and rich I didn't need the sausage at all (but my boys, big and small, love a little meat now and then). You can make it more broth-y by adding more stock and/or bean cooking liquid, you can certainly add carrots or any kind of greens or other vegetables. You could toss in a handful of two of small pasta if that entices your eaters to enjoy it more. . .  ... Read more »

I had a large bunch of radish greens leftover from a cooking class, as well as 4-5 leaves of chard and half a bunch of cilantro. I needed a potluck dish and had sweet potatoes in the house. A new favorite dish was born! I would think most any combination of blanched greens and leafy herbs would be good. Toasted almonds or hazelnuts would be great in place of the walnuts if that's what you have.... Read more »

--inspired by Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters   This gorgeous platter of food is less rich than Alice's original--I substitute vegetable broth (my homemade veggie bouillon broth typically) for white wine and chicken stock. I think it is plenty rich and satisfying as is--the butter certainly makes it so. I use salmon whereas she calls for halibut but by all means use what you have--as long it's a fairly substantial, meaty fish. And use regular green cabbage if you don't have savoy--either one is delicious. ... Read more »