Characteristic: gluten free

This brightly colored, crunchy, wintry salad could be made with escarole, frisee, endive or any substantial chicory. You could add cheese or nuts but it's lovely as is. ... Read more »

These are crisp yet creamy and just delicious. You may find yourself snacking on them before they make it to the table. They are a lovely side or a component of this robust wintry salad.   You can slice rather than dice the sunchokes for an even crispier result.... Read more »

This was a typical very last minute dish. I was just going to saute the Brussels Sprouts with some onion and a bit of chorizo I had on hand. Then I saw half an orange in my fruit bowl that was starting to dry out. The orange juice slightly sweetens and mellows the sprouts, speeds up the cooking and is just a nice, subtle touch.... Read more »

I ate rice salads in Italy many years ago and am also pleased when I remember to make one. This combines sweet, tart, and crunchy elements with a bright citrus dressing. It makes good leftovers but try to bring it to room temp before eating--the texture and flavor are both much better than when cold. ... Read more »

This recipe is inspired by a recipe for Zebhi Hamli, an Eritrean dish of stewed spinach from the wonderful book In Bibi's Kitchen by Hawa Hassan. Here it's served with Shiro, the beloved Eritrean ground chickpea and tomato stew spiced with Berbere spice mix.  ... Read more »

I don't know how heavily color factors into how much I love watermelon radishes. They show up mid-winter when bright color stands out even more but they are also sweet, crunchy and not as sharp as some radishes.... Read more »

This is beautiful, crunchy, bright and wonderful. The apple cider syrup makes it extra special but substitute a little honey, or pomegranate molasses if you don't have the syrup.... Read more »

This is a fantastic crunchy, winter salad template. The key is to chop everything more or less the same size and to not skip or skimp on the toasted peanuts.  ... Read more »

Sweet, tart juicy oranges pair beautifully with the slightly bitter chicories like escarole, castelfranco, sugarloaf and radicchio.... Read more »

[caption id="attachment_20560" align="aligncenter" width="660"] This version uses Brussels Sprout tops which are incredibly tender and sweet and can be used like any sturdy leafy green.[/caption]   This is a delicious way to enliven most greens. I think I particularly like it with sturdier greens like collards and kale but mustard greens are good here as is chard and spinach.... Read more »

These spiced chickpeas, when sauteed with greens and topped with a little yogurt if you'd like, are a delicious, quick meal. They are also featured in this one-bowl meal.  ... Read more »

These are delicious as part of a one-bowl meal, added to a salad or enjoyed as a snack. My teenage son eats the whole batch in one sitting!  ... Read more »

The sweet earthy beets balance the strong, slightly bitter greens like escarole, radicchio, frisee or endive. The complexity of blue cheese and crunch of toasted nuts rounds it out.... Read more »

This is a fun combination of fall vegetables and apples simply baked into a colorful, sweet and savory vegan side dish, perfect for the Thanksgiving table. If you're using delicata squash or butternut squash you do not need to peel it.... Read more »

I happened to have a purple cauliflower when I developed this so it's particularly dramatic looking. The flavor doesn't change though so any cauliflower you have will be lovely.... Read more »

Black bean soup is a simple but so satisfying dish. You can make it with canned beans but it's particularly good with home-cooked beans as the cooking liquid is a flavorful and rich broth for the dish.   Traditionally you might serve this with slices of avocado, crema or sour cream, cilantro and a little lime juice. In the above version I served it with pico de gallo which is a delicious alternative. You can simply top with a few quick-pickled onions--nothing more than thinly sliced onions in vinegar--but you want something bright to complement the richness of the soup.... Read more »

Jambalaya is the beloved Cajun rice, meat and vegetable dish from New Orleans. It has West African, Spanish and French roots and is a savory pot of goodness. My in-authentic version uses more vegetables and only andouille sausage or kielbasa. It's a stunning one-pot meal that is delicious on days two and three so all the chopping is time well spent. You can also skip the meat for a vegetarian version that still packs in lots of flavor. I make my own Cajun seasoning spice mix, see below, with spices I keep on hand but feel free to use a pre-made mix if you that's what you have.  ... Read more »

If you want to use cooked (or canned) beans to make a savory dish, more or less fleshed out with vegetables, meat, herbs, spices, here's a template. Since the beans are already cooked this kind of dish comes together quite quickly. Quantities are flexible and totally up to you.   *Alternatively, if you want to just cook a pot of beans from scratch in the oven (recipe towards the bottom of the page) with some aromatics you'll get a delicious pot of beans in one step that takes a couple of (hands-off) hours.   Use a full pound of cooked dry beans and their cooking liquid (yields about 2 quarts for me) or make a small pot with a couple of cups of cooked beans or any combination of beans.... Read more »

This simple sauce is lovely with eggplant. You can saute, broil or grill the eggplant. Sauteing is the quickest method. The sauce will make a little more than you need for this recipe but it keeps well and is good on noodles, rice, meats, etc.  ... Read more »

A tian is typically a baked vegetable dish, usually with thinly sliced vegetables layered in fun patterns. This is a stove-top version ripe for variations for both herbs and cheese. If you have a couple of beautiful tomatoes and an eggplant and a bunch of parsley you're set.   This is not a tightly packed tian, like many are, but it's fairly quick to make and delicious. ... Read more »