Grated Vegetable Sauté with Peanut Sauce

This is a simplified version of this and can be adapted to suit your needs. I often make more peanut/tahini sauce than I need for a specific dish and then use leftover sauce on these quickly sautéed vegetables. This recipe makes a lot of sauce so feel free to halve it if you want. It stores well for 5 days, covered, in the fridge. ... Read more »

Spicy Tomato Bacon Noodles

These are ridiculously good and simple to make. The sauce is plenty for 12 ounces of fresh ramen noodles and stretches fine for 1 lb of spaghetti. If you can get Umi Organic Noodles by all means do.   You can use fresh tomatoes here as well and skip the added water.   This a great dish for green garlic or garlic scapes in the spring time.   --inspired by Bon Appetit  ... Read more »

Sautéed Chard with Jalapeño, Ginger and Sausage

This pairs very nicely with a very quick red lentil dal and a cooling dollop of yogurt. Substitute spinach, mustard or collard greens or any other leafy green you might have, for the chard. You can also omit the sausage and fry a couple of eggs in the pan instead or just serve as is with dal or rice. ... Read more »

Mizuna and Scallion Pancakes

Light, bright and tender. . . these are such a treat. I typically serve mizuna raw in salads or added to soups at the very end. In this preparation they stay really fresh despite the quick visit to the pan.  ... Read more »

Eggy Quesadilla

Years ago the wonderful Heidi Swanson of 101cookbooks.com posted a version of this dish that has inspired me ever since. I make variations of this simple concept--a beaten egg in a skillet, covered after a few seconds with a corn tortilla, then flipped over and topped with herbs, cheese, beans, veggies, . . . then folded in half and cooked for another minute.   You can also make these with flour tortillas, if that's what you have on hand or if you want to feed more people. Use at least 2 eggs for a large flour tortilla, and a larger skillet.   Watch a quick video of me making this with my son, if you'd like a tutorial.   I usually use an 8-inch skillet which works perfectly for my 6-inch corn tortillas. You want the skillet to be just a little bigger than the tortillas so the pan contains the egg to the size of your tortilla but still enables you to flip it easily.... Read more »

Lemony Carrot and Seed Salad with Herbs

Carrot salads add bright and fresh flavors year-round and are the perfect foil for the cook-with-what-you-have approach. Cumin, coriander, chili flakes, fresh, hot chilies, lemon, lime (juice and zest), rice vinegar, parsley, mint, cilantro, tarragon, and basil are all wonderful complements to the carrots. Toasted nuts and seeds of many kinds are good too.   You can add white beans to this salad for a more robust version. Make a little extra dressing and you have a great lunch or light supper.   With a simple frittata and a piece of good bread, this makes a lovely dinner.   Serves 4... Read more »