Characteristic: vegan
Corn Salsa
This is a delicious salsa/relish/side. It uses all the things that are harvested at the same as corn in the vein of what grows together, goes together. Adapt to what you have just make it nice and bright with vinegar, tomatoes, and fresh chilies.
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Grilled Fennel
This is a simple delicious way to serve fennel, and lots of it, if you have quite a bit. You can dip the grilled wedges in aioli or toss with salsa verde or just enjoy as is.... Read more »
Cucumber, Melon and Dill Salad with Sweet Onions
This is a delicious combination of two fruits in the same family. It's the same salad as this one with the addition of the sweet melon.
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Zucchini and Basil Soup
--adapted from Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome
Four ingredients is all you need and you likely have them all in mid-summer. Simple, creamy (but with no cream) and satisfying. This soup is best, or definitely prettiest, made with green zucchini varieties. For the version above I used two green zucchini and one yellow patty pan squash.
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Tomato, Cucumber, Sweet Onion and Basil Salad
This is a quintessential summer salad that takes 5 minutes to put together. Add feta or fresh mozzarella if you'd like but the simplicity of this is just lovely.
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Green/Wax Bean Salad with Sweet Onion, Parsley and Toasted Almonds
This salad is a mix of sweet, sour, crunchy and chewy and is beautiful to boot. You can substitute other nuts or toasted seeds but include something crunchy--it's key for the success of this salad.... Read more »
Coconut Rice with Corn (I & II)
This dish was inspired by one in Bryant Terry's book Afro Vegan. I have changed it substantially and give two different versions here: one quicker one with white rice made in a rice cooker (pictured above) and one with brown rice on the stove top that takes a bit longer. Both are delicious and good either warm or at room temperature. It's a great picnic/potluck dish.
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Fava Bean "Hummus"
When fava beans get bigger and starchier, towards the end of the season, make this delicious spread. Egyptians and other areas of the Middle East make a dish called ful medames with dried fava beans that have been soaked and cooked. This is a very loose adaptation of this dish.
You can easily scale this up or down. Use whatever you have. It will disappear!... Read more »
Sauteed Bok Choy with Ginger Dressing
The stems retain their bite, the leaves soften and the tangy vinaigrette livens up the whole thing. Good on rice or as is. And it takes about 7 minutes start to finish.
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Basil Oil
I love pesto but sometimes something lighter and more pourable is in order. This is nothing more than finely chopped basil, olive oil, salt and a squeeze of lemon juice or dash of vinegar. Use a fairly mild olive oil. Many can be a bit too grassy and bitter for this usage.
I stir this oil/sauce into beans, eggs or drizzle it over vegetable fritters or quesadillas or over pasta or a bowl of rice. It's wonderful with any kind of grilled meat or fish too.
I use a parsley version in this fava bean dish.
You can toss in a handful of parsley or oregano or add chives or do the whole thing just with parsley. It's just a template for a very flavorful condiment.... Read more »
Fava Beans with Parsley Oil
I made this dish with favas that were on the bigger side and the bright parsley oil enlivened the sweet, starchy beans. You can certainly omit the bacon and just add a little more olive oil to the pan. And if you have a handful of basil leaves by all means add them or substitute basil for parsley if that's all you have.
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Quick Napa (or Regular) Cabbage Sauerkraut
I call this quick because when made with Napa cabbage you really can start eating it after a day or two. By all means let it ferment for 4-5 and then refrigerate but since the Napa cabbage is so tender it's delicious very soon after starting. It's the same technique as for regular cabbage so use either kind.
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Vinaigrette
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.
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Roasted Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar
If you have lots of strawberries to use up or want to use your precious strawberries to make something intensely strawberry-y and delicious, make these. Also, if you strawberries that are not the most flavorful and/or are on there last legs, this is a good use for them.... Read more »
Simple Green Salad
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.
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Rice Noodle Salad with Bok Choy and Scallions
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.
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Corona Beans with Garlic Scapes and Basil
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 »
Greens, Asparagus and Bulgur Salad with Lemony Vinaigrette
The crunch of the toasted seeds and the tender chewiness of the bits of bulgur paired with the spicy mustard greens and sweet, roasted asparagus is just delicious.
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Romanesco with Toasted Walnuts and Oregano
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.
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Spicy Green Sauce
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.
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