Characteristic: vegan

  -adapted from Afro Vegan by Bryant Terry   Afro Vegan is a gorgeous and inspiring cookbook for cooks/eaters of any persuasion. Bryant has a knack for flavor combinations coupled with deep knowledge of cooking and culinary traditions  in many African countries and the African diaspora. I adapted this lovely vegetable dish and un-veganized it by adding a bit of cream and bacon (and even a little chicken in the above version) which you could certainly omit.  ... Read more »

  I don’t typically love raisins in savory food but in this dish they add a mellow sweetness that’s just lovely. To make dish vegan omit topping or use a vegan yogurt.   Serves 4 as a main, topped with Greek Yogurt sauce or 6 as a side  ... Read more »

Substitute carrots or snap peas or asparagus for the turnips, if you'd like. This sauce is nice to have on hand to enhance anything from chicken to eggs to pasta or any grain or vegetable. Feel free to halve the sauce recipe if you’d like but you'll need a mini food processor in that case because the volume won't be quite enough for a regular one.... Read more »

You can use snap or snow peas instead of shelling peas or omit them or omit the favas or substitute sliced green beans. All of those variations, and I'm sure many others, are excellent. It's a simple, fresh salad that is good warm or at room temperature and can be added to--hardboiled egg, tuna, other herbs, scallions, etc.   Serves 4  ... Read more »

[caption id="attachment_6164" align="alignleft" width="631"] The simple version, sans avocado.[/caption] This is so quick and delicious. The plain version is just tomatillos, onions, garlic, Serrano chilies and cilantro. The second version includes an avocado, blended in for a creamy, deluxe version.... Read more »

This dish materialized the last day before my next CSA share's arrival and it successfully used up what needed using. You could substitute leeks for the onions or use different greens--use it as a template. I turned it into a complete meal by serving it with hard-boiled eggs I happened to have on hand.  ... Read more »

  This is a delicious way to prepare bok choy. And the sauce works beautifully for any other quick vegetable stir fries as well. The Sichuan peppercorns are pretty key here--it's worth getting a jar of them and they keep well. They're more floral and flavorful than black pepper though you could use 1/4 teaspoon crushed black pepper corns in a pinch here.  ... Read more »

  The mint or some tender herb makes this salad vibrant and the yogurt dressing adds a refreshing tang. Scale this as you’d like. If you have a big crowd use a whole head of cabbage.   Serves 4-6  ... Read more »

I invented this salad one evening for a dinner party with a theme of chimichurri--the hosts were grilling lots of meats and guests were asked to bring chimichurri (the herby vinegary Argentinian sauce) and/or a side dish. It turned out to be one of those fortuitous creations that bears making over and over again. It holds up really well (up to two days later it's still good) so it's great for summer potlucks and picnics.   I have used various white beans, from large ones called Mortgage Runner beans that is not commonly available to Purgatorio, Cannellini, or Tarbais/Tarbesque, etc. Change the ratio of beans to peas to shrimp however you'd like. And skip the shrimp if you'd like. It's fantastic without! [caption id="attachment_8152" align="alignleft" width="640"] Without shrimp.[/caption]... Read more »

  I was inspired by the famous Zuni Café roast chicken to create a riff on the bread salad served with the chicken. So if you feel like roasting a chicken this would be a lovely accompaniment. My ratio of bread to greens is the opposite of the Zuni one but feel free to invert it.  ... Read more »

  This is so good! I can eat the whole dish by myself. Serve it as a side or with rice.  ... Read more »

[caption id="attachment_1535" align="aligncenter" width="665"] Pretty Salad.[/caption] –adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi... Read more »

    I refer to this base often in this recipe collection. For me it's an essential item to have in the freezer for risotti, soups, braises, to cook grains and lentils in instead of water, etc.   All you do is clean the appropriate vegetables (carrots, onions, leeks, parsley . . . .) and process them until they are very finely chopped, add lots of salt, process again and spoon into a jar. The salt keeps the paste scoop-able when frozen so it's easy to use. Don't be put off by the quantity of salt. This makes about 50 meals worth of broth.... Read more »

This is a versatile, bright Italian herb sauce. I often just make it with parsley, garlic, lemon juice or vinegar, oil and salt but the addition of capers and little onion makes it a little richer. Some versions include a couple of anchovies. And some include a hard boiled egg, the yolk mashed and combined with the other ingredients and the white, finely chopped and stirred in at the end. You don’t need to use a food processor and sometimes I prefer the slightly rougher texture of it when all is chopped by hand but I often use the processor.... Read more »

Chimichurri is a bright, vinegary, herb-packed sauce that originated in Argentina and is served with all that grilled beef. It's a really versatile sauce and a close cousin to the Italian Salsa Verde of which I'm equally fond.   In this version I used the  fresh radish tops that came in my CSA recently to replace some of the more typically used herbs and put the tops to good use. ... Read more »

Mustard greens pair nicely with the sweet and fragrant green garlic, the immature stalks of garlic, used much like green onions, in the spring. And the brown mustard seeds give the dish a little zip and crunch. I had this over black beans and rice one day and with a fried egg the next. ... Read more »

-adapted from Vegetable Harvest by Patricia Wells   The Oregonian ran this recipe of Patricia Wells' many years ago and I've made it ever since. I would never have thought to   flavor asparagus with bay leaves and rosemary but after the first time it became an instant favorite. If you have access to fresh bay leaves (there are several bushes and trees in my neighborhood and I've made friends with the owners for just the purpose of regular access to fresh bay leaves) this is a great place to use them.... Read more »

-inspired by smittenkitchen.com   Good for a crowd, good at room temperature and just robust and beautiful and tasty! You can scale this however you want but it's worth making a good amount and the potatoes can always be warmed up the next day if you have any leftover, and you could use leftover potatoes to make a hash or add to a scramble and top with more romesco.... Read more »

One beautiful spring evening when I couldn't bear the thought of coming in to cook dinner I threw together this little sauté and it was a keeper. The spices make it a bit more interesting and the cool yogurt a nice counter point. You can use most any vegetable and can certainly make it spicy or play with other seasonings, like adding ginger or coriander as well. I used chard, potatoes and onions in this version. ... Read more »

Radishes add a juicy crunch and sweet peppery flavor to this springy salad for which you can use any kind of salad green you have--arugula, lettuces, mizuna, sorrel, tender kale or chard or beet thinnings etc.... Read more »