Characteristic: vegan

  This is a bit of an atypical way to cook chard since you cook it for a quite a long time. It is well worth it though—silky and rich.   Wash a large bunch of fresh chard. Separate the leaves from the stems and reserve stems for another use or slice them thinly and use them in  this dish. Cut the leaves into 1-2 inch ribbons. Slice a large onion and begin stewing it and the stems, if using, in some olive oil in a good-sized sauté pan. When the onion has softened a bit add the chard, season with salt and pepper, cover and stew, stirring occasionally for 20-30 minutes. The moisture from the leaves and onions should be enough to cook it, slowly, but if it gets too dry you can add just a little water. Remove from heat when the vegetables are silky and tender.   I’ve used this as a pizza topping with some feta, as a pasta sauce or just a side to whatever else I made for dinner. It's also wonderful with eggs.... Read more »

This is the way I prepare celery root when I’m in a hurry and it's always delicious.  ... Read more »

  --inspired by Davidlebovitz.com   David Lebovitz is one of my favorite bloggers. His writing is witty and transporting and I trust his recipes implicitly and only tinkered a bit with this one. This is delicious, elegant and easy to make. If your celery root is smaller or you want to make a smaller batch just adjust everything accordingly.   8-10 Servings... Read more »

--adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi   This dish is substantial enough to make a light main course. The earthy flavors of the nuts and the lentils are balanced by the sharpness of the vinegar and the fresh mint. Don’t skimp on the salt - lentils need a lot of it. You can serve this warm or at room temperature.   Serves 4... Read more »

--adapted from Cooking From an Italian Garden by Paola Scaravelli & Jon Cohen   This is a fun side dish--the combination of the cooked celery, tomatoes, garlic and parsley is delicious. It's good with a frittata or even over pasta or quinoa or some such.... Read more »

--inspired by Jamie Oliver   This is delicious, fast (if you have cooked chickpeas on hand or if you use canned), easy and nutritious. The rosemary, garlic, celery, carrot and hot pepper combine for a surprisingly rich flavor base. The shape of the pasta is important so if you can find little tubes (tubetti or ditalini) use those. If not, small elbow macaroni can work.   ... Read more »

  --inspired by 101cookbooks.com   The lemon, nuts and raisins bring this together into a tangy, sweet, crunchy and bright salad that keeps really well. You could skip the Parmesan and add a few more raisins and nuts to make it vegan.   Serves 4-6... Read more »

These pickles are bright and beautiful and fun for snacking. The recipe yields a large batch, so you'll have plenty on hand and to give away or feel free to halve the recipe. They are a nice complement to many a meal, rich or not. And they star in this salad!   You can use a wide variety of vegetables. Green beans, asparagus, cabbage, radishes, chard stems (used here instead of red pepper); use what you have!... Read more »

--adapted from Paul Bertolli via Food52.com   This seems too simple to be good but trust me it’s excellent. I serve it with crusty, homemade croutons and another drizzle of good olive oil and sea salt and pepper. It’s also good with toasted sunflower seeds and chopped chives as a garnish. Use a bit more olive oil, in stead of the butter, to make it vegan.   Serves 8... Read more »

  This salad is bright and strongly flavored. You could add a little feta or goat cheese for a bit more richness but it's good as is.  ... Read more »

This is an Italian way of preparing cauliflower. It's quick to make and strongly-flavored--the mild cauliflower a nice foil for the capers, lemon, parsley and anchovies if you'd like.  ... Read more »

This is a substantial but light grain salad. Carrots and dill are a classic combination and with the addition of plenty of lemon juice and green onions and it's a beautiful and fresh dish that keeps well--good for potlucks and picnics. You can substitute most any grain here and quinoa would work well too and be quicker cooking if you're in hurry.... Read more »

This is a nice variation to plain roasted vegetables. One of my favorite things to do with these, once roasted and a bit cooled is to toss them with lots of parsley and/or arugula or escarole. Then add a bit more lemon juice and olive oil and make a big salad out of it. Quantities are approximations. Use however many vegetables you want in whatever ratio you want.   You could also serve these on top of a bed of sautéed chard or kale.... Read more »

This is a smooth, complex and rich soup. Feel free to double this recipe if you have a crowd to feed or want to freeze half for future use.... Read more »

  This is a CSA Heavy Hitter, recipe that is delicious with a great variety of vegetables and handy to turn to when you have a random assortment of things that need using up. This is delicious with kohlrabi, celery root, winter squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, turnips and pretty much any other vegetable that takes well to roasting. The quantity and combination of vegetables is completely up to you and you can easily scale the below recipe up or down. I sometimes like to add chickpeas to the vegetables, adding another dimension and texture. With a simple green salad and maybe a fried egg this is my idea of a perfect meal.... Read more »

Carrots get even sweeter roasted in the oven with a bit of spice.   Preheat oven to 400 degrees.   Scrub but don’t peel carrots, however many you want, and cut into sticks. In a small bowl mix together a bit of ground cumin, cayenne or red pepper flakes, paprika or pimenton (smoked Spanish paprika) and salt. In a large bowl mix the carrot sticks with the spice mixture, as evenly as you can. Then mix in a tablespoon or two of olive oil and spread the carrots on a sheet pan. Bake, tossing occasionally until tender and crisped a bit around the edges, about 20-30 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed.    Serve with a squeeze of lime juice and or homemade aioli, if you'd like. ... Read more »

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 »

I tossed this dish together for lunch one day. It took about 7 minutes to make and is a keeper in our household. ... Read more »

[caption id="attachment_14141" align="aligncenter" width="660"] I happened to have a gorgeous purple Napa cabbage for this batch.[/caption] --inspired by Heather Arndt Anderson   There are entire books on this wonderful Korean condiment and it can be made with many different kinds of vegetables, spices and aromatics. Here is a fairly basic version that uses the traditional Napa cabbage and various roots (carrots, daikon, other radishes). Kimchi typically uses gochugaru, a smoky, sweet and somewhat hot coarsely ground chili powder. If you don't have gochugaru you can substitute a combination of red pepper flakes (spicier than gochugaru) with some smoked paprika and/or chipotle powder. You'll want to use a smaller quantity to account for the increased heat level of the red pepper flakes.   Kimchi-making does not have to be exact, you just want to be sure to have very clean containers and work surfaces. 1 large Napa Cabbage (about 2 1/2 lb) 3 carrots (optional) 1 medium daikon or large watermelon radish and/or the "honorary root" kohlrabi 1 quart water + scant 1/4 cup salt Aromatics: 1/4 - 1/2 cup gochugaru, medium grind (ground Korean red chili pepper), depending on how spicy you'd like it to be 3-4 green onions/scallions – white and green parts, trimmed and cut into 2-inch length or 1 cup spring onion tops, chopped 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger (microplane works great) 6 cloves garlic, grated or minced 1/2 small apple peeled and grated or 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar 1/2 small onion, minced 1 tablespoon fish sauce (optional)  ... Read more »

Fresh, quick and good . . . if you’re having any kind of grilled meat, this would be perfect, or as part of a dinner of other salads.... Read more »