Characteristic: vegan

Summerfest komatsuna is a mild, tender, crunchy Asian green. It can be prepared like bok choy or tatsoi. It is delicious just simply sautéed with a little garlic.... Read more »

Bok choy has crunchy, fat stems and tender leaves. They tend to have different cooking times and can be added at different stages to fried rice, stir fries and soups.  However, sometimes I incorporate the greens in vegetable patties and make a dip for the raw stems.... Read more »

I like experimenting with cooking grains and pulses in the same pot and then steaming greens on top at the very end. This is very quick, warming, and simply spiced one-pot meal. I'm sure you could use brown rice instead of white and cook the rice for 30 minutes before you add the lentils and then just finish cooking them together, maybe adding a bit more liquid as well. [caption id="attachment_13615" align="aligncenter" width="660"] The spinach steamed on top of the rice and lentils for the last few minutes of cooking.[/caption] This is similar to this red lentil curry but much quicker and with more of a porridge-like texture from cooking the rice and lentils together.  ... Read more »

Talk about a template; minestrone is a bean and vegetable soup and, loosely defined, can use any bean, any shape of pasta (or no pasta), most any vegetable and herb, meat or no meat (diced bacon or a little sausage is good, added when cooking onions) be hearty and stew-like or light and brothy. For me, what makes or breaks minestrone are the beans and the bean broth. You can certainly use canned beans but home-cooked beans with their broth are what gives minestrone its richness and complexity.   Dishes like these are why I try to keep cooked beans (in their broth/cooking liquid) in the freezer and at the ready. It makes a soup like this, that cooks in 20 minutes, taste like it's been simmering for hours--in a good way!   Variations A variety of vegetables are well-suited for this recipe and can be used individually or in combination, such as: a bunch of leafy greens, such as chopped kale or spinach 2 cups trimmed and chopped greens beans 1 cup shelled peas and/or diced fennel 2 cups diced zucchini If adding pasta, use the smaller volume for small pasta shapes like tubes, as pictured, little elbows, orzo, or the larger shells, etc. Any type of garlic is great in this recipe, such as 1 head new garlic, 2 stalks green garlic or garlic scapes, thinly sliced. Vegetable broth or water are a great substitute for bean broth if unavailable or in a pinch. ... Read more »

This is a lovely spring soup that you can adapt to use whatever alliums you have--green garlic, new garlic, garlic scapes, spring onions, scallions, leeks. I do not typically blend this soup but I'm sure it would be good that way too, a riff on potato leek soup. ... Read more »

When you have young/small fava beans you can eat the whole pod, either grilled or just seared in a heavy skillet, in this case alongside some shelled ones and garlic scapes and scallions. The whole pod gets tender and when well seasoned with salt and lemon, is just delicious. You can cook them all whole or shell a few for contrast and fun-either way is delicious.... Read more »

Italians use this sweet and sour combination for various vegetable dishes, most classically with cipollini onions. The general method works well in this variation as well.... Read more »

Use regular broccoli if you don't have purple sprouting broccoli--a delicious early spring, overwintered broccoli with tender leaves and stems.  In the Pacific Northwest green garlic--immature stalks of garlic--are often harvested at the same time as the overwintered broccoli so this is a lovely combination but regular garlic will work just fine!... Read more »

Black futsu squash is so easy to use because the skin is tender and edible, it keeps its shape, and is delicious. In this dish the squash is diced and sauteed until tender--just takes 7 minutes or so and then tossed, warm with cooked beans, lots of parsley, and a nice bright dressing.    ... Read more »

Black futsu is a wonderful, smooth fleshed and dense squash that develops quite a nutty flavor as it continues to ripen into spring. The skin is tender and edible when roasted. In this preparation a quickly made glaze of soy sauce, ginger and chili flakes give it even more depth.... Read more »

If you have home cooked or canned chickpeas on hand, this comes together very quickly. The sauce is versatile and keeps for a week so make plenty to use in other ways. Use other tender greens like mustard or turnips greens or even mizuna or tatsoi if you don't have spinach.   You can scale this up but don't skimp on the greens. You want plenty per serving and they cook down so much.  ... Read more »

This is a typical lunch for me. I bake whole grain sourdough breads weekly and often toast a slice to dice and toss with whatever vegetables and herbs I have on hand. I like sandwiches but you can be even more creative and cook-with-what-you-have like by tossing them with other bits and pieces. Use this as a template for what you have/like and scale up or down as needed.   Variations Collard raab, blanched and chopped, or 2 cups arugula or other lettuce can easily take place of the kale, in this recipe. Great herbs to include in this salad are parsley, cilantro, dill, basil, and/or mint. Sunflower, pumpkin, or toasted amaranth seeds and/or any chopped and toasted nut, such as walnuts, pine nuts, or almonds. ... Read more »

This is a fairly quick, flavorful curry and you can use whatever leafy greens you have (feel free to increase the quantity of greens). I needed to use up some leeks when I made the above version, which adds sweetness. Adding the fresh, mashed garlic at the very end adds a nice dimension.... Read more »

To keep the collard greens bright I think it's worth blanching them with the potatoes before adding to the curry. It's an extra step but a fairly quick one. You can substitute other greens or a combination of greens and if you're using tender ones like turnip, radish tops or mustard greens you don't need to blanch them first. Diced winter squash would be a good substitute for the potatoes.... Read more »

–inspired by twopeasandapod.com This is delicious as a dip, on toasted bread, as a sandwich filling or just as is. You can adapt this in many ways too—add your favorite hot chilies or hot sauce, different spices or herbs, etc. I particularly like using mint or basil or a combination or tarragon and chives or parsley.... Read more »

This is a bright, fresh salad that is also good, topping a bowl of rice or noodles. I have a little handheld peeler that creates these lovely julienned strips. You can also use a mandolin or cut them be hand or you can grate the vegetables on the large holes of a box grater. You'll get a softer, juicier salad if you grated them but it's just as tasty.... Read more »

Sliced very thinly and softened with a bit of salt and rice vinegar, these radishes are lovely on good crusty bread with some cheese or just butter or on a bowl of rice. These pickles get stronger with age so make a fairly small amount to see how you like them before you make lots.  ... Read more »

Make this your own with whatever cooked beans and/or grains you have on hand. You can keep it simple with just some cilantro and beans and the sauce or add an egg, or lots of vegetables or bacon or other meat, etc.  The sauce is good on noodles, cooked or raw vegetables, plain rice and pretty much anything, and it is inspired by the wonderful folks at Umi Organic (Noodles).   Variations Any cooked grain, such as rice, quinoa, barley, etc., complements this template very well. You can use red, green, napa, and/or savoy cabbage to give this meal a wonderful crunch and flavor. Lovely herbs that give this recipe a great depth of flavor are cilantro, mint, basil, or whatever tender herb you have. ... Read more »

Mixing miso with minced garlic, ginger, cilantro and a few other pantry staples creates a quick, flavorful paste that you can use as a marinade for fish or meat or to finish quickly sauteed Yukina savoy. The recipe makes more miso paste than you'll need for this dish but you can rub it liberally on salmon and cook it while you cook the savoy or keep it on hand to season soups, grains, etc. You can also dilute it with some water and oil to make a delicious salad dressing. You can substitute bok choi, raab of any kind or any tender green for the yukina savoy.... Read more »

This is delicious with most any combination of winter vegetables and roots. Cut the vegetables into fairly small dice but if you don't have the time, bigger chunks will work fine too; they'll just take a bit longer to roast.  ... Read more »