Tag Archives: vegetarian

Harissa Stewed Chickpeas with Roasted Potatoes, Kale, and Garlic Yogurt

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Flavorful, saucy chickpeas, greens for a little bitter bite, crispy potatoes, garlicky yogurt, and a finish of herbs and spices make these bowls a dream. Vegetarian, warming, full of flavor, but not heavy. If you want to make them vegan you can follow the inspiration recipe from The First Mess more closely as Laura tops them with a lemon tahini sauce instead of yogurt.

My last Potter Hill CSA of the season included tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, green tomatoes, leeks, shishitos, potatoes bok choi, kale, mustard greens, perpetual spinach, and radishes. Radish greens went alongside frizzled chickpeas. Sauteed bok choi and perpetual spinach, and raw, chopped radishes went into tofu bowls with citrus tahini sauce. I’m planning to use some greens and carrots from a past week in bibimbap. For breakfast this weekend I’m thinking about a winter version of this potato, tomato, and leek frittata with shishitos sauteed alongside the leeks and the tomato omitted (I find tomatoes at this point in the season are better if cooked more, but I might finish with some cheddar cheese on top).

If you’re feeling like soup, this is my favorite recipe for leek and potato. Curry butternut squash soup with coconut milk is really the only squash soup I make (and I love it so). Please forgive the terrible photo, but this chipotle black bean soup is another winner.

Harissa Stewed Chickpeas with Roasted Potatoes, Kale, and Garlic Yogurt

Serves 6. Adapted from The First Mess.

  • 2 lbs new potatoes
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 5 garlic cloves, 3 minced and the other 2 grated (kept separate)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon harissa
  • 3 large tomatoes, chopped (about 1.5 lbs total)
  • 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 bunch kale, chopped
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves
  • Aleppo pepper for serving

Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut potatoes into 1/2″ thick wedges and toss with 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread between two baking sheets and roast for 35 minutes, stopping at 20 minutes to slip the potatoes, and switch the pans. The potatoes should be thoroughly crisp with the centers cooked through.

While the potatoes are roasting heat a large pot over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and when it shimmers add in the onion. Cook for 5 minutes, or until they are translucent and starting to brown at the edges. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and harissa. Cook for 1-2 minutes while stirring to coat the onions and garlic. Add in the chopped tomatoes, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper, then bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, until the tomatoes start to break down. Add in the chickpeas, return to a simmer, and cover. Let simmer on medium-low heat until the potatoes are done. Taste and season again if needed.

Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and when it shimmers add in the kale. Cook for 2-3 minutes, tossing so that the kale wilts completely. When it is just cooked, remove from the heat and squeeze the lemon half over.

Stir the grated garlic into the yogurt.

Build the bowls with the chickpea stew on the bottom, followed by greens, potatoes, yogurt sauce, parsley, and aleppo pepper. Dig in!

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Late Summer Hurrah Pizza

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This pizza is a celebration of vegetables we associate with late summer, but are still coming in strong in early fall. It’s heavy with roasted eggplant and tomatoes, sauteed shishitos, kale, cheese, and finished with garlic oil. So…perfection?

My full share this week was green tomatoes, red tomatoes, kale, garlic, shishitos, mustard greens, celeriac, perpetual spinach, and watermelon radishes. I made burritos with sauteed perpetual spinach/radish tops, roasted sweet potatoes, beans, rice, and avocado. This risotto with beans, sausage, and bitter greens is a wonderful start of fall meal – hearty and warming but not heavy. I’ve been eyeing this bibimbap recipe for the weekend, which is a perfect way to use up any random veg you have. I also have a craving for Thai green curry, but I haven’t found a recipe I want to use yet (do you have one?!).

Late Summer Hurrah Pizza

As I’ve written before, this is my go-to pizza dough recipe, and I usually sub half of the white flour for wheat. It is a very wet pizza dough which I spread it on a Silpat on a baking sheet and cook it on the lowest oven rack. If this is your first time making pizza dough, I suggest this recipe for a slightly easier to work with dough. This makes 6 servings, which for me is a half sheet pan and a quarter sheet pan of pizza (or you could make 2 smaller pizzas instead of 1 large and 1 small).

  • 1 pizza dough, storebought or homemade (see note)
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (or quartered if large)
  • 1 pint fairy tale eggplant (or 1 regular eggplant), chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 pint shishito peppers, thinly sliced
  • 1 bunch kale, stems removed and thinly sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 lb low moisture whole milk mozzarella, shredded
  • Red pepper flakes
  • 1 handful basil leaves, chopped

Preheat your oven to 400F. Place the cherry tomatoes and eggplant on a baking sheet and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and the salt. Roast for 15 minutes, stir, and roast for another 10 until the eggplant is soft and the cherry tomatoes have shriveled a bit. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Turn the oven up as high as it will go (mine goes to 550F).

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium high and saute the shishitos for 5-7 minutes, or until softened. Remove the peppers from the pan and add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Heat for 1-2 minutes until the oil starts to shimmer, then pour over the minced garlic.

Spread your dough on two baking sheets (I like to use a Silpat underneath, or you could use parchment paper).

Build the pizzas with the eggplant, tomatoes, and peppers first, then the kale, followed by the cheese. Finish by drizzling with the garlic and olive oil (use it alllll up!).

Bake for 10 minutes, or until the bottom is crispy and the cheese is browning and bubbly. Finish with basil and serve with red pepper flakes.

Thai-style Red Curry with Tofu and Vegetables

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This curry is my dream food. It has a wonderful, rich sauce made with coconut milk that’s heavily spiced with curry paste and aromatics, which is the perfect vehicle for your favorite vegetables. I used all the late summer stars: eggplant, cherry tomatoes, and bok choy. This is absolutely the time to use your favorite vegetables or whatever you have around. Green beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, mushrooms, other greens, carrots roasted squash, or sweet potatoes would all be excellent.

To make it a faster meal you can skip the longer cooking vegetables that may need to be pre-cooked like the eggplant, and instead just use tender vegetables that can be cooked in the coconut milk. The one vegetable I will insist on is cherry tomatoes (or some kind of tomato), which add a bright acidity and umami to the sauce. I turn to this recipe again and again because its so easy to throw together, especially because the tofu just needs to be drained and cubed (no marinating or roasting/pan frying!). Sub soy sauce for the fish sauce to make it vegan.

My full share this week was mustard greens, kohlrabi, cherry tomatoes, eggplant, shishitos, bok choy, acorn squash, and apples. Since I had a two big bunches of bok choy, one when into this curry and the other I sauteed with shishitos, then served under dumplings (mine were frozen, but if you’re feeling ambitious try these) with soy sauce, Chinkiang vinegar, and chili oil. The kohlrabi may go into a big all-in-one salad, or I could lean into fall with these roasted root vegetable bowls. This heirloom apple salad and this roasted squash are both speaking to me for later in the week.

Thai-style Red Curry with Tofu and Vegetables

Serves 4 as is, or 6 with rice

  • 1 package tofu (14 or 16 ounces)
  • 1 large or 2-3 small eggplant (~12 ounces), chopped into 1″ pieces
  • 2 large heads bok choy (~12 ounces), chopped, greens and stems kept separate
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (or quartered if large)
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger, minced (1 heaping tablespoon)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 small onion, minced
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro stems, minced
  • 1 serrano pepper, minced
  • 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
  • 1 14-ounce can full fat coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • juice of 1 lime (~2 tablespoons)
  • 1 cup sacred basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Preheat the oven to 350F. On a baking sheet toss the eggplant with the vegetable oil. Roast for 30-40 minutes, until completely soft and brown at the edges.

Drain the tofu and pat dry.

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the coconut oil, and when it is shimmering add the ginger, garlic, onion, cilantro stems, and serrano. Cook for about 5 minutes, until they are tender and just beginning to brown at the edges. Add the red curry paste and cook for 2-3 minutes, until it is slightly darkened and starting to stick to the pan. Add the coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce and cherry tomatoes. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer covered. Cook for 5 minutes, until the tomatoes start to soften.

Add the tofu, bok choy stems, and eggplant. Stir to combine, cover, and bring back to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, so the bok choy stems soften and the eggplant/tofu soak in some sauce. Stir in the bok choy leaves, holy basil leaves, and chopped cilantro. Eat as is or serve with rice.

Lo mein-style noodles with greens

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The alternative title for this post was “Personal Preferences Noodles.” My favorite grocery store in Worcester is the aptly described Asian Supermarket, is one of two in a very small chain of grocery stores, similar to H MART. As with any grocery store that imports a lot of food, sometimes the English translations are questionable and downright hilarious.

The instructions on my favorite noodles, which I used for this recipe, are as follows:

  1. Use the right amount of water to boil, and the surface into the boil water then use chopsticks for 5-7 minutes.
  2. To pick up the noodles, remove the water and you can add to personal preferences sauce, then you can eat the noodles.

Followed by the instructions are the “Features:”

  1. This product is made using a traditional method.
  2. The noodle is springy and unique taste.
  3. Boils the cooking liquor not to be muddy.

What is the “right” amount of water? What am I doing with my chopsticks?? Does Moses come to help remove the boiling water from the pot??? The only thing I follow is adding “personal preferences sauce,” which in this case is a very simple combination of sesame oil, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine, plus lots of chili oil at the end.

This is what I always wish would appear when I order takeout lo mein – noodles with just a ton of greens. If you wanted to up the amount of greens the noodles could definitely handle it – a few weeks ago I put literally all of the greens from my week’s CSA into a version of this dish.

My full share this week was zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, kale, lettuce, broccoli, rainbow tatsoi, basil, parsley, and scallions. I used the lettuce, cukes, tomatoes, grated carrots (from a previous week) and some scallions in a riff on buffalo cauliflower salad. This smashed cucumber salad is one of my favorite ways to enjoy summer and get out and lingering frustrations. Summer squash and herbs are perfect for this gratin with salsa verde.

Lo mein-style noodles with greens

Serves 4

Adapted from Serious Eats

  • 12 ounces chopped greens, such as tatsoi, bok choy, kale, or chard (about 2 large bunches)
  • 24 ounces of sliced cabbage (about 1/2 a small one)
  • 12 ounces Chinese wheat noodles (spaghetti will do in a pinch)
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil (plus more if needed)
  • 1 14-ounce container firm tofu, drained
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil, plus more for drizzling on the noodles
  • 4 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry cooking sherry)
  • 2 ounces chopped scallions (from 3 giant CSA ones) – about 1 heaping cup
  • 1 tablespoon spoon minced garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • For serving: chopped basil, additional soy sauce, and chili oil

Combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, shaoxing wine.

Bring a large pot filled halfway with water to a boil. Boil the noodles according to the package directions (…or not!!!) until cooked. Drain, drizzle with sesame oil, and toss to coat.

In a large wok or pan heat 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium high heat until it starts to smoke. Add in a big handful of the cabbage, and toss for 2-3 minutes, until wilted and starting to char, but not soft all the way through. Remove cabbage from the wok into a bowl, add another tablespoon of oil, and repeat with another large handful of cabbage. Do this with all the cabbage and greens.

Finally, cook the tofu in the same way – splitting into batches and allowing it to brown slightly. Add into the bowl with the greens.

After all the greens and tofu have been cooked, return the pan to the heat. If no residual oil remains, add a tiny bit. Add in the sliced scallions and cook for 1 minute to char, then add in the noodles and toss to reheat. Add the sesame oil/soy sauce/shaoxing wine mixture, garlic, white pepper, and all of the greens back to the pan and toss to coat and combine.

Finish with basil. Serve with additional soy sauce and chili oil.

Grilled Zucchini Bowls with Chickpeas and Pesto

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Now is not the time for turning on the oven or storage vegetables, but I was craving my winter root veg bowls so an update to the cooking method and vegetables was in order. I love this concept though – a ton of vegetables, chickpeas for heft and texture, plus a vibrant green sauce to tie everything together. This version has the “it” vegetable of July, summer squash, and any variety works – zucchini, yellow summer squash, pattypan squash. Grilling summer squash is my favorite summer preparation, but you can pan fry or roast.

This meal is easily scale-able – in my house one can of chickpeas is two servings, so you can easily halve or up it. The pesto should make enough for 6+ servings, and you can serve it on toast with eggs, over tomatoes and burrata, or on pizza.

My full share this week was two heads of lettuce, summer squash, rainbow carrots, fresh onions, cabbage, young leeks, kale, broccoli leaves, and purple basil. I used rainbow carrots, some of the cabbage, and the purple basil in a slaw I served atop rice noodles and some grilled BBQ tofu for a summer cold noodle situation. I used grilled extra squash while I was making these bowls to use in my favorite enchiladas (forgive the low-light photo – they are great!!) that I also stuck some chopped kale and onion tops into. Salad options for alllll that lettuce include: BBQ chicken peach, tzatziki with marinated lentils, chipotle ranch. I’m thinking about cooking the broccoli leaves and tougher, outer cabbage leaves a la collards for this dish, or in collards with peanut butter (don’t knock it til you try it). Hot, humid days call for cool beverages like these herbal citrus refreshers.

Grilled Zucchini Bowls with Chickpeas and Pesto

Serves 4

  • 2 large summer squash (mine were 40 oz total)
  • 2 cups packed soft herbs, such as basil, parsley, cilantro, dill and scallions (I used 1/4 cup of each of the above except basil)
  • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more if needed
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas
  • 3 fresh onions (or 1 large onion), thinly sliced

Heat up a grill on high. Thickly slice the summer squashes, and coat with olive oil (3-4 tablespoons), salt, and pepper. Grill for 10-15 minutes, until they are thoroughly charred an soft all the way through (the flesh turns from an opaque white to more translucent). Let the squash cool, and then chop into 1/2″ pieces.

Thinly slice the onions. Heat up a large, deep skillet on medium high and pour in 1/2 cup olive oil. Add in the onions, and cook for 7-10 minutes, until they start to brown at the edges. While the onions are cooking, drain and rinse the chickpeas. After the onions are browned add the chickpeas, plus a few pinches of salt and grinds of pepper. Cook 10-15 minutes, until the chickpeas are visibly darkened and have a nice, crispy outside.

Turn on a food processor with the S blade in and drop the garlic cloves through the opening at the top. When the garlic cloves stop bouncing around they are fully minced. Turn the food processor off and scrape down the sides with a spatula. Add ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper, herbs, pine nuts, and lemon juice. Turn the food processor on to puree everything, then drizzle in 1/4 cup olive oil so a smooth sauce forms (more if needed). Alternatively, very finely mince the garlic, herbs, and pine nuts (or mash in a mortal and pestle), then stir in the salt, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil.

Build the bowls by dividing up the summer squash and chickpeas into 4 bowls then topping with a big spoonful of pesto. Serve with more pesto and olive oil for drizzling.

(Crumbled feta like I use in the winter version of this dish would be delicious on top.)

Truly Great Vegetarian Sandwiches

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vegetarian sandwichToday I went to an event for work that included a catered lunch. It was a classic sandwich spread: turkey with lettuce and tomato on a sub roll, ham and cheese on swirled rye, a vegetable wrap, salad, chips, and cookies. I took a half of each the turkey and the vegetable wrap. The turkey sandwich was an assemblage of things that were in function a sandwich, but the individual ingredients were indistinguishable and mostly devoid of flavor.

I had higher hopes for the wrap, which turned out to be a swipe of hummus, a piece of lettuce, and then just a mass of shredded carrots studded with sliced black olives and red onion (far more olives than onions…so many olives). While I can say there was at least texture from the carrots, it struck me as exactly the vegetarian sandwich that a person who has never in their life eaten a vegetarian sandwich would make: Just put a bunch of vegetables in it! And hummus for protein! Vegetarians love hummus!!!

This is not 1998, and we have so many more interesting an innovative meatless sandwiches to entertain our taste buds. Here are a few of my favorites:

This beet and sweet potato sandwich with feta (pictured at top) has raw vegetables that are pickled, cooked vegetables, herbs, and salty feta which make for a riot of flavors and textures (that post also has tons of tips for building vegetarian sandwiches).

If we’re going to talk about the recipe I’ve made the most times in the past two years, it just might be this tofu shawarma. Taking tofu, squeezing it dry, and then crumbling, spicing, and roasting it was a revelation to me. The small irregular pieces leave a ton of surface area for crisping. The warmly spiced tofu with a creamy, garlicky yogurt sauce in warm pita with crisp vegetables is the dream I wish for every time I fall asleep.  I often add in some other spices like turmeric or cumin, and serve it with whatever fresh and pickled vegetables I have around.

It is impossible to go wrong with burritos, and these burritos with black bean spread are a flash to put together (which I just use canned beans for).

I’m not actually against hummus wraps. Sure they are not the most interesting, but they do serve a great need of vegan, healthy, easily transported food (as you can see). But I like a mix of raw/cooked/and pickled vegetables, and another sauce for some punch (like pesto!). Sprouts make a great addition too.

If you’re not into hummus or just looking for something different, make these wraps with turmeric tahini sauce which have a great variety of ingredients, plus a zippy sauce to pull it all together.

Do you have a favorite vegetarian sandwich? Or another terrible vegetarian sandwich experience to share? Do tell!

 

Charred Green Tomato Salsa

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IMG_7015 (3)My final (weh!) Potter Hill CSA share this week was leeks, yokatta na, lettuce, parlsey, delicata squash, sweet potatoes, green tomatoes, red tomatoes, and pea tendrils. The lettuce went into a simple salad alongside Spanish tortilla (made with potatoes leftover from last week). I used the yokatta na (instead of chard) and tomatoes in this delightful crispy lamb with chickpeas and garlic yogurt (I LOVE a good garlic yogurt). Some potatoes and leeks are going into this sheet pan chicken with harissa, but you could always go the classic vichyssoise route. At this point in the season the pea tendrils are a little tougher, so I prefer to cook them before eating. They would be great as one of the greens in rice bowls, or sauteed and added into a frittata. When it comes to winter squash I prefer recipes that have an element that contrasts the sweetness, and the peppery arugula and bitter radicchio in this salad make my heart sing. 

It seems silly to give meal ideas to consume salsa with…but this is a substantial amount of salsa. We ate some of our salsa with chips and on of my absolute favorite meals (which happens to be very festive!): burrito bowls. I made the recipe exactly as shown, with the addition of pickled onions. Tortilla casserole, enchiladas, and breakfast burritos are all meals where I can see this salsa making more appearances. 

Even though the CSA is ending, you can still buy produce weekly from Paul by putting an order in over the weekend and picking up on Monday. Thanks for cooking through the season with me!

Charred Green Tomato Salsa

Makes 1 quart.

I didn’t have any fresh jalapeño when I was making this salsa, but if I did I would have cut it in half and charred it along with the rest of the vegetables (you could remove the seeds for less heat). The fresh jalapeño would replace the pickled, but I would still use some of the brine if I had it. If you don’t have any pickled jalapeno brine, you can sub white vinegar or up the lime juice to 3 tablespoons. Please note this is not a recipe intended for canning (but here is one if you’re looking).

  • 2 lbs green tomatoes
  • 1/2 lb white onion (this was 2 small onions for me)
  • 4 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
  • 1 tablespoon minced pickled jalapeño
  • 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro and stems
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon pickled jalapeño brine (see note)
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice (mine was from 1 lime)

Preheat your broiler on high, and move your oven rack to the setting closest to the broiler.

Quarter the tomatoes (or cut into eights if extremely large). Quarter the onions through the root and remove the skin. Put the tomatoes, onions, and garlic on a baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes check on the vegetables and move them around so they char evenly. Keep broiling and checking in 5 minutes increments until they are all nicely charred but not fully black. You may need to remove the garlic, as it will char much faster than the tomatoes and onions.

While the vegetables are charring, put the pickled jalapeño, cilantro, salt, jalapeño brine, and lime juice in a food processor and pulse to chop (but don’t puree).

When the vegetables are charred let them cool slightly. Peel the garlic, and cut the root ends off of the onions. Put the garlic, onions, and green tomatoes in the food processor and pulse until chunky. Taste for seasoning, and add more salt, lime juice, pickled jalapeno, or brine as needed. Make sure to taste before the salsa is at your desired texture, because you will continue to process it as you add more ingredients. Once the seasoning is to your liking, puree to your desired smoothness and get out the chips.

Cheesy Butternut Polenta with Roasted Broccoli and Cabbage

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IMG_20191015_192615364 (3)This dish has serious mac and cheese vibes, but with a bit of a makeover. Roasted brassicas (including broccoli, cabbage, broccolini, broccoli rabe, Brussels sprouts), really shine here, because their slight bitterness is a great counterpoint to the cheesy and slightly sweet polenta. I used broccoli and cabbage because I had both, but you could double up on broccoli or mix it up with different brassicas. It is a great vegetarian main on its own, but could be bulked up with a fried egg, beans, roasted chicken, or sausage.

My entire Potter Hill CSA share this week was broccoli, leeks, salad mix, pea tendrils, perpetual spinach, potatoes, onions, acorn squash, and butternut squash. I used the pea tendrils and perpetual spinach to make these rice bowls from a few weeks ago. Leeks and potatoes went on this pizza, where I subbed sauteed leeks for the onion and used savory from a few weeks ago instead of the rosemary.  Your squash could also be used for my absolute favorite butternut soup with coconut milk. Either (or both) squash would be excellent in this bright fall salad.

Cheesy Butternut Polenta with Roasted Broccoli and Cabbage

Adapted from Dinner.

Serves 4.

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 12 ounces peeled and seeded butternut squash, grated (3 cups)
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 1 cup polenta
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 lb broccoli (1 large head or 3-4 small heads)
  • 12 ounces cabbage (about 1/4 head)
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • Fresh ricotta, for serving

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Melt the butter in the bottom of a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add in the grated butternut squash, and saute for 5-8 minutes, until it starts to brown. Remove butternut squash from the pot, and add in water, milk, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer, and whisk in polenta and butternut squash. Stir regularly while keeping at a low bubble for 30-40 minutes. The polenta should be completely soft, with no hard grainy bits or raw corn taste.

Chop the broccoli crown, stem, and leaves (if attached) into 1/2 inch pieces (peel the stem first if the outside is tough). Toss on a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Chop the cabbage into 1/2″ pieces, and toss on a second baking sheet with the remaining tablespoon oil and a 1/2 teaspoon salt. It’s ok if some layers of the cabbage stick together while others separate. This will make for a nice mix of soft and crispy bits. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until browned at the edges, tossing vegetables and rotating pans halfway through.

When the polenta is cooked add the parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning, and add salt and pepper. Serve polenta with roasted vegetables on top and a dollop of ricotta.

Roasted Carrot and Farro Salad

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IMG_20191009_121848637 (3)I was flipping through cookbooks for inspiration this week and landed on a recipe in my perennial favorite cookbook, Dinner, for a farro salad with crispy leeks and chickpeas. It sounded delicious, but also made me think of Smitten Kitchen’s Honey and Harissa Farro Salad. For my ultimate fall salad I decided to combine the two for a hearty, one bowl meal that has sweet carrots, robust harissa, salty feta, tangy lemon, and crispy leeks, united with the heft of chewy farro and chickpeas. It can easily be made vegan by omitting the feta and swapping maple syrup for the honey, and is excellent at room temp for lunch on the go.

My full share this week was cucumbers, tomatoes, yokatta-na, leeks, carrots, onions, potatoes, lettuce, basil, and parsley. The cucumbers went into sushi bowls (I just make a quick pan roasted salmon with soy sauce instead of the packets). The yokatta-na is going into a quick noodle dish with tofu and soy sauce. Any mix of roasted an raw vegetables are great toppings for tofu bowls. My absolute favorite leek and potato soup is a great fall meal if all this rain doesn’t have you in the mood for salad. If you’re looking for a grain-free option for dinner, these root vegetable bowls are filling and so bright tasting you’ll forget the days are getting shorter.

Roasted Carrot and Farro Salad

Adapted from Dinner and The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.

Serves 4 as a main, or 8 as a side.

  • 3 small leeks (about 6 ounces/1 1/2 cups sliced)
  • 1/2 lb carrots (3-4 depending on the size)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1 cup farro
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (1 15.5 ounce can)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons harissa
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 8 ounces full-fat feta, crumbled
  • 1/4 cup minced parsley
  • 1/4 cup minced dill

Preheat oven to 425F. Slice leeks in half lengthwise and then into 1/4″ slices, then wash and dry. Quarter carrots lengthwise and chop into 1/2″ pieces. On separate sheet pants, toss the carrots and leeks each with 1 1/2 teaspoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt (the last 1/4 teaspoon salt will go in the dressing). Spread the carrots out on the sheet pan, while keeping the leeks close together in the middle of the pan so they brown but don’t burn. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring the pans halfway through. The leeks should get charred, but not completely burned. If the leeks are starting to burn clump them closer together.

Bring a small pot of water to a boil with a pinch of salt. Put in the farro, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 30-35 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly.

In a large bowl whisk the harissa, honey, extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the drained farro, chickpeas, feta, leeks, carrots, feta, dill, and parsley. Stir to combine, taste, and add more salt or lemon juice as needed.

Fall Slaw with Lemon Tahini Dressing

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IMG_7008 (3)At first I fear the change of seasons. Did I fit in everything I wanted to in the past season> The answer is always no. But sure enough I come to appreciate the change of pace and all the joy a new season brings with it. Autumn is a time to slow down, bake, and drink tea, while still enjoying some warm days and abundant produce. It is the perfect time to make those crossover recipes with summer ingredients and fall flavors.

My full Potter Hill share this week was Tokyo Bekanna, kale, chard, salad turnips, tomatoes, eggplant, lettuce, peppers, onions, and zucchini. I used the chard and white onions in an autumnal soup with mushrooms and quinoa. The salad turnips and lettuce went into a simple salad paired with crispy avocado tacos. The tomatoes, peppers, and red onion were the base of an epic panzanella from Six Seasons (the tomato was my edit).  Panzanella is not usually my favorite dish, but this one had me rethinking my opinion. I finally got around to baking with zucchini (better October than never!!) and made chocolate zucchini muffins from Good and Cheap (page 21). Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Soup is perfect for this time of year.

Fall Slaw with Lemon Tahini Dressing

Adapted from The First Mess

This is a great base for veggie burgers. I made the sweet potato quinoa patties from the inspiration recipe alongside. These quinoa cauliflower patties and these chickpea cauliflower burgers are also great options. Tokyo Bekanna is a light cabbage that adds great crunch to this slaw without being as fibrous as a normal cabbage. You could use cabbage, chard, or more kale in its place.

  • 1/3 cup tahini
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 clove garlic, grated
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 bunch kale, stemmed and shredded (about 3 cups)
  • 1 bunch Tokyo Bekanna, shredded (about 3 cups)
  • 1/4 cup chopped dill
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Put the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, Dijon, honey, salt, and water in a blender or food processor and blend to combine. Taste and adjust to your preferences. It should be very lemony, as it will mellow on the greens. In a large bowl combine kale, Tokyo Bekanna, dill, and parsley. Top with dressing and massage into the greens. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

 

Bok Choy Rice Bowls

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IMG_20190925_121921318 (3)When I picked up my share this week Paul handed me two huge, beautiful bunches of bok choy. They are one of my favorite greens to cook with, and are really two vegetables in one. The leaves are tender and vegetal, and the stems have a great, slightly watery crunch (but aren’t nearly as fibrous as chard or kale stems). I often stagger the cooking of the stems and greens as I’ve done in these bowls so the greens don’t overcook. Besides in stir fries, bok choy is great in soup, or can be roasted to up the crispy factor.

These bowls are my perfect weeknight meal. They come together in the time it takes to cook rice, are packed with vegetables, have a flavorful sauce, and are easily adapted at the table to each diner’s personal preference. (Not everyone likes as much chili crisp as my husband…) I love a good tofu bowl, but sometimes draining, marinating, and roasting is just not what I have energy for.

My full Potter Hill share this week was lettuce, bok choy, eggplant, onions, kale, cherry tomatoes, savory, and apples. I used the lettuce and apples in a big salad with cucumbers and lentils with a green dressing very similar to this one. I just snacked on the cherry tomatoes, but they would be great in couscous salad, a big salad with ranch dressing, or pizza. The eggplant is destined for moussaka, but you could go for vegan teriyaki eggplant (double the sauce) or not-at-all-vegan eggplant and roast beef sandwiches. Kale and apples make for a great autumnal salad. Kale is also one of my favorite greens to pair with eggs (exhibits A, B, and C). I just bought some vinegar powder that I’m very excited to experiment with, and I’m going to dust some roasted potato wedges with savory.

Bok Choy Rice Bowls

Serves 4

Adapted from Dinner by Melissa Clark

Notes: The photo above differs slightly from the recipe below. It was dark by the time I finished cooking dinner, so I waited until lunch to take photos. I forgot to bring the kimchi and sauce to work 😥 so those are absent, and I made a 6 minute egg instead of a fried one. What is written below is how I will be remaking the recipe.

  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 1¾ cup water
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon peanut oil, divided
  • 1 large bunch bok choy (mine was 14 ounces)
  • 4 eggs

Sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 4 teaspoons grated ginger
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • A pinch of salt
  • 3 tablespoons peanut oil
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

For Serving:

  • 1 cup chopped kimchi
  • 1 scallion, sliced
  • Sesame seeds
  • Furikake (optional)
  • Chili crisp or your favorite spicy condiment (optional)

Bring the water and salt to a boil in a small pot with a lid. Add the rice, stir, cover, and reduce heat to medium low. Cook for 40 minutes.

Put all sauce ingredients in a jar and shake to combine.

Cut off the base of the bok choy if it is a single plant. Separate the stems from the greens. Chop the greens and wash. Wash the stems and cut them into ½” inch pieces (slice the stems in half lengthwise first if they are more than 1″ thick).

Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Add 1½ teaspoons oil, and when hot add the Bok choy stems. Cook for 5 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the greens and stir. Cook for another 5 minutes until wilted. Place in a bowl and wipe out the pan. Heat and add the remaining oil. Fry the eggs to your desired doneness (I recommend over-easy).

Serve bowls with rice, greens, eggs, sauce, kimchi, scallion, sesame seeds, furikake, and chili crisp.

 

 

Gazpacho

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IMG_7001 (3)I found it hard to believe that this recipe wasn’t already posted here. I’ve been making this gazpacho for over 10 years, and it remains my favorite. It has classic ingredients, and with a food processor comes together in about 15 minutes. By design it is a chunky gazpacho, but you can adjust the texture by pureeing some and stirring it back into the bowl (or puree individual portions, if like me, some at your dinner table like a completely smooth gazpacho while others do not. I’ve struggled to get excited about a lot of summer soups, but this one is so refreshing and easy I really don’t think I need any others.

What a bounty! My full Potter Hill CSA share this week was lettuce, radishes, yokatta na, chard, peppers, onions, eggplant, savory, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and large tomatoes. Some of the tomatoes and lettuce went into BLTs, the perfect September sandwich. Cherry tomatoes and onions went into these olive oil fried lentils from Dining In that have a Thai spin to them which were slightly weird, but really good. The eggplant and some greens went into this braised eggplant with minced pork. I’ve been eyeing this cottage cheese salad which uses radishes, tomatoes, and cukes, so that might be on the docket this weekend. Alongside this gazpacho, we had tofu shawarma, which might be the sandwich I’ve made most often in 2019.

Don’t forget all my Potter Hill recipes are tagged at the bottom (including the ones from last year!), so there is always inspiration at the ready for cooking.

Gazpacho

Adapted from Ina Garten

Serves 6

  • 1 large cucumber (~1 lb), halved and seeds removed
  • 2 peppers (~1/2 lb), halved and seeds removed
  • 2 large tomatoes (~1 1/2 lbs), cores removed
  • 1 small red onion (~1/4 lb)
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and root removed
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 cups tomato juice
  • 1 teaspoon koshers salt
  • A few good grinds of black pepper
  • Hot sauce

Chop the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, and red onion into 1″ chunks (but keep them separate).

Start running a food processor with an S blade and drop in the 3 garlic cloves. When they stop bouncing around, scrape down the sides of the bowl with spatula, then add in the cucumber. Pulse until the cucumber is chopped, but not pureed (it’s ok if there are some larger chunks lingering – texture!). Removed the cucumber and put it in a large bowl, then one at a time process the peppers, tomatoes, and red onion, adding each into the bowl when done.

Add the white vinegar, olive oil, tomato juice, salt, pepper, and hot sauce (if you please) to the bowl and stir to combine. If you like a smoother texture, return some (or all) of the gazpacho to the food processor, puree, and stir back in to achieve your desired texture.

Roasted Eggplant, Cherry Tomato, and Garlic Pizza with Olives and Savory

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I feel the same way every year, but this is really just the best time to eat. Perfect tomatoes, beautiful eggplant, vibrant lettuce and greens, sweet corn, tender berries, juicy melon, tart stone fruit and so many other bountiful vegetables are at their peak. My kitchen has been a very happy place this week as I try to cook as much as possible.

As it is apparent from this recipe, eggplant and tomatoes are my absolute favorites. I have a big list of recipes that I have to make for it to truly feel like summer, and eggplant pizza is always on there. I’ve made many iterations (two great versions are in that link), but I especially love this one with the sauce replaced with juicy, tangy, and sweet cherry tomatoes plus the briny contrast of olives.

My Potter Hill share this week was eggplant, beets, savory, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, onions, cucumbers, and coriander. I used one of the eggplant and some onions in a noodle dish with coconut broth from Dinner (my perennial favorite). There was no cilantro left at the grocery store when I went shopping, so I just subbed the coriander from the share in (it was going into a spice paste) and it worked great. I made lamb meatballs with the last onion and paired them with a yogurt dill sauce and a cucumber and tomato salad (from, you guessed it, Dinner). If you’ve craving cooler weather you could use the beets and any leftover carrots from last week in roasted root vegetable bowls. Lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers could all go into this Greek-inspired salad I made last summer.

Roasted Eggplant, Cherry Tomato, and Garlic Pizza with Olives and Savory

This is my go-to pizza dough recipe, and I usually sub half of the white flour for wheat. It is a very wet pizza dough which I spread it on a Silpat on a baking sheet and cook it on the lowest oven rack. If this is your first time making pizza dough, I suggest this recipe for a slightly easier to work with dough. I often use pizza making as a chance to use up any random cheese I have in the fridge, so feel free to try others than I listed here.

Serves 4

  • 1 pizza dough, storebought or homemade (see note)
  • 10 ounces eggplant (1 small), chopped
  • 12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 4 cloves of garlic (do not remove the paper)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 ounces kalamata olives, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
  • 2 teaspoons minced savory
  • 4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 4 ounces crumbled goat cheese
  • Red pepper flakes (optional)

Preheat your oven to 400F. Place the cherry tomatoes, eggplant, and garlic cloves on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes, stir, and bake for another 10 until the eggplant is soft and the cherry tomatoes have shriveled a bit. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Turn the oven up as high as it will go (mine goes to 550F).

While the tomatoes, etc. are roasting spread your dough on a baking sheet (I like to use a Silpat, or you could use parchment paper).

Peel the garlic cloves and chop. Build your pizza starting with the roasted cherry tomatoes, eggplant, and garlic, then the olives and savory, topped with the mozzarella and goat cheese.

Place your pizza in the oven on the bottom rack and cook for 10 minutes. The top should have nicely charred bits and the bottom should be crisp. Remove from the pan and place on a cutting board. (If you are using a Silpat you will need to peel it off before cutting. I just tuck one end under and pull it to the other side. It helps to have someone else hold the pizza put.) Cut and serve with red pepper flakes.

Athena Bowls

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IMG_6979 (3)When I came home with my CSA share I laid the mountain of vegetables out on my kitchen table and started pulling out cookbooks. I was paralyzed with dinner indecision, but after much perusing I saw a recipe in Plenty  for “mixed grill” with parsley oil, that was essentially grilled eggplant and zucchini with a parsley sauce. I loved the idea but knew that I didn’t have quite enough vegetables for dinner and lunch leftovers. That recipe reminded me of my favorite root vegetable bowls with parsley sauce, which combine starchy vegetables and chickpeas to make a bright meal. Plus there was feta in those bowls, which paired with eggplant screams “Greek!”

This all led to the happy invention of what could be called Greek burrito bowls, but that sounded weird, and since there was no exact Greek dish I was turning into a bowl, it needed a whole new name. And thus we have Athena Bowls! Greek inspired, summery, filling, and vegetarian (easily vegan). Perfect for August, when the humidity breaks enough that turning on the oven is a thinkable act.

My full Potter Hill share this week was eggplant, cherry tomatoes, tomatoes, shishitos, broccoli leaves, fresh onions, cucumbers, lettuce, thai basil and scallions. I’ve been eating the tomatoes and cucumbers in the morning over yogurt with Alison Roman’s savory granola from Dining In and it is heaven. The scallions went into a slaw for fish tacos, and the lettuce is went into BLTs tonight (first of the summer!!) with some charred shishitos and aioli alongside. If you need basil ideas I posted a bunch last week.

Athena Bowls

Inspired by The Mediterrenean Dish

Roasted Vegetables

  • ¾ lb eggplant, chopped into 3/4″ pieces
  • ½ lb cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 4 oz onion (1 small onion), chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Lemon Rice

  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 4 oz onion (1 small onion), diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 ½ cups of water, plus water for soaking
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Parsley Sauce

  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ¾ cup parsley leaves and soft stems
  • ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon)
  • ½ teaspoon salt

For serving

  • 6 ounces full fat feta, crumbled
  • 1½ cups cooked chickpeas (from one 15.5 ounce can, rinsed and drained)

Preheat the oven to 425F. Toss the eggplant, cherry tomatoes, and onion on a baking sheet with the olive oil and salt. Roast for 20 minutes, then toss. Roast for another 15-20 minutes, until the eggplant is completely soft with some charred bits.

While the oven is preheating cover the rice in water and let soak for at least 15 minutes, then drain. In a small saucepan heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes (the onion should star to become translucent). Add in the rice and stir to coat. Add the 1 1/2 cups of water, cover, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, then remove from the heat and let sit for 10.

Turn on a food processor with an S blade and drop in the garlic cloves. Let them process until you can no longer hear them bouncing around, then turn it off and scrape down the sides. Add the parsley and salt and process until minced. Turn on the food processor and stream in the olive oil and lemon juice until it is a uniform sauce. Alternatively, mince the garlic and parsley, then stir in olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.

To serve prepare bowls with rice, chickpeas, roasted vegetables, feta, and parsley sauce.

 

 

Charred Onion Dip

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IMG_6957 (4)Discovering that onion dip is something you can easily make yourself is life changing. Alton Brown was the first to show me this possibility, and while his recipe is good, it is not fast. When my mom discovered this recipe in Bon Appetit, everything changed. We started requesting it at every family dinner, and she even made enough for 85 people to serve at our wedding. It has all the creamy richness you want to slather on a chip, but tastes fresher than your usual onion dip because the onions are cooked hot and fast instead of low and slow, so they retain some of their bite. I would tell you to double this recipe, but know that people will eat as much of this dip as you put in front of them.

My share this week was leeks, cauliflower, lettuce, basil, cilantro, fresh onions, zucchini, and eggplant. The lettuce went into a giant salad I served with these buffalo veggie burgers and bleu cheese dressing. Eggplant and leftover bok choy from last week went into noodles with sesame sauce and chili oil. If you have any cucumbers, this smashed cucumber salad is both fun to make and delicious. The basil and zucchini went into this easy pesto bean dish.

Charred Onion Dip

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Serves 4-6

I adapted this recipe to take advantage of the fresh onions with their greens attached in my CSA share. If you don’t have fresh onions, you could use a shallot and scallions as the original recipe calls for. I don’t have a grill so I haven’t tried this yet, but I imagine you could halve the leek and onion bulb, and grill them along with the onions greens, then slice everything, instead of the slice first then broil method outlined below.

  • 1 fresh bulb onion, quartered and thinly sliced (3 ounces/¾ cup)
  • 1 ounce (1 cup) thinly sliced fresh onions greens (reserve a few for garnish)
  • 2 small leeks, dark greens removed, halved and thinly sliced (2.5 ounces/1 cup)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • ½ cup full-fat mayonnaise
  • ½ cup full-fat Greek yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice (this was ½ a small lemon for me)
  • 2 tablespoons buttermilk
  • Fresh ground pepper
  • Potato chips for serving

Heat your broiler to high. On a baking sheet toss the onion, onion greens, and leeks with the olive oil and season with a hefty pinch of salt. Broil for 5-10 minutes total, checking after 5 minutes and monitoring closely. You want significant char on the onions, but not to turn the whole pan completely black. When the onions are done, remove from the oven and let cool.

While the onions are charring combine the garlic, mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, buttermilk, and pepper in a bowl. Add the cooled onions and stir to combine. Garnish with the reserved onion greens and serve with potato chips (Cape Cod Kettle Chips are my favorite).

 

Nose-to-Tail Broccoli and Tofu

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IMG_6897 (2)The star of my Potter Hill share this week was a beautiful head of broccoli with the stem and leaves attached. This crown jewel is actually three vegetables in one – slightly vegetal leaves, the crunchy stems, and the meaty florets. All three parts get worked into this recipe along with a rich sauce made with just three ingredients – soy sauce, molasses, and black pepper. Frying tofu does take a bit of time, but it makes for a delightfully crispy addition to this dish. I adapted this recipe from one in Dinner by Melissa Clark, which I’ve mentioned before and still turn to regularly for interesting, easy, and vegetable forward dinners.

My full share was a bunch of fresh onions and their greens, Red Russian kale, cabbage, a bag of lettuce, beets, a whole head of broccoli (leaves attached), cucumbers, summer squash, and basil. I used kale and some cabbage to make a caesar salad, and the broccoli and onions went into the tofu dish below. I used the summer squash and basil to riff off this pasta with fried zucchini, replacing the pasta and mozzarella with tortellini, and adding in some arugula. Lettuce, some cabbage, a cucumber, and some pickled turnips from a few weeks ago went into this salad, which was excellent ( I especially loved the preserved lemon). I haven’t gotten to my beets yet, but my favorite way to eat them is shredded and raw like in this salad or this amazing sandwich with sweet potatoes and feta.

Nose-to-Tail Broccoli and Tofu 

Serves 6

Adapted from Dinner: Changing the Game by Melissa Clark

If you don’t have fresh onions with the greens attached, use the same amount of sliced shallots in place of the bulb and scallions in place of the greens. I wrote this recipe to utilize all parts of the broccoli in our CSA share, but you could substitute another hearty green like bok choy, yokatta na, perpetual spinach, collards, or kale for the leaves. If you’re not into tofu, you could sub chicken, pork, or beef cut into 1 inch chunks, but leave out the cornstarch.

  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 1 package (14 to 16 ounces) firm tofu, drained, patted dry, and cut into 1 inch cubes
  • ¼ cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 small fresh onions and their tops, bulbs halved and thinly sliced (about 1½ cups/5 ounces) and green tops thinly sliced (about 1 packed cup/1½ ounces) (see note)
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons grated ginger
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 small head of broccoli head with stem and leaves still attached (see note)
  • 6 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 4 tablespoons molasses
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
  • Cooked brown rice, for serving (I cook ¼ cup per serving, so a total of 1½ cups)

In a large wok or skillet heat the oil over medium-high. Toss the cubed tofu with the cornstarch until it is well coated, then fry in the hot oil until it is crisp, about 10-15 minutes. Stir every 3-4 minutes so the sides brown evenly. When the tofu is crisp remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with a towel to drain.

While the tofu is cooking, prep the broccoli. Separate the leaves from the broccoli head, and then remove the stem from each leaf (these are tough and can be discarded). Thinly slice the leaves and set aside. Cut off the stalk from the broccoli crown (the leafy part of the “tree”), and using a knife or vegetable peeler remove the outer layer. To ensure you’ve removed enough, cut off a slice and try it – it should be crunchy but not tough. Quarter and slice the stalk, and cut the head into 1 inch florets (the 1 inch being the width of the top of the “tree”). 

Pour off the remaining oil from the pan, and return the to pan on medium heat. Melt the butter, then add in the sliced onion bulbs, garlic, and ginger. Cook for 5 minutes, until the onion starts to soften. Add the red pepper flakes, stir, and cook for a minute more.

While the onions are cooking, prep the sauce by whisking together the soy sauce, molasses, and freshly ground pepper in a bowl.

Add the broccoli stem and florets to the pan, stir, and cover. Cook for 5 minutes, then add in the greens, stir, and cover again. Cook for another 5 minutes, or until the greens have fully wilted. Add the sauce and tofu to the pan and toss until the vegetables and tofu are thoroughly. Serve over brown rice with extra chili flakes.

Red Lentil Coconut Stew with Greens

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Hello, summer! This is the second year that I’m writing recipes for Potter Hill Farm‘s CSA. Each week the CSA members will get a bag full of awesome and varied vegetables, and I’ll post a recipe using those exact vegetables. Because I can’t help myself, I’ll throw in some other ideas for what to cook as well. To make the recipes easy to find, they are all tagged Potter Hill. If you weren’t lucky enough to get a spot in the CSA, you can still buy Potter Hill vegetables at Monday pick ups or at the Grafton Farmer’s Market. If you don’t live near Grafton, you can shop at your local farm or farmer’s market.

If you’re new this year, a little bit more about me can be found in last year’s intro post. The short version is I’m a home cook who loves vegetables. I’m not a vegetarian, but I am passionate about all of us finding more ways to incorporate great produce into our diets. Even if you aren’t a CSA member, I hope you come here to find interested and delicious ways to put vegetables on your plate. While it’s great if you want to follow my recipe exactly, I’m just as happy inspiring you to adapt my recipes with what you have or tweak them to your preference. Besides here, you can find me on Instagram and Facebook.

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This week my share had spinach, radishes, Red Russian kale, Yokatta Na, lettuce (mixed), and perpetual spinach (left to right, top to bottom). Besides this stew, I made Priya Krishna’s Saag Feta (using a mix of spinach, perpetual spinach, kale, and Yokatta Na), used lettuce in Tofu Shawarma Pita Wraps, and made a simple salad with lettuce, dill, and radishes to accompany a frittata. This is the time of year to embrace recipes that use an absurd amount of greens that you would balk at buying the rest of the year. Spanakopita is high on my list, plus old favorites beans and greens and greens with eggs, garlic yogurt, and chili butter.

For this stew I riffed on Alison Roman’s Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric. I didn’t have chickpeas, so I used red lentils which could quickly cook in the coconut milk/broth mixture. Cooking the lentils in the broth cut out the initial frying step, so this comes together in about 30 minutes. Though it’s called a “stew,” it is most definitely not a heavy affair.

Red Lentil Coconut Stew with Greens

Serves 6

  • 1 tablespoon coconut or olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons grated ginger
  • 1 tablespoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 15-ounce cans full fat coconut milk
  • 4 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water
  • 2 cups red lentils
  • 1 lb greens, chopped and washed (I used a mix of spinach, perpetual spinach, and Red Russian kale)
  • Salt
  • 1 cup fresh soft herbs (such as basil, mint, or cilantro)
  • 1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced (about 1 cup total)
  • Lime wedges

Put a large pot over medium heat (remember all the uncooked greens need to fit in the pot too). Add in the oil. When the oil is hot, add in the onion, garlic, and ginger. Saute for 5 minutes, until the onion begins to soften.

Add in the turmeric, red pepper flakes, and a big pinch of salt. Stir to combine and cook for 1 minute (it should be wonderfully fragrant). Add in the broth/water, coconut milk, and lentils. Bring to a simmer and cook (covered) for 20 minutes.

Taste the lentils to ensure they are cooked through, and adjust the seasoning if needed. Add in the chopped greens, stir as best your can, and cover. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until wilted (stirring once to help all the greens get in the stew).

Serve with herbs, radishes, lime wedges, and extra red pepper flakes.

Vegan Tofu Bowls with Citrus Tahini Sauce

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tofu bowl 2What should make when you need a reset after weekend eating? When you aren’t fully inspired, but have a fridge full of random vegetables? Or, when you feel like there is nothing in the fridge? When you have a bunch of diet restrictions at the dinner table? When you want to eat something incredibly satisfying and delicious?

Tofu bowls.

I’ve been making some variation of this bowl almost monthly for years. Tofu, rice, and the sauce are constants, but toppings always fluctuate depending on the season and what is in the fridge. If the ingredient list for the sauce seems long (or maybe contains nothing in your normal pantry), know that almost all the ingredients keep very well, so once you invest in them once you can make these bowls whenever the craving strikes (which will be often). The sauce is the great unifier and elevator that takes this from a bowl of health to a delightful dinner you really want to eat.

I like to use a mix of raw and cooked vegetables for textural contrast, but you can literally use whatever you fancy. Cucumbers, carrots, radishes, salad turnips, and avocado all make great options for a raw component. For cooked I’ve used many different types of greens (kale, collards, radish, turnip, chard), cabbage, Brussels sprouts, summer squashes, winter squashes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, and eggplant. Don’t feel limited by these options, use what you’ve got. This is also a great time to utilize leftover cooked vegetables from another meal.

This is the tail end of my CSA and my final week included celeriac, sweet potatoes, radishes, parsley, scallions, and lettuce. I used the lettuce in a salad inspired by this recipe with roasted carrots, couscous, and yogurt. It is an excellent time of year to make these root vegetable bowls.  If you haven’t yet, it’s time to make the celeriac slaw from a couple weeks ago (I’d throw in the scallions too), or this excellent winter chowder. If you want to see the whole season of CSA recipes, they are under the Potter Hill tag!

Vegan Tofu Bowls with Citrus Tahini Sauce

Serves 6.

Tofu marinade and method adapted from Thug Kitchen, sauce just barely adapted from Bowl + Spoon (which is also posted here). I’ve written this to serve 6, but if you want to scale this assume ¼ cup uncooked brown rice (1 ½ cups total) and ~2.5 ounces tofu per serving.

Marinated Tofu

  • ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
  • ¼ cup rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon grated ginger
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon garlic chili sauce (or, 1 teaspoon grated garlic and 2 teaspoons sriracha)
  • 1 14-ounce container extra firm tofu

Citrus Tahini Sauce

  • 1⁄3 cup fresh-squeezed orange, clementine, or tangerine juice (you only need a little, so go the distance)
  • ½ cup tahini
  • 2 tablespoons honey, maple syrup, or agave
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper

For serving:

  • Cooked brown rice or noodles (see head note)
  • Raw vegetables and herbs (for these I used 1 small bunch radishes (sliced), pickled onions, scallions, and avocado)
  • Cooked vegetables (for these I used 1 large sweet potato which I cubed and roasted with the tofu, plus the radish greens which I threw on the same pan as the sweet potato in the last 2 minutes of cooking)

Remove tofu from container and drain all liquid (don’t discard the container!!!). Wrap tofu in a clean cloth napkin or dish towel, and place on a bowl/plate. Top with another bowl/plate, and place a weight on top (such as a full can of beans). Let drain for at least 30 minutes, but longer is great.

While tofu is draining place all marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.

Remove tofu from the napkin and slice into 1/4″ planks width-wise (you should have 10-12 planks total). Return planks to their original container, and pour marinade over them. Poke in between the slices so the marinade can mingle. Let tofu marinate for 30 minutes (flip the slices over halfway through if you can remember to).

Preheat oven to 450F. Spread out tofu slices (reserving additional marinade) and roast for 15 minutes. Flip, spoon extra marinade over each slice, and roast for 10 more minutes. Flip one more time, spoon any remaining marinade over, and roast for 5 minutes more.

Whisk all sauce ingredients to combine. Prep vegetables for serving.

Serve bowls with rice, tofu, raw and cooked vegetables, any extra marinade, tahini citrus sauce, and extra sriracha. For maximum meal flexibility let diners assemble their own bowls.

 

 

Curry Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk

Posted on by under Recipes

IMG_20181101_122925192For most of my life I was anti-squash soup. I found the texture off-putting, and I didn’t care for the flavor enough to try to overcome that aversion. But five years ago Molly Wizenberg introduced me to this soup. It isn’t a Pumpkin Spice Latte in soup form. It has rich coconut milk to provide a velvety texture without the need for a high powered blender. Instead of cinnamon or another official fall spice, it has curry powder to bring additional warmth, fish sauce for salty funk, and lime juice for the hit of acid so many squash soups are missing. It was the potential I tasted every time I had a spoonful of lackluster soup before this.

I’ve made it so many times I felt it deserved a spot here. I’ve made a few changes from Molly’s, mainly that I always double it because that means I can use a whole squash and a whole quart of broth. It is perfect for freezing in individual portions and grabbing on those days when you need an emergency lunch because maybe you went out for pizza the night before instead of cooking (like I did this week).

It is nearing the end of our CSA season, which means it is time to stock up the ole root cellar! But in reality I live in an apartment on the top floor of a classic Worcester triple decker so there is no cellar to speak of. If you are in a similar situation, you can still store winter crops for quite a while. The share this week was carrots, chard, butternut, potatoes, and onions. I store the carrots in a plastic bag in the produce drawer of my fridge and they will last for months there. Butternut stores well in a dark, dry place but should not be refrigerated (unless it is cut). Potatoes and onions should be stored in complete darkness, separately if possible because the gas from onions encourages potatoes to sprout (as I learned here). Potatoes do best in a paper bag and onions prefer the open air (I keep them in those wood boxes clementines come in).

If you do want to cook with your veg from this week right away, then you can do that too! Before I found this soup, Ottolenghi was the first one to truly show me the merits of butternut squash. This recipe with tahini and za’atar and this recipe with yogurt and chili are both great. I’m going classic this week and making a roasted chicken with roasted potatoes. I’ve also been using the potatoes for a quick breakfast hash with whatever else I have around, like broccoli and onions (egg on top required).

Curry Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk

I put a range for the squash size because they can be so variable. No need to do something silly like use a squash a half (unless you already have a plan for the other half). Just know that the bigger your squash is, the thicker and heartier the soup will be.

  •  3 tablespoons coconut oil (you can also use vegetable or olive oil)
  •  2 cups of chopped onion (this was one medium onion and 2 small ones for me)
  •  6 garlic cloves, minced
  •  2 tablespoons curry powder
  •  1 large butternut squash (about 3-4 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
  •  2 14-ounce cans unsweetened coconut milk
  •  4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  •  2 tablespoons maple syrup
  •  2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
  •  2 teaspoons Sriracha or other Asian chili sauce, plus more for serving
  •  Lime wedges, for serving

In a large soup pot, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until it becomes soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more, until it is fragrant. Add the curry powder and cook for another minute. Add in the squash, broth, coconut milk, maple syrup, fish sauce, and Sriracha. Turn the heat up to high, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 30-40 minutes (until the squash can be easily pierced with a fork).

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup (or, you can use a blender and puree it in batches). Serve with extra Sriracha and lime wedges.

Celeriac slaw with apples, herbs, and horseradish

Posted on by under Recipes

celeriac slawI know “slaw” probably makes you think of summer, but this one is firmly rooted in fall. Celeriac (or, celery root) tastes like a celery-scented potato. Unlike a potato, it is fine to eat raw. It makes an excellent pair with autumn apples – the crisper and tarter, the better. Tossed in a bright dressing with lemon, mustard, horseradish, and yogurt (for creamy contrast), it would be excellent alongside a pork chop .

My Potter Hill CSA share share was celeriac, perpetual spinach, onions, potatoes, green peppers, spicy lettuce, purple turnips, and a handful of spicy peppers. This week has been a little lighter on cooking and heavier on aspiration from extra leftovers and lots of dinner work events. When I brought my share home I made a quick stir fry with some leftover eggplant, plus the perpetual spinach, turnip greens, and green peppers (using this sauce). I’m contemplating trying a fermented hot sauce with the medley of spicy peppers. I’m going to wait on cooking the potatoes since they will last a few weeks, but I am still dreaming about this harissa chicken with leeks and potatoes I made a few weeks ago (make it!!!!). I really only want to eat one green salad this time of year, which is spicy greens with a Dijon vinaigrette (like this one), toasted nuts, apples, and dried cranberries (autumnal AF). If you are looking for a festive meal for Halloween, I highly recommend these black and orange burrito bowls (or you could have the same fillings in tacos!).

Celeriac slaw with apples, herbs, and horseradish

Celeriac is pretty knotty, so I find it is easier to peel it with a knife than a vegetable  peeler. Slice off the stems if they’re still attached and some of the remaining roots on the bottom. Then use your chef’s knife (or a paring knife) to remove the outer 1/4 inch.

Adapted from Happyolks

  • 4 tablespoons of lemon juice, divided
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons Greek yogurt
  • 2 heaping teaspoons prepared horseradish (if you have fresh definitely use that, but start with 1 teaspoon)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon(ish) fresh ground pepper
  • 2 celeriac (aka celery root), peeled
  • 2 apples (no need to peel)
  • 1 cup parsley leaves, roughly chopped

In a large bowl whisk together 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, Dijon, honey, extra virgin olive oil, Greek yogurt, horseradish, salt, and pepper.

Thinly slice the celeriac and apple into planks about 1/8″ thick, and then slice into matchsticks of the same thickness (alternatively, you can use a mandolin). In a small bowl toss the sliced apples with the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice.

Add the sliced celeriac, apples, and parsley to the bowl and toss to combine with the dressing. Salad is best immediately, but will last for a couple days (the apple just won’t be as crisp).