Category Archives: Vegetable Mains

Chili Mango Bok Choy Slaw

10 Thursday Oct 2013

Posted by in Asian, Fall, Healthy, Lunch, Mains, Sides, Vegetable Mains, Vegetables

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bok choy, baby bok choy, bik choy slaw, mango, mango slaw, chili mango What a combination – the heat from the chili sauce, the sweetness from the mango, and the crunch from all the vegetables make for a texture and flavor explosion. The dressing has a hint of nutty sesame oil and tamari adds a wonderful depth of flavor. Baby bok choy is perfect for this slaw, as the larger variety is not as tender when raw and has a more distinct cabbage flavor.

bok choy, baby bok choy, bik choy slaw, mango, mango slaw, chili mangoThis is a great spin on traditional cole slaw; the Asian influences really shine here. Most varieties of bok choy are available year-round in Asian markets and specialty food stores; look for locally grown varieties in season at farmers’ markets.bok choy, baby bok choy, bik choy slaw, mango, mango slaw, chili mango

For the Slaw:

  • 3 cups baby bok choy, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 mango, cubed
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

For the Dressing:

    • 2 tbsp. grapeseed oil
    • 1 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
    • 1 tbsp. chili garlic sauce
    • 1 tbsp. tamari
    • 1 tsp. sesame oil
    • salt and pepper to taste

IMG_3495In a large bowl, combine the bok choy, red cabbage, shredded carrots, cilantro, and mango. Toss to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the slaw. Garnish with additional cilantro leaves.IMG_3462

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Indian Summer Farro Salad

20 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by in Healthy, Lunch, Sides, Summer, Vegetable Mains, Vegetables

≈ 3 Comments

Farro, farro salad, farro with corn, summer salad, side dishFarro is one of my favorite whole grains. It has a distinct nutty flavor, and looks similar to brown rice but with a delicate chew. Use it in soups, salads, side dishes, or even as a breakfast cereal. Here I cooked it, let it cool, and tossed it together with fresh corn, herbs, crumbled feta, olive oil, and lemon. This farro salad makes a great side dish in late summer when corn is sweetest, but you can use just about vegetable of the season.

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farro, farro salad, farro with corn, summer salads, side dish Ingredients:

  • Approximately 4 cups cooked farro
  • Fresh corn, cooked and cut off the cobb
  • Fresh parsley, mint, and basil
  • Crumbled feta
  • 3 tblsp olive oil
  • Zest and juice of one lemon
  • Salt

Make sure the farro is cool before adding the other ingredients. In a large bowl, mix everything together and serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

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Kale Breakfast Bowl

17 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by in Breakfast, Healthy, Lunch, Summer, Vegetable Mains, Vegetables

≈ 2 Comments

Kale, breakfst bowl, kale breakfast bowl, vegetable breakfast bowlIf you need to be snapped out of your typical breakfast rut, you’ve come to the right place. Starting the day off with a meal full of fresh vegetables is just about as good as it gets. This summer I am fortunate enough to be living footsteps away from a plentiful vegetable garden, so I am taking full advantage of “farm to table” meals whenever possible. I’ve been making this vegetable bowl for breakfast or lunch almost everyday, as it is loaded with just the right proportion of nutritious and delicious.

Kale, breakfst bowl, kale breakfast bowl, vegetable breakfast bowlKale, breakfst bowl, kale breakfast bowl, vegetable breakfast bowl

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups roughly chopped kale
  • 1 small yellow summer squash, chopped
  • 1 garlic scape, chopped, or 1 small garlic clove, chopped
  • 1 tblsp grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbslp olive oil
  • salt, pepper
  • chopped herbs for garnish (parsley, chives)

 

 

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 400º. In a small cast iron pan, heat the olive oil and add the garlic scapes, cook one minute. Add the chopped kale, and cook until softened, about one minute. Add the summer squash, season with salt and pepper. When the vegetables are softened and almost completely cooked, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and make two small wells in the mixture to crack the eggs into. Crack the eggs into the wells, season them with salt and pepper, and place the entire skillet into the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until the eggs are just barely set and the yolk is still runny. Remove from the oven and garnish with parsley and chives. Eat straight from the skillet or remove with a large spatula.

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Potato and Leek Flatbread

02 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by in Appetizers, Mains, Vegetable Mains

≈ 7 Comments

Potato and Leek Flatbread Pizza, flatbread pizza, pizza, potato pizza, potato flatbreadI love a simple, easy weeknight meal. Thanks to store-bought pizza dough, the options are endless. Topped with thinly sliced potatoes, leeks, thyme, and Jarlsberg cheese, this flatbread is bursting with flavor. The potatoes cook on top of the dough in the oven, and become creamy yet crispy on the edges. Potato and Leek Flatbread Pizza, flatbread pizza, pizza, potato pizza, potato flatbreadNutty Jarlsberg cheese adds an earthy, wholesome flavor to round out the sweetness from the leeks. This flatbread is great for dinner with a salad, but also would make an easy appetizer. It works well served at room temperature, but also re-heats nicely in a hot oven.

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Ingredients:

(makes 2 large flatbread pizzas)
  • 1-lb store bought pizza doughPotato and Leek Flatbread Pizza, flatbread pizza, pizza, potato pizza, potato flatbread
  • 2 large Yukon Gold potatoes
  • 1 leek
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 cups grated Jarlsberg cheese
  • olive oil
  • flour
  • salt, pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 500. Cut the pizza dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough halves out to a large square. Place each half on a separate oiled baking sheet, or a baking sheet topped with parchment paper.

Peel the potatoes with a vegetable peeler, and slice as thinly as possible width-wise. Sprinkle with salt, and place in a bowl of very cold water for 30 minutes. Slice the leeks width-wise as well, and separate into rings with your fingers. Place in a bowl of water for a few minutes to let the dirt settle to the bottom. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a sauté pan, and cook the leeks for just one minute until they are bright green and slightly softened. Season them with a pinch of salt.

Assemble the flatbreads: Top the dough with the potato slices (slightly overlapping), the leeks, and the grated Jarlsberg. Sprinkle with the fresh thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Drizzle the entire flatbread with olive oil, and place on the bottom rack of the oven for 15-17 minutes. Slice and serve immediately, or at room temperature.

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Asparagus Soup

31 Friday May 2013

Posted by in Healthy, Soups, Spring, Vegetable Mains, Vegetables

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asparagus soup, asparagus, soupJust when you think you are tired of soup, comes this fresh and easy seasonal recipe that uses what is plentiful at the market these days. If you need another excuse to pick up an extra bunch of asparagus, well here it is. Just a few simple ingredients make this a quick dinner option – especially when the days are longer, warmer, and the last place you want to be is cooking in the kitchen. The asparagus really shines in this light and earthy soup that tastes of spring. Serve alongside fresh, crusty bread, or a grilled cheese sandwich.

asparagus soup, asparagus, soupIngredients:

  • 1 tblsp olive oil
  • 2 tblsp butter
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and chopped
  • 4 cups homemade chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 cup loosely packed spinach leaves
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley
  • salt, pepper

Heat butter and olive oil in a large stock pot. Add the shallot and a generous pinch of salt, and cook until softened and translucent. Add the chopped asparagus and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, and continue cooking until asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, add the spinach and parsley and blend with an immersion blender. Return the soup to the stove and heat through, season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

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Spring Pea Risotto

15 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by in Mains, Spring, Vegetable Mains, Vegetables

≈ 3 Comments

risotto, spring risotto, peas, asparagusI know peas are not everyone’s favorite vegetable, but for me they remind me of two things – spring and my childhood. Growing up, my grandmother grew peas in her garden, and we used to eat them freshly picked when they are at their sweetest. As soon as peas are picked, the sugars quickly turn into starch. For this reason, peas are most commonly available frozen, as that is the only way to quickly preserve their sweetness. peasFresh peas need to be cooked as soon as you buy them, and to me it is worth the hassle of shelling them. Sure you can always buy frozen peas, and asparagus is available year round, but the short time of the year when these two vegetables are at their peak of freshness is like Christmas to me. This springtime risotto highlights the sweet and fresh flavor of English peas and fresh asparagus – mint and lemon zest add the perfect flavors to round out the dish. All I am saying, is give peas a chance.

Ingredients:

Peas1

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 cup arborio rice
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 5-6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 1/2 bunch asparagus stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup fresh peas, shelled
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1/4 cup mint, chopped
  • 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the chicken stock in a pot, keep at a simmer. In a large stock pot, or any heavy bottomed pot, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the minced shallots and a pinch of salt, sauté until translucent. Add the rice, stir for about one minute until the grains begin to become translucent around the edges.

Pour in the wine, and stir until liquid is absorbed. Add one ladle of stock, stir frequently until liquid is absorbed. Add another ladle of stock, and stir frequently until the liquid is absorbed again. Repeat this process until almost all the stock has been used, and the rice is cooked but still al-dente. The entire process should take about 20 minutes.

About five minutes before the rice is done cooking, stir in the peas and asparagus. Add more chicken stock as necessary to continue cooking the rice. Once the rice is cooked, stir in the parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and mint. Season with salt and pepper, serve immediately.

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Green Lentil Curry

27 Tuesday Nov 2012

Posted by in Fall, Healthy, Mains, Vegetable Mains, Vegetables, Winter

≈ 2 Comments

Everyone should make this. It’s easy, healthy, filling, inexpensive, and most importantly – delicious. Although it might not be the prettiest of dishes on here, it definitely contends for the tastiest. I love a good curry, and I guarantee once you make this you’ll make it again – I did!

  • 1 tblsp minced garlic
  • 2 tsp ground coriander IMG_1473
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup dried green lentils
  • 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
  • 4 ounces kale, stemmed and leaves finely chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, small dice
  • 1 cup finely chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • Salt
    *adapted from Food&Wine’s Green-Lentil Curry

    In a small skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of canola oil until shimmering. Add the cumin seeds and cook over moderately high heat for 5 seconds, just until sizzling. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin and coriander and let cook about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until thick, about 1 minute longer.

    In a saucepan, combine the lentils with the turmeric and 4 cups of water; bring to a boil. Cover partially and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, until the lentils are barely tender. Add the kale, carrot, three-fourths of the cilantro and the cayenne and season with salt. Cook until the lentils and vegetables are tender, 15 minutes. Scrape in the spice paste and the remaining cilantro. Simmer for 5 minutes, then serve garnished with plain yogurt and basmati rice on the side.

Pumpkin Risotto

05 Monday Nov 2012

Posted by in Fall, Mains, Vegetable Mains

≈ 2 Comments

Growing up, risotto was always red. We ate it on a plate. This was never one of my favorite Sunday dinners (shockingly I used to be the pickiest eater). To make it more fun my sister and I would use a fork and carve out the first initial of our names into the risotto, eat what we carved out, pile it all back together and do it again until it was gone. This pumpkin risotto does not need to be played with to be enjoyed.

Ingredients:
  • 1 sugar pumpkin, diced (seeds aside)
  • 1 medium onion – half diced, the other half finely chopped
  • 2 tblsp olive oil
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 6-8 sage leaves
  • 2 tbslp butter
  • 1 cup arborio rice
  • 3 cups homemade chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • salt, pepper
For the Pumpkin Puree:

In a large saucepan, cook the diced pumpkin and the half diced onion in olive oil (season with salt and pepper) over medium heat until soft, about 10-12 minutes. Add the nutmeg, one sage leaf, and white wine – cook until the liquid is evaporated. Using a food processor or blender, purée the mixture and set aside. Roast the pumpkin seeds, coated in olive oil and salt, in a 400° oven. Fry the sage leaves in olive oil.

For the Risotto:

Bring the stock to a boil in a stockpot, then reduce heat to low. Meanwhile, in a heavy bottomed pot, heat the butter over medium and add the finely chopped onions. Cook until soft and translucent. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter, about one minute. Add the first addition of stock, one ladle full, and continuously stir until most of the liquid is absorbed. Repeat this process until the mixture is creamy and still slightly loose, but the rice still has some chew to it. The entire process should take exactly 18 minutes. At this point add the pumpkin purée and cook 2 minutes longer.  Turn off the heat and add the parmesan cheese, season with salt and pepper.

 
 

Fettuccine with Summer Squash, Lemon and Roasted Tomatoes

26 Wednesday Sep 2012

Posted by in Pasta, Vegetable Mains

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You’d never know the sauce for this pasta dish is not cream or cheese based. Well, of course some cheese is used, but you can include as much or as little as you like.

When I was home in Connecticut, my mother gave me a bunch of vegetables from her garden including a giant yellow squash, and for its use she shared this recipe. Cooking the squash down, pureeing it, and adding parmesan cheese gives this sauce a nutty taste, while the roasted tomatoes add a wonderful richness and a sweet bite. The lemon zest and juice are key ingredients that make the flavors pop. This makes a lot of sauce, which I then used again in a lasagne layered with roasted eggplant. So good!

For the sauce:

  • 1 large yellow summer squash, diced
  • 1 tblsp unsalted butter
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon, separated
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • Chopped parsley or basil, whichever you prefer
  • Sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
  • Olive oil, salt, pepper

For the tomatoes:

  •  1 pint cherry tomatoes
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, smashed
  • Sprinkle of sugar
  • Olive oil, salt, pepper

In a large sauce pan heat 1-2 tblsp oil and 1 tblsp butter (it helps thicken the sauce). Cook the onion, squash, garlic, and lemon zest until very soft, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken broth in splashes as needed to help the vegetables cook, keep them moist, and prevent browning. Once everything cooks down, add a shower of nutmeg. Meanwhile put the tomatoes and crushed garlic in a small baking dish and coat with olive oil. Then sprinkle with sugar, salt, and pepper. Roast in the oven at 400º until the tomatoes start to burst and the juices start to release.

Transfer the squash mixture into a large bowl and using a hand-blender, purée the mixture until smooth. At this point I like to add the juice from the roasted tomatoes to the mixture as well. Now add the fresh herbs, parmesan cheese, and lemon juice. Toss with fettuccine and the roasted tomatoes, then top with more parmesan. Prepare to enter a food coma.

Creamy Rigatoni with Roasted Vegetables

19 Wednesday Sep 2012

Posted by in Pasta, Vegetable Mains

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The smell of garlic roasting in the oven is like heaven. And the taste – like candy. I had left-over vegetables and ricotta cheese from when I made the vegetable lasagne, so I whipped up this easy pasta dish that has so much flavor and pure “comfort” appeal.

At this point I should probably break the news to you that I am not going to always include exact recipes in every post. I rarely follow recipes. I often just use what I have in my cabinets, ‘fridge, and head. Cooking is not an exact science, and the more you do it the more you just “know” what and how much is needed.

For this creamy pasta dish, I first roasted zucchini and eggplant in a 400º oven. In a separate dish, I roasted a few cloves of garlic coated in olive oil, salt and pepper. Meanwhile I cooked the rigatoni and reserved some of the salty, starchy cooking liquid. When the garlic was soft and caramelized, I squeezed it out of the skin into a bowl with about 1 cup of ricotta cheese and 1/4 cup grated parmesan. Using a fork I mashed the roasted garlic into the cheeses and added some of the reserved cooking liquid to make more of a sauce. To that I added the pasta, some chopped basil, salt, pepper and the roasted vegetables. You’re going to love this one.