Category Archives: Nourishing, Fast, Fresh Recipes

Carrots with Coconut, Lime and Cashews

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Deborah Madison’s Vegetable Literacy came in the mail yesterday and I had about 40 recipes tagged within the first 40 minutes. This dish featuring carrots was one of them. I’ve been on the lookout for seasonal vegetable recipes that take a different direction than I might, while keeping everything short and simple for busy nights. This one from Deborah Madison hit that spot perfectly. I’ve embellished a bit to make it into vegan main dish, but you could pull back to the basic carrots, coconut oil and lime and serve it as a side dish. Either way, I cannot recommend  heartily enough.

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Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg & Prosciutto

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I’ve been leaning more and more towards eggs as a quick meal, especially with the girls laying regularly nowadays. This is one of my simple go-to’s–meaty roasted asparagus spears topped with a luscious poached egg and crispy prosciutto. If you want to go meatless, saute some mushrooms and shallots in lieu of the prosciutto … mmmm.

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Simple Butter Lettuce Salad

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I can’t tell you how much I love this salad. Butter lettuce has a delicate, sweet crunch to it, and its crevices catch the nubbins in the vinaigrette perfectly. It’s crazy simple, and it’s the perfect accompaniment to Frittatas, Soft Scrambled Eggs, Simplest Roast Chicken, Crispy Curry Quinoa Cakes … you name it.

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Whole Wheat Couscous with Raisins and Almonds

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I’m always on the lookout for a good whole grain dish. This whole wheat couscous is a winner on several fronts. It’s tart and tangy, savory and sweet. It’s super simple, and it plays as well as a side dish as it does a salad.

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Pesto-Rubbed Butterflied Grilled Chicken

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This is true end-of-summer fare. A batch of pesto from the basil that’s growing gangly in the garden. (Try our zippy Asian Pesto, Basil-Mint Pesto or Spicy Sage and Parsley Pesto.) A spatchcocked (butterflied) chicken cooked (relatively) quickly on the grill, since the days are shorter now. Which is good. I like saying goodbye to a season with a taste of all I love about it — and this grilled chicken recipe has it.

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Grilled Eggplant Steaks with Crazy Easy Tomato Sauce

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Christopher and I pulled this together on a whim one night when we were dialing back to just veggies, healthy fats and whole grains. We had eggplant and tomatoes in the garden, onions in the pantry, and a brand new Magic Bullet on the counter. This grilled eggplant recipe demonstrates that all it takes to make a healthy dinner is a few simple ingredients!

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Slow-Cooked Molasses-Honey Baked Beans

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This baked beans recipe is an (updated) old Mack family favorite. Now, it’s one of the staples our friends look forward to at Huber gatherings. It has a long list of “goes with” … hot dogs, hamburgers, roast pork, barbecued chicken. You name it. Honestly, these baked beans make a meal in and of themselves. They also freeze really well, which makes them ideal to pull out for camping or ski trips, when we know we’ll be feeding a crowd.

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Steamed Fresh Potatoes with Lime Zest and Sea Salt

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I got an e-mail this week from a reporter for our local paper asking about heirloom fruits and vegetables that are native to Sonoma County. I mentioned the famed Gravenstein apple. And the Crane melon. But what got both of us the most excited was the Bodega Red potato. Our local Slow Food chapter has been actively involved in bringing this humble spud back from the brink of extinction. And I have two plants growing in my backyard. Long story short, John the photographer and I unearthed a few potatoes last night for the article and I was chomping at the bit to cook them up in a way that would showcase their flavor and texture, rather than mask it. And I have to say, this is it. These potatoes are creamy and rich with a bite that pushes back, lifted by a freshness from the lime and salt. I’m going to give a disclaimer here, though; if you’re using store-bought potatoes you’ll probably need to amp up the flavor (I’d add a dash of cider vinegar or Dijon mustard or even soy sauce). This one is meant for potatoes from garden or farmers’ market, as close as you can get to being pulled from the ground.

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Beautifully Basic Bruschetta

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Need I say “use the freshest, in-season tomatoes you can possibly find, and don’t even think about making this outside of summer”? I didn’t think so. If you wanted to go beyond this basic bruschetta recipe, you could add chopped olives or capers, or sneak a slice of buffalo mozzarella under each mound. This is a classic summer appetizer.

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Double Decker Portobello Burgers

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Looking for a satisfying veggie burger recipe? These portobello burgers will win you over from beef burgers … they’re that good. Portobello mushrooms have a meaty texture that appeals even to committed carnivores.

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