Category Archives: Nourishing, Fast, Fresh Recipes

Leek, Lemon and Cauliflower Fettuccine

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I’m a big fan of cooking cauliflower until it’s almost creamy … especially in pasta dishes like this one. It becomes part of the sauce, adding heft and health to just a handful of fettuccine.

leek-cauiliflower-fettuccine-pasta

1 cup thinly sliced leeks (tender white parts only)
1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
12 ounces fettuccine (preferably whole grain)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 lemon (Meyer lemon is great), zested and juiced
1/4 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese
Flake sea salt
1/4 cup snipped chives

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Pour 1/4 cup water into a large skillet over medium heat, and add leeks and cauliflower. Cover and cook for 4 minutes, until cauliflower is just becoming tender. Start cooking pasta. Drizzle olive oil into the pan with the cauliflower and toss with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until cauliflower and leek start to color a bit and cauliflower becomes fork tender, about 5 minutes.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup water. Pour the pasta water into the pan with the cauliflower and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and swirl in the butter, lemon zest and juice. Pour pasta back into the pot and scrape cauliflower mixture over it. Mix very well using tongs and a stiff spatula. Add cheese and toss again.

Divide the pasta mixture among four plates and top with flake sea salt, chives and additional cheese if desired.

Serves 4

All About the Ham Split Pea Soup

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If you’ve got a leftover ham bone in the fridge (or if you can talk your butcher out of one), this is the soup you want to make. And, trust me, take the extra hour to make the Awesome Veggie Broth from scratch … it’s worth it.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups diced leek
3 cups diced carrot
2 cups diced celery
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds split peas
1 whole ham bone with meat attached
4 quarts Awesome Veggie Broth

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and sauté leek, carrot and celery for 10-12 minutes, until softened and just starting to brown. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Add split peas, ham bone and veggie broth, raise heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, skim any foam and fat from the surface, and simmer for 60-90 minutes (peas should be tender and soft, but not completely disintegrated). Remove ham bone and let cool enough to handle. Pull off meat in chunks as large as you want and stir into soup. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired.

Makes 3-4 quarts of soup

* This soup freezes very well. Bring to room temperature, then ladle into freezer safe zip top bags and lay flat in the freezer.

Awesome Veggie Broth

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Make this awesome veggie broth any time you’ve got a bunch of scraps in the fridge or cluttering up the counter. Amazingly easy, and so full of flavor.

8 whole cloves
2 small onions, peel left on and halved (or 1 large onion cut into quarters)
12 cups various veggies, roughly chopped (I like a mix of aromatics like leeks and fennel fronds, leafy greens like kale and chard and lettuce, umami-enriching mushroom stems, and standards that are full of flavor like carrot and celery)
6 quarts cold water
1 bay leaf
12 black peppercorns
1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt

Poke 2 cloves into the cut side of each onion half. Place onion halves cut side down in a large pot over medium heat and sear for 5 minutes, until well-charred. Add the remaining veggies to the pot. Pour in water, add bay leaf, peppercorns and salt, raise heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Strain and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.

Makes roughly 4 quarts stock

 

Last-Minute From-Scratch Corned Beef

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Yes, you can have from homemade corned beef the same day the light bulb goes off that it’s Saint Paddy’s Day … TONIGHT. Just pull out your pressure cooker and this from-scratch corned beef. It’s better than any store-bought version you’ve tasted, and blissfully free of all those preservatives they’re soaked in. You can get this on the stove in under ten minutes and on the table in less than three hours. Serve with creamy horseradish sauce (I like to mix a couple tablespoons raw horseradish with 1/4 cup sour cream) and Warm Brussels Sprouts Slaw with Bacon and Juniper Berries.

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Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges

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These sweet potato wedges have a spicy foil to their sweetness. They’re reminiscent of sweet potato fries, but a whole lot healthier. Look for the dark-skinned sweet potatoes with bright orange flesh (also, erroneously, called garnet yams).

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Sauteed Sesame Bok Choy

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Letting the bok choy get nice and browned in some places–what the Chinese call “the breath of the wok”–adds a smoky savoriness to the fast, stir-fried side dish.

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Mu Shu Shrimp with Homemade Plum Sauce

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Mu shu is one of my favorite Chinese restaurant dishes, so I was thrilled when I discovered how easy it is to make at home. Having crepes and cooked shrimp on-hand make it truly fast food.

2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
3 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces
sea salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup shredded carrot
½ cup chopped green onions
6 cups Napa cabbage, shredded
1 recipe Spicy-Sweet Shrimp
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon Sriracha
4 tablespoons Easy Homemade Plum Sauce (or jarred hoisin sauce)
8 small whole wheat tortillas (or 8 Whole Wheat Crepes)

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add broccoli and a pinch of salt and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes, until slightly charred. Pour 1/4 cup water into pan and cover. Cook for another 3 minutes, until broccoli is tender. Uncover and let any remaining liquid burn off. Add garlic and toss well to coat broccoli. Cook for 30-60 seconds, until garlic is fragrant. Scoop broccoli into a large bowl.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and swirl to coat. Add carrot and onions and stir-fry 2 minutes. Stir in cabbage and cook 3-5 minutes, until wilted and slightly charred. Toss shrimp and broccoli with cabbage mixture. Microwave crepes for 20 seconds on a plate covered with a clean dish towel.

While cabbage is cooking, whisk together soy sauce, 1 tablespoon water, cornstarch and Sriracha in a small bowl. Stir soy sauce mixture into cabbage mixture with a pinch of salt and toss to coat. Serve with plum sauce and tortillas or crepes.

Serves 4

Easy Homemade Plum Sauce

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I’d never thought of making plum sauce with dried plums (duh). Turns out it’s that rich plum puree that gives this iconic Chinese sauce its signature taste. This one has a bit of zing from the orange juice and shallot, and is less cloyingly sweet than the store-bought versions.

1 teaspoon finely minced shallot
1 scant cup dried plums (pitted)
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
sea salt

Pulse the shallot, plums and water to a paste in a food processor. Add vinegar, brown sugar, orange juice and salt and continue to pulse until a smooth paste.

Makes 1-1/2 cups

Spice-Rubbed Roast Fish with Lemon & Fennel

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The subtle spice rub and fragrant fennel make this easy roast fish dish something special. Use any type of medium- to firm-flesh fish, such as sustainably caught cod, haddock or Pacific halibut. What’s sustainable and available varies, depending where you live. That’s why we’re fans of the SeafoodWatch Regional Guides.

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