You may know–and love–radishes in their raw state. But they’re lovely in this delicious side dish, too. Butter adds a bit of richness to this otherwise simple dish. Browning the butter takes it a step further to add a nutty note, enlivened on the other end by the mint.
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This salad, which I learned from Mama Kourtesi in Greece, is the essence of “whole eating.” She boils both beets and their greens and tosses it all in a simple dressing of oil and vinegar for a surprisingly tasty, super-versatile salad or side dish.
1-1/2 pounds baby beets with greens attached
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Trim the leaves from the beets a half-inch from the base of the stem. Wash, dry and chop the leaves.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add beet roots, lower heat to maintain a vigorous simmer, and cook for 20-35 minutes (depending on size), until the tip of a sharp knife can penetrate to the beet’s center without resistance. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beets to a bowl and let cool until manageable. Peel and cut into 1/2-inch wedges.
Bring water back up to a boil and add beet greens. Boil for 5 minutes, until greens are wilted and stems are tender. Drain well.
Mix together beets and greens in a large salad bowl ,and toss with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Serves 4
This take on guacamole comes from a Guatemalan recipe for avocado salad. There’s nothing quite like the buttery flesh of an avocado, made even better by the fact that it’s loaded with healthy fats. Do be aware, though, that those same fats make this a calorically dense dish . . . so just be conscious of your bites.
2 large, ripe avocados
1 hard-boiled egg, peeled and coarsely mashed
1/4 cup jicama, peeled and cut into a 1/4-inch dice
1/4 cup lime juice, divided
2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh hot chiles
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Scrape the flesh from the avocados into a bowl and roughly mash them with the egg. Mix in the jicama, 2 tablespoons lime juice, onion, oregano, chile and salt and pepper to taste. Mix enough to blend the ingredients, not so much so that it becomes smooth. This should be a chunky guacamole.
Serves 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
This recipe works wonders with the Valu-pak of frozen chicken thighs you bought last month at Costco (or was that me?). If you don’t have smoked paprika on hand, just use a twist of freshly ground black pepper. Or experiment with other combinations of spices in your pantry. Serve over brown rice, whole wheat couscous or bulgur to soak up the flavorful juices.
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 pounds chicken thighs and legs
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes (I recommend Muir Glen)
1 cup chicken stock
2 (14-ounce cans) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
Place flour in a plastic zip-top bag. Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper and paprika, and drop half in the flour. Seal bag and shake until well coated. Remove, shake off any excess and transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan and brown well on all sides, working in batches if necessary so you don’t overcrowd the pan, about 6 minutes total per batch. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add onion to Dutch oven and sauté 4-5 minutes or until tender and slightly browned. Pour in vinegar, scraping pan to loosen browned bits on the bottom, and cook 1 minute or until liquid evaporates.
Add tomatoes and chicken stock to pan. Stir in chickpeas and bring to a boil. Place chicken on top of chickpeas and sprinkle with an additional pinch of salt and paprika. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and chickpeas are tender.
Serves 8
This ragout is meant to be a throw-together-fast-on-a-weeknight kind of meal. If you have sweet potatoes instead of turnips, use them. If you have Swiss chard in the fridge but no kale, sub it instead. You may be surprised by how much flavor you can coax, with the help of a well-stocked pantry, out of the ingredients you have on hand.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 Italian chicken sausages, cut into 1/2-inch slices
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups de-stemmed, chopped kale (about 1 bunch)
1/2 cup chicken or mushroom stock
2 (16-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Saute onion and turnips for 8 minutes, or until bronzed. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and add sausage and garlic to pan. Cook for 2 more minutes, then add kale and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender.
Serves 4
These little endive spears are crowd pleasers; packed with flavor despite their diminutive appearance. The cheese mixture keeps for up to five days, so you can prep everything ahead of time and then pipe the mousse into the endive leaves just before people come to the door.
6 ounces Roquefort cheese
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons snipped chives
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
4 heads endive, 96 leaves
24 walnuts, toasted and broken into pieces
Combine the first 6 ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth. Chill for 20 minutes. Transfer Roquefort mixture to a pastry bag and pipe a teaspoon mound onto the end of each endive spear. Top each with a toasted walnut piece.
Serves 24 (4 spears each)
This fresh, bright turkey salad with Asian flair is quite a departure from the usual all-American Thanksgiving leftovers. But after the big day, it’s a nice, light respite. This salad would also be great any time of year with shredded chicken.
Dressing
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 (1-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger
1 serrano pepper
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce OR gluten-free tamari
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons sesame oil
Salad
4 cups finely shredded Napa cabbage
2 cups skinned, boned and shredded turkey
1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro, plus additional for garnish
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts
1/4 cup sliced scallion
To prepare dressing, combine vinegar, garlic, ginger, serrano pepper in a blender or food processor and pulse until garlic, ginger and serrano are minced. Add oil and remaining dressing ingredients and blend until smooth.
To prepare salad, toss cabbage, turkey, bell pepper, 1 cup cilantro and red onion in a large bowl. Mix well with dressing. Divide evenly among 4 plates and garnish with peanuts, scallion and additional cilantro.
Serves 4
Any Gewurztraminer left over from Thanksgiving will go beautifully with this creamy, spicy, aromatic pumpkin curry. If you have a lime tree, crumple up a leaf and throw it into the curry as it simmers (then discard)—it will perfume the dish, much as kaffir lime leaves do. Serve over rice.
1 tablespoon Canola oil
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-3/4 cup light coconut milk
1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
6 cups pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1-1/2 pounds chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced lengthwise
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large, deep-sided skillet over medium-high heat and sauté onion for 10 minutes, until deep golden-brown. Add ginger and garlic, and sauté 1 minute, until fragrant.
Pour in 1/4 cup coconut milk and stir in both curries until blended. Add remaining coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce and sugar. Add pumpkin chunks and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium to retain a vigorous simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add chicken and pepper and bring back up to a simmer. Cook for another 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and pumpkin is tender.
Stir in lime juice and top with cilantro.
Serves 6
Use a mixture of different varieties of kale–like red Russian, Tuscan and Portuguese–if you can get your hands on them. A local farmer, Bibianna Love, opened my eyes to the incredible variety of flavors and textures between them. Together, they elevate a simple side dish of greens.
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
16 cups kale, zipped, cleaned and roughly chopped
1/4 cup vegetable broth
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat oil in a large, deep saute pan or Dutch oven over medium heat, and add garlic. Saute for 1 minute, until golden brown and fragrant. Add kale and vegetable stock to pan, season with salt and pepper, and toss well to coat. Cover pan, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 2-5 minutes, tossing occasionally, until kale is crisp-tender.
Remove lid and increase heat to medium-high. Continue to cook for 2-5 more minutes, until any remaining liquid has evaporated and kale is tender but still vibrant.
Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
Serves 4
I first fell in love with mussels years ago in France. Now, more and more, they’re one of my go-to quick weeknight foods. Mussels cook up super fast, they produce a flavorful broth with very few added calories, they’re at the top of the A-list in terms of sustainable seafood and, as if that’s not enough, they’re economical too. So when you need a fast, healthy dinner, try this recipe for curried mussels.
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