Category Archives: Vegetarian

Edamame Spread

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In a week exploring the power of “no,” I thought I’d give you something to say “yes” to: this easy, flavorful (and kid-friendly) edamame spread. Serve it as an appetizer with toasted baguette slices or whole-grain crackers. It’s great on sandwiches, too.

edamame-spread
2 cups frozen edamame beans (green soybeans) (removed from pod)
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook edamame for 4 minutes. Drain and transfer to a food processor.

Add garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano and lemon juice to the bowl and process until smooth. Drizzle in olive oil and blend until emulsified. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground pepper and spoon into a serving bowl or onto toasted baguette slices.

Makes roughly 2 cups, about 8 servings

Roasted Red Pepper Romesco Sauce

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Romesco sauce is delicious staple of Spanish cuisine. Our version of Catalonian tomato-red pepper romesco sauce boosts the ratio of roasted bell peppers. There are lots of ways to roast peppers and other items. Lia likes to do it on the stovetop in a comal (a flat griddle pan). You can also throw them on a hot grill (especially good and smoky if you add soaked wood chips to the coals or a smoker box), or use a pair of tongs to hold peppers over the open flame of a gas stove. Since this recipe calls for roasting a fairly large volume, we pop ‘em under the broiler. However you do it, the result is a simple, smoky romesco sauce that you can serve with grilled bread as an appetizer; as a condiment with fish, poultry, or meat; tossed with pasta; or even on pizza in place of traditional tomato sauce. It may just end up being your new all-purpose sauce.

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Spicy-Sweet Pickled Cucumbers

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These pickled cucumbers are inspired by the spicy-sweet pickles served at Saffron, a popular Thai takeaway in San Diego. Use thin-skinned Japanese, Persian, English or pickling cucumbers, and slice them as thinly as possible. If you have a mandolin or Japanese slicer, this a good time to use it; otherwise, just use a razor-sharp chef’s knife. Serve these pickled cucumbers as a refreshing summer side dish, or use them as a condiment in sandwiches and tacos. They’d be delicious on a sandwich or tortilla with Grass-Fed Beef Bulgogi and Fiery-Sweet Peach Salsa.

spicy-sweet-pickled-cucumbers-pickles

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Lemon Verbena Honey Granita

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Granita is a super-simple summer dessert or appetizer that’s simply a frozen mixture of water, sugar and other flavorings. I planted a lemon verbena in our garden right near our Adirondack chairs simply because I wanted to be bathed in its heady fragrance whenever I was chilling out. And then I made this granita and fell in love with the plant even more. If you don’t have lemon verbena on hand, try lemon thyme or lemongrass, or just add the zest of another lemon.

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Fiery-Sweet Peach Salsa

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The heat of the jalapeno and bite of the red onion play nicely off the subtle sweetness of the peaches in this summery salsa recipe. Serve this peach salsa with just about anything grilled, from pork and chicken to salmon. Or if you’re like me, pop open a cold beer, rip open a bag of tortilla chips, and dig in! I like my salsa caliente, so I leave the seeds and stems in the chile pepper. To tame the heat, discard the stems and seeds.

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Mississippi Caviar with Black-Eyed Peas & Cider Vinaigrette

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I learned about Mississippi caviar, in which black-eyed peas stand in for fish roe, when I lived in the South. Sometimes it’s called Texas caviar, but I’ll leave it to those states to duke it out for naming rights. This zesty, summery side dish comes together in a flash when you use steamed, ready-to-eat blacked-eyed peas, and I’ve added precooked brown rice to introduce a little whole grain to the mix. You can use other beans or legumes, or even canned beans, in place of the peas. Mississippi caviar works as a light supper or as a side dish with grilled fare. Leftovers are even tastier, since the flavors continue to develop with time.

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Spanish-Leaning Spinach and Chickpea Dip

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I waffled about whether to name this “hummus” or “chickpea dip,” but ultimately thought it veered far enough from tradition — thanks to the addition of spinach and smoked paprika — to go with the latter. (And my choice should satisfy purists like Cheryl Sternman Rule — check out her tongue-in-cheek thoughts on the matter the hummus debate here.) It is, in any case, delicious. If you’ve ever had any doubt as to the strength of pounded garlic, this little dish will set you straight.

spinach-and-chickpea-dip

3 cloves garlic, peeled and pounded to a paste in a mortar and pestle with a pinch of salt
2 cups cooked chickpeas
12 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Combine garlic, chickpeas, spinach, lemon juice and tahini in a food processor, and blend until smooth.

Warm olive oil in a small pan over medium-low heat and add spices. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes, until just fragrant. Scrape oil and spices into bowl of food processor, add a pinch of salt and process until well blended.

Serves 8

Roasted Cauliflower with Meyer Lemon Fauxaioli

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This is my secret weapon dish for all who say they don’t like cauliflower. High-heat roasting encases the florets in a savory crispness while turning the insides creamy and even a touch sweet … enough to win over the most ardent naysayers. I call this a “fauxaioli” because it’s essentially a gussied-up, lightened-up store-bought mayonnaise, but it’s one I turn to again and again when time is short. This whole recipe, as a matter of fact, came about after having cauliflower in a fritto misto in Italy. I wanted to replicate the effect–crunchy, creamy, salty, sweet and pungent–without the hassle (or calories) of a full-blown fried affair with homemade aioli. And, based on the raves this dish has received (I’ll often serve it as an hors d’oeuvres with a jar of toothpicks nearby), I’d have to claim success.

roasted-cauliflower-aioli-recipe1 head cauliflower, cut into small, bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 clove garlic, smashed and peeled
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice (or regular lemon)
2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

In a large bowl, toss cauliflower with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet and roast for 25 minutes, turning often after the first 10 minutes.

While cauliflower is roasting, mash the garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle, and stir in mayonnaise, light mayonnaise and lemon juice. Scoop into a serving bowl and sprinkle with about a half-teaspoon of the parsley.

Transfer cauliflower to a serving platter and scatter the remaining parsley over top. Serve with fauxaioli.

Serves 4

Spring Soupe au Pistou

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Pistou is the Provencal cousin of Italian pesto (difference: the French version doesn’t include pine nuts), and it’s used as a condiment as well as in a soup that bears its name. This spring rendition of the typically summery soup adds a touch of fresh mint to the traditional basil in the pistou (just enough basil to “borrow” from your new seedlings), and substitutes leeks for onions and sugar snap peas for haricots verts in the soup itself. As spring turns to summer, adapt the recipe to use whatever produce is available. Add zucchini or other summer squash. Trade the snap peas for green beans, use fresh shell beans instead of canned, and swap canned tomatoes for peeled, seeded summer-fresh tomatoes (you’ll need 1 1/2 cups). Serve with grilled bread.

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Sauteed Radishes with Mint

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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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