Recipes

Leek, Asparagus and Chard Risotto

Risotto is simple to make, and the constant stirring can be a meditative and relaxing task if you aren’t in a hurry.  Sauteing the leeks until they are caramelized takes a little while, but provides a flavorful basis for the … Continue reading →

Spinach-Walnut Pesto

I’ve heard on the news that people have been stocking up on old-fashioned pasta.  So here’s a quick and delicious recipe that you can toss with a pot full of whatever noodles you happen to have. Remove the stems from … Continue reading →

Spaghetti Squash & Spinach “Lasagne”

This recipe uses Spaghetti Squash instead of lasagne noodles.  Bake the squash in advance if possible. Heat the oven to 350.  Cut 1 large or 2 small spaghetti squash in half width-wise and scoop out the seeds and seed membranes. Place … Continue reading →

Spinach, Leek and Mushroom Noodle Bowl

I use my salad spinner to give spinach a bath: place the spinach inside the sieved inside part and then fill the entire thing with cold water.  Lift the inside part of the spinner out, then drain the water.  Repeat … Continue reading →

Cauliflower Gnocchi with Spinach

Make this recipe with regular flour or with the gluten-free substitutes I put in parentheses.  You can prep the dough in advance and then freeze it for later. Trim cauliflower heads, then cut into florets.  You want 4 C. total. … Continue reading →

Marinated Cauliflower with Poached Eggs & Leek Vinagrette

You can make the dressing and cauliflower ahead of time. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Clean and slice 2 small or 1 medium leek.  Heat 5 T. olive oil in a small skillet and saute … Continue reading →

Cauliflower-Fennel Saute with Spinach and Olives

Cauliflower is very popular right now as a rice substitute, but it also makes a nice substitute for meat or tofu.  I like to chop it up small — but not as small as rice — and saute it over … Continue reading →

Miso-Orange Glazed Beets and Carrots

This recipe balances the sweetness of the citrus and roots with hot chili oil and lots of ginger.  You can substitute regular sesame oil and cut the ginger in half if you prefer it mostly sweet. Preheat the oven to … Continue reading →

Italian Shaved Celery and Mushroom Salad

I’m not a big fan of the way most people traditionally use celery in salads — diced thickly in big chunks.  This unusual salad slices the celery very thinly, on a bias, and transforms it into something more elegant yet … Continue reading →

Greek Cabbage Salad

Cabbage Salads are a staple of winter eating in Greece, and they should be at your house too.  This one has capers, roasted red peppers and of course, feta cheese.  The trick to making this salad great — as with … Continue reading →

Kabocha Mole Stew

This is a simple mole made with mild dried chiles.  The squash simmers in it and absorbs the complex flavors.  You can just eat the stew over rice or quinoa, or stuff it into corn tortillas and make enchiladas. Place … Continue reading →

Chard & Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie

We don’t grow mushrooms at Terra Firma, but mushroom hunters know this is the best time of year to find them growing wild in Northern California and they are abundant at markets as well.  They pair beautifully with chard.  This … Continue reading →

Solstice Soup

The first step in this recipe is to make a big pan of roasted veggies.  The challenge is not eating most of them before you make the soup. Heat the oven to 375.  Scrub and then chop 2 lbs. of … Continue reading →

Potato-Leek Gratin

The Leeks in this recipe melt into a caramelized crust under the potatoes and cheese.  A slice of this with a heart salad is a great lunch, or serve it with poached eggs for brunch.  You can make this using … Continue reading →

Vietnamese-Style Spaghetti Squash

This recipe uses spaghetti squash in place of traditional rice noodles.  It is a mostly vegetarian recipe but you can use whatever protein you prefer, or none at all. Cut a spaghetti squash in half width-wise.  Remove the seeds, then … Continue reading →

Butternut-Chevre Crostini with Saute Beet Greens

The tang of the goat cheese helps balance out the sweetness of the squash and the slightly chewy beet greens pair well with the creaminess of the spread.  This recipe only uses half of a medium-sized butternut.  You can roast … Continue reading →

Broccoli-Stem Mashed Potatoes

This recipe is specifically targeted to folks who are still throwing away their broccoli stems and only eating the florets.  You can make this recipe using both parts, or just use the stems.  Adding the broccoli to the potatoes makes … Continue reading →

Roasted Broccoli and Spinach Sesame Noodles

Roasted Broccoli is something you can prepare ahead of time, then pull out of the fridge and add to salads, pasta, pizza, sandwiches — hot or cold.  This recipe uses Sambal Olek — a prepared chili paste that is quite … Continue reading →

Spinach-Carrot Rice Stew

This recipe uses diced carrots as a type of rice to make a risotto-like dish, creamy and thick.  It could be called “Carrot-to” Rinse 1/2 lb. of carrots, trim the ends, then cut into 1/4″ dice.  Combine with 6 C. … Continue reading →

Spicey Acorn Squash Tacos

Roast the squash while you make a tangy slaw with cabbage, carrots and cilantro.  When cooked this way, acorn squash skin is edible and tasty — no need to peel it. Preheat the oven to 425. Cut 1 Acorn squash … Continue reading →

Arugula-Delicata Bowl with Home-made Pepitas

Making your own Pepitas — toasted pumpkin seeds — is simple. Cleaning them takes a little time, but covering them with water to do it makes the process quicker.  The hardest part is not eating them all before you finish … Continue reading →

Green Beans a la Diabla

This is a vegan version of a dish normally made with shrimp, but the sauce lends itself perfectly to a crunchy, succulent vegetable like green beans.  And the spinach soaks up the flavors as well.  This sauce is spicy; you … Continue reading →

Green Bean Salad with Roasted Peppers

This recipe keeps the green beans crunchy by quickly blanching them, while the peppers are roasted and then tossed with tomatoes. Heat a grill or turn on the broiler in your oven. Trim 1/2 lb. of Green Beans and bring … Continue reading →

Delicata-Green Bean Gratin

Peel and slice 1 onion.  Core 2 peppers and then thinly slice. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat 2 T. olive oil and add the onions.  Saute until they are tender, then add the peppers along with 1 minced clove … Continue reading →

Green Beans and Peppers with Ginger and Garlic

An old favorite in my house, this recipe is dead easy to make but very tasty.  You can add  or substitute zucchini for the peppers, but it will cook more quickly so add it even later.  You can do this … Continue reading →

Melon-Tomato Feta Salad

I offer this recipe in both vegetarian and omnivore versions, but you may want to try using something other than the grilled zucchini as a substitute for the prosciutto.  You could also make the salad with both ingredients. Core, then … Continue reading →

Lazagne Caprese

A cross between vegetarian lasagne and a Caprese Salad, there is no pasta in this recipe.  You can make the pesto in advance. Heat a grill on high for 10 minutes. Remove the leaves from 1 bunch of Basil.  Puree … Continue reading →

Best Ever Gazpacho

Whether or not you love Gazpacho, you should try this recipe.  The texture is slightly creamy but there are no chunks of vegetables:  you can drink it from a glass.  It uses a large quantity of olive oil, no bread, … Continue reading →

Zabaganoush

The Z Recipe Series is back! This week, the Middle Eastern classic eggplant dip gets a makeover.  If you love Babaganoush, you will almost certain love this version in all of its smokey, creamy goodness.  And if you don’t like … Continue reading →

Tomato Sushi

This is admittedly a fairly labor intensive recipe, but it is a wonderful vegan appetizer that shows off the amazing flavor of tomatoes.  For more variety, you can make a simple cucumber/avocado roll, and serve slices of that alongside the … Continue reading →

Pan-Roasted Zucchini Salad with Fresh Tomatoes

The juice of fresh, vine-ripe tomatoes is the world’s best salad dressing ingredient, with it’s combination of sweetness, acidity and umami.  But it’s also amazing when just slightly cooked, enough to distill its essence but not lose its juicy goodness.  … Continue reading →

Cucumber-Potato Salad

This recipe follows the formula of combining potatoes with a crunchy vegetable and a creamy dressing, but uses cucumbers instead of celery and yogurt instead of mayo.  Leave out the dairy for a vegan dish. Slice 1 Painted Serpent cucumber … Continue reading →

Fattoush with Queso Fresco

Cucumbers are grown and eaten the world over, including in the Middle East.  This recipe might seem similar to a Greek Salad, but it with lots more fresh herbs and spices. Preheat the oven to 350. In a small bowl, … Continue reading →

Zoo-cotash

With all the requisite ingredients in your boxes today, here’s a recipe for the classic summer vegetable saute in which the zucchini is always — IMHO — overcooked.  Here, you use Zoodle Zen master techniques to keep the squash both … Continue reading →

Zeviche

The next installment in my series of Zoodle recipes! In my short history with “Zoodles” — zucchini noodles — I have always cooked them as part of the preparation.  However, this week I tried making a dish without cooking them, … Continue reading →

Grilled Apricot Parfait

This light summer dessert combines grilled apricots with whipped cream and a quick crumbled almond cookie that can be made in advance. You can substitute peaches, or use some of each. Heat the oven to 350.  Toast 1/2 C. almonds … Continue reading →

Twice-Fried Green Beans & Peas with Garlic

In this variation on a classic Sichuan dish, you pre-fry the Green Beans, then cook the garlic, then fry the beans again with the Peas and garlic.  Cooking the beans this way makes them more tender and flavorful. Trim the … Continue reading →

Yaki-zoba

No, that’s not a  mispelling of Yakisoba, the classic Japanese dish of stir-fried soba noodles with onions and other vegetables.  This version uses julienned or spiralized Zucchini or other Summer Squash “Zoodles” instead of wheat noodles.  Fast, healthy and delicious … Continue reading →

Oven-Roasted Parsnips

Parboiling the parsnips first speeds up the roasting and lets you use less oil.  It also makes removing any tough cores easier if needed.  You can easily double this recipe by adding a pound of carrots, cut the same size.  … Continue reading →

Roasted Beets & Asparagus with Beet Greens and Feta

Oven-roasted beets are both crispy, chewy and sweet.  They match perfectly with the succulence of the asparagus.  This dish goes well with either couscous or quinoa. Preheat the oven to 375. Cut the roots off 1 bunch of Beets and … Continue reading →

Coconut Milk French Toast with Strawberries

For me, French Toast is just a vehicle to eat lots of strawberries.  This isn’t a vegan recipe, but it is dairy-free.  You can easily use cow milk instead of coconut. There are some important details in this recipe that I … Continue reading →

Pea and Carrot Salad with Cilantro Dressing

This salad is good on its own, or you can combine it with raw or sauteed marinated tofu in lettuce wraps for a tasty appetizer. Cut the tops off 1-2 spring onions.  Reserve the bulb for later use.  Finely mince … Continue reading →

Pea Risotto with Grilled Asparagus & Spring Onions

If it’s not grilling season yet where you live, you can either broil the vegetables in the oven or simply cook them in the risotto.  Either way, though, you should use leek or regular onion as the base for the … Continue reading →

Asparagus-Spinach-Mushroom Crepes

This is a quick and easy saute that goes into a crepe along with ricotta cheese.  Alternatively, you can make quesadillas and use jack cheese instead, or an omelette and use cheddar.  You can make the filling in advance. To … Continue reading →

Sesame Asparagus with Soba & Tofu

This is a riff on a favorite Korean Spinach Salad.  Quick, nutritious, delicious and filling. Cut 12 oz. tofu into thick matchsticks.  Drizzle with 1 t. sesame oil and 1 T. soy sauce.  Let sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, soak … Continue reading →

Gnocchi with Asparagus and Green Garlic

Don’t worry, this isn’t a recipe for making gnocchi — just one for making cooking store-bought gnocchi with fresh spring vegetables.  Green Garlic is the star of this recipe so don’t skimp on it. Heat the oven to 400. Soak … Continue reading →

Orange-Roasted Carrots

This recipe roasts carrots with orange slices — including the peel — plus non-sweet spices.  This results in caramelized carrots that are tangy with a slight citrus bitterness.  You can remove the orange slices after cooking or leave them in … Continue reading →

Vegan Cream of Asparagus Soup

Coconut milk stands in for cream here, but this is not an Asian recipe. Trim the tough ends of 1 bunch of asparagus.  Cut the tips off the spears and reserve.  Cut the stems into small pieces. Clean and dice … Continue reading →

Potato-Romaine Salad with Green Garlic Dressing

You can add asparagus to this recipe if you like, raw “shaved” or lightly blanched and sliced. Heat a pot of salted water and boil 1 lb. of potatoes until they are tender.  Remove and rinse well. Meanwhile, make the … Continue reading →

West African Vegetable Stew

It’s hard not to look at a pile of carrots, sweet potatoes, and cabbage and not think about making some sort of African-style peanut curry.  This recipe hews to the lighter brothier side of the spectrum and goes easy on … Continue reading →