Simple, Spicy Squash Bake

This recipe, adapted from Denis Cotter’s cookbook Wild Garlic, Gooseberries, and Me, is one that I have returned to every fall and winter for many years. Because of the chocolate and the almonds, it has a mole-like richness that I really love. It cooks for a long time, so will help warm up the house and makes for a great Sunday evening dinner when you’re doing things arounf the house. It also keeps really well and scales easily, so it’s a nice one to make in big batches and eat throughout the week. I like it with tortillas or even a quesadilla, but have also enjoyed it with rice. Pickled peppers or onions, chopped cilantro, scallions, and sour cream are all awesome on top.

Ingredients

• 1 can pinto beans

• About  1 1/2 cups winter squash

• A few glugs of olive oil

• 4 - 5 big leaves of kale (3 1/2 ounces)

• 2 tablespoons butter (or more olive oil)

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 2 - 4 red jalapeno chiles, halved, seeded, and chopped (you can also use green ones or another red chili, or leave it out if you aren’t into spicy stuff)

• 2 garlic cloves, chopped

• 1 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes (I like the the Muir Glen fire roasted ones)

• 2 teaspoons paprika

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 ounce of almonds, dark roasted and finely ground

• About half of a 70% dark chocolate bar (about 1.5 ounces), broken into pieces

• Salt

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cut the squash into chunks, about 3/4-inch squares. You probably want to peel the squash unless it’s a thin-skinned variety like delicata. Put the squash in a roasting pan and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast the squash in the oven for about 20 minutes until caramelized on the outside but still firm. Reduce the oven temperature to 250°. (If you’d rather, you can cook to squash on the stove to a similar state.)

Cut the kale into thick slices, without bothering to remove the stem. Melt the butter (or heat the oil) into an oven-proof casserole dish or cast iron skillet and fry the onion with the chiles over a low to medium heat for 20-30 minutes, until caramelized. Add the garlic and fry for three minutes more. Add the tomatoes and paprika, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add the ground almonds, chocolate, squash, beans, kale, and a teaspoon of salt. Stir until the chocolate has melted. Cover the pan and put it in the oven to cook for 2 hours.

Warm Kale & Sweet Potato Salad with Miso Dressing

By Kathering Deumling

This is colorful and delicious and fairly quick to make. Substitute collard greens if you don’t have kale. You can use any miso, but if yours is red or another, darker kind start with a little less and add to taste, as the darker they are the stronger they get.

Serve 4-6

• 1 teaspoons olive oil

• Salt

• 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into very small dice (1/3-1/2 inch or so)

• 1 large bunch kale, any tough stems removed, leaves washed but not dried and thinly sliced crosswise

• 1/3 cup or more chopped cilantro

• 1 scallion, thinly sliced

• 1 tablespoon white miso (or whatever you have, see headnote)

• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes or more, to taste

• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil or other fairly neutral oil

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When hot add the sweet potato dice and several pinches of salt. Cook, without stirring for about 3-4 minutes until you can smell them and they take on some color. Toss and continue cooking until just tender and nicely browned. Remove from pan and set aside. Add kale to the hot pan and another pinch of salt. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for a minute or two to wilt. Stir and cover again and turn heat down to medium and cook for a couple more minutes until softened but not mushy. Add a sprinkle of water if things are too dry. The time it will take to get them just tender will depend on your type of kale. Lacinato takes a bit longer than the Russian types. When tender remove from pan and put in a serving dish and let cool for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together the miso, oil, vinegar and chile flakes in a small bowl. Add sweet potatoes to the kale and add cilantro and scallion and finally dressing. Stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning with more vinegar if needed or a squeeze of lime juice to brighten it.

Katherine Deumling is a long-time People’s Member-Owner who has created an online Seasonal Recipe Collection that empowers you to cook freely and often, building creativity and confidence with every dish. Cook With What You Have is providing a discounted subscription to the Recipe Collection for People’s Member-Owners and customers for $29/year, or $2.99/month (40% off retail).  The site is organized by vegetable/herb/fruit and is centered on flexible, creative templates that allow you to substitute as needed. Use discount code PEOPLES to subscribe at www.cookwithwhatyouhave.com, if you’re interested. 

Great Bread Without the Work

By Sofie Sherman-Burton, Marketing & Membership Manager

This recipe isn’t a secret. When The New York Times published now famed baker Jim Lahey’s no-knead bread for the first time over ten years ago, it quickly became the most popular recipe that the newspaper ever published.

There is good reason for this, which you’ll soon find out if you give this a shot (and, really, there is no reason not to if you haven’t already – unless, you know, you don’t eat bread). This recipe is dead simple. The ingredients are basic and super inexpensive. It doesn’t require any special tools. But the results are really very good: that crispy crust that can be hard to get baking at home, a nice texture the will sop up sauce or soup or olive oil, a decentsized loaf, a gentle tang from plenty of fermentation time.

It is also ripe for experimentation. Maybe you want to mix in some different kinds of flours – whole wheat, spelt, rye, some oat. Or add some herbs or spices – rosemary, caraway. Throw in some seeds or nuts, toss in some smashed garlic cloves or olives, mix in some cinnamon and raisins. The bulk section is really your playground, here.

We’ll offer two departing places: an all whole-wheat sandwich loaf and the classic recipe (if you want to add in some whole wheat flavor, start with swapping a third of the all purpose flour for another flour of your choice). From there, get experimenting!

Recipes adapted very slightly from The New York Times.

No Knead Bread

• 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting

• ¼ teaspoon instant yeast (just give a little more time for the active dry yeast!)

• 1 ¼ teaspoons salt

• Water

• Cornmeal, or wheat bran as needed

In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water and stir with your fingers until the dough is combined and there is no more dry flour; it will be shaggy and sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature (around 70°F).

The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) or parchment paper with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side (where the folds are) down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, the dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

At least 30 minutes before the dough is ready, heat your oven to 450°F. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex, or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack. Slice into it and enjoy!

No Knead Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

• 2 cups whole wheat flour

• ½ cup whole rye flour

• ½ cup coarse cornmeal

• 1 teaspoon instant yeast

• 1 ½ teaspoons salt

• Oil as needed

Combine flours, cornmeal, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest about 4 hours at a warm room temperature, around 70 degrees.

Oil a standard loaf pan (8 or 9 inches by 4 inches; nonstick works well). Lightly oil your hands and shape dough into a rough rectangle. Put it in pan, pressing it out to the edges. Brush top with a little more oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 1 hour more.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake bread about 45 minutes, or until loaf reaches an internal temperature of 210°. Remove the bread from the pan and cool on a rack.

Notes

Want to mix it up, but don’t know where to start? Variations on this recipe are all over the internet. Give it a Google. Some of my favorite variation guides, of sorts, are from The Kitchn and Green Kitchen Stories.

When I made the no-knead bread with 1/3 spelt flour, my dough was super wet and hard to form after 18 hours! I did my best and threw it in the pot, and it turned our pretty great. The results are pictured!

One Pot Pasta with Whatever is on Hand

by Caitlin Gaylord Churchill, Perishable & Dairy Buyer and Co-Manager

I love this dish because it’s so easy. For it to be a meal, I reason, there should be at least a half hour of me throwing vegetable peels on the floor and in my hair while I braise and nearly burn something else. It doesn’t have to be that way, but I feel most comfortable with a little chaos around me – it’s hard for me to embrace the easy. So put your long hair up with two pencils or a rubber band and listen up:

You can edit this dish in many ways to fit what you have around and what you like. The basic idea is that you get a salty pot of water boiling, add the pasta and when there is 3-4 minutes left in the pasta’s cooking cycle, add some veggies that will cook also. If you’re adding a frozen veg, defrost it in the colander with a water rinse before adding to the pot. Veggies like broccoli could take longer or be cut smaller, your choice. Veggies such as fresh chard or spinach could be put in with a minute to spare so they don’t overcook.

Ingredients

• 200 grams legume-based pasta

• 1 pound of fresh green beans

• 2 cups frozen shelled green peas

• Sea salt for cooking water and garnish

• 4 tablespoons cold-pressed olive oil

• Zest and juice of 1 organic lemon

• 4 tablespoons capers

• A large handful fresh mint, leaves only

Instructions

Put a large pot of water on the stove and heat over a high flame.

While the water is heating up, wash, trim, and chop the beans. Shell the peas (or take them out of the fridge or freezer). Wash and roughly chop the mint. Once the cooking water is boiling, salt it generously (it should taste salty).

Add the pasta and set a timer for about three minutes before the suggested cooking time. Three minutes before the pasta is done, add the beans and peas. Cook for three minutes. Drain well and place back in the pot. Add the olive oil (important to keep the pasta from sticking!), lemon zest, drained capers and a few pinches of sea salt. Season to taste. Fold in the fresh mint and serve.

Vegetable Ideas

• Diced carrot

• Diced summer squash (seriously, lets use ‘em up)

• Green beans

• Frozen peas (FAVORITE)

• Broccoli florets

• Cauliflower florets

• Edamame

• Frozen or fresh spinach

• Chard leaves

Seasoning

• Sundried tomatoes, garlic, & basil

• Coconut milk, curry, & peanuts

• Tahini dressing, made with tahini, lemon, garlic, & water in the food processor

Angelica's Kitchen Potato Leek Soup with Greens

By Caitlin Gaylord Churchill, Perishable & Dairy Buyer and Comanager

When I was in my late teens and early twenties I would sometimes go into The City (you know, New York) for a weekend with friends. I had very little money, but what money I had I hoarded and then spent exclusively on restaurant food. I would walk all over and eat samosas in a basement level quicky mart with cab drivers on the lower east side, and then oysters at the cavernous Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station. One place that was frequently on the list to visit was Angelica’s Kitchen – one of the first hip vegetarian restaurants ever. Gluten Free Corn Bread – they had it before it was cool. This potato leek soup is like a free trip to that restaurant. It’s familiar and comforting but somehow also bright and healthy. It comes out a lovely green once it’s pureed. The only next level cooking tool you might need is an immersion blender – you could use a regular food processor but it would take a lot of ladling hot soup back and forth – not my favorite way to pass the time.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup and 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 2 large leeks, whites only

• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled

• 4-5 cups of vegetable stock

• 1 pound yukon gold potatoes diced into ½” cubes

• 2 bunches of spinach or watercress, washed, drained and coarsely chopped (frozen is fine if defrosted)

• 1 tablespoon tarragon, leaves only

• Juice of 1 lemon, fresh

Instructions

Combine the ¼ cup oil, leeks and whole garlic cloves in a heavybottomed pot or deep sauce pan over medium heat. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes.

Add pinch of salt, lower the heat, cover and cook 15 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.

Add the potatoes and enough stock to cover them, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Add the spinach or watercress to the soup and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Add tarragon and remaining olive oil, and then blend the soup until creamy with an immersion blender, or in a blender or food processor. Stir in lemon juice, season with salt and pepper to taste.

If the soup is too thick, thin with additional stock to desired consistency.

Best polenta, mushrooms & kale

A quick supper for an autumn weeknight, celebrating some staples of the Northwest. 

Ingredients

• About a cup of cremini mushrooms

• Butter (or substitute olive oil)

• Olive or canola oil

• 1 cup polenta (maybe some special kind, grown near you, with no GMOs! Like the kind sold at People’s Food Co-op in bulk!)

• Salt

• Kale, just a few leaves

• About 1 cup of oyster or other more unusual mushrooms

• Black pepper

• Mustard

• Beer or wine (optional)

Slice the cremini mushrooms. Put butter and a small drizzle of oil in a cast iron pan, raise the heat to high and add the mushrooms. Stir to coat, reduce the heat to medium and cook without crowding until they start to color on one side. Flip them with a spatula and cook until colored on the other side. Towards the end, turn the heat back up to high and press down on them with your spatula. The remaining water should sputter out and evaporate, and the edges should crisp just perfectly. Swiftly remove and set aside. 

Cook the polenta in a heavy-bottomed saucepan: mix the polenta with 4 cups of water, 1 teaspoon salt and olive oil, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, stir. When it first starts to really thicken, add the cremini mushrooms and a knob of butter. When it starts to thicken dramatically, reduce the heat to as low as it’ll go and stir in another pat of butter. De-stem the kale leaves and cut them into ribbons. Stir them in, cover the pot and turn off the heat. Let the polenta rest so that the kale can steam. 

In the mushroom pan, add more butter and oil. Cook the fancier mushrooms in pulled-apart pieces on medium-high heat. Add a drop of mustard, maybe a splash of beer or wine if you are drinking any. Add some salt and a heavy cracking of black pepper. 

Serve the polenta with kale ribbons in a bowl, topped with the fancier mushrooms and a dusting of flaky salt. 

Extra ideas

This kind of dinner can also be made with delicious polenta triangles. This is an adaptation of “Erico’s Easy Polenta,” on the back of the Golden Pheasant bag. 

Ingredients

• 3 1⁄4 cups lukewarm water

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup polenta

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for frying

• 1 tablespoon butter, plus more for the dish (or use olive oil)

Butter a ceramic baking dish. Pour in the water. Stir in the salt to dissolve it. Add the polenta and olive oil, stirring to distribute the oil and avoid clumping. Bake at 350 degrees F, uncovered, for 50 minutes. Run a fork through it, spread melted butter over the top with a rubber spatula, and bake for 10 more minutes. Let cool, then cut into triangles. Fry up in oil, and top with mushrooms and kale or other delicious things. Roasted squash, roasted garlic, roasted cauliflower?  Chickpea curry? Ratatouille? 

Celeriac, Fennel & Orange Salad

Ingredients

• 1 celeriac

• 1 fennel bulb

• 3 blood oranges

• 1 lemon

• 1 large navel or cara cara orange

• olive oil

• almonds (handful)

• tarragon

• white wine vinegar

Prepare a big bowl with cold water. Drop in some lemon juice from a bottle or a fruit. 

Peel the celeriac. Drop into the lemon bath immediately. 

Trim the fennel (reserving the tops with fronds) and slice into thin boomerangs. Move them to the lemon bath. Take out the celeriac, cut it in half, put the other half back. Keep cutting the celeriac now into thin-to-medium matchsticks. Moving the finished ones to the lemon bath, then repeating with the second half of the vegetable. 

Cut the oranges into 1/4 inch rounds. Trim the peels with a paring knife. Cut little triangular pieces, removing center seeds or any remaining pith, so you have clean and beautiful jewels of citrus. 

Drain the lemon bath, add more lemon juice, a splash of tarragon white wine vinegar, and olive oil. Toss to dress. 

Chop the handful of almonds roughly, just making sure some pieces are quite small. 

Assemble each serving separately. Take the celeriac and fennel pieces, make a nice pile, add pieces of orange, toss over some almonds, drizzle over some good finishing-olive oil, crack on black pepper, toss on some finishing salt, then tear fennel fronds over the whole thing. 

Recipe courtesy of Andrew Barton, photo credits Peter Schweitzer.

Rutabaga Fries with Paprika & Caraway Ketchup

Ingredients

• About one medium rutabaga per person

• Oil, enough to cover an inch of a pot or pan

• Salt

• Paprika

• Ketchup

• A tablespoon or two of caraway seeds

Peel and trim the rutabaga. Lob off the bottoms first, so they have sturdy footing as you trim around the edges. Cut into 1/4 inch disks, then further into your desired fry-shape. 

Heat the oil in a particularly heat conductive pan; a copper bottom Revereware pan is great for this. 

In a separate, dry pan, toast plenty (a teaspoon or two) of caraway seeds over medium heat. When they are fragrant, take them off the heat and tip into a mortar or onto a cutting board. Smash or chop them up, then stir into your preferred store bought ketchup. 

When the oil is quite hot for the frying, add the pieces of rutabaga a few at a time.

Using tongs to turn the pieces and remove them, use your own judgement/preference for deepening color and crispness. Remove to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain onto. Hold in an oven set to 200º until all the fries are done. Remove the paper towel, blotting once more.

Sprinkle on paprika and salt. Place until the broiler until starting to crisp. Turn over the pieces, repeat. Or simply roast in the oven for 5-10 minutes, turned up to 400º. When the fries have been re-crisped and the paprika is going dark, take them out, toss on a little more paprika and salt, then eat immediately with the caraway ketchup.

Recipe courtesy of Andrew Barton, photo credits Peter Schweitzer.

Candied Carrots with Herbs & White Pepper Sour Cream

Ingredients

• Carrots (good looking, smallish)

• Sugar (or honey, agave, or maple syrup if you prefer)

• Salt

• Oil

• Lots of herbs: mint, winter savory, rosemary, sage, oregano, parsley, or whatever you can get your hands on

For the white pepper sour cream (optional)

• Sour cream (plain yogurt would work well, too)

• White pepper

Trim the tops of the carrots and slice in half them lengthwise, all the way to the tip. Cook in boiling, salted water for about 3 minutes, until just tender. Remove to an ice bath, change the water after a minute or two. Drain when the carrots are cooled. 

In a bowl, dress the carrots with oil and a few pinches of both sugar and salt. Heat a flat, wide seasoned pan over medium-high heat. Place the carrots in the pan, cut side down. Let cook until those cut sides are starting to candy, but before any part burns. This involves very careful watching, and a lot of picking up carrots with tongs. I find this sort of thing fun, though– perhaps you do too?

Meanwhile, chop your heaping pile of herbs. 

Remove to a baking dish and place in a 300º oven (or transfer your oven-safe pan to the oven), where they will stay warm and continue to candy a bit. When all the carrots are in the baking dish, toss them with the herbs. 

When ready to serve, make up a dish of spicy sour cream. Take a few tablespoons in a bowl, add a drizzle of cold water, stir till smooth and just a bit thinner than usual. Add a full 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper, stir again, and serve. 

Recipe courtesy of Andrew Barton, photo credits Peter Schweitzer.

Timothy's 1st Place Potato Salad

Timothy's is the bottom potato salad.

On July 6th, we celebrated barbecue and picnic season with a hugely successful potato salad contest -- over 200 folks cast votes for their favorites! We had three winners, and now they are sharing their secrets for your potato salad success!

Ingredients

• 3 pounds yellow fleshed potatoes (Finn or Yukon Gold)

• a few chopped roasted peppers that have been pickled in a mixture of 2 parts white wine vinegar and 1 part sugar with a rosemary branch

• 1 bunch Italian parsley, roughly chopped

• 2 T crushed coriander seed (toasted in a pan or not)

• 1 bunch chives, chopped

• 3 T capers, rinsed and chopped

• dijon mustard

• Apple cider vinegar

• Olive oil

• Salt

• A few twists of black pepper

1. Boil the potatoes gently in a pot of salted water until a toothpick inserts with ease. Don’t overcook!

2. Let cool until able to handle and with a paring knife remove the skin. Chunk the potatoes into various sizes and place in a bowl.

3. Add the pickled peppers, chopped parsley, crushed coriander seed, chopped chives.

4. Make a vinaigrette with the mustard, cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. I’ve left the quantities bland on purpose as this will be to taste. Generally I like ¼ to ⅓ vinegar to olive oil plus a generous pinch of salt and pepper.

5. Place the vinaigrette in a ball type jar and shake vigorously until somewhat emulsified.

6. Pour over the bowl of ingredients and give a gentle stir. Taste! Add more vinaigrette if needed. Same goes for the salt. Try to do this while the potatoes are still a bit warm. Let sit for a few minutes and taste again. More vinaigrette needed, more capers, more anything? Enjoy!

Andrew's 2nd Place Potato Salad

Andrew's potato salad is in the top right hand corner.

On July 6th, we celebrated barbecue and picnic season with a hugely successful potato salad contest -- over 200 folks cast votes for their favorites! We had three winners, and now they are sharing their secrets for your potato salad success!

Ingredients:

• all the herbs you can get your hands on (choose based on your own herb-love! de-stem them all, and set aside a good handful or two of herbs you'd like to toss in at the end. parsley is perhaps the most suited)

• olive oil

• 6-8 golden potatoes

• mayonnaise (or Veganaise!)

• lemon juice

• white wine vinegar

• dijon mustard

• garlic

Optional additions, for crunch :

• celery

• fennel

• green beans, blanched/cooled

1. Cut each of these vegetables diagonally on the grain (less stringy, more attractive!).

2. Bring some water to a boil. Salt it generously. Drop in the potatoes. Cut the peel off the lemon with a very sharp knife, then into thin strips, then chopped into bite-sized pieces. Place the peel in a small bowl, cover just barely with white wine vinegar, and let sit to macerate.

3. Put loads of de-stemmed herbs into a food processor (or Vitamix, if you have one, or blender, or bowl/jar with immersion blender).

4. Glug in about 1/4-1/2 cup of olive oil (depending on how big a potato salad you are making). Blitz, scrape down the sides, drop in a touch of water, blitz again.

5. Put 1/3-1/2 cup of mayonnaise/Veganaise in a bowl. Scrape out the herby oil into the mayonnaise/Veganaise. Whisk to incorporate. Squeeze or drizzle in lemon juice. Add 1 tsp white wine vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of dijon mustard.

6. Make garlic paste with two cloves of garlic: In mortar and pestle, sprinkle with salt and smash into a paste. With a garlic press, press through, salt the garlic on the cutting board, wait a few minutes, then mince to the point of paste. With a microplane, grate the garlic, sprinkle with salt, and chop vigorously into a paste.

7. Take the garlic paste and mix it into smoothly into your herb and mayonnaise/Veganaise stuff.

8. If more zing is needed or desired, add dijon mustard to taste.

9. Roughly chop the herbs you've set aside.

10. When the potatoes are tender (poke with a fork to see), remove them from the water to cool a bit. Chop the bigger pieces further with a knife. Mash some potatoes partially with a potato masher. It is very important to add the seasoned mayonnaise/Veganaise at this point, while the potatoes are cooling off but still quite warm.

11. Let this sit for several minutes. Toss in the chopped herbs, the lemon peel pieces, and any additional vegetables for crunch, season with loads of black pepper, toss in loads of flaky salt, let cool further and enjoy at room temperature.

Avocado Cilantro Lime Sauce

I love this sauce on a Mexican quinoa bowl or as a topping for tacos. Yum!

Ingredients: 

• 1 medium avocado

• 1 cup cilantro

• 1 clove garlic

• juice of 3 limes

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• ¼ tsp salt

• ¼ tsp cumin

In a food processor or high-speed blender, add all of the ingredients except for the olive oil and blend until combined. With the blender on, add in the olive oil. Add some water to make the sauce thinner, if desired.

Recipes and photos by Natalie Bickford.

Arugula Hazelnut Pesto

This is one of my favorite pesto variations. The arugula adds a wonderful pepperiness to the pesto. Feel free to mix and match herbs, greens, and nuts!

Ingredients: 

• 1/3 cup toasted hazelnuts

• 1 cup arugula

• 1 cup basil

• 1 cup grated Parmesan (or sub ½ cup nutritional yeast)

• 1-2 cloves garlic

• ½ cup olive oil

• juice from 1 lemon

In a food processor or high-speed blender, add all of the ingredients except for the olive oil. Process/pulse until roughly chopped. While the blender is running, slowly add in the olive oil. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Recipes and photos by Natalie Bickford.

Chimichurri

This is an excellent staple sauce to have in the fridge and will keep for a couple of weeks. All you need are some fresh herbs and the rest you will likely have on hand in your pantry. Typically eaten with steak, but excellent on all other proteins, vegetables, and grains.

Ingredients:

• Handful of fresh parsley

• Handful of fresh cilantro

• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 1-2 cloves garlic

• salt and pepper, to taste

• ¼ cup olive oil

In a food processor or high-speed blender, add all ingredients except for olive oil,. Pulse until coarsely chopped. With blender or processor on, slowly pour in the olive oil to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. 

Recipes and photos by Natalie Bickford.

Romesco Sauce

This sauce has a wonder smoky flavor from the roasted peppers and smoked paprika. It is very versatile, making a great topping for fish, red meat, poultry, veggies, and grains. You could pretty much put it on anything!

Ingredients:

• 1, 8 oz jar of roasted red peppers, drained

• 1-2garlic cloves

• 1-2 tsp smoked paprika

• ¼ - ½ cup roasted hazelnuts

• 1 tbsp lemon juice or sherry vinegar

• salt and pepper, to taste

• ¼ cup good olive oil

In a food processor or high-speed blender, add all of the ingredients except for the olive oil. Pulse until finely ground, then, with the blender or processor on, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until smooth. If too thick, thin out with some water. Add salt and pepper, to taste. 

Recipes and photos by Natalie Bickford.

Shaved Asparagus and Kale Socca with Leek Pesto

Socca, also known as farinata, is chickpea flour flatbread that is popular in the Ligurian Sea coast. It’s super easy to put together, inexpensive, and it provides a protein-rich, gluten-free, and vegan base that lends itself well to a variety of toppings. Any pesto and vegetable combination can be used, so feel free to experiment!

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

For the socca

• 1 cup chickpea flour

• 1 tsp sea salt

• fresh ground black pepper

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 1 cup water, room temperature

For the leek pesto

• 1 medium leek, halved lengthwise and chopped

• 1 cup cashews, toasted

• 1 clove garlic

• ¼ cup grated Parmesan (optional)

• 3 tsp mellow white miso paste (I used chickpea miso)

• zest and juice from 2 lemons (about ¼ cup lemon juice)

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• salt and pepper, to taste

For the shaved asparagus and kale

• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• salt and pepper, to taste

• 5 thick stalks of asparagus, shaved

• 1 cup loosely packed kale

• 1 tbsp fresh chopped mint

• fresh grated Parmesan or Manchego cheese (optional)

Instructions

For the leek pesto, in a food processor or high-speed blender, add the leek, cashews, garlic, Parmesan (if using), miso, and lemon juice. Blend until it reaches a uniform consistency, then add in the olive oil and blend until smooth. Taste and add salt, pepper, or more lemon juice, to taste.

For the socca, preheat the oven to 450 and place your cast iron skillet in the oven. In a medium bowl, combine the chickpea flour, salt, and pepper. Add in 1 cup of room temperature water and 2 tbsp of olive oil and whisk to combine. Let sit for 15 minutes, or until it resembles a thinner pancake batter. Add water if too thick.

Remove the pan from the oven, add 1 tbsp olive oil and swirl to coat. Pour in the batter and let bake for about 15 minutes, or until the center is firm and edges begin to turn golden. Set aside and let cool while you prepare the shaved asparagus and kale salad.

For the shaved asparagus and kale, in a mason jar, combine the red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, Dijon, salt, and pepper. Shake vigorously to emulsify. Place the kale in a medium bowl and pour half of the dressing on top. Using your hands, massage the kale for about 1 minute to break it down. Add in the shaved asparagus, mint, and remaining dressing. Toss gently to combine.

To assemble, spread about ½ cup (or more) on top of the socca in an even layer. Then top with the shaved asparagus, kale salad, and fresh grated Parmesan or Manchego cheese, if desired. Slice and serve immediately! 

Recipe and photo by Natalie Bickford

Vegan Lemon Bars

Servings: 9 bars

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 1 cup gluten free oats

• 1 cup almonds

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

• 2 tbsp coconut sugar

• 1 tbsp maple syrup

• 4-5 tbsp coconut oil, melted

For the filling:

• 1 cup raw cashews

• 1 cup coconut cream* (the hardened portion at the top of full fat coconut milk)

• 2 tbsp arrowroot or cornstarch

• 1/2 cup lemon juice (~2 large lemons)

• 1 heaping tbsp lemon zest (~1 large lemon)

• Pinch sea salt

• 1/4 cup maple syrup, plus more to taste

Instructions

1. Add the raw cashews to a medium bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 1 hour uncovered, then drain.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line an 8x8 inch baking dish with parchment paper.

3. In a food processor or high-speed blender, add the oats, almonds, sea salt, and coconut sugar and pulse until you get a fine meal. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the maple syrup and coconut oil (starting with 4 tbsp coconut oil and adding more if too dry). Mix to combine until a uniform, loose dough is formed. Mixture shouldn’t crumble when you squeeze it between your fingers. If too dry, add more coconut oil.

4. Pour the crust into the parchment lined baking dish and, using your hands, press the crust into the dish, making it as level and compact as you can. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and you notice light browning on the surface. Remove from oven to let cool slightly.

5. For the filling, place the soaked and drained cashews, coconut cream, arrowroot starch or cornstarch, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and maple syrup in a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust, adding more maple syrup or lemon zest/juice if desired.

6. Pour the filling over the pre-baked crust and spread into an even layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until edges look slightly dry and center is giggly, but not liquidy. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes, then place in fridge (uncovered) for at least 4 hours or overnight.

7. Slice and top with powdered sugar or shredded coconut, if you’d like. Store in airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 4 days.

Recipe and photo by Natalie Bickford

Buckwheat Ginger Molasses Granola Clusters

Makes about 5 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats

• 1 ½ cups raw buckwheat groats

• 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds

• ½ cup raisins, currants, or other dried fruit

• ¾ cup shredded unsweetened coconut

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tbsp ground cardamom

• ¼ tsp pink Himalayan salt

• ½ cup blackstrap molasses

• ¼ cup maple syrup or honey

• ½ cup coconut oil, melted

• ¼ cup tahini

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, add the oats, buckwheat, pumpkin seeds, raisins, coconut, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Mix to combine.

In a medium bowl, combine the molasses, maple syrup or honey, coconut oil, tahini, vanilla, and ginger. Whisk until it all comes together into a uniform liquid.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to until everything is mixed well together and evenly distributed. Bake in the oven for about 30-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Granola is done when buckwheat and pumpkin seeds are slightly toasted brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Once cooled, break the granola up into clusters and store in an airtight container. 

Recipe courtesy of Natalie Bickford.

Celeriac, fennel & orange salad

Ingredients

• 1 celeriac

• 1 fennel bulb

• 3 blood oranges

• 1 large navel or cara cara orange

• olive oil

• almonds, a handful

• almond oil (if you have it)

• white wine vinegar

1. Prepare a big bowl with cold water. Drop in some lemon juice from a bottle or a fruit.

2. Peel the celeriac. Drop into the lemon bath immediately.

3. Trim the fennel (reserving the tops with fronds) and slice into thin boomerangs. Move them to the lemon bath. Take out the celeriac, cut it in half, put the other half back. Keep cutting the celeriac now, first into 1/4 inch discs, returning to the lemon bath each time, then into thin-to-medium matchsticks. Move the finished pieces right back to the lemon bath, then repeat with the other half.

4. Cut the oranges into 1/4 inch rounds. Trim off the peels with a paring knife. Cut little triangular pieces, removing center seeds and any remaining pith so you have clean and beautiful jewels of citrus.

5. Drain the lemon bath, add more lemon juice, a splash of white wine vinegar and almond (or olive) oil. Toss to dress.

6. Chop the handful of almonds roughly, just making sure some pieces are quite small.

7. Assemble each serving separately. Take the celeriac and fennel pieces, make a nice pile, add pieces of orange, sprinkle with some almonds and drizzle with some good olive oil. Crack on black pepper, toss on some finishing salt, then tear fennel fronds over the whole thing.

Recipe courtesy of Andrew Barton, photo credits Peter Schweitzer.

Quinoa Veggie Bowl with Cheez Sauce

These bowls are very adaptable, feel free to use any grain and any combination of seasonal veggies. 

Ingredients

For the Cheez Sauce

• ½ cup almond milk

• ¼ cup nutritional yeast

• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 tsp tamari

• fresh ground black pepper

• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

• ¼ tsp cumin (optional)

For the bowl

• ½ cup quinoa, cooked

• ½ cup grated carrot (about 2 medium)

• 2 cups roughly chopped kale, steamed

• 1 avocado, thinly sliced

• handful of cilantro, roughly chopped

• ½ cup roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

 

For the cheez sauce, add all ingredients into a small pot. Turn the heat to low and whisk the ingredients together until combined. Remove from heat and set aside.

Divide the quinoa into two bowls. Assemble the remaining ingredients on top of the quinoa and finished with a generous amount of cheez sauce. Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Natalie Bickford.