Roasted Broccoli with Garlic and Red Pepper

(recipe from Bon Appetit magazine)

1 1/4 lbs. broccoli crowns, cut into florets (about 8 cups)
3 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
Large pinch of dried crushed red pepper

Preheat oven to 450 F.  Toss broccoli and 3 Tbsp. oil in a large bowl to coat.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.  Roast 15 minutes.  Stir remaining 1/2 Tbsp. oil, garlic, and red pepper in a small bowl.  Drizzle garlic mixture over broccoli; toss to coat.  Roast until broccoli is beginning to brown, about 8 minutes longer.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.

(It took 32 years for me to really like broccoli.  Roasting it makes it so good!  Tender, but crisp, garlicky and zippy.  This says it serves 4 to 6 side servings, but I ate most of it in one sitting.  Yum.)

Roasted Carrot-Coconut Soup

(this recipe is from a cooking blog, but I can't remember which one)

1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 small red onions, quartered
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1-inch ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 to 2 tsp. Thai red curry paste
2 cups veggie stock
1 15 oz. can coconut milk (full fat)
1/2 lime
cilantro (optional)
toasted coconut flakes (optional)

Preheat oven to 425F.

In a medium mixing bowl, toss carrot and onion with oil, sugar, and salt.  Spread the veggies evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until browned and tender, stirring once halfway through.

Transfer the veggies to a food processor or blender along with the ginger, 1 tsp. curry paste, and the stock.  Blend until incorporated.

Add coconut milk and blend until smooth.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and additional curry paste if you like spice.  Add lime juice and any additional liquid if you prefer your soup thinner in texture.  Spoon into bowls and serve with cilantro or toasted coconut for garnish.

(So simple and tasty.  I used the food processor, but think a blender would have given a better consistency.  Also, I just mixed the cilantro right into the soup at the end.  I think this soup benefits from a day or two of having the flavors blend.)

Hearty Greens Soup with Pasta and Tomatoes

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
4 plum tomatoes, cored and chopped (I used one 15 oz. can chopped tomatoes)
2 carrots, chopped
8 cups water (or broth)
1 bunch Swiss chard (about 3/4 lb.), roughly chopped
1/2 bunch escarole (about 1/2 lb.), stemmed and roughly chopped
1/2 lb. dried bowtie pasta (I used wheat-free macaroni)
1 (3-inch) Parmigiano Reggiano rind, plus grated cheese for garnish (I omitted this)
1/4 lb. baby spinach

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add garlic, onions, bay leaf, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until caramelized, about 15 minutes.  Add tomatoes and cook until most of the liquid is released and absorbed, about 5 minutes more.  Add carrots and water and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Stir in Swiss chard, escarole, pasta and Parmigiano Reggiano rind, reduce heat, cover and simmer until broth is flavorful and greens and pasta are tender, about 15 minutes.  Stir in spinach and season with salt and pepper.

Remove and discard bay leaf and rind from the soup, then ladle into bowls.  Garnish with grated cheese and serve.

(All of the greens packed into this soup made it so good!  I'd almost rather switch the pasta for beans in this recipe.  It makes a lot, and is very hearty.)

Roasted Green Bean and Potato Salad with Radicchio

(recipe from unknown magazine - Cook's Illustrated?)

1 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 lb. red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 small garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1/2 tsp.)
1 small head radicchio (about 6 oz.), washed and cut into 2- by 1/4-inch slices (about 4 cups)

Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place large rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees.  Toss beans and potatoes with 2 Tbsp. oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, and sugar in a large bowl.  Remove baking sheet from the oven and, working quickly, carefully transfer beans and potatoes to sheet and spread in an even layer.  (Do not wash bowl.)  Roast until vegetables are tender and well browned on one side, 20 to 25 minutes (do not stir during roasting).

Meanwhile, whisk remaining 1 Tbsp. oil, vinegar, garlic, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper in now-empty bowl.

Toss hot vegetables with vinaigrette and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.  Stir in radicchio, transfer to a serving platter, and serve.

(Very earthy.  Radicchio is bitter, and I found that eating this salad with some other greens mixed in (like romaine) can reduce the bitter a bit. I found this salad to hold up pretty well for a few days in the fridge.  Simple and satisfying, and different.)

Yellow Split-Pea Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Kale

(recipe from fatfreevegan.com)

2 medium onions, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. whole cumin
1 tsp. black mustard seeds
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. canola oil
2 tsp. ginger paste or 1 Tbsp. finely minced fresh ginger
2 tsp. finely minced garlic
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
8 cups water or broth
3 cups dried yellow split peas, picked over and rinsed
1 - 2 Tbsp. mild curry powder (to taste)
salt to taste
1 bunch kale

In a large pot, saute the onions with oil or cooking spray for about 5 minutes.  When they are becoming translucent, push them to one side and pour the cumin and mustard seeds directly onto the bottom of the pot.  Pour the canola oil over the seeds and stir them lightly.  As soon as the seeds begin to pop, mix them in with the onions.  Add the ginger and garlic, and cook for one more minute.  Add the sweet potatoes, water, split peas, and 1 Tbsp. curry powder.  Stir well.

Cover the pot and simmer until the split peas are tender and beginning to break down, about an hour.  Stir regularly to make sure that the split peas don't stick to the bottom of the pan, and add water if necessary.

While the soup is cooking, wash the kale and remove and discard the tough central rib.  Chop the leaves coarsely.  When the split peas are cooked, add the kale to the pot, season to taste with salt and additional curry powder, if necessary, and add additional water if the soup is too thick.  Cover the pot.  For kale that retains some crunch, simply leave the pot covered for 5 or 10 minutes without heating, allowing the kale to cook in the heat of the soup.  For kale that is more tender, you may return the pot to low heat for 10 minutes.

(I couldn't find yellow split peas in Whole Foods Market!!  So I used green split peas.  This soup is not exciting, but it is hearty and satisfying.  The sweet potatoes and kale add a little interest.)

Harissa Spaghetti

(recipe from 101cookbooks.com)

3 medium cloves garlic, peeled
a big pinch of fine grain sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. harissa paste

8 oz. (1/2 lb) spaghetti (I used a quinoa/corn/amaranth pasta, since I'm trying not to do wheat)
1 small bunch kale, washed, deveined, and cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted (I also cut these into quarters)
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
zest of 1 lemon

Bring a big pot of water to a boil.  In the meantime, place the cloves of garlic on a cutting board and sprinkle them with a big pinch of salt.  Crush with the flat side of a knife.  Now crush and chop, crush and chop until you have a garlic paste.  Alternately, you can use a mortar and pestle.  In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic paste, harissa, and olive oil.  Set aside.

Generously salt the boiling water, add the pasta, and cook per package instructions.  Just before the pasta is done, add the kale to the pasta water, count to six, drain and set aside.

Heat half of the harissa dressing in the now empty pasta pot.  Add the pasta and kale, black olives, pine nuts, and lemon zest.  Stir over the heat for a minute or so, then turn everything out onto a platter and drizzle with the remaining harissa olive oil.  (I just stirred all of the harissa olive oil into the pot along with the other ingredients.)

(Amazing.  At first, it seemed a bit too salty, but after a day (I split this up for lunches over many days) the flavors blended into an amazing spicy yummy dish.  So good.  And with that, I finally used all of my small can of harissa!  Yay!  What a culinary adventure!)

Butternut Squash with Shallots and Sage

(recipe from Gourmet: Italian Kitchen magazine)

2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 shallots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (3/4 cup)
1 (1 3/4 lb.) butternut squash, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (4 cups)
1/2 cup broth or water
1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. finely chopped sage
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then cook shallots and squash, stirring, until shallots are softened, about 5 minutes.

Add broth, brown sugar, sage, and 1/2 tsp. salt, stirring until sugar is dissolved.  Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender, 8 to 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.

(I overcooked my squash, so it became more of a mash.  Ah, well.  Very yummy, with strong shallot flavor, hint of sweetness, herby sage, and the balsamic pulling it all together.  Flavorful!)