Lemony Gumbo Z'herbes

(recipe from Food 52)

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery (reserve any leaves for later)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 large clove garlic, minced
4 cups water or vegetable stock
2 lbs. assorted greens: collards, turnip, beet, mustard, chard, kale, or spinach, coarsely chopped
All the celery leaves from your head of celery, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves (I used dried)
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary leaves (I used dried)
2 bay leaves
One lemon
1 to 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce (I used soy sauce)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 scallion, finely chopped

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering.  Add onions, celery, bell pepper, and salt and sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned.  Stir in garlic and let it sweat with the other vegetables for a minute or two.  Add water or stock; raise heat until it comes to just below boiling.  Add greens and celery leaves a little at a time, until they are all wilted into the soup.  Add thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves.  Halve and juice the lemon, and add juice as well as both lemon halves into the soup.  Add 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce.  Reduce heat to low and simmer soup, covered, for at least 1 hour.  The vegetables will become mushy and the soup will be very green.  Taste and add salt, pepper, or Worcestershire sauce, if needed.  Fish out bay leaves and lemon halves and discard them. 

Serve sprinkled with scallions.  Can serve over rice.

(This soup is delicious!  I added more onions, celery, and bell pepper than called for, and added the scallions right into the soup instead of as garnish.  The flavor is spicy and lemony and packed with soft greens.)

Mango Salad with Lobster and Lime Vinaigrette

(recipe clipped from a newspaper, unknown)

For the lime vinaigrette:
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 scallions, minced
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
About 1/3 cup canola oil (I used olive oil)

For the salad:
1 (12-oz.) cooked lobster tail or 12 oz. cooked shrimp or crabmeat (I used shrimp)
1 ripe mango
8 oz. mixed baby greens
1/2 yellow or red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced

Prepare the vinaigrette:  In a small bowl, whisk together the cilantro, scallions, lime juice and zest, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper until smooth.  Whisk in 1/3 cup oil until smooth.  Taste, whisking in more oil if dressing is too tart.

Make the salad:  After lobster/shrimp/crabmeat is prepared according to package directions, let cool.  Remove from the shells and cut into pieces.

Holding the mango upright, carefully cut the two rounded sides away from the large seed.  Score the fruit into cubes without cutting through the peel.  Push the peel side to turn it inside out.  Cut the mango cubes away from the peel.

Divide the greens among dinner plates.  Top each salad with the mango cubes, bell pepper, and lobster pieces.  Drizzle with the lime vinaigrette.

(A bright, interesting salad.  Can mix peppers, shrimp, mango and keep in a sealed container in the fridge for about a day.)

Roasted Asparagus with Red Pepper Sauce

(recipe from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics, via a newspaper clipping)

1 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more to oil the pan
1 lb. fresh asparagus
1 large garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/4 tsp. salt
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut lengthwise into 8 strips

Sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 to 3 tsp. chopped fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 400F.  Lightly oil a baking pan.

Cut off the tough stem ends of the asparagus and discard.  Wash and dry asparagus.  Toss the spears with the Tbsp. of olive oil, the garlic and salt, and arrange them in a single layer on one half of the baking tray.  On the other half of the tray, arrange the red pepper strips.

Roast, turning vegetables every 10 minutes, until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.  Set asparagus aside and let come to room temperature.

Place roasted pepper strips in a blender with the sauce ingredients.  Puree until smooth.  Season with more salt and pepper if desired.

Arrange asparagus on a serving platter.  Drizzle some sauce over asparagus, and pass the rest when serving.  (Or, as I did, just dip the spears!)

(I very much enjoyed the roasted asparagus, as opposed to steaming.  The sauce was a nice accompaniment.)

Thai Veggie Salad

(recipe from PureWow)

Salad:
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
3 cups snow peas, thinly sliced
3 carrots, thinly sliced or shredded
1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced or shredded
1/4 red cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded
1/2 English cucumber, cut into strips
1 cup dried mango, thinly sliced
2/3 cup peanuts, chopped
3/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

Dressing:
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
1 Tbsp. sesame oil (I used olive oil)
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Sriracha sauce
1/2 cup seasoned rice-wine vinegar
1/3 cup peanut butter (I used tahini)

Make the salad:  Toss all the salad ingredients together in a large bowl.

Make the dressing:  In a medium bowl, whisk all ingredients together until the dressing is smooth.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.  The salad gets better as it sits, and will keep up to three days in an airtight container in the fridge.

(Awesome salad!  I love chopping veggies, and that is a time-consuming part of this recipe.  I did use a food processor for the carrots.  Brought this salad to an island gathering by putting all the veggies mixed in a large ziplock bag and keeping the dressing separate in a small jar.  When ready for dinner, simply combined and served.  So easy!  A nice and convenient alternative to leafy greens for a salad, though you could probably serve this over a bed of leafy greens.  Everyone loved it!  Very flavorful.)