Cabbage & Carrot Slaw

This tangy and flavorful slaw is visually pleasing and the perfect way to cheer-up your palette!  No mayo in this slaw, but lemon and garlic more than make up for it.  With red cabbage, carrots and lemon readily available right now, this dish can be thrown together easily. The sauce (minus the cabbage and carrots) can be used to dress other salads too such as a bean salad or other veggies too!
Serves about 4
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp fresh lemon zest
1 large (or 2 small) garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
3 cups mixture of shredded cabbage and carrots, ratio is up to you
2 Tbsp olive oil

In a large bowl, whisk together the first 5 ingredients. Allow to sit open at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Add the parsley, cabbage and carrots and toss well.  Add the olive oil, stir well then season to taste with salt if needed.  Serve immediately or refrigerate until needed.  Enjoy!

Greens-n-Beans Soup

This hearty and down-to-earth soup is hard to stop eating, especially on a cold day! The broth is simple and absolutely delicious, perfect for simmering veggies and soaking up with bread.  Soups are great dishes to be creative and improvise with, so use what you have available and have fun! Using a basic broth (in this recipe, the first 9 ingredients) your soup will have fantastic flavor.
Serves about 4
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, medium sized, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 - 14oz can of tomatoes, diced or pureed
6 cups broth or water (or a mixture of both)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp dried herb seasoning mix, or use what dried herbs you have available
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 tsp salt and pepper each
1 bunch of greens (such as kale, chard, spinach, etc.), chopped into 1/2 inch slices
1 - 15oz can of beans (such as cannellini, kidney, etc.), drained and rinsed
1-1/2 cup diced potato (about 1-2 potatoes)
2 Tbsp fresh chopped herbs (such as basil, parsley, cilantro, etc.)
Shredded cheese for garnish, such as Parmesan

Heat the oil over medium heat and saute the onion until soft, about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and saute for 1 more minute.  Add the tomatoes and simmer about 5 minutes to concentrate the flavor.  Then add the broth or water, wine, dried herbs, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, greens and stir well.  Cover, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the beans, potatoes and fresh herbs and simmer another 15 minutes or until beans and potatoes are tender. Adjust seasoning to taste.  Serve with grated cheese and crusty bread.  Enjoy!

Braised Red Cabbage

This method of braising red cabbage makes for a melt-in-your-mouth dish! Cabbage is a healthy and hearty veggie that has a fairly long shelf life in the fridge. You could also try adding shredded beets or other veggies. 
Serves about 3
Ingredients:
1/2 head red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, medium sized, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper (or to taste)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Heat the oil over medium heat and saute the onion for about 5 minutes to soften, add the garlic and saute another 1 minute.  Add the cabbage and saute about 3 minutes to slightly soften while stirring well.  Add the wine, bay leaf, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes and stir well.  Cover and bring to a simmer over med-high heat then reduce heat to med-low for a slow simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the balsamic vinegar and simmer another 30 minutes, again stirring occasionally.  Remove cover and simmer to evaporate extra liquid, stirring frequently, if needed.  Enjoy! 

Wild Rice & Mushrooms with Domesticated Chicken Sausage & Veggies

This hearty rice dish is rich, earthy and versatile!  With wild mushrooms in season here, there are numerous types of mushrooms available at the local grocery store.  Forest Nameko mushrooms were used this time but you can substitute whatever you have available.  A hearty rice medley was used but you can use pure wild rice or some other type of mix. With added veggies and sausage this can easily be a main dish, feel free to improvise ingredients as needed.
Serves 2-3
Ingredients for rice:
1 cup wild rice or wild rice mix
2-1/2 cups broth or water, preferably broth (more or less liquid as needed according to directions)
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp salt

For Sausage & Veggie Saute:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, medium sized, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 carrot, medium sized, chopped
4 oz mushrooms, chopped as needed
1/4 lb sausage link(s), diced
1 tsp dried herbs of your choice, such as a mix of thyme and oregano
1/2 cup peas (frozen)
1/2 cup water or broth, more as needed
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper (or to taste)
1/2 tsp hot sauce, Tabasco, etc. (optional, as needed)

Cook rice as directed on package with broth, bay leaf and salt.  I tend to cook wild rice for about 50 minutes then allow to rest/cool for about 5 minutes while covered. While rice is cooking, heat oil over medium heat in a separate pan and saute onion about 4 minutes to soften then add garlic for another 1 minute.  Stir in carrot, mushrooms and sausage and saute another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer (covered) for about 10 minutes.  Once rice is done, add to veggie mix and carefully distribute enough to mix well and heat throughout, adding broth or water if desired.  Season to taste.  Enjoy!

Romanesco with Tomato and Olives

 

Romanesco broccoli (aka Roman cauliflower) is an alien looking piece of produce!  Neon green, spiky trees protrude from a cauliflower-like head.  This dish is fun to make and to eat!  You can easily substitute cauliflower, broccoli, or some other fibrous veggie for this dish.  Serve with your favorite side to soak up the juices, such as bread, pasta or rice.

Serves 2-3.

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, medium sized, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (more or less depending on amount of heat you want) 

1 cup tomato, pureed or finely diced (canned or fresh)

1 cup water or stock

1 head of Romanesco, core removed and cut into individual "trees"

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 cup olives, preferably kalamata, quartered

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1/4 tsp salt

Heat the oil over medium heat and saute the onion for about 5 minutes until softened.  Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir for 1 more minute.  Add the rest of the ingredients, stir well, cover and bring to a simmer over med-high heat.  Reduce heat to med-low and simmer for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until veggies are tender.  Season with salt to taste, serve immediately.  Enjoy!

Hearty Greens with "Bacon" Ragout

This a juicy and yummy dish that can be made with any type of hearty greens! Turkey bacon was used here but other meats could be substituted too (bacon, sausage, etc.). Serve with bread, rice or pasta to soak up the juices.
Serves about 2
Ingredients:
1 bunch of hearty greens (kale, collard greens, chard), stems removed and chopped to 1 inch slices
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3 strips of turkey bacon, about 1/4 lb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup water or broth, plus more if needed
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/4 tsp salt (as needed, depending on saltiness of meat used)

Heat the oil over medium heat and saute the onion until soft, about 4 minutes.  Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute another 1 minute, then add the meat and cook (stirring frequently) until cooked to desired consistency, about 3-5 minutes.  Add the chopped greens, water or broth and tomato paste, stirring well.  Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat then reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for about 45 minutes or until greens are soft.  Stir occasionally and add more water or broth as needed.  Add salt to taste and serve.  Enjoy!

Carrot Yogurt Salad (Haydari in Turkish)

This is a creamy carrot salad with raw garlic to add some kick!  My mother-in-law taught me this dish and we eat it a lot at home. With carrots in season, it is an easy side dish to put together.  You can also add zucchini to the carrots which makes a nice mix.
Serves about 2.
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups shredded carrots
3 Tbsp veggie oil
1 cup plain yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt

Heat the oil over medium heat and add the carrots.  Stir frequently for about 10 minutes to soften the carrots without browning them.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for 20-30 minutes.  Once cool, combine the sauteed carrots, yogurt, garlic and salt and mix well. Season with more salt if desired.  Serve immediately or refrigerate until needed.  This goes well with pita chips, spicy foods or many other dishes.  Enjoy!

Creamy Potato and Leek Soup with Beans and Broccoli

Potato and leek soup is amazing on its own!  This time I added some beans and broccoli for a more hearty soup.  You can also substitute onions for leeks and use other veggies beside broccoli. The use of an immersion blender (a recently purchased tool for me) makes pureeing much easier than cooling and blending the mix.
Serves about 4
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups chopped leeks, white and soft green part only (about 3 leeks)
4 cups of water or broth
3 cups potato, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 3 medium potatoes)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1 cup milk
1 15 oz. can of beans, (preferably white beans such as navy or cannellini) drained and rinsed
1 cup chopped broccoli (fresh or frozen), florets and stems
shredded cheese for garnish

Heat the oil over medium heat, add the garlic and stir constantly for about 1 minute.  Add the leeks and saute another 1 minute, then add the water or broth, potatoes, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning and stir well. Cover and bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat to med-low and simmer for about 30-40 minutes until all is tender.  If you have an immersion blender, use it to puree the mix. Otherwise cool the soup 1 hour or more and puree in a blender, in batches if necessary filling only half way per batch (the first part can be done ahead of time, 1-2 days and kept in fridge before pureeing).  Return to pan if necessary and add the milk, beans and broccoli and return to a simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes uncovered.  Adjust liquid content to desired thickness (add water to liquefy or simmer longer for a thicker soup). Season to taste. Serve with bread for dipping and shredded cheese on top, such as Parmesan or Swiss.  Enjoy!