Marinated veggies are delicious as part of a cheese board, served on their own with crackers, or piled onto a piece of toast smeared with creamy ricotta. You can also use the flavored oil as a dressing on your salads. For a heartier meal, you can spoon it onto a warm bowl of polenta or quinoa.
Here’s a great recipe that needs your attention for a few minutes of prep, and then the ingredients do all the work as you kick back and wait for the delicious fun to begin!
Ingredients
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups cauliflowerets
2-3 Persian cucumbers, sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup chopped sweet onion
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried basil
1 garlic clove, pressed
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper
Optional: ½ cup halved black or green olives
Directions
In a small bowl or lidded jar, add vinegar, Dijon, dried herbs, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk (or shake jar) to combine.
Slowly whisk olive oil into bowl, or add to jar and shake again. Set aside.
Add other ingredients to a large bowl. Toss with dressing to coat. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours – overnight.
Coleslaw is one of those dishes that’s like a good backup singer. It makes sweet harmony with the rest of your meal but it’s not the star of the show. When it’s just so-so, it kind of fades into the background. And, when it’s really great, it brings everything to another level…like this one!
Learn more about this summer staple in our The Union article.
Ingredients
6 cups shredded cabbage – mix of red and green
½ cup green onions, sliced diagonally
¼ cup fresh herb leaves – mint, cilantro or combo
1 cup shredded carrots
Roasted peanuts (or almonds)
¼ cup creamy peanut (or almond) butter
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp honey (or agave)
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp ginger, minced
1 tsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Coconut milk, to thin dressing as needed
Directions
In a small bowl, whisk together nut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, lime juice, ginger, sesame oil, garlic and red pepper flakes (if using). If dressing is too thick, think with coconut milk, 1 tsp at a time. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Combine veggies and fresh herbs – reserving a few to top the dish before serving – in a large bowl and add the amount of dressing to your taste. Top with roasted nuts and remaining fresh herbs and serve.
Here’s a recipe for lasagna, with a twist. Instead of flat layers of noodles, the fillings are placed on one noodle at a time and then rolled up and snuggled into a baking dish lying side by side. It uses a garlicky cream sauce with Parmesan, which makes for a comforting blanket of goodness.
Learn more about lasagna and pasta in our The Union article.
1 lb fresh spinach, or 1 10-oz box frozen, thawed/drained/chopped
¼ cup unsalted butter
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup vegetable broth, plus more as needed
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp onion granules
1/3 tsp dried basil
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more as needed
¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped fresh basil and parsley for serving
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°.
Add 1-2 Tbsp olive oil to a sauté pan over medium heat. Once warm, add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Sauté until browned and cooked through, set aside. Clean out the pan and add remaining olive oil. Once hot, add fresh spinach and a few pinches salt. Cook until fully wilted, remove from pan to cool. Once cooled, squeeze out liquid and coarsely chop. Set aside.
To make the sauce, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring occasionally – about 1-2 minutes. Add flour and whisk until lightly browned, one minute more.
Slowly whisk in vegetable broth, thyme, onion granules, basil and nutmeg until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes more.
Add heavy cream and ½ cup Parmesan and stir until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. If too thick, add more heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper. Spread 1 cup sauce evenly into a 9” x 13” baking dish.
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain well and lay out flat on parchment paper or foil to prepare for rolling.
In a large bowl, combine ricotta, pesto sauce, 1 cup mozzarella and ¼ cup Parmesan. Combine well and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Lay out lasagna noodles on a flat work surface. Spread ¼ cup of ricotta mixture onto each noodle. Add spinach and then some of the mushrooms. Roll up and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles and filling. Top all with remaining cream sauce and mozzarella cheese.
Bake 25-30 minutes, until lasagna rolls are heated through and cheese is beginning to brown.
Top with chopped fresh herbs and serve immediately.
Scaffata is an Italian dish best made when peas and fava beans in their shells are young and sweet. The name comes from the Roman dialect, “scaffare,” – to shell – and it also uses the outermost leaves of a head of romaine lettuce, fresh mint, spring onions and a pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes.
Vary the greens and fresh herbs depending on what you have. Don’t salt until cooking is done, or the peas and fava beans will toughen up.
Learn more about braising in our The Union article.
Ingredients
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup scallions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ cup white onion, chopped
2 ½ lb fresh fava beans in the pod, shelled (about ½ lb), blanched and peeled
1 cup zucchini, finely diced
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups romaine leaves, shredded
1 Tbsp mint leaves, finely sliced
1 Tbsp basil, finely sliced
Splash of white wine
Salt and pepper
Optional: Grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
Bring a pot of water to a boil. When water is boiling, cook fava beans 2-3 minutes. Drain, reserving one cup of cooking water.
Add olive oil to a skillet and cook onions and garlic a few minutes over medium heat. Add fava beans, zucchini, red pepper flakes along with white wine and about ¼ cup reserved cooking water. Cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed to prevent sticking to the pan.
Add in peas and romaine, cooking 5-10 minutes more, adding more reserved cooking water if needed.
Stir in basil and mint, a little parmesan and salt and pepper to taste. Cook 1-2 minutes more for flavors to blend.
One way to eat lighter and healthier is to eat more veggies, and why not have fun while you do it, by transforming all sorts of vegetables into noodles using a spiralizer, mandoline or a Y-shaped veggie peeler and a sharp knife.
The best choices are firm, not floppy, and the longer the better. Enjoy them lightly cooked and then treated just like you would regular pasta or served raw as part of a salad or a slaw.
Learn more about zoodles in our The Union article.
Ingredients
2 medium size green zucchini
3 cups basil leaves, loosely packed
1 cup flat leaf parsley, loosely packed
1 avocado, pitted
½ cup cashews, walnuts or pine nuts
4-6 cloves garlic
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated – plus more to taste
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Pinch of dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ cup sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
Basil leaves, for garnish
Directions
Coarsely grind fresh and dried herbs, nuts, parmesan and garlic in a food processor. Add lemon juice, avocado and salt and pulse briefly to combine.
Prepare zoodles with your choice of spiralizing tool. Add 1-2 Tbsp olive oil to a pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add just enough zoodles so they have room to cook and aren’t overcrowded. Cook for 30 seconds to a minute and transfer to another dish. Repeat as needed to cook all zoodles.
Toss zoodles in pesto sauce and top with fresh and sundried tomatoes and basil leaves. Add a little more Parmesan, salt and pepper if you’d like.
Just like some folks enjoy raw cranberries in Thanksgiving relish, here’s a recipe for a great salsa featuring (slightly cooked) rhubarb, strawberries and some other goodies that help balance everything out. Let’s hear it for “sour power!”
Ingredients
2 cups fresh rhubarb, strings removed and finely diced
½ apple, finely diced – we like Cosmic Crisp
1 jalapeño, seeds removed, finely diced
¼ cup red onion, finely diced
¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 cup strawberries, finely diced
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp vinegar – red wine or apple cider
1 Tbsp honey
½ tsp garlic granules or 1 clove garlic finely minced
Pinches of cumin and coriander powder
Salt/pepper to taste
Directions
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Put rhubarb in a small heat-resistant bowl or Mason jar and pour water over it. Let sit for 1 minute, remove rhubarb from hot water and shock in ice water.
Drain rhubarb and lay it on a paper towel so liquid can release. Also pat dry as needed before adding to other ingredients.
In a medium bowl, combine rhubarb, apple, jalapeño pepper, onion, strawberries and cilantro. Add garlic (granules or fresh minced), pinches of cumin and coriander, and a little salt and pepper.
Whisk together lime juice, vinegar and honey. Pour over salsa and stir to combine.
Refrigerate 2-3 hours for flavors to meld. Can also be served immediately. Add salt and pepper as needed before serving.
Leftover salsa keeps in fridge for a day.
Note: You can substitute yellow or green bell pepper for the apple for a more savory flavor.
