Pasta with sugar snap peas + herbs (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian)

Here you make a pasta sauce by reserving and flavoring some of the pasta-cooking water (inspired by foodnetwork.com).

Ingredients

• extra-virgin olive oil, ghee, or coconut oil
• onion, diced
• mushrooms, sliced
• jalapeño chile, minced
• salt
• sugar snap peas, strings removed and chopped
• brown rice pasta or other gluten-free pasta
• garlic cloves, minced
• Swiss chard, center ribs removed and leaves thinly sliced
• fresh parsley and dried herbs, such as thyme, fennel seed, or herbes de Provence
• pepper
• vinegar or lemon juice (optional)

 Method

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, mushrooms, chile, and salt. Cook until softened. Add sugar snap peas and continue cooking.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain pasta, reserving 1 to 2 cups of pasta-cooking water. Set aside.
3. Add garlic and chard to the pan and cook for a minute or two. Transfer vegetables to a serving bowl; reserve the pan. Toss pasta with vegetables in the serving bowl.
4. Heat reserved pasta-cooking water in the pan. Add oil or ghee and reduce the liquid. Add herbs and cook for another minute or two. Pour sauce over pasta and vegetables. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and a splash of vinegar if using.

Pasta with artichoke hearts, olives + potatoes (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian)

Sounds like an odd combination for a pasta dish, but the flavors bring to mind a salad Niςoise because of the potatoes, herbes de Provence, and the briny olives and artichoke hearts. My household enjoys spicy tang, so we used pickled jalapeño chiles in place of the vinegar.

Ingredients

• extra-virgin olive oil
• onion, sliced into thin half-moons
• mushrooms, sliced
• potatoes, cut into ½-in. dice
• salt
• brown rice or other gluten-free pasta
• marinated artichoke hearts
• greens, such as kale or collards, center ribs removed and leaves chopped
• pitted green olives, chopped
• vinegar, such as white wine or white balsamic
• herbes de Provence
• pepper

Method

1. Heat oil in a large pan. Add onion and mushrooms and cook until softened. Add potatoes and a sprinkle of salt and cover and cook until potatoes are just soft.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain, reserving a cup or two of the cooking water.
3. Add artichoke hearts, greens, and olives and cook until greens are wilted. Mix in pasta. Season to taste with vinegar, herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper.

Radish, fennel, and baby arugula salad with tahini dressing (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian)

How about a winter main-course salad without the usual suspects? No lettuce here.

Ingredients

• red radishes, sliced
• fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped
• baby arugula leaves, washed and dried in a salad spinner
• green onions, thinly sliced
• super-firm tofu or seasoned baked tofu, cut in ½-in. dice
• hard-cooked eggs
• orange juice
• lime or lemon juice
• salt
• tahini (sesame paste)
• toasted sesame oil
• Sriracha chili sauce
• pepper
• toasted sliced almonds

Method

1. Put radishes, fennel, arugula, green onions, and tofu into a large serving bowl. Peel and slice eggs; add to bowl.
2. Make dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together juices, salt, tahini, sesame oil, Sriracha, and pepper. Adjust seasonings.
3. Pour dressing over salad and toss thoroughly. Top with almonds and serve.

Red lentil stew with coconut + cabbage (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian)

A can of coconut milk and red lentils made the perfect thick stew for our recent blustery and rainy weather in the San Francisco Bay Area. Serve over your favorite grain, pasta, or cooked vegetables.

Ingredients

• coconut oil
• onion, diced
• root vegetables, such as turnips, potatoes, and carrots
• mushrooms, sliced thinly
• salt
• dried chiles, such as poblano, chile negro, chipotle, habanero, or cayenne, stemmed and seeded
• red lentils
• homemade vegetable broth, store-bought broth, or water
• chopped green garlic or minced garlic cloves
• canned coconut milk
• green cabbage, cut into 1-in. dice
• Sriracha chili sauce
• sugar-free dried, shredded coconut
• green onions, thinly sliced

Method

1. Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, root vegetables, and mushrooms; sprinkle with salt. Cook, covered, until vegetables soften.
2. Meanwhile, put chiles in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. When soft, cut with scissors while submerged and stir chiles with soaking water into pot. Add red lentils and cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Add broth just to cover and cook, covered, until lentils are soft.
3. Add garlic, coconut milk, and cabbage. Cook, covered, until cabbage softens. Stir in Sriracha, shredded coconut, and green onions just before serving.

Chunky potato broccoli soup (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian)

I love a hearty soup in the winter. This one satisfies, with one or two beets for sweetness—pink Chioggia or golden beets don’t bleed like red beets, but if you don’t mind a scarlet-colored soup, use red beets. If you don’t have beets, no worries.

Ingredients

• extra-virgin olive oil or ghee
• onions, diced
• shallot, diced
• mushrooms, sliced
• potatoes, chopped
• beets, trimmed, scrubbed, and diced
• salt
• homemade broth, store-bought broth, or water
• garlic, minced
• broccoli, chopped
• pepper

Process

1. Heat oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and shallot and cook, covered, for a minute. Add mushrooms, potatoes, beet, and salt and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften. Add broth to cover and simmer, covered, until broth is flavored by the vegetables, about 15 minutes.
2. Stir in garlic and broccoli and cook, covered, until broccoli is softened. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup a little, keeping the soup chunky. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Nut butter microwave breakfast (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian)

Want an easy, quick, and satisfying hot breakfast? Here’s the answer.

Ingredients

• sweet potato, yam, or butternut or other winter squash, washed
• almond butter or other nut butter

Method

1. Pierce the vegetable in several places. Place in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave, uncovered, for 2 or 3 minutes. Turn over and microwave until shiny and completely soft.
2. Let cool for a minute or two. Cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and discard (compost). Spread nut butter on each half and enjoy!

Indian-spiced vegetables (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian)

A friend (thank you, Seema) inspired this recipe. You can use any vegetables you have on hand, but potatoes definitely add a nice heft. I add ginger and garlic late in the cooking process for a stronger flavor; for a milder ginger and garlic flavor, add them earlier. Serve the vegetables with basmati rice or your favorite grain.

Ingredients

• extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil
• cumin seeds
• asafetida (optional)
• sweet peppers, chopped
• jalapeño chiles, chopped
• mushrooms, sliced
• potatoes, diced
• small cabbage, cored and chopped
• salt
• fresh ginger minced
• garlic, minced
• kale, center ribs removed and leaves chopped
• turmeric
• chile powder, such as New Mexico
• coriander powder
• garam masala

Method

1. Heat oil over medium heat. Add cumin and asafoetida if using. Cook until aromatic, about 1 minute.
2. Add peppers, chiles, mushrooms, and potatoes. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened. Add cabbage and salt, cover, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally.
3. When cabbage is just wilted and vegetables are soft, stir in ginger, garlic, and kale and cook until kale is wilted. Add seasonings, stir, cover, and cook 1 more minute.

Layered tortilla casserole (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian)

Corn tortillas replace the noodles in this Mexican-inspired, dairy-free “lasagna.” Mini tortillas might be easier to layer, depending on the size of your baking dish. Consider substituting or adding zucchini, mushrooms, sweet peppers, or other vegetables you have on hand—this dish is an easy way to empty the vegetable drawer in your fridge.

Ingredients

• extra-virgin olive oil
• spinach or kale, chopped
• corn tortillas
• onion, chopped
• cooked whole beans or refried beans
• potatoes, chopped
• salsa or canned tomatoes
• super-firm tofu, diced (optional)
• oregano
• cumin powder
• chile or chili powder
• salt
• pepper
• hot sauce

Method

1. Heat a toaster oven or regular oven to 375º F. Lightly oil a glass or ceramic baking dish.
2. Add spinach to a heatproof colander and pour boiling water over the leaves. Let cool, then wring out as much liquid as possible. Coarsely chop leaves.
3. Put tortillas in the bottom of the baking dish. Layer onion, beans, potatoes, spinach, salsa, and tofu, if using, with a tortilla layer in the middle. Add oregano, cumin, chile powder, salt, and pepper to the last vegetable layer and top with tortillas.
4. Cover with foil and bake, checking after 40 minutes and then every 10 minutes or so, until a fork easily pierces through all layers. Uncover and broil to brown the top layer of tortillas. Serve with more salsa and hot sauce.

Beans + greens + pasta (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian)

Pasta and beans (pasta e fagioli) is a well-known combination in Italian cuisine. I added greens because winter temperatures give kale, collards, and Swiss chard a kiss of sweetness that is difficult to resist. Use any beans that you enjoy: Cannellini beans are the standard, but I used black runner beans.

I prefer a pressure cooker because the bean-cooking process is faster, but you can cook the beans in any pot with a tight-fitting lid. To quick-soak dried beans, put the beans in a glass measuring cup, cover with several inches of boiling water, and let them soak on the counter for an hour or more. The fresher the dried beans, the shorter the soaking and cooking time (see my previous post about beans). To use canned beans in this recipe, add the beans when you add the greens.

My household prefers a strong hit of garlic and ginger, which is why I add them late in the process. If you like a milder flavor, add them earlier so they cook longer.

Ingredients

• extra-virgin olive oil
• onion, sliced in thin half-moons
• dried beans, soaked, drained, and rinsed
• brown-rice or other gluten-free penne pasta
• jalapeño chile
• tomatoes, coarsely chopped, or canned tomatoes
• garlic cloves, minced
• fresh ginger, minced
• salt
• pepper
• kale, collards, or Swiss chard, center stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped and washed
• herbes de Provence

Method

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker or a large pot. Add the onion and cook until just starting to brown. Add beans with water to cover by an inch or so. If using a pressure cooker, bring to high pressure, cook for 7 to 10 minutes, run cold water over the pot before opening the lid, then check to see if beans are soft—if not, continue cooking the beans on the stovetop. If using a pot, bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until beans are soft.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain pasta, reserving 1 or 2 cups of pasta-cooking water.
3. Add jalapeño and tomatoes and cook until vegetables are soft. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1 or 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add greens and herbes de Provence and cook, stirring, until greens are soft, 1 or 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the pasta a cup at a time to match the greens and beans in volume. Add reserved pasta-cooking water, if needed, to create the consistency you like. Adjust seasonings and serve.

 

Oven-crisped brown rice topped with seasoned spinach (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian)

Satisfying contrasts make up this dish: Cooked rice broiled until crispy, then topped with tender, tasty spinach. This recipe is perfect for that leftover rice in your fridge because previously cooked rice is drier—and easier to crisp—than freshly steamed.

Ingredients

• cooked brown rice
• extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil
• onion, thinly sliced into half-moons
• super-firm tofu or seasoned baked tofu, diced
• tamari, ponzu, soy sauce, or soy sauce alternative
• Sriracha chili sauce
• toasted sesame oil
• tahini (sesame paste)
• spinach, washed and spun dry

Method

1. Heat broiler in a toaster oven or regular oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Add rice in one thin layer to the baking sheet and broil until toasted and crispy. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and tofu and cook without stirring for a few minutes, then cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.
3. Add remaining ingredients and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes, until spinach is wilted and soft. Serve spinach mixture over crispy rice.