Tag Archives: vegetables

Roast Dijon Potatoes

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  • 2 pounds small red potatoes, halved or quartered if large
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  1. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 425°F.
  2. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. Transfer the potatoes to a rimmed baking sheet and arrange the potatoes so they are cut-side down.
  3. Roast for 10 minutes. Flip the potatoes over with a flat spatula and cook until browned and tender, about 10 minutes more.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Miso

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  • 1 tbsp. miso paste
  • 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp. maple syrup
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 2 tbsp. olive il

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Add trimmed and halved brussel sprouts to a mixing bowl and season with salt, pepper, and oil.

Mix miso glaze and set aside.

Cut brussel sprouts in a cast iron pot/pan for 2-3 minutes; then add 5 smashed garlic cloves.

Bake brussel sprouts and garlic for 10-15 minutes.

After cooking, immediately halve the miso glaze and mix brussel sprouts in. Use remaining sauce as a dipping sauce.

Pho Flavoured Cherry Tomatoes

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  • 1 rounded TBSP pho spice blend per quart jar (excludes cinnamon stick) — pho spice typically consists of star anise, fennel, clove, coriander and/or cardamom. (You will have to make your own blend if you can’t find it pre-made.)
  • 1 cinnamon stick & black cardamom pod (it should come in a pre-made pho spice pack)
  • 4-5 cloves garlic, quartered
  • 4-5 sprigs Thai basil (preferred but other basil can be substituted if needed)
  • Several stalks of cilantro, ~10g
  • Nub of ginger, thinly sliced (~15g)
  • Very firm cherry tomatoes (any variety) to fill your container (not fully ripened is best)
  • 1 TBSP + 1 tsp additive-free salt (or use a 4 – 4.5% brine) dissolved in 2 filtered cups water
  • For a spicy version: 1-2+ sliced jalapenos, red or green
  • 1-2 tsp peppercorns
  • 1 TBSP lime juice and zest of lime
  • 1-2 TBSP fish sauce
  • Wash all the produce including the basil
  • Coarsely crush all the spices in mortar & pestle and place them in the cooking pot along with the cinnamon stick, salt, peppercorns (if used), and water (2 cups per quart jar), bring to a boil, then turn off heat  and allow to cool to room temperature (or colder). (Alternately, just make a cold saltwater brine, shaking the salt and spices in a sealed jar until the salt has fully dissolved. This method is faster but will not make as strong of a flavor.)
  • Slice any peppers used (spicy or otherwise)
  • In the jar, put in the tomatoes, lime juice, fish sauce, ginger, garlic, hot pepper slices, and any other produce used, ending with the basil and cilantro on top
  • Fill the jar with the spiced salt water brine until it reaches about 1.5″ from the top. Keep all spices and the cinnamon stick in the jar.
  • Top everything with fermentation weight
  • Conclude with placement of the lid and an airlock or any preferred device, otherwise use the standard lid and burp it every 1-2 days
  • The tomatoes will normally be flavorful and effervescent within 3-5 days. The flavor will continue to develop in the refrigerator, but tomatoes will go soft within a couple weeks.

Beet Kvass

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  • 4 medium beets, cleaned and cubed (or mix and match with other root veggies like turnip and daikon)
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 1 large piece of ginger, sliced
  • 1.5 TBSP non-iodized salt dissolved in 4.5 cups filtered, distilled, or otherwise clean water. (This will make ~2% brine salinity, ideal for beets and a quick ferment)

Rinse and clean the produce

Cube the beets to about 1/2″ pieces; slice the carrot and ginger

Place the produce in the jar.

To make the saltwater brine, place the salt in a jar with the water and shake vigorously for a minute or two. Alternately, you can heat the water until the salt dissolves in it, but then wait for it to return to room temperature.

Pour the saltwater into the jar until it reaches the shoulder. Then add any weights and determine if any more (or less) brine is needed. About 4 cups in all will be used. (Excess brine can be placed in a ziploc and placed on top of the veggies.)

Keep the ferment on a shelf out of direct sunlight for fermenting. You can store in the fridge at any time but be aware it will greatly slow the rate of fermentation.

Ferment length: Although some people will start drinking it within a couple days, waiting longer will yield more probiotic bacteria. You may enjoy the flavor even more too. Consider a length of several days to a week, and perhaps make a second batch to see what it tastes like after a few weeks. I personally like very fermented beets for eating (around 3+ months), so you could also keep the beets going at room temperature once you’ve had the drink. You could do this by replacing the brine. Which brings us to the next point…

Panko Cauliflower Bits

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  • 1 head cauliflower cut into bite sizes
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • 2 large eggs beaten

Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper or aluminum foil.Wash cauliflower and pat dry. Cut into pieces.Add panko to a small bowl.Add flour, salt, and pepper to another small bowl and stir together.Add 2 eggs to another small bowl and beat.You now have 3 bowls with the flour, the egg mixture, and the panko.Use the stem of cauliflower to hold, dip the floret first in the flour, then into the egg and finally into the panko.Place on a sheet tray so that they’re not touching.Repeat process with all the cauliflower.Bake at 450 degrees 30 minutes.

Roasted Beet Relish

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  • 3 cups cubed, peeled beets (~2 large or 3 small beets)
  • 2 tsp. avocado oil
  • 1/4 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1-2 tsp. maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp. lime zest
  • 1-2 tbsp. lime juice

Heat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Add peeled, cubed beets to a medium mixing bowl along with avocado oil, salt, and cumin.

Roast beets for 35-40 minutes, or until fork tender and slightly golden brown / caramelized, tossing once at the 20-minute mark to ensure even baking. The longer they bake, the more tender and caramelized they become, but be careful not to overcook / burn, or they can become crispy and tough.

Once roasted, add back to the mixing bowl from earlier and season with maple syrup, lime zest, and lime juice, and mix. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more lime juice for acidity, lime zest for citrus flavor, cumin for smokiness, salt to taste, or maple syrup for sweetness.

Roasted Carrots

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  • 12 carrots
  • 3 tablespoons good olive oil
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill or parsley
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. If the carrots are thick, cut them in half lengthwise; if not, leave whole. Slice the carrots diagonally in 1 1/2-inch-thick slices. (The carrots will shrink while cooking so make the slices big.) Toss them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer to a sheet pan in 1 layer and roast in the oven for 20 minutes, until browned and tender.
  3. Toss the carrots with minced dill or parsley, season to taste, and serve.

Sweet Potatoes with Chile-Cilantro

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  • ¼ cup plus 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
  • ½ tsp. honey
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • 2 ¼ pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch wedges
  • ½ bunch cilantro, leaves only (1/2 ounce)
  • 2 green chiles, seeded and chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp. sliced blanched almonds
  • 1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup oil, the honey, juice from 1 lime, a large pinch of salt and pepper to taste, and toss with potato wedges. Spread in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet, bake until tender and lightly browned in spots, 45 to 55 minutes. Sprinkle with additional salt to taste.
  3. Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse to combine 1/3 cup oil, the cilantro, chiles, garlic, almonds, juice from remaining lime, vinegar and a large pinch of salt, until it forms a chunky purée. Taste and add more salt if needed.
  4. Spoon the sauce over the potatoes, dollop with some yogurt, drizzle with oil, and serve with any remaining yogurt on the side.

Braised Bok Choy with Sherry & Prosciutto

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1 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
6 heads baby bok choy, cut in half lengthwise
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 cup dry sherry (or Chinese rice wine)
1/2 cup homemade or low-salt chicken broth
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch mixed with 1 tsp. cold water to form a slurry
4 thin slices prosciutto, sliced crosswise into 1/4″ strips

Put the oil and garlic in a small wok.  Set over medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic begins to sizzle steadily (about 1 minute).  Add the boy choy and using tongs turn it in the oil and garlic; season with the salt.  When the tender tops begin to wilt, in about 1 minute, add the sherry and toss again for about 15 seconds before adding the chicken broth, soy sauce and sugar.  Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer until the bok choy tops are completely wilted and the stalks are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.  Transfer the bok choy to a plate.

Give the cornstarch slurry a stir to recombine and then whisk it into the cooking liquid.  SImmer vigorously until the liquid has thickened, about 30 seconds.  Remove from the heat and return the bok choy to the pan.  Add the prosciutto and toss quickly to coat the bok choy with the broth and to mix in the prosciutto.  Season to taste with salt and serve.