Vegetable Side Recipes

Kia’s Pan-Toasted Cumin

Toasted cumin seeds add wonderful flavor to chili, cornbread, soup, lentils, rice, dal, scrambled eggs, cold salads and more. Simple to make, its great to make a about a half cup sized-batch at a time, and to store the leftover ground spice in a little jar in the fridge, where it will stay fresh.

Pan-toast the cumin seeds by putting several heaping tablespoons (or more, depending on the size of your pan!) of whole cumin seeds in dry skillet on medium-low heat.

Stir or flip the seeds carefully, off and on for about 5-7 minutes, until they start to show a little sign of color, and are getting really aromatic. I don’t recommend leaving the kitchen while they are toasting, unless you have super-amazing multi-tasking skills. You don’t want the cumin to smoke or burn, and it can happen quickly if you’re not paying attention!

Remove toasted seeds from pan and let cool completely, before grinding them in a spice grinder. Coffee grinders reserved for processing herbs and spices work well for this type of job. I found a used one that I keep around just for spices, so I don’t adulterate my precious coffee beans!

Use toasted ground cumin immediately in your favorite dishes, and store the remaining spice in a little jelly jar in the fridge, for later use.

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Stuffed Chard Leaves

rainbow chard

Did some of your chard get away from you and is now a little wilted? Here’s a fancy way to turn it into a culinary showpiece!

16 chard leaves, slightly wilted or blanched
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup raisins
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons oil

Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove ribs from chard leaves and set aside. In a medium bowl, mix together green onions, rice, feta, cottage cheese, egg, parsley, raisins, dill, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Lay chard leaves with underside up and place 2 tablespoons filling on each leaf, one-third up from bottom of leaf. Fold over sides and roll into a square packet. Place seam side down in a greased casserole dish. Do the same for all leaves and brush lightly with oil when all packets are in the casserole dish. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Bake any extra leftover filling and serve as a side dish. Serves 4 to 6 people.

We thank The City Gardener’s Cookbook: Recipes from Seattle’s P-Patches for this recipe.

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Three-Minute Swiss Chard

yellow rainbow chard

This simple side dish is an easy way to enjoy this nutrient packed vegetable alongside most any dish you are making.

1 pound Swiss chard, chopped
1 medium clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste

Optional Additions:
6 kalamata olives
1/2 cup feta cheese
1 teaspoon soy sauce

Chop garlic and let sit for 5 minutes to bring out its health-promoting properties. Use a large pot (3 quart) with lots of water. Make sure water is at a rapid boil before adding Swiss chard. Cut off tough bottom part of Swiss chard stems. Add the chopped leaves to the boiling water. Do not cover. Cook for 3 minutes; begin timing as soon as you drop the Swiss chard into the boiling water. Place in colander and press out excess water.
Transfer to serving dish and toss with rest of ingredients while it is still hot. Using a knife and fork, cut Swiss chard into small pieces for better flavor.

We thank The World’s Healthiest Foods for this recipe.

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Ful

fava beans

Fava beans are fun and delicious!

Ful is considered the national dish of Egypt and it is eaten at all times of the day, but it is most popular at breakfast.

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onions
5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried mint (can substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tomato, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 3/4 cup cooked fava beans
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
5 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Warm the oil in a saucepan. Add the onions, garlic, and salt, cover, and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft (about 7 minutes). Add the mint and cumin and sauté for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the tomatoes, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the beans and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Adapted by Virginia Newman from The Moosewood Restaurant’s Low Fat Favorites by the Moosewood Collective.

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Asian Pickled Leek Scapes

leek scapes

Scapes are the flowering stalks of the leek plant and can be eaten like asparagus — or pickled!

Yields half a pint. Recipe can be doubled or quadrupled.

1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
Small splash of fish sauce (optional)
Juice of 1 lime
1 leek, thinly sliced, or 1 shallot, sliced
1/2-1 whole hot chili pepper, sliced
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 leek scapes, sliced thinly on the diagonal, or use 4-5 garlic scapes

Combine all but the sliced scapes in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add the scapes and return to a simmer, then remove from heat and allow to steep for 20 minutes.

Pour everything into a clean half-pint jar, tightly seal it, and give it a good shake to make sure all the aromatics in the brine are well distributed. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours to allow the flavors to develop.

Pickled scapes go great with sweet and sour pork chops!

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Fontina Polenta

cornmeal

If you haven’t tried Nash’s cornmeal in the last month or so, take another look! The coarser grind is such a vibrant orangey-yellow, and the finer grind is amazing in cornbread.

It’s hard to find a good polenta recipe. This one is creamy and makes a delicious side dish to pork. You can add more nutrition by throwing in your choice of finely chopped herbs.

6 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup Nash’s cornmeal
1 cup shredded fontina cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter

Bring the milk to a boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat; add the salt. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Pour the cornmeal in a slow, steady stream into the simmering milk and whisk vigorously for the first couple of minutes. Then switch to stirring every minute or so with a wooden spoon. After 15 minutes, cover the polenta with a lid and turn the heat to low. Stir about every 5 minutes and let it cook slowly for a total time of 40 minutes. Add the shredded fontina, parmesan and butter and any additional herbs desired. Adjust seasoning if necessary and serve.

We thank Virginia Newman for adapting this recipe from the original by Darin Gagner in 2015.

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Caramelized Leek Pasta with Fresh Raab

red cabbage raab and green cabbage raab

Red cabbage raab and green cabbage raab are excellent options for this wonderfully seasonal recipe!

1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large leek, or two small leeks, greens and all thinly sliced (about 1 pound)
1 bunch raab, any variety
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound pasta (linguine or other long, thin shape)

Saute leek over medium heat in olive oil, stirring occasionally until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Make sure heat is low enough so leeks don’t burn or cook to quickly.

Meanwhile, bring several quarts of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Roughly chop the whole bunch of raab — stems, leaves and all. Pop them into the boiling water for 2 minutes, and then drain them and set aside.

Add the garlic to the pan with the leeks and cook for just one minute. Then add the raab and salt and pepper and cook everything together, stirring occasionally, until the raab is tender, about 5 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as desired.

While preparing the leek sauce, cook and drain the pasta, making sure that some liquid still sticks to the noodles. Toss the hot pasta with the raab-leek sauce. Mix well and transfer portions to warm pasta bowls. Drizzle each bowl with olive oil to taste and serve immediately.

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Garlicky Leeks in Olive Oil

leeks

Celebrate the flavors of leeks and garlic.

2 leeks
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons salt

Trim the dark green ends of the leeks, leaving only the light green and white ends. Rinse leeks well (cut in half lengthwise and rinse in between layers). Slice the leeks into 2-inch chunks.

In a small frying pan, heat olive oil to hot but not smoking. Turn down the heat and add garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cilantro and cook another 30 seconds. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

In a medium saucepan, bring 8 cups water to boil. Salt the water with 2 tablespoons salt. Add leeks to the boiling water and reduce heat to simmer. Poach until leeks are just tender to bite, about 4 minutes; do not overcook.

Drain the leeks and add them to the olive oil mixture, stirring gently to coat the leeks completely. Serve immediately, garnished with more cilantro.

Recipe adapted from Food52.com.

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Roasted Purple Sprouting Broccoli

purple broccoli with cat

Everyone loves purple sprouting broccoli!

Easy to make and crispy-delicious, this recipe is a winner for a quick side-dish or snack. But watch out, you might want to eat the whole pan in one sitting!

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

2 bunches purple sprouting broccoli
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss whole broccoli liberally with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a baking dish, pop in oven, and let sizzle for about 20 minutes. Give then a quick turn and roast for another 4-10 minutes until crispy and tender. These are best served hot out of the oven, so dig in!

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Roasted Beet Salad

beet cascade

Which beets will you choose for this tasty, vibrant salad?

Serves 4 as a side dish

1-2 pounds beets
Feta or soft goat cheese
Olive oil
Apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper
1/2 bunch cilantro

Clean and quarter beets and place in roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil and mix with fork to ensure the beets are evenly coated. Roast at 350°F until tender enough for a knife to go through the center. Add a dash of vinegar, salt, pepper and feta/goat cheese to taste. Toss everything together with chopped cilantro.

If you prefer, you can peel the beets for aesthetic appeal with this dish. Keep in mind you lose nutrient content when you peel any vegetable!

We thank Underwood Gardens for inspiration for this recipe.

Thanks!

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