Green Bean Summer Salad

Adapted from Marie Simmons Fresh and Fast Vegetarian (this is a great cookbook and you should get it!)

This may be the best time of year for those of us who try to eat locally and thus with the seasons. Tomatoes are finally here! This along with everything fresh, bright, and crunchy that makes you think of summer (I'm looking at you corn!). This almost absurdly simple salad looked too boring to be delicious, but I was wrong! It really reminded me of an episode of the a Chef's Life on PBS in which Chef Vivian Howard opts to simplify her dishes in the spirit of letting the ingredients shine. There is something really beautiful about that concept and this salad is a great way to celebrate it.

Green Bean Summer Salad
1 pound green beans split into 1 inch pieces  (wax beans work here too!)
2 ears of corn, kernals cut off the cob
2 medium sized tomatoes, diced
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1/4 cup basil, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt to taste (don't hold back!)

Combine all ingredients vegetables in a bowl and sprinkle liberally with salt. Make sure that the toss has spread out the basil thoroughly since it's the heart of the flavor profile Combine olive oil and lemon juice and give them a good stir before pouring it over the salad. The freshness of the ingredients is key here, so consider this a good option to make as soon as you get home from the Farmer's Market or store.

Kimchi Coleslaw

Sometimes you're craving the bite of kimchi but in a more approachable eat on its own kind of way. I think this is a fresh and bright, but still spicy satisfier that you can eat on its own or paired with a heavier entree. 

Kimchi Coleslaw

4 cups shredded cabbage

1 yellow/red/orange pepper julienned

2 watermelon radishes julienned
1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/4 cup red onion julienned

(If available, use a mandolin to slice all of the above vegetables nice and thin)

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

1/2 cup Kimchi

2 tablespoons sriracha

1 tablespoon granulated garlic

1 tablespoon salt

Buffalo Cauliflower "Wings"

I have to be honest. I freakin love buffalo wings. When I started to really limit my meat intake, I think wings were one of the treats I missed the most, and I still give into temptation sometimes. This wonderful alternative of buffalo cauliflower really does satisfy the craving for warm, spicy, crunch dipped in a creamy sauce. It will not disappoint!

Buffalo Cauliflower
1 head cauliflower
1 cup flour
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/4 cup butter (use coconut oil for vegan version)
2 tablespoons hot sauce of choice

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Break down the head of cauliflower into bite size short stem florets.. Mix the flour garlic powder, pepper, and water together to create a simple batter. If the batter looks thin, add a bit more flour until thick enough to drip very slowly off a spoon. Dredge the  cauliflower in the flour and water mixture to thoroughly coat each piece before placing  on a cookie sheet. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes.


While the cauliflower is baking, you can make your sauce. Melt the 1/4 cup of butter into a bowl and combine with your hot sauce of choice. I used Annie Sharpe's Belizean hot sauce for half and sriracha for the other half. They were both delicious, so I think you can't go wrong throwing whatever sauce you like together with a bunch of butter.

Remove the cauliflower from the oven and let cool until you can pick it up. Spoon the hot sauce and butter mixture over each piece until covered generously. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy!

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie with Lentils

What is better on a cold winter day than the warm comfort of mashed potatoes combined with a gravy and a lot of nutritious vegetables? This was my thought upon returning to harsh winter weather after a lovely trip to Belize last week. A tragic amount of vegetarian shepherd's pie dishes on the internet neglect to include the protein packed ingredient of lentils which is a crying shame.

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie with Lentils
2 lbs potatoes (I like russets, but use whatever!)
1 cup dried lentils
1 small onion, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
2 large carrots, diced
1 large head of broccoli, chopped
2 tablespoons olive or coconut oil
1/4 cup Worcestershire (vegan Worcestershire to be truly vegetarian)
3 tbs soy sauce
3 cups veggie broth
2 tbs cup flour
2 tbs butter
1/2 cup greek yogurt or sour cream
1 clove of garlic (optional if you like your mashed potatoes garlicky)

Mashed Potatoes
My husband had the brilliant idea of cubing the potatoes before throwing them into a pot of salted boiling water and it made them cook so much faster! Boil them for approximately 25 minutes (until soft enough to push a fork through). While these are boiling is a great time to prep your other ingredients. Strain the potatoes  and set aside to cool. Mash in a large bowl along with the butter, greek yogurt, and garlic, if you are opting for garlicky.

Filling
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Add coconut or olive oil to a large pan or wok on medium heat. Saute the onions, carrots, and celery for 10 minutes until soft and the onions are translucent. Add the broccolli and stir another couple of minutes before tossing in the lentils, vegetable broth, soy sauce, and Worcestershire and let cook until the lentils are tender. This took me about 15 minutes. If there is not a lot of liquid left at this point, add more veggie stock before throwing in the flour to thicken the remaining liquid into more of a gravy and stir stir stir. Once the remaining liquid has thickened, remove from heat and pour into a rectangular 1 quart baking dish. Layer the mashed potatoes on top until covered. Drizzle with a little olive oil if you like a nice crust and place in the oven for 15 minutes.