Lentil and Roasted Root Vegetables with Miso-Parsley Sauce

Roasted Vegetables

1 pound potatoes

5 medium carrots, cut on the bias into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

Lentils

1½ cups vegetable broth or water

1 cup French green lentils or regular brown lentils, picked through to remove debris and rinsed

Gremolata miso sauce

1 cup fresh parsley, gently packed

1 lemon, zested and juiced

4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1¾ teaspoon white miso

Pinch red pepper flakes

3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste

Roast the vegetables: Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss the chopped potatoes and carrots in 2 tablespoons olive oil and arrange them in a single layer on a (preferably rimmed) baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and golden.

Cook the lentils: In a medium saucepan, bring the broth (or water) to boil and add lentils. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, until tender. Drain the lentils, return to pot, remove bay leaf and cover.

Make the sauce: In the bowl of a small food processor or a blender, combine the parsley, lemon zest and juice, garlic cloves, miso and red pepper flakes. Blend the mixture while slowly drizzling in the olive oil. (If you don't have a food processor/blender, you could finely chop the parsley, press or mince the garlic cloves and whisk the ingredients together.)

Assemble the dish: In a large serving bowl, toss together the lentils, vegetables and sauce. Season with black pepper and salt to taste (miso is salty so you might not need much or any salt). Serve.

Leek and Parsley Risotto

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup leek, diced

1 fennel bulb, diced (optional)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1.5 cups of arborio rice

4 cups of veggie stock

1 cup white wine

a small bunch of fresh parsley, very finely chopped

½ cup grated hard cheese like a parmigiana or an asiago

1/2 lemon

sea salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil for the risotto in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan. Sauté leek and fennel (optional) until tender. Add the minced garlic and sauté another minute or two until the garlic is fragrant. Add arborio rice stirring constantly until evenly coated. Add one cup of wine and stir continually until liquid is mostly absorbed. Then gradually add the veggie stock a cup at a time and reducing the liquid until mostly absorbed between each cup. This method allows for a slow release of the starches giving the finished product a creamy texture.

Cook until al dente, which is firm but cooked. You don’t want to overcook the rice into mush. Once the rice has reached the perfect state of al dente-ness add the parsley, cheese, and the juice of half a lemon and toss. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Grilled Tendersweet Cabbage with Parsley Dressing

1 head of cabbage, cut into 8 wedges with stem intact 

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

1/4 cup water

2 garlic cloves

2/3 cup non fat Greek yogurt

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice from 2 lemons

1 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Puree parsley, water and garlic in food processor or blender until smooth.  Add the remaining ingredients and puree a few more seconds until everything combined. 

Grill cabbage wedges on high heat for 5 minutes on each side. Serve warm with dressing or let cool and rough chop and toss with dressing.

Grilled Kale and Summer Vegetable Salad

1 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 bunch of kale, washed and dried

Summer squash and bell pepper sliced tossed in oil, salt and pepper - grilled 

2 oz crumbled feta

1-2 tomatoes sliced

1 Tbsp parsley chopped

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat grill.

Grill assorted veggies then chill.

In a large mixing bowl combine olive oil, garlic, vinegar, juice, zest and kale. Toss until well coated.

Lay kale side by side in a single layer on top of the grill until crispy, 1 - 2 minutes per side.

Remove kale from grill and cool until workable. Then rough chop.

For salad add grilled assorted veggies, feta, parsley and sliced tomatoes.

Vinaigrette Recipe 

3 parts good olive oil to 1-part wine vinegar, a splash of balsamic, 1 smashed garlic clove, a dollop of Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon of oregano, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, ground pepper to taste. Whisk everything together.

Curried Kohlrabi & Potato Latkes with Sambal Oelek Mayo

1-2 medium potatoes

1 kohlrabi bulb, peeled

1/2 red onion, peeled and trimmed

2 teaspoons chopped parsley

2 large eggs

1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (or equivalent gluten free flour mix)

1 Tbsp curry powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Up to 1/4 cup vegetable oil or clarified butter

Sambal Oelek Mayo

1 tbsp. Sambal

½ cup Mayonnaise 

Coarsely grate the potato, kohlrabi, and onion in a food processor. Wring out any excess liquid from the vegetables by wrapping them in a clean, lint-free dish towel and squeezing it out.

Dump the drained vegetables into a medium bowl. Add the eggs, flour, parsley and salt and mix until combined.

Heat a large, preferably non-stick, sauté pan over medium heat. Add two tablespoons of vegetable oil or clarified butter. When hot, drop 1/4 cup sized dollops of the batter into the pan. Press down on the cakes with a spatula to flatten. Cook until browned, a few minutes. Flip and cook for a few more minutes.

Remove from the pan to a plate or a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining batter.

The pancakes can be reheated in a 350º F oven. Serve warm, garnished with Sambal Oelek Mayo.

Cucumber Gazpacho, Because it's hot outside

2 Slicing cucumbers, peeled and chopped (3 cups chopped)

1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped (try to remove white ribbing may impart a bitter flavor)

½-1 Italian bottle neck onions, minced (reserve tops and slice thin like a scallion for garnish)

2 jalapeños, stemmed, halved lengthwise, seeded (use disposable gloves)

1 bunch Italian parsley, large stems removed

Small handful mint or lemon verbena leaves

2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced or pressed

½ cup chicken stock, or veggie stock, plus additional

¼ cup cold pressed olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Several drops of Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce, to taste

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Garnish

¼ cup small diced cucumber (with peel)

¼ cup diced green bell pepper

coarsely grated zest of 1 lemon

6 small tips of fresh spearmint or lemon verbena

Put the cucumber, bell pepper, Italian bottleneck onion, jalapenos, parsley, mint or lemon verbena, and garlic into a blender and liquefy.

Add the stock, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, Tabasco, and salt. Pulse to combine.

Taste and adjust the balance of salt and lemon juice if needed.

Adjust the thickness of the soup by adding a little more chicken stock if needed.

Chill for at least two hours.

Just before serving, pour the soup into individual cups, and then sprinkle each with a bit of diced cucumber, and lemon zest.

Cucumber and Parsley Salad

1 Cucumber Peeled

2 Tbsp. Diced Pearl Onion

2 Tbsp Olive

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp Vinegar – If you have some chive infused vinegar this would be great here. Otherwise Balsamic or Red Wine Vinegar would be a great choice

¼  Cup Minced Garlic Scapes – If you don’t have any scapes left from last week, you can substitute Scallion

½ bunch of Parsley Minced

½ Tsp Salt

Pepper to taste

Take cucumber and cut it in half lengthwise then remove the seeds with a spoon (this is optional as I eat the seeds and they are delicious) and slice crosswise very thinly. Add salt and place into a bowl and set aside.

Dice the pearl onion and mince the garlic scapes. Combine with the minced parsley and set aside. 

Mix together lemon juice, vinegar and oil. Whisk and then pour over cucumbers. Toss onion/garlic/herb mixture into the cucumbers and toss thoroughly to ensure a light coating on all the ingredients. Add pepper to taste.