Featured Recipes

Garden Potato Medley 

We grew potatoes in our garden this year and there is nothing better tasting than freshly dug potatoes.  We also had a huge crop of heirloom tomatoes, and plenty of dinosaur kale (my favorite variety) so this dish is a staple during these fall months.

Preparation Time:  15 minutes
Cooking Time:  20 minutes
Servings:  4

4 cups chunked potatoes
1 tablespoon vegetable broth
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 ½ cups chopped fresh tomatoes
several twists freshly ground black pepper
4 cups packed chopped dinosaur kale
1  15 ounce can red beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon chili paste (Sambal Oelek)
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Place the potatoes in water to cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until fairly tender, about 6-8 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

Place the vegetable broth in a large non-stick frying pan.  Add the onion, garlic and jalapeno.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until vegetables are very soft, about 3-4 minutes.  Add tomatoes and black pepper.  Cook, uncovered over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.  Add the kale and stir gently to combine. Cover and continue to cook for about 2 minutes until kale turns bright green, then add the potatoes and beans.  Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, then add the soy sauce, chili paste and cilantro.  Cook an additional 5 minutes, until kale is tender.

Serve warm or cold.

Hint:  Use a variety of tomatoes for an attractive, colorful dish.  Use small, new potatoes cooked with the skins on for best flavor.  Small red potatoes or a variety of fingerlings are delicious in this recipe.  If you can’t get dinosaur kale (also called Lacinato Blue), use regular kale, but remove the stems first.

Potato and Kale Soup

Another delicious use for all the potatoes and kale in my garden this year!

Preparation Time:  20 minutes
Cooking Time:  30 minutes
Servings:  6

2 leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
6 1/3 cups water
6 cups peeled and chopped Yukon Gold potatoes
1 teaspoon dill weed
Freshly ground white pepper to taste
Dash sea salt
4 cups shredded dinosaur kale
1 cup unsweetened almond milk

Place the leeks in a large soup pot with 1/3 cup of the water.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks soften, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the remaining water, the potatoes, dill, pepper and salt.  Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for about 20 minutes until potatoes are tender.  Use an immersion blender to slightly blend the soup, leaving some potato chunks OR remove half of the soup to a blender jar and process until smooth, then return to pot and mix well.  Add the dinosaur kale, cook for 5 minutes, then stir in the almond milk and let rest for about 2 minutes before serving.

Hints:  Be sure to clean the leeks well before slicing.  I usually cut them in half lengthwise before slicing and then rinse them under running water.  6 cups of chopped potatoes is about 3 pounds of potatoes.  Dinosaur kale is also called Lacinato Blue and is quite tender.  If you can’t find it, use regular kale in this recipe but remove the stems first.  To shred the kale, roll it slightly, then cut very thin slices (chiffonade).

Garden Vegetable Stew

Preparation Time:  15 minutes
Cooking Time:  30 minutes
Servings:  6-8

1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
¼ cup vegetable broth
1  28 ounce can fire-roasted chopped tomatoes
4 small zucchini, sliced
2 small yellow crookneck squash, sliced
1 cup cut green beans
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed in ¼ cup cold water

Place the onion, garlic and bell pepper in a large pot with the vegetable broth.  Cook and stir until slightly softened, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, and beans.  Cover and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes.  Add the corn and seasonings, except for the cornstarch mixture.  Cook for another 10 minutes.  Add the cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.

Hint:  If you have some fresh herbs in your garden, use those in place of the dried.  Substitute ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil and  ½ tablespoon chopped fresh oregano.

Spicy Red Hummus

This is a delicious, but spicy, red bell pepper hummus.  It has no added tahini or oil, so it is very low in fat, but the flavors just burst in your mouth.  Serve as a spread in a wrap or as a dip for baked pita triangles.

Preparation Time:  10 minutes
Chilling Time:  1 hour
Servings:  makes about 2 cups

1  15 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup roasted red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon paprika
Several twists freshly ground black pepper
Dash sea salt
1 tablespoon water

Place all the ingredients except the water in a food processor and process until quite smooth.  Add the water while processing and continue to process until mixture is very smooth.  Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour to blend flavors.

Harlequin Rice

Preparation Time:  15 minutes
Cooking Time:  50 minutes
Servings:  4

1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
2 1/4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup uncooked brown basmati rice
1  4 ounce can chopped green chilies
1  4 ounce jar chopped pimientos
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups packed chopped spinach
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Place ¼ cup of the vegetable broth in a large pot with the onion, bell pepper, green onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften slightly, about 3 minutes.  Add the remaining broth, the rice, green chilies, pimientos, corn, parsley and cumin.  Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes until rice is tender. Stir in remaining ingredients and cook for 2 minutes longer.

Tex-Mex Pasta

Preparation Time:  15 minutes
Cooking Time:  20 minutes
Servings:  4

12 ounces whole wheat or brown rice linguine or spaghetti
1  15 ounce can fire-roasted chopped tomatoes
1  15 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1  4 ounce can chopped green chilies
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ cup water
¼ cup sherry
1 large onion, sliced
½ pound mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed in ¼ cup cold water

Place a large pot of water on to boil.

Combine the tomatoes, kidney beans, green chilies, chili powder, paprika, cumin and oregano in a bowl and set aside.

Place the water and sherry in a large non-stick sauté pan.  Add the onion, mushrooms and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until tender.

Add the tomato mixture to the onions and mushrooms and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.  Add the cornstarch mixture, cook and stir until thickened.

Drain the pasta and place in a bowl.  Pour the tomato-vegetable mixture over the pasta and toss gently to mix.

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