Sautéed Zucchini

I served a cooling lunch of barley-chickpea salad and heirloom tomato salad on Sunday. Then I added a quick warm dish to add contrast.

I thinly sliced a few small zucchini and sautéed them in a little olive oil with a whole clove of garlic that I then discarded.

Sprinkled with parsley and adorned with a nasturtium flower, they made a nice slightly crunchy addition to the meal.

Cooking with Flowers

 I was buying cherry tomatoes from an organic farmer on Sunday when I noticed he also had nasturtium flowers for sale. I asked him how he cooked them. He said he often makes squash blossom quesadillas, and sometimes adds the nasturtium flowers to them.

Yum, I thought. For lunch, I defrosted some corn tortillas, scattered them with cheddar cheese and our homegrown blossoms of nasturtiums and zucchini. I added some sprigs of our watercress for some zing.

I toasted them on my cast iron griddle, and served them with a scattering of radish sprouts (fresh from our sprouter) and a few more sprigs of watercress.

It was a quick fun lunch. I'll be making it again.

Orange and Cranberry Salad

I've never really warmed to cranberry sauce. My mother used to cook cranberries with orange zest and a little cardamom and they sat on the table and were returned to the kitchen untouched (at least by me). I didn't like the texture of the cooked berries. Of course, the stories of jellied cranberry sauce being slid out of the can and presented on a plate weird me out even more.

So I struggle to serve cranberries at Thanksgiving.

This year, however, I served them in a salad, and they were great. This is not the jello salad of the '70s with cranberries, tinned mandarin orange slices and miniature marshmallows. This is a healthy yet delicious updated version. No jello (not vegetarian) required.

 I combined chopped cranberries with crisp celery and sweet juicy oranges and served them on a bed of greens. The oranges provided sweetness without jammy-ness, and the lightly-sweetened cranberries were pleasantly tart but not overpowering. The salad provided a nice contrast to the creamed corn and scalloped potatoes.

I added a few home-grown arugula and nasturtium leaves to the butter lettuce for a little variety. Salad mix would be fine too. The mint adds a really nice perk, but if you don't have any, the salad will still be good. Also, olive oil can substitute for the walnut oil if needed.

Orange and Cranberry Salad
1 cup fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
2 oranges
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
2 tbsp chopped red onion
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp grated ginger root
butter lettuce
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
1 tbsp walnut oil

Pulse cranberries in food processor 5 times to coarsely chop. Transfer to a bowl.

Cut the tops and bottoms from the oranges. Cut the peel and white pith from them, then hold them over the bowl and cut the sections from the membranes, letting juice and fruit fall into the bowl. Stir in celery, onion, sugar, lemon juice and ginger root. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour, or up to 2 days.

Toss lettuce and mint leaves with oil. Place on a serving platter. Top with the cranberry mixture.

Serves 4

Spring Salad

Lettuce is fresh and colorful in the spring, and the garden and farmers market are brimming with herbs. I combined some spring greens and herbs, fresh fava beans from our garden, and a mustardy dressing for this attractive addition to last night's dinner.

This is a recipe that is a springboard for whatever you have growing in your garden. No fava beans? Then use peas or snap peas, or even organic edamame. Use whatever herbs you like, and try to have some peppery greens and some soft.

It will be like eating spring in a bowl.

Spring Salad
3 cups colorful spring greens, preferably including red and green lettuce leaves, nasturtium leaves and watercress
1 1/2 cups chopped mint, tarragon, dill and chives
1/2 cup cooked, shelled fava beans
2 tsp dijon
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Toss the greens and herbs together with the fava beans. Separately, stir together the dijon and vinegar, then slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Season to taste with the salt and pepper. Toss some of the dressing into the greens, and serve the rest on the side.

Serves 2

Grazing the Garden

I went out to the garden before lunch the other day, and harvested some salad ingredients.

Our lettuces are too small to make a good-sized green salad, so I used a butter lettuce from Finley Farms as a base. To this soft sweet lettuce, I added the following:

tender leaves:
young lettuce
various mesclun

spicy leaves:
wild arugula
nasturtium leaves
watercress

flowers:
nasturtiums - just the petals
arugula
watercress

herbs:
marjoram
thyme
oregano

I felt good sharing this bounty with my family. Unfortunately, by the time the salad was dressed with honey balsamic vinaigrette, the flavors were muted. That might have been a good thing, because I was not feeding adventurous eaters.

And I wanted them to eat this dish. A diversity of plants gives us a diversity of nutrients, so this was one healthy salad.

Bearing Vegetarian Dishes

When I am invited to a potluck, I take something filling that I will enjoy eating. I'm one of the few vegetarians I know in this low-carb town, and I find most gatherings serve animal protein and green salads. Although I enjoy salad, it is not a meal. Especially on these cold evenings.

So I take a filling vegetarian dish that I will enjoy. That way I eat well too.

To take pressure off the host, I take an entrée that needs no last-minute heating, because I don't know what demands there will be on the stove. I take my own serving plate and spoon, and carry everything in one bag that can be easily tucked out of the way.

This rice salad fits the bill, and it got great reviews at a potluck I went to in late October. The soy sauce and orange juice give it a rich flavor. To distract from the brown color (the downside of brown rice), I served it on a bed of romaine lettuce and garnished it with nasturtiums and violas from my garden.

You might consider this recipe as a side with your Thanksgiving dinner. You can make it a few hours ahead and let it sit at room temperature until it's time to eat.

Wild rice is a Native American food, so eating it is a way to honor the people who first cultivated this land.

Brown and Wild Rice Salad
Salad:
1/3 cup brown rice
1/3 cup wild rice
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup dried apricots, snipped small
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
3 tbsp chopped cilantro

Cook brown and wild rice together in 1-1/3 cups boiling water, lid covered, until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender - about 40 minutes.

Turn out into a bowl, toss with a fork, and stir in the remaining salad ingredients. Meanwhile, make the dressing:

Dressing:
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp dijon
2 tbsp soy sauce
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup orange juice (from 1 juicy orange)
2 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp toasted sesame oil

Combine all but sesame oil. Whisk in oil and add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour half the dressing over the salad. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add dressing to achieve the consistency you like.

Serve the extra dressing on the side, or save it in the fridge to use on green salads.

Serves 4-6

Asparagus Risotto

Risotto has a reputation for being time-consuming and complicated -- something to only be eaten in restaurants. But actually the best risottos are made at home.

I find it an easy dinner to cook. I stand at the stove with a glass of wine, gently stirring for the 30 minutes or so it takes to make good risotto. The stirring is not continuous. I can do dishes, make salad or steam vegetables at the same time.

It is possible to partially cook risotto ahead and then slowly stir in the last of the hot stock ten minutes before dinner. (I think this is what restaurants do.) It takes a little practice to get your consistency and timing right, but even over-cooked risotto is delicious if made with good ingredients.

Use whatever vegetables you have on hand. The essentials are arborio rice and a good stock.

I buy eco-farmed arborio rice at Granny’s Pantry on Arroyo in Pasadena. Lundberg Farms grows it north of Sacramento, CA. It’s not organic, but the Lundbergs have an earth-centered approach to farming, and it doesn't travel far to get to me. Find it at your health food store or order from their website. On the East coast, look for organic arborio imported from Italy.

The vegetable stock is homemade. The asparagus is from the Suncoast Farms Stand at the Hollywood Farmers' Market. Our garden provided the garnish of mint, chives and nasturtium flowers, and of course the lemon.

You can use any vegetables in risotto. Fresh or frozen peas can replace the asparagus. Mushrooms are good, added with the shallots. Don't add too many, though. The risotto experience is based on the rice - rich and creamy, each grain separate yet held together in the broth.

Taste the risotto often as you near the end of cooking. That's the best way to know when you have the texture you like.

I make enough risotto to have leftovers for a quick dinner later in the week. I form handfuls into burgers, coat them in breadcrumbs, and fry them in a little olive oil until they are warm in the middle and crispy on the outside.

Asparagus Risotto
1 cup arborio rice
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, diced (or 6 spring onions or 1 leek)
1/2 cup white wine (optional, but it adds flavor)
3 cups vegetable stock
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, stems chopped, tips reserved
1/3 cup parmesan (optional, add salt to taste it you omit it)
1/2 tsp shredded lemon peel
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp black pepper
fresh mint, chives and nasturtium flowers for garnish (optional)

Bring the vegetable stock to a boil in a covered pan and let it simmer on the back of the stove.

Melt the butter and olive oil over gentle heat. Add shallots and cook until they soften. Add the arborio rice and cook over medium heat, stirring, about 5 minutes until it starts to turn pale golden. Add the wine and stir until absorbed. Add the asparagus stems, then start adding the stock, 1/2 cup at a time. Stir frequently, adding stock as it’s absorbed. Cook until the rice is tender and creamy. You might not need all the stock, or you might need to add boiling water from the kettle.

When the risotto is almost done, add the asparagus tips.

When it is creamy with still a little texture to the rice, stir in the parmesan, lemon peel, juice, and black pepper.

Serve in warmed bowls garnished with mint, chives, nasturtium flowers, or a little lemon zest or grated parmesan.

Makes 4 servings