Category Archives: side

a lovely compliment to any meal

sweet baked broccoli

when i posted about baked broccoli here before, i guaranteed that baking is the best way to cook broccoli.  it yields soft, tender stems and crunchy, flavorful florets.  and they are easy to toss in some olive oil and a few seasonings before roasting for less than a half an hour.  even better than the curry powder i flavored it with before, is a little agave, spices and sesame seeds.

this sweet and savory broccoli recipe has quickly become a favorite of mine, i’ve made it 3 times in the past week!  it was even approved as delicious by my roommate, a self-proclaimed broccoli hater.  so give it a go, i’m sure you’ll love it!

Read More »

Posted in side | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

parsnip purée topped with almond parmesan

before this year i didn’t know what a parsnip was.  it looks a bit like a blond-colored carrot that gets much wider at the top, and it tastes a bit like a carrot too!  but it has a clean fresh note to it as well, which really creates a bright flavor in any dish you add it too.  this dish is so incredibly simple, with just a few ingredients because the flavors of the parsnip really shine on their own.

this classic dish much resembles mashed potatoes, but it is thicker, smoother and more flavorful.  because i’ve seen other versions often topped with copious amounts of parmesan cheese, i mixed up a batch of my own version of parmesan.  this mixture won’t trick anyone into thinking it’s an actual dairy product, but it adds that lovely rich cheesey flavor that really fills out the dish and that texture of finely crumbled parmesan.  it’s also great over pastas, on top of casseroles or sprinkled on a salad.

Read More »

Posted in side | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

roasted fennel over couscous

fennel is an interesting vegetable.  when eaten raw i find it to have a celery-like texture with a hint of licorice – which is not my favorite flavor.  but like most vegetables, when roasted the flavors mellow out and gain a toasty and buttery quality.  i don’t roast the stems because i find them quite stringy, but i do save some of the fuzzy greens to chop up and season the bulbs with while they cook.  afterward, they’re dressed with fresh orange zest, a classic combination that never fails to make those subtle flavors pop a little more.

and while i haven’t written much about couscous here before, it’s because quite frankly i like quinoa and brown rice better.  but i will say that it is super quick and easy to make and it serves as a nice neutral background to compliment the more complex flavors atop it.

Read More »

Also posted in entree | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

garlicy turnip, kohlrabi and purple yam topped with fried sage leaves

i’ve been listening to the splendid table a lot lately, which is an awesome weekly radio show about cooking that you can download as a free podcast.  in one of the episodes the host, lynne rossetto kasper, very quickly mentions making something like this for dinner that week.  she commented on how easily it was and how buttery it tasted without actually having any butter in it.

and that is definitely the case.  the veggies are sauteed up in nothing more than some olive oil, garlic and salt, but somehow they emerge with a creamy, buttery, melt-in-your mouth texture.  you can make this dish with any root vegetables you’d like.  i choose kohlrabi – though not a true root vegetable -because it has a subtle broccoli flavor, a hawaiian variety of purple yam, because it’s the sweetest vegetable i’ve ever tasted, and turnip because i find it neutral compliment to the other two.

the fried sage leaves are something i was trying for the first time, and they turned out awesome!  they retain much of their earthy, herb quality while transforming into a light crunchy flake of seasoning that tastes wonderful sprinkled with a bit of salt.  they crumble nicely into the creamy terrain of the vegetables.

Read More »

Posted in side | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

cilantro lemon orzo with toasted almonds

this is one of those recipes that happened on accident, based on the limited contents of my fridge.  thankfully, the lemon and cilantro’s bright flavors compliment the hardiness of the whole wheat and toasted almonds in all the right ways.  at first i thought it might be a sort of pasta salad, served cold and perfect for a picnic or packed lunch.  but as i couldn’t resist nibbling on it immediately, i realized it could also be served as a warm pasta dish with dinner.

Read More »

Also posted in salad | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

curry baked broccoli and cauliflower

when i find a dish that works its way into my routine – popping up on my dinner plate at least once or twice a week – i feel obligated to share it here.  partly because it’s a recipe i’ve tested mutliple times and know works, but also because it is usually pretty simple and always satisfying.

while i had previously been pretty bored by broccoli and cauliflower, expecting only to toss them in a puréed soup or stir fry, i had been hearing a lot of buzz about baked, or roasted, broccoli.  when i googled the topic i found it pinned with the phrase “best broccoli of your life,” so i made it that night and both my boyfriend and i agreed.  light years better than steamed or sautéed broccoli, i’m tempted to say i never want it any other way.

Read More »

Posted in side | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

sunchokes roasted with lavender and garlic

sunchokes – also known as jerusalem artichokes – are the root vegetable of a plant similar to a sunflower.  they look like and are often confused for fresh ginger root, but are more like a potato.  they are probably associated with artichokes because of their earthy, subtle artichoke-like flavor and creamy, buttery texture.

i love to roast them in the oven slowly over moderate heat until they are melt in your mouth delicious.  almost like juicy little baked potato bites with sweet and savory undertones.  especially when they are tossed with the aromas of lightly flowery lavender and pungent garlic.

Read More »

Also posted in snack | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

super simple baby bok choy

greens can be remarkably simple.  sure you can chop them up and throw them in nearly any stir fry or soup, but sometimes just a touch of oil and soy sauce is all you need to bring out the natural goodness of those leafy treats.

i have been cooking up these adorable baby bok choys nearly every other day, and it couldn’t be easier.  just a few minutes on the stove in a covered frying pan and you’ve got forkfuls a plenty of soft, melt-in-your-mouth, cabbage goodness.  enjoy as a side to your favorite dish!

Read More »

Posted in side | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

vegan thanksgiving: cookie-crusted sweet potatoes

we got a bit caught up – as is expected of foodies on the most culinary-centric day of the year for some – and didn’t find the time to post this recipe.  but luckily, these would be great for christmas too, any time of the year really!

the topic of sweet potatoes vs. yams has come up many times in the comment section and it’s something i should finally address.  i get orange-fleshed, brown-skinned tubers from the farmers i work for at the market.  they call them yams, so that’s usually how i refer to them, but i’ve been corrected many times, that in fact they are sweet potatoes.

wikipedia says that yams are traditionally white inside, but the orange variety of sweet potatoes are marketed as yams to distinguish them from the white-fleshed sweet potatoes.  so perhaps everytime i’ve said yam in the past i should have said sweet potato, but i often still call them yams because that’s what i called them growing up.  it doesn’t matter the name, if you get the ones that are orange on the inside it’s hard to go wrong.

this is a new take on the brown sugar and butter heavy version we usually made for thanksgiving, topped of course with marshmallows.  instead i coated each piece with a pumpkin pie spiced cookie crust and crunchy bits of pecans, which are just sweet and spicy enough to satisfy a sweet tooth, but just light enough that they won’t send you into sugar coma.

Read More »

Also posted in sweet | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

vegan thanksgiving: roasted garlic mashed potatoes with celeriac

every recipe on thanksgiving seems to have the same “fuck it” mentality, with loads of butter and salt and carbohydrates.  for example, normally i make mashed potatoes like this, but this year i decided to do the complete opposite.  i wanted a lighter dish thrown in the mix, for a little bit of balance on a day designated for indulgence.

i started with potatoes, but this time i added celeriac (celery root) which helps to lighten the texture and flavor, as well as cutting the overall amount of carbs.  i added in roasted garlic to help create a creamy texture, but mostly to add flavor.  then i sent it all through a ricer to get rid of the skins and any chunks.  with only a few tablespoons of olive oil and a teaspoon of salt, this may be one of the healthier dishes on the table – which helps you to feel a little less guilty when you slather it in gravy.

Read More »

Posted in side | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments