Yogurt Raita with Shallots

From Sarah Voiland, 2011

Goes very nicely with rice and curried lentils. Raita is a typical Indian condiment. This is my own version. 

1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1 tsp sugar or to taste
1/8 tsp cumin powder
1 shallot clove, diced (you can also use onion)
Other optional ingredients as available: diced tomato, cucumber, cilantro, apple, or your inspiration.

Dice shallot and put in bowl with hot water for a minute or so to cut oniony-ness (if using onions, you can cut the bite more with a little boiling water). Drain water and mix shallots with yogurt and all other ingredients. Taste and add more salt or sugar as desired. Add other ingredients if you like. You can also thin the sauce with water for a different consistency.

I usually aim for an equal balance between sweet and salty flavor, with ingredients like shallots that add a little crunch to the sauce. This gets better in the fridge for the next day’s lunch!

Kohlrabi and Potatoes with Sour Cream and Dill

2 tbsp butter 
3 cups kohlrabi, peeled and cut into rough chunks
2 potatoes cut into rough chunks
1/4 tsp paprika
1 cup vegetable stock
½ cup sour cream or crème fraîche
1 bunch of fresh dill, roughly chopped

Heat the butter in a pan over a medium heat and add the kohlrabi, paprika, potato and a little salt. Stir, lower the heat, cover and leave for 5 minutes or so.
Add the stock, bring to a gentle simmer and cover again. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft enough to cut with a spoon. The stock should have reduced quite a bit by then but don’t worry if it hasn’t.
Raise the heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the soured cream or crème fraîche and remove from the heat. Add salt as needed, then fold in the dill to serve.

Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

6 medium tomatoes, sliced crosswise 1/2 – to 3/4 inch thick 
Olive oil
Salt, pepper and sugar

Heat oven to 300º F. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil; generously rub with oil. Arrange tomato slices in a single layer on prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and sugar (optional). Roast until the tomatoes shrivel, the edges start to turn brown and most of the liquid around the tomatoes has caramelized, about 1 hour. Roasted tomatoes will keep 4 or 5 days in the refrigerator.

You can also pack oven roasted tomatoes into containers to freeze. They make an awesome addition to anything in the winter.

Eggplant with Ginger and Garlic

1-3 eggplants sliced lengthwise in both directions to make very large match-sticks 
1 small head of garlic or 2/3 of a large head
½ inch chunk of fresh ginger
1 small hot pepper
oil for frying
soy sauce

Boil a couple inches of water (enough in your pot to mostly cover the sliced eggplant) with a splash of soy sauce and then add sliced eggplant. Cook until the eggplant becomes somewhat translucent but not fully cooked.  In a large cast iron pan, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan (about ¼ cup).
Mince garlic, ginger and hot pepper together and add to hot oil and stir for one minute over medium-high heat.  Add parboiled eggplant and turn quickly and often to coat.  Add another splash of soy sauce and continue cooking, stirring often until the toughest bits of eggplant have reached the yummy-soft stage.
Serve hot or cold, over rice, on a salad of lettuce or just by itself.

Southern Collard Greens

Here’s a vegetarian recipe for the southern favorite.  If you want to go for the real thing, just add a ham hock and reduce your salt and stock.

1 bunch of collard greens 
1 onion, diced
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. butter
3 cups vegetable stock
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
T. red wine or cider vinegar
hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Sautee onion in butter and olive oil until translucent.  Add stock, balsamic vinegar and chopped collards and simmer for 1 ½ hour-2 hours.  Add the rest of the vinegar, hot saßuce, salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Green Beans Braised with Tomatoes and Basil

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
1 cup finely chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
1-2 tomatoes , finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup water

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and half the garlic and sauté until onion softens slightly, about 5 minutes. Add green beans, tomatoes, basil leaves, and 1/2 cup water.

Cook until beans are crisp-tender, stirring and tossing occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add the rest of the garlic and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.

German Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

1 head red cabbage, shredded 
1 cup onion, chopped
1 apple, chopped
¼ cup vinegar
2 cups water
3 Tbs sugar
salt

Salt the shredded cabbage and let sit for a half hour. Add remaining ingredients and simmer covered for one hour until cabbage is tender.

Kale ‘n’ Apples

1 bunch kale, rib removed and chopped 
2 tart apples, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 T olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
¼ cup apple cider
2 T lemon juice
¼ cup diced fennel (optional)

In a pot, saute onions and fennel in oil (about 5 minutes). Add kale, apples, lemon juice, and apple cider. Stir and cover until kale begins to wilt (about 3 minutes). Turn off the burner and toss with balsamic vinegar.

Sesame Greens with Garlic Scapes

If you’ve used up your garlic scapes and can’t find more, garlic cloves would work fine. Also, this recipe is meant to use any greens you have around so spinach, kohlrabi greens, and kale can all be added or substituted for other greens.

1 bunch turnip greens
2 turnips or kohlrabi
1 bunch swiss chard
greens from 1 bunch of beets
4 garlic scapes
1/8 cup oil
2 Tbs. sesame oil
2 Tbs. sesame seeds
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1⁄4 tsp cayenne (opt.)

Chop greens, removing stems and chopping finely (they need more time to cook so if you want to use them you just have to start them earlier). Thinly slice turnips and cut scapes into 1 inch pieces.
In a wok or similar skillet, heat oil until hot and toss in turnips, scapes, and any stem pieces. Cook for 5 minutes. Add beet greens and tamari, cover and cook another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cayenne, sesame seeds, swiss chard, and turnip greens and cook until greens are wilted.