Category: Vegetables and Salads

Kale Salad with Tahini-Honey Mustard Dressing

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I promise you that this kale salad doesn’t taste like a plate of twigs. It’s got the perfect texture and thanks to chickpeas and hemp seeds, it’s nutty and full of protein, too. And honestly? The roasted spiced chickpeas make a terrific snack on their own too. Make sure to use curly kale here, as Tuscan kale will be too rough for the salad.

Ingredients:

For the salad:

  • 1 bunch curly kale, washed and stemmed
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3-4 radishes, diced
  • 2 Persian cumbers, diced (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

For the roasted chickpeas:

  • 1 15-ounce can chickpeas
  • 1 teaspoon avocado oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the tahini honey mustard dressing:

  • 1 tablespoon tahini
  • Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  1. Make the roasted chickpeas: Preheat the oven to 400F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Rinse and drain the chickpeas, then pat dry. On the baking sheet, toss the chickpeas with the avocado oil, salt, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne. Roast the chickpeas for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Set aside.
  3. Make the tahini honey mustard dressing: In a small bowl, combine the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, mustard, and honey. Whisk the dressing to emulsify. Whisk in up to 1 teaspoon water to thin as needed. Set dressing aside.
  4. Make the salad: Tear kale into bite-sized pieces, then add to a large bowl along with the olive oil, vinegar, and salt and massage for 30 seconds or until the kale appears softened. Add the roasted chickpeas, radish, cucumbers, hemp seeds, and nutritional yeast.
  5. Drizzle the dressing and toss to combine, and serve.

Chili Crisp Charred Beets with Ricotta

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I can’t get enough chili crisp and I know you can’t either. This unlikely pairing of chili crisp, beets, kale, and creamy ricotta has won me over and honestly, I can’t stop making (or eating) it. Adapted from Bon Appetit, you can easily prepare the beets a day ahead of time and assemble the rest of the dish the day of. And this side dish is just as delicious without the ricotta, too.

Ingredients:

  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons chili crisp
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 bunch Tuscan kale, stems and ribs removed
  • 1 pound prepared cooked beets, drained
  • 1/4 cup avocado oil
  • 4 ounces ricotta cheese
  1. Prepare a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Stir garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, chili crisp, and salt in a medium bowl until sugar and salt are dissolved. Set dressing aside.
  2. Toss kale, beets, and oil in a large bowl with your hands until coated. Cook kale and beets, turning occasionally, until kale is crisp and charred and beets are charred, about 4 minutes for kale, 12 minutes for beets. Transfer vegetables to a cutting board and let sit until cool enough to handle. Cut kale into large pieces. Cut beets into quarters. Add beets to reserved dressing and toss to coat. Let sit 20 minutes.
  3. To serve, spread ricotta on a platter. Add kale to bowl with beets, toss to combine. Spoon mixture over ricotta and drizzle remaining dressing all over.

Cabbage and White Beans with Kimchi Dressing

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Yeah, I know. No one gets excited at the thought of cabbage. But hear me out. What if the cabbage was charred to a caramelized goodness and tossed with a tangy kimchi sauce and butter beans for heft? I never thought I’d say this about cabbage, but I could eat this every day. Adapted from Bon Appetit, I recommend jarred butter beans for this recipe as the quality makes all the difference.

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 small head of cabbage, cored and cut into 3-inch pieces
  • 1 15-ounce jar or can butter beans or other large white beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/3 cup olive oil, divided
  • 3 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped drained kimchi, plus 2 tablespoons kimchi juice
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 5 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
  • 1/3 cup tahini
  • 1 jalapeno, sliced
  • 1/4 cup chopped dill
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  1. Place a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 450F degrees. Toss cabbage, beans, 1/4 oil, and 2 teaspoons salt on a rimmed baking sheet until cabbage leaves are separated and coated with oil. Roast until cabbage is tender and charred in spots, 30-35 minutes.
  2. Whisk kimchi, kimchi juice, sugar, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a small bowl to combine. Set kimchi dressing aside.
  3. Whisk tahini, remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/3 cup water in a medium bowl until light and creamy. Set tahini sauce aside.
  4. Spoon half of reserved kimchi dressing over roasted cabbage and beans and toss gently to coat. Spread reserved tahini sauce over a platter and drizzle remaining kimchi dressing over. Pile cabbage and beans on top, and garnish with jalapeno, dill, and parsley on top.

Chickpea Curry with Spinach “Puttu”

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I absolutely love puttu, the ubiquitious steamed ground rice dish that is popular in Sri Lanka and South India. I also cannot remotely figure out how to make puttu for the life of me. Enter couscous, a not-so-authentic shortcut that emulates that puttu feeling and satiates my cravings (oh, how I wish the Bay Area had more Sri Lankan and South Indian restaurants). Adapted from the Rambutan cookbook, this spinach-flecked puttu goes perfectly with fiery chickpea curry.

Ingredients:

For the chickpea curry:

  • 2 golf ball-sized pieces of tamarind, soaked in 1/2 cup warm water for 10 minutes
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds
  • 20 curry leaves, divided
  • 2 14-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons Sri Lankan curry powder
  • 1/2 can coconut milk (about 3/4 cup)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons black mustard seeds

For the spinach puttu

  • 3/4 cup couscous
  • 3/4 cup boiling water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1/2 pound spinach (or kale), finely chopped
  • 1 serrano chili, finely chopped
  • 1 red onion, divided: 1/2 finely diced and 1/2 thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 cup fresh grated coconut (frozen is fine)
  • 10 curry leaves
  • 2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1/2 lime
  1. Make the chickpea curry: Squeeze the tamarind with your fingers, then discard the seeds and skin through a fine-mesh strainer, saving the tamarind water.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic, and fry until the onion is lightly browned. Add the fenugreek seeds and 10 curry leaves and fry, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.
  3. Add the chickpeas, tamarind water, salt, and Sri Lankan curry powder. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer for 20-30 minutes with the lid partially covering the saucepan. Stir in the coconut milk and cook for 3 minutes to warm through. Plate in a serving bowl and set aside.
  4. In the meantime, make the temper: heat the remaining tablespoon coconut oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat, add the remaining 10 curry leaves and black mustard seeds. After about 1 minute, when the curry leaves are crispy, pour the temper over the chickpea curry.
  5. Make the spinach puttu: Place the couscous and boiling water in a saucepan, sprinkle with salt to taste, stir, and tightly cover. Set aside for 12 minutes until couscous is tender. (Alternatively, cook couscous according to package directions.) Gently fluff couscous with a fork and set aside.
  6. In the meantime, add the oil to a saucepan over medium-high heat, and saute the spinach, serrano chili, onion, and a pinch of salt for 4 minutes, until the onion is softened. Remove from heat.
  7. Gently fold together the spinach mixture, couscous, sugar, and grated coconut and set aside.
  8. Put the curry leaves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, fenugreek seeds, and red onion in a small saucepan and cover with 1 1/2 inches water. Bring to a boil and after 2 minutes, add the coconut milk and stir until it is heated through. Remove from heat and just before serving, squeeze in the lime juice. To serve, pour the fenugreek mixture over the puttu and serve alongside the chickpea curry.

Roasted Squash Curry

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‘Tis the season for pumpkin and all manner of squash. And yeah, I know, squash isn’t the most exciting vegetable, but I promise you that this comforting coconutty Sri Lankan curry will change your mind. You can use any kind of pumpkin or orange squash here, but I like to use butternut squash (delicata works well too). Don’t skip the roasting step — it adds a ton of flavor.

Ingredients:

For the squash curry:

  • 2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cubed into 1 1/2-inch pieces
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon Sri Lankan curry powder (recipe follows)
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 20 curry leaves, divided
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 cardamom pods, lightly smashed in a mortar and pestle
  • 1/2 of a 14 ounce can coconut milk (about 3/4 cup)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 1 1/2 inches ginger, peeled and minced
  • 1 lime

For the Sri Lankan curry powder:

  • 6 teaspoons coriander seeds
  • 3 teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 3 teaspoons fennel seeds
  • 3 teaspoons black peppercorns
  • 10 curry leaves
  • 3 teaspoons dried Kashmiri chiles
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
  1. Make the Sri Lankan curry powder: In a dry pan over medium-low heat, toast the coriander, cumin, fennel, and black peppercorns for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly, until they’re fragrant, and pour them into a bowl. Add the curry leaves and dried chiles to the pan and toast for about 3 minutes, stirring often until the curry leaves are completely dried (make sure the chiles don’t burn). Remove from the heat and when cool, grind in a spice grinder until fine. Stir in the turmeric and store in a jar. Curry powder will keep in a cool, dry place for months.
  2. Make the curry: Roast the pumpkin: Preheat the oven to 425F degrees. Place butternut squash on a baking sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon coconut oil and season with salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the curry powder. Roast squash for 25 minutes, until tender and golden and beginning to brown at the edges. Remove from oven and set aside.
  3. Heat a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon coconut oil and when hot, fry the onion until beginning to brown. Add 10 curry leaves and garlic for one minute, then add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and cardamom. Fry for 1 minute.
  4. Pour in the coconut milk and add the turmeric and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of curry powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and the roasted squash. Cook at a gentle simmer for 3-4 minutes, then remove from heat.
  5. In the meantime, heat the remaining tablespoon oil in a small pan and add the remaining 10 curry leaves, letting them crisp up.
  6. Plate the roasted squash curry in a serving bowl, top with the tempered curry leaves, the fresh ginger, and squeeze the lime juice over. Serve with rice.