Tangy Fried Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients
Brussels sprouts, quartered
neutral frying oil
1 part Sriracha sauce
1 part honey
1 part lime juice

Directions
Mix the Sriracha sauce, honey and lime juice until homogeneous. Heat up 1/4 to 1/2 inch of oil in a deep frying pan. Toss constantly, frying sprouts until crispy. The sprouts will go from undone to done very quickly. Take the sprouts off the heat and spread out on paper towels to absorb excess oil. Finally, coat the sprouts in the dressing.

Spicy Courgette Salad

Ingredients
400 g. firm green or yellow baby courgettes (zucchinis)
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 fresh red chili
½ a bunch of fresh mint
1 lemon

Directions
Grate the courgettes in the food processor (you could use a box grater here) and tip into a bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper, the juice of the zested lemon and the extra virgin olive oil. Finely chop and add the chili and the top leafy half of the mint, then toss together.

Serves 4.

Ricotta Fritters with Tomato Sauce

Ingredients
For the sauce:
25 g. dried porcini mushrooms
1 dried red chilli
2 cloves of garlic
700 g. passata (tomato puree)
8 black olives (stone in)
½ bunch of fresh basil

For the fritters:
1 large free-range egg
400 g. ricotta cheese
1 whole nutmeg, for grating
1 lemon
40 g. Parmesan cheese
1 heaped tbsp. plain flour
olive oil
balsamic vinegar

Directions
Put the porcini into a mug and cover with boiling water. Crack the egg into a mixing bowl, add the ricotta, finely grate in ¼ of the nutmeg, the lemon zest and Parmesan, add the flour, then beat together. Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the frying pan, then use a tablespoon to spoon in 8 large dollops of the mixture, turning carefully when nice and golden.

Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the casserole pan, crumble in the dried chili, and squash in the unpeeled garlic through a garlic crusher. Finely chop and add the porcini with half their soaking water and the passata, season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Squash and add the olives, discarding the stones. Pick and reserve a few basil leaves, then chop the rest and add to the sauce.

Place the fritters on top of the sauce, then scatter over the reserved basil leaves, drizzle with balsamic and serve with lemon wedges

Serves 4.

Southwestern Chopped Salad with Cilantro Dressing

Ingredients
For the salad: 
Large head of romaine, chopped
1-15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large bell pepper
1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
2 c. corn (thawed if frozen)
5 green onions, finely chopped

For the dressing:
1 c. loosely packed cilantro, stems removed and roughly chopped
1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime)
1-2 garlic cloves
1/4 c. olive oil
1-1/2 tsp. white vinegar
1/8 tsp. salt

Directions
Puree all dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Finely chop romaine, bell pepper, tomatoes, and green onions. Place all salad ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine. Toss with dressing. Serve topped with tortilla chips or crispy Chinese noodles. May also add cooked, chilled pasta for more bulk.

Serves 4.

Thai-Inspired Squash & Peanut Soup with Lime & Cilantro

Ingredients
2 lbs. butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 c. vegetable stock
salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
2 tsp. olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. ginger root, minced or grated
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1-14 oz. can coconut milk
2 tbsp. Thai red curry paste
1/2 c. natural peanut butter
1 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. lime juice
1/3 c. cilantro, finely chopped
cilantro and peanuts, for garnish
Sriracha sauce, for serving

Directions
Peel the butternut squash and cut into cubes. Put the squash cubes and vegetable stock into the slow cooker, season squash generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook on high for 2 hours, or until the squash is soft enough to mash easily. When it's soft, use an immersion blender or potato masher to puree the squash.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add onion and saute until well-browned, about 8 minutes. Add the minced garlic, minced ginger, and diced red bell pepper and saute about a minute more. Then add the coconut milk, Thai red curry paste, and peanut butter and heat just until the curry paste and peanut butter is melted into the coconut milk.  Add the brown sugar and soy sauce.

Stir the coconut milk mixture into the pureed squash, turn slow cooker to low and cook for one hour more. Stir in the chopped cilantro and lime juice and cook about 15 minutes more. Serve hot, garnished with more chopped cilantro and chopped peanuts if desired. If you'd like more heat, shake in a little Sriracha Sauce.

Serves 4 to 6.

Black Bean & Red Quinoa Enchiladas

Ingredients

4 tomatillos

4 garlic cloves

2 limes

1 large bunch cilantro

1 poblano pepper

1 onion

½ c. red quinoa

15-oz. can black beans

1 tsp. cumin

4 flour tortillas

1 c. Monterey jack cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling, on high. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Remove the papery layer from the tomatillos. Peel and mince the garlic. Cut the limes into quarters. Roughly chop the cilantro. Peel and small dice the onion.

Add the red quinoa to the boiling water. Cook for about 18 to 22 minutes, or until tender. Drain thoroughly and transfer to a medium bowl.

Place the poblano pepper and tomatillos on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast 9 to 11 minutes, or until the skin of the pepper is browned. When cool enough to handle, carefully remove and discard the skin and seeds from the pepper, then finely chop. Finely chop the tomatillos.

In the same pot used for the quinoa, heat a little olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the onion and garlic and cook 4 to 6 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the poblano pepper, tomatillos, and ½ cup of water; season with salt and pepper. Simmer 4 to 6 minutes, or until thickened and slightly reduced in volume, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add the juice of two lime quarters.

While the salsa simmers, drain and rinse the black beans. To the bowl of cooked quinoa, add the black beans, the cumin, half the cilantro, the juice of two lime wedges, and about a tablespoon of olive oil. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread about ½ c. of the quinoa mixture into the bottom of a baking dish. Divide the remaining mixture between each tortilla, placing it on half of the tortillas. Roll them up, then place them in the baking dish, seam side down.

Pour the salsa verde over the enchiladas, then sprinkle the cheese over the top; lightly season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cheese is browned and bubbling. Let stand 1 to 2 minutes before serving. Garnish with the remaining cilantro and lime wedges.

Chickpea & Dill Pitas

Ingredients

1 c. plain yogurt

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

½ tsp. curry powder

¼ tsp. cayenne

1-15 oz. can chickpeas, well-drained and rinsed

1/3 c. fresh dill, finely chopped

½ c. shallots, finely chopped

2 tbsp. plain dry bread crumbs

2 tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed

2 tbsp. tahini

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

¼ tsp. ground cumin

Vegetable oil

6 pita pockets

Directions

Lightly mash half of the chickpeas in a medium bowl. Add the dill, shallots, bread crumbs, and lemon juice and mix well. In a food processor, combine remaining chickpeas, tahini, salt, pepper and cumin, until smooth. Add to the mashed chickpeas, mix well, and form into six to eight patties.

Oil a 12-inch skillet over medium heat and cook the burgers until very crispy and dark golden on both sides, about six minutes. Don’t flip them too often. Drain on paper towels or brown paper bags on a wire rack.

For yogurt sauce, combine yogurt, garlic, curry powder and cayenne. Stir until blended thoroughly.

Stuff the patties into pita pockets. Drizzle with yogurt sauce. Serves 3. 

Blueberry Turnovers

Ingredients
3 sheets of puff pastry, thawed
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
2 tsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 egg yolk
1 c. blueberries
2 tsp. corn starch
pinch of salt
egg wash (one egg beaten with 1 tbsp. water)
powdered sugar, for garnish

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a bowl, add the cream cheese, lemon zest, half of the sugar, vanilla, and egg yolk. Mix it together with a wooden spoon and set aside. In another bowl, add the blueberries, remaining sugar, corn starch, and lemon juice and set that aside for a few minutes as well.

Dust some flour on your work surface, and working with one piece of puff pastry at a time, roll it out slightly with a rolling pin until it's 10" square all around. Using a 4-inch round cookie cutter, cut out four circles out of each piece of puff pastry. Place the cutouts on the parchment-lined baking sheets. Dollop about two teaspoons of cream cheese in the center of each one, and top that with a tablespoon of the blueberry mixture. Brush the edges of the cutouts with the egg wash. Fold over one half and seal it shut in a half-moon shape. Brush the top with the egg mixture as well, and make a tiny slit at the top of each one with a sharp knife.

Bake them for 25 minutes or until golden brown, making sure to rotate the baking sheets halfway through for even coloring. Let them cool a few minutes and then dust with powdered sugar.

Harissa Eggs In Purgatory

Ingredients
1/2 tsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. red onion, minced
2 tbsp. red bell pepper, minced
1-15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
4 tbsp. prepared harissa
1 tbsp. parsley, chopped
4 eggs
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, add the oil then the onion and saute until golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, harissa, salt and pepper and increase the heat to medium-high and simmer until the liquid reduces a bit, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, carefully add the eggs, salt and pepper and cover. Cook until the top of the eggs set, about 4 to 5 minutes, or to your liking. Top with chopped fresh parsley or chives and serve. Serves 2. 

Peanut Tofu Stew

Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. olive oil
1-15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 tbsp. curry powder
1-15 oz. can coconut milk
3 c. fresh kale, chopped
1 block extra-firm tofu, cut into 1" cubes
4 c. vegetable broth
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. fresh ginger
1/3 c. creamy, natural peanut butter

Directions
In a soup pot, heat oil over medium heat and saute onions until translucent. Add garlic, ginger, cayenne and curry powder and continue to saute until onions are soft (about five minutes total). Add a can of coconut milk and peanut butter. Continue to stir over medium heat until everything is combined. Add vegetable broth and diced tomatoes and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add tofu and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes. Add kale just a few minutes before fully heated. Add salt to taste. Serves 4, or 6 with couscous.