You might pick up some dill and mint this week as I call for both several times. And make the yellow bean salad if you can–it’s one of my favorite new creations, and so beautiful to boot!
Cucumber Salad with Smashed Garlic and Ginger
Sautéed Eggplant and Walla Walla Sweets with Yogurt Herb Sauce
Yellow/Green Bean Salad with Sweet Onions, Parsley and Toasted Almonds
Coconut Rice with Corn, Versions I & II
Lentils, Roasted Beets, Walnuts
Savory Summer Squash Pancakes
Cucumber Salad with Smashed Garlic and Ginger
–inspired by Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi
This salad is fresh, and strongly flavored from the garlic and ginger. It needs a little marinating time so start the dressing right away if you have other things to prepare.
If you don’t have a mortar and pestle chop the garlic and ginger as finely as you can and then mash them a bit with some salt on your cutting board with the side of a chef’s knife.
Serves 4
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil, peanut or sunflower oil
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
½ cup of onion, very thinly sliced
1 ½ inches fresh ginger, peeled and chopped (see headnote)
2 garlic cloves, peeled, and chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 medium – large cucumbers, washed
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
In a medium bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, sugar, until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Whisk in the oils. Mash the ginger with some salt in a mortar and pestle until it breaks down a bit and then add the garlic and mash a bit more until it’s a rough paste or put the ginger, salt and garlic on a cutting board and smash with the side of a chef’s knife until well-smashed. Scrape the contents from the board or mortar into the bowl with the dressing. Stir to combine. Add the sliced onion, and toss to coat. Let sit for at least 15 minutes and for as long as 4 hours.
Slice the cucumbers in half lengthwise, place them cut-side down on the cutting board, and slice at an angle into ¼ inch slices. Put the cucumber, sesame seeds, and cilantro in serving dish/salad bowl and stir in the dressing. Let sit a few minutes to develop the flavors. Taste and adjust with salt.
Sauteed Eggplant and Walla Walla Sweets with Yogurt Herb Sauce
1 eggplant manages to stretch quite a way in this simple preparation and you can adjust the ratio of onions to eggplant to whatever you have/want to use.
Serves 4
1 bell or Japanese eggplant, diced
1 Walla Walla Sweet, including any greens possibly still attached, cut into large dice
Olive oil
Salt
½ cup Greek or whole milk plain yogurt or a combination of the two
2 tablespoons mint, chopped
2 tablespoons parsley chopped
1 clove garlic, minced and mashed into a rough paste with some salt on a cutting board, with the side of a chef’s knife
Squeeze of lemon juice
Drizzle of olive oil
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the largest skillet you have. Add the onions and eggplant and toss well. Sprinkle with salt. Cook over high heat, stirring often until the vegetables soften and begin to brown. Don’t be shy with the heat. You can cook them more or less long—the longer you go the sweeter and softer the vegetables get.
In a small bowl mix the yogurt with herbs, garlic, lemon juice and a splash of oil. Serve the eggplant and onions warm (preferably not hot) with plenty of the yogurt sauce.
Yellow/Green Bean Salad with Sweet Onions, Parsley and Toasted Almonds
This salad is a mix of sweet, sour, crunchy and chewy and is beautiful! You can substitute other nuts or toasted seeds but include something crunchy–it’s key for the success of this salad.
Serves 4
1/2 lb yellow, green or purple string beans, trimmed
2 tablespoons finely chopped mint
1 small Walla Walla Sweet, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup lightly packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tablespoons salt-packed capers (or brined), rinsed well and drained
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Zest from one lemon, finely grated on a micro-plane
1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped
In a medium bowl, toss together mint, onion, lemon juice and salt and pepper; let sit until onion softens, about 10 minutes. Add parsley, capers, oil and zest, and toss until evenly combined.
Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the beans and cook for 4 minutes, drain and rinse with cold water. Pat dry and cut into 1-1/2 -2-inch pieces.
Put the almonds with touch of olive oil in a small skillet and toast over medium high heat until a shade darker and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent scorching.
Add the beans and almonds to the onions and stir well. Serve right away.
Coconut Rice with Corn, Versions I & II
This is a great was to turn a couple of ears of corn into a meal. This dish was loosely inspired by one in Bryant Terry’s book Afro Vegan. I have changed it substantially and give two different versions here: one quicker one with white rice made in a rice cooker and one with brown rice on the stove top that takes a bit longer. Both are delicious and good either warm or at room temperature. It’s a great picnic/potluck dish.
Serves 4
Version I (with brown rice)
1 cup short grain brown rice
3/4 cup full fat coconut milk (half of the typical 14 oz can)
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons shredded, unsweetened coconut (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Kernels from 2-3 ears of corn, cut off the cob with a sharp knife
1 green onion (scallion), thinly sliced
1/3 – 1/2 cup loosely packed basil (Thai basil if you have it–it grows like a weed) or cilantro or 2 tablespoons chopped mint
1 teaspoon minced jalapeno or serrano (optional)
Squeeze of lime juice (optional)
Version II (with white rice)
1 cup long grain white rice, such as Jasmine
3/4 cup full fat coconut milk (half of the typical 14 oz can)
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Kernels from 2-3 ears of corn, cut off the cob with a sharp knife
1 green onion (scallion), thinly sliced
1/3 – 1/2 cup loosely packed basil (Thai basil if you have it–it grows like a weed) or cilantro or 2 tablespoons chopped mint
1 teaspoon minced jalapeno or serrano (optional)
Squeeze of lime juice (optional)
Version I
Put the rice in a sauce pan and add the coconut milk, shredded coconut (if using), water and salt. Bring the rice to a boil and turn down, cover and simmer for about 40 minutes or until almost tender and almost all the liquid has been absorbed. At this point add the corn kernels. You can either gently stir them into the rice or leave them in a layer on top. Cover the pan and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or so until the rice is tender and all liquid has been absorbed. If it’s too dry and not tender add a bit more water.
When the rice and corn are tender stir in the scallion, hot pepper and taste for salt. If you’re going to serve it right away stir in the basil (or other herbs) too. If you’re making it in advance wait until just before serving to stir in the herbs. Add a squeeze of lime juice if you’d like. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Version II
Put the white rice, coconut milk, water and salt in a rice cooker. Turn it on. I set a timer for 10 minutes and at which point I add the corn. Rice cookers vary in their cooking time/technique but what you’re aiming for is to add the rice about 3-5 minutes before the cooker shuts off. If you miss this window (as I sometimes do) you can just add the corn once the cooker has turned off but is still on the “keeping warm” setting and the heat of the rice will steam it just fine. If you do the latter, stir the corn in quickly and cover the cooker again and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Either way, once the rice and corn are cooked stir in the green onion, hot pepper (if using), and herbs. Serve warm or at room temperature with a squeeze of lime juice if you’d like.
Lentils, Roasted Beets, Walnuts
You can substitute cooked barley or farro for the lentils.
4 beets, roasted cooled and sliced into ¼-inch rounds (roast at 400 degrees tightly covered with a splash of water until tender)—or boil them if you don’t want to turn on your oven and/or have less time
2 cups French green lentils (or other smaller variety that holds its shape well)
2 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
2 quarts veggie bouillon broth, stock or chicken stock or water
½ a small onion, very thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup) (if your sweet onions have any greens attached you could use them in this dish
½ cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
Vinaigrette
Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon or orange
1/3 cup good olive oil
2 tablespoons red vinegar if using orange zest/juice or 1 tablespoon if using lemon
1 clove garlic minced or mashed
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a small jar with a lid and shake well. Keeps well for a week or a bit more.
Combine lentils, garlic, cinnamon stick, and stock or water and bring to a simmer and cook for 30- 40 minutes until tender but still holding their shape. Drain the lentils (reserving liquid for a soup if you want) and discard bay, cinnamon stick and garlic cloves. Put lentils in a bowl and cool to room temperature.
Toss lentils with onion and about two thirds of the dressing. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Toss beat slices with remainder of vinaigrette.
Serve beets on lentils and topped with the toasted walnuts.
Savory Summer Squash Pancakes
These come together quickly and don’t be put off by grating the zucchini onto a dishtowel and wringing out the liquid. It’s easy and even fun to do and makes the fritters so much better and only takes a few minutes. And I happen to love savory breakfasts and do have any leftovers for breakfast the next day.
Yields about 18 4-inch pancakes
3 medium zucchini or any kind of summer squash
1 ¼ teaspoon sea salt, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or mint
1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh dill (optional)
2 tablespoons finely diced onion or thinly sliced scallion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Freshly ground black pepper
2-3 ounces feta cheese, coarsely chopped or crumbled (or grated sharp cheddar or other cooking cheese)
2 eggs
3 tablespoons flour
Olive or sunflower oil
½ cup Greek yogurt and more dill for topping (optional, but excellent!)
Grate the zucchini/squash on the large holes of a grater onto a clean kitchen towel. Sprinkle half salt over the zucchini and mix in with your hands a bit and let rest while you prepare the batter. In a medium bowl, combine mint, dill, if using, onion, garlic, and pepper. Stir in the egg and flour and mix until well combined.
Wrap the zucchini in the towel and wring as much liquid out of it as possible, discarding the liquid. Add the zucchini to the egg/herb mixture and combine well. Finally stir in the feta or other chess. Taste for salt and add a bit more if needed or wait to taste a cooked one if you prefer. They may well need more salt to bring everything together.
Add a scant tablespoon of oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spoon about 3 tablespoons (about a ¼ cup) of batter into the pan. Depending on the size of your pan you should be able to fry about 3-5 at once. Flatten them a bit with the back of a spatula and cook until the fritters are golden brown on each side, 4 to 6 minutes.
Transfer the fritters to plates and garnish with a dollop of Greek yogurt seasoned with salt and more chopped mint and/or dill.