Roasted Vegetable Pasta

1 medium delicata squash, seeded & sliced 1/3-inch thick
3 shallots, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil or melted clarified butter
fine grain sea salt
4 medium cloves garlic, peel on
12 kale leaves, washed & dried well, de-stemmed & cut into 3-inch strips
1 1/2 cups / 9 ounces uncooked orzo pasta, or other pasta
1/2 cup /  plain yogurt
For serving: slivered scallions, fresh oregano, toasted nuts or seeds

Preheat the oven to 400F / 205C with racks arranged in the top and bottom thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment. You're going to roast the squash, shallots, and garlic on one sheet, and the kale on another.

Prep the delicata squash, and toss it in a large bowl with the shallots, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and a big pinch of salt. Arrange in a single layer on one of the baking sheets, add the garlic and place on the bottom rack, for about 30 minutes. Spin once or twice along the way to get even roasting - let it all get deeply golden.

After the squash is in the oven, use the same bowl to toss the kale with another splash of olive, and pinch of salt. Arrange the leaves on the other baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, or until you get a touch of browning, but the leaves are primarily still green. Set aside.

Get the pasta water boiling, salt well, and cook the orzo pasta. Drain and use quickly (warm) OR (if you won't be serving for a while) run under cold water, and toss with a tiny splash of olive oil.

For the dressing, extract the roasted garlic from its peel, and mash it with a bit of the yogurt and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Work in the rest of the yogurt, taste, and add more salt if needed.

When you're ready to serve, toss the orzo, and roasted vegetables with about half of the yogurt. Turn out onto a platter and sprinkle with scallions, oregano, and seeds/nuts. Serve the remaining yogurt to the side.

Serves 4-6.

Prep time: 10 min - Cook time: 30 min

Cranberry Bean, Kale and Pasta Soup

1/4 cup olive oil plus 2 1/2 tablespoons, divided
2 leeks, white part only, cleaned and sliced, about 2 cups
2 medium carrots, finely chopped, about 1 cup
1 onion, finely chopped, about 1 cup
3 cups dried cranberry beans or red kidney beans
Kosher salt
2 bunches lacinato kale, cleaned, stemmed and coarsely chopped, about 10 cups
3 cups dried orecchiette pasta (about 9 ounces)
1 tablespoon fresh minced sage
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika
1/8 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

1. In a 4-quart soup pot or cast iron casserole (with a lid that fits), heat 1/4 cup of olive oil and cook the leeks, carrots and onions over medium-low heat until just softened, 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Add the dried beans and 12 cups of water. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with the lid, stirring occasionally. After about 45 minutes, add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Continue to cook, covered, and again stirring occasionally, just until the beans are soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour or more (this may vary according to the beans you use).

3. With a slotted spoon, remove 1 cup of the beans and, separately, 2 tablespoons of bean liquor and set both aside. Add the kale to the soup, stirring in a few cups at a time as the greens wilt. Cover, and continue to cook for 8 to 10 minutes more until the greens are tender, then remove from the heat.

4. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and reserve.

5. In a food processor, combine the reserved beans and bean liquor, sage, parsley, paprikas and lemon juice, the remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth, then check for seasoning, adding more salt if desired, or bean liquor to aid in blending.

6. Just before serving, stir the cooked pasta into the soup. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with about 2 tablespoons of spiced bean purée. Grate Parmesan over the top of each bowl to taste and serve immediately.

Honey Soy Glazed Vegetables with Crispy Mushrooms

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound medium turnips, cut into 3/4-inch wedges
1 pound medium radishes, quartered
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 pound Swiss chard, stems discarded and leaves coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons water
Salt
6 large shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and caps quartered
1/2 pound Asian rice crackers, pulverized

 

1. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until shimmering. Add the turnips and radishes and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until lightly browned and crisp-tender, 10 minutes. Add the honey and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the vegetables are glazed, 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce and cook until syrupy, 5 minutes longer. Add the lemon juice and the Swiss chard; cook until the chard is wilted, 2 minutes. Raise the heat to high and cook until all of the liquid has evaporated, 2 minutes longer; keep warm.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the molasses with the water and season with salt. Add the shiitake and toss to coat. Drain the mushrooms, squeezing out most of the excess liquid. In a separate bowl, toss the mushrooms with the rice cracker crumbs, pressing to help the crumbs adhere.
3. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of oil until shimmering. Add the coated mushrooms and cook over high heat, turning once, until golden and crisp, 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Top the vegetables with the mushrooms and serve immediately.

Spinach with Cheese and Spices

onions
olive oil
spinach
buttermilk or milk curdled with lemon juice
paneer cheese
rice
garam masala 

Saute onions in oil. Add spices (garam masala, or any type of Indian blend). Add a ton of spinach- cooks down a lot. Wilt the spinach a bit. Pour buttermilk or milk curdled with acid over (1/4 cup? 1/2 cup?). Cook until spinach is nice and wilty. Add chunks of paneer cheese. Serve over rice. 

bonus: serve with a poached egg on top.

double bonus: If you don't have paneer cheese, use cotija cheese. Cut into squares and fry on each side a little until browned.

Sweet Potato Skillet

Sweet potatoes
onions
olive oil
black beans
eggs
cheese
salt
pepper
cumin 

use iron skillet or oven and stove top safe pan
saute onions in oil. add cumin. add cubed sweet potatoes, saute until soft. add soaked black beans, mix. crack 3 or 4 eggs on top and grate cheese over. throw in a hot oven until eggs are cooked enough (soft yolk, medium, hard...)