more veggies, please!

20 minutes – serves 6 2 pita breads 2 cloves garlic, crushed juice of 1 lemon 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon sumac powder, plus more for garnish 1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses 2 heads Romaine lettuce 2 plum tomatoes, diced 1 large or 2 Persian cucumbers, diced ½ small red onion, thinly sliced ½ bunch radishes, thinly sliced ½ bunch fresh mint leaves, chopped 1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Split each pita into halves, along the side seams. Stack the halves, textured side up, and slice into 6 triangles. Toss onto a baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden brown and crisp. 2. In a large salad bowl, mix garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, cumin, sumac, and pomegranate molasses. Whisk together to make dressing. 3. Remove Romaine lettuces’ outer leaves, and trim dark ends. Wash and dry with a dish towel. Cut Romaine leaves into thirds lengthwise, then turn and chop crosswise into bite-size pieces. 4. Add lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, oni...

The CSA sometimes gives you things that you don’t want. Or, more like you think you don’t want. I got a bunch of turnips. Growing up, I only knew turnips two ways: pickled and dyed with beet juice, in a shawarma sandwich (yum!); or stewed in a couscous. I tried preparing turnips simply before, in an American recipe for a warm salad. It was the most disgusting thing I’ve ever cooked. They were bitter and mushy, and the apple cider vinegar-based dressing did not help. I’ve been afraid of cooking turnips again, but I also like exploring new ways of eating things. My turnips’ leaves were yellowing and I had nothing else in my fridge. A neighbor was coming over for dinner, and the weather is shifting into winter, so I thought, “Fine, turnips, you are getting stewed.” When I tasted the couscous, I thought two things: “Why haven’t you made couscous to get you through every New York winter?” and “Why isn’t preserved lemon in everything?” I proceeded to eat this for the next three days and did ...

20 minutes – makes about 18 pancakes, serves 6 1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour ¾ cup unbleached all purpose flour 3 tablespoons sugar 4 teaspoons baking powder ¾ teaspoon salt 2 cups milk 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for frying and serving 3 large bananas, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds 1 cup pecan halves Pure maple syrup 1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Place baking sheet in oven. Whisk first 5 ingredients in large bowl. 2. Whisk milk, eggs, and vanilla in medium bowl, then whisk in 1/4 cup butter. Stir milk mixture into dry ingredients. 3. Heat large nonstick griddle or skillet over medium heat; brush with butter. For each pancake, drop ¼ cup batter onto griddle. Arrange 3 banana rounds and 3 pecan halves on each pancake. Cook until brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to baking sheet in oven. Repeat with remaining batter, bananas, and pecans. Serve with syrup and butter. Note: I didn’t have bananas, peca...

While I studied abroad in college, I decided to visit Eastern Spain for a couple of days. The most ubiquitous vegetarian option was tortilla española. Unfortunately, the slices I was served were always on the cold side of room temperature, a little hard because they were cooked hours beforehand, and generously sprinkled with paprika as an excuse for their mediocrity. I hadn't had tortilla española since, until Hurricane Irene passed through New York. Dave was in full emergency mode, duct taping things shut, and filling up our bathtub and every other receptacle in the house with tap water. He also insisted that we cook everything in our fridge. All I wanted to do was watch Edward Scissorhands and take a nap. But he looked so busy and earnest, I couldn't not help him. Our perishable items were eggs, butter, and potatoes (these are not really perishable; we could always save them to grow a victory garden after the zombie apocalypse). Anyway, all the grocery stores were closed, so...

i am not salad's #1 fan. i don't like that americans consume salads as their entire meal. i detest the idea of bottled non-refrigerated dressings. actually, i don't like dressings in general. and i don't like that the main ingredients in salads are usually flavorless lettuce, mealy tomato slices, and then who the hell wants to eat black olive slices from a can? now that i've gotten that out of the way, we can get on to what's important. this morning, my cat friend, lucy, woke me up and led me to the kitchen. in the fridge, i found three zucchinis whose skin was beginning to pucker, along with some gorgeous basil in its ziploc terrarium (see note below). what could i do? luckily, i always have parmesan, some sort of citrus, and pine nuts on hand. epicurious.com helped a sister out and i had exactly everything i needed for a perfect summer salad, with no lame lettuce, terrible tomato or canned kalamata. 40 minutes – serves 6 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oi...

When your head of escarole is turning a little purple after it’s been in the fridge for a week and you refuse to go to the grocery store because your CSA veggie share pick up is the next day… 50 min – serves 4 1 head escarole 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 3 tablespoons pine nuts 1. Bring water to a rolling boil. Separate the escarole leaves and rinse thoroughly. Roughly chop the escarole. Drop leaves into the boiling water and boil, covered, until tender, about 30 minutes. When the escarole is tender, drain thoroughly and let dry. 2. In a wide saute pan, heat the olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the garlic to the hot pan and saute until the garlic begins to soften and turn a light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the pine nuts and cook until the nuts are lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the escarole and stir until well-cooked and very soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve immediately. modified from golden earthworm’s ...

35 min – serves 4 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2/3 cup bread crumbs 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for drizzling 1 yellow onion, halved from stem to root and thinly sliced crosswise Kosher salt and pepper 1 pound Swiss chard, ribs removed, leaves chopped 1/2 pound pasta, such as fusilli 1. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in the bread crumbs and toast until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. 2. Wipe the skillet clean and return it to a medium-high heat. Add the oil, the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes. Cook until melted. Add the Swiss chard, a handful at a time, and cook until wilted, about 4 minutes. Cover and keep warm. 3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain well. Toss with the chard mixture and bread crumbs, season...