more veggies, please!

20 minutes – serves 4 1 large fennel bulb 4 carrots ½ small red onion ¼ cup apple cider vinegar 1/8 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped juice of 1 lemon 2 tablespoons olive oil ¼ teaspoon coriander salt and pepper, to taste optional: other winter produce such as radishes, beets, grapefruit or mandarins 1. Thinly slice the red onion and place in small bowl of apple cider vinegar to marinate for 10 minutes. 2. Core and half the fennel bulb, lengthwise. Thinly slice all vegetables into paper-thin slivers or rounds. If using citrus, remove segments from membranes. 3. Make dressing with lemon juice, olive oil, coriander and salt and pepper. 4. Drain red onion from apple cider vinegar. Toss all ingredients in a bowl. from yours truly

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...

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...

25 min - serves 4 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 small chile serrano, seeded and finely chopped 1 ½ teaspoons honey ½ teaspoon cumin ½ teaspoon coriander ¼ cup vegetable oil Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 4 cups fresh corn kernels (from 4 ears) 1 bunch radishes, halved and thinly sliced crosswise ¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro ¼ cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley ¼ small red onion, thinly sliced 1. In a blender, puree the lime juice, chile, honey, cumin and coriander. With the machine on, add the oil. Season with salt and pepper. 2. In a large bowl, toss the corn with the radishes, cilantro, parsley, red onion and dressing. Season the salad with salt and pepper, transfer to plates and serve.

20 minutes - serves 3 1 bulb fennel, cut into quarters 1/4 cup raw pine nuts 2/3 cup quinoa juice of 2 limes olive oil, to taste 1/3 cup grated ricotta salata or pecorino romano (optional) 1. Boil medium pot of water. Add quinoa to water. Add salt to taste and reduce heat to simmer. Cook quinoa until al dente and tendrils begin to show. 2. Thinly slice fennel quarters to the thickness of your liking, by hand or using a mandoline. I like mine 2 mm thick. 3. Toast pine nuts over high heat in a dry skillet. Once they begin to brown, immediately remove from skillet and set aside in a bowl. 4. Mix fennel, quinoa, pine nuts and lime juice together in a bowl. Add olive oil and freshly ground pepper to your liking. 5. Add the grated cheese at this time. If not using cheese, add salt. 6. Two people can easily enjoy this dish. Then you can pack the third portion for lunch! by sasha

1 hour – serves 6 4 1/2 to 5 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled seeded butternut squash (from about one 2-pound squash) 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil pinch of dried crushed red pepper coarse kosher salt 2 tablespoons orange juice 1 1/2 tablespoons walnut oil or other nut oil 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 4 ounces arugula (about 8 cups lightly packed) 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds 2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses 1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss squash, olive oil, and crushed red pepper on large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Roast 15 minutes. Using spatula, turn squash over. Roast until edges are browned and squash is tender, about 15 minutes longer. Sprinkle with coarse salt. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. 2. Whisk orange juice, walnut oil, and lemon juice in large shallow bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add arugula, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds; toss to coat. Season to taste wit...

1 hour - 6 first course servings ¼ cup fresh orange juice 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling 2 ¼ pounds assorted beets with greens (1 ½ pounds if already trimmed) ¼ small red onion 1 ¼ cups Italian (flat-leaf) parsley leaves (from 1 bunch), torn if desired accompaniment: fresh ricotta or farmer cheese, or grated ricotta salata 1. Whisk together juices, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large bowl. 2. Trim beets, leaving 1 inch of stems attached, then peel. 3. Using stems as a handle, slice beets paper-thin (less than 1/8 inch thick) with slicer, then cut slices into very thin matchsticks. 4. Thinly slice onion with slicer. 5. Toss beets, onion, and parsley with dressing and season with salt. Let stand, tossing occasionally, 30 minutes to soften beets and allow flavors to develop. 6. Toss again and season with salt and pepper before serving drizzled with additional oil. If you don’t want t...

30 min – serves 4 ½ pound walnut halves (2 cups) ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil ¼ cup fresh lime juice Salt and freshly ground pepper ¾ pound peeled roasted beets, cut into 1/3-inch cubes 1 Fuji apple, cut into 1/3-inch cubes 1 Hass avocado, cubed 1 fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced ¼ pound Manchego cheese, thinly shaved (1 cup) 5 ounces mesclun greens 2 cups tortilla chips, lightly crushed 1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Let cool completely. 2. Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the walnuts to a food processor. Add the oil and lime juice and pulse until the walnuts are coarsely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the beets, apple, avocado, fennel and Manchego and toss. Add the mesclun and tortilla chips, season with salt and pepper and toss again. Transfer the salad to plates, garnish with the remaining walnuts and serve right away.