Please note that these ingredients are approximate measurements that are totally flexible. You can adjust to taste and thin the dip as desired with water!
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro (stems and leaves), rough chopped
1/4 bunch fresh parlsey leaves, rough chopped
1 large garlic clove, peeled
Juice of 2 lemons
1 cup roasted salted cashews
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
water as needed
Add all ingredients to a blender and thin with water to desired consistency.
Serve with crudite and/or crackers.
Turn into a salad dressing by thinning with water and/or additional lemon juice and whisking in olive oil.
Make creamy by blending in a dollop of cottage cheese.
Juice of 1 large lemon, plus additional lemon juice for seasoning
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 bunch curly kale, stems discarded and leaves very finely chopped
1 large avocado, pitted and diced small
1 (15-ounce) can white beans (great northern, kidney, navy or cannellini), drained and rinsed
1/3 cup roasted and salted sunflower seeds
1/3 cup roasted and salted pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup hemp hearts
Add the lemon juice, maple syrup, olive oil and pepper to a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Season to taste with additional salt, pepper and/or lemon juice.
Serve immediately.
(This is inspired by/a replica of the kale salad with avocado from Erewhon which I had last year and was quite tasty!)
3/4 cup red wine (red Zinfandel, merlot or cabernet)
3 large sprigs fresh oregano
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 (28-ounce) can pureed tomatoes, undrained, preferably fire-roasted
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup packed flat-leaf Italian parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1 (16-ounce) package of pasta (your choice)
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, not pre-grated, for serving
Add the lentils and stock to a small saucepan. Let simmer for 20-25 minutes until the lentils are cooked through. Strain and set aside.
Add the olive oil, onions, carrots and celery to a small pot and set over medium-high heat. Cook for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften and are lightly caramelized. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to soften, approximately 8 minutes.
Add the tomato paste, garlic, coriander and fennel. Stir, and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the wine to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid begins to thicken slightly, approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the oregano and thyme followed by the tomatoes.
Continue cooking for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cooked lentils, followed by the soy sauce. Continue cooking on the lowest setting while you cook the pasta.
Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to a rolling boil, then add about 2 tablespoons of salt.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente (almost done, or “to the tooth”). Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
Once done, drain without rinsing, then add the pasta to the ragu pot plus the additional 1 cup of reserved pasta water.
Stir and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
Stir in the parsley.
Serve in pasta bowls, topped with a sprinkling of Parmigiano-Reggiano and a drizzle of olive oil.
2 small heads endive, leaves separated (root end trimmed as needed)
½ cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
¼ cup packed roughly chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
1 medium shallot, peeled and diced small
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¾ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano (grated on a box grater – not pre-grated)
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Place a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Let pan heat up until hot, about 1 minute. Add the quinoa to the pan. Toast, stirring frequently, until the quinoa begins to pop. Reduce the heat to medium low. Shake or stir pan continuously to prevent any quinoa from burning once the popping starts. Remove from heat when the popping sound diminishes, approximately 45 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside. (Pro Tip: if you have a glass lid, it will help to contain any rogue poppers!)
Cut the peel and pith off the oranges, then segment them by cutting between the dividers. Discard any seeds and squeeze the remains for juice and reserve the juice for the vinaigrette.
Add the orange segments, endive, hazelnuts, parsley, shallot, red wine vinegar, orange juice, olive oil, Parmigiano Reggiano and toasted quinoa to a medium bowl. Fold to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper and additional vinegar as needed.
1 large leek, (3/4 pound), white and light green part only, halved lengthwise and cleaned, sliced into ¼ -inch slices (2½ packed cups)
1 medium sweet potato (approximately ¾ pounds), peeled and diced medium (2¼ cups)
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 small bunch curly kale (10 ounces), stems discarded, leaves roughly chopped (7 packed cups)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
2 sunny side up eggs, optional
Hot sauce, optional
Combine the olive oil, leek, sweet potato, ½ teaspoon salt and the pepper in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Cover, stirring occasionally, for approximately 10 to 12 minutes, until the leeks just begin to caramelize and the sweet potato is almost cooked through.
Add the kale (it’s a lot, I know!). Gently fold to combine. Continue to cook, folding occasionally, until the kale is wilted and softens, approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove from heat. Stir in the apple cider vinegar, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and the sesame seeds. Stir and season to taste.
Serve in bowls and top with a sunny side up egg and a dash of your favorite hot sauce.
Crackers or butter lettuce (optional, for serving)
Add chickpeas to a medium bowl and mash half with the back of a fork or potato masher. Add lemon juice and shallot followed by the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine using a rubber spatula.
Serve with crackers or make a lettuce wrap with butter lettuce.
Add the milk, sugar and agar agar to a small pot (aka pasta pot). Stir to combine and place over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer while stirring constantly.
Once the mixture comes to a simmer, remove from heat, stir in the almond extract and pour mixture into a 13 x 9 baking dish.
Let rest at room temperature until the mixture sets (like jello), approximately 30 minutes. While the mixture sets, prepare the ginger syrup.
Cut the “tofu” into cubes and serve in bowls topped with fruit and drizzle of ginger syrup.
Ginger Syrup
1 cup water
½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 (3-inch) knob fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
Add all ingredients to a small saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool enough to handle. Strain to remove the ginger.
3 pounds squash (butternut, kabocha, honeynut or Tahitian) peeled, seeded & cut into 3/4 -inch cubes
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided, plus more to taste
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 pound leeks, root and dark green ends discarded, remaining leek halved lengthwise and cleaned, sliced into ¼-inch slices (2 cups)
3 large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
½ pound shiitakes mushrooms, stems discarded and mushrooms diced into ¼-inch pieces
1 cup pearled barley, rinsed
½ cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
4 cups vegetable, chicken or beef stock, preferably Better than Bouillon brand
1 tablespoon lemon zest (zest of 1 lemon), grated on a Microplane
8 sprigs fresh thyme, tied together with butcher’s twine
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (juice of 1/2 lemon), plus more to taste
½ cup finely chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
1 cup packed freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, not pre-grated, plus more for serving
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position, then preheat the oven to 425ºF.
Add the squash, ½ teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and 3 tablespoons of olive oil (enough to fully coat all the squash) to a large bowl and mix well.
Spread out the seasoned squash in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan and roast, uncovered, for approximately 40 minutes, rotating after 20 minutes, until nicely caramelized and cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside.
While the squash is roasting, add 3 tablespoons of butter to a small pot and place over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the leeks, garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and cover with a lid. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until the leeks are soft and translucent.
Stir in the mushrooms, cover the pot andcook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until the mushrooms start to soften.
Add the final 1 tablespoon of butter and the barley. Stir and cook for about 1 minute until the butter has melted and coated the barley.
Pour in the wine, stir and reduce until no wine remains.
Add the stock, lemon zest and thyme and stir, cover and increase the heat to high to bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for approximately 30 minutes, until the barley is pleasantly chewy with a little body remaining. (There’s no need to stir during these 30 minutes.)
Remove from the heat, discard the thyme bundle and stir in the lemon juice. Then, add the parsley, cheese and roasted squash and stir to combine. Season to taste.
Divide barley amongst bowls and top with shavings of Parmigiano.
Note: make this gluten-free by swapping barley for buckwheat groats & you can make this vegan by omitting the butter and cheese or using plant based products.
2 tablespoons orange zest (yield from 2 large oranges), grated on a Microplane
1 small orange, peeled, seeded, and chopped roughly, juice reserved
1 cinnamon stick
½ teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated on a Microplane before measuring
½ vanilla bean, seeds and pod: slice down the length of the pod, spread open, and scrape out the flesh by pressing with a butter knife or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Stir the apple cider, honey, cranberries, orange zest, chopped oranges and their juice, cinnamon stick, ginger, and vanilla bean seeds and pod in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Cover the saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the cranberries burst.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Remove the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean pod.
Pour into a serving bowl. Any remaining sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. Chances are there isn’t going to be any left, because this stuff goes fast.
Note: This recipe also works great with frozen cranberries.
Chef Nathan Lyon 