Lemony Roasted Romanesco with Almonds

Romanesco is one of those crazy alien vegetables that graces autumn farmers’ markets every now and then, casually placed amongst unassuming (albeit often colorful) cauliflower and broccoli. With intricate fractals for buds and a practically neon hue, it’s strikingly beautiful… and a bit scary looking. Nonetheless, it cooks up easily and deliciously in the oven. In fact I had to practice some pretty serious self-control in order to keep myself from devouring everything straight off the baking sheet.

1 head of romanesco, trimmed of outer stems and stalk, cut into chunks
3 garlic cloves, lightly smashed with the side of a chef’s knife handle
couple glugs of olive oil
salt and black pepper
juice and zest from ½ large lemon
1 tbsp capers
1/8 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Preheat oven to 400˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Toss romanesco with olive oil, smashed garlic, salt, and pepper, and spread out on prepared baking sheet. Roast for about 30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes or so, until nicely browned.
Remove from oven and while still hot, toss with lemon juice, zest, and capers. Served topped with toasted sliced almonds.

Italian Herb Spiced Tofu

I love this lightly fried tofu on pasta with marinara sauce and spinach for an easy, satisfying weeknight meal. The nutritional yeast is optional and while it does add a nice richness, the tofu is still delicious without it.

1 package of firm tofu, drained and lightly pressed with paper towels, cut into 1” dice
bit of olive oil
1 tsp Italian dried herb mix (oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, rosemary)
¼ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp nutritional yeast, optional
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

Heat a bit of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add tofu cubes and sprinkle with seasonings, gently stir to coat tofu evenly. Then don’t touch tofu and let brown for about 5 minutes, then flip over and cook (without touching) for about 5 minutes more, until golden and a little crispy.

Roasted Squash Quinoa Bowl with Arugula Pesto

Who doesn’t love a good, cozy bowl? This one will fill you right up with beans, quinoa, roasted butternut squash, and a creamy, dreamy, slightly peppery pesto. The three year-old I care for during the week gave this dish two thumbs up and described it as “magical.” (Okay, so she may or may not have had princesses on the brain.)
*The recipe makes about 1 cup of pesto, a little more than needed for this dish. Enjoy any left-overs on sandwiches, sweet potatoes, scrambled tofu, or pasta.

For the arugula pesto:
2 cups arugula
½ cup chopped pecans
1 clove of garlic
1½ tbsp fresh lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
salt and black pepper, to taste

Use a food processor fitted with a steel blade to process the arugula, pecans, garlic, lemon juice, and a bit of salt and pepper, until relatively smooth, scraping the sides as needed. With the machine running, slowly pour in the olive oil. Add the nutritional yeast, and pulse to combine. Taste for seasonings and adjust as necessary.

Everything else:
1 cup quinoa (dry measure), cooked
1 medium butternut squash, cubed and roasted
1 cup cooked/14 oz rinsed and drained can of beans (borlotti, chickpea, great northern, etc.)
couple handfuls of arugula

When the butternut squash is fresh from the oven, toss it with the beans. Or, if the squash has been made ahead of time and has cooled down, gently reheat it with the beans on the stove for a few minutes, until hot. Serve squash and beans over quinoa with pesto spooned on top and garnished with a few arugula leaves.

Yield: About 3 servings.

Black Beans, Kale, & Sweet Potato

Here, a warming bowl of fall veggies and black beans, with just a hint of the tropics via coconut oil and fresh lime juice. I love it with quinoa but it would also be tasty over rice.

1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled, cut in half if large
2 tbsp coconut oil, divided
½ small red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch kale, trimmed of tough stems and chopped
1 cup vegetable broth
1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
juice from ½ lime (~1 Tb)
salt and black pepper

Place sweet potato in a pot and cover with cold water by about an inch. Bring to a boil over high heat and let cook for about 10-15 minutes, until easily pierced with a fork but not mushy. Drain. When cool enough to handle, dice into small pieces.
Meanwhile, heat 1 Tb of coconut oil in a large lidded pan or wok over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, stirring now and then. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Then stir in the kale, pour in the vegetable broth, and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally and adding splashes of water if the kale starts to feel dry, until nicely cooked. This may take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes, depending on how tough the kale is.
Remove lid from pan and push the kale to the side. In the empty space, pour the remaining 1 Tb coconut oil and then the diced sweet potato. Leave the sweet potato untouched for at least a minute, just to brown it a little, then flip and let brown on the other side. (The kale will also brown a bit, too, in a lightly charred, delicious way.) Lower heat and stir in the black beans, then season with lime juice, salt, and pepper.

Yield: About 4 servings

Pasta with Peas

Garlicky pasta with peas is one of my favorite comfort foods. It’s easy, relatively cheap, and really hits the spot after a long day. This is another recipe I learned from my mom, who was inspired by a local pizzeria dish.

1 12oz package of pasta
olive oil
4-5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
dash of red pepper flakes, or to taste
1½ to 2 cups frozen peas, preferably petite
salt

Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Set a timer for the cooking time.
Meanwhile, in a small pan, cook garlic in just enough oil to cover over low heat, keeping a close watch and agitating frequently. When garlic starts to brown, turn off the heat.
When you reach the last minute or two of cooking time for the pasta, add the peas to the boiling pasta. When time is up, drain pasta and peas together.
Add garlic and oil to pasta and peas, and season with salt to taste.

Yield: About 4 servings