A from-scratch vegan black bean chili built on freshly toasted and ground spices and homemade chili powder. Dried beans simmered thick and hearty, brightened with vinegar and cilantro.
Vegan Cuban-style black beans with two stages of green pepper, classic sofrito, and a finish of apple cider vinegar. Slow-simmered until the beans crack open. Plant-based comfort that holds its own.
Spaghetti with sauteed curly endive, garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. A quick 30-minute Italian pasta with bitter greens and tangy-sweet dressing.
Fava bean and tiny pasta salad with blanched carrots, chives, and a red wine vinegar-basil dressing. A light, marinated vegan side served at room temperature.
Tex-Mex skillet pasta pie with spaghetti, eggs, and cilantro, cooked like a frittata and served with fresh homemade green chile salsa. A creative one-pan dinner.
Tex-Mex steak and tortillas with garlic-marinated sirloin grilled fast over hot charcoal and wrapped in warm flour tortillas with a fresh tomato-chile-cilantro salsa.
Chilled summer spaghetti tossed with raw gazpacho sauce of tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, bell pepper, sherry, and saffron. Spanish-inspired no-cook hot weather pasta.
Warm chicken and rice salad tossed in balsamic vinaigrette with fresh tarragon and chives. Light, herbaceous, and served warm instead of cold. No mayo, all flavor.
Spicy ginger sauce for cold pasta or rice with sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, chile oil, fresh ginger, and crunchy vegetables. A no-cook Asian-style dressing ready in 15 minutes.
Hot and sour tofu soup builds a silky Chinese-style broth with shiitake mushrooms, ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, and chili oil, thickened with cornstarch and finished with green onions.
Versatile cold cherry soup with white wine vinegar, cinnamon, and heavy cream. Serve as chilled soup with sour cream or flip to dessert with sweetened whipped cream. Makes 2 quarts to feed 10.
Very healthy and nutritious salad. Flavor is great too.
Peppered beef skewers marinated in garlic and soy, grilled fast and hot, then paired with a sweet-sharp red onion horseradish marmalade. Bold backyard grilling.
Grilled soft shell crabs basted in a tarragon and lemon pepper marinade. Cooked slow over indirect heat for crispy shells and sweet, tender meat. A Chesapeake Bay summer classic.
Pesto potato-sausage salad with red potatoes, browned kielbasa, cherry tomatoes, and a basil pesto-vinegar dressing. Served warm or at room temperature with just 5 ingredients.
Salad with warm goat cheese: crumb-coated Montrachet rounds fried to a golden crust over tender greens in a champagne-cider vinaigrette. A French bistro classic worth every step.