Delicata squash, carrots and green beans with roasted garlic sauce

by Caitlin Saniga

It doesn’t really matter what vegetables you roast up for this dish. I went with what looked good at the farmers market and what I thought would look pretty on a plate. I did like the sweet tones of the parsnip, carrots and squash, but it would be easy to incorporate sweet potatoes, beets, swiss chard, broccoli and other seasonal produce. The dressing makes everything sing!

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French lentil and tomato soup

by Caitlin Saniga

This lentil soup has a slightly sweet taste, thanks, in part, to the tomatoes, carrots and paprika.

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced finely
• 4-5 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed and roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled, trimmed and minced
• 2 medium carrots, diced finely
• 1 large stalk celery, diced finely
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 1/3 cups french lentils, picked over, rinsed and drained
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• salt and pepper
• thyme sprigs, chopped parsley or snipped chives for garnish.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and saute for at least 10 minutes, stirring them frequently. When the onions are quite soft, add the herbs and paprika and saute for another 5 minutes, stirring all the while. Add the garlic and stir until very fragrant, about 1 minute longer. Add the carrots and celery and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until all vegetables are soft.

Add the can of tomatoes and stir to coat the vegetables. Cook out the tomatoes for about 5 minutes. Add the drained lentils and stir to coat in the vegetables, oil and tomatoes. Add a splash of the stock and scrape any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the remaining stock, give the whole mix a good stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, return the pot to a simmer, cover with a heavy lid and allow to cook for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are soft. Check in on the pot once in a while and give it a stir. Season to your liking. Garnish with sprigs of thyme, parsley or chives, if desired.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe adapted from: The First Mess

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Pasta with chard, parsnips and sausage

by Sarah Steimer

Now that it’s getting colder out, I’m not as willing to venture out at a moment’s notice for dinner ingredients. On those sorts of evenings, I go to my favorite recipe websites and search for dishes that use ingredients I already have in the apartment. We hope you use our site the same way!

• 1/2 pound pasta — I used whole-wheat spirals
• olive oil
• 1/2 pound sausage, casings removed
• 2 medium/large parsnips, peeled and cubed
• 5-6 Swiss chard leaves, stems removed and chopped with the leaves (no reason to discard the stems!)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan, plus more to top

Cook the pasta according to directions. Drain the pasta and return to the pot, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage, breaking the meat up into smaller pieces, about 3 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer the sausage to the pasta.

Add the parsnips to the saute pan and cook until browned and softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chard, seasoning with salt and pepper, and cook until wilted. Transfer this parsnip-chard mixture and the cheese to the pasta and toss, adding enough water to create a light sauce. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the pasta with the extra cheese, if you choose. Makes 2-3 servings.

Recipe adapted from: Martha Stewart

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Baked salmon and Brussels sprouts over a parsnip-sweet potato puree

by Sarah Steimer

This is a gorgeous, gorgeous meal that takes so little effort. What could be better? Totally a show-off meal for a date, your parents or any other person in your life you feel like impressing the socks off. Your pets do count, I suppose.

• 2 salmon fillets, skin removed (optional if you don’t mind it)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 4 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed
• 2 medium-sized parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup milk (I used skim)
• 2 teaspoons horseradish
• 8-12 Brussels sprouts (depending on their size), stems removed and cut in half
• 1-2 teaspoons chili powder
  

  I’m still pretty much a newbie when it comes to fish. The biggest thing to remember about cooking fish is to be gentle — you’re not working with steak here.

Place the salmon fillets in a glass baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season with the salt, pepper, thyme and garlic, being sure to cover

both sides of the fish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for a half hour to two hours.

Put the cubed parsnips and sweet potatoes in a small sauce pan. Add the butter, milk, 1 teaspoon of the horseradish and salt and pepper. Simmer on low until the cubes are soft enough to mash. You may need to add a few more tablespoons of milk if it all evaporates. Puree the parsnips and sweet potato in a blender or food processor. Mix in the last teaspoon of horseradish.

In the meantime, place the Brussels sprouts halves on a baking sheet or glass dish. Toss with the salt, pepper, chili powder and a few drizzles of olive oil.

In a 350 degree oven, bake both the Brussels sprouts and fish on the same rack (if

Prep ahead! Get your chopping done in advance so all you have to do is throw things in the oven or let them simmer on the stove.

you can, if not try to keep the racks close and place the Brussels higher). Bake for about 20 minutes, turning the pan once but not flipping the fish. The salmon will be ready when it is opaque and flakes easily.

Layer the puree, Brussels sprouts and fish on two plates. Garnish with additional thyme.

Makes two servings.

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