Sweet Sesame Garlic Miso Dressing/Sauce
Romesco Sauce
Peanut Sauce
Tangy Coconut Sauce/Dressing
Basic Vinaigrette
Lemon Tahini Sauce/Dressing
Avocado Za’atar Hemp Dressing/Sauce
Maple Hazelnut Vinaigrette
Katherine’s Lemony Garlic Vinaigrette
~~~
Lentils
Amaranth + Amaranth Crackers
Broiled Cabbage w Lemon
Quick Pickled Onions
Toasted Pepitas

Guidelines for creating your own recipe/template:

What grows together goes together - regionally and seasonally. Regionally think tomatoes/olives/lemon and coconut/lime/rice. Seasonally think tomatoes/basil and squash/corn/beans
High notes (acid) and low notes (savory rich umami) to create balance and harmony in a dish. Think a squeeze of lemon with fish or squeeze of lime with pho.
Sentence structure - when you understand the grammar of a dish and the purpose of each ingredient, you can determine which ingredients are essential, which can be substituted, which can be left out altogether.

Sweet Miso Sesame Garlic Sauce
Makes 1/3 cup

2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 Tablespoons chickpea or white miso
1 1/2 Tablespoons honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small airtight container. Keeps for up to one month in the fridge.

Romesco Sauce

Makes around 1 ½ cups

2 roasted red peppers, cored and seeded (we used 3)
1 dried Ancho pepper (or 2 teaspoons powder), rehydrated in hot water until soft, cored and seeded
2 - 3 garlic cloves
1 Jalapeño pepper or less (we didn’t use)
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts and/or toasted almonds (we used almonds)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika (we used smoked paprika not sweet smoked paprika)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place all of the ingredients except for the oil, salt and pepper in the food processor and puree with ¼ cup of water. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil through the feed tube and process until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. (We chucked it all in the blender!)
Cover and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

Peanut Sauce
Makes around 1 cup

1/2 cup peanut butter (freshly ground peanuts or no other ingredients on the label than peanuts, preferably)
¼ cup cilantro leaves and/or stems, optional (we only used stems)
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1-2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger (one small knob with skin on if organic and you have a high speed blender)
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon tamari, soy sauce, or coconut aminos

Jalapeño or other chili pepper, to taste (oops! for got to use)
1/2 cup water or coconut water (more or less)

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.

Tangy Coconut Sauce/Dressing
Makes 1 1/3 cups

3/4 cup coconut yogurt
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons full fat canned coconut milk
2 Tablespoon honey
2 Tablespoon coconut amino acids or soy sauce
2 teaspoon lime juice
1 small finger ginger (2 teaspoons minced)
2 medium clove garlic minced
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
pinch red pepper flakes

Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl or shake in a jar until well combined. (We used the blender.)

Basic Vinaigrette
Makes around 1 cup

1/4 cup Sherry vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon minced shallot
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, shallot, salt and pepper. Slowly add the oil, whisking until emulsified. Alternatively, shake the ingredients in a jar.

VARIATIONS- To make different types of vinaigrette, do the following:

· Substitute balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, a different vinegar or lemon juice for the Sherry vinegar.

· Substitute minced garlic for the shallot.

· Add 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as tarragon, parsley, cilantro, or thyme.

· Add ½ have cup crumbled blue cheese or ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese.

· Use fresh lemon juice instead of vinegar; add 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan.

· Substitute toasted sesame oil for the olive oil, add 1 teaspoon minced ginger, substitute lime juice or rice vinegar for the sherry vinegar.

Lemon Tahini Sauce - Adapted from My New Roots

¼ cup tahini
¼ cup lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
1 small clove garlic, minced
pinch salt
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons honey or other liquid sweetener
4-6 Tbsp. water, as needed

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to one week.

Avocado Za’atar Hemp Dressing/Sauce

Leave out the za’atar and you have yourself a nice neutral base.

¼ cup hemp seeds
2-3 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons za’atar
1/2 avocado
large pinch sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place all of the ingredients except for the za’atar in a blender and blend until smooth, adding water to thin. Transfer to a container or a bowl and stir in the za’atar.

Maple Hazelnut (or Walnut) Vinaigrette (we didn’t make)

1 Tablespoon minced shallot
1 Tablespoon Sherry vinegar (or balsamic)
2 teaspoons pure dark grade A maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 Tablespoons roasted hazelnut oil (or roasted walnut, or olive)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a small bowl, whisk together the shallot, vinegar, maple syrup, and mustard. Continue whisking and slowly drizzle in the oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Alternatively, combine all the ingredients in a jar and give it a good shake.

Katherine’s Lemony Garlic Vinaigrette - (we didn’t make) love this on shredded kale!

2 cloves garlic, minced and mashed with the side of chef’s knife with some salt into a paste or put through a garlic press
Juice of 1 lemon, about 2 tablespoons (start with a little less and increase as needed) plus zest
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
4 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons olive oil

Shake the dressing ingredients together in a jar or whisk together in a small bowl.

Lentils
Makes around 3 cups cooked lentils

1 cup uncooked green, beluga, French or Puy lentils (any lentils that will hold their shape…not red!)

Pour the lentils into a large pot and sift through them, removing any debris. Rinse the lentils and drain, then return them to the pot and cover with about 3 inches of water. Bring lentils to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 20-25 minutes, until they are tender but not falling apart. Drain, rinse with cool water, and set aside.

To make em crispy crunchy, dry them well then sautee them with olive oil in skillet on medium high or toss them w olive oil and put them in an even layer on a baking sheet and cook for 20-25 minutes on 350, or til crispy and brown.

Amaranth Crackers

Makes 18 crackers

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 batch cooked amaranth (see below)
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Optional spices, nuts, seeds

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. With a silicon, rubber or small offset spatula, evenly distribute 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil onto the parchment paper. Drop 9 Tablespoons amaranth evenly spaced and use the spatula, coated with olive oil, to spread the amaranth in a very thin layer. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and any other spices, nuts, seeds.
Bake until the crackers lift up from the parchment paper and are golden brown, around 20-25 minutes, then flip over and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes to crisp up the middles.
Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Cooked Amaranth

1 cup amaranth grain

In a small pot, combine the amaranth with 3 cups liquid over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed and the grains are tender and have a glossy sheen (somewhat gelatinous), about 25 - 30 minutes. The viscosity should be like thick cake batter. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Broiled Lemon Cabbage

This very simple preparation will turn anyone into a cabbage lover. It’s buttery, sweet, and has an addictive quality.

1 small or medium head of green cabbage
2-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lemon, halved crosswise
2-3 Tablespoons roughly chopped delicate herbs (like flat leaf parsley, cilantro, chives, mint), optional
3-4 Tablespoons roughly chopped toasted nuts (like walnuts, pistachio nuts, almonds), optional

1. Turn the oven on to the high broil setting.

2. Chop the cabbage in half through the core. Place the halves flat side down and slice it into thin slabs, keeping the core intact. Place the cabbage on a rimmed baking dish and use your hands to gently coat with the olive oil, salt and pepper. (You may need two baking sheets.) Try to keep the slabs intact. Nestle in the lemon halves cut side down.

3. Cook for 3-4 minutes on the top oven rack until the cabbage starts to turn brown in spots and the cabbage turns more of a vibrant hue. Remove from the oven. Flip over the cabbage and lemon halves with tongs or a spatula and return to the oven for another 2-3 minutes until the edges of the cabbage are browned. Keep a close eye - ovens vary and it can cook quickly!

4. Remove from the oven and use a spatula to smoosh the juice out of the lemons, removing any seeds. (If the cut side of the lemons aren’t caramelized and browned yet, you can return them to the oven briefly.) Toss the cabbage with the lemon juice and serve immediately with herbs and nuts if you are using, or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.