Fruit & Flowers

[Leaves & Stems] [Roots & Tubers] [Recipes Main]

You will find recipes for the following fruit & flowers on this page:

Beans
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cukes
Eggplant
Melon
Peas
Peppers
Squash
Tomatoes
Zucchini

BEANS

Dilly Beans
1 lb green beans, trimmed
4 tsp chopped fresh dill
1 Tbs. minced shallot
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp whole-grain mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Bring an inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan fitted with a steamer basket. Add green beans, cover, and cook until tender-crisp, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Meanwhile, whisk dill, shallot, oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper in a large
bowl. Add the green beans and toss to coat. Let stand about 10 minutes before serving to blend flavors.

Ginger Beans
1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbs. sugar
3 Tbs. fresh ginger, minced
2 Tbs. soy sauce
3 Tbs. lime juice
1 Tbs. water
1 Tbs. sesame oil

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the beans. Cook for just 2 to 3 minutes then remove from water and rinse under cold water. Whisk together the remaining ingredients and allow to sit for at least 15 minutes. Shake once more then more the mixture over the green beans.

BROCCOLI

Broccoli Salad with Ginger-Miso Vinaigrette
1 large head of broccoli (1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch florets, stems peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons white miso paste
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
One 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli florets and stems and cook until bright green and just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse the broccoli under cold water until cooled; pat dry. In a large bowl, whisk the rice vinegar with the miso paste, sugar, lemon juice and grated ginger. Whisk in the oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the broccoli and sesame seeds, toss to coat and serve. MAKE AHEAD: The miso dressing can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. The cooked and chilled broccoli can be refrigerated overnight. Toss the broccoli with the dressing and sesame seeds just before serving.

Sesame Broccoli Salad
12 cups Broccoli Florets
2 Tbs. Soy Sauce
2 Tbs.. Rice Vinegar
2 Tbs. Sesame Oil
2 Tbs. Honey
1/2 cup Sesame Seeds

Whisk soy sauce, vinegar, oil and honey in large bowl. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Steam broccoli florets until crisp-tender; cool. Stir sesame seeds in heavy, large skillet over medium heat until golden, approx.. 5 minutes. Transfer to small bowl; cool. Mix broccoli & 1/4 cup sesame seeds into dressing. Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes up to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Transfer broccoli to platter. Pour remaining dressing over and garnish with remaining sesame seeds.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Roasted Brussels
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt and serve immediately.

CUKES

Chilled Cucumber Soup
4 cups peeled, seeded, grated cucumber
2 cups water
2 cups yogurt
1/2-1 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh dill
1 Tbs honey

Combine ingredients and chill. Garnish with fresh mint and chives.

Zesty Cucumber Salad
1 large cucumber
1 tsp. coarse cooking salt
4 beets
1 medium red onion
2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh mint leaves
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. sugar

Peel, seed, and finely chop cucumber. Place cucumber in colander and sprinkle with salt; let mixture stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and grate trimmed beets. Chop onion finely. Rinse cucumber under cold water; drain on absorbent paper. Combine cucumber, beets, onion, mint, rind, juice, and sugar in large bowl.

EGGPLANT

Simple Roasted Ratatouille
1 medium eggplant
1 large zucchini
3 large onions
2 medium tomatoes
2 bell peppers
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450-degrees. Cut all veggies into 1" chunks and place in large bowl (Need 12-14 cups veggies total). Add garlic and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper & spread on baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes, then stir. Contine to roast for 25-30 minutes, stirring again after 20 minutes until veggies are fork tender. Place veggies in bowl, garnish with chopped basil, and serve with grated cheese.

MELON

Cantaloupe & Avocado Salad
3 Tbs. fresh lime juice
4 tsp honey
1 Tbs. plus 2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 cantaloupe (3 pounds), quartered and seeded
1 avocado, halved, pitted, and skinned
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

In a large bowl, whisk together lime juice, honey, oil, and salt; set aside. Cut each cantaloupe quarter in half lengthwise. Run a knife between the flesh and the skin of the melon; discard skin. Slice each wedge lengthwise into 1/2-inch pieces. Cut each avocado half again lengthwise and then into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Add cantaloupe, avocado, and grape tomatoes to bowl with dressing and toss to coat.

Melon Sorbet
Enjoy this frozen fruit dessert without a lot of bother or even an ice-cream maker. All you need are a few fresh melons and a food processor. First, cube a melon and freeze it in a food-storage bag. When you're ready to make sorbet, place frozen melon in the food processor, and puree. You may need to add water to smooth. Add sugar to taste, and puree again. Serve immediately, or store in the freezer in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

Summer Salad
2 tsp minced or grated fresh ginger
1 Tbs. rice-wine vinegar
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp coarse salt
3 scallions, cut diagonally into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 small jicama (about 4 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick matchsticks
1/2 honeydew melon, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
1 orange bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (about 1/2 pound), picked over and rinsed
4 ounces baby arugula
2 teaspoons oil
Freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together ginger, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt. In a serving bowl, combine scallions, jicama, honeydew, bell pepper, and blueberries. Pour ginger mixture over salad, and toss to combine (salad can be made up to this point 30 minutes ahead of time). Just before serving, add arugula to salad mixture; drizzle with the oil, and season generously with black pepper.

PEAS

Curried Potato and Pea Salad
2 lbs. mini new red potatoes, each halved or quartered, depending on size
3/4 cup mayonnaise or plain yogurt
3 Tbs. chopped fresh mint
2 to 3 tsp mild or medium curry powder
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
2 tsp honey
1 medium garlic clove, minced
salt to taste
1 1/4 cups freshly shelled peas (see Note)

Gently boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until just tender. Drain well, spread on a baking sheet and cool to room temperature. Combine the mayonnaise or yogurt, mint, curry powder, lime juice, honey, garlic and salt in a bowl. Mix in the potatoes and peas, reserving a few of the latter to sprinkle on the salad when ready to serve. Cover and refrigerate the salad until needed; can be made several hours in advance of serving. When ready to serve, spoon the salad onto a decorative platter, sprinkle with reserved peas and serve.
Note: I shelled a half-pound of pea pods to get the 1 1/4 cups of peas required for this recipe

PEPPERS

SQUASH

Butternut Squash & Orange Cream Dessert
2 lbs butternut squash
1 Tbs. canola oil
6 oz silken tofu
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
2 Tbs. grated orange zest
1/2 cup raspberries or other seasonal fruit
1/8 Tbs. grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds, brush with oil, and bake for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Scoop out 1 cup of flesh and transfer to blender or food processor. Add tofu, syrup, orange juice, soy milk and orange zest and process until smooth. spoon equal portions of berries into chilled dessert cups. Pour cream over the fruit and sprinkle nutmeg over top. Chill for 30 minutes and serve.

Pumpkin, Banana & Chickpea Curry
3 Tbs. sunflower oil
1 small onion, sliced.
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/4 lb. pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cubed
2 Tbs. hot curry paste
2 ripe tomatoes chopped
2 dried red chilies
1 1/4 cup vegetable stock
1 3/4 cups canned chickpeas, drained
1 large banana
1 Tbs. chopped cilantro or parsley.

Heat 2 Tbs. of oil in a saucepan, add the onion, garlic, ginger and ground spices, and sauté over a medium heat for 5-6 min. until the onion is lightly browned. Place the pumpkin in a bowl, add the curry paste and toss well to coat the pumpkin evenly. Add the tomatoes, chilies and stock to the onion mixture, and bring to the boil, simmering gently for 15 min. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan, add the coated pumpkin and fry for 5 min. until golden.
Add to the tomato sauce with the chickpeas, cover and cook for 20 min. until the pumpkin is tender. Peel the banana, slice thickly and stir into the curry 5 min. before the end of the cooking time. Stir in the chopped cilantro or parsley, and serve immediately.

Stuffed Ronde de Nice Squash
2 Ronde de Nice squash
1/2 cup white wine
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1/2 lb ground pork (can sub this for 1 cup of lentils)
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp fresh marjoram
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped carrot
Generous pinch kosher salt
1/4 cup chopped celery
Freshly ground black pepper.

Preheat the oven to 400-degrees F. Cut 1-inch off the top of each squash and scoop out the seeds. If necessary in order for the squash to sit upright, cut off a small portion of the bottom. Put 1 of the 4 pieces of butter in the cavity of each squash. Set
squash on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Set aside. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, brown the ground pork until no longer pink. Remove the meat from the pan, add the olive oil and sauté the onion, celery, and carrot until they begin to soften, approximately 7 to 10 minutes. De-glaze the pan with the white wine. Return the pork to the pan along with the cooked rice, pine nuts, marjoram and salt and pepper, to taste. Stirring constantly, heat mixture thoroughly, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Divide the mixture evenly among the squash, top each squash with its lid and bake for 1 hour or until the squash is tender. Serve immediately.

TOMATOES

Fresh Tomato Tart
6-8 tomatoes; cut lengthwise into 1/2" slices
1 large garlic clove, diced
3 Tbs. chopped fresh basil
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
1 prepared pie crust
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400-degrees. Place pie crust in a 10" tart pan. Prick bottom and sides of pastry with a fork. Bake for 5 minutes. Sprinkle cheese into shell. Top with 2 Tbs of basil. Sprinkle garlic & arrange tomato slices. Brush with olive oil & add salt and pepper. Place on baking sheet and on the lower oven rack. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove and garnish with remaining basil. Let stand for 5 min before serving.

Golden Gazpacho
from Golden Door
4 yellow tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
1/2 small red onion, minced
1 ear of fresh corn, shucked & rinsed, kernels cut off cob
1/2 large yellow bell pepper finely diced
1/2 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely diced
1/4 vegetable broth
1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup almonds

In large bowl combine tomatoes, onion, corn, bell pepper, cucumber, broth, parsley, oil, salt & pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Before serving, toast almonds (10 min in a 350-degree oven). Serve soup cold and garnish with almonds and fresh parlsey sprigs.

ZUCCHINI

Zucchini Pancakes
2 small zucchini or 1 large, grated
1 egg, beaten
scant tsp. baking soda
salt & pepper
Some or none of the following:
grated romano cheese
chopped chives
basil

Combine ingredients. Add enough flour to make a somewhat stiff batter. Fry over medium heat to gently brown in olive oil and until pancakes are cooked through. (Pancakes should be approx.. 1/2" thick and 4-5" diameter). Serve with butter & more grated cheese if desired.