I am a cook. I am a gardener. I love it when I can combine both of these passions in the summer and use the herbs in my garden or at the farmers’ market to ramp up the flavor and the nutritional value of my dishes.
In this column I will give you recipes to use up some of that plentiful and inexpensive zucchini, a dish using cabbage that can also segue into autumn, and a “personal” pesto using whatever herbs and nuts you may have or you may prefer the taste of. So, nothing difficult here. Nothing really time consuming either. Get cooking!
Cabbage Salad
about one half a green cabbage, very thinly sliced
two to three teaspoons sea salt
Place cabbage in a bowl and add salt. Mix thoroughly with your hands and let sit until cabbage releases liquid; at least one-half hour. I sometimes leave it for three or more.
Squeeze out liquid with hands and place cabbage in a colander to rinse completely if you don't like salt or should not have a lot of it. I am not too careful about this. I drain it, add fresh water, swish and drain it again and then squeeze by the handful and place into another bowl. Your call.
Add to drained and rinsed cabbage:
one tablespoon celery seed- not celery salt!
two tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped or two teaspoons dried
three tablespoons fresh parsley or lovage, finely chopped (do not use dried)
toss all together to blend
Add about two tablespoons apple cider vinegar and four tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
Stir to combine. Add a bit of honey or natural sugar if you like a touch of sweetness.
Zucchini Frittercakes
Two or three smallish zucchini, shredded. (I prefer the taste of the smaller ones; you'll need two to end up with two to three cups of shredded zucchini.)
Let zucchini sit for about one-half hour to drain a bit. Squeeze by handfuls and place in bowl.
Add two teaspoons of egg replacer and one-quarter cup of garbanzo bean flour to zucchini and mix thoroughly. If the mixture seems too wet add more flour.
Add two to three tablespoons of fresh parsley, finely chopped, and either one tablespoon of fresh oregano, finely chopped, or one teaspoon of dried oregano.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Heat about one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add scoops of mixture (size is up to you; they are good for dipping, as an appetizer, or great at a burger size). Cook patiently until browned on one side, then flip. If you try to flip too soon, they will stick.
These are good served with chipotle, mayo or sriracha.
Pumped Up Pesto
Traditional pesto is comprised of basil, garlic, lemon juice, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese and olive oil. It is delicious and a fine, fine sauce. But it is not vegan, pine nuts are pricey, and sometimes maybe you'd like something just a tad different. Here you are:
A large bunch of basil, parsley or lovage. Add a bit of thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary if you like, but these can't be the base because they are such strong guys!
Two or three cloves of garlic
juice from one whole lemon
one tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional, but it ramps up the nutritional content and adds a cheesy note)
one tablespoon mellow or chickpea miso (again, optional, as above)
one-half cup of nuts: almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts or a blend. You could use some pine nuts if you want to have it taste a little more like Mama's
two tablespoons hemp seeds – just because
salt to taste
In a food processor or high-speed blender (or with a mortar and pestle if you are off the grid) place the garlic cloves and pulse until finely minced. Add the nuts and hemp seeds and pulse until finely ground. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until you have a mixture which resembles what you'd find stuck to your lawn mower blades.
While the motor is running, drizzle in olive oil until the mixture is the consistency and flavor you like. Taste it once or twice as you do this. If it seems bland, add more lemon juice. If it seems too strong, add more olive oil or hemp seeds. Come up with an end result that you can't wait to spoon over pasta or grilled veggies!
Some final notes:
Egg Replacer- this is the one I use : Ener-G Egg Replacer. Made from potato and tapioca starch, Egg Replacer is free of eggs, gluten, wheat, casein, dairy, yeast, soy, treenuts, and peanuts, making it useful for vegans and those with food allergies.
Lovage? Lovage is an herb which is like celery the size of a Christmas tree. It has a subtle celery flavor and you needn't use a lot to flavor a dish. If you have an herb garden, try growing one. It is a perennial herb.
And finally, garbanzo flour. Garbanzo flour, also known as besan, is ground garbanzo beans. It is high in protein and gluten-free.
Betsy Naselli owns The Holistic Lifestyle Company in the Syracuse area. Contact her at bnaselli@twcny.rr.com or visit her on the web: www.youngliving.org/oilswellagain; or www.us.nyrorganic.com/shop/betsyn
The Atlantic Chapter encourages you to move toward a plant-based diet to protect the environment, human health and wildlife, and to make better use of natural resources. To learn more and receive more recipes, contact the Biodiversity/Vegetarian Outreach Committee at LDESTEFANO3@twcny.rr.com, (315) 488-2140 , 5031 Onondaga Rd., Syracuse, NY 13215-1403; or go to www.newyork2.sierraclub.org/conservation/biodiversity.