slices of hearty whole grain bread
tomatoes
collard & green olive pesto (recipe below)

Make the pesto. Slice your tomatoes. Toast your bread. Apply pesto in thick mounds (remember, it’s your vegetable!) and top with tomatoes. Enjoy, with a napkin at the ready.

collard & green olive pesto

1-3/4 lb collard greens (you can use kale, instead, if you want)
7 to 12 large brine-cured green olives (2-1/4 ounces), pitted
2 garlic cloves
1/4 to 1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, cut stems and center ribs from collard greens and discard. Slice greens into strips and stir collards into water, bring back to a boil, and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 8 to 15 minutes. Drain collards in a colander, pressing on greens to extract excess water.
2. Blend olives and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add collards, water, vinegar, salt, cayenne, and pepper and pulse until finely chopped. With motor running, add oil in a slow stream. Taste and add more salt if needed. 

1 English cucumber
1 1/2 - 2 cups plain low-fat yogurt
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed with a pinch of salt
3 tsp dried mint, crumbled and pressed through a fine sieve
1 tsp olive oil
sprigs of fresh mint for garnish

1.  Finely dice the cucumber.
2.  In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, and pinch of salt. Add the cucumber and the dried mint, and blend well.
3.  Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour.

Cook’s note:  Greek yogurt will yield a thicker sauce. This is wonderful with fish!

1 cup chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup diced (1/3 inch) peeled potato
8 cups coarsely chopped lettuce leaves including ribs-approximately 3/4 lb (I used Romaine)
3 cups water

1.  Cook onion mixture and garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add coriander, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
2.  Stir in potato, lettuce, and water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until potato is very tender, about 10 minutes.
3.  Purée soup in batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids) and transfer to a 2- to 3-quart saucepan. Bring soup to a simmer.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

These standbys of the 1950s parties somehow fell off of everyone’s radar.  Crispy and cheesy on the outside and salty on the inside; they’re irresistible. From the Gourmet Cookbook edited by Ruth Reichl

1 cup coarsely grated sharp Matanuska Creamery Cheddar (about 4 ounces)
½ cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
20 small pimiento-stuffed green olives, drained and patted dry

1.  Put a rack in the middle of oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2.  Stir together cheese, flour, and cayenne in a bowl.  Blend in butter with your fingertips until a dough forms. If dry, add a little water (about 1 tablespoon at a time) and stir until the dough comes together.
3.  Drop tablespoons of dough onto a sheet of wax paper and place 1 olive on each piece of dough.  Lightly flour your hands and wrap dough around olives, enclosing each one completely.  Transfer olives to a baking sheet with sides and bake until pastry is golden, about 15 minutes.  Serve warm.
The dough-wrapped olives can be prepared up to 2 hours ahead and refrigerated on the baking sheet, covered with plastic wrap.  Bring to room temperature before baking.

Cook’s note:  You can also just take pinches of the dough, place it in the palm of your hand and flatten it using your other hand. Place the olive in the middle of the dough and enclose it with the dough. And this just in...a tip from LJ-you can make them ahead of time and freeze them.  Just bake them a little longer.

I can’t think of anything better than tender young lettuce.  This dressing really shows it off and has a delightful tang.
Recipe adapted from Homegrown: A Growing Guide for Creating a Cook’s Garden

¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
pinch of coarse sea salt
⅓ cup sorrel leaves, finely chopped
4 large handfuls tender spring lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
1 small bunch chives, roughly chopped
4 sprigs dill, roughly chopped
freshly ground black pepper

1. In a blender, blend the sour cream, yogurt, mustard, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, salt and sorrel until very smooth, about 1 minute. Thin with water if it’s too thick. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, toss the lettuce, chives and dill with about half of the dressing; add more if desired, just enough to coat the leaves. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

1⅓ cups fresh raspberries
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup boiling water
1 pound rhubarb (about 4 stalks), cut into ½-inch slices
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped and pod reserved for another use
Shortbread cookies and vanilla ice cream, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 300˚. In a blender, puree the raspberries with the brown sugar and hot water until well combined. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl and discard the seeds. Stir in the rhubarb, butter and vanilla or vanilla bean.
2. Transfer the sauce to a 9-by-9-inch baking dish and bake, uncovered, stirring every 10 minutes to ensure even cooking, until the rhubarb is soft and sweet, about 40 minutes.
3. Let the rhubarb cool for 10 minutes before serving over ice cream and shortbread cookies, if desired.
Note: The rhubarb sauce can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

1½ pounds rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
¾ cup light brown or white sugar
grated zest and juice of 1 orange
one 2-inch piece of vani!la bean, split lengthwise
3 cloves
pure maple syrup
ice cream, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a bowl, toss the rhubarb with the sugar, orange zest and juice and transfer to a baking dish that is large enough to hold the rhubarb in 1 or 2 layers. Bury the vanilla bean and cloves in the rhubarb.
2. Bake until the rhubarb is tender when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes. Remove and let cool; if the rhubarb is too tart, add maple syrup to taste. Serve with ice cream.

(contributed by Nancy)
I really enjoyed this recipe from Whole Foods.  If you do not have a cast iron skillet, you could use a pie or cake pan.  Just get as much of the recipe done in a regular skillet.  Layered potatoes, cheese and greens make a lovely skillet cake. This can be the perfect side to accompany a roast chicken or to serve with a cup of soup.

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
3 medium russet or yellow potatoes, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch swiss chard, thick stems discarded, leaves coarsely chopped
1 cup grated jarlsberg or gruyere cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F.
2.  Heat butter and oil in a (10-inch) seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Spread out onions evenly in the bottom of the skillet and remove skillet from heat.
3.  Arrange a third of the potatoes in a single layer on top of the onions in the bottom of the skillet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, top with a third of the chard and scatter a third of the cheese over the top. Repeat the process to layer the ingredients two more times, ending with the cheese.
4.  Cover skillet tightly with a lightly oiled piece of aluminum foil and bake until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a knife, about 1 1/4 hours. Gently remove foil then return skillet to the oven and bake until cheese is bubbling and browned on top, about 15 minutes more.
5.  Set aside to let rest briefly, then slice into wedges and serve.

(contributed by Nancy)

A potato and leek soup from Julia Child.  Sometimes simple is best!

3-4 cups of diced peeled potatoes (1 lb.)
3 cups thinly sliced leeks, including the tender greens
2 quarts water
1 tablespoon salt
6 tablespoons heavy cream or 3 tablespoons softened butter
3 tablespoons minced chives or parsley

1.  Simmer vegetables, salt, and water together, partially covered for 40-50 minutes in a 3-4 quart saucepan.
2.  Mash the vegetables into the soup with a fork or pass through a food mill.
3.  Adjust salt and pepper. You can stop at this point. When ready to serve, bring soup back to simmering. Then off the heat, stir in the cream or butter and top with chopped chives or parsley. It does not get much better than that!

Cook’s note:  If you put your soup in a blender or food processor be careful.  Pulse and do in small batches so the soup still has some texture, but does not become gluey which can happen with high starch potatoes.

I first saw this on epicurious.com a year ago and I’m glad to see it is still part of their recipe file. Simple ingredients that yield tasty results!

4 large, firm green tomatoes, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup finely ground cornmeal
1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika
2 eggs
Vegetable oil

1.  Sprinkle the tomato slices with the salt and pepper; set aside.
2.  Combine the cornmeal and paprika in a shallow bowl. In another bowl, beat the eggs.
3.  Cover the bottom of a heavy skillet with 1/2 inch of oil, then place it over medium-high heat.
4.  Coat the tomato slices in the egg, then dredge them in the cornmeal mixture.
5.  Fry as many tomatoes as fit comfortably in the pan until nicely browned, about 2 minutes a side.
6.  Transfer them to a paper towel-lined platter. Repeat until all the tomatoes are cooked.

Cook’s note: to make this in a true southern style, substitute bacon drippings for the vegetable oil. It really gives it another dimension of incredible flavor!