Best of all, these require no effort other than peeling and cutting. They will hold in the oven for awhile, so if they are done before the rest of the meal is cooked, they will keep without getting dried out. Guests love them and they couldn’t be easier to make.

The carrots cook down quite a lot, so I usually allot at least 2 whole carrots per person. This recipe will serve 4, but for each additional person just add more carrots and more oil and seasonings.

You might be tempted to use the pre-cut “baby” carrots instead of peeling and cutting larger carrots. Now I am all for making life easier but I will honestly say that for some reason, they just don’t taste very good when prepared this way. If you’re rushed for time, you can try using them, but I don’t really recommend it. Still, any carrots are better than no carrots!

Recipe: Easy Oven-Roasted Carrots
serves 4 as a side dish

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 large carrots
• a couple glugs of olive oil
• 1 to 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 large pinch ground cinnamon
• coarse salt (like Kosher salt) to taste

METHOD:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Peel carrots and rinse them off, or if you prefer to leave the peels on, just scrub and rinse very well to remove all dirt. Cut off ends. Cut into 3 inch segments, then quarter each segment (you can half the smallest pieces if quarters seems too small.)
• Put carrots in an oven-proof metal or ceramic pan like an 8 inch square or round pan. Add a few glugs of olive oil, spices, and salt to taste. Toss with a wooden spoon to coat.
• Cook for about 1 hour, stirring once. Serve immediately or turn off the oven and leave carrots in until serving time.

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The weird thing is you can make really terrific granola with no oil, so it’s unclear to me how that practice got to be so commonplace. You do need something sweet, or else you just have some dried-out oats, so let’s not be crazy here. But you actually don’t need very much sweet stuff to make good granola. Also, making it yourself is really cheap, especially if you’re like me and you use it as a way to clean out the hodgepodge collection of nut remnants that lurks in your freezer. (Or am I the only one who has miniscule amounts of 15+ different kinds of nuts leftover from other projects?)

This is more of a how-to than a recipe, because you should be allowed to put whatever you like in your granola. I mean, it’s a free country so if you hate raisins then by god you shouldn’t have to wake up to them. This is a basic formula I use that can be adapted depending on which types of dried fruits, nuts, and seasonings you like. Compared to store-bought granola, this version is a lot cheaper, it’s a lot less caloric, and it tastes better because you can make it just how you like it.

Oil-Free Granola Made Exactly to your Liking
makes about 7-8 cups

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 cups rolled oats
• about 1 1/2 cups dried fruit, raisins, etc. of your choice (I used a medley of dried cherries, dried apricots, dried bananas, and dried mango)
• about 1/2 cup chopped or sliced nuts or seeds of your choice (I used sliced almonds)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (could substitute date sugar, white sugar, raw sugar, your choice)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
• 1 tsp vanilla (more or less as you like it)
• big pinch of salt
• 1-2 tsp cinnamon or other spice of your choice (powdered ginger, pinch of cloves, allspice, etc.)
• optional: handful of flax seeds, dried coconut, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, etc.

METHOD:

• Preheat oven to 275 F. Prepare a half sheet pan or other cookie sheet with sides with a piece of parchment or foil. Spray with cooking spray or brush lightly with oil. (If you are super anti-oil you can skip this without too much harm, but it does help it prevent sticking.)
• In the microwave or on the stovetop, heat the brown sugar and maple syrup or honey with 1/4 cup of water until the sugar is melted and combined. Add salt and any seasonings like vanilla or spices to the mixture and stir to combine.
• Toss the sugar mixture with the oats to coat well. Add the nuts, seeds, and dried fruits and toss again.
• Pour onto prepared pan and flatten into an even layer. Bake 15 minutes at a time, stirring well in between. After 45 minutes, test a few oats to see if they are crunchy. When oats are crunchy, remove from the oven. Total cooking time should be about 1 hour.
• Let cool to room temperature, tossing occasionally during cooling process. Store in an airtight container.

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I think gazpacho is a smashing summer idea, but it always has cucumbers in it. At the risk of offending cucumber-lovers out there, let me just say that cucumbers are so gross. I’ll grudgingly admit that they add some creaminess and tang to the soup, so I adapted a Melissa Clark recipe for gazpacho that eschews the cucumbers in favor of sheep’s milk yogurt–which is both creamy and tangy, and more importantly, totally not gross.

I made a big batch to bring over to some friends who are about to have their first baby. With this in their freezer, they can pull it out to thaw in the fridge and enjoy it some sunny day in the near future. I saved some for myself and poured it into 5 oz glasses so I could serve it as a tiny soup course before a dinner party. No spoons needed – just a shot of late-summer tomato sweetness down the gullet.

Creamy Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho
serves 8

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 4 scallions, white and light green part only
• about 2 lbs. ripe heirloom tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tblsp red wine vinegar
• about 2 tsp salt (more to taste)
• large pinch cayenne pepper (more to taste)
• 16 oz. plain full-fat sheep’s-milk yogurt (can substitute regular yogurt, but for best results use a full-fat yogurt with a creamy texture)

METHOD:

• Put everything except yogurt in a blender and blend until creamy.
• Add yogurt and blend again. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
• Serve immediately at room temperature or chill in the fridge for a few hours to overnight and serve cold.

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There are several watermelon/feta salad recipes out there, but many of them use balsamic vinegar, which I like with feta but not with watermelon. Some use no dressing at all which is just crazy. This one uses a light dressing of lime juice, olive oil, and a pinch of cayenne, as a nod to the chili-and-lime-on-sweet-fruit thing that you often get in Mexico. The sweet/salty/spicy combination is pretty much perfect.

You could replace half of the watermelon with sweet, flavorful heirloom tomatoes for another layer of flavor, color, and texture. If you’re serving this alongside grilled chicken or lamb, tomatoes would be a fantastic addition.

Watermelon Salad with Feta and Mint
serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 lbs seedless watermelon (I used half a watermelon)
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves
• juice of 2 limes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt
• cayenne pepper or other hot spice of your choice
• 4 oz good quality feta

METHOD:

• Remove rind from watermelon and cut flesh into 3/4 inch cubes. Put cubes in a bowl.
• Chop mint leaves finely and add to bowl. Chop spinach leaves and add to bowl.
• In a separate bowl, whisk lime juice and olive oil together to combine well. Add salt to taste (about 2 large pinches worked for me) and cayenne to taste (1 large pinch for me.) Add to watermelon and toss gently with a spatula.
• Remove to serving plate and crumble feta on top. Serve immediately.

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Roasted Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Puree

Serves 4-6 as a side dish

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower
• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 3/4 cup thick Greek yogurt (like Fage – nonfat, 2%, or full fat is OK)
• 1/4 cup milk
• Olive oil, salt, pepper, and ground cumin to taste

Method:

• Heat oven to 400 F.
• Cut cauliflower head in half. Remove leaves and use your knife to cut a V-shape and remove the tough inner core. Cut into rough florets.
• Peel sweet potatoes and cut lengthwise, then into chunks roughly the same size as the cauliflower pieces.
• On a baking sheet, arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer in the center and cauliflower at the outer edges. Drizzle with olive oil (about 1-2 Tbsp total) then sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper, and ground cumin.
• Roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes, until cauliflower is browned on the bottom and sweet potatoes are very soft.
• Put cauliflower and sweet potatoes in food processor and pulse to chop finely. Add yogurt and continue to process.
• Add milk and process until smooth. Taste and add more salt, pepper, and cumin as needed.
• Serve immediately.

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Padron peppers are one of the most exciting vegetables you can buy, because about 95% of them are sweet and delicious, with maybe just a hint of spice, while the other 5% are super spicy. You can’t tell which is which, though, until you take a bite. This makes them fun to share with friends, and the risk/reward really livens things up. They are almost always served in some variation of the same preparation: sauteed in a pan. When I saw them at the Farmers Market recently, I bought a whole mess, rinsed them off, and quickly seared them with salt in a hot pan of olive oil. They only take about 5 minutes, and you just eat them whole off the stem.

So thanks, restaurant mafia- without you, I may have died not knowing what a padron pepper was or how to eat one. They’re so easy and tasty, and their spice variance provides a nice conversation point. These are definitely becoming part of the regular last-minute side dish repertoire.

This is too easy to be an actual recipe, so I’ll just explain how you make them. Rinse whole padron peppers off well and leave to dry in a colander. Heat a little olive oil in a pan on high heat and heat to very hot. Add peppers and season with salt. Cook, tossing or stirring often, for about 5 minutes, until peppers have some blistered and blackened bits and they are soft enough to eat. Serve immediately with an empty bowl on the table for discarded stems.

A quick note: I don’t really like bell peppers, especially green ones, but I like these.

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Thus was born the easiest recipe of the summer, the laziest chilled soup you will ever make, the healthiest lunch you will ever eat… but I’m not sure what to call it. Guacspacho? Salspacho? Gazpicodemole? Faux-zpacho? I’m open to suggestions. Anyway, here’s what you do:

1. Buy some delicious, fresh, perishable salsa/pico de gallo (remember, it should look something like this) – a pint container for every 2 people.
2. Buy some delicious, fresh, perishable guacamole (or just a really ripe avocado) – about 1/4 as much volume as the salsa.
3. Put in a blender and puree until smooth. If it’s too thick, add water or tomato juice. If it’s too thin or if you just want to go crazy, add a tablespoon or two of nonfat Greek yogurt and blend that in.

For the record, I used the mild heirloom tomato salsa from Swank Farms in Hollister, CA. You can find a link to where they sell (all over Northern California) on their website. The guacamole was from 360 Gourmet Burritos which is not the best guacamole in the world, but it’s fresh so it fit the bill just fine.

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Although I had a vague recollection of photographing and writing about why kale chips are good and how to make them, I realized I had never shared the recipe here–as I had codified the process over on Rookie Moms instead.

Since I like science and research, allow me to share data from an unofficial poll of three generations of family members:

• 1 out of 2 grandparents enjoys kale chips, as long as that 1 is on the Atkins Diet and therefore can’t eat regular chips
• 1 out of 3 parents of small children enjoys kale chips, although that would most likely jump to 2 out of 3 if one hadn’t been taking a nap when all the kale chips got eaten
• 2 out of 2 childless San Francisco yuppies enjoy kale chips (obviously)
• 1 out of 3 children under 13 enjoys kale chips
• 1 out of 3 dogs enjoys kale chips

So I guess you can’t please all the people/dogs all the time. But getting even one person in the family to eat kale chips and like them enough to ask for the recipe is a big success in my book.

You can find my recipe on Rookie Moms, although lately I like to add a splash of red wine vinegar with the oil. If they’re for adults only, you can add a dash of cayenne, too.

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I like artichokes for health reasons, too. The edible part of a large artichoke is only about 25 calories! Plus, they are a good source of fiber, vitamin C, and folic acid. They are also one of the most antioxidant-rich foods you can eat. A USDA study ranked the antioxidant content of different vegetables, and found that artichokes are the number one vegetable for antioxidants.

Did you know that artichokes temporarily change your taste perception? Artichokes contain a compound called cynarin that mess with your tongue–and your mind–making things taste sweeter post-artichoke. Take a sip of water after your next bite of artichoke and you’ll see that it tastes sweeter. This is why you’ll never see artichokes at a wine tasting; they alter the taste of the wine significantly. If you want to serve wine with artichokes, you can counteract the sweet effect by choosing a highly acidic white or a bone-dry champagne.

Balsamic Baby Artichokes with Garlic Chips

serves 2 as an appetizer or side dish

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb baby artichokes
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 Tblsp olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, sliced as thinly as possible
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• Tabasco to taste
• 3 Tblsp grated parmesan

Method:

• Prepare a medium-sized bowl with cold water. Add half the lemon juice.
• Trim the bottom of each artichoke, then cut them in half. Use your hands or your knife to strip away the tough outer leaves (this may be a lot of leaves–don’t be shy about stripping them away; the tough leaves won’t taste good.) As you’re working, place the trimmed artichokes in the bowl with the lemon juice and water so they don’t oxidize.
• Heat a pot of salted water on the stove over high heat. When the water boils, drain the artichokes and add them to the boiling water. Cook for 2-4 minutes, until tender. (How long you cook them will depend on how big they are.) Drain well, then pat with paper towels to dry and set them aside.
• Prepare a small plate with 2 layers of paper towels and set it by the stove. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. When oil is shimmering, add half the garlic slices and watch them very carefully. As soon as they begin to brown around the edges, remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and put them on the prepared plate. (They will continue to cook and fully brown after you remove them.) If you burn some, it’s OK – just throw them out. Repeat process with remaining garlic slices.
• Make sure there is no garlic in the pan before proceeding. Add artichokes to the garlic oil in the pan and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook the artichokes, flipping every minute or so, for about 3-5 minutes, until they are crisp and browned. (Be careful as the oil may splatter when you first add the artichokes.) . Remove the artichokes to a small mixing bowl.
• Add vinegar, remaining lemon juice, and Tabasco to the bowl and toss the artichokes. Add almost all of the parmesan, reserving one or two teaspoons, and toss to mix. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Add half of garlic chips and toss to mix.
• Spoon onto serving platter. Sprinkle with reserved parmesan and remaining garlic chips. Serve immediately.

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I imagined they’d be like the usual flesh-toned chickpeas, except smaller and darker. Not so. After some experimentation, I learned that these little guys are nuttier and less prone to mushiness than other beans, and they hold their shape better during cooking. The effect is somewhere around 20% corn-nut and 80% cooked bean. Cooking them in aromatic coconut milk in the oven and finishing them on the stove with fresh herbs and lime is a reasonably no-fuss way to make the best of this hearty, nutty, unusual legume. The Thai-inspired flavors compliment them well.

I like this on its own or as a side dish with simple grilled chicken skewers or slow-cooked salmon. For an attractive one-dish presentation, you can lay the chickpeas on a platter and top with meat or fish. For a hearty vegetarian meal, you can make the recipe all the way through, let the beans come to room temperature, then add some diced tomatoes and cucumbers and mix it all together.

I bought a 14 oz. bag at Golden Natural Foods here in San Francisco, but you can buy the same brand online.

Thai-Style Black Chickpeas

serves 6 as a side dish

Ingredients:

• 14 oz dried black chickpeas
• 1 13 or 14 oz. can coconut milk
• 2 cardamom pods
• 20 black peppercorns
• 1 tsp whole cumin
• 1 tsp whole coriander
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• zest and juice of 1 large or 2 small limes
• sriracha or other hot sauce, to taste

Method:

• Preheat oven to 325.
• Rinse chickpeas well and drain. Place them in a heavy 4-5 qt. pot with a tight-fitting lid, like a dutch oven or Le Creuset. Add the coconut milk plus 2 cans of water.
• Using a spice grinder, mortar and pestle, or food processor, grind the cardamom pods, peppercorns, cumin, coriander, and salt together. Add to the pot.
• Place in the oven and cook about 2 hours, until beans are soft enough to eat but still firm. There will still be some liquid in the pot.
• Place the pot on top of the stove over medium high heat and continue cooking until all liquid has been absorbed, scraping down the sides frequently with a spatula.
• When there is just a little bit of liquid left, remove from heat and stir in green onions, cilantro, lime juice and zest, and sriracha to taste. Add salt if needed.
• If using as a side dish, remove to bowl and serve immediately. If making as a salad, let cool to room temperature and add 1-2 chopped tomatoes and 1 peeled, chopped cucumber and mix well before serving.

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