This section includes roasted, steamed, braised and sautéed vegetables. From greens to sweet, pungent and root veggies, you’ll find something for every preference.
This easy recipe for creamless cauliflower and broccoli gratin is made of seamed vegetables topped with a crisp breadcrumb crust scented with garlic, herbs, and a smattering of manchego or Parmesan cheese. As easy as it is, this classic side dish is an elegant and delicious accompaniment to fish, poultry, or a light vegetarian entrée.
This recipe for green beans with almonds and mushrooms is a new spin on an old classic. Around the holidays we often revert to family traditions, and someone usually shows up with some sort of green bean dish. Whether or not it’s good is another question, and this recipe seeks to recreate an old feeling without losing out on taste or quality.
This delicious whole foods recipe for curried cauliflower, Japanese yam and potatoes is a spin on a traditional East Indian dish (aloo gobi). Japanese yam adds a touch of sweetness, but the dish can be made with just potatoes if the yams are not available. Likewise, if potatoes are not part of your diet, use the yams alone.
This whole foods recipe for sweet baked delicata squash with chili spices is a wonderful sweet/spicy/savory way to prepare delicata or any other hard winter squash. The squash is rubbed with spices, drizzled with a bit of olive oil and agave, and baked to perfection. This is a perfect side for fall entrees, and is an excellent holiday dish as well.
This simple recipe for roasted broccoli and cauliflower utilizes herbs for the green veggies, and curry spices for the white, so the final product is vivid yellow and green. Cauliflower sweetens as it cooks, and is a perfect backdrop for the curry. This is an excellent side dish for bean stews, broiled or steamed fish, or tofu.
This easy recipe for oven roasted root vegetables is a wonderfully savory and flexible side dish that is perfect for everyday or entertaining. It has become a favorite at the Thanksgiving table as well as at Sunday dinners in our family. Try different veggies to discover your favorite combinations.
This recipe for marinated mushrooms with onions and herbs is a fragrant and delicious side dish that is excellent for entertaining. It’s a wonderful addition to an antipasto platter, and can be made ahead of time.
This recipe for squash and root vegetable casserole utilizes the best of Eastern spices: cumin, coriander and sesame seeds combine with garlic and (optional) red chilis to create an aromatic and warming fall/winter dish. Serve this casserole with stewed black beans, steamed grains, and greens.
This easy recipe for crispy and delicious spiced oven sweet potato “fries” is a wonderful whole foods answer to French fries. Mustard seeds, turmeric, and cumin, along with a touch of garlic, make a delicious, spicy coating for the sweet potatoes. These are excellent for brunch, lunch, or dinner, and pair well with sautéed greens, grains and black beans, eggs, or a nice fish dish.
Summer vegetables lend themselves to light, simple stir-fry recipes with a minimum of fuss and lots of flavor. Ginger, garlic, sesame oil and a bit of tamari create the backdrop for whatever veggies you want to use. This is a quick, nutrient dense meal for lunch or dinner and needs only a grain and perhaps some sea vegetables to complete the picture.
This is as simple and as delicious as food gets. Baby new potatoes, a bit of olive oil and sea salt are all that's needed for a perfect, sweet little nugget of goodness. Serve these little wonders as a side vegetable or on salads.
This easy recipe for Roasted Patty Pan Squash with Shallots and Herbs is a great way to use any type of summer squash, and is a wonderful side dish for dinner parties. Try using rosemary or marjoram instead of the thyme for a different flavor.
This recipe for sautéed okra and corn is an adaptation of a classic summer dish from the American south. This quick sauté is enhanced by a bit of sweet onion and fresh basil, and makes a great side dish for a summer meal.
Okra has more calcium than cottage cheese and is lubricating for the intestines. Corn is good for the heart, helps digestion, and strengthens the kidneys.
This simple recipe for summer (green, wax, or flat) beans with carrots, shallots and mint is a perfect side dish for lunch or dinner, and can be incorporated into a salad platter with ease. If you are not a fan of mint, try dill or thyme instead.
This fragrant recipe for summer “pesto” beans utilizes the ingredients for pesto (olive oil, garlic, basil, and pine nuts) without making the traditional Italian paste.
Quick, light, and fragrant with sweet herbs, this recipe for steam sautéed summer squash can be made with any yellow or green variety of sweet squash.
This recipe for Radishes Sautéed with Shallots and Thyme is a quick, easy side vegetable. Radishes lose much of their pungency when cooked, and become slightly sweet. Radishes are also excellent for digestion and cleansing the body.
Tamari and a bit of toasted sesame oil make this recipe for Sesame Sautéed Radishes a lively and very easy side dish. Radishes are powerful cleansers and excellent for digestion.
This easy, macrobiotic recipe for oven roasted sweet potato fries is kid friendly and an excellent alternative to French fries. Sweet potatoes are rich in potassium, Vitamin C and A, fiber, and many other vitamins. Best of all, these little fries are absolutely delicious!
This recipe for steam sautéed ginger asparagus is fast, delicious and can be adapted to other vegetables like carrots, zucchini, green beans, young greens, or snow peas
This recipe for roasted asparagus is easy, quick, and delicious. The tender stalks are wonderful on their own, or in salads. Asparagus is slightly bitter and pungent, and is a diuretic vegetable. It is excellent for the kidneys and for cleansing the arteries and blood vessels.
This easy macrobiotic, vegan recipe for scalloped sweet potatoes and ramps (wild leeks) is low fat, dairy-free, and delicious. It can be made ahead of time and reheated.
This recipe for sautéed ramps and vegetables is as versatile as your imagination. Ramps, or wild leeks, are available in the spring, but can be chopped and frozen for later use. If ramps are not available, substitute young leeks in this recipe, and cook them for five minutes before adding the other vegetables. Try using asparagus, carrots, snap peas, green beans, zucchini, or young greens for this recipe, or any combination of them.
This recipe for bright green, asparagus and sugar snap salad is packed with vitamins and is very refreshing on a warm day. It is light, crisp, and can be plated on a bed of greens and served with a nice grain salad or pilaf for a lovely warm weather lunch or light supper. Toss in the lemon or vinegar at the last minute before serving so the salad doesn’t discolor.
This recipe for simple sautéed ramps is a base technique that allows you to add these tasty wild leeks to other dishes. Ramps are wonderful in soups, salads, baked vegetable dishes, on fish, and in sauces.
This simple recipe for steam sautéed cauliflower gives a sweet, rich flavor to an often under-rated member of the cabbage family. It is prepared with shallots and fresh herbs, and takes only minutes to make.
This recipe for steam sautéed ginger green beans is fast, delicious and can be adapted to other vegetables like carrots, zucchini, young greens, or snow peas. If you like your food garlicky, chop the garlic rather than smashing the clove.
Kinpira, or braised burdock roots with carrots, is very strengthening to the kidneys, and cleansing for the blood. Setsuko Yoshizuka, guide to Japanese food, provides an easy recipe. Simply omit the sugar, and substitute tamari for the soy sauce.
Cabbage is rich in anti-inflammatory compounds, Vitamin C, sulfur and iodine. It helps to heal ulcers, strengthens digestion, and treats constipation. This dish is warming and very tasty, especially when served with sweet potatoes or winter squash.
Yams are rich in fiber, Vitamin B6, and potassium. Japanese yams have purple-brown skins, white flesh, and a slightly nutty, sweet flavor. Celery root is diuretic and a great digestive plant. Together they make a flavorful, creamy puree that’s a healthy –and easy- alternative to mashed potatoes.
This recipe elevates the lowly cauliflower to new heights. Roasting gives it a caramelized, herb-infused sweetness. This dish is best when the cauliflower is cooked but still firm, and should be eaten the day it is made.
This is a simple, tasty way to get your greens with minimal effort and maximum benefit.
Particularly good in the spring when young greens can be found in abundance, this quick broth-sauté is cleansing for the lymph system and liver. It is blood building and a great overall tonic for the digestive system as well.
Try using mustard, dandelion, arugula, turnip, broccoli rabe, baby kale or baby collards.
I consider beets to be another one of the super-vegetables. This recipe yields a delicious side dish, which can stand alone or be used on salads, or served with sauteed greens. These keep well, so consider doubling the recipe if you like beets.
This colorful mix of sweet winter squash and Brussels sprouts is steam braised first, then finished over a higher flame to “glaze” or caramelize the vegetables slightly. The finished product is sweet and pungent, lightly scented with fresh rosemary, and a perfect holiday side dish.
Any squash which appears at summer’s end can be used for this savory side vegetable: butternut, kabocha, acorn, buttercup or pumpkin are all interchangeable.
