HARISSA-ROASTED VEGETABLES WITH CHICKPEAS

Roasted vegetables are delicious, quick, cook on their own, and are my favourite! And *these* roasted vegetables are my all-time favourite. With the chickpeas, olives, and raisins added to the vegetables laced with smoky spicy harissa, this is just an incredible meld of flavours in a bite. And, just like a meal should be, it's filling yet light, and doesn't leave you feeling sluggish.

Use any kind of green olives, and any vegetables that roast well - carrots, parsnips, rutabagas, any kind of summer or winter squash, and any others that come to mind. I love these with salad greens and maybe a little avocado added into it all if I'm really hungry, but to make it an even more hearty meal, serve this with rice or bread and a salad on the side.

Harissa-Roasted Vegetables with Chickpeas

makes: 4 - 6 servings

- 2 tbsp harissa (home-made or bought)

- 1 lemon, juiced

- 2 tbsp. olive or avocado oil

- 1 tsp. salt

- 3 cups green cauliflower florets (broccoflower, but any coloured cauliflower is fine)

- 2 purple potatoes, cut into large chunks (I used purples, but any potato variety is fine)

- 1 yellow squash or zucchini, halved and cut into thick slices (or any winter squash, cubed)

- 2 cups cooked chickpeas (or one 15 oz. can, drained and rinsed)

- 1/2 cup sliced red onion

- 1 cup sliced capsicum (of any colour)

- 1/2 cup green olives, pitted

- 1/4 cup raisins (preferably soaked in warm water for 10-15 minutes to soften)  

- 2 tbsp. water

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C). Lightly grease a large gratin/lasagna pan.
2. In a large stove-proof pan mix the lemon juice, harissa, oil, and salt. Add the vegetables and chickpeas, and toss or mix well to coat the vegetables. Transfer everything to the greased pan and bake for 30 - 40 minutes, mixing the vegetables once during baking. Turn the heat down to 375 F (190 C) for the last 10 minutes if needed.
3. In the same stove-proof pan you used to toss the vegetables, sauté the onions and capsicum, adding the 2 tbsp. water if needed (the little bit of the harissa mixture remaining in the pan is plenty for sautéing. No need for additional oil.). Mix in the olives and raisins in the last few minutes before turning off the heat.
4. Remove the vegetables from the oven and mix in the sautéed vegetables.
5. Serve immediately or at room temperature, over salad greens, or with bread or rice.

POLENTA TART WITH ROASTED CARROTS AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

I love polenta in any form - it's so versatile, light, and quick to cook. Perfect for when you want to cook something awesome and fast. I used roasted carrots but really any roasted vegetables are fantastic on this tart... yellow squash, zucchini, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, even winter squash like butternut or acorn.

Serve this tart with a salad and a glass of wine and you've got yourself a superb meal in no time!

Roasted Carrot + Sun-Dried Tomato Polenta Tart
makes: 2 servings

- 2 carrots, peeled and quartered lengthwise

- 2 cups water

- 2 tsp. salt

- 1 tbsp. fennel seeds (optional)

- 1 clove garlic, crushed

- 1/2 cup polenta

- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

- 1/8 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

- 1/4 cup minced parsley (or basil)

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F/230 C. Grease a baking tray and an 8 in. pie plate (or other medium sized ovenproof pan).
2. In a bowl, toss the carrots with 1 tsp. salt and 1 tbsp. olive oil. Transfer to the baking tray and bake for 15 - 20 min. or until the carrots are just browned at the edges. Remove from the oven and cool. Turn the oven down to 375 F/190 C.
3. While the carrots are roasting, bring the water to a rolling boil in a pan.
4. Lower the heat to medium and add 1 tsp. salt, fennel seeds, garlic, polenta, 1 tbsp. olive oil, feta cheese, and tomatoes. Stir quickly to mix everything well.
5. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 5-7 min., stirring frequently to keep the polenta from sticking to the pan. Turn off the heat and stir in the parsley.
6. Transfer the polenta to the greased pie plate and use the back of a spoon to spread it into an even layer. Arrange the carrots on the polenta and gently press into the surface. Bake for 15 - 20 min.
7. Remove from the oven and serve immediately or at room temperature.

TACOS: ZUCCHINI FLOWERS AND FIDDLEHEAD FERNS

Zucchini flowers are most commonly served stuffed and fried. They're delicious that way, but the beautiful colours of the flowers are hidden under the batter and for me, food is about taste and looks. Not fake gimmicky presentations but just the natural good looks of fresh seasonal ingredients. Like the pretty zucchini flowers and ferns in these tacos!

Fiddlehead ferns are the unopened tips of Ostrich ferns that would turn into fronds when they open. They have a very short season in the Spring and don't last too long in the fridge so it's best to get some when you see them in the market (or in the wild if you know how to forage for the right kind of fern), and enjoy them right away, in a day or so at most. Fiddleheads upset some peoples' stomachs but they don't bother me at all. I don't like boiling them because that takes away the texture and taste. So I roast them and they're just perfect!

Zucchini flowers and fiddleheads are quite simple to clean. Zucchini flowers: Remove the pistil and stem from each zucchini flower and gently rinse each flower inside and out. Put the washed flowers on a large dry kitchen towel to soak up water.

Fiddlehead ferns: Remove the outer chaff - brown papery skin - from the ferns and rinse thoroughly. During rinsing remove any remaining chaff and put the washed ferns in a large dry kitchen towel to soak up water. 

These tacos are full of spring flavours and colours! And they go with virtually any salsa, including salsa verde with chiles de arbol, avocado and roasted tomatillo salsa, spicy roasted tomato salsa, guacamole, or even just sliced serranos, avocado, onion, and lime juice.

Tacos: Zucchini Flowers and Fiddlehead Ferns

makes: 6 tacos

- 1/2 cup chipotle cashew cream sauce

- 1/2 cup salsa: salsa verde (recipe here and here) or roasted tomato salsa

- 1 cup fiddlehead ferns, cleaned and washed

- 10 - 12 zucchini flowers, pistils removed and wiped cleaned with a damp towel

- 1 small zucchini, cut into small cubes

- 1/2 medium onion, diced

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 3 tsp. olive oil

- 2 tsp. salt

- 1 tsp. paprika

- 1 tsp. cumin

- 1 tsp. Mexican oregano (Italian or Greek will do if you don't have Mexican)

- 12 small corn tortillas (ask the store for tortillas for tacos, which are smaller)

- 8-10 sprigs cilantro (1/4 cup coarsely chopped)

- 1/4 cup finely shredded purple cabbage (or red or green cabbage)

- 1 lime, cut into wedges

Optional garnishes: finely shredded carrots, sliced avocado, onions, jalapeno, pickled vegetables "en escabeche"

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F/200 C. Lightly grease a baking tray or line with parchment paper.
2. Toss the cleaned fern heads with 1 tsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. salt, and paprika. Transfer to the prepared baking tray and roast for 15 min., turning once midway. Remove from the oven.
3. In a pan, heat the remaining 2 tsp. olive oil and add the onion and garlic. Sauté until translucent then add the zucchini, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook till the zucchini is slightly soft and add the zucchini flowers. Stir the flowers in, and sauté for a minute. Turn the heat off.
4. Prep the tacos: Transfer the roasted fern heads and sautéed zucchini and flowers into serving bowls. Arrange the cabbage, cilantro, and any optional garnishes on a platter. Warm the tortillas.
5. Assemble the tacos: Divide the tortillas among plates, stacking 2 per taco. Top with the roasted fern heads and sautéed vegetables, cilantro, and cabbage. Drizzle 1 tbsp. each of the chipotle cashew cream sauce and salsa on each taco.
6. Serve immediately with a wedge of lime, additional salsa, cashew cream sauce, and optional garnishes.

MILLET WITH DANDELION PESTO AND ROASTED VEGETABLES: GLUTEN-FREE

Millet is an ancient grain high in protein, essential nutrients, and heart-healthy soluble fibre. I really love millet - the whole grain and flour both. In addition to being gluten-free, Ayurvedically, millet is sweet, dry, light, and rajasic/sattvic. I.e. it won't contribute to mucous formation and heaviness in the body that grains like wheat do. Millet is a mild goitrogen though, so if you have thyroid problems, avoid eating it every day. I generally don't eat any grain everyday or for a number of days in a row. I like to vary the grains I eat, and also throw in some grain-free days a couple of times a week. In general, apart from unfermented soy, I don't exclude any bean, grain, or legume from my diet.

I also don't subscribe to food trends - like quinoa. Not that quinoa is bad, but I don't like its taste, texture, appearance, and effect on my body, and although I don't yet know it, there must be a reason why my body doesn't like quinoa. Over the years I've learnt to listen to my body - it tells me things for a reason, and it's always been right. As an aside, quinoa and millet both have high protein content and are nutritionally comparable.

Soaking grains helps neutralise phytic acid which can interfere with the absorption of nutrients in the body. Although millet has among the lowest phytate content, it's still good practice to soak it and neutralise the little phytate content it has. Toasting isn't essential but it brings out a delicious nuttiness in the millet - if you don't have time to toast, just soak the millet and carry on with the recipe.

Rutabagas are a member of the cruciferous family, as evidenced by the slightly sulfuric cabbage-y smell when you cut into one. Also like cruciferous vegetables, rutabaga can be eaten raw but when cooked it develops a wonderful hint of sweetness that I really love! It's a terrific complement to roasted sweet potatoes, potatoes, and carrots.

And dandelions... as I've said before, they're dismissed off as weeds but really are quite an excellent and nutritious green. I really love the mild bitterness of the dandelion and in spring when they're in season, I have them quite regularly in my smoothies and sautéed as a green. The dandelion pesto lasts forever in the freezer - I make a large batch then freeze in a couple of smaller containers and use as a sandwich spread, on eggs, in a rice salad, on salmon, pasta... just like any other pesto. 

Millet with Dandelion Pesto and Roasted Vegetables

makes: 4 - 6 servings (1-1/2 - 1 cups per serving)

Millet:

- 1/2 cup dandelion pesto

- 1 cup millet, toasted in a pan and soaked for 8 - 24 hours

- 2-1/2 cups water

- 1 shallot, sliced (or small red onion)

- 3 cloves garlic

- 1 capsicum, diced (any colour)

- 1 tbsp. caraway seeds

- 1 tbsp. coconut oil

- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (or parsley)

- salt, to taste

- freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Roasted Vegetables:

- 1 medium sweet potato, cut into chunks

- 2 medium potatoes, cut into chunks

- 2 medium carrots, cut into chunks

- 1 medium rutabaga, peeled and cut into chunks

- 1 cup cherry tomatoes

- 2 cups cauliflower florets

- 1 medium zucchini, cut into chunks

- 1 tbsp. cumin seeds

- salt, to taste

- freshly ground black pepper, to taste

- 2 tbsp. coconut oil

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F/220 C.
2. Roast the vegetables: in a large bowl toss the sweet potato, potatoes, carrots, and rutabaga with 1 tbsp. coconut oil, 1/2 tbsp. cumin seeds, salt, and pepper. Grease a baking sheet with 1/2 tbsp. coconut oil and spread the vegetables on it in a single layer. Roast for 20 - 25 minutes or until cooked (the rutabaga won't become soft like potatoes will, but it's fine because rutabaga can even be eaten raw).
3. In the same bowl used for tossing the root vegetables, toss the cauliflower, tomatoes, and zucchini with the remaining 1/2 tbsp. coconut oil, 1/2 tbsp. cumin seeds, salt, and pepper.
4. Remove the roasted root vegetables from the oven and transfer to a clean bowl. In the same baking tray, spread the tomatoes, cauliflower and zucchini in a single layer and roast at 400 F/200 C for 15 - 20 minutes or until the cauliflower is just cooked - it should not be mushy. Remove from the oven and add to the bowl with the root vegetables. Turn the oven off.
5. Cook the millet: While the vegetables are roasting, bring the 2-1/2 cups water to a rolling boil in a saucepan and add the millet. Give it a quick stir and continue to boil for 3-5 minutes. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pan and cook for another 15 minutes or until the millet is soft and fully cooked.
6. While the millet is cooking, heat the coconut oil in a deep skillet or wide pan on medium, and add the caraway seeds. When the seeds start to sizzle, add the shallot, garlic, and capsicum and stir. Turn the heat to low and sauté till the vegetables are a bit soft, adding 1/4 cup water if needed to keep them from sticking since we're using just 1 tbsp. oil. When the vegetables are sautéed, add in the cooked millet, dandelion pesto, and chopped cilantro, and mix. Add salt and pepper to your taste.
7. Add the roasted vegetables and mix well before serving. (To reheat in a microwave: sprinkle a bit of water and cover the bowl then heat).