Complete Beet Fritters

These came to be when we wanted to make Swiss chard fritters for a brunch potluck last month, didn't have enough Swiss chard, and substituted a grated beet for half of it. The beets worked beautifully with the warmth of the cinnamon and allspice and the slightly pink fritters were a big hit, even with self-professed beet-haters.

Beet greens get very muddy, so be sure to wash them extremely well before you cook them, since you don't want dirt in your fritters! If your beets come without greens, or if the greens are slimy and past their prime, feel free to substitute chard.

1 large bunch beet greens, rinsed well
1 beet, peeled and grated
4 eggs, beaten
1 onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup peanut oil

In a medium stockpot, bring 1 inch of water to boil. Add the beet greens, cover, and cook for 2 minutes. Drain the beet greens thoroughly and chop roughly.

Combine the beet, eggs, onion, allspice, cinnamon and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Mix well and stir in the beet greens.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. When oil sizzles upon contact with a droplet of water, drop 1 tablespoon of the batter into the pan. Flatten the mound of batter slightly with the back of a spoon. Continue adding as many mounds of the batter mixture as the skillet will allow. Fry for 3 minutes, or until golden, turning once. Drain the fritters on paper towels. Repeat this process with the remaining batter.

Almond-Battered Veggies

The concept for this batter came from Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Cafe. Katzen only uses mushrooms, but guess what we added? That's right: okra! The batter doesn't stick to the okra as easily, but it's worth the trouble. Phoebe's sister substitutes nutritional yeast for the parmesan -- a tasty option for the lactose-intolerant among you.

3 cups vegetables:
portabello mushrooms, caps sliced into 1/2 inch strips and stems sliced into 1/4 inch strips
okra, sliced in half lengthwise
gypsy peppers, sliced into long strips
zucchini, sliced into 3/8 inch strips
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, chopped roughly
dash of salt
1 egg
oil (something that can withstand heat, like canola)

Grind the almonds, cheese and salt in a food processor until the consistency is a little thicker than cornmeal, then pour onto a plate. Beat the egg into a pie pan. Dip the vegetable slices into the egg, then press them into the batter -- you'll want a nice, thick crust. Heat a skillet on medium-high with just enough oil to keep the pan greased. Cook until golden brown, about five minutes on each side, and serve immediately, preferably with ketchup.

Skillet Okra with Parmesan

OK, it's official: we've got an okra addiction. Here's another way to zap the sliminess and convert okra-haters! This is an incredibly simple and delicious preparation--good enough to eat the entire thing out of the pan (which hey, we may or may not have done), and also lovely on top of pasta with tomato sauce.

1 teaspoon olive oil
3 cups chopped okra
Salt
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan

Heat olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the okra and salt. Fry, stirring frequently, until the okra is slightly browned. Sprinkle with cheese and transfer to the broiler. Cook for just a few minutes, until the cheese is crispy.

Cornbread with Jalapeno, Cheddar and Fresh Corn

Mmm, it's finally corn season! To celebrate, we jazzed up our Thanksgiving cornbread with a spicy kick from jalapenos and some extra sweetness and texture from fresh corn kernels. It's naturally gluten-free, and you only have to get one pan dirty. (Can you tell we're in prime dish laziness season?)

1 and 1/2 cups cornmeal
3/4 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups plain whole-milk yogurt
1 cup packed grated sharp cheddar
1 tablespoon agave nectar
3 tablespoons butter
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
2 ears of corn

Preheat oven to 425°F. Stir together dry ingredients and separately beat together eggs, yogurt, cheese, agave and butter in a large bowl. Mix wet and dry ingredients.

Heat butter in a medium-sized cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add jalapenos and corn and saute 10-15 minutes, until corn is starting to caramelize a little. Remove skillet from heat, mix corn, jalapenos and melted butter into the batter, and pour batter back into the cast-iron skillet. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Run a butter knife around the sides of the cornbread and flip onto a plate to serve.

Okra and Coconut Saute

Remember how we want to gush more about okra? Here you go! This thoren is a great way to use okra. In addition to the usual grated coconut, we tried drizzling a little leftover coconut milk on top -- we're going to start doing that all the time!

You can find grated frozen coconut in Indian grocery stores, or you can grate your own from a fresh coconut. The curry leaves are also available in Indian grocery stores--optional if you don't have access to them, delicious if you do!

1 tablespoon coconut oil (mmm!) or canola oil (mmm, accessible!)
1 1/2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
10 fresh or frozen curry leaves
20 okra pods, halved lengthwise
1/4 cup grated fresh or frozen coconut
Coconut milk for drizzling

Place a wok over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and pop for 30 seconds. Throw in the curry leaves, stir a few times, and then add the okra. Stir constantly for 7-10 minutes, until the okra starts to brown. Add grated coconut and stir 2 more minutes, then remove from heat and serve, with a drizzle of coconut milk on top.

Yellow Tomato Pesto

We've started throwing ripe tomatoes in our pesto to add some extra lubrication without too much grease. The sweet-tartness of the tomato works beautifully with the bright basil and sharp Parmesan, and this recipe takes no time at all (so of course, we had to toss it with some labor-intensive homemade ravioli to feel like we'd earned our dinner). Because of the extra tomato juiciness, this is a little thinner than a traditional pesto, which we find works well for chunky rustic pastas. We used yellow tomatoes to preserve the green color of the pesto -- it tastes just as good with red tomatoes.

1/4 cup pine nuts (toasted)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped basil
2 small yellow tomatoes
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse until smooth. Toss with the pasta of your choice.

Sambhar with Okra

Do we spend enough time talking about how much we love okra? Probably not. We'd start another blog called I Heart Okra, but we're assuming there's a limited market for I Heart [Green Thing] blogs. Here's another way to showcase our favorite mucilaginous vegetable. This sambhar--inspired by versions we had in Kerala and adapted from Savoring the Spice Coast of India--is like an Indian answer to gumbo: thick, satisfying, spicy, and okra-licious.

1 and 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup yellow split peas, rinsed

3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/8 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 cup pureed tomato
2 medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
1 cup minced onion
1 jalapeno chile, sliced lengthwise (you can scoop the seeds out if you want less spice)
12 branches cilantro: stems and leaves minced separately
4 teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida*
Salt
1 teaspoon tamarind paste

1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 dried red chile
1 sprig curry leaves, stemmed (optional, if you can find them)
1/2 lb. okra, ends trimmed, sliced lengthwise

Combine water and dal in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer 30-40 minutes, until dal is soft.

In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the fenugreek seeds and stir for 3o second or so, just until they brown. Add 2 cups water, potatoes, tomato, onion, jalapeno, cilantro stems, spices, salt and tamarind. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil in a wok. (Yes, we're making you dirty three separate pans! It's worth it, though). Add the mustard seeds, and when they pop, add the curry leaves and chiles and stir quickly. Throw in the okra and fry until it starts to brown, about 10 minutes or so, stirring constantly.

Now put it all together: pour the peas and okra into the large saucepan with the veggies and taste for salt. Top with the minced cilantro leaves and serve.

*ETA: Apparently asafoetida is not gluten-free, so please leave it out if you're cooking for anyone who is! Don't worry, the sambhar will still be okra-tastic and yummy.