Scarola e Fagiole, typical of the Campania region of Italy, is often referred to as “peasant food” – although I feel anything but deprived when eating it. The combination of beans and greens is so satisfying, it’s no wonder I find myself eating some variation on it at least once a week. Chickpeas and chard, appaloosa beans and kale, cannellini and broccoli rabe – the possibilites are nearly endless.

Sometimes I mix my beans & greens with pasta or serve it with roasted potatoes. But tonight, all I needed was a nice hunk of crusty whole grain bread (Balthazar dark rye made with beer – yum.)  And needless to say, beans and greens are both uber-nutritious. This is virtue in a bowl!

For a more traditional version of Scarola e Fagiole, leave out the cherry tomatoes, although I really like it this way, too. The sharpness of the tomatoes contrasts nicely with the earthiness of the beans.

Cranberry Bean and Escarole Stew  with Cherry Tomatoes

½ pound dried cranberry or cannellini beans, soaked overnight, or quick soaked

½ teaspoon salt

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 heads escarole, chopped

1 cup vegetable broth (use a gluten-free variety if you prefer)

1 cup bean cooking liquid, reserved from cranberry beans

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the soaked beans in a large pot with water to cover by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until the beans are tender, about an hour depending on the age of your beans. Add salt near the end of the cooking time. Hold the beans in their “pot liquor” until you are ready to use them. Then drain, reserving 1 cup of liquid.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large deep skillet or dutch oven. Add the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for 10 minutes, until the onion begins to brown. Add the escarole and sauté for 5 minutes more. Add the beans and remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes. Add more broth if the stew starts to get dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 4.

In case you haven’t noticed yet, sugar is my vice.  At least I try to make sure my sugar fixes are made with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats instead of butter or shortening.  And with that preamble, I will admit it: these cookies are quite high in both sugar and fat.  Trust me, I deserve both today – and I’m sure you do, too.

I’ve seen a few versions of this jam-topped cookie floating around, but I like the one I’ve devised because my addition of almond butter gives them the dry crumbly texture of a peanut butter cookie.  Of course, you can go all the way and substitute peanut butter for the almond butter – giving you a true PB&J cookie.

Vegan Thumbprint Cookies

1 c. finely ground walnuts

1 c. whole wheat pastry flour

1 c. oat flour

1/3 c. brown sugar

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. salt

2 t. baking powder

1/3 c. maple syrup

1 t. vanilla

1/2 c. organic canola oil or high-oleic safflower oil

2 T. almond butter

3-4 T. raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Mix the maple syrup, vanilla, oil and almond butter in a separate bowl, then mix with the flour mixture just until combined.  Form into balls about 1 1/4 inches in diameter and place on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper (you can put them quite close together – they don’t spread much.) Make an indentation in each using your thumb and fill with about 1/4 t. jam. Bake for 16 minutes, until they start to turn slightly golden on the edges.

I love risotto, but I feel like a big starchy blob after eating it.  But by making it with barley instead of rice, I can have my risotto and eat it too. Barley is a great source of soluble fiber, which can lower LDL cholesterol.  So this really is comfort food you can feel comfortable with.

This vegan version is like springtime in a bowl, thanks to asparagus, mushrooms and – added just before serving – gremolata.  (Gremolata, generally a mixture of parsley, raw garlic and lemon zest, is a frequent secret weapon in my cooking.)

The addition of some peas during the last few minutes of cooking would be a nice variation here. And of course, if you’re not a vegan, or not cursed with high cholesterol like I am, some grated parmigiano reggiano would be delicious.

Barley Risotto with Asparagus and Mushrooms

1 lb. thickish asparagus, tough ends snapped off

2 teaspoons + 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 shallots, finely minced (I recommend pulsing in a food processor)

8 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, sliced

3 ounces shiitake or maitake (hen of the woods) mushrooms, sliced

1 1/2 cups  pearled barley

1/2 cups dry white wine

6 cups vegetable broth, more if needed (use a gluten-free variety if you are gluten-sensitive)

1/2 cups chopped flat-leaf parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Grated zest of one lemon

2 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 450.  Toss the asparagus with 2 t. oil and roast on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes, or until crisp-tender. When cool, cut diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces.

Heat the remaining oil over medium heat in a large saucepan or dutch oven.  Add the shallots and saute for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the barley and cook for one minute. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until it is evaporated. Continue to add the broth in half-cup increments, stirring nearly constantly until each addition evaporates. Continue until the barley is tender but chewy, about 40 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  (You will not need salt if you used a commercial broth.)  Add the asparagus. Combine the parsley, basil, lemon zest and garlic, and add to risotto just before serving.

They say the deeper, darker and richer the color of your food, the better it is for you. If that’s the case, then this salad must cure just about anything.

Raw, unpeeled beets are beautiful in their own rough & rocky way, but cooked beets are absolutely stunning – especially when you combine deep crimson and light golden ones. For this salad, I added more color in the form of pink pickled onions and fresh mint. The salad is as exciting to eat as it looks: earthy, sweet, savory and tangy all at once. And you’re getting your fill of lycopene, folate and antioxidants.

Beet Salad with Pickled Onions and Mint

4 beets (about 2 lbs.)
2 T. white wine vinegar (make sure your vinegar is gluten free if you are gluten-sensitive)
1/4 c. olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
3/4 c. white vinegar
3 T. sugar
A few each: peppercorns, coriander seeds, cloves (optional)
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 T. chopped fresh mint
1/2 c. walnuts, toasted (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut off and discard most of the stems from the beets, then wrap them individually in foil. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 50 minutes, or until the beets give only halfhearted resistance when pierced with a knife. Unwrap and cool for a few minutes, then peel and cut into bite-size chunks.

Meanwhile, heat the vinegar, sugar and optional spices in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Bring to a boil, add the onion and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain, discarding spices.

Put the vinegar in a small bowl, and gradually whisk in the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over beets and stir. Gently fold in the mint, pickled onions and walnuts.

Legumes like split peas contain soluble fiber, which helps reduce cholesterol.  So for someone like me, legumes are like medicine. And I’ll take my medicine in split pea soup form anytime.

Some vegetarian split pea soups taste like baby food, but my version is definitely for adults.  I livened it up with chives, hefty shots of mustard and vinegar, and smoked paprika to give it a bit of that smoky ham hock taste that I know you love (don’t even try and deny it.)

Note: be sure to get your split peas from a good source and use them promptly, because if they’re too old they will never break down in the soup.  You’ll end up having to throw the whole thing in a blender, and blending hard little peas into submission is not ideal.

Split Pea Soup

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely diced

2 carrots, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 T. minced fresh chives, divided

1 t. Spanish smoked paprika

2 t. fresh thyme, or 1 t. dried thyme

½ t. freshly ground black pepper

1 bay leaf

2 c. green split peas, rinsed

7 c. water, more if needed

2 c. vegetable broth (use gluten-free broth if you are gluten-sensitive)

½ t. salt

1 T. Dijon mustard (use gluten-free mustard if you are gluten-sensitive)

2 T. red wine or sherry vinegar, or more to taste (use gluten-free variety if you prefer)

Nonfat yogurt (or soy yogurt)

Heat the oil in a large pot or dutch oven. Saute the onions and carrots over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the garlic, 2 T. chives, paprika, thyme and pepper.  Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the peas, bay leaf, broth and water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 hours, until peas are broken down and completely soft (this will depend on how old the beans are).  Add more water along the way if the soup gets too thick. Add salt when peas are just about tender. Remove bay leaf. Stir in vinegar and mustard. Top with remaining chives and a swirl of yogurt.

I have to thank my pal Efrem for the inspired idea of using beet greens as a taco filling. He’s been telling me about it for years, and tonight I finally took the plunge. Ef usually adds queso fresco to his green tacos, but for my vegan version I went with pinto beans, roasted sweet potatoes and avocado – plus tomatillo salsa and a generous squirt of lime juice to prevent the “sweet” part of the equation from being too much. These would be equally good with black beans, and might be even better with butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes. I’ll try that next time. Oh, and don’t let the longish list of ingredients scare you – I made these in under 30 minutes start to finish.

Tacos with Greens and Sweet Potatoes
Makes 6 tacos – serves 2 to 3

Beet greens from two bunches of beets (or use 1 large bunch swiss chard)
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 poblano pepper, sliced into thin strips, then cut into 1-inch pieces (optional)
4 teaspoons canola oil, divided
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoons chili powder, preferably ancho or New Mexico
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 can organic pinto beans, drained (I use Eden Organic, the only BPA free cans)
1 chipotle chili (from canned chipotles in adobo), minced
1 avocado, diced
1 lime, cut into wedges
6 corn tortillas
Tomatillo salsa of choice (I used Frontera; homemade would be even better)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the sweet potato cubes on a baking sheet, toss with 2 t. oil and sprinkle with chili powder, salt and pepper to taste. Roast until nicely browned, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large skillet. Add the onions, garlic and poblano pepper (if using) and saute over medium heat until well browned, about 10-12 minutes. Add the greens and cook about 5 minutes, until the greens are completely wilted and tender.

Put the drained beans in a small saucepan with the chipotle pepper and 1/4 c. water, and gently simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.

Heat the corn tortillas by one of these methods. Fill each tortilla with a little beans, greens, sweet potatoes and avocado, topping with salsa and lime juice at the end.