super natural every day - Heid Swanson

I have written about this wonderful cookbook on the blog previously, it is my current favourite and now the publishers, Hardie Grant Books have kindly given me permission to reproduce two of the recipes I made last week to great acclaim.The book is sub-titled "Well-Loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen.
From her Northern California kitchen she presents less-processed meals. Her award-winning blog, 101 Cookbooks, is always worth visiting and of course she received a James Beard Award nomination for her earlier cookbook, Super Natural Cooking.
Here then are the two delicious recipes from super natural every day. I bought my copy of the book at the University Bookshop Canterbury for $29.00.

Mostly Not Potato Salad

dill, leek, celery, mustard, potatoes, tofu

4 small pink or red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled,quartered

Big handful green beans,trimmed and sliced into 2.5 cm pieces

2 tablespoons wholegrain mustard 

2 tablespoons red wine

vinegar

Extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon natural (unrefined) cane sugar or agave nectar

Fine sea salt

10 g finely chopped dill

1 small leek, white and tender green parts, trimmed and chopped

6 stalks celery, trimmed and diced

1 cucumber, unpeeled, seeded and cut into tiny cubes

170 g extra-firm tofu,cut into small cubes

1 tablespoon snipped fresh

Chives

Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Salt generously, add the potatoes, and cook until tender but not falling

apart, about 10 minutes.Thirty seconds before the potatoes are done cooking, add the green beans to

the pot.Drain the potatoes and beans and set aside. In the meantime, make the dressing by whisking together the mustard, vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, the sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Alternatively, combine the ingredients in a glass jar with a lid and shake until blended. Taste and adjust if needed. Sauté the dill in a splash of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium–high heat. Add a couple pinches of salt, stir in the leek, and sauté until golden and slightly crispy, 4–5 minutes. In a large bowl, gently toss the potatoes and green beans, celery, cucumber, tofu, chives, and half of the leek with most of the dressing. Taste, and add a sprinkling of salt, if needed. Turn out onto a platter and finish with a final drizzle of dressing and the remaining leek. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Orzo Salad

wholemeal orzo, broccoli pesto, lemon, avocado, crème fraîche

Fine sea salt

255 g wholemeal orzo

310 g broccoli, cut into small florets and stems

2 garlic cloves

100 g pine nuts, toasted

15 g freshly grated parmesan cheese

Juice of 1 lemon

60 ml extra-virgin olive oil

60 g crème fraîche

Grated zest of 1 lemon

1 small ripe avocado, peeled,stoned, and sliced

Bring a large pot of water to the boil.Salt generously, add the orzo, and cook according to the package

instructions.Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain well again.In the meantime, cook the broccoli. Bring 180 ml water to the boil in a large pot. Add a big pinch of salt and stir in the broccoli. Cover and cook for 1 minute, just long enough to take off the raw edge. Quickly drain the broccoli in a sieve and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and set aside. To make the pesto, combine 200 g of the cooked broccoli, the garlic, most of the pine nuts, the parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice in a food processor. Drizzle in the olive oil and crème fraîche and pulse until smooth. Just before serving, toss the orzo and remaining cooked broccoli florets with about two-thirds of the broccoli pesto and the lemon zest. Thin with a bit of warm water if you like, then taste and adjust if needed. You might want to add a bit more salt, or an added drizzle of lemon juice, or more pesto. Gently fold in the avocado. Turn out into a bowl or onto a platter and top with the remaining pine nuts.

Try them, you will not be disappointed! Simply prepared, delicious, and healthy to boot.