Japanese vegetable pancakes

Pancakes
1/2 small head cabbage, very thinly sliced (1 pound or 5 to 6 cups shreds) which will be easiest on a mandoline if you have one
4 medium carrots, peeled into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
5 lacinato kale leaves, ribs removed, leaves cut into thin ribbons
4 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
Canola, safflower or peanut oil for frying
Tangy Sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (note: this is not vegetarian)
1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon rice cooking wine or sake
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey (use 2 if you like a sweeter sauce)
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Make the pancakes: Toss cabbage, carrot, kale, scallions and salt together in a large bowl. Toss mixture with flour so it coats all of the vegetables. Stir in the eggs. Heat a large heavy skillet on medium-high heat. Coat the bottom with oil and heat that too.
To make a large pancake, add 1/4 of the vegetable mixture to the skillet, pressing it out into a 1/2- to 3/4-inch pancake. Gently press the pancake down flat. Cook until the edges beging to brown, about 3 minutes. 30 seconds to 1 minute later, flip the pancake with a large spatula. (If this is terrifying, you can first slide the pancake onto a plate, and, using potholders, reverse it back into the hot skillet.) Cook on the other side until the edges brown, and then again up to a minute more (you can peek to make sure the color is right underneath).
To make small pancakes, you can use tongs but I seriously find using my fingers and grabbing little piles, letting a little batter drip back into the bowl, and depositing them in piles on the skillet easier, to form 3 to 4 pancakes. Press down gently with a spatula to they flatten slightly, but no need to spread them much. Cook for 3 minutes, or until the edges brown. Flip the pancakes and cook them again until brown underneath.
Regardless of pancake size, you can keep them warm on a tray in the oven at 200 to 250 degrees until needed.
If desired, make okonomiyaki sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and let simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until smooth and thick.
Serve pancakes with sauce and any of the other fixings listed above, from Japanese mayo to scallions and toasted sesame seeds.
Do ahead: Extra pancakes will keep in the fridge for a couple days, or can be spread on a tray in the freezer until frozen, then combined in a freezer bag to be stored until needed. Reheat on a baking sheet in a hot oven until crisp again.

KALE & WHITE BEAN SOUP

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Kale & White Bean Soup

Ingredients: 

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 (32 ounces) box low-sodium vegetable broth
• 4 cups packed chopped kale
• 3 large carrots, sliced
• 1 (14.5 ounces) can Italian-style diced tomatoes (optional) or 3 T. tomato paste
• 1 (14.5 ounces) can no-salt-added cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 T. fresh lemon juice

Instructions:

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes longer. Add broth, kale, tomatoes, and carrots,  and cover. Cook 15 minutes or until kale and carrots are tender. Add beans and lemon juice and heat thoroughly. Serve hot.

Tortellini with Kale and Garlic Bread Crumbs

The Crumbs
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fresh whole wheat bread crumbs (about 2 slices of bread)
1 Tbs. fresh mixed herbs, chopped (I used basil and rosemary)

The Pasta
1 lb kale
3 Tbs. olive oil
4 garlic cloves
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb. frozen cheese tortellini
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. grated parmesean cheese

To prepare the crumbs, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in bread crumbs and cook until toasted, tossing often, about 5 minutes. Stir in herbs. Scrape mixture into a bowl to cool. Don't wash out skillet

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the tortellini

Prepare the kale by ripping of the stems, then cutting the leaves into shreds. Put the kale in a large bowl of water to rinse.

In the skillet, heat 2 Tbs. of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds. Add the strips of kale without fully drying it so that the water goes into the skillet too. Stir to coat the kale in the oil and garlic then cover the skillet tightly and cook the kale until it's wilted and soft, about 5-7 minutes. There should be s few tablespoons of liquid in the pan- if not, add some pasta water. Stir in the balsamic, salt and pepper.

Stir the tortellini, parmesean cheese, and 1 Tbs of oilve oil into the kale mixture. Serve with a generous topping of bread crumbs.

From Simple Vegetarian Pleasures cookbook.

Minestrone Soup from Alice Waters

Minestrone means "big soup" in Italian = a soup of many vegetables.

Prepare:
-1 cup dried cannellini or borlotti beans (I use little white beans)
If using canned beans use 2-3 cups. Reserve the cooking liquid or canned liquid.

Heat in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat:
-1/4 cup olive oil

Add:
-1 large onion, finely chopped
-2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
Cook for 15 minutes. Add:
-4 garlic cloves
-5 thyme sprigs (I used some fresh rosemary...1 tsp. dried thyme would work, too)
-1 bay leaf
-2 tsp. salt
Cook for 5 minutes longer. Add, and bring to a boil:
-3 cups water
When boiling, add:
-1 leek, diced
-1/2 lb. green beans, cut into 1/2-inch lengths
Cook for 5 minutes, then add:
-2 medium zucchini, cut into small dice
-2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped, or 1 medium-sized can diced tomatoes
Cook for 15 minutes. Taste for salt and adjust as necessary.
Add the cooked/canned beans, along with
-1 cup bean cooking liquid, or liquid from canned beans and enough water to make 1 cup
-2 cups spinach leaves, coarsely chopped (about 1 lb.)
Cook for 5 minutes. If the soup is too thick, add more bean cooking liquid or water. Remove the bay leaf.

Serve in bowls. each garnished with 2 tsp. olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese.

Fall Minestrone variation:
Add 2 finely chopped celery stalks to the onions and carrots. Instead of thyme, add sage and rosemary with the garlic. Omit the green beans, zucchini, tomatoes and spinach, and use instead 1 bunch kale, stemmed, washed and chopped, 1 small can tomatoes, drained and chopped, and 1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes (about 2 cups). Cook the tomatoes and kale with the onions for 5 minutes, add water and cook for 15 minutes. Add the squash and continue cooking until tender, about 10-15 minutes, before adding the cooked beans.

Squash/Carrot Soup with Crispy Kale

Serves 6-8

Kale Chips:
1 bunch kale, wash, patted dry, stems removed, leaves chopped into large pieces
5-7 T. olive oil, divided
Kosher salt

Soup:
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 large garlic cloves, smashed and minced
_ t. dried thyme or 3 sprigs fresh thyme, stems discarded, leave minced
2 bay leaves
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, diced
Dash salt and pepper
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped (or use small sugar pumpkin)
1 lb. carrots, cleaned and chopped
4 c. chicken broth
1 -2 c. water
1 T. apple cider vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Place chopped kale on prepared cookie sheet. Drizzle with 2 to 3 T. olive oil and lightly sprinkle with kosher salt. Gently toss kale so that it’s evenly coated with oil and salt and then spread it over the cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 10 min. Toss and bake for an additional 5-8 min. or until slightly golden and crispy. Keep an eye on it; kale can overcook quickly once it becomes crispy. Remove from oven and set aside.

3. Place 3 T. olive oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 5-8 min. Add garlic and sauté for approx. 2 min. Add thyme, bay leaves, diced apple, salt and pepper and sauté 2-3 min. Add squash and carrots and continue to sauté another 2 min. Stir in chicken broth and 1 _ c. water. Reduce heat to a low simmer and let cook 25-30 min. or until carrots and squash are tender.

4. Remove soup from heat. Remove bay leaves. Puree soup with a hand-held blender. If soup is too thick, thin to desired consistency. Add apple cider vinegar. Check season and adjust salt and vinegar to taste. Reheat if necessary. Serve soup hot, topped with crispy kale.