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.

MostlyNot 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 tenderbut not falling

apart, about 10 minutes.Thirty secondsbefore the potatoes are done cooking, add the greenbeans to

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

Orzo Salad

wholemeal orzo, broccoli pesto, lemon, avocado, crèmefraîche

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 thepackage

instructions.Drain, rinse with coldwater, and drain well again.In the meantime, cook the broccoli.Bring 180 ml water to the boil in a large pot. Add abig pinch of salt and stir in the broccoli. Cover and cookfor 1 minute, just long enough to take off the rawedge. Quickly drain the broccoli in a sieve and run undercold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and set aside. To make the pesto, combine 200 g of thecooked broccoli, the garlic, most of the pinenuts, the parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons ofthe lemon juice in a food processor. Drizzle in theolive oil and crème fraîche and pulse until smooth. Just before serving, toss the orzo andremaining cooked broccoli florets with abouttwo-thirds of the broccoli pesto and the lemon zest. Thinwith a bit of warm water if you like, then taste andadjust 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 aplatter and top with the remaining pine nuts.

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