BRAISED BABY BOK CHOY

1 cup chicken or veg broth
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 lb baby bok choy, trimmed
1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil 

Bring broth and butter to a simmer in a deep large heavy skillet. Arrange bok choy evenly in skillet and simmer, covered, until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer bok choy with tongs to a serving dish and keep warm, covered. Boil broth mixture until reduced to about 1/4 cup, then stir in sesame oil and pepper to taste. Pour mixture over bok choy.

BEET, ARUGULA AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD

Beets - (boiled until a fork easily goes in it, about an hour), peeled, sliced into strips
Fresh arugula - rinsed, patted dry with a paper towel
Goat cheese - chevre
Walnuts - chopped

Dressing ingredients:
Olive oil
Lemon
Dry powdered mustard
Sugar
Salt and pepper

The amount of ingredients depends on how many people you are serving and how much salad you intend to serve them. The important thing is that this is a good blend of flavors. I didn't try tossing this salad; each plate was composed individually. The dressing for three individual salads was 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/2 lemon, 1/4 teaspoon of powdered mustard, 3/4 teaspoon of sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Actually, it is all to taste. These are only approximate measurements. Assemble the salad according to how much you want. A handful of arugula leaves, a few beet juliennes, some crumbled goat cheese, garnish with chopped walnuts. Use a vinaigrette salad dressing or what I've described above.

Coleslaw

1 medium head cabbage, shredded
1 large onion, diced
1 cup grated carrots
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup white sugar
1 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon dry mustard
black pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine cabbage, onion, carrots, and celery. Sprinkle with 1 cup sugar, and mix well. In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, oil, salt, dry mustard, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Pour hot dressing over cabbage mixture, and mix well.

GRANNIE'S FRENCH SWISS CHARD

A special recipe from Cait Johnson: The French love their chard (“blettes” in their language), and my Grannie (who was French and Swiss, among other things) used to make this recipe for me when I was little because she knew how good it was for me (chard is a fabulous source of many antioxidant vitamins and minerals)--and because this was one way I would actually eat it and enjoy it! The secret is adding raisins and pine nuts to the chard. I recently bought a drop-dead gorgeous book of French Provincial recipes, and in it was a recipe that looked just like the chard my Grannie used to make for me. It was even called “Blettes Grand-mere!” Try making it for your little ones: the sweetness of the raisins and the nutty, buttery crunch of the pine nuts make chard completely irresistible--and it cooks in about 3 minutes.

1 bunch Swiss chard
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/3 cup raisins or golden raisins
2 tablespoons pine nuts
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Remove the chard stems and the thick central vein from each leaf. Chop the leaves very coarsely. Using a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium high heat, melt the butter with the oil until sizzling. Add the chard and the rosemary, stirring well to coat the chard with the butter mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, for another minute until the chard has wilted to about half its original volume. Add raisins and pine nuts, stirring to combine evenly, and continue cooking until any moisture has evaporated. The entire cooking process should take no more than about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Spaghettini with Arugula, Goat Cheese, and Sun-dried Tomatoes

1 lb. spaghettini
3/4 cup thinly sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, plus 1/4 cup oil from tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups thinly sliced arugula leaves and stems
1 cup dry white wine
1 tsp. dried basil tsp.
salt tsp. pepper
4 oz mild chèvre, crumbled

Cook pasta according to package directions. When pasta is done, ladle out cup of cooking water and set aside. Drain pasta. While pasta is cooking, heat oil from tomatoes. Add garlic and cook over medium heat, stirring, 1 minute. Add arugula and toss until wilted. Add wine and basil, raise heat to high, and boil until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

PERFECT GREEN SALAD & VINAIGRETTE

There's nothing more delicious than a perfectly prepared green salad- especially this time of year when all the greens are tender and full of flavor!

1 large head Boston lettuce
1/2 cup Vinaigrette (recipe below)
Salt & Pepper
Chive Blossoms or chopped herbs (optional)

Fill the sink, or a very large bowl, with lots of cold water. Trim the lettuce heads and drop the leaves into the water as you peel them off the head. Wash the leaves by tumbling them gently in the water. Allow the dirt and sand to settle to the bottom for a few moments, then lift the leaves out in bunches. Lightly shake off excess water and put leaves in the salad spinner. Dry them thoroughly in a salad spinner. Toss just before serving When ready to serve, drizzle about 1/3 cup of dressing over the lettuce, and toss the leaves gently with a salad spoon and fork, until they are evenly and lightly coated. Season with salt & pepper. Sprinkle the chive blossoms or chopped herbs, if using, over the salad.

VINAIGRETTE IN A JAR 

2 tsp chopped garlic
2 Tbs Dijon-style mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup red- or white-wine vinegar
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Put all the ingredients in a jar, screw on the lid, and shake very well. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more oil or vinegar, as you like. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks, and shake to blend before using.

COLLARD POTATO SALAD WITH MUSTARD DRESSING

2 pounds small red potatoes, scrubbed
1 pound collards, coarse stems discarded and the leaves washed well and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
6 slices of lean bacon, cooked until crisp, drained, and crumbled (optional)
3 tablespoons thinly sliced scallion 

In a kettle combine the potatoes with enough water to cover them by 2 inches, bring the water to a boil, and simmer the potatoes 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are tender. Transfer the potatoes with a slotted spoon to a colander, reserving the cooking liquid, and in the reserved cooking liquid boil the collards, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Drain the collards in a sieve, refresh them under cold water, and squeeze them dry in a kitchen towel. In a bowl whisk together the mustard, the vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste, add the oil in a stream, whisking, and whisk the dressing until it emulsified. Quarter the potatoes and add them to the dressing. Add the collards, pulling them apart to separate the leaves, the bacon, and the scallion and toss the salad well.

ESCAROLE & PINE NUTS

1 head escarole, about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 
2 tablespoons pine nuts 

Bring 3 quarts water to a rolling boil. Separate the escarole leaves and rinse thoroughly. Drop leaves into the boiling water and boil, covered, until tender, about 35 minutes When the escarole is tender, drain thoroughly and let dry. In a 12 to 14-inch saute pan, heat the olive oil until hot but not smoking. Roughly chop the escarole. Add the garlic to the hot pan and saute until the garlic begins to soften and turn a light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the pine nuts and cook until the nuts are lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the escarole and stir until well-cooked and very soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.