Greens and Beans Tartine

Bacon beans, garlic, and greens are combined in this delicious open-faced sandwich called a tartine.

Ingredients

Toast:

• 4 thick slices French bread

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Greens:

• 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• zest from 1 lemon

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• cayenne pepper to taste

Beans:

• 2 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

• ¼ cup sliced green onions

• ½ teaspoon ground cumin

• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano

• salt to taste

• 1 (12 ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

• 2 tablespoons water, plus more as needed

Tartine:

• 1 lemon, juiced

• 6 ounces pepper Jack cheese, grated

• 1 red Fresno chile, thinly sliced

• ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Drizzle olive oil on both sides of the bread.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until light golden brown, about 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add Swiss chard and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer chard to a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain and squeeze out as much excess water from the chard as possible using your hands. Roughly chop.

5. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-heat and add garlic. Cook and stir until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add chard and stir to combine. Turn off heat, and season with lemon zest, salt, pepper, and cayenne; stir to combine. Remove from stove and set aside until needed.

6. Meanwhile, place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until well browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Turn off heat and remove bacon with a slotted spoon. Drain bacon slices on paper towels. Crumble once cool enough to handle.

7. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

8. Remove all but 1 to 2 tablespoons of bacon fat from the skillet. Heat skillet over medium-high heat and add green onions. Cook onions for 1 minute. Stir in cumin, oregano, and salt. Add beans, and stir to combine. Add water, and bring to a simmer. Once beans are simmering, use a potato masher to mash beans as smooth as you want. Add more water of you like to achieve desired texture. Taste and adjust for salt.

9. Spread bean mixture evenly amongst the 4 pieces of toast. Top with chard, followed by crumbled bacon. Drizzle with lemon juice, and top with freshly grated pepper Jack cheese.

10. Bake in the preheated oven until cheese starts to brown and the tartines are heated through, about 12 minutes.

11. Serve topped with Fresno chile pepper slices and green onions.

Spanakopita

This is an authentic Greek spanakopita pie recipe featuring layers of crispy, flaky phyllo dough and a rich spinach and feta cheese filling. Serve warm for an impressive but easy to make vegetarian main dish.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 1 bunch green onions, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 pounds spinach, rinsed and chopped

• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley

• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

• ½ cup ricotta cheese

• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

• 8 sheets phyllo dough

• ¼ cup olive oil, or as needed

Directions

1. Gather all ingredients.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9-inch square baking pan.

3. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute chopped onion, green onions, and garlic in the hot oil until soft and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

4. Stir in spinach and parsley, and continue to saute until spinach is limp, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

5. Mix feta cheese, ricotta cheese, and eggs in a medium bowl until well combined. Stir in spinach mixture.

6. Lay one sheet of phyllo dough in the prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top and brush with olive oil. Repeat the process with two more sheets of phyllo dough; the sheets will overlap the pan.

7. Spread spinach and cheese mixture into the pan. Fold any overhanging dough over the filling. Brush with oil.

8. Layer the remaining 4 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with oil. Tuck overhanging dough into the pan to seal the filling.

9. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

10. Cut into squares and serve while hot.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Combining these two classic spring crops is the perfect way to bring in some refreshing, uplifting flavors as bright as a sunny spring day.

Ingredients

Dressing:

• ½ cup white sugar

• ½ cup olive oil

• ¼ cup distilled white vinegar

• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

• 1 tablespoon minced onion

• ¼ teaspoon paprika

• ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Salad:

• 1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced

• 10 ounces fresh spinach - rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces

• ¼ cup almonds, blanched and slivered

Directions

1. Make dressing: Whisk together sugar, oil, vinegar, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, onion, paprika, and Worcestershire in a medium bowl. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

2. Make salad: Combine strawberries, spinach, and almonds in a large bowl.

3. Pour dressing over salad; toss to coat. Refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Zucchini Roses

I have a confession to make. I’m a guy that watches British fashion vloggers. Well … my wife does, and I’m just there for the gardening bits. One of the vloggers she follows recently posted a video making Courgette Roses. (“Courgettes” are what Brits call zucchini and summer squash. They have some weird names for veggies. Aubergine? Really?) Anyway, I found a version of the recipe with the temperatures and measurements converted to US units. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (about 8 ounces)

• All-purpose flour, for rolling out dough

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

• 1 small summer squash (about 6 ounces), cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced diagonally

• 1 small zucchini (about 6 ounces), cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced diagonally

• Nonstick cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roll the puff pastry out to a 12-inch square on a floured work surface.

2. Brush lightly with the olive oil and sprinkle evenly with the cheese, thyme and lemon zest.

3. Cut into 6 even strips.

4. Shingle alternating yellow and green slices of squash and zucchini along the length of each strip of dough making sure to leave half the dough strip uncovered and allowing the green and yellow skins to hang over one edge slightly.

5. Fold the uncovered dough over the squash and pinch together at the two ends.

6. Starting at one end, roll each strip into a spiral.

7. Lightly press the rolled tarts into a muffin tin sprayed with cooking spray.

8. Bake until the crusts are browned and crisp on the bottom, the top is dry and crisp and the squash is tender and browned on the edges, about 40 minutes.

9. Remove to a rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.

Buttery Garlic Green Beans

Green bean recipes make the greatest side dishes. They take very little time to cook and, depending on the method, even less time to prep. This easy recipe for sautéed green beans is a perfect case in point. It preps in just 5 minutes, cooks in about 10 (depending on how crunchy you like your green beans), and is ready in 15 minutes.

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Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped in half

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• ⅛ teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning, or more to taste

• salt to taste

Directions

• Step 1

  Place green beans into a large skillet and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until beans just start to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and return to the skillet.

• Step 2

  Add butter and stir until melted, 1 to 2 minutes.

• Step 3

  Add garlic; cook until tender and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.

• Step 4

  Season with lemon-pepper seasoning and salt before serving.

Zucceazy

The great zucchini harvest is upon us! Here is another recipe to add to your repertoire of zucchini cookery.

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

• Step 1

Season zucchini with salt and pepper and brush lightly with olive oil.

• Step 2

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Place zucchini slices, a few at a time, into hot pan and cook until the pattern of the pan is imprinted into zucchini, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes.

• Step 3

Combine olive oil, vinegar, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Brush cooked zucchini with olive oil mixture and serve.