Category Archives: Vegetables

Karl’s Colcannon III

This is more of a California Fusion revamp of the original, rather than a traditional colcannon. Potatoes are the staple of the traditional Irish diet and colcannon was, most likely, mostly potatoes with a little bit of vegetable added in—usually cabbage. Jan is always pushing me to add more high fiber vegetables and to cut back on the simple starches—i.e. potatoes—so mine is now about a 50/50 ratio of potato to veg. I also doubt that chicken broth or garlic were readily available in a humble traditional Irish cottage.

Karl’s Colcannon III

Karl’s Colcannon III

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Filed under California Fusion, Holidays, Potatoes, Side Dishes, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Karl’s Goan Cauliflower and Spinach

I am making a Goan Dinner this Sunday. I am not overly fond of cauliflower, but I have some diners who are on-again/off-again non-starch-eaters. I needed a dish to fill them up, if this was an off day. I decided a Goan cauliflower dish was what I needed. In the rest of India ghee—clarified butter—is the cooking fat of choice. In Goa they prefer to use coconut oil.

Karl’s Goan Cauliflower and Spinach

Karl’s Goan Cauliflower and Spinach

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Filed under Green Vegetables, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Karl’s California Fusion Tomato and Cucumber Salad

When I make shashlik and naan I make a Central Asian salad to go with it. Since I am breaking with the tradition menu for this meal, I do not feel constrained about the ingredients I put in my salad. There is not a lot of the European dill and fennel in Central Asia, but as a Californian I’m going to add it to my salad anyway.

Karl’s California Fusion Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Karl’s California Fusion Tomato
and Cucumber Salad

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Filed under California Fusion, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Karl’s Uyghur Heirloom Carrot Salad

For my birthday, I am making a variation of  Uyghur Shashlik and Naan for dinner. Meat and bread call for salads and a traditional Xinjiang dish would be a carrot salad. The last time I made this I used large Asian carrots. Today, I decided to use the colorful heirloom carrots that have become common in California.

Karl’s Uyghur Heirloom Carrot Salad

Karl’s Uyghur Heirloom Carrot Salad

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Filed under California Fusion, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Karl’s Cream of Broccoli Soup

My son-in-law is on a low starch diet, so it is a challenge to come up with recipes that fit his desires. I decided that a cream of broccoli soup would be the thing. Looking on-line for ideas showed me that most of the recipes included some form of starch—flour, potatoes, corn starch, beans, and even nuts. For this recipe I did my usual, one ingredient from this recipe, another ingredient from that recipe to make something new and different.

Karl’s Cream of Broccoli Soup

Karl’s Cream of Broccoli Soup

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Filed under Green Vegetables, Side Dishes, Soups, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Karl’s Rattatouille California

I wanted to make a ratatouille to go with my roasted chicken, but I cannot eat eggplant. My son-in-law, Chris, is off starches, so that means no potatoes or rice.  I did not even want to use tomatoes, but I was looking for a vegetable side dish that is large, varied, interesting, and to fill people up who are not eating starches. Many of the recipes for ratatouille, that I have found on-line, cook the vegetables to death.

Karl’s Rattatouille California

Karl’s Rattatouille California

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Filed under California Fusion, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Miriam’s Chicken Salad

Miriam has been moving this week and her mother and sister have been helping her. In this situation it is polite to feed your workers, but with the kitchen half packed up it can be a challenge. Takeout pizza is the usual solution, but my daughter is capable of being creative. A little chicken, vegetables, fruit, a bit of mayonnaise and viola you have a salad.

Miriam’s Chicken Salad

Miriam’s Chicken Salad

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Filed under California Fusion, Chicken, Poultry, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegetables

Karl’s Heirloom Carrot Salad with Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Jan had a Stitching Guild luncheon on Saturday and most of the other people signed up to bring meat dishes. Jan sees her role as to provide a vegetarian option. Normally, I would add toasted pine nuts to my carrot salad, but one of her friends is deathly allergic to nuts.

Karl’s Heirloom Carrot Salad with Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Karl’s Heirloom Carrot Salad
with Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

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Filed under California Fusion, Root Vegetables, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Karl’s Bread and Butter Pickles

As some of my readers may have guessed, I really like pickles. Most of my pickles are quick recipes, ready in a day or two—I am an impatient and hungry kind of guy. For this batch, I waited all of four weeks, but they were worth the wait.

Karl’s Bread and Butter Pickles

Karl’s Bread and Butter Pickles

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Filed under California Fusion, Pickles, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Karl’s Spinach, Orange, and Fennel Salad

My son-in-law, Chris, is making the main dish this Christmas—his Grandmother’s Boston clam chowder. I provided a spinach salad and fresh oyster crackers to go with it. Miriam made rum balls for dessert.

Karl’s Spinach, Orange, and Fennel Salad

Karl’s Spinach, Orange, and Fennel Salad

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Filed under Green Vegetables, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian