Mostly Plants Recipes
Lynley Jones
Recipes starring seasonal veggies, beans, grains, fruits and more. Sides, main dishes, desserts and snacks, all made mostly or completely from plants. Vegetarian, near-vegetarian and vegan included.
Roasty-toasty cauliflower with turmeric and other warming spices, tossed with parsley and basil.
Grilled peaches drizzled with a tequila-honey sauce infused with Aleppo pepper and a punch of lime. It’s like a party for your peaches! (And for you, of course.)
Watermelon and lime blended into a frosty-cold dessert that’s simple to make, and sophisticated enough for any dinner party. (Double win!)
Roasted asparagus with lightly sauteed spring onions in a warm champagne vinaigrette with bacon and preserved lemons, topped with herb leaves and toasted pine nuts.
Arugula and prosciutto pizza with cracked black pepper and sea salt, drizzled with garlic olive oil and spiked with Aleppo pepper.
A spicy Indian-style curry that uses the whole beet plant from root to leaf. Caramelized beet cubes sauteed along with their stems and leaves in a mixture of onions, garlic, ginger, chiles and Indian spices, and served over spiced yogurt.
A brothy Mexican-style bean soup with cubed steak, chicken, pork or turkey, so you can give your leftovers some love.
Hot apple cider infused with hibiscus flowers and mulling spices. Serve as-is or take it up a notch with a splash of bourbon or brandy.
Rice bowls made with shredded Chicken Adobo and sauce on top of garlicky brown rice with spinach, spring onions, cilantro, Aleppo pepper and toasted almonds.
Caramelized eggplant, sauteed with preserved lemon, leeks and herbs. Funky, spunky and addictive.
Macerated apples baked into a rustic tart and served with a sweet brown butter sauce infused with thyme.
Collards simmered with butter, olive oil, garlic, ginger and spices, then finished with a bright squeeze of lemon juice. Addictively good, and guaranteed to make a collards-lover out of anyone.
Sweet frozen cucumber pops infused with sage and flecked with sumac.
Lemony-sweet basil frozen ice pops. Flecked with sumac, to bring nuance to the tartness and gorgeous pink color to your Spice Pop.
Frozen ice pops made from hibiscus-mint syrup blended with lime juice, frozen into a sweet summer treat.
Tomatoes, basil, Parmigiano-reggiano, balsamic vinegar, good olive oil, a good baguette. It’s summer, and you’re living the good life, my friend.
Salsa made from garlic, roasted tomatoes and serrano chiles, ground together in a molcajete (mortar and pestle) and served warm.
Make your own soda, naturally carbonated and tinted red from hibiscus leaves steeped with lime.
Make your own, refreshing, naturally carbonated herbal soda, infused with parsley and lemon.
Make your own, refreshing, naturally carbonated lemon-lime soda.
Miles of mangoes and flaky puff pastry make for a fairly simple but impressive dessert, especially when topped with homemade Cajeta de Leche.
The classic French fresh-fruit tart, with pastry cream and an apricot glaze.
Frozen puff pastry dough, filled with creamy honey-mascarpone and fresh fruit. The quick and easy way to pull together a beautiful fresh-fruit tart.
Swiss chard sauteed with onions and garlic, a pinch of Aleppo pepper flakes and sumac.
Classic Mexican side, dip for chips, or ingredient for tostadas or burritos. (And please don't call it junk food.)
Served with Grand Marnier cream sauce, this is an elegant and delicious way to welcome strawberry season.
The simplest way to prepare broccoli in the oven (with a huge flavor bang for your convenience buck).
Lemons, peaches and thyme combine to fill every glass with the flavors of summer.
We boost the lemon flavor by steeping lemon zest in the sugar syrup. Sweet, refreshing lemony goodness.
Cool, fizzy and refreshing drink, perfect for a summer day. Or any day. Add a little gin for a grownup twist.
The classic dessert, with warm caramelized bananas and vanilla ice cream, topped with rum flambe sauce.
Guaranteed to disappear the minute it's served. Check out the recipe notes for tips on how to achieve guacamole awesomeness in your kitchen.
An all-American pie classic, bursting with blueberry flavor and bedecked with stars. You can make this any time of year with blueberries either straight from the freezer or fresh.
A simple, rustic tart made with either fresh or frozen cherries, with dried lavender petals. You can pull the cherries directly from the freezer for this.
I hear this is exactly the way they make it at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Like little pumpkin pies inside a pastry shell. Inspired by the Harry Potter book series, they're perfect for your Halloween or Potter-themed party, but also sophisticated enough for your Thanksgiving table.
Caramelized Brussels sprouts in a maple glaze spiked with a hint of Aleppo peppers.
Vegetables layered with corn tortillas, roasted chiles, pureed tomatoes, Mexican crema and a little shredded chicken. Serve with beans or refried beans.
Crispy tortilla topped with creamy beans, cool avocados and crunchy, spicy Pico de Gallo make a casual dinner, lunch or snack everyone will love.
Crispy fried tostadas with hot, creamy beans and crunchy cold toppings. Like a gourmet party-salad on an edible plate - easy and delicious casual dinner, lunch or snack.
Roasting peppers not only cooks the pepper, but also gives it a nice smoky flavor and allows you to remove the skin. This authentic method is perfect for any dish calling for roasted peppers or chiles.
Baby winter squashes stuffed with herby quinoa, toasted almonds and ricotta salata cheese.
Simple, crunchy raw topping for tacos. Perfect with Grilled Summer Veggie Tacos, or any fish or steak tacos.
Tacos filled with grilled summer veggies for your next party - or for dinner tonight.
A fresh, raw salsa that adds a burst of flavor to almost anything, from tacos to scrambled eggs.
Originally created for our Mexican Cooking Fiesta class, this recipe was featured in our Mostly Plants series.
Cauliflower grilled crispy and brown, then dressed in a rich garlicky-buttery sauce.
The simplest way to cook up summer squash such as zucchini or yellow crookneck on the grill.
Tomatillos and chiles roasted together and blended with onions and cilantro. This green salsa is cool, crisp, spicy and a little tangy, perfect on tacos or tostadas, or dolloped on fried or scrambled eggs.
Pasta with ricotta cheese, sauteed Tuscan kale, cherry tomatoes and lots of love. Quick, satisfying weeknight dinner or side.
Juicy tomatoes, grilled corn kernels, red onions and cilantro, with a squeeze of lime and just a hint of mild pepper. Simple to make and full of flavor (plan to lick the bowl).
A seasonal vegetarian crowd-pleaser of a soup that is a super-delicious meal in a bowl.
Juicy, ripe peaches, crumbly topping studded with pecans, all drizzled with sweet whiskey-cream. Oh yeah.
Lemons, peaches and thyme combine to fill every glass with the flavors of summer.
I hear this is exactly the way they make it at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Sweet, juicy peaches with basil and a hint of cinnamon, mounded onto mascarpone-slathered sourdough toast.
Cutting the kale into thin chiffonade helps it to mingle with all the other flavors and textures of this delicious salad.
Addictively tasty Mexican dip for chips, or spread for veggie burgers or sandwiches.
A South Indian approach combining thinly-sliced green beans with coconut, Indian spices and a hint of chile.
Simple and delicious. This recipe was originally created to give students in our Slice, Dice & Chop knife skills class some practice slicing ingredients.
Beets roasted in the oven. Enjoy on their own or as a starting point for other dishes like Spicy Beet and Bacon Crostini.
Swiss chard sauteed in olive oil with onions and garlic, and a pinch of crushed red pepper for good measure.
Sweet-spicy beets on toasted baguette rounds, with chopped bacon bits, punchy scallions and creamy mascarpone cheese. Perfect as a snack for a crowd (or your family!).
Like potato chips made out of beets! Slightly sweet, salty, and a little spicy with a hint of curry.
Mild, creamy dip with a hint of goat cheese tang. Perfect for crudite or chips, as a spread on sandwiches or to dollop on veggies.
Rustic tarts filled with ripe peaches and mascarpone cheese, with a hint of basil and cinnamon. Simple to make, and gorgeous to look at.
Lemony-blueberry syrup for pancakes, waffles or French toast, or use it as a topping to drizzle on ice cream and desserts.
Super simple and tasty applesauce spiced with cinnamon. You don’t even need to peel the apples!
My foolproof method for making smoothies. Berries, yogurt and milk, plus extras if you want!
A slow-simmering pot of pinto beans, super-simple, made in the Mexican style. Eat them with tortillas as a light meal, or as a side. Or use them as a soup ingredients, or to make refried beans.
Buttery and creamy, with just the right amount of braised garlic. The best traditional mashed potatoes you will ever eat.
French-style green beans topped with buttery toasted breadcrumbs.
A great side dish to pay homage to the "first" Thanksgiving at your feast. Extremely simple to make, and all ingredients (except one) were available at the time. This was a very common Pilgrim dish, served nearly every day when pumpkins were in season.
Corn, beans and squash come together with spinach, garlic and onions to make a complete meal-in-a-pot. Corn, beans and squash are considered by many native people to be female spirits and are often called "the Three Sisters." The three crops are traditionally planted together to help each other flourish.
A little bit pesto, a little bit chimichurri, and lots of flavor! Spoon it over grilled meats or veggies, toss it with pasta, slather it over crostini or dribble it onto your pizza. Made with lots of fresh herbs, garlic and shallots, plus toasted pine nuts, mixed together in olive oil with a splash of lemon juice and a little Aleppo pepper.