Leafy Greens

I insisted that the theme of my coming-of-age party be mocktails and canapes because I wanted to be grown up, and had often seen my mum eat canapes at parties. My Rose Beef Bites are delicate and also delicious, with beef and horseradish being lifelong friends. Spending a tiny amount of time to be sure the beef looks pretty makes these canapés stunning to behold. Assemble the beef before the party, so then it's only a matter of spread, drop, serve, and smile!

Copious amounts of kale were sacrificed in my pursuit of a kale energy bar. On my umpteenth attempt at puréeing the leaves into gooey-green glue, inspiration struck: why not incorporate the kale in crispy kale-chip form? It only took one batch to know I had a winner. The trick to getting great bars is to make sure that the kale is super-crisp, which is a cinch so long as you dry the leaves thoroughly– I'm talking layers of clean dish towels or many turns in the salad spinner, a mere minute or two of effort, before baking. If water remains on the leaves, the kale will steam, not crisp. I don't know about you, but the prospect of steamed kale bars doesn’t do it for me. But crispy, toasted seed-enhanced bars? Yes and yes!

I get no greater satisfaction than knowing we've snuck some sweet potatoes and red cabbage onto the dessert menu at Vedge. This dish was originally inspired by a trip to the Czech Republic, where I enjoyed plum dumplings dusted in powdered sugar and served with vegan sour cream. Here, we fill our turnovers with candied whipped sweet potato, and the kraut garnish offers a nice bright note from the sweet Riesling. If you want to go all out, try serving them with a dollop of vegan sour cream whipped with a little powdered sugar and orange zest.

This all-purpose, all-season stock recipe works perfectly in any Vedge recipe. This will store for up to five days in the refrigerator. You don't need to peel any of the vegetables; just wash them carefully.

This Mexican-inspired torta is stuffed with turkey, lime, cilantro, and pickled red onion.

The dressing should be emulsified when you add the butter. Keeping it warm will prevent it from separating, but if it does, add a couple drops of water and whisk again to bring it back together.

Get your pan nice and hot. If you have a cast-iron skillet, now's the time to use it.

If you don't have a steamer basket, improvise: Place a ramekin in the bottom of the pot and prop a dinner plate on top so steam can circulate around it.

Are you in love with a hard-core carnivore who simply won't touch the green stuff? Well, here's the perfect way to get your sweetie to eat less meaty. He'll never notice the veggies in this beef lover's delight. He probably also won't notice that the meat in his taco contains zinc, niacin, and vitamin B12, essential vitamins and minerals for robust health. Shh… it'll be our little secret.

This is a heretical bastardization of salade niçoise and salade aux lardons, whole-grains style. I like the cracked green wheat called freekeh here because its faint grassy, oceanic aroma complements the tuna so well, but regular cracked wheat or, really, any other whole grain would work well too. Instead of bacon lardons (if I'm making a salad, it very often means I don't want to have to cook anything fresh), I use similar-size strips of sun-dried tomatoes, whose texture, when softened a bit in the dressing, at least vaguely recalls that of lardons.

This breakfast is wonderfully versatile and allows you to use up any leftover grains you have from previous meals, folding in leafy greens for a bit of color. In that sense, think of it more as a template rather than a hard-and-fast approach.

China meets the Southwest in this unusual fusion salad. Glistening Chinese black rice—usually sold under the label Forbidden Black Rice—set off against bright orange segments and avocado's pale green gives the mixture striking visual appeal.

Chewy nubbin of farro give special appeal to a hearty Mediterranean vegetable-bean soup that's loaded with calcium-rich kale. If you don't have time to cook the beans from scratch, check out the Express Farro and Chickpea Soup variation.

Toss chopped raw kale with sweet carrots, creamy avocado, and nutty farro for texture, then dress it in a garlic dressing reminiscent of green goddess dressing.

Shredded coconut, which is cut more finely than the thick flaked type called for here, will work in a pinch.

Using mature arugula leaves instead of the baby variety will make for a more peppery salsa. For a nice variation, try it with fresh basil and/or parsley.

To prevent the pasta from getting too soft, we cook it separately and toss it with olive oil and chopped parsley, then spoon it into each bowl of soup.