Chilled Sugar Snap Pea Soup

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 cup leeks - halved lengthwise and chopped

• 1 pinch salt

• 4 cups chicken broth

• ground black pepper to taste

• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

• 1 pound sugar snap peas

• 2 fresh mint leaves

• 1 tablespoon creme fraiche

• 2 fresh mint leaves, cut into very fine strips

PREPARATION:

1. Pour olive oil into a large pot, set over medium heat, and add leeks to hot oil. Season leeks with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until leeks are soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Pour chicken broth into leeks; bring to a boil. Season with black pepper and cayenne pepper.

2. Stir peas into boiling broth mixture and add 2 mint leaves. Bring back to a boil and cook until peas are bright green and have started to soften, 5 to 6 minutes.

3. Turn off heat; use a slotted spoon to transfer vegetables into a large blender, leaving liquid in pot. Pour half the liquid from the pot into the blender, place a folded towel on the blender lid, and pulse a few times to chop vegetables. Blend at high speed to puree vegetables. Add remaining liquid from pot to blender and liquefy the soup until smooth.

4. Pour soup from blender into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl and use a spatula to push soup through the strainer, leaving the tough fibrous material behind.

5. Cool soup to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 3 hours.

6. Season cold soup with salt and adjust cayenne pepper. Ladle soup into a serving bowl. Spoon creme fraiche into a plastic squeeze bottle and squeeze the creme fraiche over the top of the soup in a loose spiral. Use a skewer to pull the spiral into flower petal shapes, starting from the middle and quickly pulling the skewer through the creme to make pointed petal shapes. Serve garnished with strips of fresh mint.

Sugar Snap Peas with Lemon

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 lb fresh sugar snap peas

• 1 tsp lemon zest, freshly grated

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

PREPARATION:

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Add the snap peas and toss to coat. Cook snap peas for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Add the lemon zest, salt and pepper (and thyme, if you wish) and cook an additional 3-5 minutes, until the snap peas begin to puff up and are crisp, yet tender.

4. Serve immediately.

Snap Pea and Green Beans with Arugula-Mint Pesto

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup raw skin-on almonds

• 1 garlic clove, finely grated

• 2 cups (lightly packed) baby arugula

• 2 ounces Parmesan, shaved, divided

• 1 cup mint leaves, plus more for serving

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

• 12 ounces sugar snap peas

• 12 ounces green and/or wax beans, trimmed

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• Lemon wedges (for serving)

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast almonds on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until fragrant and slightly darkened in color, 8–10 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop half of almonds and set aside. Pulse remaining almonds with garlic, arugula, half of Parmesan, and 1 cup mint in a food processor to a smooth paste. With motor running, stream in oil; thin with 2 tablespoons cold water to reach a pourable consistency. Season pesto with salt and pepper.

2. Cook peas and beans in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain; transfer to a bowl of ice water and chill until cold. Drain peas and beans; pat dry with paper towels. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with lemon juice and 3 tablespoons pesto; season with salt and pepper.

3. Arrange peas and beans in a large bowl or platter over remaining pesto. Top with more mint leaves, reserved almonds, and remaining Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over.

Do Ahead: Peas and beans can be blanched 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Vegetable & Tempeh Coconut Curry

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup farro

• 2 tsp olive oil spread

• 16 oz tempeh (plain or flax variety), chopped into 1/2-inch cubes

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 1 each small red bell pepper and orange bell pepper, chopped

• 1 large yellow zucchini, chopped

• 2 tbsp peeled and minced fresh ginger

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tbsp curry powder

• 1 tbsp ground turmeric

• 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

• 2 cups vegetable broth

• 9 oz coconut milk

• 2 1/2 cups snap peas

• 1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar

• 1 tbsp reduced-sodium tamari sauce (gluten free soy sauce)

• 5 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves

• 5 tbsp chopped scallions

PREPARATION:

1. Cook farro according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet on medium-high, heat oil spread. Add tempeh and onion and sauté

3. for 3 minutes, until onion begins to soften. Stir in bell peppers, squash, ginger, garlic, curry powder, turmeric and cayenne; sauté for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add broth, coconut milk and snap peas. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Before serving, stir in vinegar and tamari.

4. Divide faro between bowls and top each with 1 1/2cups curry mixture and 1 tbsp each cilantro and scallions.

Summertime Pasta Primavera with Basil Cream Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 oz whole-grain fusilli or gemelli pasta

• 1 cup frozen shelled edamame

• 1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas, halved through center

• 1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms

• 1 cup broccoli florets

• 1 cup sliced radishes

• 1 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes

• 1/4 cup minced shallots

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 1/4 cup toasted unsalted pine nuts

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Basil Cream Sauce:

• 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped

• 1 cup fresh basil

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 1/4 cup roughly chopped shallots

• 3 tbsp plain Greek yogurt

• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

PREPARATION:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta, cover and return to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes; add edamame and cook for 4 minutes. Add peas, mushrooms broccoli and radishes and cook until vegetables are tender, about 1 more minute. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, in a blender, purée sauce ingredients until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Return pasta mixture to pot and add tomatoes, shallots and pepper flakes. Stir in sauce, cheese and nuts. Heat on low and cook, stirring occasionally, until just warmed through. To serve, top with basil.