How Do I Make That?
Unless you’re growing your own vegetables, organic produce can be expensive. I’m not complaining — farmers should be well-supported for their creativity and labors, and the true cost of food production has been externalized through food subsidies for so long that its hard for many of us to get used to re-budgeting to afford higher quality and more ethical eats. CSAs and gleaning can provide more affordable ways to access local and organic produce, but the daily realities of a family budget often mean that we have to choose the more affordable organic vegetables over the luxuries of conventional strawberries and asparagus in December.
The following recipes include vegetables I have grown to love for their colors, flavor, versatility, and affordability. Dress them up as fancy or as simple as you like, these vegetables can form a happy foundation to your weekly mealtimes.
SIMPLE FRIED CABBAGE with Sesame Seeds 
+ The secret to nutty, browned cabbage is to not cook it too long. Wash and chop a third of a head of red cabbage and a third of a head of green or Napa cabbage in large square pieces.
+ Melt butter or coconut oil in a pan and toast sesame seeds for 3 minutes.
+ Toss cabbage in pan at medium-high heat for 3-4 four minutes, so that the leaves become browned but are still crunchy.
+ Pour 3/4 cup of water into the pan and steam the cabbage for another three minutes. The goal is to cook the cabbage for digestibility but not let it get totally limp and sulfurous.
+ Transfer cabbage from pan into bowl, drizzle with sesame oil, and sprinkle with black pepper. Salt to taste.
CARROT + BEET SLAW with Lemon + Ginger
+ Grate three large carrots and three small beets into a large bowl.
+ Combine 1 teaspoon of grated or finely minced fresh ginger, half a squeezed lemon, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and several sprigs of fresh minced parsley.
+ Drizzle dressing over carrots and beets and toss thoroughly.
KALE SALAD with Red Onion, Feta + Seeds
+ Wash kale and chip into long strips about 1/2 inch wide, leaving the stems in. Place in a bowl with sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of olive oil.
+ Massage the kale with your hands for 1-2 minutes or until the oil seems to permeate the leaves.
+ In a pan, toast sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds until they are golden. Remove seeds and allow to cool.
+ Slice small red onion in thin rounds and sautee in butter or coconut oil until soft. Transfer to bowl with kale.
+ Sprinkle sunflower seeds, black pepper, and crumbled hard feta over greens and toss well. Keep refrigerated until consumption for the crispest version of this dish.