7 Tender Greens Recipes To Get You Through The Week (2024)

Savory Quinoa and Chard Muffins

Ingredients:

• non-stick spray
• 2 teaspoons rosemary, chopped
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta
• 2 cups cooked chard

Preheat oven to 375°.

Sauté chard in a medium-hot pan for 2 minutes until soft; set aside to cool.

Spray standard muffin pan with nonstick spray.

Whisk flour, baking powder, sugar, paprika, salt, rosemary, thyme in medium bowl. Whisk milk, oil, and eggs, & cooked quinoa in separate large bowl to blend. Add the dry ingredients; whisk just until blended. Add cooked chard & feta. Bake muffins until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes.

Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

-from Peter Balistreri, executive chef at Tender Greens La Jolla

Tender Greens Harvest Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 cups baby lettuce mix
• 2 seasonal apples, peeled and sliced into wedges
• 2 pears sliced into thin wedges
• Handful of grapes, sliced horizontally
• 1/2 ounce thinly shaved fennel
• 1 ounce candied pecans, rough chopped
• 3/4 ounce goat cheese or blue cheese
• 1 1/2 ounce golden balsamic dressing (recipe below)
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, except salt and pepper, and toss gently. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and lightly toss again. Serves 3-4.

Golden Balsamic Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 medium shallot, peeled and rough chopped
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 cup golden balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• Salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients except the oils in a blender and puree until smooth. Once the mixture is smooth, slowly add in the oils (they can be combined first and added together). After everything is combined add salt and pepper to taste.
Makes 2 1/2 cups. Can be stored in an airtight container, refrigerated, for up to a week.

-from Erik Oberholtzer, chef and co-founder/owner, Tender Greens

Seared Salmon Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 4 oz. cuts of salmon with skin (Chef's note: Loch Durate is the best, but wild salmon works too!)
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• Kosher salt
• Cracked black pepper
• 2 watermelon radishes, shaved thin
• 8 small fingerling potatoes, roasted and cut in half lengthwise
• 3 Persian cucumbers, sliced in thin rounds
• 1/2 red onion, sliced thin
• 3 cups arugula
• 1 lemon
• 1/8 cup Olive oil

Season the salmon with kosher salt and black pepper. On medium to high heat, drizzle canola oil in a nonstick skillet or sauté pan. When hot, add salmon placing the skin side down and cook for 2-3 minutes or until skin is crispy. Place on a side plate until salad is ready. If you prefer to eat the salmon cooked through simply flip it over for a few minutes longer.

Wash the arugula and pat dry. In a large mixing bowl, add the arugula, potatoes, cucumber slices, watermelon radishes and onion. Drizzle the olive oil and squeeze lemon over contents of bowl to taste. Toss until everything is coated with thin layer of dressing. Divide salad onto four plates, and place the salmon skin-side up on top of the salad. Season to taste with cracked black pepper and kosher salt.

-from Pete Balistreri, executive chef, Tender Greens San Diego

Napa Cabbage Kim Chee

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized Napa cabbage (discard outer/discolored leaves)
• 1 cup coarse sea salt
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 1 cup minced garlic
• 1 cup minced ginger
• 1 cup kochukaru (Korean chili flakes)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup Patis or fish sauce
• 1/4 cup white soy sauce (substitute light soy sauce)
• 1 cup thinly sliced scallion (green and white)

Wash cabbage, making sure it is free of dirt and grit, and cut into 4 pieces lengthwise. Take salt and rub into cabbage by peeling back each leaf, taking care to keep it together. Place in a perforated pan and let sit overnight. Moisture will leech from the cabbage, give the liquid a place to drai—hence the perforated pan.

In the meantime, combine the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl to form a paste.

The next day, the cabbage should have leeched out some amount of moisture. Drain the liquid. Take the kim chee paste and rub each individual leaf until it is coated in the mixture. Cover, date and keep in the fridge to let flavors develop.

The best time to eat is in a week to two weeks__.__ It will last for a lot longer, but the flavors will intensify as it sits.

- from Jodie Olson, executive chef, Tender Greens San Francisco King Street

Tender Greens Green Hummus

The green hummus is one of the items in Tender Greens' popular Happy Vegan Salad. The added green ingredients give the hummus dish an extra bite in flavor and added vitamins and minerals.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups spinach
• 1 cup arugula
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1/4 cup diced green onion
• 2 small cloves garlic
• 1 cup olive oil
• 4 cups garbanzo beans
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Using a food processor, combine the spinach, arugula, cilantro, green onion and garlic. Slowly add the olive oil and garbanzo beans, keeping the food processor running. Finish by adding the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Makes 5 cups.

• from Rian Brandenburg, executive chef, Tender Greens Santa Monica

Seared Halibut with Green Zucchini and Tomato Relish

____ For the zucchini puree:

• 2 lbs. green zucchini
• 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
• 2 small garlic cloves (sliced thin)
• 1/4 cup of basil (rough chopped)
• 2 cups baby spinach
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

In a preheated pan, sauté the zucchini with garlic, basil and a dash of salt and pepper until soft (Set aside a few zucchini slices for garnish). In a blender or food processor, blend the cooked ingredients and the spinach on high speed until well blended together and a nice green color, taking care not to over-blend. Set aside.

For the tomato relish:

• 1/2 lb. tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 red onion, small dice
• basil, rough chopped
• parsley, rough chopped
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Toss together in a bowl and drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil.

For the halibut:

• 2 lbs. halibut
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Cut the fish into 4 portions. Season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Sear in a non-stick pan on medium heat until the bottom side is a nice golden color. With a fish spatula, flip and finish in the oven for 4 minutes.

To serve, spoon 2-3 spoonfuls of the zucchini puree on a plate. Lay down a few of the sliced zucchini on top of the puree. Place the seared fish on top, and spoon the tomato relish on top. Makes 4 servings.

- from Diana Hernandez, sous chef at Tender Greens Burbank

Ginger-Pear Crisp

For the crisp topping:

• 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar (unpacked)
• 1/4 cup plus 1/8 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 stick unsalted butter (6 tablespoons); cold and cubed

In a mixer, combine the flour, sugars, oats and salt in mixer and mix. Add the butter and paddle until the butter is the size of small peas. Do not over-mix, otherwise the streusel will come together as a dough and be hard to work with. You want to keep the mixture to be crumbly. Chill the topping until the pear filling is made.

For the ginger-pear filling:

• 6 cups pears; peeled, cored and diced into about 3/4” pieces
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 1/8 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger and juice
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325°.

Combine all of the ingredients and let sit for at least 15 minutes to let the juices distribute. When the mixture is saucy, portion among the ramekins. If there are any juices left at the bottom of your bowl, portion it between all of your ramekins.
Top with a good layer of the streusel topping; about 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup on top of each. Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake at 325° for about 25-35 minutes. The crisps are done when the streusel is golden and the filling starts to bubble out of the sides of the ramekins. Serve warm with sweetened whipped cream. Makes 6 5-inch ramekins____.

• from Annette Picha, pastry chef, Tender Greens

Photo Credit: Tender Greens