vegan dinner inspired by Jamie Oliver

I picked up the April 2011 issue of Better Homes and Garden magazine the other day while waiting in line at the grocery store, and I am so glad I did!  Not only did I find some really beautiful Spring blooms for hubby to plant in the yard {I have a black thumb}, but they did an awesome story on Jamie Oliver.  He shared a super user-friendly diagram of an easy garden setup--for hubby to base this year's garden plan off of--along with a few yummy recipes.  I made his Braised Peas with Scallions and Lettuce dish, and paired it with a late winter vegetable hash I thought up, using ingredients I am not all that familiar with...and both turned out sooo delicious.  Hence, I am sharing both recipes with you. :)

Braised Peas with Scallions and Lettuce
Jamie Oliver for BH&G mag

a pat of butter (+/- 1 tsp)
olive oil
6  scallions, trimmed, outer leaves discarded, and finely sliced
1  head romaine lettuce, washed and sliced
2  16-oz pkg. frozen peas
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1  heaping tsp. all-purpose flour
1  to 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
a few sprigs fresh mint
juice from half of a lemon
extra virgin olive oil

1. Melt butter in medium skillet over med heat. Add about 1 T olive oil and scallions. Cook for a few minutes until scallions are softened.
2. Meanwhile, set a small handful of sliced lettuce aside. Turn heat up and add peas and rest of lettuce. Season with sea salt and pepper.
3. Cook for 1 minute, then sprinkle in the flour and stir until everything is coated.
4. Slowly pour in the stock, then cover and turn the heat up to high.
5. Cook for 4 minutes or until peas are tender.
6. Taste and season if necessary. Sprinkle fresh mint in the pan and add the lemon juice. Stir then scatter reserved fresh lettuce over top and serve immediately with a tiny drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Winter Roasted Vegetable Hash

sweet potato, washed, peeled and chopped
parsnips, washed, peeled and chopped
asparagus, washed and chopped into 2" pieces
whole shallot, skin still on
olive oil
white wine vinegar
fresh Italian parsley
KS&P

Preheat oven to 400°. Toss all veggies in olive oil and season with KS&P.  Roast veggies, turning once, for roughly 20 minutes.  Remove veggies from oven and carefully take off and discard the shallot's skin.  Combine all veggies in a large serving bowl and sprinkle with fresh parsley, and season with more KS&P to taste.  Drizzle desired amount of white wine vinegar to taste (about  1 1/2 T) and serve warm.

Both dishes were excellent the next day, warm or cold.  My new favorite thing to do is roast whole shallot bulbs in the oven.  I can't wait to try them on the grill this summer.  They are so yummy when roasted.  And parsnips?? How am I only just now discovering them? I love roasted parsnips!

The pea dish leftovers were transformed into a penne pasta dish for lunch a couple days later, and I added partially stale baguette bread chunks to the veg hash the night I made it, adding a little more olive oil and vinegar, to create a filling panzanella-esque dish for lunch the following day.  If you try making either of these, please let me know how it turns out for you.  And share your version if you change it up, please! :)