Pork chops in sage butter with beet puree & Swiss chard

Beets, red, cut in half	1 large
Potato, Yukon Gold	1 medium
Butter, unsalted	2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons
Salt, kosher
Pepper, freshly ground
Pork chops, 1-inch thick	2
Oil, extra-virgin olive	2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons
Garlic, crushed	3
Sage	1 sprig
Lemon juice, fresh	1 teaspoon
Swiss chard, stems discarded, leaves chopped	1 pound

1. In a large saucepan, combine the beet and potato. 
2. Add enough water to cover by 2-inches, and bring to a boil over high heat. 
3. Cook until the beet and potato are tender, about 35 minutes; drain well and cool. 
4. Peel and coarsely chop the beet and potato, and then transfer to a food processor. 
5. Add 2-tablespoons butter, and puree until smooth. 
6. Season with salt and pepper; keep warm. 
7. Heat a large cast-iron skillet. 
8. Rub the chops with 2-tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper. 
9. Cook over moderately high heat until golden brown on the bottom, about 7 to 8 minutes. 
10. Turn the chops, and add the garlic, sage, and 2-tablespoons butter. 
11. Cook until the chops are golden and the thickest part registers 135F, about 7 minutes longer. 
12. Transfer the chops to a plate, and let stand for 5 minutes. 
13. Whisk the juice and 2-tablespoons butter into the skillet; season with salt. 
14. Strain the sage butter through a fine sieve over the chops; reserve the crispy sage leaves and discard the garlic. 
15. In a large skillet, melt 2-tablespoons butter with 2-tablespoons oil. 
16. Add the chard in large handfuls; let each batch wilt slightly before adding more. 
17. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the chard is wilted, 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. 
18. Serve the pork chops with the beet puree and Swiss chard, and garnish with the sage leaves. 

Recipe mildly adapted from Food&Wine online.

Chilled beet & green apple bisque

Beets with greens, medium, peeled, cut into wedges	1 ½ pounds
Apples, Granny Smith, cored, peeled, cut into wedges	2
Oil, extra-virgin olive	2 tablespoons
Shallots, thinly sliced	2
Garlic, thinly sliced	2 cloves
Stock, low-sodium chicken	2 cups
Water	3 ½ cups + 1 tablespoon
Apple juice	¼ cup
Salt
Sour cream	½ cup

1. In a food processor fitted with the shredding disk or using a box grater, shred the beets and apples. 
2. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over moderately high heat. 
3. Add the shallots and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. 
4. Add the beets and apples, and cook, stirring occasionally, until just starting to soften, about 5 minutes. 
5. Add the stock and 3 ½ cups water, and bring to a boil. 
6. Simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the beets are tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. 
7. Using a stand or hand-held blender, pureé the soup with the apple juice until smooth. 
8. Transfer to a bowl; refrigerate until chilled, about 45 minutes. 
9. Stir 1 tablespoon water into the sour cream. 
10. Stir tablespoons of water into the soup if it gets too thick, then season with salt. 
11. Ladle the soup into bowls, and swirl in the sour cream. 
12. Garnish with shaved or julienned beets or apples and small beet greens. 

Recipe from Food&Wine Magazine, August 2015

Raw frozen layered banana cake

Tools
Blender or food processor
Springform pan, tall sided
Squeeze bottles, large
Q-tips
Frosting knife, small
Toothpicks
Patience
Crust
Raw flour, such as buckwheat	1 cup
Dates or prunes	1 cup
Chocolate layer
Bananas	3
Cacao	¼ cup
Salt, fine	½ teaspoon
Vanilla	1 teaspoon
Cinnamon, ground	1 teaspoon
Honey, maple syrup, or agave	1 tablespoon
Water	If needed
Vanilla layer
Cashews, raw	1 ½ cups
Honey, maple syrup, or agave	3 tablespoons
Vanilla bean, seed scraped	1
Water	1/3 cup, scant
Lemon juice, fresh	1
Beet layer
Beet juice, fresh	½ cup
Bananas	2
Pine nuts	½ cup
Honey, maple syrup, or agave	1 ½ tablespoons
Coconut oil, melted	2 tablespoons
Mint layer
Mint leaves, fresh	2 cups
Avocado	½
Honey, maple syrup, or agave	¼ cup
Salt, fine	½ teaspoon
Lemon juice, fresh	1
Nut milk	¼ cup, scant
Bananas	2
Drizzle
Coconut oil, melted	1 tablespoon
Maple syrup	1 tablespoon

1. In a blender, process the flour and dates or prunes until the mixture starts to stick together somewhat.
2. Press into the bottom of a lined springform pan; set aside. 
3. Rinse out the blender bowl. 
4. Process each layer of ingredients until smooth, and transfer to a squeeze bottle; rinse and use the same blender bowl for each layer. 
5. You may order the layers as desired. I started with a thin layer of chocolate. 
6. Freeze until the layer hardens, and then pour on another layer; repeat until you use all the layer mixtures. 
7. Freeze the cake overnight. 
8. Prepare a hot water bath to dunk the pan into so that the cake releases from the sides. 
9. Transfer to a serving plate. 
10. Whisk together the drizzle ingredients, and then drizzle over the cake. 

Recipe from One Green Planet.