Asparagus

While fresh asparagus is almost always available in supermarkets, springtime is the time when it is in season. Take advantage of the lower prices and prepare this vegetable often.  It is so versatile you won't get tired of it! My go-to asparagus recipe is to steam until almost tender, then saute for a few minutes in a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil, salt, pepper and a sprinkling of grated cheese.  This is a variation of how my mother used to make them, except she used butter and plenty of cheese and cooked them until they were soft.  I like mine al dente, like my pasta, and don't miss the butter at all in my healthier version!

Another great method is roasting.  Always snap off the tough bottom part, for any method, and wash gently.  Then coat with a bit of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast until tender.  It's that easy!  When you have the barbecue fired up, place your raw asparagus on the grill during the last few minutes your chicken or meat is cooking.  They take practically no time at all to grill.  You can marinate them in an olive oil, crushed garlic and lemon juice dressing, then pour the remaining dressing back on them to serve. 

Consider setting a few asparagus aside and placing them on your raw vegetable platter alongside a dip or hummus.  They are crisp and fresh-tasting served raw as well!

Finally, creamy asparagus soup is simple to make and looks and tastes impressive.  Roughly chop a bunch of asparagus, a leek or bunch of scallions, and a small peeled potato.  Cook in vegetable or chicken broth until tender, then whip out the immersion blender and puree.  Season with salt and pepper and lo and behold, creamy mushroom soup without a drop of cream or butter!  Place a spoonful of lite sour cream or plain Greek yogurt in the center of the bowl for a nice presentation as well as adding a little tanginess to your soup.

There are so many other uses for asparagus.  Create an omelet starring asparagus, chop them after steaming and toss them in salads, pasta and stir fry dishes.  Definitely take advantage of the peak season for asparagus, which lasts only til June or July.  If any vegetable could epitomize the taste of Spring, in my opinion asparagus is the one!

Peruvian Seafood Dinner

Sorry, friends, no recipe tonight!  Had a beautiful seafood dinner at a Peruvian restaurant.  Not particularly healthy, but enjoyed great food, wine and friends.  Happy Easter and Happy Passover to you and your families!

Chayote....Stuffed, Of Course

Chayote was another vegetable I passed up in the produce aisle.  Honestly, it was just so funny looking I didn't know what I would do with it.  Recently a cooking show host used it, and I discovered it had a name, but I didn't pay attention to the recipe.  So the next time I saw it in the store, I decided to buy it and look online for a way to cook it.  Chayote is a Mexican squash that is about the same size and shape as an avocado, but pale green and wrinkly.  It has a sweet flavor, almost apple-like.  The first time I cooked it, I peeled and sliced it and treated it like a zucchini.  I sauted it in olive oil with sliced onions, salt and pepper.  It was good, but not fabulous.  I like zucchini better, and zucchini is a bit less expensive.

I happened to have bought a couple on sale this week and was determined to try again.  So I researched and found a recipe for stuffed chayote, one that was spicy and Cajun and had lots of steps to it.  But I was tired, so I put the recipe aside for another time, and stuffed it my own way.  I cut two chayotes in half and steamed them, cut side up, until the flesh was tender.  Then I scooped out the insides and put them in a bowl and mashed them up a bit.  In a skillet I sauted a chopped jalapeno, scallions and, of course, some spinach leaves.  When this was done and seasoned, I added some black beans that I had leftover from another meal.  This mixture was added to the mashed chayote in the bowl, where some crumbled feta joined the fun.  The hollow chayotes were placed in a baking dish, filled with the mixture, then baked for about 15 minutes, until all the flavors melded together.

The combination of flavors was actually very good.  The chayote had a sweetness to it, and was complemented by the heat of the jalapeno and the saltiness of the feta.  The black beans added a chewy texture.  All in all, it was a successful experiment.  I am not suggesting anyone necessarily try this recipe exactly, but I do recommend that you experiment with new combinations of flavors and textures.  Nothing ever needs to be wasted.  Whatever was extra from last night's dinner may taste great inside a portobello mushroom, a pepper or a hollowed out eggplant.   I challenge you.....stuff something!

Salsa Verde

The invention of salsa was a wonderful thing.  It is spicy, flavorful, and exciting, yet it is surprisingly healthy and low in calories and fat.  You can add it to something that has a bad reputation, like tortilla chips or a baked potato, and feel like your sins have been forgiven, at least a little bit.  Salsa even has a point value of zero on the Weight Watchers scale.  If you find a jarred sauce that has little or no preservatives, and no sugar, you are surely the champ.  If you have a little extra time, you can prepare your own and the taste is fresh and delicious, even better than anything from a jar.

Salsa verde is a green salsa, as the name implies, made with tomatillos rather than tomatoes.  It turns out that the tomatillo has even more health benefits than the tomato, who knew?  I always passed them by in the vegetable aisles, admittedly intimidated by their papery husks.  Well, I was in for a surprise when I took a bunch home last summer,  peeled off the husks, washed them and grilled them.  Tonight we roasted them, as I am still too cold to go outside to barbeque. Just cut them in half,  place on a baking sheet and roast for about 15 minutes.  When done, put them in a food processor along with a 1/2 chopped onion, a few cloves of garlic, one or two jalapenos, (seeds included if you dare), juice of a lime, and a handful of cilantro.  Add salt to taste as you pulse the mixture to a chunky consistency.  Most recipes call for a pinch of sugar, but I don't think it is necessary.  You can substitute a drop of agave nectar if you want.

If you research any one of the ingredients in the above recipe, you will find that they all have disease-fighting properties.  The mixture is healthful, plus it is loaded with fiber.  Top your chicken or pork with this for dinner, add it to vegetables or a baked potato, or use it as a dip for raw veggies or tortilla chips. 

Tonight this was the crown atop my grilled pork chop, and it shared a plate with roasted cauliflower and kale chips.  To keep the Mexican flavor of the meal, I added a small salad of avocado and tomato.  My plate was overflowing with vegetables, but each one was exciting in its own way.  The good news is that there is leftover avocado salad and salsa verde for tomorrow or the next day, to use in a different and creative way.

"Fakos Rancheros"

This one is borrowed.  One of my best friends made brunch for me today, and it was a fantastic, albeit healthy, rendition of huevos rancheros.  It follows all the principles of healthy eating that I have learned ( Have I mentioned that I taught her everything she knows? )

Instead of tortillas, she used quinoa, which eliminates a lot of the starchy carbs and, as a bonus, adds protein.  She also used bottled salsa, but it isn't so hard to make your own.  If you choose bottled, read the labels for the sugar content.  Tostitos is the only one I buy, because there are no preservatives and no sugar added.

To begin, R. added some fresh spinach to the skillet with salt and let it wilt a little.  (Hmmmm.....wonder where she got the idea to add spinach?)  She then added about a cup of cooked quinoa, about 1/2 cup salsa and about 1/3 cup of black beans, and heated the mixture.  Two wells were made in the mixture, and eggs cracked into them.  She covered the pan so the steam would cook the eggs evenly, then when the top turned white, grated cheddar on top of the mixture and replaced the cover until it was melted.

This was really a delicious and filling brunch.  The eggs were cooked perfectly: ever so slightly runny so the yolk was absorbed by the quinoa.  There was no butter or oil in this dish, so the fat content really depends on how much cheese you add.  I like the hottest option of salsa, and wouldn't mind added hot sauce to my plate, but that depends on individual tastes. It is really not a complicated or time-consuming dish, either, and if you use left-over quinoa, it is that much quicker.  The best part for me was that I was enjoying my cup of coffee while the meal was being prepared and served.  Thanks, R.!!!

Roasted Brussel Sprouts A New Way

I have mentioned before that roasted brussel sprouts are among my new favorite vegetables.  I never liked them as a kid.  Just the smell of them boiling would make me run and hide.  Unfortunately, we didn't have a family dog, so I couldn't even pass them off to the pet under the table.

I only gave them another try recently, maybe a year ago.  Since then I serve them at least once every few weeks.  With a little olive oil and salt, roasted brussel sprouts are really delicious.  One cooking show host said they are practically like eating french fries, which is a bit of a stretch, but they are good.

Yesterday I thought I would try to jazz them up a bit.  I had read recipes about balsamic reductions, but never tried it.  So, I simply poured about a 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar in a saucepan and gently heated it until it was thick and syrupy.  When it coated the back of the spoon, I knew it was done.  

I had figured the sweetness of the reduction would need a contrast, so when I prepared the brussel sprouts for roasting, I sprinkled garlic powder and cayenne pepper on them, along with the salt.  When they were done, I tossed them in a bowl with the balsamic reduction, and served them with a little sour cream on the side.  Wow!  Roasted brussel sprouts are good, but prepared this way just makes them a little more interesting!  The added kick of the cayenne pepper is contrasted with the sweet vinegar, and cooled by the sour cream.

Next time I make this balsamic reduction, I plan to serve it over fresh strawberries, and maybe even add a little sour cream on top.

Salad for Dinner

Usually I consider salad a good dinner option when the weather is hot and everyone is just too lazy to cook or even eat very much.  Today, however, the weather was dreary and wet and I decided to make my roasted vegetable salad.

I started by preparing the vegetables, which, like most of my meals, is the most time-consuming part.  I had a bulb of fennel, which I sliced lengthwise into about 1/2 inch strips; a red onion, which I cut in thick slices, about 6 small red and yellow sweet peppers, which I cut in half, and a sweet potato, peeled and diced.  I made sure everything was coated with a little bit of olive oil and well-salted, then spread out on cookie sheets.

Everything took approximately 40 minutes to roast at 400.  I grouped the vegetables according to density, so one pan needed a few minutes longer.  Meanwhile, I toasted some walnuts in a dry frying pan, defrosted a few shrimp, sliced some mushrooms and sundried tomatoes I had in the fridge,washed my greens (I had some mesclun mixed with arugula) and made my dressing.

I usually make this salad with a simple balsamic vinaigrette and sprinkle some blue cheese on top. Today I thought I would alter the flavor a bit, and since I had some ginger from another recipe, I decided to try an Asian dressing.  I didn't take this decision lightly, mind you, because it meant I would have to omit the blue cheese, since blue cheese doesn't blend well with those flavors.  Omitting cheese is never easy and, as a friend of mine says, should really be its own food group.

I sliced off a small piece of ginger and put it through the garlic press, then followed with two cloves of garlic.  This all went into a bowl with olive oil, rice wine vinegar, pepper, a few drops of sesame oil, and a splash of soy sauce.  I whisked it up, and it was ready to go.

The final step was to grill the shrimp, which took just minutes, and add them to the already assembled ingredients.  This salad really makes a beautiful presentation.  It is a salad of contrasts:  sweet and savory, creamy and crunchy, cool and warm.  The flavors blend well, and the sweet potato and walnuts are not only filling, but have very satisfying textures. 

My verdict on the Asian dressing?  Not bad, but I missed the cheese and the tang of the balsamic vinegar.  I will probably go back to the original recipe next time, but save the Asian dressing for another salad.

More Stuff

Sweet Italian or cubanelle peppers are some of my favorite vegetables to stuff with other vegetables.  It makes an interesting and tasty side dish, which also counts for a couple of your daily servings.

It's also a good way to use up any vegetables that you have had in the fridge for a few days.  I always start with chopped onions or scallions, along with diced celery and minced garlic.  Get that going in a skillet with a little olive oil.  Just the aroma of garlic and onions cooking is inspirational to me!  Whatever you have available works in this dish.  A few mushrooms, a zucchini, roasted red pepper, or even some leftover cooked vegetables diced up will do .  Of course,don't forget to add a handful of spinach, fresh or frozen! When the vegetables are slightly softened,  place in a mixing bowl to cool for a few minutes.  Some days I add a few tablespoons of goat cheese, other days part-skim ricotta.  Always grated cheese, salt, pepper, fresh parsley and/or any other herbs.  Some whole wheat breadcrumbs wouldn't hurt, either.  I usually buy a loaf of whole wheat Italian from the bakery and pulse it in the food processor to make my own breadcrumbs. It keeps nicely in an airtight container for a long time. I figure that bakery bread has less preservatives and other junk than packaged bread crumbs.  Read the labels and see for yourself.

Cut the tops off the peppers and scoop out the seeds.  Use a teaspoon to fill the peppers, all the way to the bottom if you can.  Lay them in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.  Spray the tops of the stuffed peppers when you are done.  Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes.  Once again, you can change the personality of this dish each time you make it, depending on what you have available.  I always have jars of capers, kalamata olives and sundried tomatoes in the fridge.  Any of these can add depth of flavor and drama to a simple vegetable dish.  Be sure to use these sparingly, as they are all quite strong flavors on their own!

More About Soup

Since soup season is drawing to a close, I am trying to make my favorites before the weather gets too warm.  I found some cauliflower on sale, and decided to make Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup today. 

I love cream soups, but heavy cream and butter just don't fit into my healthy eating plan.  Then I discovered pureeing vegetables to create the same creamy texture.  Using an immersion blender, any soup can be pureed to resemble a cream soup, provided there is at least one ingredient that has some body to it.  White beans are an excellent choice, but a diced potato or other starchy vegetable will work nicely.

For my Roasted Cauliflower Soup, I tossed the florets with olive oil and salt, as well as a few stalks of celery and a quartered red onion.  I placed these on a baking pan along with a whole head of garlic, with the top sliced off, exposing each clove.  If you have never roasted garlic before, you are missing something savory and delicious.  The garlic becomes creamy and slightly nutty in flavor, much mellower  than when it is cooked by any other method.  Just rub the exposed part with olive oil and place face up on the pan.  Roast all the vegetables at 400 for about 30-40 minutes, checking from time to time.  The garlic may be done first, so remove it from the pan and set aside.

Fill a pot with a quart of chicken or vegetable stock, and two cups of water.  When the vegetables are roasted, add all to the pot , plus salt and pepper.  Squeeze the garlic out of its paper-like skin into the pot.  Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for about 20 minutes.  Turn off the fire, then go to work with the hand blender, pureeing to your desired consistency.  I like it a bit chunkier, but you can make it as smooth as you wish.  Adjust the salt and pepper to your taste.

One thing I learned about preparing soup is that you can change its "personality"  by adding or omitting just one ingredient.  This can help you alter your menu to suit individual tastes as well as varying your repertoire to avoid boredom!  For instance, you can leave out the roasted garlic in this soup and it will still be delicious, but very different.  You can replace the cauliflower with broccoli and it becomes an entirely different soup, practically crying out for a sprinkling of grated cheddar cheese at the end of cooking.  Add a chopped fresh herb to a vegetable soup and it changes the soup completely.  For example, cilantro will add Latin overtones to your soup, while oregano or basil will give the same soup a Mediterranean flavor.  Have fun and experiment, remembering that it is nearly impossible to ruin a pot of soup!

Eat the Rainbow

If you read any food or health-related articles, that is the advice given by many doctors and nutritionists.  It simply means that we should eat a variety of colors when selecting fruits and vegetables.  It is a topic that fascinates me, how our Creator, in all His divine creativity, decided which fruit would benefit which body system, and how vividly He would paint their hues.  Various color groups provide nutrients, antioxidants and health benefits that differ from all other foods.  Obtaining a balanced diet of orange-reds, deep greens and dark blue/purple foods guarantees that you are supporting your immune system and reducing the risk of many diseases.  To make all this more appealing, these colorful foods just look so beautiful and appetizing.

I decided to give red cabbage a try, since it is another one of those foods high in so many good things, like antioxidants and fiber.  I bought one very pretty purple head, a little more expensive than the green variety, but still not very costly.  The interesting thing about a head of cabbage is that you can feed about a hundred people with it.  I cut a small wedge out of it last week when I was making minestrone, and chopped it and added it to the soup.  Although it turned the pot blue, it added a sweetness to the soup that was actually very good.  A few days later I cut another couple of wedges, about 3/4 inch thick each.  I added them to my pan of vegetables to roast, coating them with olive oil and sprinkling with salt.  I later decided to splash a little balsamic vinegar on the wedges to add sweetness.  They were surprisingly tasty, for cabbage.  Most of my past experiences with cabbage were either boiled (yawn), the star attraction of fad-diet soup, or diner cole slaw which I normally only eat if my order is delayed and I am really hungry. 

So, with two pretty good results so far, I decided to use the rest of the cabbage before it spoiled.  I shredded the remaining half head in my food processor and divided it into two batches.  I added thinly a sliced red onion to one portion in a skillet, and sauteed with olive oil and salt.  When the vegetables were slightly soft, I added a few tablespoons of broth and covered, letting the mixture steam for about twenty minutes.  The result was a really interesting side dish, which I am thinking might make a nice accompaniment for grilled pork chops or chicken.  I finished off the final batch of shredded cabbage by adding some shredded carrots, and making a cole slaw dressing.  I mixed equal parts mayonnaise and Greek yogurt (about 1/2 cup each), about 2 tbsp spicy brown mustard, a splash of apple cider vinegar, a tsp of agave nectar to substitute for sugar, salt and a generous amount of black pepper.  I let that sit in the fridge for a day.  Like soup and wine, cole slaw gets better with time.  The color was a lovely shade of magenta, kind of girly but really tasty.

Cabbage is still not the most enticing food I can think of, but it has lots of possibilities.  I would definitely attempt to prepare it in other ways in the future.  Again, the beautiful color wheel of fruits and vegetables fascinates me and brings to mind God's brilliance and the majesty of creation.

All that from a head of purple cabbage!

Stuffed Stuff

I like stuffing stuff with other stuff.  In the kitchen, anyway.  It's always an easy meal or side dish.  Eggplant, peppers, mushrooms,  etc, can only get better filled with great ingredients.  Tonight I had some baby portabellas (formerly known as cremini, who knows why the name change?) and thought I would make them as a side dish.  I toasted some chopped walnuts in a skillet, sauteed arugula and crushed garlic in olive oil, warmed up a little goat cheese in the microwave, then tossed it all together with grated cheese and black pepper.  I filled the baby 'bellas up, put them in a casserole dish and baked them at 400 for about half an hour.  Wow.  I have to remember them for my next party.

I love stuffed eggplant as well. Sometimes I will cut them lengthwise, scooping out some of the center flesh.   Roughly chop the eggplant that was removed, saute in olive oil with some garlic and chopped onion, red peppers and a couple of handfuls of baby spinach (I TOLD you about the spinach - it goes in almost everything!).  Add a small can of tomato sauce to the skillet and cook for another few minutes.  Remove from the heat, mix with grated cheese, stuff it back in the eggplant halves and bake for about a half hour.  This is a good vegetarian side, but I usually dice up a couple of chicken tenders that I keep in the freezer and saute them along with the veggies in the skillet.  Just bake the whole thing a little bit longer to be sure the chicken is cooked.  Add a green vegetable or salad on the side, and it makes a really filling, delicious and healthy meal.

More stuff next time.

Quinoa (Keen-What?)

It is pronounced "keen-wah" and I didn't go near it until recently.  I think I was intimidated by the name.  I don't like to eat stuff I can't pronounce, which is probably one reason I don't eat much French food. (There are other reasons for that, but that is for another blog!)  Once I tried it, I discovered it was surprisingly easy to prepare, extremely versatile, and actually quite tasty.

I did a little research and found that quinoa was cultivated by the Incas some 5,000 years ago as one of their staple foods.  Although it looks like, prepares like and even tastes like a grain it is actually the seed of a leafy green plant related to spinach and kale.  It is a complete protein, contains abundant amounts of fiber, magnesium and iron and is considered one of the most complete foods in nature.  Now I don't exactly know what that means, but it sounds pretty impressive. Every article I read about it lists more health benefits about this vegetable.

There are only two things to remember when preparing quinoa:  rinse it well to remove the soapy coating that makes it unappealing to birds (now who sounds impressive?), and use two parts liquid to one part quinoa.  I usually put a cup of dry quinoa in my rice cooker with two cups of water or broth, season with salt, and it is done in about 20 minutes.  You can also cook it on the stove top the same way.

Once it is done it is fluffy and has a consistency which I would best describe as a cross between couscous and pastina.  Pastina is a comfort food from my childhood so I do like to prepare it the same way, in broth with an egg broken into it and sprinkled with grated cheese.  Of course, a handful of spinach can only make it better!  It has more of a vegetable taste than pastina, of course, but it does fill the void nicely while I am avoiding pasta!

I am still exploring quinoa recipes, but I have made it as a side dish with various diced and sauteed vegetables mixed in. I have added it to soup as a replacement for smaller varieties of pasta or rice.  One night towards the end of the week I had mixed in whatever vegetables I had in the fridge: red peppers, zucchini, scallions and arugula, if I remember correctly.  I had a good amount left over, and for breakfast on the weekend I added an egg and some grated cheese to the mixture, formed a patty and browned it in a skillet.  I then fried an egg over easy and served it over the quinoa cake, which soaked up the yolk nicely.  I didn't miss the toast at all!

I have seen recipes for quinoa as a hot breakfast cereal, for desserts and used in baking.  I haven't explored these avenues yet, but I will keep you posted when I do!

I Promised You Soup

Usually on Saturday or Sunday morning I will make a couple of soups that I will bring for lunch during the week.  Today I prepared a Thai-inspired soup that I came up with a couple of weeks ago, and I liked it so much I am repeating it sooner than usual!  I am quite sure you can find similar recipes somewhere, but this is how mine came about: I was thinking about peanut butter.  I do love peanut butter, and it really isn't unhealthy if you - say it with me, now - read the labels!  I buy natural pb, which isn't as hard to find as it used to be.  It's even available in some store brands.  Just peanuts and salt.  Of course, since it is a bit high in calories, you just have to watch how much you use.

Almost all my soups start off the same way: chopped onions, garlic, carrots and celery, seasoned with salt and pepper and sauteed in a bit of extra virgin olive oil until soft.  For this soup I also chop some sweet red and orange peppers and add it to the mix. I also substituted the onions with scallions this time.

Here's where the fun begins.  I add about 2 tbsp of peanut butter, 2 tsp sesame oil and a splash of soy sauce and stir until it begins to melt.  Start adding a bit of chicken stock to make it creamy.  Once all the peanut butter is melted you can add the rest of the chicken stock (total 1 qt.) and about 2 cups water.  Let it simmer for a while, then add a can of chick peas and chopped mustard greens.  You can substitute kale, spinach, collards, etc. and can find any of these frozen as well! 

Once it comes to a low boil, it's time to spice it up.  I use turmeric, cumin, cayenne and plenty of black pepper.  I tend to go heavy on these spices, but it is really up to the individual's tastes.  At this time I also add more sesame oil and soy sauce if needed.  Lower the flame and let it simmer for a while longer, maybe half an hour or so.  At the very end of cooking I like to add chopped roasted red pepper and fresh cilantro. 

I  can smell it cooking as I type this.  The best thing about soup is it always tastes better the next day! 

Five Servings a Day

It used to sound like an insurmountable task.  I could barely get 3 servings of fruits and vegetables in, and that would include a piece of fruit, which almost feels like cheating if it were something really good, like mango or watermelon.  Now, however, it seems I nearly double the requirement and actually enjoy all of it.  A serving of vegetables is considered a half-cup of cooked or raw, or one cup for the leafy varieties.  I try to get in at least one leafy green at both lunch and dinner.  It's not as daunting as you would think.  In the colder months I usually bring homemade soup (I will share some recipes soon!) for lunch.  Most of my soups are packed with several types of vegetables, and I usually always add a handful of greens at the end of cooking.  As a matter of fact, a handful or two of fresh spinach added to almost any soup, sauce, stir-fry, etc. is a great way to add vitamins, antioxidants and fiber.  I always have one of those plastic clamshell packages of baby spinach, and usually arugula as well, in my fridge.  Anyway, the soup must count for at least two servings, and for dinner I always prepare two varieties of vegetables with a lean protein, usually chicken or fish.  I should mention that breakfast is usually a smoothie, including a cup of blueberries (that's two servings right there, and blueberries are a "superfood"!) and a banana.  Now if at some point you snack on a piece of fruit, or some carrots or celery with hummus, you have at least another serving.  You don't have to be a nutritionist to know that eating enough servings of vegetables cuts your risk of so many kinds of cancer and heart disease.  So try to fit them in wherever and however you can.  I began to change my diet mainly for the health benefits.  Now I can honestly say that my tastes are changing, and I prefer the healthier foods to fried, fatty and heavier choices.  The bonuses are the weight loss, more energy and just feeling healthier!