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Authors: Marco Canora,Tammy Walker
A Good Food Day: Reboot Your Health with Food That Tastes Great (12 page)
BOOK: A Good Food Day: Reboot Your Health with Food That Tastes Great
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THAI-STYLE
EGGPLANT
SALAD
SERVES 4
EGGPLANT
SALAD
SERVES 4
Eggplant’s spongelike tendency is its greatest asset and its most common road to ruin. A little too much oil and it turns into a soggy mush. By dry-roasting it, eggplant comes out soft, but still maintains its meaty texture. Peeling away alternating strips of skin helps to hold the tender eggplant slices together after they’re roasted and adds a flash of deep purple color to the salad, along with more fiber and antioxidants. Japanese eggplants are one of my favorite treasures at the summer greenmarket. Compared to globe and Italian varieties, Japanese eggplants have narrower, longer bodies with firm, sweet flesh and thinner skin. If you can’t get them, substitute Italian eggplants. Both varieties take well to an Asian dressing that has a delicious intensity of salty and tart flavors combined with mild heat from a serrano pepper and fresh, green brightness from loads of cilantro, basil, and mint.
▪
▪
Extra virgin olive oil, for the baking sheet
1½ pounds Japanese eggplant
2 tablespoons warm water
1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 bunch scallions, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced
1 large garlic clove, finely grated
½ serrano chile, thinly sliced (leave it out or add more if you dig heat)
¼ cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, torn
¼ cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, torn
¼ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn
1
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat it with olive oil.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat it with olive oil.
2
Peel away alternating strips of skin lengthwise on each eggplant, leaving strips of unpeeled skin in between, so you get a racing stripe look. Cut the eggplant crosswise into ½-inch-thick rounds (1-inch cubes, if you’re using regular eggplant) and arrange them in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast until the eggplant slices are tender all the way to the center, about 30 minutes.
Peel away alternating strips of skin lengthwise on each eggplant, leaving strips of unpeeled skin in between, so you get a racing stripe look. Cut the eggplant crosswise into ½-inch-thick rounds (1-inch cubes, if you’re using regular eggplant) and arrange them in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast until the eggplant slices are tender all the way to the center, about 30 minutes.
3
In a large bowl, whisk the water and coconut sugar together until the sugar dissolves. Add the lime juice, soy sauce, and fish sauce and whisk to combine. While it’s still warm, add the roasted eggplant to the bowl of dressing. Drop in the scallions, garlic, serrano chile, mint, cilantro, and basil and toss to combine.
In a large bowl, whisk the water and coconut sugar together until the sugar dissolves. Add the lime juice, soy sauce, and fish sauce and whisk to combine. While it’s still warm, add the roasted eggplant to the bowl of dressing. Drop in the scallions, garlic, serrano chile, mint, cilantro, and basil and toss to combine.
Roasted Beet Salad with Beet Greens, Oranges, and Pistachios
ROASTED
BEET SALAD WITH BEET GREENS, ORANGES, AND PISTACHIOS
SERVES 4
BEET SALAD WITH BEET GREENS, ORANGES, AND PISTACHIOS
SERVES 4
Instead of the standard approach of roasting beets whole and then peeling for a salad, I slice and roast them skin-on at a low temperature. A really cool thing happens texturally—they shrivel up a bit and the outsides become slightly dehydrated, giving a nice contrast to the still sweet and juicy inside. It’s like biting into a beet-flavored gummy bear. Beet greens, the leafy tops that you usually cut off and discard, are blanched and chopped to form the base of the salad. They taste similar to Swiss chard and are a nutritional force in their own right. If you can, use a mix of different colored beets: combine red and golden, or see if your local market has the candy-striped or white varieties. This is a beauty of a dish, bright in flavor and color.
▪
▪
Since the beet skins aren’t peeled off, be sure to scrub the outsides to clean them well.
5 medium beets with greens, trimmed and cut into ½-inch-thick slices, greens reserved
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 oranges
¼ cup pistachios, chopped or cracked with bottom of a pot
1
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
2
In a bowl, toss the sliced beets with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the beets in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Flip each slice and bake until the beets have shrunk in size a bit and the skins look dehydrated, another 30 minutes. (It’s really up to your preference in texture, so give one a taste. If you want chewier beets, bake them a little longer.)
In a bowl, toss the sliced beets with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the beets in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Flip each slice and bake until the beets have shrunk in size a bit and the skins look dehydrated, another 30 minutes. (It’s really up to your preference in texture, so give one a taste. If you want chewier beets, bake them a little longer.)
3
While the beets are baking, bring a pot of salted water to boil. Remove the center rib from the beet greens. Thoroughly wash the greens, then add them to the boiling water and blanch until tender, about 2 minutes. Drain into a colander and run cold water over them to stop the cooking. Squeeze the greens into a ball in your hand, wringing out as much liquid as possible. Put the ball on a cutting board and slice it like the grid of a tic-tac-toe board. Add the greens to a large bowl.
While the beets are baking, bring a pot of salted water to boil. Remove the center rib from the beet greens. Thoroughly wash the greens, then add them to the boiling water and blanch until tender, about 2 minutes. Drain into a colander and run cold water over them to stop the cooking. Squeeze the greens into a ball in your hand, wringing out as much liquid as possible. Put the ball on a cutting board and slice it like the grid of a tic-tac-toe board. Add the greens to a large bowl.
4
Working over the bowl of greens, grate the zest of one of the oranges. Juice half of the zested orange into the bowl. Using a sharp paring knife, cut all the peel, pith, and outer membranes from the second orange, and slice it crosswise into thin rounds.
Working over the bowl of greens, grate the zest of one of the oranges. Juice half of the zested orange into the bowl. Using a sharp paring knife, cut all the peel, pith, and outer membranes from the second orange, and slice it crosswise into thin rounds.
5
While the beets are still warm, add them to the bowl of greens. Add the orange slices, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and the pistachios and toss to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
While the beets are still warm, add them to the bowl of greens. Add the orange slices, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and the pistachios and toss to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
EVEN BACK IN MY DAYS OF EATING
trashy foods, I’ve always been a vegetable fan. My mom and my aunt maintained elaborate gardens, so our meals revolved around whatever beautiful veggies were popping up at the moment. Meat might have been on the plate, but the protein didn’t define the meal. Sometimes dinner was an egg dish full of vegetables, like my
Japanese Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Frittata
, or a vegetable-based pasta similar to
Whole Wheat Rigatoni with Porcini Mushrooms and Baby Spinach
. I fully support the growing trend toward vegetable-focused meals like these, so they get a lot of love in this book, especially here and in the salads and grains chapters. (There’s a reason I put ’em way earlier than the meat and fish sections.)
trashy foods, I’ve always been a vegetable fan. My mom and my aunt maintained elaborate gardens, so our meals revolved around whatever beautiful veggies were popping up at the moment. Meat might have been on the plate, but the protein didn’t define the meal. Sometimes dinner was an egg dish full of vegetables, like my
Japanese Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Frittata
, or a vegetable-based pasta similar to
Whole Wheat Rigatoni with Porcini Mushrooms and Baby Spinach
. I fully support the growing trend toward vegetable-focused meals like these, so they get a lot of love in this book, especially here and in the salads and grains chapters. (There’s a reason I put ’em way earlier than the meat and fish sections.)
Vegetables are the food kingdom’s holy grail for a variety of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. You could give up carbs, meat, or dairy and still live a long,
healthy life, but if you skip out on vegetables, all bets are off. The problem with the “eat your vegetables” message is that for too many people, it makes eating vegetables feel like a chore. We should focus on what’s truly exciting about them—the mind-blowing diversity of colors, shapes,
sizes, and textures, and the incredible potential for flavor. Consider the color spectrum alone and you’ll see why I find more inspiration in vegetables than any other foods.
healthy life, but if you skip out on vegetables, all bets are off. The problem with the “eat your vegetables” message is that for too many people, it makes eating vegetables feel like a chore. We should focus on what’s truly exciting about them—the mind-blowing diversity of colors, shapes,
sizes, and textures, and the incredible potential for flavor. Consider the color spectrum alone and you’ll see why I find more inspiration in vegetables than any other foods.
Vegetables also give you the ability to run the gamut of cooking techniques—braising, roasting, boiling, sautéing, dehydrating, pickling, fermenting, and everything in between. The opportunities you have are endless—and exciting to me both as a cook and as someone trying to eat mostly healthy foods every day. It’s impossible to fall into a healthy eating rut if you’re really taking advantage of the variety of vegetables and
cooking methods available to you. Another point for vegetables is the volume you can consume—for those times when I can only be satisfied by a giant bowl of food (old habits die hard), vegetables allow me to chow down in a way that isn’t disastrous to my body.
cooking methods available to you. Another point for vegetables is the volume you can consume—for those times when I can only be satisfied by a giant bowl of food (old habits die hard), vegetables allow me to chow down in a way that isn’t disastrous to my body.
The idea of veggie-focused meals is tough if you’re haunted by the memory of boiled-to-death Brussels sprouts; limp, canned vegetables; or bitter, soggy eggplant. Given what happens when vegetables are poorly cooked and seasoned, it’s no surprise there are a lot of haters. But if you maximize their natural flavors through a few simple techniques like those here, vegetables can transform from being an unfortunate necessity of life into something undeniably delicious. Roasting brings out the best in just about all vegetables, intensifying their flavor and releasing their natural sweetness to create a caramelized exterior. Braising gives you perfectly tender, richly satisfying vegetables, and sautéing with aromatic herbs is a great way to add layers of flavor to a pureed vegetable soup.
A quick note on shopping: For cost and convenience reasons, I’m all for frozen vegetables. We keep broccoli, peas, string beans, spinach, and carrots in the freezer and toss them into quick meals. They’re usually flash-frozen within a day or two of harvesting, so flavor and nutrition are still near their peak. There’s definitely a difference in texture, though, so I opt to stick with whatever is in season and use frozen vegetables as a backup. Try
shopping for produce at markets driven by local farms: Vegetables invariably taste better and have more nutrients when they are locally grown, because they haven’t spent days or weeks traveling to your store. The naturally occurring sugars are at their highest levels when served up fresh—a bonus if you’re trying to get kids on the vegetable bandwagon. My daughter goes nuts for the super-sweet crunch of local string beans and chomps on them the whole way home from the farmers’ market.
shopping for produce at markets driven by local farms: Vegetables invariably taste better and have more nutrients when they are locally grown, because they haven’t spent days or weeks traveling to your store. The naturally occurring sugars are at their highest levels when served up fresh—a bonus if you’re trying to get kids on the vegetable bandwagon. My daughter goes nuts for the super-sweet crunch of local string beans and chomps on them the whole way home from the farmers’ market.
GARLICKY
BRUSSELS SPROUTS
SERVES 4
BRUSSELS SPROUTS
SERVES 4
This method of making crispy, golden brown–crusted sprouts reveals a level of deep, nutty flavor that scores a lot of points with Brussels sprout lovers (and anyone scarred by encounters with mushy, boiled versions). Cook Brussels sprout halves cut-side down in a super hot pan to work up those irresistible crusts, then flip them one by one. This seems fussy, but it takes all of about 40 seconds to help ensure the even browning you want. In the last minute of cooking, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, and vinegar join in for an easy-to-master, high-fiber dish. The garlic is there to infuse the oil, so I usually discard the cloves after cooking. However, if garlic is your thing, and you’re sleeping alone tonight, by all means leave it in.
▪
▪
Adding garlic to a cold pan prevents it from burning and allows its flavor to fully infuse the oil.
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise (about 2 cups)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with the flat side of a knife
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch of red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1
Pour 3 tablespoons of the olive oil into a cold 12-inch skillet, add a pinch of salt, and swirl the oil around to coat the pan. Arrange the sprouts cut-side down in one tightly packed layer, and nestle the garlic cloves in between the sprouts. (If everything doesn’t fit in one layer, cook the sprouts in batches.)
Pour 3 tablespoons of the olive oil into a cold 12-inch skillet, add a pinch of salt, and swirl the oil around to coat the pan. Arrange the sprouts cut-side down in one tightly packed layer, and nestle the garlic cloves in between the sprouts. (If everything doesn’t fit in one layer, cook the sprouts in batches.)
2
Turn the heat to high, sprinkle with salt and black pepper, and cook for 7 minutes, untouched. They’re ready to flip when the cut sides touching the pan have a dark brown crust. Check a couple of sprouts and, if ready, flip each sprout and garlic clove one by one. If they’re not there yet, continue cooking for 2 minutes more.
Turn the heat to high, sprinkle with salt and black pepper, and cook for 7 minutes, untouched. They’re ready to flip when the cut sides touching the pan have a dark brown crust. Check a couple of sprouts and, if ready, flip each sprout and garlic clove one by one. If they’re not there yet, continue cooking for 2 minutes more.
3
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the oregano and pepper flakes and toss with the sprouts and garlic. Add the vinegar and toss again. Cook until the sizzle dies down, about 30 seconds. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve warm.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the oregano and pepper flakes and toss with the sprouts and garlic. Add the vinegar and toss again. Cook until the sizzle dies down, about 30 seconds. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve warm.
BOOK: A Good Food Day: Reboot Your Health with Food That Tastes Great
11.5Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads
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