A Good Food Day: Reboot Your Health with Food That Tastes Great (6 page)

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Authors: Marco Canora,Tammy Walker

BOOK: A Good Food Day: Reboot Your Health with Food That Tastes Great
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NO-COOK
OVERNIGHT OATS
SERVES 1
If you need instant gratification in the morning, this is your breakfast (so no need to make a big batch as you would with the steel-cut oats). Before going to bed, take a minute to mix rolled oats with milk, chia seeds, a bit of cinnamon and ginger, and some mashed banana for natural sweetness. Overnight, the oats soften and absorb the milk, while the chia seeds work their gel-forming action to thicken the whole mixture. In the morning, you have a thick, voluminous bowl of lightly spiced and sweetened oats that are especially great cold or room temperature (though you can heat it up if cold oats aren’t your thing). I think of it as a high-fiber, high-protein “summer porridge.” Berries with sliced almonds or coconut flakes with almond butter are my favorite topping combos, but whatever fruit, nuts, or nut butter you like would be good.
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Chia seeds are one of the health-nut ingredient trends that really live up to the hype. Native to Central America and Mexico, just 1 tablespoon of these small wonders delivers a healthy dose of complete protein, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids. Chia seeds have a neutral flavor, so you can work them in anywhere.
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tablespoon chia seeds
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of fine sea salt
1 cup unsweetened almond milk, plus a splash for serving
½ ripe banana, mashed
Fruits, nuts, or nut butter for serving
1
In a bowl, stir together the oats, chia seeds, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Pour in the almond milk, and stir in the mashed banana. Refrigerate overnight.
2
In the morning, stir in a splash of almond milk to loosen things up and add whatever toppings you like.
HIGH-PROTEIN
OVERNIGHT OATS
SERVES 1
Stirring plain full-fat Greek yogurt into the overnight mixture makes for extra creamy oats with an additional dose of protein. To give it a chocolate pudding vibe, I’ll occasionally stir a tablespoon of cacao powder into the overnight mixture.
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Both Greek yogurt and regular yogurt have probiotics, the good bacteria (the “live and active cultures” referred to on the package) that contribute to a healthy digestive system. Thanks to the longer straining and filtering process Greek yogurt goes through, it has less sugar and almost double the amount of protein. Not all Greek yogurts are created equal, though. Choose plain to avoid the addition of evaporated cane juice, which is hardly better than plain old white sugar.
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tablespoon chia seeds
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of fine sea salt
⅔ cup unsweetened almond milk, plus a splash for serving
½ cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt
1½ teaspoons maple syrup or honey
Fruit, nuts, or nut butter, for serving
1
In a bowl, stir together the oats, chia seeds, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Add the almond milk, yogurt, and maple syrup and stir until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate overnight.
2
In the morning, stir in a splash of almond milk to loosen things up and add whatever toppings you like.
BUCKWHEAT
GROATS WITH APRICOTS AND ALMONDS
SERVES 1
A hot, velvety porridge of buckwheat groats is a great alternative to oatmeal. It’s prepared with the same basic process, but buckwheat has a more pronounced earthy, nutty flavor, and the triangle-shaped groats give the porridge a spectacular, chewy texture. Tossing in chia seeds adds a boost of fiber and healthy fats. Fresh apricots are best, but when they’re not in season you can substitute dried apricots. When using dried, add them halfway through the groats cooking, so they have time to soften.
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Despite its grainlike tendencies, buckwheat is actually the seed of a plant similar to rhubarb, not a type of wheat. At the store, you’ll find it in its hulled form as buckwheat groats (called kasha, if they’re toasted) or ground into buckwheat flour. It’s gluten-free and high in fiber. Compared to rice, wheat, and corn, buckwheat has more protein and is lower on the glycemic scale, so your blood sugar levels don’t go on a wild ride.
⅓ cup whole, raw buckwheat groats
Fine sea salt
2 fresh apricots, quartered
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tablespoon honey
1
In a small pot, combine the buckwheat, ⅔ cup water, and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the groats are tender, about 12 minutes. Turn off the heat.
2
Add the apricots, almonds, chia seeds, and honey. Fold everything together, cover, and let sit until the apricots soften, 3 to 5 minutes.

Clockwise from bottom: old-fashioned rolled oats, steel-cut oats, and whole buckwheat groats.

SPINACH
SCRAMBLED EGGS
SERVES 1
This is my year-round, easy, too-tired-to-think-but-I’m-in-a-rush-and-gotta-eat-something breakfast. Even when we’re down to the last dregs of food before a grocery trip, we always have garlic, frozen spinach, and eggs around. It’s not the fastest breakfast in the world by America’s current standards (of grabbing a donut or dumping milk over cereal), but it’s pretty damn fast and about ten times as healthy. In about 5 minutes, you’ve got something hot, delicious, and good for you.
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1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
2 extra-large eggs
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup frozen chopped spinach
Any cheese you like, for serving (optional)
1
In a cold 10-inch skillet, combine the olive oil and garlic, then turn the heat to medium-high. Cook the garlic just long enough to heat through, 1 to 1½ minutes. Whisk the eggs in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
2
When the garlic starts to sizzle, add the frozen spinach. Toss with the oil and garlic until the spinach is fully coated. Cover the pan for 30 seconds to thaw the spinach, then season with salt and pepper.
3
Pour the eggs over the spinach and cook for about 15 seconds. Stir by moving a silicone spatula across the bottom of the pan, flipping the eggs as they cook. Continue moving and flipping until the eggs are soft without any runny parts, about 2 minutes (longer if you like firmer, drier eggs).
4
Transfer to a plate and while the eggs are steaming, grate or crumble any cheese you like over the eggs.
EGGS
In the world of dietary myths, there may be none bigger than the one about eggs, skyrocketing the cholesterol of anyone who eats the occasional omelet. Maybe you’ve avoided them, or chosen to eat only egg whites or egg substitutes. But there is nothing inherently bad about eggs: They’re actually one of the most perfect foods. Current research suggests there is little to no connection between dietary cholesterol and higher levels of blood cholesterol in humans.
I’m an advocate of eating whole eggs: The yolk houses half the protein and almost all of the vitamin A, good fat, and iron and the flavor. Eggs are also one of the few foods that offer vitamin D, an essential vitamin that most people are deficient in. The most important factor to consider when buying eggs is the source, ideally from pasture-raised chickens, not factory farms (
see the difference
). I buy local, pasture-raised eggs or organic eggs whenever possible since those chickens were able to roam freely without the need for antibiotics because they’re eating a natural diet. The deep, dark yellow of the yolks and stiff jelly-like whites carry significantly more flavor and nutritional benefits than regular eggs.

Hard-Boiled Eggs

HARD-BOILED EGGS
I always keep hard-boiled eggs around. Talk about a quick, portable breakfast or snack—just peel and eat. I also like to chop them and toss them into green salads, where the cooked yolks add a silky richness. Hard-boiled eggs are easy to overcook. The telltale sign is that gross, greenish-gray ring around the yolk: While the taste isn’t affected, the texture is shot to hell. Avoid that by bringing the eggs to a boil gently and using your kitchen timer. With the method here, I get perfect hard-boiled eggs every time.
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1
Put the eggs in a single layer in a pot and fill it with cold water, covering the eggs by an inch or so. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat.
2
When the water starts boiling, take the pot off the heat, cover, and let it sit for 10 minutes.
3
Cool down the eggs. You can use a spoon to get them out of the pot and into a bowl with ice water, or pour the hot water out of the pot and fill with cold water.
BRAISED GREENS WITH
SUNNY SIDE-UP EGGS
SERVES 1
This is another variation on one of my favorite breakfasts of greens and eggs. It’s a one-pan deal and can be ready in 5 minutes if you make the greens ahead of time in a big batch. Just reheat the greens in the pan, then pick up with step 3 in the recipe. I usually have cooked Tuscan kale on hand (aka lacinato kale or dinosaur kale), but any variety of sturdy greens works well here, including curly kale, Swiss chard, mustard greens, and collard greens. I don’t recommend using fresh spinach—its high water content leads to watery eggs.
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1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
½ small white onion, thinly sliced
1 small garlic clove, thinly sliced
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups packed Tuscan kale leaves, stems and center ribs removed
2 extra-large eggs
1
In a 10-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
2
Add the greens and another pinch of salt. Stir well to coat the greens with the oil and onions. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and cook for 8 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, until the kale is very tender. If you notice the greens start to look dry, add a teaspoon of water.
3
Reduce the heat to low and make a well in the center of the pan by pushing the greens to the edges. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the well and crack the eggs over it. Season with salt and pepper, cover the pan, and cook until the whites of the eggs are set, about 3 minutes.

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