The 150 Healthiest 15-Minute Recipes on Earth (24 page)
Read The 150 Healthiest 15-Minute Recipes on Earth Online
Authors: Jonny Bowden
From Dr. Jonny
: The first time I ever tasted a sloppy Joe was at sleepaway camp, and I remember loving it. (Ah, to be young and completely clueless about health and nutrition!) The thing of it is, you can enjoy these childhood favorites and not feel guilty—it just takes a little bit of tweaking to turn a nutritional nightmare into something healthy. In this case, these bunless “Joe-matoes” are several cuts above the average sloppy Joe for health quality. They’re low in fat yet still have that “mouth taste” I remember so well from childhood. And by the way, they are meant to be eaten sloppy! Chop up that tomato and spoon it into your mouth with the hot, faux-beef mix and pickle. Go on, enjoy—that’s what napkins are for! The whole thing tastes great and will definitely satisfy the kid in you!
1 can (14 ounces or 400 g) tomato sauce
2 tablespoons (30 g) Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons (28 ml) Worcestershire sauce (choose organic to avoid high fructose corn syrup, e.g., Annie’s Worcestershire Sauce)
1 tablespoon (20 g) maple syrup
1 tablespoon (7.5 g) chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 bag (12 ounces or 340 g) vegan “beef” crumbles (e.g., Quorn Meatless Soy-Free Grounds)
1 can (15 ounces or 425 g) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
4 large heirloom tomatoes
In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the tomato sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, syrup, chili powder, salt, pepper, crumbles, and beans, stirring gently to mix well. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until hot throughout.
While the mix is cooking, slice the tops off the tomatoes, scoop out the seeds with a spoon, and discard (or eat them while you’re waiting for dinner to be ready!). Spoon the Joe mix into the tomatoes to fill them up and spill over.
Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 490 Calories; 3g Fat (5.5% calories from fat); 35g Protein; 88g Carbohydrate; 33g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 1218mg Sodium
From Chef Jeannette
To Complete the Meal
: Place the tomatoes over several large leaves of green lettuce before filling and garnish with chopped dill pickles.
Variation Tip
: If you’d prefer “tidy Joes,” use eight tomatoes instead of four. Or you can stuff the filling into baked potatoes, or roll it up in warm corn tortillas with a sprinkle of grated Cheddar.
From Dr. Jonny
: Once, many hundreds of years ago, I was a traveling theater musician on the road with
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
, and one night the cast and crew had a chili-making contest. My group cheated: We found a fabulous little lady who owned a local restaurant and got her to whip up some homemade chili that we then brought to the contest. Okay, I’m confessing now—don’t hate me—but the reason I tell you this is because this chili reminds me of that night. There are few dishes as rich and pleasantly filling as well-made chili, and if you’re looking for something hot and satisfying on a cold night—something that you can whip up in 15 minutes—you won’t do much better than this. In this meatless version (and in the one we cheated with), black beans are the featured ingredient (read about the health benefits of beans opposite). The sun-dried tomatoes add a touch of brightness to the classic flavors. Highly recommended should you get invited to participate in a chili-making contest!
2 cans (14.5 ounces or 413 g each) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans (15 ounces or 425 g each) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 package (12 ounces or 340 g) frozen vegan “beef” crumbles (e.g., Quorn Meatless and Soy-Free Grounds)
1 cup (235 ml) chicken broth or water
1/4 cup (60 ml) red wine
2 tablespoons (15 g) chili powder, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon chipotle pepper (or cayenne), or to taste, optional
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (37 g) sun-dried tomato strips in oil, drained
2 tablespoons (28 ml) balsamic vinegar
Place the tomatoes, beans, crumbles, broth, wine, chili powder, cumin, basil, chipotle pepper, if using, and salt in a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over high heat and bring to a quick boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 7 minutes. Stir in the tomato strips and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and serve.
Yield
: about 10 cups
Per Serving
: 347 Calories; 3g Fat (7.1% calories from fat); 23g Protein; 61g Carbohydrate; 16g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 259mg Sodium
From Chef Jeannette
If You Have 5 More Minutes
: Deepen the flavor and boost the nutrient content of the dish by sautéing 1 cup (160 g) of prepared diced onions (or dice 1 small yellow onion) in a tablespoon (15 ml) of olive oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons of prepared minced garlic (or 2 to 3 cloves, minced) and sauté for 1 more minute before adding the rest of the ingredients and increasing the heat to high. Superspeed option: Add 1 teaspoon of onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon of granulated garlic.
To Complete the Meal
: Serve the chili with grilled zucchini or eggplant. Slice two large unpeeled zucchini lengthwise (about 1/4 inch or 0.5 cm thick) or two unpeeled young (or Japanese) eggplants widthwise (about 1/3 inch or 0.7 cm thick); toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper; and grill until tender, about 3 minutes per side.
For an ultrafast option that will get those green-veggie minerals in, chop or tear kale into bite-size pieces (about 2 cups [110 g]) and add it when you add the liquid ingredients. You may need another few minutes of simmer time for it to get completely tender.
NUTRITIONAL NOTE
You can’t really talk about beans without discussing fiber. Fiber, basically a nondigestible kind of starch, is associated with lower risks of diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and even some cancers. By no one’s estimation do Americans get enough. The National Cancer Institute recommends at least 25 grams a day, the American Gastroenterological Association suggest 30 to 35 grams, and the Institute of Medicine recommends between 25 and 38 grams. Americans get a paltry amount anywhere from 4 to 18 grams (at best). Fiber normalizes bowel movements, helps maintain digestive and bowel health, lowers blood cholesterol levels, helps control blood sugar levels, and aids in weight loss.
Enter beans. If beans aren’t the highest-fiber food on the planet, they’re pretty close. A single cup of cooked beans provides anywhere from 11 grams (kidney beans) to an astonishing 17 grams (adzuki beans).
But even though fiber is an excellent reason to eat beans, it’s not the only thing beans offer. A number of studies investigating health properties of foods have put beans among the top ten in antioxidant power. In the Nurses’ Health Study II (a long-running study of thousands of people and their dietary habits), women who consumed beans as few times as twice a week had a 24 percent reduced risk of breast cancer, possibly because of the many phytochemicals found in beans such as diosgenin (which tends to lower the rate at which cancer cells multiply).
In 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a health claim stating “diets including beans may reduce your risk of heart disease and certain cancers.” Apparently, even cultures that have never heard of the FDA seem to understand this intuitively. For what it’s worth—and I think it’s worth a lot—beans were one of the few foods found in the diet of every long-lived society investigated by reporter Dan Buettner for
The Blue Zones
, his book on healthy centenarians.
From Dr. Jonny
: Buckwheat isn’t really wheat at all. It’s the fruit seed of a plant originally from Asia. The hulled grains of buckwheat, known as the buckwheat groats, are awfully nutritious, but they’re pretty hard to chew. To make them edible they’re usually soaked and cooked. When they’re roasted they’re known as kasha (or kashi). And they’re terrific. Shiitake mushrooms are one of the trifecta of healing mushrooms (shiitake, reiki, and maitake) and have been used as medicinal foods for centuries. And adzuki beans have the distinction of being the highest in fiber of any bean in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s database! This dish is a nutritional wonder. Even more amazing is the fact that you can whip it up in no time.
1 1/2 cups (355 ml) chicken broth (or vegetable)
3/4 cup (126 g) kasha
*
2 tablespoons (28 ml) low-sodium tamari
1 teaspoon onion powder, optional
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons (28 ml) olive oil (or 1 tablespoon [15 ml] olive oil and 1 tablespoon [14 g] butter)
2 shallots, diced
8 ounces (225 g) sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms (prepared)
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon [2.4 g] fresh), optional
1/4 cup (60 ml) unseasoned rice wine or white wine
1 can (15 ounces or 425 g) adzuki beans, drained and rinsed
Bring the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. When the broth is boiling, reduce the heat to medium low and stir in the kasha, tamari, onion powder, and pepper. Cover and cook for about 12 minutes or until tender and all liquid has been absorbed.
While the broth is coming to a boil, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium. Add the shallots, mushrooms, and thyme, if using, and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, increase the heat to medium high, and sauté an additional 2 minutes until most of it is absorbed or evaporated.
When the kasha is tender, gently stir in the mushrooms and adzukis and adjust the seasonings to taste.
Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 552 Calories; 8g Fat (12.8% calories from fat); 37g Protein; 91g Carbohydrate; 20g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 635mg Sodium
*
Kasha is toasted buckwheat groats. As Dr. Jonny points out, although it has the word
wheat
in it, it is actually gluten free. Buckwheat, like quinoa, is a seed, and when toasted to make kasha, has an earthy, nutty flavor that combines well with mushrooms. It’s a good grain to get to know for quick, healthy cooking as it is high in fiber and magnesium and cooks up in a short time. The consistency is somewhat mushy, so pair it with a crisp salad or green veggies for texture contrast. Look for it packaged or in bulk bins in natural food stores.
From Chef Jeannette
To Complete the Meal
: Prepare a 12-ounce (340 g) bag of frozen Chinese stir-fry veggies as directed, and toss with a dressing of 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of fresh-squeezed lemon juice, 2 teaspoons of low-sodium tamari, 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil, and a good sprinkling of sesame seeds.
From Dr. Jonny
: Some of you know that I often speak of my childhood as a young black child, which of course, technically I was not, but
believed
myself to be, largely because of my love of gospel music, jazz, and what was then lovingly called soul food. And when you talk about soul food, you’re talking about collard greens. This green hardly ever gets the respect it deserves, even though it’s loaded with calcium, potassium, folate, and iron, has almost no calories, and is high in fiber. Stuff it with one of the healthiest foods on the planet—beans—and mix with bulgur wheat and you’ve got a dish for the ages! Okay, we admit, with the stuffing this recipe tips the timer at a little more than 15 minutes, but the cooking time is so minimal and it’s so tasty that it’s worth it. (And if you absolutely must cut the prep time, see Chef Jeannette’s superspeed tip!)
2 cups (475 ml) vegetable broth (or water)
1 cup (140 g) bulgur wheat (fine grind)
12 to 14 good-size collard leaves
1 can (15 ounces or 425 g) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons (48 g) sun-dried tomato paste
4 teaspoons prepared garlic (or 5 cloves, minced)
2 tablespoons (8 g) chopped fresh parsley, optional
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste Juice of 1 lemon (or 3 tablespoons [45 ml] prepared)
2 tablespoons (28 ml) olive oil
3 prepared roasted red peppers, sliced into strips, optional
Bring a large pot halffull of salted water to a boil, and in a small saucepan, bring the broth to a boil. Once the broth is boiling, pour it over the bulgur in a medium bowl. Soak for 7 minutes (it takes 15 for medium grind) and drain any excess liquid (or follow the package directions).
Lay the collards down and slice away the stems with a sharp knife from 3 to 4 inches (7.5 to 10 cm) into the bottom of the leaves (you can do this in three stacks of four leaves). You should be left with oval leaves with narrow Vs cut out where the stems came out.
