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All things food–real food!
HeartMatters and In the Kitchen: Delight in Summer Cooking and Eating
Our seasonal cooking and eating classes continue with this upcoming spotlight on the delights of summer. Join the fun while learning about light and nutritious salads, spreads, and main dishes…
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Spinach Barley Saute
Spinach Barley Sauté
This is one of my favorite dishes! It can be eaten warm in the winter, yet it is also delicious, cool and refreshing in the summer.
Ingredients:
• 1 cup barley, rinsed
• 3 cups fresh spinach, washed and torn
• ½ cup raisins
• olive oil
• garlic, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
Preparation:
1. Place barley in a pot with 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Set aside.
2. While the barley is cooking, sauté the garlic and raisins in the olive oil, for just 90 seconds!
3. Add the spinach, sauté until it is wilted and not overcooked.
4. Mix spinach sauté to cooked barley and season.
5. Just before you are ready to enjoy this dish, sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts.
90-Minutes of Kitchen Zen
90-minutes of Kitchen Zen!
You’ll enjoy these benefits
• Engage in healthful commitment
• Delight in creating and sustaining your own vibrant health.
• Shop for and eat local foods when possible.
• Support small farms using sustainable agricultural methods.
• Know that you are contributing to the health of the planet.
• Cultivate a time for mindfulness
• Express gratitude, for giving yourself the time to prepare and enjoy good quality food
• Experience the “zen” of cooking.
• Experiment during one or two dinners per week…
• Family time
• Age-appropriate kitchen and food preparation jobs.
• Quality time with children and sweetheart: share the workload!
• Role model your commitment to the planet and your health.
• Create the opportunity to discuss the environment and the impact of your decisions.
• Create a comfort level in the kitchen for the next generation.
• Explore the benefits of eating “real food” versus drive-through food.
How To’s
• Veggies: 6 colors on your plate!
• Cut ahead of time, store in glass, Tupperware or zip lock bag.
• Use in salads, casseroles, stir-fry
• Grilled peppers, eggplant, zucchini, onion, you-name-it: brush with (garlic infused) olive oil; place under broiler on low or onto grill for 10-ish minutes each side. These will keep in the fridge for a at least a week!
• Roast garlic, peel, and store in fridge for added zip to any meal!
• Wash greens and dry well. Tear into small pieces for salad mix.
• make up salads ahead and store in fridge
• add “wet” veggies at meal time to avoid a soggy salad
• cukes, cut tomatoes, olives, onions…
• Pre-cut veggies are available in the produce section of some grocery stores; they are more expensive, but very convenient!
• Fruits
• Cut ahead of time, squeeze a drop of fresh lemon juice on top, and seal well in glass or Tupperware.
• Perfect for smoothies, salad with yogurt or cottage cheese, just as a snack, or in a cobbler.
• Grains
• 2 parts water to 1 part grain.
• Bring to a boil, simmer for ½ hour.
• brown rice, millet, couscous, barley, bulgur
• Exceptions
• polenta requires more water, longer cook time and constant stirring!
• quinoa cooks in 12 minutes.
• Cook up a pot of grains each week to be used in salads, casseroles, and soups.
• Meat, tempeh, and eggs
• Marinade ahead of time (2 – 3 days), then cook; or
• Bake tempeh or chicken breast early in the week for a yummy addition to a dinner casserole, a lunch sandwich, or on top of a salad.
• Hard-boil a half-dozen eggs for a salad topper or snack.
• Beans
• Soak overnight.
• Rinse with fresh water. Add fresh water to pot and bring to a boil, simmer 1 – 6 hours, depending on the bean.
• Cook up a pot of beans each week to be used in salads, casseroles, and soups.
• NEWS FLASH! Beans are available in cans with low or no salt and organically cultivated.
• Nuts
• Roasted: no oil needed; put in a pan on medium heat, stirring often, until they pop—about 5 minutes. Store in fridge.
• Not only are roasted nuts very high in nutritional value, but also add a lovely flavor to a salad or on top of a cooked casserole.
Miscellaneous
• Add raisins or any dried fruit for flavor and interesting texture, especially with sun-dried tomatoes.
• Taking the time, once a week, to prepare the basics for healthy lunch and dinner is an investment in YOU that will provide more pay-back than you can imagine! Once you cultivate the habit of 90-minutes of Kitchen Zen, you will eat more healthfully while spending less time in the kitchen overall. Have fun with this!
Tuna and White Bean Salad
Tuna and White Bean Salad
A simple meal, refreshing and cool: perfect for summer!
Ingredients:
• 2 6-oz cans of tuna, drained
• 1 15-oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 roasted red peppers, packed in a jar also works
• 2 Tablespoons capers
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tomato, roughly chopped (optional)
• 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Toasted bread, for serving
To Prepare:
In a large bowl, combine the tuna, beans, red peppers, capers, lemon zest, and tomato (if using). In a separate bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, salt, and black pepper. Pour the vinaigrette over the tuna mixture and toss. Serve with the bread.
**For a variation, try adding olives, red onion, or jarred artichokes. **
Roasted Veggies
Roasted Veggies Delicious as a side dish or as an addition to a green or grain salad.
Ingredients:
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 large garlic cloves – crushed and minced
• 3 medium eggplants – sliced lengthwise into 8 wedges, each wedge cut into 3 pieces
• 3 large red bell peppers – cut into bite size pieces
• 2 medium red onions – cut into 8 wedges, layers separated
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
• Sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
To Prepare:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Put all the vegetables in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle the thyme leaves in, and drizzle the olive oil over the mixture.
3. Use your clean hands to mix the vegetables with the oil and herbs.
4. Arrange the mixture on a large baking sheet, spreading them in an even layer. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the vegetables and place in the oven.
5. Roast vegetables for 15 – 20 minutes, turning over once during this time, until the eggplant is tender when pricked with a knife. Remove from the oven and either serve immediately, or let them cool for later use in a green or grain salad.
Lemon-Scented Quinoa
Lemon-Scented Quinoa Salad
A cool summer salad
Ingredients:
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
Dressing:
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1/4 cup sesame tahini
• Zest of one lemon
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
*an easy alternative to this dressing would be using yogurt, dill and lemon juice.
To Prepare:
1. Rinse the quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer. In a medium saucepan heat the quinoa and water until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa fluffs up, about 15 minutes. Quinoa is done when you can see the curlique in each grain, and it is tender with a bit of pop to each bite. Drain any extra water and set aside.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, make the dressing. Whisk together the garlic, tahini, lemon zest and juice, and olive oil. Add the hot water to thin a bit and then the salt.
3. Toss the cooked quinoa, beans, cilantro, red onion, and half of the dressing. Add more dressing if you like and season with more salt to taste. Serve garnished with a bit of cilantro.
Quinoa Salad with Cranberries and Nuts
Quinoa Salad with Cranberries and Nuts
Served warm or cold – whatever summer mood you’re in!
Ingredients:
• 2 cups quinoa
• 1 ½ cups green onions, sliced
• 1 ½ cups celery, thinly sliced
• ¾ cup pecans
• ½ cup walnuts
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• 8 oz buffalo mozzarella, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 3 T olive oil
• 4 T balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp ground cumin
To Prepare:
1. Place the rinsed quinoa in boiling water. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Allow the quinoa to cool.
2. Mix together the onions, celery, parsley, pecans, cranberries, walnuts and mozzarella. Note: I’ve been using “candied” pecans for a yummy variation…
3. While quinoa is cooking, in a small bowl, combine vinegar, garlic, mustard and cumin. Slowly add in olive oil in a steady stream.
4. Toss dressing with quinoa. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
(recipe adapted from http://cookingquinoa.net)
