Category — Side Dishes

This is another recipe I have adapted from Greens Glorious Greens. I am loving this book!

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 6 cups chopped kale
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced on the diagonal (1 cup)
• 1 tsp. minced fresh garlic
• Sea salt to taste

Directions:

1. Wash kale and strip the leaves off of the stalks, discarding the stalks. Tear or chop the kale into bite-sized pieces.
2. In a 10- to 12-inch skillet that has a lid, bring the water to a boil, then add the kale, cover, and cook over high heat until tender, approximately 5 minutes. Stir occasionally while cooking.
3. Remove the kale and drain, saving the liquid for drinking.
4. Rinse and dry the skillet, then heat the olive oil in it over medium heat, lifting and tilting pan to coat.
5. Add celery and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Add garlic, cover, and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes.
7. Add kale and stir until heated through, then remove from heat.
8. Season with a pinch of sea salt and serve immediately.

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I found this recipe in Greens Glorious Greens by Johnna Albi and Catherine Walthers. This book is a fabulous resource for everything you ever wanted to know about greens, including how to select, store, and prepare them in a ton of yummy ways!

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 6 cups chopped kale
• 2 cups water
• 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 15 fresh basil leaves, washed and cut into fine ribbons
• Sea salt to taste
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. Wash kale and strip the leaves off of the stalks, discarding the stalks. Tear or chop the kale into bite-sized pieces.
2. In a 10- to 12-inch skillet that has a lid, bring the water to a boil, then add the kale, cover, and cook over high heat until tender, approximately 5 minutes. Stir occasionally while cooking.
3. Remove the kale and drain, saving the liquid for drinking. (I did this—it’s not tasty but it’s really good for you!)
4. Rinse and dry the skillet, then heat the olive oil in it over medium heat, lifting and tilting pan to coat.
5. Add garlic and sizzle for 30 seconds, stirring constantly to prevent browning or burning.
6. Add basil and saute for 15 more seconds.
7. Add kale and stir until heated through, then remove from heat.
8. Season with sea salt, stir in lemon juice, and serve immediately.

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As we sat down to eat dinner last night, I realized that what I prepared was a candidate for serious seasonal identity crisis. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I’ve been learning a lot about Ayurveda, and the book I am reading currently is Dr. John Douillard’s 3-Season Diet. In it, he explains very logically why we should eat seasonally, and explains how. I haven’t finished the book yet but I have thumbed through the appendix that contains each season’s list of foods and spices labeled as “Good, Best, Reduce, or Avoid,” and sadly, I didn’t do so well with tonight’s meal.

First, I marinated our Ahi Tuna steaks (“good!”) from Trader Joe’s in a marinade I made using olive oil (“best!”), soy sauce (“best!”), a dash of orange juice (“good!”), minced garlic (“reduce”), and minced ginger (“reduce”). Ginger and garlic are both warming foods, so they aren’t ideal for summertime meals. Oops!

I also wanted to try out a recipe I found when writing my “Fabulous Fruits” post yesterday highlighting cantaloupe and watermelon: Minty Melon Salad. I cut that recipe in half (see below) and reduced the chili powder simply because I wasn’t feeling too adventurous and was apprehensive about the combo of chili powder and cantaloupe. As it turns out, that was a good seasonal move because while the cantaloupe (“best!”) is a great cooling summer fruit and the mint was “good,” limes are (surprisingly) best to “reduce” and chilies (not surprisingly) are best to “avoid” in the summer.

Despite not being the ideal summery foods, our dinner was delicious and even though it was combined with the chili powder, I found the cantaloupe and mint combo very refreshing. I think we’ll be trying this salad again without the chili powder at all!

We finished dinner off with my newest wholesome treat discovery: an ice cream sandwich from Sweet Bite Creamery.

I discovered Sweet Bite last week at the Alexandria Farmers’ Market, and visited them again yesterday at the Reston Farmers’ Market. Both the ice cream and cookies in these yummy treats are made by the co-founders, Tricia and Ashley, using seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients! My husband and I split the Minted Lemon Blackberry pictured above and savored every bite. For anyone local, I heartily recommend that you catch Sweet Bite at the Oakton Farmers’ Market tomorrow (Saturday) morning!

Here’s my modified recipe for the Minty Melon Salad, adapted from the Whole Foods website.

Minty Melon Salad
Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium ripe cantaloupe or honeydew melon, peeled, seeded and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 tablespoon chopped mint
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1/2 tsp chili powder, or to taste
• 1/8 tsp sea salt

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a serving bowl and toss well.
2. Taste and adjust seasoning with chili powder.
3. Chill in refrigerator for 20 minutes or more, then serve cold.

P.S. Please excuse the less-than-stellar photos for the past few days. We had to un-borrow the great camera for a few days, but hope to have it back soon!

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For the next several weeks I am going to highlight some of my favorite Fabulous Fruits and Vivacious Veggies. They may not be exotic, but you’ll likely learn something you didn’t already know about these delicious foods, and of course I’ll share recipes I’ve found.

Although many people think of today’s Fabulous Fruit as a vegetable, the tomato is actually a fruit in the nightshade category. Tomatoes are native to South America, but have spread over the last few centuries and adapted to virtually every country in the world. They come in a variety of sizes, from tiny currant tomatoes to fat beefsteaks, and their color can be red, pink, orange, white, yellow, deep violet black or even green zebra stripes!

Tomatoes are fun to grow in your backyard or in a container on a deck. The photo here is one of my potted tomato plants that is just now starting to flower, and will hopefully yield some fruit soon. Sitting there next to it, a lovely ripe tomato from my father’s plentiful backyard garden. I thought maybe setting the fruit there would inspire my plant to do its thing…fingers crossed!

Health Benefits

Fresh tomatoes are rich in vitamins A, K, and C, potassium, and fiber. Tomatoes also contain a phytochemical called lutein, which is found in our retinas and is necessary for good vision. A diet rich in lutein can improve vision and play a role in preventing cataracts and macular degeneration.

When it comes to tomatoes and your health, the real star these days is lycopene. It’s a carotenoid that has gotten a lot of attention lately for its antioxidant and cancer-preventing properties. As an antioxidant, it’s been shown to prevent heart disease (the polyphenols in tomatoes thin your blood naturally). It has been linked to a reduced risk of lung, stomach, prostate, breast, cervical, and other cancers. It also acts like a sunscreen—eating tomatoes cooked can quadruple the SPF in your skin! How’s that for nature taking care of us in the heat of the summer?

For an even bigger health benefit, eat your tomatoes with broccoli. Both are separately recognized for cancer-fighting capabilities, but according to a study published in Cancer Research, eating them together makes them even more successful against cancer, particularly of the prostate.

Season and Selection

Now is the perfect time of year to find local tomatoes at your farmers’ market. Like all fruits and veggies, they are most flavorful when in season, which is mid-summer to early autumn. Local, vine-ripened tomatoes are ideal for the best taste and highest nutrient content. Eat them raw in thick slices with salt sprinkled on top, in salads, or in salsas, or cook them in a sauce, a tian, or gazpacho for even higher lycopene content.

Storage

Keep tomatoes at room temperature until ripened. Once ripened, tomatoes will last for two to three days. If necessary, tomatoes can be refrigerated in a vegetable bin for approximately one week. Try to avoid refrigerating tomatoes whenever possible, because tomatoes will lose their flavor once stored below 55°F.

More Tomato Tips

• To cut a tomato without a squishy mess, be sure you are using a very sharp knife, preferably a serrated one.
• To peel tomatoes, first cut an “X” in the skin (just the skin!) on the bottom of the tomato. Bring a pot of water to a boil and put your tomatoes in for 1 minute. Take them out and put them directly into a bowl of cold water and ice to keep them from cooking. The peel will be wrinkly and easy to remove.

My Latest Favorite Tomato “Recipe”

There isn’t much to this “recipe,” but it makes a fabulous lunch, appetizer, or side dish. Take one nice big tomato per person and slice it and place it on a plate. Season with sea salt, pepper, and fresh basil, and drizzle with a bit of olive oil and a bit of balsamic vinegar. Add a small slice of mozzarella cheese to each tomato slice to make a caprese salad, or just eat the seasoned tomato. Both versions are delicious!

P.S. Check out that basil! The tomato came from Dad, but the basil came from our “garden” of pots on the deck!

Recipes from the Truly Vibrant Blog

• Vegetable Tian
• Guacamole
• Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad

More Recipes I Haven’t Tried Yet

• Family Secret Tomato Sauce from the Animal, Vegetable, Miracle website
• Heirloom Tomato and Mozzarella Bruschetta from Life’s Ambrosia
• Savory Caprese Crepes from the Foodista Blog
• Fresh Corn, Tomato, Avocado, Black Bean Salad from Kilee’s Kitchen

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This casserole recipe gets a thumbs up for tastiness and ease. I served it with a large green salad and a sizable portion of green beans, because although it may seem like a casserole should be a main dish, it’s really best for your rice to come in side dish portions, especially when baked in a creamy, cheesy way like this!

It’s a simple dish to make, especially if you already cooked brown rice and/or chicken on hand. The recipe calls for cooking the chicken with the onions and garlic, but I had my husband throw ours on the grill last night and just cut it up to use in my casserole tonight. I did add it to the saute pan with the garlic and onions for a few minutes, though, after I took them off the heat, just to try to get the flavors to meld together a bit before I added them to all of the other ingredients.

I found this recipe on Honoring Health, where it had been modified from Paula Deen’s Deen Family Cookbook. I modified it further and have noted options you may want to take.

Serves 8 (or more!)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken breast, cut into cubes
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 2 tbsp grapeseed oil (if you only have olive oil, don’t let that stop you! It will work fine)
• 4 cups cooked brown rice (I used short-grain but would be interested to try this with other types of brown rice)
• 2 cups cheddar cheese (the original recipe called for goat cheese, but I used raw milk cheddar that I shredded myself. I used about half of a .7 lb block to yield about 2 cups once shredded)
• 3/4 cups dried cherries (I omitted these)
• 3/4 cups chopped pecans
• 1 cup milk (the original recipe calls for cream but I just used whole milk)
• zest of 1 orange, ideally organic!
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup mozzarella or Parmesan cheese (I used a half cup of each)

Directions:

1. Heat the grapeseed oil in a large skillet and once it is hot, add the onions and the garlic.
2. Cook the onions and garlic until tender and then add the chicken cubes.
3. Cook the chicken until it is golden brown on all sides.
4. While the onions, garlic, and chicken are cooking, combine the remaining ingredients, except for the mozzarella or Parmesan cheese, into a large bowl and set it aside.
5. Grease a large casserole dish and preheat the oven to 400.
6. Once the chicken is cooked, combine the chicken, onions, and garlic with the rice mixture and stir well.
7. Pour into the greased casserole dish and bake for 20 minutes until heated through.
8. Top with the mozzarella or Parmesan and bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese is melted.

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If you cook up a bunch of brown rice on the weekend, this can be a very quick and easy weeknight meal to put together! This tasty salad is great for a summer lunch, dinner, or as a side dish for a cookout.

Serves 4.

• 1/2 cup short-grain brown rice (or 1-1/2 cups if already cooked)
• 1 medium zucchini (1/2 pound)
• 2 celery ribs
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 bunch arugula, spinach, or lettuce (4 ounces)
• 4 scallions
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon stoneground (or other coarse-grained) mustard
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. If rice is uncooked, fill a 2-quart saucepan three fourths full and bring to a boil.
2. Add rice and boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 25 minutes.
3. Drain rice in a colander and rinse under cold running water until cool. Drain rice well.
4. While rice is cooking, cut zucchini, celery, and carrot into 1/4-inch pieces, remove stems from greens and chop leaves, and chop scallions (use the green stalks and the small white onions).
5. Fill a bowl with ice and cold water.
6. In a saucepan of boiling salted water, blanch the zucchini, celery, and carrot for 1 minute.
7. Drain vegetables in a sieve and transfer to bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain well.
8. Whisk together lemon juice, broth, mustard, oil, salt, and pepper.
9. Combine rice, blanched vegetables, greens, and scallions, and add dressing, tossing to combine well.
10. Season with salt and pepper and serve salad at room temperature.

Adapted from Epicurious.com

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Another new favorite! This was like making a (yummy) casserole on the stovetop, and it could definitely serve 6 (or more) people. This was the first time I saw a recipe that said to “dry-toast” the quinoa but I looked it up–you just cook the quinoa in a pan on medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Quinoa is a superfood that has all 8 amino acids and couldn’t be easier to prepare. It is also high in protein. Toasting the quinoa in a dry pan then rinsing it gives more depth to the flavor.

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups quinoa, dry toasted and rinsed
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
• Dash salt and pepper
• 2 zucchini, cut into ¼ inch pieces
• 1 cup basil leaves, torn up
• 2 lemons, juiced
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup slivered raw almonds

Directions:

1. Sauté the onions and garlic in extra virgin olive oil in a medium sized pot. Add quinoa, chicken, a pinch of salt, pepper, and broth.
2. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low.
3. After 15 minutes remove lid and stir in zucchini, lemon juice, almonds and ¾ of the basil.
4. Turn heat off and replace lid for two minutes.
5. Finish with the remaining basil and Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Source: Mom-A-Licious

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I’ve never had macadamia nuts on hand to make this, so I’ve tried just leaving them out and I have tried it with almonds instead. I think I liked it better without the almonds, and I like to increase the cauliflower. Otherwise, the result is quite rich.

I’ve also seen variations on this online where people add milk and/or butter. I don’t think that’s necessary, but it seems like the kind of recipe you just have to play around with a bit to find your favorite way. However you do it, it’s a great substitute for mashed potatoes, and I never thought I would enjoy cauliflower but this way, I do!

My notes/modifications to the original recipe are in italics.

Herb Mashed Non-Taters

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cauliflower
—I use the whole head of cauliflower
• 1 cup pine nuts
• ½ cup macadamia nuts
• 3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 ½ Tbsp. Italian seasoning
—didn’t have any so just used basil…my husband can’t stand oregano, but that would be the other one to toss in if you don’t have real Italian seasoning
• ½ Tbsp. garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• Fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Process in blender or food processor until all ingredients are smooth. Add a little water if needed to achieve consistency. The cauliflower can be steamed before blending, and then reheated if a warm dish is desired.

Source: Cameron Rupprecht

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This is the first broccoli dish I have ever seen my husband (the broccoli-hater) enjoy! We had plates of this with bowls of butternut squash soup, a.k.a. Winter Squash Stew. It made a great vegetarian dinner. This would be a good stir-fry recipe–just add in some other veggies and chicken, and serve over rice!

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch broccoli
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
• 5-inch piece fresh ginger, finely grated
• Tarragon or basil for garnish

Directions:

1. Wash and cut broccoli into florets.
2. Peel the stems and cut into ½-inch pieces.
3. Add 6 cups water to a pot and bring to a boil.
4. Add broccoli and quick boil for about 3 minutes.
5. Remove from water and rinse quickly with cool water.
6. Heat skillet with oil, add garlic and sauté for a few seconds before adding broccoli.
7. Sauté broccoli and garlic, adding tamari soy sauce and ginger.

Source: Institute for Integrative Nutrition

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The first time I made these, I used the red pepper flakes, but the fries ended up a little too “hot” for us! I left them out this time but I will probably add them back in, just in a smaller amount, next time.

I also learned that sweet potatoes vary a LOT in size. I used pretty big ones this last time and wished I had used a little more olive oil and garlic–but they were still delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 sweet potato per person
• ½ tsp olive oil per potato
• 1 clove garlic, minced, per potato
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes per potato

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Wash and dry sweet potatoes.
3. Slice horizontally in thin rounds. The thinner the cut, the crispier the outcome.
4. Place slices into large Ziploc storage bag.
5. Add all other ingredients, close bag, and shake until potatoes are well-covered.
6. Place potatoes on large sheet pan; try to avoid overlapping.
7. Cook for 20 minutes, flipping potatoes half way through.
8. Serve.

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