Peppurito

Of the top five nutrition related questions that I am asked, how to get more fiber usually tops the list. I've discussed fiber in the past here, but when a good friend asked for some meal plans and recipes, I decided to revamp a classic dish. I merged chili rellenos and stuffed peppers and upped the anti-oxidant quota by adding immune boosting turmeric to this fiber rich meal.  

For this dish, I started with dried black turtle beans. You can certainly substitute canned if you are short on time, yet the total nutrient and flavor profile of utilizing dried beans is greatly heightened. Additionally, the amount of control over taste and texture is optimized, not to mention reducing the dish’s overall cost. I mixed the quinoa with lacinato kale, but any variety of kale would work too.

Beach Retreats and Good Eats

My recent trip to Vieques, which is an island off Puerto Rico, was just what was in order after an intense and grueling few months. The few days that we spent on the island were full of sun drenched hours laying on the pristine and untouched beaches, gazing at multicolored sunsets, devouring Latin flared Caribbean cuisine, becoming entranced by the bioluminescent bay, and of course indulging in a few cocktails.  The food on the island was simple, fresh, and delicious. Many of our meals were enjoyed with the sand between our toes and we had the opportunity to enjoy fresh caught local fish, ceviches, the best rice and beans and sweet plantains I had ever had, and even a Caribbean curry. My fading tan is a reminder that it is time to get back to reality and brace myself for the cold…but I can still imagine the Caribbean heat tickling my face. 

"The Best" rice and beans and sweet plantains along side some conch ceviche

Sol Food's inspired offerings

If you're wondering how Henry enjoyed his retreat in the Catskills....well "the proof is in the pudding"

It's Gumbo Time Y'all

For my spin on the traditional Creole dish gumbo, I concocted a roux made with whole wheat flour and canola oil rather than white flour and butter. A roux is used as a base to thicken sauces and stews and is composed of a fat and flour.  The more you cook a roux, the darker and more nutty and flavorful it becomes. I started with a golden roux for the gumbo and built the dish with a mirepoix, low sodium chicken stock, casing free andouille style chicken sausage, skinless boneless chicken thighs, some additional flavor enhancers, and topped it off with some jumbo shrimp. The other spin I took was an abridged and boosted version of red beans and rice. I used farro and kidney beans and threw in some peas for added contrast. The farro sub provided many more nutrients than traditional white rice and added a little more sophistication.

Gumbo with Red Beans and “Rice”

Adapted from John Besh’s recipe in the Nov. 2011 Food and Wine

Serves 8

½ cup canola oil

½ cup whole-wheat flour

1 large onion finely chopped

1 celery rib, finely chopped

2 green bell peppers, finely chopped

6 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup tomato paste

2 ½ quarts low sodium chicken broth

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1 ½ pounds casing free all natural andouille chicken sausage

2 ½ pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

8 jumbo shrimp, cleaned 

Cooked farro

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup organic frozen peas, defrosted

Toppings

2 scallions, thinly sliced

Pickled jalapeño

Hot sauce

1.     Brown chicken thighs in 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pot. They should not be fully cooked, but nicely colored. Removed from pan and set aside.

2.     Combine oil and flour and cook over moderately high heat, stirring continually until flour mixture is golden and smooth, around 5 minutes.

3.     Mix in onions, garlic, celery, bell peppers, and cook over moderately high heat, stirring frequently for around 10 minutes until vegetables are tender. Stir in tomato paste and cook for a minute. Add stock, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, thyme, and bay leaf. Cut the chicken into cubes and add it back into the pot with the sausage. Simmer for 2 hours; discard the bay leaf, and season with salt and pepper. Throw the shrimp in 3 minutes prior to eating and allow to pinken and curl.

4.     While the gumbo simmers, cook the farro and add the frozen peas into the pot for the last minute to heat. Drain, toss with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and combine with kidney beans.

5.     Serve Gumbo along side the red beans and “rice” and garnish as you please.

The roux and sausage added a great smoky component to the gumbo. All of the flavors melded together nicely, and the farro was a delectable nutty and chewy addition to soak up the sauce. I looked over a lot of different variations of gumbo recipes while concocting this dish, and it is apparent that there are a plethora of variations on a common Creole theme.

This dish was nutrient rich and provided a great balance of:

Lean protein from the beans, chicken, and shrimp

Fiber, iron, and complex carbohydrates from the farro, peas, and kidney beans

Monounsaturated fat from the olive oil and canola oil

As usual, the gumbo got better with age and provided plenty of leftovers to fuel me through my rigorous study sessions leading up to finals.

On another note…I just found out I will be completing my internship at New York Methodist Hospital in Park Slope! So excited to be starting my 27 weeks of clinical rotations and be one step closer to becoming an RD!

Happy Eating Radish Heads!

 

Everything but the.... Tuna Melt

Kitchen sink tuna melt on sprouted grain and seed english muffin, low sodium pickle, and Yerba Matte Tea

For my tuna salad, I usually throw in whatever I can find, sans mayo. Today I had celery, tomatoes, kidney beans, onion, pickled jalapeño, and mustard. I topped it off with some sliced avocado, melted some shredded cheddar and jack cheese under the broiler and I was in business. Most importantly, I used Italian tonno canned in olive oil (which I drained before adding)…it is exceptional quality and really elevates a simple sandwich into something special. 

Quick Fix Mexi Night

Sometimes you just can’t help but get those cravings for gooey, cheesy, spicy goodness. Instead of going to the local greasy fryalator restaurant, I opted to make these simple, healthy, and tasty quesadillas that fulfilled my mexi craving. Obviously, to no one’s surprise, I had to take a healthful spin on these quesadillas and chose Ezekiel’s sprouted grain tortillas as my foundation. These tortillas are more substantial than your average white flour variety and offer a more robust flavor while providing essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber which are not always offered in your run of the mill refined form. For the interior, I used canned low sodium fat free vegetarian refried beans and spread the mash down as my base. For my layers, I caramelized some onions, blanched some asparagus, and roasted a poblano pepper. To top it off, I used about a tablespoon and a half of shredded monterey and cheddar cheese per quesadilla and some organic Muier Glen corn and black bean salsa. I placed another tortilla on top and pressed down slightly and baked for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese was gooey. I topped off these fiestas on a plate with some sliced avocado and pickled jalapeño and was in spicy cheesy Mexican heaven. I am sure these quesadillas are an insult to any Mexican quesadilla purest, but these were great, very simple, and up for a variety of interpretations.

Additional fillers:

Sautéed mushrooms

Blanched broccoli

Roasted red peppers

Sundried tomatoes

Black beans

Spinach

“Beans, beans the magical fruit, the more you eat the more you toot!” Well, that being said, beans are not a fruit but are a legume and are considered part of the vegetable and protein family. They definitely do have some magical attributes! Beans are loaded with calcium, protein, iron, folate, and phosphorus. They are a great source of fiber and can get things flowing, hence the lovely rhymes. Depending on the preparation, beans can be fat free and are a great food choice to help fill you up without being calorically dense.

To accompany my quesadillas, I made an uncomplicated smoky and spicy tomato soup that completed my fiesta….all I needed was some chilled Patron with lime and a mariachi.

3 cups diced onions

1 clove garlic diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 quart low sodium vegetable broth

1 28 ounce canned San Marzano diced tomatoes

3 teaspoons minced canned chipotles in adobo with 2 teaspoons of adobo sauce

Optional Garnishes:

Fat free sour cream

Sliced avocado

Shredded cheese

Cilantro

Scallions

Crumbled baked blue corn tortilla chips

Sauté onions in oil until softened, 5 minutes.

Add garlic, cumin, and oregano and stir for 3 minutes.

Add broth, tomatoes, and chipotles, cover and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Turn soup off, allow to cool slightly, and blend in either a blender or with an immersion blender.

Serve and garnish

Thank God For Ina!

Wild Salmon Tartare

Mediterranean Salad

Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Parsley Dressing

This weekend was supposed to be filled with fun and revelry with friends as we tried to clasp on to the bittersweet end of summer on Fire Island, but alas the gargantuous amount of schoolwork bound me down to my desk. To lighten up my mood, I called on my "good friend" The Barefoot Contessa, to shake me out of my disappointment. I was feeling a little fried, so I simply followed her guidance and created 3 light and healthful dishes that put me back on track.

All of these dishes appear in Barefoot’s book How Easy Is That? and, true to her words, everything was extremely simple, unfussy, and tasted great. The only addition I would make is to prepare some garlicky, cumin accented whole wheat pita chips to go with the Mediterranean salad.

The salmon tartar gained a lovely tang from two types of mustards, capers, lime juice, and dill, the Mediterranean salad offered a cooling crunch, and the garlic roasted cauliflower got an upgrade with the addition of a lemony parsley dressing to finish.

To my buds frolicking on FI, have a great time…I’ll be immersed in leftovers, study guides, and an itching feeling for sand in my toes. 

Huevos Rancheros con Matzoh

Wheat Bran Matzoh with warmed black beans, homemade pico de gallo and a poached egg.

Continuing my enjoyment of the black turtle beans, I integrated them into a Passover appropriate breakfast and enjoyed it with a "radish head". 

Earth Babies

On a recent trip to the farmers market, I picked up a few items that made delicious and satisfying sides. Mushrooms are hearty, meaty and earthy and can serve as a fulfilling addition to a meal.  For this side dish I sautéed oyster, hen of the woods, crimini and king oyster mushrooms with garlic and canola spread. A simple sauté brings life to these woody morsels. Fungi are one of the few food sources that naturally contain vitamin D, aside from fatty fish, liver, eggs and fish liver oil. Vitamin D is essential for the maintenance of calcium and phosphorus in the body, which aids in bone and teeth health. Vitamin D is also required for cell growth and boosts the immune system. Inadequate consumption and absorption of vitamin D can lead to the softening of bones, bone loss and the development of osteopenia and osteoporosis.

As an additional side, I made legumes! Heirloom pinto beans with roasted garlic, roasted poblano pepper and finished it with scallions. If your prone to a gassy aftermath, replace the soaking water with fresh water when cooking. Beans are a great source of dietary fiber and are an economical protein.