Stuffed Squash with Spinach and Quinoa

I made this yummy squash for dinner the other night, and thought it would be great to share the recipe for those of you hosting a vegetarian at Thanksgiving.

While there are usually enough sides at a Thanksgiving dinner to fill up even a hungry eater, it's nice to have something that looks like a centerpiece.

I used a 4-cup squash, but there's enough stuffing to fill one twice the size.

Also, I baked the squash while cooking the stuffing on the stove, then filled the cooked squash and served it. You could also stuff the raw squash and then cook it at 350°F for about an hour. Or you could use a slow cooker - a much-appreciated device when all the burners and ovens are full with other dishes. Put the raw stuffed squash in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours. Fashion a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper into a sling and nestle the squash in it inside the slow cooker. This will make getting the cooked squash out of the slow cooker easier.

But don't save this recipe for Thanksgiving. It's great on any fall or winter evening. The quinoa and beans give it a high protein content, the spinach (or any other green you like) provides a nutrition boost, the rosemary and garlic boost the immune system. (Although you can omit the garlic if you don't like it.) Skip the feta if you're serving vegans.

Here's what I did.

Stuffed Squash with Spinach and Quinoa
1 winter squash
2/3 cup pinto beans (or 1 14 oz can of a bean of your choice)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz raw spinach, thick stems discarded, washed and coarsely chopped
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp smoked chile flakes
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup quinoa, rinsed first in boiling water then in cold water a couple of times
2-4 tbsp chopped black olives
1/2 cup crumbled feta (or more to taste)
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (or 2 tsp dried)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Wash the squash and pierce the top with a knife a few times. Bake about 40 minutes until it feels soft and a knife slides easily in near the stem.

Pressure cook the beans for 23 minutes until tender. (Or cook them for a couple of hours in a pot of water on the stove. Or drain the canned beans.)

Cook the onion and garlic in the oil until soft. Stir in the salt, paprika and chile flakes. Cook another minute. Add the stock and quinoa, bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer until quinoa is cooked, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted. Add the beans, olives, feta and rosemary. Stir to mix.

Cut the top off the squash and scoop out the seeds and any stringy guts. Spoon the stuffing into the squash, adjust the top jauntily, and serve.

Any extra stuffing can be served on the side. Sprinkle with extra feta if desired.

Serves 6

Yummy Potatoes

Sometimes, when I feel Larry has eaten enough weird healthy vegetable dishes for a while, I serve him some yummy potatoes. Potatoes are happy food, pretty much any way they're served.

Of course, he helps by going to the library and getting books  like Smashed, Mashed, Boiled and Baked: A Celebration of Potatoes in 75 Irresistible Recipes by Raghavan Iyer.

Iyer's previous book was 660 Curries, so you know he likes flavorful food.

The other night I made his recipe for Moroccan Potato Stew with Saffron Biscuits. I think it would have been delicious without the biscuits, but heck, why not go all out on potato night.

Needless to say, the dish was a hit. In fact, it was even a hit on the 3rd night of leftovers. The seasonings were robust and the vegetables blended beautifully with them. The simple biscuits were delicious, even without the saffron. (I remember using the last of my saffron and deciding it was time to start growing my own saffron crocus. While I still want to do that, in the meantime I think I'd better just buy some more to last until the fall harvest. I'm sure the biscuits would have been even better with a little included.)

This is really a healthy recipe. Chickpeas and spinach, sweet potatoes as well as white — it's not that different to the food we usually eat. Maybe that's why I made the biscuits — it's important to be a little decadent on yummy potato night.

I did alter Iyer's recipe a little to suit what I had in the house. I hope you do the same thing when you cook the recipes on this blog. After all, half the fun of cooking is experimenting.

Here's what I did:

Moroccan Potato Stew with Biscuits
2/3 cup chickpeas
1 lb potatoes
1/2 lb sweet potatoes
1 tbsp oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 inch cinnamon stick
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp smoked chili flakes
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
14oz can diced tomatoes
1 bunch spinach

Cook the chickpeas in simmering water until tender, 2-3 hours depending on the age of the beans. Or cook them in a pressure cooker for 22 minutes and let the pressure come down on its own. (Or use 2 15-oz cans chickpeas.) Drain and set aside.

Peel the white and sweet potatoes; cut into 1-inch cubes. Put in a bowl and cover with water so they don't turn grey before you need them.

Grind the coriander, cumin and cinnamon in a spice grinder (or coffee maker reserved for spices) until they are a fine powder. Pour into a small bowl and stir in the paprika, chili flakes, salt and turmeric.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. When it begins to shimmer, add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring regularly, until they start to brown around the edges. Stir in the spice blend and stir for about 15 seconds until wonderfully fragrant. Pour in the can of diced tomatoes (including the liquid),  2 cups water, cooked chickpeas and drained potatoes. Stir it all together well so the vegetables are coated with the spices. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook, covered, until the potatoes are tender.

Wash the spinach and remove any tough stems. Stir into the pot. Cover and let steam until cooked, about 3-5 minutes.

You can eat this excellent stew now, or you can go wild and put biscuits on top.

Biscuits
2 cups white flour (plus extra for dusting)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
4 tbsp butter, cut in slices and chilled
1 cup keffir or buttermilk
1/2 cup whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Pour the cooked stew into an ovenproof casserole.

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add chilled butter and break it up into pea-size pieces with your fingers as you mix it in.

Stir in the keffir and whipping cream to make a wet batter.

Mound a half cup of flour on a large board or surface. Cover your hands with flour too. Scoop up 1/3 cup batter with your well-floured hands and drop it into the mound of flour. Gently roll it around to coat it completely with flour, then shape it into a biscuit and put it on the stew. Repeat with all the dough — you'll have 6-7 biscuits.

Place the casserole, uncovered, into the oven and bake until the biscuits are browned on top, about 25 minutes.

Serves 6

Chickpea Burgers

There is nothing like an excellent falafel. It's the perfect vegetarian fast food — chickpea fritters served in a pita with those delightful pickled turnips. I used to eat it often in Montreal because there was a Lebanese restaurant right up the street from my home.

Of course, falafel are traditionally deep-fried, which is not the healthiest thing. I now only eat falafel on my trips back to Montreal.

The other night, however, I combined chickpeas and spinach in this yummy burger that was reminiscent of falafel in flavor and texture. I served it with a sauce of yogurt with mint and garlic — the burgers are dense and on the dry side so the sauce helped — and a salad of romaine lettuce with more yogurt sauce drizzled on it. It was a nice light dinner, until I found a bag of organic french fries in the freezer and decided to serve them alongside. Larry appreciated that. And actually Chase, the Lebanese restaurant I frequent in Montreal, serves excellent french fries and salad alongside their flafel sandwich, so it was a nice reminder of home for me too.

Of course, you could stuff these burgers in a pita, or even put them on a bun. Make sure to have a sauce or some juicy tomato with them. They are dense and protein-packed, but still not as much like a hockey puck as many commercial veggie burgers.

They made good sandwiches the next day too.

Chickpea Burgers
2/3 cup chickpeas
1 cup packed chopped fresh spinach
2 scallions, white and light green parts, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 cup flour

Cook the chickpeas in plenty of simmering water until tender, 2-4 hours depending on the age of your beans. Drain.

Put the chickpeas in the food processor with all the remaining ingredients. Process until well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tip the mixture out and divide into 4 pieces. Shape into patties about 1/2 inch thick.

Warm a well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add just enough oil to coat the bottom lightly.

Place the burgers in the skillet and cook without touching them for 4 minutes. Check if they're lightly browned on the bottom. If they are, flip them over and cook another 4 minutes without touching. Resist the urge to press the patties while they're cooking. This would compress them even more - not a good idea.

Serve immediately.

Makes 4 burgers.

Goat Cheese and Spinach Phyllo Extravaganza

I'm not sure what to call the delicious vegetarian entrée I served at Thanksgiving. Layers of phyllo pastry top and bottom, a filling of spinach, goat cheese and mushrooms - all baked free form on a cookie sheet. I think Extravaganza is the only word for it.

I'm not really good with phyllo - to make it good and crispy requires a lot of melted butter, and I find myself going with the minimum. It's still delicious, even if the layers of dough don't hold together as well as they could.

Like lasagna, once all the parts are assembled, it's a quick dish to prepare. The longest part is cleaning the spinach and mushrooms. Working with whole food takes more time, but it's worth it for the great taste.

This dish is great leftovers - fortunately because it makes enough for 8-12 people. I've been enjoying it cold for lunch - the crust is not as crisp, but the flavor is great.

Here's the recipe in case you want to serve your own Extravaganza!

Goat Cheese and Spinach Phyllo Extravaganza
1 packet whole wheat phyllo (16-18 sheets)
2 tbsp olive oil, divided use
1/2 red onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced, divided use
3/4 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup white wine
2 bunches spinach, washed and heavy stems removed
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, marjoram and thyme
1 lb ricotta
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp grated parmesan
1/4 cup melted butter (or more)
1/3 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
1/4 lb goat cheese, crumbled

Take phyllo out of freezer to thaw in its box.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion, 1/4 tsp salt and a little pepper. Sauté about 5 minutes until onion begins to soften and release its moisture. Add half the garlic and cook another 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Heat another tbsp in the unwashed skillet. Sear mushrooms over high heat with 1/4 tsp salt and a little pepper. Cook about 7 minutes until golden-brown. Add remaining garlic and sauté another minute. Add wine to deglaze pan and cook until pan is nearly dry again. Add the mushrooms to the bowl of onions.

Again, don't wash the skillet. Add the spinach, 1/2 tsp salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook over high heat, letting the spinach wilt. Then drain well and let cool a little. Squeeze out the moisture - it should be damp but not wet. Coarsely chop and add to onions. Stir in the fresh herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a separate bowl, combine ricotta, eggs, 1/2 tsp salt, a few grinds of pepper, and the parmesan. Mix thoroughly.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Unfold phyllo and cover with a damp towel.

Grease a 9x13 inch baking sheet. Lay a piece of phyllo on it, brush lightly with butter, and sprinkle with a few pistachios. Continue with 8-9 more sheets, brushing butter and sprinkling nuts, using about half of each.

Spread the ricotta mix on the phyllo, almost to the edges. Spoon the spinach mixture on top. Sprinkle the goat cheese over all.

Layer on the last sheets, brushing each lightly with butter and scattering with nuts. Brush the top layer thoroughly with butter.

Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Cut off excess dough at edges if necessary. Cut the Extravaganza into 8 squares, but don't separate them. This makes it easier to serve.

Bake at 375°F for 35-40 minutes until golden brown. Cut each square into triangles or rectangles, and serve.

Serves 8-12

Garlicky Chickpeas and Spinach

I took this picture before the spinach had fully
cooked down.

This is one of those recipes that is too easy to write down, but too good not to try.

The longest step is cooking the chickpeas, and I supposed you could skip that part and just use the canned variety.

But really, this recipe is as good as the sum of its parts. So it's worth taking the time to buy really good dried organic chickpeas and then simmer them until they are cooked but still have a little bite. Then sauté them with garlic and excellent spinach, and you have a feast.

Garlicky Chickpeas and Spinach
2/3 cup chickpeas
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1/4 tsp crushed red chiles
14 oz spinach
1/2 tsp salt

Pick over the chickpeas, removing any stones or broken beans. Rinse them well, then put them in a large pot and add water to cover by at least two inches. Bring them to a boil, cover, and simmer gently until they are tender. This can take 90 minutes to 2 1/2 hours, depending on the age of your beans. Remember to check them regularly during cooking, and add boiling water from the kettle as needed to make sure they always have at least an inch of water covering them. When they are tender but not mushy, drain them and set aside.

Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and let it warm until fragrant. Add the chile flakes and cook 15 seconds. Stir in the chickpeas and coat them with the fragrant oil. Let them get hot, stirring for about 2 minutes, then increase the heat to high and add the spinach and salt. Stir until the spinach wilts, 2-3 minutes.

Serve immediately as a main course or as a vegetable side.

Serves 4. Makes great leftovers.

Curried Lentil Stew

Lentils make quick and easy highly nutritious dinners. The other night I cooked up some green lentils and sweet potatoes with a little curry powder, and then stirred in some spinach at the end.

I served the resulting stew with brown rice for a meal full of protein, fiber and minerals. Plus it tasted really good.

Curried Lentil Stew
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion
1 heaping tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
2 cups green lentils
28-oz can whole tomatoes
1 1/4 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2 inch chunks
1/2 tsp salt
12 oz spinach, washed, large stems removed

Warm the oil in a large pot. Peel and chop the onion and add it to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to brown, about 10 minutes.

Add the ginger root, garlic and curry powder. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add 2 cups water, the lentils, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered until the lentils and sweet potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Stir occasionally and break down the tomatoes.

Stir in the spinach and cook until it's heated through and wilted.

Serve over brown rice.

Serves 6-8

Apple and Spinach Salad

I love winter for the thick soups that make meals easy. Soup and salad has always eluded me though. I don't know how to eat from a soup bowl and a salad bowl at the same time.

However, it's important to eat raw food as well as cooked, so when I served Thick Bean and Tomato Soup this week, I started the meal with a plate of this Apple and Spinach Salad.

Usually I just toss the ingredients together in a bowl and we serve ourselves, but layered on small plates they looked very pretty. We ate our plates of salad and then bowls of awesome soup. Quite the satisfying meal.

The dressing is slightly sweet and very good on all green salads. There will be more than is necessary for this meal - save it for other salads in the week. It will last a few weeks in the fridge.

Apple and Spinach Salad
4 large handfuls of spinach
1 apple (I used cameo)
1 small carrot
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
3/4 cup halved cherry or pear tomatoes
2 tbsp crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp honey
1/2 cup olive oil

Wash spinach well. Dry and remove any large stems. Tear into bite-sized pieces and spread on 2 small plates.

Slice apple and carrot into bite-sized pieces. Place on spinach, along with onion and tomatoes. Sprinkle blue cheese on top.

Whisk together the vinegar, honey and olive oil. Serve on the side. (Or toss the spinach with some of the dressing before placing on the plate. Serve the extra dressing on the side.)

Serves 2

Beans and Greens

Yes, I'm a little obsessive with my beans and greens. If we all ate these every day, we would be much healthier.

There are many ways to cook these nutritious and delicious ingredients. This is what I did on Sunday.

I cooked the beans early in the day and drained them. (You could use a 14-oz can of beans.) Later I cooked the tomato sauce. Just before eating, I reheated it, steamed the spinach separately, and then combined them.

There's enough sauce to make this a great dish to eat with rice or another grain. However, I also like it in a bowl just as is.

My body is thrilled to be eating all these good nutrients. Yours will be too.

Beans and Greens
2/3 cup large white beans
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
3/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 tbsp olive oil
14oz can tomatoes
6 oz spinach

Cook the beans in plenty of simmering water until tender. Drain and set aside.

Sauté garlic and onion in olive oil until softened. Add canned tomatoes and cook until they are broken down. Add the cooked beans and mix well.

Wash the spinach, pull off any tough stems, and chop coarsely.

Put it in a pan with an inch of boiling water, cover, place over medium heat, and let steam 3 minutes until tender but still a little crisp.

Toss the spinach and beans together. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Serves 4

Simple Spiced Spinach

Finley Farms had some great bloomsbury spinach on Sunday, so I bought some to make this spicy spinach dish. It's a great side with bean dishes, and once the spinach is washed it's quick to make.

Remember, cooking greens in a little oil breaks down the cellular fibers so the nutrients are more readily available to the body.

Simple Spiced Spinach
1/2 lb spinach
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

Wash the spinach and remove any tough stems.

Warm the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cumin seeds and let heat a minute until aromatic. Add the spinach, turn up the heat, and toss the spinach in the oil. Add the lemon zest and juice, toss some more, and cook the spinach until wilted. Grind some black pepper on top, season with salt to taste, and serve.

Serves 2

Tofu Coconut Milk Stir-Fry

Sometimes I get a craving for tofu, so I stir some up with coconut milk, greens and red thai curry paste for a simple stew I serve over brown rice.

Coconut milk had a bad name for many years because it is high in saturated fat, but now scientists are finding that most of the fat in coconuts is actually good for us. The medium chain saturated fatty acids are rapidly metabolized into energy in the liver, and are thought to be more rapidly used by the body than other saturated fats, and therefore less likely to be stored as fat. More importantly, coconut milk contains lauric acid, which is converted in the body into an antiviral and antibacterial compound. It seems that consuming coconut milk may help protect the body from infections and viruses.

I like the simplicity with which coconut milk becomes a sauce that is yummy when poured over rice. Here's my standard recipe.

Tofu Coconut Milk Stir-Fry

1 tbsp oil

14 oz firm tofu, drained and diced in 1/2 inch cubes

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp minced ginger

1/2 cup chopped shallots

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp red thai curry paste

14 oz can coconut milk

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

4 large handfuls spinach, washed and chopped into bite-sized pieces

Fry the tofu, garlic, ginger and shallots in the oil for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are lightly browned. They'll probably stick to the pan a little, but you can scrape the bottom more thoroughly once the coconut milk has been added.

Add the soy sauce and curry paste, mushing the paste against the sides of the pan to start breaking it down. Add the coconut milk, and stir everything together well. Let it simmer for a while with the lid off. Toss in the cherry tomatoes and baby spinach, and cook a couple more minutes.

Serve over brown rice.

Serves 3-4

Spinach Salad

I wanted a vibrant crunchy salad to serve with a vegetable stew the other day, and this spinach salad  fit the bill perfectly.

I tossed crinkly bloomsbury spinach with diced red onion and walnuts. A simple fat-free dressing of tangerine juice and red wine vinegar with a little coarse-grain mustard added gave the salad an extra burst of flavor.

If you don't have a tangerine, squeeze an orange instead - drink the extra juice as a perk.

Spinach Salad
4 cups spinach
2 tbsp diced red onion
2 tbsp walnuts, coarsely chopped
3 tbsp tangerine juice (about 1 tangerine)
3 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp coarse-grain mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Wash the spinach well, spin it dry, tear out any tough stems, and rip the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Put in the salad bowl along with the red onion and walnuts.

Whisk together the tangerine juice, vinegar and mustard. Season with salt and pepper, and add more vinegar if the dressing tastes too sweet. (Dip a spinach leaf in it to see if you like the taste.)

Toss the salad with half the dressing and serve the remainder on the side.

Serves 2

Spinach Salad

I was reminiscing yesterday about a salad I ate in Paris. It was a selection of crisp lettuces with hard-boiled eggs, cheese and a mustard vinaigrette. I requested it without the ham, so the waiter brought it with chicken instead. He was quite sad that I asked him to remove the chicken too. He thought a salad with no meat was not a meal.

Those memories made me hungry for a good salad with walnut dressing. So I made one for lunch.

I started by putting an egg on to cook. I put it in cold salted water, brought it to a boil, turned off the heat and let it sit about 8 minutes until I was ready for it.

I used Malabar spinach from Finley Farms as the base. Cherry tomatoes added sweet juiciness. Walnuts and radishes added crunch.

I made a simple dressing of one spoon of dijon mustard, 2 spoons of red wine vinegar, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and olive oil to make it delicious (probably 3-4 spoonfuls, but I didn't measure).

I shelled the egg and tore it Jamie Oliver-style over the greens, then poured the vinaigrette over top and tossed it all together.

It was a very full and delicious meal. Pretty healthy too.

Heart-Healthy Soup

Tonight Larry and I will be eating leftovers.

Yes, I know it's Valentine's Day, and we should be eating a special, romantic meal. That was the plan. I had selected a tofu recipe which includes lemongrass from our beautiful garden. (Tofu is a great Valentine's Day food because it is good for the heart. I served it up a couple of years ago. You can read that story and a great tofu recipe here.)

Unfortunately, in re-reading the recipe I was going to cook tonight, I found that the tofu has to be pressed for 4 hours, then marinaded in the fridge overnight. Way too much work during the work week. So that recipe will be saved for the weekend, and tonight we will be eating soup.

But not just any soup. This soup, which we first ate earlier this week, is full of heart-friendly garlic. Garlic is well known for its ability to lower high blood pressure and tonify the cardiovascular system.  The split peas that form the bulk of the soup are full of soluble fiber which binds with cholesterol-containing bile and escorts it out of your body. They also help reduce the amount of plaque in your arteries.

The browned onion and garlic give the soup an intense flavor even without the use of vegetable stock.  The seasonings are inspired by a recipe in Ruta Kahate's book Quick-Fix Indian. The split peas make it a meal that sticks to the ribs - no crackers or biscuits required.

Split Pea Soup with Spinach
3/4 cup yellow split peas
4 oz spinach
1 tbsp oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1/4 tsp tumeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cumin seed
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced

Rinse the split peas and put in a pot with 3 cups cold water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until the peas are tender but still hold their shape, about 20 minutes. Do not drain.

Stem and wash the spinach and slice it thin.

In a 2-quart saucepan, warm the oil and sauté the onion until it is browned. Stir in the turmeric and coriander. Add the spinach and toss to coat with oil. Pour in the dal and its cooking water, and one more cup cold water. Stir in salt, bring to a boil, and simmer about 5 minutes.

In a small frypan, warm the ghee or oil over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seed and cook, covered, until the seeds stop sputtering. Add the garlic and cook until browned. Add to the soup. Stir and serve.

Serves 4

Parsnip and Spinach Chowder

What have we been doing with all the excellent organic parsnips we've been buying at the Finley Farms stall at the Hollywood Farmers Market?

Well, mainly they go into vegetable stock to fill my freezer for the next 10 parsnip-free months.

But yesterday I cooked a few of them into this sweet creamy soup that was soothing on a cool end-of-holiday evening. I made it after reading Darra Goldstein's book The Vegetarian Hearth, which has beautiful pictures and some yummy recipes, including this one. Highly recommended.

Parsnip and Spinach Chowder
1 onion, peeled and diced

1 small clove garlic, peeled and minced

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 lb parsnips, peeled and cut into ¾ inch cubes

1 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾ inch cubes

4 cups water

¾ tsp salt

2 cups tightly packed spinach, washed and tough stems removed

2 cups milk

white pepper

dash of cayenne

2 scallions, finely chopped

1 tbsp minced parsley

1 tbsp minced dill

Sauté onion and garlic in butter until soft, 8-10 minutes. Add parsnips and potatoes, stir, cook 3 minutes. Add water and salt. Simmer, covered, until tender, 20-30 minutes.

Add milk, pepper, cayenne, scallions, spinach and parsley. Simmer 10 minutes. Don't let it boil. Stir in dill just before serving.

Serves 6-8

Greek Salad with Farro

This is a very untraditional Greek Salad. It has the requisite cucumber, olives, feta and tomatoes. But the foundation is farro -- an ancient form of hard wheat that cooks up similar to brown rice but with a firmer and nuttier texture.

It is full of fiber, magnesium and B vitamins, and its chewy texture is a good foil for the salad vegetables, and a solid counterbalance to the strong lemony-mustard dressing.

It made a wonderful dinner salad on a cooling summer evening.

Greek Salad with Farro
1 cup farro
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup packed parsley leaves
2 tsp fresh oregano leaves
2 tsp dijon mustard
4 oz spinach
1 cucumber
1/4 cup chopped red onion
8 kalamata olives, pitted
2 tbsp feta, diced or crumbled
1-2 tomatoes, seeded and diced

Cook the farro in 3 cups boiling water with 1/2 tsp salt until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

Purée the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, parsley, oregano and dijon in a blender or food processor. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss the farro with most of the dressing.

Wash and stem the spinach and tear into bite-sized pieces. Peel the cucumber and cut it in quarters lengthwise. Cut out the seeds and membranes and discard. Chop the cucumber into bite-sized pieces.

Line a serving platter with the spinach. Pile the farro on top. Arrange the remaining ingredients decoratively on top. Sprinkle with the remaining dressing, or serve it on the side.

Serves 2-3

Spiced Lemon Quinoa

Quinoa is a high-protein grain that makes a quick main dish. The other night I served it with broiled eggplant, steamed broccoli, and baby turnips with their greens. It was a colorful meal full of good flavor.

I cooked the quinoa with Indian pilaf flavorings, and even went so far as to cook a couple of tablespoons of channa dal (yellow split peas) ahead of time to add to the authenticity of the dish. You can skip the dal if you like, but it adds a nice texture and variety.

Do not skip pouring boiling water over the uncooked quinoa. It removes the saponins, bitter chemicals that give quinoa its bad name. Without them, it's quite a tasty grain.

Spiced Lemon Quinoa
2 tbsp yellow split peas or channa dal
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 serrano chile, seeded and diced
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp salt
5 oz loosely packed spinach (6 cups)
1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)

Cook split peas in boiling water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

Put quinoa in a sieve and pour boiling water over it a couple of times to remove the saponins. Cook in 4 cups boiling water with 1/2 tsp salt until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Heat oil over medium heat. Add mustard seeds, cover the pan, and cook until they pop, 1 minute. Stir in cumin and cook until sizzling. Stir in split peas, chile, tumeric and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook, stirring often, until split peas start to turn golden brown. (If not using the split peas, cook until spices are fragrant.) Scrape into a bowl.

Add spinach to hot skillet, increase heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring, until wilted, just a few minutes. Drain any liquid. Stir in cooked quinoa, split pea mixture, and 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice. Toss to mix. Season with salt and more lemon juice to taste. Scatter cilantro on top and serve.

Serves 4

Eat organic

I'm fortunate to be able to eat a wide variety of organic produce. It helps to live in southern California and shop at the Hollywood Farmers' Market.

I know that not everyone is as lucky as me, so here is the annual list of foods that are safe to eat even if they are not organic.

Every year the Environmental Working Group tests US-grown food for pesticide residue. Although we don't know what long-term use of pesticides does to the human nervous and endocrine system, there are standards as to what is too much to consume.

The first list, The Dirty Dozen, refers to foods that should never be eaten unless they are organic, because the pesticide residue is too high in the conventionally-grown kinds.

The second list is of foods which have a minimal level of pesticide residue when conventionally grown.

Notice that greens must be organically-grown. Don't let that stop you from eating greens. Instead ask your produce manager or favorite organic farmer to stock organic greens. They're available, they're delicious and they're healthy. And even at $2.50 a bunch, they're a better deal than a multi-vitamin.


Dirty Dozen: eat only if organic
apples
bell peppers
blueberries
celery
cucumbers
grapes
green beans
kale / greens
lettuce
nectarines - imported
peaches
potatoes
spinach
strawberries

Low Pesticide Residue: These 15 foods are lowest in pesticide residue, and are considered safe to eat even if not organic.
asparagus
avocado
cabbage
cantaloupe
corn (probably gmo if not organic)
eggplant
grapefruit
kiwi
mangoes
mushrooms
onions
peas
pineapples
sweet potatoes
watermelon

Tomato Spinach Soup

White beans are the surprise ingredient in this tomato soup.

Puréed white beans are a wonderful foundation for creamy soups and sauces, for dips, and even as a base (instead of rice or mashed potatoes) for a scoop of cooked greens.

In this soup, they substitute for dairy products to make a creamy vegan soup.

The recipe makes a lot, so it's perfect for a pot luck on a cool evening. And, because it has no dairy products in it, it will freeze well.

I used dried white lima beans that I buy at the Hollywood Farmers Market. They are last year's crop, so they cook quickly without soaking - about 90 minutes. If you don't have dried limas, use cannelinis or any other white bean. If your beans are older, you could soak them overnight to shorten the cooking time. Or use canned beans - although it will take 6 cans to make the right amount of beans. (And dried are way cheaper.)

Use a well-flavored vegetable stock (I use my standard one which you can see here) or add extra salt and pepper while the soup cooks.

If you don't have a lime, use a tablespoon or so of lemon juice or white wine vinegar - it's there to give a boost to the flavor.

And when you serve this soup, call it creamy tomato spinach soup - no one has to know it's full of protein-rich, fiber-rich, incredibly healthy beans.

They can just know that it tastes great.

Tomato Spinach Soup
4 cups dried white beans
2 cups vegetable stock
2 -14oz cans tomato sauce
4 cups spinach
juice of 1/2 a lime

Cook the beans in simmering water until they are very tender. Drain, then purée the beans in batches in a food processor or blender. Let the machine run until the purée is really smooth, adding stock as needed so it is not at all grainy.

Put the purée in a large pot with any remaining stock. Start it warming, covered, over medium-low heat. Stir in the tomato sauce and cook gently until it's warmed through.

Stem the spinach, and chop if the leaves seem too big.

Add the spinach and lime juice to the pot. Stir well. Cook until the spinach is wilted. Taste for seasoning and serve hot.

Serves 8-10

Comfort Food

Sometimes I just want a bowl of delicious goodness.

That's when I turn to this simple yet soul-satisfying dish.

White beans cooked with garlic, steamed greens, and a drizzle of fruity olive oil. It's a wonderful combination of flavors and soothing textures.

If you haven't cooked dried beans before, this is the recipe to start with. If you're not sure how fresh your beans are, start it early in the day. Cook until the beans are soft, then turn off the heat and let them sit on the stove until you start the greens, about 15 minutes before you're ready to eat. Reheat and serve.

If you want to use canned beans, use 2 14-oz cans. Drain off the can juice and reheat them with some vegetable stock or water along with the seasonings. It won't be quite as delicious (or cheap) but it will be good.

For the greens, I was lucky enough to get rapini and lamb's quarters from the Flora Bella stand at the Hollywood Farmers Market. You can use spinach, dandelions, chard, turnip greens, beet greens, whatever you have. If you're not used to bitter greens like dandelion, add some sweet greens like chard and spinach to tone it down. (The bitter greens are excellent for the liver, so try to use some of them.)

In the past, I have only made this recipe when Larry was out of town. I believed he would not like it. But I was wrong. I cooked it last week when I was craving some good greens, and he said he really liked it. And he ate it as leftovers too, so I believe him.

Italian Greens and Beans
1 lb white beans
1 red chile, dried or fresh
3 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic
salt and pepper
1 lb greens (or 2 bunches)
olive oil

Sort the beans and discard any dirt or stones. Rinse them and put them in a large pot with the chile and bay leaves. Peel the garlic and throw it in too. Add boiling water from the kettle to cover by 2 inches. (Use cold tap water if you don't have enough boiling.) Bring to the boil and cook, covered, until the beans are tender. I used white lima beans from Lompoc, probably harvested this year, so they only took 90 minutes to cook. Yours might take up to 4 hours. Plan accordingly. And remember, it's better to cook them early and let them sit than it is to serve crunchy beans.

(Concerned about the gassy qualities of beans? The garlic helps eliminate them.)

Wash the greens well. (In this era of plastic mulch and drip irrigation, the greens might be clean. But if it's rained they can be quite muddy. Swish them in basins of cold water until no dirt is left in the bottom.) Put them in a large pot with an inch of boiling water in the bottom. Let them cook until the stems are tender, about 5 minutes. Drain them and chop into bite-sized pieces.

Taste the beans and add salt and pepper to enhance the flavor.

Using a slotted spoon, put some beans into a shallow soup bowl. Add a little of the bean juice. Spoon some greens on top. Drizzle with a little olive oil. And enjoy.

Serves 6. (But is great reheated the next day)

Egg Salad Sandwich

For too long, eggs have had a bad rap. People wrongly believed they were too high in fat and dietary cholesterol to be part of a healthy diet.

Fortunately people are now realizing that eggs are a healthy food.

Of course, it depends on the eggs you eat. We eat eggs from chickens that live in an apple orchard: eating bugs, scratching in the dirt, nibbling on weeds, eating a little grain to supplement their diet. I bet these are really healthy eggs. Most so-called free-range or organic eggs are from chickens whose diet is mainly soy and corn. Not as natural, but at least they're not eating ground-up chicken feathers like factory-farmed chickens do.

Anyway, no matter what kind of egg you can find, eat the whole thing. The yolks are the richest source of choline known. Choline is essential for brain health, and for brain and memory development in the fetus (attention pregnant and nursing moms).

Eggs are also anti-inflammatory, and they have compounds that break homocysteine down so they're good for the heart too.

To set the cholesterol myth to rest, a recent study in northern Mexico found that eating eggs can actually improve cholesterol levels, even when combined with a high intake of fatty foods like hydrogenated oils.

This egg salad sandwich is not traditional - it includes fresh herbs and mushrooms - but it is scrumptious. I served it on homemade white bread because it's nice to have squishy bread to hold the sandwich together. But feel free to use nutritious whole grain bread instead.

I adapted the recipe from Season to Taste, an accomplished book on herbs and spices in American cooking that Jeannette Ferrary and Louise Fiszer wrote in 1988. I've dipped into it regularly over the years, and always learn something new and get a good recipe. (Rosemary garlic bread - mmm!)

Egg Salad Sandwich
1 tbsp butter
1 spring onion, chopped
1/4 lb mushrooms, chopped
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp fresh marjoram leaves, chopped (or 1/4 tsp dried)
2 eggs, hardboiled and shelled
2 tbsp mayonnaise
red onion rings
baby spinach or butter lettuce
4 slices bread

Sauté onion and mushrooms in butter in a small skillet for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice and stir in marjoram. Allow to cool slightly.

Chop eggs coarsely. Combine with mushrooms and mayonnaise. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spread the egg mixture on two slices of bread. Top with red onion rings and spinach leaves. Top with other two slices of bread.

Makes 2 sandwiches.