Vegan Chili

I made this delicious chili Sunday night. It's a simple dish which requires time simmering on the stove, but not constant attention.

I served it with fingerling potatoes, which I thought was an excellent combination - like baked potato with baked beans. Larry preferred to eat saltines with his bowl of chili. Rice or cornbread would also be good side dishes.

The beans I used are called barbecue beans - they're a little larger than navy beans and have a slightly green tinge. Kidney beans work well too. The green lentils make the chili thick, so you don't need to use ground beef substitutes made of chemically-flavored soy beans.

The chili improves for a few days in the fridge, and can be frozen for longer storage.

Vegan Chili
1 cup barbecue beans
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced
1/4 cup oil
1 cup green lentils
4 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp paprika
14-oz can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt

Cook the beans until almost cooked but still a little crunchy. Drain and set aside.

Sauté onion, garlic and carrot in oil until soft, about 8 minutes. Add cooked beans, raw lentils, chili powder, coriander, paprika, tomatoes with the juice, and 2 cups water. Stir. Bring to the boil and simmer 1 hour, adding more water if necessary. Stir in the soy sauce and simmer another 30-60 minutes. Stir in salt to taste.

Serves 6-8

The Breads of France

I just found a great book - The Breads of France and how to make them in your own kitchen by Bernard Clayton, Jr.

Larry and I relished the bread when we were in France last summer, but this author took it a step further and learned from the bakers how to make the bread at home.

It's a book from the 70s, with black and white pictures of Parisians and their bread that look like they're from the '50s. Clayton himself is an anachronism - a picture shows him kneading dough, tie neatly in place. Then putting a loaf in one of his indoor woodfire ovens, tie still crisply knotted.

I thought I would enjoy it as a quirky book, but then the recipes drew me in. Clayton really baked these loaves, using American flour and standard equipment (although he has a woodburning oven, the recipes all work in a gas or electric one), and came up with the same texture and flavor he remembered from his visit to France.

I am intrigued, and determined to bake my way through this book.

Fortunately, bread freezes well, so we won't have to eat everything I bake fresh from the oven. (The first recipe makes 4 loaves of bread.) Although we will be tempted. Does anything smell better than fresh-baked bread?

I'll let you know how it goes along the way.

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

Industrial Agriculture

I've been aggravated for a while about how cheap industrial US-grown corn produced by the likes of Archer Daniels Midland has put a lot of Mexican farmers out of work. The companies export the corn to Mexico and sell it for less than their local farmers can grow it.

But I didn't realize that it's not just the corn used in tortillas that is exported cheaply.

A lot of corn is fed to hogs. American hog companies move into Mexico, import cheap (gmo) corn from the US, grow fat hogs, and then slaughter them in Mexico where labor is cheap. Then the ham is sold here in the US. Big US companies like Smithfield have forced the closure of many small Mexican butchers.

I learned about this in a recent article in The Nation, which you can read here.

I don't want to support agricultural multinationalism. That's why I shop at the Hollywood Farmers Market from small farmers who have a minimal footprint of damage.

Larry buys meat from a farmer who raises his own cows, pigs and chickens, takes them to a USDA-approved slaughterhouse where they are prepped and frozen, and then sells them at famers markets. (The LA Times wrote about this farmer, Greg Nauta of Rocky Canyon Farms in Atascadero. You can read their article here.) Greg's cattle are completely grass-fed, unlike so many cows that are finished with a couple of weeks of grain to make them fatter. Fortunately he has people like us who are willing and able to pay extra for the privilege of knowing where our food comes from.

Industrial agriculture destroys too many societies. We all need to do what we can to shop locally from small non-industrial farmers.

Fabulous Grains

I regularly freeze leftover cooked grains. They are simple to defrost and use in casseroles or other mixed dishes.

The other day I made an excellent dish with defrosted wheat berries and red quinoa, leftover tomato sauce, and a sprinkling of grated cheddar.

I told Larry what it was while it was cooking, so he wouldn't be hoping for lasagna - the aromas are similar. We both enjoyed it, and found the flavors even better the next day as reheated leftovers.

I spread about 3 cups of the leftover grain in the bottom of a casserole dish, so it was about 2 inches deep. I could have used leftover brown rice or millet, or any grain I had on hand. Then I spread my zesty tomato sauce over top, about 1/4 inch or so, and then a sprinkling of grated cheddar. I put the lid on the casserole, and baked it at 350°F for about 40 minutes until it was heated through and the flavors were melded.

In the meantime, I cooked up a batch of kohlrabi greens. I sautéed half an onion and a clove of garlic in a little olive oil. I washed the greens and chopped them coarsely, stems and all. I tossed them in the pot, stirred in a sprinkle of salt and pepper and red chile flakes, and put the lid on. I stirred every five minutes or so, making sure they didn't stick on the bottom. The greens cooked down to a delicious spicy pottage.

The greens and grains combined to make a healthy and delicious dinner, perfect for a cool winter evening.

Grapes of Wrath

I just finished reading John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath.

It's the story of depression era farmworkers forced off the land by drought and industrial revolution in Oklahoma, and how they struggle to find a better life in California.

It made me mad.

This is Steinbeck's description of the landowners explaining to the tenant farmers that they're kicking them off the land they've worked all their lives because more profits can be made using tractors instead of human labor.

The drought was already a problem, so yields were down in the fields.

The bank - the monster has to have profits all the time. It can't wait. It'll die. No taxes go on. When the monster stops growing, it dies. It can't stay one size.

Because the bank needs larger profits, the tenant system won't work any more, the owners say. One man on a tractor can take the place of 12 or 14 families. Pay him a wage and take all the crop.

It's not us, it's the bank. A bank isn't like a man. Or an owner with fifty thousand acres, he isn't like a man either. That's the monster.

The tenant farmers say they were born and died and worked on the land which makes it theirs.

We're sorry. It's not us. It's the monster. The bank isn't like a man.

Yes, but the bank is only made of men.

No, you're wrong there - quite wrong there. The bank is something else than men. It happens that every man in a bank hates what the bank does, and yet the bank does it. The bank is something more than men, I tell you. It's the monster. Men made it, but they can't control it.

Some things never change.

Fingerling Potatoes

My local independent grocery store has started stocking organic fingerling potatoes.

They are our latest favorite food.

I scrub them, toss them with olive oil and salt and pepper, and roast them at 400°F for 20-30 minutes, until they are fork tender.

Fabulous.

If I want to go really wild, I sprinkle some nutty gruyere over them and put them back in the oven until the cheese is melted.

I serve them with wilted greens for a simple supper, or with fried eggs for Sunday brunch.

Purity Organics is selling these potatoes in plastic bags. Ask your produce manager to stock them. Then you can be addicted too.

Stocking the Freezer

I reached into the freezer for vegetable stock the other day, and realized my stash was low. In fact, I was holding the last container in my hand.

That was not a good state of affairs. A good vegetable stock is crucial to delicious vegetarian soups and stews. (Larry finds it essential to his beef stew, too.)

So I spent three days this week re-stocking the freezer.

Three days in a row, I made stock in my slow cooker. 18 cups in all have been packed in one- and two-cup containers, labeled and frozen.

I've posted my favorite stock recipe before. You can read it here.

Although the parsnip is optional, I highly recommend it if you can find it. The stock won't taste like parsnip, but it will have an extra depth of flavor.

Now my freezer is packed with stock, and I feel like a contented squirrel knowing he has a stash of nuts to get him through the winter.

Red Sauce for Valentine's Day

Last year I served Larry tofu on Valentine's Day. You can read about it here.

This year I thought to ask Larry what he'd like to eat on Valentine's Day. He requested spaghetti with tomato sauce. That sounded fun, and heart-healthy.

Then on Friday night, Larry's brother told me about their mother's homemade tomato sauce. He remembers it bubbling on the stove for more than an hour as it cooked. Unfortunately she did not pass on the recipe.

Most tomato sauces include sugar (check the ingredients in the jar of sauce in your cupboard). Since I prefer my sugar in dessert, I used balsamic vinegar instead to tame the tomatoes. I used Muir Glen organic tomatoes - they have great flavor, and their tins are now bpa-free - and I bought fresh basil at the hydroponic stall at the Hollywood Farmers Market.

The sauce was red and thick and tangy. It was great for mopping up with pungent garlic bread. And I served it with lacinato kale which I had sautéed in garlic and enough chiles to give it a kick. We ended the meal with lemon creme brulée - tart and creamy with a crunch from the sugar topping. It was not a meal for the faint of heart.

Tomato Sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
14-oz can tomato sauce
14-oz can diced tomatoes
6-oz can tomato paste
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chile flakes
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Gently sauté the garlic and onion in the olive oil until soft but not brown.

Stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer.

Stir in the salt, chile flakes, basil and balsamic vinegar. Cook, covered, over low heat, stirring every 10 minutes or so. It will take about an hour for the flavors to meld. Warning - this sauce splatters everywhere. Keep the lid on, and be careful when you stir.

Makes enough for four good servings of spaghetti.

Market Shopping

The stalls at the Hollywood Farmers Market were bursting with colorful winter greens this morning.

I showed great restraint amidst all that abundance.

Here's what we came home with:

1 bunch lacinato kale
1 bunch turnips with greens attached
1 bunch rutabagas (with greens destined for the compost)
1 bunch carrots (ditto)
1 bunch collard greens
2 bunches baby kohlrabi (1 for Tracie)
1 red butter lettuce
1 bunch red russian kale
3 yellow onions
1 red onion
1 bunch basil
2 heads garlic
2 cute little winter squash
blueberries
9 grapefruit
feta
St. Benoit yogurt

Nettle Noodles

Nettles are full of minerals and essential nutrients. They are a boon for the hair, skin, and nails. They nourish the kidneys and adrenals, help balance blood sugar, and are generally a great healing herb.

Unfortunately, they also have stingers, little hairs that cause irritation and sometimes even a small blister when you touch them.

I avoid the stings and get the benefits of nettles by infusing the dried herb (1 oz of dried nettles in 1 quart boiling water, let sit overnight, strain and drink).

But the other day Flora Bella had fresh nettles at their stand. I could not resist buying a bunch.

My mother told me of picking and cooking wild nettles - she said they tasted like wet flannel. But I was not to be deterred. I changed the texture of the leaves - and removed flannel overtones - by puréeing them. But green mush is not appealing either. So I made it into noodles, using the nettles in place of the spinach in a standard spinach pasta recipe.

The result was beautiful green noodles. They did not taste of nettles, nor did they sting as we ate them. We could almost tell ourselves we were eating health food.

The secret to not getting stung by fresh nettles is to grasp them firmly. I got only one sting, and it faded by the next day.

And now I've conquered my fear of nettles, next time I see them I'll try them in soup - but I'll make sure to blanch and purée them first.

Nettle Noodles
1 cup nettle leaves
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp cold water
1 egg
1 cup flour

Cook the nettles in boiling water for 2 minutes until soft and tender. Drain and press out the water.

Purée them in the food processor. Add the olive oil and water and purée again. Add the egg and pulse it in a couple of times. Then add half the flour, process for a few seconds, then add the remaining flour and process until it forms a ball. (Sprinkle with a very little water if it won't come together. The liquid needed will depend on how well you drained your nettles.)

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead a few times. (You won't get stung.) Form a ball of the dough, cover it with an upside-down bowl, and let it stand 45 minutes.

Roll the dough into a large thin rectangle, approximately 12x16 inches. Let it air-dry for an hour until the surface is not sticky.

Roll it up loosely like a jelly-roll, and slice it into 1/2 inch thick noodles. Unroll the noodles and cook in a big pot of boiling salted water until just cooked, about 3-4 minutes. Drain and serve with your favorite sauce, or with a little olive oil and grated parmesan.

Serves 2

Collard Greens

Larry says collards are his favorite greens.

I think it's because they are soft and not as bitter as some other greens. Sautéed with a little garlic, they are a satisfying side dish.

We bought especially young and tender collard greens at the Hollywood Farmers Market on Sunday. I served them with leftover chili and cheese-y toast.

Cooked this way, the greens keep some of their shape and texture. You could use this same technique with any other tender green.

Collard Greens
1 bunch collard greens (about 3/4 lb)
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic

Wash the greens and cut off the very thick or woody stems. Roll a few leaves at a time like a cigar and slice them across in 1/4 inch strips (chiffonade).

Warm the olive oil over medium heat. Peel and coarsely chop the garlic, add it to the oil, and cook 30 seconds until lightly golden. Stir in the sliced collard greens, sprinkle with a little salt and a couple of tablespoons of water. Stir and cover. Let it cook for about 2 minutes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.

Serves 2-3

How clean is clean?

The Los Angeles Times ran an article yesterday about the cleanliness of the bags of pre-washed greens one buys at the supermarket.

Even though the greens are triple-washed, it does not mean they aren't contaminated with bacteria. Because the washing is done in such large batches, a small amount of bacteria-infected greens added to the mix can contaminate many bags of greens. The bacteria they're most worried about is e-coli, which comes from animal manure.

I don't buy pre-packaged greens, because I prefer to shop at the farmers market. I'm also growing lettuce and other greens in our garden. On the rare occasions that I do buy the bagged stuff, I rinse it in cold water before serving. There is debate as to whether water will wash off the bacteria, but it makes me feel better.

The companies that wash greens are investigating various chemicals to add to the washes to ensure that no bacteria remains. I think this is going about it in the wrong way.

Our body's main defense against bacteria and pathogens in our food is the acid in our stomach. When working optimally, it breaks down and destroys the protein shell of microbes, rendering them harmless. And the good bacteria in our intestines should take care of any residue. So keeping a healthy digestive system is really important.

The public health problem with the spread of bacteria on bagged greens comes because the farming and washing is done on such a large scale that it can harm many people.

I buy my lettuce and greens from local farmers who eat the produce they sell, and who feed it to their own children. I know they are practicing healthy farming techniques, and I trust them to provide me with safe food.

Smaller is better.

Tropical Granola

It's been cold here in Southern California, so last week I decided we needed a taste of the tropics for breakfast.

I had found packages of dried organic mangos and pineapple at my local supermarket. I think the brand name is Made in Nature. I approached it with caution, because so often dried fruit is sweetened with sugar or corn syrup. Why, I don't know. Drying concentrates the natural sugars in fruit - they don't need any more.

But these are unsweetened, so I brought them home and decided to make tropical granola. The dried fruit is a little pricey, but it made a large amount of granola, and I have enough left for a second batch.

It's a good thing I made a lot, because Larry really likes this granola. (He says he likes all the granolas I make, but this one he's been eating regularly.)

Of course, as with any granola, you can vary the ingredients to suit your taste. I added currants for some tartness to offset all the sweet (and because I had some in the freezer). I used dates because they grow locally and I get organic ones from the Batista Family Ranch stand at the Hollywood Farmers Market. Raisins could take the place of both. I used raw wildflower honey from Martinez Apiaries (also at the Hollywood Farmers Market).

I cut the dried mango, pineapple and apricots with scissors - far easier than a knife - into irregular bite-sized pieces. I pitted the dates and cut them into rough eighths.

I think it's the toasted coconut that gives it that real tropical flavor. I recommend eating this granola as the sun rises over the palm trees in order to get the full effect.

Tropical Granola
6 cups rolled oats
1 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups oat bran
1 cup non-fat dry milk
1/2 cup almonds, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup unsweetened dessicated coconut
1/3 cup sesame seeds
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup canola oil
1 cup honey
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup currants
6 dates, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup dried pineapple, snipped
1/4 cup dried mango, snipped
1/2 cup dried apricots, snipped

In large bowl, stir together oats, sunflower seeds, oat bran, dry milk, almonds, walnuts, coconut, sesame seeds and cinnamon.

In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, honey, vanilla and almond extract.

Stir wet into dry until well moistened (hands work best).

Bake in a 250° oven for one hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheets 10 minutes, then stir in dried fruit.

Store in glass containers. Makes about 10 cups granola.

White Beans and Escarole

Larry was out late the other night, so I was on my own for dinner.

I got home at 5 p.m. and decided I was in the mood for comfort food on this cold winter night.

First I poured 3/4 cup of large shiny white dried lima beans into a pot of boiling water. While they simmered, I rooted through the fridge for a good green to pair them with.

I decided upon the pale green escarole I had bought from Flora Bella farm at the Hollywood Farmers Market last week.

Escarole is a slightly bitter green. It's usually used in salads, but it was too cold for salad. I decided to try it cooked.

By about 6:30 the beans were tender, so I drained them, reserving a cup of the cooking liquid.

I sautéed some onion in olive oil until it was tender, and then added some minced garlic and red chiles. (This was comfort cooking, so I can't tell you exact amounts.) When they were fragrant I added the escarole which I had washed and chopped into one-inch pieces, stems and all.

I seasoned with salt and pepper, added the drained beans, and moistened it all with some bean liquid. I stirred it together, put the lid on, and let it cook until the escarole was softened but still had a little bite. I sprinkled on some balsamic vinegar, stirred again, and checked the seasoning.

I enjoyed a couple of bowls of this delicious stew, and had some leftover for lunch the next day.

The picture above is of the reheated leftovers. The escarole looked more vibrant when I ate it the first night, but I was not in the mood to take pictures. I just wanted to eat my nutritious and delicious dinner.

Commercial Salad Dressing

Salad dressing is one of the easiest condiments to make. Shake oil, vinegar and a few seasonings together in a jar and you have a simple vinaigrette that will made lettuce sparkle.

I've posted a few recipes for salad dressings on this blog, including one with beer, a simple honey balsamic dressing, another with walnut oil. Search through the salad recipes for others including citrus, zesty garlic and more.

I recently read the ingredients on a commercial balsamic vinaigrette:

water
soybean oil
balsamic vinegar
white wine vinegar
sugar
salt
spice
maltodextrin
modified food starch
yeast extract
natural flavors (including soy lecithin)
whey
xanthan gum
natural flavor
less than 0.1% sodium benzoate added as a preservative
garlic
onion
caramel color
propylene glycol alginate

This is why I make my own dressings.

Lacinato Kale

This is one of my favorite kales. It's also called dinosaur kale because of its velvety dimpled leaves. Apparently this is what dinosaur skin feels like. Other names are Tuscan kale, black kale, and cavolo nero. Cooked a long time, it becomes silky and smooth, like pesto.

I like it cooked in the Italian style. I chop it coarsely and then sauté it in a little olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and red chile peppers.

I served it the other night with leftover mushroom risotto made into little cakes and fried until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Very Italian. Very delicious.

I like the greens like this, a little leathery, good chewing, but not crisp. However, Larry said that he prefers his greens to be silky soft so he can swallow without chewing (and tasting) too much. If your family is the same way, blanch the greens for 2 minutes in boiling water, drain, then cook as below.

Lacinato Kale
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
red chile pepper flakes
1 bunch lacinato kale, washed and coarsely chopped
salt
pepper

Warm olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and a sprinkling of chile pepper flakes. Sauté until the onion is soft.

Add kale, along with the drops of water on its leaves. Stir well. Cover, lower the heat, and cook 5 minutes. Stir, cover, and keep cooking until the kale is softened but not mushy.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Serves 2-3

Dandelion Greens

In this cool winter weather, the Hollywood Farmers Market is overflowing with greens - chard, collards, arugula, many varieties of kale. It's hard to limit my selections to just a week's supply. So many greens, so few meals to eat.

Dandelion greens are my latest favorite.

They are nutrition powerhouses - rich in iron, B vitamins, and many minerals. They improve digestion, lower cholesterol, support the liver, and are exceptionally good for nursing mothers.

They are bitter, however, which I do not like. To neutralize the bitterness I add an acid. (This works with all bitter greens.) In Italian cooking, the acid is usually balsamic vinegar or lemon juice. When I cooked dandelion greens the other day I used lime juice.

We enjoyed the greens as a side dish with a leek and mushroom risotto, and then I took the leftovers to work the next day for a great mid-morning energy boost.

Dandelion Greens
1 bunch dandelion greens
salt and pepper
1 lime

Wash the dandelion greens well and discard the lower part of the leaf which is mainly stem. Chop the leaves coarsely - don't bother removing the center rib. Put them in a large pot with a half-inch of water in the bottom. Cover, bring to the boil, and cook until they are the consistency you like - I like them quite soft.

Serve with salt and pepper and lime wedges on the side so each person can season to their taste.

Serves 2-3

Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Every now and then, Trader Joe's carries organic russet potatoes. These are a real treat, because the organic potatoes at the farmers' market are the all-purpose kind, great for boiling and mashing but not for baking.

And there's nothing like a baked potato on a winter evening.

It is possible to bake Yukon gold and other all-purpose potatoes, but they don't bake up as fluffy as Idahos or russets.

The peel is an important part of a baked potato. First, it bakes up crunchy and delicious. (Do not wrap your potatoes in foil to bake. It makes the skin soft, and I'm pretty sure your body does not have an aluminum deficiency.) Second, a lot of the nutrients in potatoes, such as fiber and bioflavanoids, are in the skin.

A single baked potato provides nearly 12% of the daily recommended intake of fiber. A study in the British Journal of Nutrition found that potatoes have been wrongly classified as high on the glycemic index - they have more complex carbs than they were given credit for. And of course, even cooked they're a good source of Vitamin C.

Potatoes are the ultimate diet food - low in calorie, high in fiber, and wonderfully filling. The key is not to add too much butter.

The other day I made these delicious Broccoli Baked Potatoes. They have a little cheese and milk, but no butter. With a side of steamed vegetables, they made a hearty meal.

Broccoli Baked Potatoes
3 medium baking potatoes
1 large stalk broccoli
2 tbsp milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
pepper

Preheat oven to 425°.

Scrub the potatoes and make a shallow slit down the middle as if you were cutting the potato in half lengthwise.

Bake until they are done, approximately 45 minutes depending on the size. I put on an oven mitt and squeeze them to determine if they're cooked.

Peel the stem of the broccoli as needed, and then steam the whole stalk until tender. Chop the stem and florets finely.

Slice the baked potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the insides into a bowl, leaving 1/4" shell. Stir in the broccoli, milk, and half the cheese. Add pepper to taste. Mash together, then pile the filling back in the potato shells. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and put back in the oven for 10 minutes or so until they're hot.

Serves 2-3

Healthy Resolution

One week into the new year, have you given up on your resolutions?

Are you ready for a new one?

From all the reading on health that I do, the one common denominator is that people who eat more vegetables are healthier.

It doesn't matter if the vegetables are raw, cooked, defrosted, organic, tossed in butter -- as long as they are vegetables.

So a great healthy resolution for this year is to make sure that half the food on your plate at each meal is vegetables. (You can use fruit instead of vegetables at breakfast if you like, but juice does not count.)

This does not have to be a lot of work. Keep some bags of mixed vegetables in the freezer and when you come home with take-out, or order delivery, throw the vegetables in the microwave or steamer. Toss them in butter or olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and you've got half your meal done. And you can feel good about it.

Don't worry if your family won't eat the vegetables. Do this for you.

Ideally you'd eat a variety of vegetables throughout the week - cooked greens, cabbage family, orange vegetables like carrots and squash, root vegetables -- but even if you just stick to broccoli and carrots, you'll go far.

Just remember, every time you eat, make half of what you put in your mouth vegetables.

It will be the healthiest habit you ever develop.