Here’s an easy, satisfying supper for about 50 cents a serving–and more than a day’s supply of vitamins C and K. For a slightly heartier meal, make it with two eggs per person, or accompany with a small serving of egg noodles.
Category: Healthy Recipes
Seasonal, simple, delicious, nutritious recipes
Kale Soup with Rice and Lemon
Kale Soup with Rice and Lemon Makes 4 servings The bright touch of lemon in this soup is like a little ray of sunshine on a winter’s day. The soup also manages to be hearty without weighing you down. Unlike most soups, which taste better the next day, this one is really best the day it’s made.
Better results with whole grain baking
Substituting whole wheat flour for white flour in baked goods such as quick breads, muffins, or pancakes can make these treats more nutritious. But unless the recipes have been specifically developed for whole wheat flour, the substitution can also turn your goodies into leaden lumps.
In muffins and other treats made with baking powder or soda, you’ll get better results with whole wheat pastry flour. This whole grain flour is nutritionally similar to traditional whole wheat, but produces lighter and more tender baked goods. Another good option is the confusingly named white whole wheat flour. This is a whole-grain flour made from a “white” variety of wheat. It produces whole grain baked goods that are almost as light in texture as those made with refined white flour.
You’ll find both in stores with a large selection of “natural” or alternative flours, or online.
This article was originally published on QuickandDirtyTips.com
Michelle’s Tofu Salad with Nutritional Yeast
If a recipe calls for tofu, it’s important to note whether regular or “silken” tofu is called for. They are not interchangeable. Silken tofu is softer and more fragile. It’s used in miso soup, and it’s often used to impart a creamy texture in dairy-free recipes for salad dressings, puddings, pies, and other desserts. Regular tofu has a slightly coarser texture and holds its shape better. You’ll find it used in stir-fries and grilled and baked dishes.
Michelle’s Tofu Salad with Nutritional Yeast
I used to think of this as a mock egg salad until I realized that I like it much better than regular egg salad! It’s great on crackers or as a sandwich or wrap filling.
Ingredients
1 package extra-firm regular (not silken) tofu
1 medium carrot, grated
3 tablespoons reduced fat mayonnaise
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes (or more to taste)
Garlic salt, to taste
Instructions
- Wrap tofu in several thicknesses of paper towels and squeeze to remove excess moisture.
- Mash tofu with fork in medium bowl.
- Add rest of ingredients and combine. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 164 calories, 9 g fat, 8 g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 14 g protein.
Originally published at QuickandDirtyTips.com
Local produce hard to find in winter?
I’m a big fan of the local food idea. Eating food grown close to where you live saves a ton of gas, spares the environment, supports local growers, and puts fresher, more nutritious food on your table. If you live in Southern California or the southeastern U.S., the growing season is more or less year-round. But what about the rest of us?
Where I live in Maryland, for example, not much grows in the winter. So how do we get our five-a-day without resorting to fruits and vegetables that have been trucked in from California or flown all the way from South America? Growing your own sprouts (or “micro-greens”) can provide you with fresh, crisp greens throughout the winter. And what could be more local than your own kitchen windowsill?
All you need to grow your own sprouts is a couple of quart-sized jars, some cheesecloth or sprouting lids like the ones pictured here, along with a supply of seeds and beans for sprouting. You can find everything you need at your local health-food store or online. In three to five days, you’ll be harvesting your own fresh vegetables. I usually have two jars going: One with smaller “salad” sprouts like alfalfa, clover, radish, or broccoli sprouts and another with larger sprouts like lentils, sunflower seeds, mung beans or other legumes.
The salad sprouts are rich in vitamins C, A, and K and a host of other nutrients. Broccoli sprouts also contain potent cancer-fighting chemicals. You can use salad sprouts in place of lettuce in sandwiches or wraps. We also love piling an inch or two of mixed salad sprouts on a slice of lightly buttered whole wheat bread.
The larger sprouts from beans and other legumes are particularly high in protein, fiber, folic acid and other B vitamins. Their heartier texture makes them good in soups, stir-fries, and omelets. If you are a baker, knead a half cup of sprouted sunflower seeds or wheat berries into whole-grain bread dough just before shaping your loaf. Or try some of these great, healthy recipes from Epicurious.com:
Local vs. organic: the environmental debate
Yesterday, I wrote about new research showing that organically-grown produce contains more disease-fighting nutrients than conventionally-grown vegetables. Yet another reason to choose organic whenever circumstances and budget allow. After all, as any eco-conscious eater knows, organic farming is also better for the environment–or is it?
What if your organic produce is flown in from Chile? Do the fossil fuels burned transporting your organic food cancel out the environmental benefit of using fewer petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides? Obviously, local and organic would be ideal. But if you can’t have both, which is the better choice?
Eating “right” has gotten a lot more complicated
With the local food movement gathering steam, I’ve heard many people argue that local, conventionally grown food is more environmentally friendly than organic food from far away. But a recent post on the Terrablog cites new research from the University of Wales, finding that:
“In general, the food miles are actually a minor portion of the total ecological footprint of food. In the study of a basket of foods in Cardiff, transport amounted to only 2% of the total environmental cost. Growing conditions, packaging and processing made up the bulk of the impact. In fact, a separate article in the same journal shows that local food systems actually have slightly higher carbon emissions!”
What’s the “Ethicurian” to do? (I can’t take credit for that clever term, by the way. It’s the title of a great new blog devoted to helping people “chew the right thing.”) For what it’s worth, the readers of the Terrablog pretty much dismissed this new research as bogus. What do you think? What are your priorities in choosing the foods you buy?
On today’s menu: weeds
Part of the fun of a CSA-share is the opportunity to try vegetables that would otherwise never end up in my shopping cart, such as the sweet potato leaves I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. One of our options this week was purslane, a plant related to the portulacas you might plant in your garden. I first read about purslane in Artemis Simopoulos’s book The Omega Diet. Purslane is one of the richest vegetable sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
See also: Purslane as a source of omega-3s: A reality check
A big part of the reason that the meat from pasture-raised cattle (and wild game) is higher in omega-3 fats is because grazing animals favor these succulent wild greens and will eat them preferentially over other grasses. It makes good grazing for people, too. According to research published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 100 grams of purslane contains 300-400 mg of omega-3 fats (alpha-linolenic acid), along with over half a day’s supply of vitamin E, a third of the day’s vitamin C, and a quarter of the day’s vitamin A. But does it taste good?
I’d never bought or cooked with purslane before. In fact, I’d never even seen it at the grocery store. But in her weekly email to us One Straw Farm shareholders, our farmer Cheryl Wade gave it a big drumroll:
“The tips, either in or out of flower are cute enough for garnish and add a definite zip to fresh salads. You can also steam it, stems and all and serve it with oil and vinegar or butter and soy sauce or most people need nothing on it at all. When you have a bumper crop you can start steaming piles of Purslane and popping it in the freezer as a blessed addition to soups. It does a nice job of thickening the soup, too. Purslane can be substituted for spinach or wild greens in lasagnas, filled pastas, and Greek-style tarts.”
I couldn’t wait. When I got to the market on Thursday, however, I opted out of the purslane and chose other vegetables instead. Why? Because once I saw it, I realized that I’ve got all the purslane I need growing in my garden! I bet you do, too. It sprouts up everywhere, in between the cracks in the terrace, along the sidewalk, and in flower and vegetable beds. In fact, I spend a good part of the summer weeding it! Here’s what purslane looks like:
As it happens, my personal crop was a little depleted by some power weeding we did over the weekend, but experience tells me it will be back soon. So instead of weeding the next batch, I plan to harvest it and try some of Cheryl’s suggested preparations. I’ll let you know how it goes. If you haven’t weeded your garden recently (and haven’t sprayed any chemicals on it), you might enjoy some purslane today. Here’s a couple of other serving suggestions from The Omega Diet (p. 157):
“When you first try purslane, serve it raw tossed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Delicious. Once you’ve gained appreciation for its delicate flavor and unique texture (like a cross between tender pea pods and a buttery lettuce), add it to mesclun, toss it in soups, or saute briefly in butter and serve with a light cream sauce.”
Adventures with vegetables
Sweet potato leaves: who knew they were so delicious (and good for you)?!
As part of our commitment to eat more local foods, (see my post “Six ways to make your diet healthier (for the planet)”), we joined a CSA this year. Back in March, we paid a lump sum to a local organic farmer in exchange for a share of this year’s crops. Now that the growing season is underway, we get a basket every week, full of whatever vegetables they’re harvesting that week.
It’s been a fun challenge to get through the weekly mound of fresh greens, lettuces, beets, and squash before the next one arrives. This week’s basket included a vegetable I’d never had before: sweet potato greens, presumably plucked from the crown of sweet potatoes that we’ll be enjoying later this season.
Like most greens, sweet potato leaves are very low in calories. Plus, they’re an excellent source of vitamin K. (You can read more about this little-known nutrient in this post on Vitamin K and blood thinners.)
The farmer suggested sauteeing them in a bit of oil, salt and pepper (what doesn’t taste good that way?!). So this morning I did just that and folded the lightly wilted greens into an omelet with a bit of Boursin cheese. DELICIOUS! Turns out that sweet potato greens are tender and mild –not at all bitter–and without that “chalky” feeling that spinach can leave on your teeth. Check your local farmer’s market this weekend for this delectable treat!