Month: March 2011

Caramelized Sunchokes with Meyer Lemon Zest & Parsley

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Sunchokes (a k a Jerusalem artichokes, from the Italian name, girasole articiocco) are one of those items you’re more likely to find at the farmers’ market than at the grocery store. These homely little tubers of the sunflower resemble ginger root and can be eaten raw or cooked. Raw, they have a mild, faintly nutty flavor and crunchy texture; try them julienned or sliced paper thin. Cooking deepens their nutty character. Sunchokes have a thin skin, so don’t bother peeling them–just give them a gentle scrub with a vegetable brush. With a sprinkling of lemon zest and parsley, this side dish pairs well with roast chicken or pan-seared fish.

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Banana Licuado

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This is my hands-down favorite licuado in Mexico (OK, you caught me … I’m also a sucker for a black zapote). Somewhere between a milkshake and a smoothie, this banana licuado recipe makes a lovely breakfast or sweet afternoon snack.

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Promote Happy Meals

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McDonald’s and KFC and the like do a great job making their food enticing to kids. Bright wrappers, big logos, snappy slogans, take home “rewards” for eating their stuff. Honestly, what’s not for a kid to like? But we can take a page from these Goliaths on how to do a better job “marketing” the healthy meals we make at home as happy meals for the whole family.

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  • Make food appeal to kids’ senses. Instead of serving boiled potatoes, roast some Garlic Parsnip Fries so the house smells delish. Instead of spaghetti with butter on a white plate, throw in some (green) spinach and serve it in a red bowl.
  • Get them involved. McDonald’s has an entire Happy Meal website devoted to entertaining kids. We, too, can entertain kids with our Super Antics in the kitchen. Put them to work pinching herbs, or pounding garlic in a mortar and pestle, or even stirring water in a bowl with a wooden spoon. The point is, make them feel like they’re in on the action.
  • Generate a sense of anticipation. Get a great kids’ cookbook and let the kiddos choose what they want to make once or twice a week, then generate a sense of anticipation for the meal as you make a shopping list, gather the ingredients, etc. If you have a garden or a farmers’ market, ramble around with the kids and make up names of dishes you could make with each food. The whole experience can engage their imagination . . . maybe even as much as a Happy Meal Superhero!
  • Create a special occasion. There’s a sense with kids that having McDonald’s is a “special occasion.” We can do that too. Have the kiddos help set the table with nice napkins, dim the lights and light candles, present the plate as a waiter would, introducing each food with a description. Then sit down with them and your own dinner and share in the enjoyment.

Amaranth “Polenta” with Goat Cheese

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Amaranth is a gluten-free grain with an inherently gelatinous quality that makes it a good substitute for polenta in this simple side dish. It’s delicious with just about anything, from poultry to grilled shrimp to our luscious Short Rib and Cremini Ragu. You can change up this basic recipe in any number of ways: experiment with different cheeses and herbs, stir in sun-dried tomatoes, sauteed spinach or peas…use whatever goodies you have on hand!

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Get a New Grain: Amaranth

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The more I’ve learned about amaranth, the more I’ve come to think of it as quinoa’s little cousin. The two certainly have a lot in common. Like quinoa, amaranth has a long New World history. It was revered among the native peoples of Mexico and Central America, and it was so crucial to the Aztecs’ diet, culture and even religion that the Spanish conquistadors outlawed its cultivation.
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Also, like quinoa, amaranth is considered a “pseudo-grain” because it isn’t a true cereal grain, though it shares many of the same nutritional and culinary qualities. Amaranth “grains” are actually the seeds of the plant, which also yields very tasty, tender green leaves that you might have seen labeled as “Chinese spinach” at farmers’ markets or Asian groceries.

And, along with quinoa, amaranth is a nutritional dynamo. A quarter-cup uncooked amaranth (about 3/4 cup cooked) has 179 calories, 3 grams of fiber and a whopping 7 grams of protein. Even better, amaranth is one of the few plant sources of complete protein (like quinoa, surprise, surprise). If you’re a vegan or simply trying to enjoy more meatless meals, amaranth should have a place on your plate. Oh, yeah, and it’s gluten free, too.

So what’s the difference? For all its similarities to quinoa, amaranth has some unique characteristics:

What It Looks Like: Amaranth’s teeny-tiny pale-golden beads look like a much dinkier version of quinoa. (Tip: The tiny grains tend to scatter everywhere, so if you buy amaranth from the bulk bins, use a funnel to decant it into another container. I learned this the hard way.)

What It Tastes Like: Texture is the first thing you notice about amaranth. Whereas quinoa cooks up with fluffy individual grains, amaranth releases lots of starch during cooking. That lends it a gelatinous consistency with each grain creating a subtle, caviar-like “pop” when you chew it. Amaranth has a mildly nutty quality and readily absorbs the flavors of other ingredients.

How to Cook It: Use 1 part amaranth to 3 parts liquid, which can be anything from plain water to stock to milk. Bring the amaranth and liquid to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 25 minutes or until tender. Stir it occasionally. To enhance amaranth’s nutty flavor, saute the grains in a little bit of fat before adding your liquid. One cup of uncooked amaranth yields about 3 cups cooked.

How to Use It: Choose dishes that make the most of amaranth’s rich, pudding-like texture. Indeed, we’ve found it makes an excellent dessert in our Chai-Spiced Amaranth Pudding or Chocolate Amaranth Pudding (yes, we love pudding around here!). I’d also try it for breakfast in place of millet in our Creamy Millet with Blueberry Compote. Or use it instead of corn in grits or polenta.

Additional Notes: You’ll also find amaranth flour, which you can use to in baked goods or to make atole, the warm, thick traditional Mexican drink. Look for puffed amaranth at health-food stores (or pop it yourself at home), which you can use as a cold breakfast cereal or to make like alegria–a lovely Mexican snack that has been described as Mexico’s answer to the Rice Krispie treat.

3/3/11 Nourishing News Roundup

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Our weekly roundup of  links to tasty headlines we think you’ll want to read…

A Tasty Case for Kale

Need more inspiration to incorporate greens in your diet? Lia shows you how on Good Cookin’ with Bruce Aidells on the LiveWell Network. Watch this, and I’ll bet you’ll want to make her Braised Kale and Feta Tartines for supper tonight!

Be Good to Yourself

What’s one of the best steps you can take to for your health? Be kind to yourself, according to this New York Times Well blog post. Researchers say people who are “self-compassionate” tend to eat better than those who are hard on themselves.

School Farm Stand

We love this idea by the Parent Teacher Student Association at Golden Avenue Elementary School in Lemon Grove, Calif.: A weekly mini farmers’ market selling produce grown by local farmers. As Chris Huard reports on the Lemon Grove Patch, the program was launched in December to foster healthy eating habits in the community. It’s just one of two school-based farmers’ markets in the state.

To learn about another unique school program, check out Cheryl’s story about a Northern California mom who organized a garden at her kids’ school to supply a local food bank with fresh produce.

Revamp Your Relationship with Food!

We’re very excited about the relaunch of My Nourish Mentor, Lia’s 12-week, online coaching program for those who want hands-on strategies to foster a healthy relationship with food. Check out this video to learn more about how this life-changing program works.

Crepe Maker

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Neither my schedule nor budget has room for a trip to France anytime soon. So if I want to enjoy my favorite Parisian street food–Nutella crepes–I’ll have to join the (very) long line at the crepe stand at the Sunday farmers’ market or make them myself.

Happily, it’s incredibly easy to make crepes crepes at home. If I can do it, you can, too.

I wanted to experiment with using whole wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose flour in the batter. As I’ve noted before, whole wheat pastry flour is a fantastic find. It has all the fiber and nutrients of regular whole wheat flour, but because it’s made from soft white wheat, it has less protein (and therefore less gluten development) than regular whole wheat flour. Its soft texture makes it ideal for delicate baked goods or uses where you don’t want a lot of gluten development–like crepes.

Here are 6 steps to making crepes at home:

Mix your batter. Crepe batter is much the same as standard pancake batter except it doesn’t have a leavener like baking powder. So, instead of fluffy flapjacks, you’ll get a thin, flat pancake. Also, classic crepes aren’t typically sweetened, but you can add a tablespoon or two of sugar to the batter if you prefer them sweet.

Let it rest. Cover the batter and let it stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. This allows the flour to absorb all the moisture, which ensures the crepes cook evenly with tender results.

Choose a pan. Sure, you could use a dedicated shallow crepe pan, which might be a nice investment if you make crepes often. Otherwise, a nonstick skillet does the job beautifully. The number of crepes this recipe yields depends on the size of your pan. I used a 10-inch nonstick pan and got a dozen 7-inch crepes.

Heat the pan over medium heat. Don’t use a higher temperature, or the batter will start to set before you have a chance to swirl it around in the pan.

Brush the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of canola oil. Then use a small ladle to pour in just enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan–2 to 4 tablespoons should be plenty. Again, how much depends on the size of your pan.

Swirl, cook, flip. As soon as the batter is poured in, swirl the pan to distribute the batter evenly over the bottom. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the edges of the crepe are light brown and the bottom is golden (use a thin rubber spatula to gently lift the crepe and peek at the bottom. Flip the crepe with the spatula and cook the other side for another minute or until golden. Turn the cooked crepe out of the pan onto a wire rack. Practice makes perfect with this process, and you’ll find the results become more evenly round as you progress from the first crepe to the last.

Crepes are a perfect make-ahead component, since they refrigerate and freeze beautifully. You can thaw them at room temperature, then reheat them in a low oven or warm pan. Fillings are limited only by your imagination, since crepes can envelope both savory and sweet fillings deliciously. But you may want to gobble your first batch hot out of the pan with just a dusting of sifted powdered sugar.

Whole Wheat Crepes

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Traditional French crepes get a healthy upgrade, thanks to whole wheat pastry flour. You don’t need a dedicated crepe pan for this recipe; any nonstick skillet will do. The number of crepes you get depends on the size of the skillet. I used a 10-inch skillet and ended up with 12 (7-inch) crepes. You can double this crepe recipe and freeze the leftovers. Thaw them at room temperature and warm them up in a low oven or in a nonstick skillet over low heat. Serve with savory (try our Cabbage Saute with Shiitakes and Crispy Tofu or Spicy Sweet Shrimp) or sweet fillings (like fresh fruit and a dollop of our Kitchen MacGyver Lemon Curd). Of course, it’s a classic with bananas and Nutella. Don’t worry if the first crepe isn’t perfect–French cooks call that the “sacrifice.”

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The NEW My Nourish Mentor is LIVE!

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Oh my goodness. I am so excited to post this I can’t even stand it. Y’all probably know that I launched the pilot of a small group coaching program called My Nourish Mentor about a year ago. And it’s been incredible. Nearly everyone who has gone through it has achieved their goals, 90% lost weight, and most improved their overall “relationship” with food by roughly 20% (yep, we track that).

But as gratifying as it’s been to walk with peeps on this journey, it’s been disheartening to have so many others say no to such a life-changing opportunity. So I decided that, gosh darn it, I’d ask and ask and ask every time I got a “no” so I could reshape My Nourish Mentor into a program that didn’t just get a yes … but a YES. And, I’m getting a little verklempt, I think we’ve got it.

My Nourish Mentor is now:

  • 12 weeks long (start with Level I, move on to Level II if you’re inclined)
  • entirely online (be as involved or as quiet as you want to be on the member forum area)
  • $49/month!

Approachable, affordable, doable. It’s 12 weeks that will transform the way you look at food, the way you eat, the way you feel, and the way you feed your family and connect with your community. Yes, you’ll likely end up losing weight. Yes, you’ll end up healthier. But My Nourish Mentor goes far beyond a traditional weight loss program or nutrition class.

So if you find yourself having conversations like these:

  • “I am so OVER not being able to eat what I want! I can’t do diets any more!”
  • “Do I really need to buy these (organic) carrots?”
  • “When I lose these last 20 pounds, life will be …”
  • “What kind of fish was on the green list?”
  • “My kids absolutely will not eat vegetables.”
  • “I don’t know what to believe about ‘nutrition’ … what’s good for me one day is doom the next.”
  • “Great that my doctor just told me I need to eat a healthier diet or go on medication forever … now how the heck do I do that?”

Know that, 12 weeks from now, you’ll be enjoying peace of mind as much as you will what’s on your plate.

Here’s what you’ll learn in My Nourish Mentor:

Week 1: One key practice that will change everything … the way you think about food, the way you buy food, the way you eat food and more

Week 2: Get the tools in your kitchen to where they’re working for you–without spending as much as you think

Week 3: How to stack the odds towards eating healthy by stocking a healthy pantry

Week 4: How to get more pleasure … while eating less

Week 5: How to prioritize what matters most to you

Week 6: Techniques to make veggies so irresistible your kids will snap them off the plate

Week 7: How to shrink your “foodshed” and find foods grown, raised and produced near you

Week 8: All about the great big world of whole grains (there’s so much more than brown rice!)

Week 9: Which fats our bodies need; what kinds of oils to buy and how to use them in the kitchen

Week 10: How to balance the budget when you’re spending more on healthy, sustainable food

Week 11: How to foolproof your week against take-out and microwave meals

Week 12: How to make the big leap into enjoying what you eat

Each week, the carefully-crafted curriculum solidifies learnings through experience, so you internalize it as part of you. My Nourish Mentor gradually shifts your paradigms and empowers you to make smart choices–and enjoy making them–rather than dictating what to do. The result? Profound. You’ll feel better about your body–and the food you eat–than you’ve ever felt before … and the transformation will last a lifetime.

Are you ready?

I hope to see you in My Nourish Mentor!

PS — If you’re not ready, shoot me an e-mail and let me know why. Lia (at) nourishnetwork (dot) com. I’d love to hear!