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Yellow Split Pea Soup with Pea Shoots Garnish
Makes 6½ cups
1½ cups green or yellow split peas
9 cups water (4½ cups to soak, 4½ cups to cook)
3-inch piece kombu seaweed
2 large bay leaves
2 teaspoons high-heat olive oil blend (equal parts extra virgin olive oil <EVOO> and a high-heat oil from Spectrum such as safflower or walnut)
Half an onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 large carrot, diced
1 rib celery, diced
½ cup shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps diced
1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
1 teaspoon thyme
Pepper, freshly ground to taste
¼ cup water or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons white miso
Optional Thickener: 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder or kuzu root starch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons cool water
Micro greens such as pea shoots for garnish
1. Soak split peas in water for 24 hours.
2. Drain beans and transfer to pressure cooker or 3-quart pot. Add 4½ cups fresh water and bring to boil uncovered for 5 minutes. With a flat strainer/skimmer, remove and discard foam. Add kombu and bay leaves and pressure cook for 20 minutes, or boil in a pot until tender.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add vegetables with salt, thyme and pepper. Stir, add water or broth, and cover to cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir a couple of times.
4. When beans are cooked, remove kombu. Stir beans with a wire whisk until creamy smooth in texture. Dissolve miso in a little of the hot soup. Add cooked vegetables, seasonings and miso to pot and cook 5 minutes more. Add thickener, only if needed, and heat a couple of minutes more.
5. Garnish to serve.
Roasted Buckwheat Pilaf with Sesame Salt
Makes 3 to 4 servings or 5½ cups
Thanks to Danuta Nguyen of Cracov, Poland, and author of the article “Stay Safe with Buckwheat,” and to chef Sachi Kato whose recipe inspired me to cook this delicious whole grain dish. Both appeared in the Winter 2021 issue of Amberwaves & Macrobiotic Path,planetaryhealth.com. Buckwheat doesn’t require pre-soaking. Sesame salt is a great table seasoning for whole grains. It’s high in flavor and nutrition and low in sodium.
Roasted Buckwheat Pilaf:
1 tablespoon high-heat olive oil blend (equal parts EVOO and safflower or walnut oil)
1 onion, diced
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps diced
2 ribs celery, sliced lengthwise, then crosswise
½ teaspoon unrefined sea salt
2 cups vegetable broth (2 cups water mixed with 2 teaspoons bouillon)
1 cup roasted buckwheat kasha
1/2 cup parsley, minced
Sesame Salt:
1 cup brown/whole sesame seeds
1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
1. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion, mushrooms, celery and salt, and sauté briefly.
2. Add broth to pot with buckwheat. Bring to boil. Cover pot and lower flame to simmer until broth is absorbed, about 30 minutes.
3. To prepare sesame topping, spread seeds on baking sheet and bake at 300° until tasty, about 20 minutes. In a food processor, grind with salt until 2/3 seeds are pulverized. Store in refrigerator.
4. Sprinkle parsley into hot pilaf.
5. To serve in a shape, rinse out a ½- or 1-cup measuring cup, fill with pilaf, and tap out onto serving plate. Top with a teaspoon of sesame salt to serve.
Tender Cooked Kale with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette
Makes 3 servings
Kale:
Water to measure 3 inches deep in a 3-quart pot
½ pound kale, ends trimmed off and discarded, sliced down center ribs then crosswise
Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette:
¼ cup Meyer lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons EVOO
½ teaspoon unrefined sea salt
Freshly-ground pepper
1. Bring water to boil. Add kale. When boiling resumes, cook until tender and bright green in color, for 5 or 6 minutes.
2. Mix dressing ingredients.
3. Drain greens and press out excess liquid. Dress to serve.
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Makes 2 servings
Japanese and Hannah sweet potatoes (as well as garnet and jewel yams) are wonderful when prepared this way. Sweet potatoes and yams contain more moisture than regular potatoes, so are softer in texture.
1 pound or 2 medium sweet potatoes, about 4 cups, sliced in wedges, 1 inch thick at the widest point
1 tablespoon olive oil blend (EVOO and Spectrum high-heat oil) or a seasoned EVOO like McEvoy Ranch’s Rosemary, Basil, Lavender or Jalapeno Oils
1/4 teaspoon unrefined sea salt, or to taste
Garnish or Condiment: Smoked paprika or catsup
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Mix sweet potatoes with oil and salt. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet, one layer thick.
2. Bake until crisp on outside and tender on inside, about 45 minutes. Turn once after 30 minutes. Serve hot or keep warm in a 200° oven. Garnish to serve.
For 2 servings, per serving:
Calories: 333 Protein: 4gm Saturated Fat: 1.0gm Fiber: 9gm Carbohydrates: 64gm Fat: 7gm Cholesterol: 0 Sodium: 215mg
Calories from Protein: 4% Calories from Fats: 19% Calories from Carbohydrates: 77%
Note: With just 2 teaspoons oil, calories from fats are 10%.
Perfect Poached Pears
Makes 4 servings
When selecting pears—Bosc, Comice, Bartlett, D’anjou or French Butter Pears—choose fruit that is fairly firm.
Poaching Liquid:
Makes 3/4 cup
1 cup apple cider or apple juice
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Zest of one-quarter orange or half a lemon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 tablespoon thickener (kuzu root starch or arrowroot powder)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons apple cider or apple juice
Fruit:
2 pears, peeled if desired, halved lengthwise and cored with a melon baller or spoon
Mint or small scented geranium leaves for garnish
1. Place juice, syrup, zest and cardamom in a 3-quart pot or a skillet in which pears fit snugly. Bring to a simmer and whisk to blend ingredients. Add the pears cut side down. When simmering resumes, cover pot to poach until fruit is tender when pierced with a small sharp knife, 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Transfer pears to serving platter or individual plates. Whisk to dissolve thickener with vanilla extract in cider or juice. Add to pot and whisk until mixture thickens, in about a minute. Pour sauce over pears to serve. Garnish stem ends.
Variations: Perfect Poached Pears with Apple-Tahini Cream: For a rich flavor, add 2 teaspoons sesame tahini to poaching liquid with thickener.
Include other spices such as cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and/or Chinese 5 spice. Garnish with 1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned, and chopped
For 4 servings, per serving:
Calories: 139 Protein: 0.9gm Fat: 2gm Saturated Fat: 0.2gm Carbohydrates: 30gm Fiber: 2gm Cholesterol: 0 Sodium: 3mg
Calories from Protein: 3% Calories from Fats: 12% Calories from Carbohydrates: 85%
Tuscan White Bean Soup
Makes 5 to 8 servings or 5½ to 8 cups
We learn that “Tuscans are bean eaters” in Pino Luongo’s cookbook, A Tuscan in the Kitchen (1988). Look for white beans that are grown organically in the US or include heirloom white beans from Rancho Gordo or Community Grains.
2 cups white beans (cannellini [Italian white kidney beans], navy, lima, great northern)
Water or mild-tasting vegetable broth (6 cups to soak, 4 cups to pressure-cook beans or 6 cups to pot cook them)
2 tablespoons high-heat olive oil blend (equal parts EVOO and a Spectrum brand high-heat oil)
2 onions, diced
2 large cloves garlic, pressed
3-inch piece kombu sea vegetable
2 large bay leaves
1½ teaspoons dried Italian herbs
3 tablespoons white miso or chickpea miso
1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
Freshly-ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup fresh basil, minced
Thickener (optional): 2 tablespoons kuzu root starch or arrowroot powder, dissolved in 2 tablespoons cool water
Garnishes (optional): Fresh sprigs basil with heart-shaped carrot cutouts (cut a thick carrot in 8 thin slices, boil in water to cover for 5 minutes, and cut shapes with cutters)
1. Sort through beans for stones by spreading them on a white plate. Rinse beans in water to cover. Drain, and transfer to pot or pressure cooker with measured amount of soak water. Allow to soak 8 hours (all day or overnight) or until bubbles form, up to 24 hours. Drain beans.
2. In the same pot or pressure cooker, heat oil and sauté onion and garlic until barely tender, about 5 minutes. Add beans with fresh water. Bring to boil and slow-boil uncovered for 5 minutes to allow initial gas to escape in the form of froth or steam. Scrape off froth with a skimmer/flat strainer. Add kombu and bay leaf to pot and cover to bring to boil or pressure, then turn heat low to cook until beans are tender, for ½ to 1 hour in pressure cooker (less for most beans, more for cannellini beans), up to 4½ hours in a pot. For pot cooking, add water as needed to cover beans, up to 4½ cups more water.
3. Gently remove kombu. Broth should be level with beans. If there’s too much broth, set aside 1 cup. (Keep to add the next day, if needed. The exception is cannellini beans when you may need to add some water.) With a wire whisk or in a food processor or blender, purée halfway cooked beans and vegetables with dry herbs, miso, salt, and pepper. Add fresh basil and heat through to blend flavors, about 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste and amount of liquid to consistency desired. Or thicken texture by adding dissolved thickener and cooking until gentle bubbling resumes, whisking as you go. Garnish to serve.
For 8 servings, per serving:
Calories: 194 Protein: 9gm Fat: 4gm Saturated Fat: 1gm Carbohydrates: 34gm Fiber: 9gm Cholesterol: 0 Sodium: 230mg
Calories from Protein: 18% Calories from Fats: 17% Calories from Carbohydrates: 64%
Soft Polenta with Braised Wild Mushrooms
Makes 4 to 8 servings
In the 80s and 90s, I taught cooking classes in London, England and around Europe (Amsterdam; Kiental, Switzerland; Berlin and Cologne, Germany; Rome, Italy; Tenerife, Spain; and on an organic farm in Kaz, Turkey). On one of several trips to Italy, we enjoyed an autumn dinner in a countryside restaurant in the northern Lake Region. It was the season for porcini mushrooms and chestnuts. The menu choices were Polenta with Wild Mushrooms or Rabbit, either served with an abundant salad and red wine. We chose the mushrooms and the meal was one of the best I’ve ever eaten.
Polenta:
Makes 3 to 4 cups, less with superfine polenta
1 cup polenta
4 cups water
1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
1 teaspoon high-heat olive oil blend (equal parts EVOO and Spectrum high-heat oil)
1 ear fresh corn, kernels scraped from cob (optional, in season)
Braised Wild Mushrooms:
Makes 2 to 3 cups
Enjoy this menu year-round with whatever mushrooms are in season, such as chanterelle, oyster, shiitake or royal trumpet mushrooms. Or include cultivated organic button or baby bella/crimini mushrooms, or Mycopia’s Organic Chef’s Sampler.
2 teaspoons high-heat olive oil blend
8 large cloves garlic, sliced
1 pound wild mushrooms, 6 to 8 cups, stems trimmed, caps left whole if small, or halved or quartered if large
1/2 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
Freshly-ground pepper
1½ teaspoons fresh rosemary and/or oregano, chopped, or ½ teaspoon Italian seasonings
Generous splash of light white wine or water (optional, only if needed)
1½ teaspoons kuzu or arrowroot powder dissolved in cool water or white wine to cover (optional, only if needed)
Italian parsley for garnish
1. Soak polenta in measured volume of water for an hour to overnight or all day.
2. Drain water from polenta into measuring cup and take note of the amount. Discard soak water. In a 3-quart pot, bring the same amount of fresh water to boil with salt and oil. Stir in the polenta (and the corn). When boiling resumes, turn heat low to cook covered until thick and creamy, about 20 minutes. Stir or whisk occasionally.
3. To cook mushrooms, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic, mushrooms and seasonings. Cover and stir occasionally until the mushrooms release their juices, about 5 minutes. Add the liquid (wine or water) if needed, and cover to cook until quite tender and flavorful, about 5 minutes more. Stir occasionally. If needed to thicken, stir in kuzu or arrowroot.
4. Transfer polenta to a casserole dish, polenta board, or to individual serving plates or bowls. Spoon mushroom mixture over the top and garnish to serve hot.
Note: To reheat leftovers, whisk polenta with boiling water in a small saucepan, or slice polenta and fry in a little hot oil.
For 8 servings, per serving:
Calories: 124 Protein: 3gm Fat: 3gm Saturated Fat: 0.4gm Carbohydrates: 25gm Fiber: 5gm Cholesterol: 0 Sodium: 255mg
Calories from Protein: 9% Calories from Fats: 17% Calories from Carbohydrates: 74%
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Makes 4 servings or 3½ to 4 cups
Blanching the Brussels sprouts before oven-roasting them makes for the most pleasing texture.
1 pound Brussels sprouts, 4 to 6 cups, stem ends trimmed, halved if large
4 large cloves garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil blend (equal parts EVOO and high-heat Spectrum oil)
½ teaspoon unrefined sea salt
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Blanch Brussels sprouts in boiling water to cover for 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry with towel.
2. Mix sprouts with garlic, oil and salt. Transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper; one layer thick. Bake/oven-roast uncovered until tender and browned, about 20 minutes. To ensure even browning, turn sprouts once halfway through.
Tre Colore Salad with White Balsamic Vinaigrette
Makes 4 servings
The three colors (tre colori) in this salad are those in the Italian flag: red, green and white.
White Balsamic Vinaigrette:
Makes 1/3 cup
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon EVOO
1/4 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
Freshly-ground pepper to taste
Salad:
¼ pound combined salad greens: butter lettuce, arugula, radicchio
1/2 small bulb fennel, very thinly sliced on mandoline
¼ watermelon radish or daikon, very thinly sliced on mandoline
¼ each avocado and tomato, cubed for topping
1. Mix dressing ingredients and allow to sit to meld flavors.
2. Toss salad ingredients with dressing to taste. Serve topped with avocado and tomato.
Almond-Orange Heart Cake
Makes 8 servings or one layer
In a mountainous region outside of Milan, a young female baker prepared a different dessert every afternoon for students attending our holistic health seminar, serving it with either cappucino or tea. A one-layer cake got my attention for its color, lightness, simplicity and taste. It contains toasted almond meal for part of the flour, and orange zest and juice in the batter, along with jam for a shiny frosting dusted around the periphery with more ground nuts. I didn’t speak any Italian at the time so couldn’t ask questions, but came home and started experimenting. I like making the cake in a heart-shaped pan, and serving it on a cake stand for dramatic effect. Everyone loves the result and I love thinking of that afternoon in Italy.
Cake:
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup unbleached white pastry flour
1/2 cup almonds, toasted and finely ground (2 tablespoons set aside for garnish)
2 teaspoons non-aluminum baking powder
1/2 teaspoon 5-spice powder or nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
2 tablespoons Spectrum brand high-heat oil
½ cup pure maple syrup
3/4 cup soymilk (Edensoy Original)
Zest of half an orange
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Orange Glaze:
Makes 2/3 cup
1/2 cup fruit-juice sweetened marmalade (half a 10-ounce jar)
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper. (I favor a heart-shaped pan.) Brush the sides of the pan with oil.
2. To prepare cake, in a large bowl mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk wet ingredients together and add to dry. Whisk until batter is almost smooth. Makes 3 cups batter. Pour batter into pan. Batter should measure no higher than 1 inch thick in pan.
3. Bake until cake tests done in the middle, 30 minutes. Allow cake to cool in pan for at least 15 minutes. Run a small knife around the edges and turn pan over to remove cake. Peel off and discard parchment. Transfer cake to a wire rack to cool at least 15 minutes more.
4. To make glaze, in a small saucepan whisk ingredients together. Bring to boil, whisking occasionally. Allow texture to firm, then spread over top of cake to edge. Sprinkle reserved ground almonds over glaze around the edge.
Variations: Strawberry-Hazelnut Heart Cake: Substitute strawberry jam for marmalade and hazelnuts for almonds. Delete almond extract and increase vanilla extract to 1 teaspoon.
Sour Cherry or Raspberry Topping: These two red jam toppings taste great, but some people don’t appreciate the tiny raspberry seeds.
Blueberry Tea Cake: Substitute Blueberry Jam for marmalade.
Gluten-Free Cake: Substitute for whole wheat and unbleached white pastry flours with ½ cup each brown rice, millet and buckwheat flours. Quinoa, chestnut and arrowroot flours work nicely too. Or substitute Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Mix.
For 8 servings, per serving:
Calories: 289 Protein: 4gm Fat: 9gm Saturated Fat: 0.7gm Carbohydrates: 50gm Fiber: 1gm Cholesterol: 0 Sodium: 174mg
Calories from Protein: 6% Calories from Fats: 26% Calories from Carbohydrates: 68%