food

Eat healthy! Post-Pesach pasta, salad, soybean

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The pandemic has been disastrous for many of our waistlines. Snack food demand increased; fruits and vegetables, not so much.

The lockdowns increased food insecurity and countless people, children in particular, are hungry and food insecure — a term not on our radar just a year or so ago. And, sadly, when there is no school, often there is no food for children who rely on the two meals a day the school provides.

Happily, most of us, have not been so drastically impacted by this scourge, managing to stay healthy and safe in our homes. We are truly blessed. We can choose to eat ice cream – I did for several weeks this winter when it all seemed so cold and dark and miserable – but I soon realized that I had to get back to healthy eating quickly.

This beautiful season of spring is the best time to TAKE stock before we RESTOCK. As I look at my emptied, clean kitchen, it’s time to consider what I really want in my cupboards. Do I want to fill them with processed cookies and crackers and sugary cereals and more, or do I want whole grains, minimally processed foods —  and a healthier eating plan?

Whole Wheat Pasta with Portobello

Mushrooms and Mixed Vegetable ‘Sauce’

(Pareve or Dairy)

2 to 4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled, cut in thin slices

2 stalks celery, cut in thin slices

1 lb. Portobello mushrooms, cleaned, cut into small pieces

2 zucchini cut in half lengthwise and cut in thin slices

1 large can diced tomatoes with liquid

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

OPTIONAL: 1/4 to 1/2 cup dry white or red wine

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Red pepper flakes to taste

Oregano, to taste

1 box (12 ounces) whole wheat penne pasta, or pasta of your choice

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

OPTIONAL: Fresh basil leaves, finely minced

Heat a large, non-stick skillet and add the olive oil. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the carrots and celery and cook until softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they exude liquid. Add the zucchini and cook until softened, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and liquid and bring to a boil. Add the garlic and wine, if desired and cook until reduced by about 1/3. Add the seasonings and red pepper flakes, if using.

While the veggies are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain.

Combine the pasta and sauce. Adjust seasonings. Sprinkle with basil and Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serves 4 to 8 as a main dish or side dish.

Delicious Cold Fish Salad (Pareve) 

After indulging in a week of Passover desserts, this is a welcome, light meal that broadcasts spring has arrived. I love it for a lunch that is heart healthy! Add any veggies you like.

1 lb. cod, scrod, salmon, or halibut fillet

1 large onion

1 quart water

1 lemon, cut into quarters

1 carrot, cut into pieces

1 stalk celery, cut into pieces 

SALAD:

Baby lettuce leaves

Radicchio, thinly sliced

Arugula leaves

2 carrots, cut into matchstick pieces

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, sliced in half lengthwise and cut into slices

Endive leaves separated 

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 green and one red pepper, seeded and cut into strips

1 leek, white and very light green part only

OPTIONAL: Jicama, cut into matchstick pieces; Fresh parsley or chives, minced for garnish

Cocktail Sauce:

1/2 cup tomato ketchup (low sodium, if desired)

1/4 cup diced tomatoes, seeds discarded, liquid drained 

3 to 4 tbsp. white horseradish, more to taste

1-2 tbsp. minced fresh chives or scallions

OPTIONAL: 1/2 to 1 tsp. Tabasco Sauce

Place the onion in a saucepan with the water. Bring the water to a rolling boil and add the fish. Immediately, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 8 to 12 minutes or until the fish is cooked through. Remove from the heat and drain. Discard the vegetables and lemon. Place the fish in a flat-bottomed glass bowl or baking dish and cover tightly.

Refrigerate for 3 hours or until well chilled. Can be chilled overnight.

Before serving, when the fish is chilled, peel and cut the carrots and jicama, if using, into matchstick pieces. Set aside. Peel and slice the cucumber and wash and separate the endive leaves. Wash the leek and cut away the root end and the green top leaves and discard them. Peel the outer layer by cutting a shallow slit down the length of the leek with a sharp pointed knife. Discard the outer layer or two. Slice the leeks into thin rounds and break the rounds into rings, by pushing through the center of the round. Place the rings in a bowl of ice water. Wash and dry the grape tomatoes. Peel the cucumber, cut it in half lengthwise and using a spoon, scrape out the seeds and discard them. Cut the cucumber into slices. Set aside. Cut the peppers in half and discard the seeds. Cut into thin strips.

SAUCE: Mix the ketchup, chopped tomatoes and horseradish together. Adjust the amount of horseradish to taste. Add the chives and mix. 

ASSEMBLY: Cut the fish into chunks. Line a small plate with some endive leaves in a pretty design. Place baby lettuce and arugula leaves all around the endive and place the fish on the endive. Add cucumber slices, the carrot and jicama sticks and grape tomatoes. Add the pepper strips. Place the sauce over the fish and sprinkle with the leek rings and the chives or parsley.

Serve with great whole grain bread and you have a lovely, low-cal, low-fat, spring lunch. Serves 4. 

Baked Soybeans (Pareve)

Soybeans can substitute for more traditional Northern or Cannellini beans in baked beans recipes. They are lighter and pack a heftier nutritional punch. Please use a good, unsulfured molasses and add your own favorite ingredients. My good friend likes to add some tomato puree or tomato paste to give the beans more of a sweet and sour taste. Be creative.

2 lbs. soybeans

1 small onion, finely minced 

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup molasses

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

3 tsp. dry mustard (or to taste)

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. minced fresh ginger

1 tsp. salt (to be added AFTER cooking) 

OPTIONAL: 2 Tbsp. tomato paste

Carefully pick out all damaged beans or pebbles and rinse thoroughly. Soak soybeans overnight in cold water in a large, tightly covered pot. Water should cover beans by several inches. (Check before going to bed to make sure there are still several inches of water. Add more if necessary.)

In the morning, drain the beans and rinse thoroughly. Return beans to the pot and add at least three times the amount of water as there are beans.

Cover and slowly bring to a boil. Simmer gently for about 30 minutes or until the skin of a bean cracks when you blow on it. The beans should never come to a hard boil as that will make the skins crack too early and will allow the beans to turn mushy.

Drain the beans and place them in a slow cooker or in a large oven proof casserole dish with a tight cover. Add the other ingredients, mix thoroughly and begin the cooking process.

I have cooked these for 10 hours in a slow cooker, tasting as they cook and adjusting molasses, mustard, ginger, etc. You may also need to add more water as they cook, especially if you use the oven method which may be a bit more drying. Oven cooking time is much less, maybe 3 to 5 hours at 300 degrees. Check frequently to determine doneness. The beans are done when they are bubbly, have thickened a bit and have turned a beautiful rich brown color. Enjoy.

This is a delicious side dish that is a truly healthful addition to a low-fat, vegetable and soy rich diet. 

NOTE: To cook these in an Instant Pot, use 1 lb. of dried beans, soaked overnight. Add the ingredients plus 4 cups of water. Use 2/3 cup molasses, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 2 tsp. dried mustard. Decrease salt to a pinch. Cook according to the program on your instant pot. I found that cooking soybeans, northern, or cannelloni beans for 15 minutes was perfect. However, please follow your instant pot recipe guide for cooking pre-soaked beans.