Author: Smart Green Gourmet

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Beans Without Borders


These beans are spicy, tangy, and delicious. Swiss Chard adds both balancing flavor and cancer-fighting nutrition. These beans are based on a variation in Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything.” The recipe’s name is both a nod to the Mexican spices involved and what popped out of my husband’s mouth when I told him he needed to name a recipe involving beans and Swiss Chard (he was unaware that Doctors Without Borders is French-based, not Swiss). Serve with rice or a whole grain for complete protein.

Total Time: 30 minutes
Work Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2 as a main course (easily doubled)

1 onion, diced
1 T olive oil
1-2 bunches swiss chard, washed and coarsely chopped
1 14.5 ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
3 peppercorns (or more, to taste)
1-2 t dried thyme leaves
chili powder, to taste
salt and pepper to taste

1) Heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and a pinch of salt. Cook slowly until onion begins to caramelize. (Meanwhile, prep the chard and gather other ingredients).
2) Raise heat to medium-high. Add chard and sprinkle lightly with salt.
3) Stir. When chard begins to cook down, add beans and spices.
4) Salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf. Serve.

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Recipe: Kale and Millet with Walnuts


Weeknight Goodness! Nutty millet is high in protein and iron.

Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4 as a main dish

1-2 large bunches kale
1C Millet
3C Stock
2T olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic
small pinch saffron
red pepper flakes, to taste
handful walnut pieces

Heat garlic in olive oil. When garlic begins to sizzle, add the saffron, red pepper flakes, and millet and stir. Turn heat to low. When millet begins to toast, add kale and a pinch of salt. Add stock, raise heat, and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low, cover, and simmer 10-15 minutes, or until millet and kale are tender. Stir in walnut pieces and serve.

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Recipe: Couscous with Leeks and Currants

Stir in your own dried fruit, nut, and vegetable touches. Add some protein to make this a main dish.

Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4 as a side dish
Handful currants
Orange juice
2T EVOO
2 leeks, whites only, cleaned and diced, or 1 onion, diced
1C couscous
1C stock or water
1 bell pepper, diced
3T fresh mint, coarsely chopped
Handful walnut pieces
pinch salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste
3T Roasted Walnut Oil (optional)

1) In a small bowl, steep currants in orange juice to cover
2) Heat olive oil in medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add leeks or onions and a pinch of salt. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until they begin to brown. Meanwhile, do other things, like dicing the pepper.
3) Add couscous and stock. Bring to boil, then remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.
4) Stir in currants and their soaking juice, bell pepper, mint, and walnuts. Drizzle with roasted walnut oil. Add salt and black pepper to taste.

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Recipe: Roasted Beet, Fennel, Pear, Orange, and Walnut Salad


Delicious, hearty, and healthy. A burst of color on the winter table. You can roast the beets and fennel several days ahead for this delicious salad. The beets turn everything a freakish shade of pink so I find it best to dress them separately from the rest of the salad, lay them on top, and only stir them into the salad when serving.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour or more to roast the beets; roast fennel while roasting beets
Total time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Serves: 4 as a main course for lunch; more with other things

Ingredients:
3 large beets
2 bulbs fennel, fronds removed and chopped roughly
2 pears (any kind)
2 oranges or clementines, sectioned, pith removed if desired
2-3 handfuls walnut halves, toasted if desired
1 handful mint, chopped roughly
2 lemons, juiced + zest of 1 lemon
1/2-1 C olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled
additional olive oil
salt and black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Remove leaves from beets, leaving a few inches of stems. Rinse the beets, and while still wet, wrap them individually in foil, or place them together in a covered pan. Roast in 400 degree oven for about 1 hour until tender. (I learned this technique from Mark Bittman, who learned it from the great Jean-Geoerges Vongerichten) (You can refrigerate the beets, still wrapped, for about a week).
3. Meanwhile, remove the outer layer from the fennel and cut into small spears. Put in pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and roast alongside the beets for 20-25 minutes, or until beginning to caramelize (brown).
4. Make the vinaigrette. Combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, 1/2-1 C olive oil, 1 clove garlic, pinch of salt, and pepper to taste in a small blender or food processor until emulsified.
5. After the beets have cooled, peel them. The skin will slide right off. (Bittman says if you use paper towels you won’t stain your fingers, but I haven’t figured out how to get away without beet on my hands).
6. Cut the beets into quarters, then into slices. Place in a bowl. Dress with 1/2 vinaigrette.
7. In another large bowl, toss together the roasted fennel, pears and oranges. Dress with 1/2 the vinaigrette. Toss with walnuts, mint, and (some) fennel fronds.
8. Lay the beets gently on top of the salad mixture, garnish with mint and fennel fronds, and serve.

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Recipe: Moroccan Bison Stew (Make Ahead)

Call this fusion cuisine. There aren’t too many bison in Morocco, but Moroccan spices dazzle in this exotic and easy weeknight dish. Bison meat has less fat and calories per serving than chicken and has a cholesterol count similar to chicken — much less than other red meat. Throw it in a crockpot with veggies, chickpeas, and spices, and 4 hours later, enjoy a sumptuous meal.

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3/4″ chunks
1.5 large carrots, chopped (or a handful of baby carrots)
1.5 C mixed dried fruit (apricots, prunes, or dates, or a combination)
1 14.5 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 large onion, chopped
1.5 pounds cubed bison meat
1 t ground ginger
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/8 t nutmeg
pinch saffron
salt and black pepper to taste
1.5 c white wine or chicken stock

2 t honey

Add all ingredients but the honey to crockpot in order listed above (veggies on the bottom of the crockpot, meat on top, spices added directly to meat). Crock for 4 hours on high heat. Drizzle the honey over the meat and serve.

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Pumpkin-Cider Soup, 2 Ways

3 superfood soup! This soup is wonderful in both its brothy and creamy versions. The brothy version is quick and perfect for weeknight comfort. The creamy version adds another level of flavor and involves an immersion blender and a little more time and effort. This soup also allows me to take advantage of all of those delicious local apple ciders in both NY and MA.

Brothy Version:
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4

1T olive oil
3 C apple cider
1 T or about 1″ peeled fresh ginger, whole or sliced
1 cinnamon stick
2 black peppercorns
2 cloves
1 14.5 oz can pumpkin (sweet potato or even frozen butternut squash would also work here)
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: pumpkin seeds (pepitas) for garnish

1) Optional: place ginger, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, and cloves in a teabag or cheesecloth
2) In 3-qt saucepan, Simmer cider, ginger, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, and cloves for 10-15 minutes. Remove spices.
3) Stir in Pumpkin until it dissolves into soup. Salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with optional pumpkin seeds.

Creamy Version:
Prep Time: 35-40 minutes
Serves: 4
1) In 3-qt saucepan, saute 1 small onion (diced) with 1 T olive oil and pinch salt until soft (5-10 min)
2) Optional: cinnamon stick, peppercorns, and cloves in a teabag or cheesecloth
3) Add 1.5-2 C Cider, ginger, and spices. Simmer 10-15 minutes. Remove spices.
4) Add (optional) 1/2 C silken tofu for a hit of protein. Puree with immersion blender. Salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with optional pumpkin seeds.

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Recipe: Easy Udon or Soba in Broth


This is another of my quick one-pot weeknight comfort food favorites. It has 3 main ingredients: kombu, or dried Japanese kelp, shoyu, high-quality Japanese soy sauce; and mirin, Japanese cooking rice wine. You can throw in any number of the extras below to vary the flavor and use up those stray leftover veggies.

All measurements are approximate. I do everything here by taste.

Total Time: 10-15 minutes
Serves: ~2-4; easily multiplied
Ingredients:
5 cups water
1 strip kombu
~ 4 T shoyu
~ 2-4 T mirin, other rice wine, white wine, or rice wine vinegar
1/2-1 8oz package soba or udon (depending on how much other stuff you’re adding)

To Make the Noodles and Broth:
Bring water to a boil. Add kombu and simmer for 4 minutes. Remove. Cook noodles in broth according to package instructions. While noodles are simmering, add shoyu, mirin, and any of the optional ingredients below. Experiment!

Add Optional Seasonings:
– 1-3 teaspoons agave or sugar (Agave works beautifully here without cloying sweetness)
– 1-2 T umeboshi plum vinegar or rice vinegar
– ponzu sauce (Japanese dipping sauce)
– lemon or lime juice
– peeled, grated ginger
– chiles or crushed red pepper flakes
– bonito flakes
– chopped reconstituted dried mushrooms and their soaking water
– miso

Add Optional Protein:
– 1-2 eggs, with or without yolks, beaten and stirred in vigorously while broth boils (raise heat from a simmer)
– cubed tofu
– cubed or shredded seitan
– chicken, meat, or fish, added directly to broth and cooked through

Add Optional Veggies to Broth or As Garnish:
– mushrooms
– scallions
– grated or sliced carrot
– mung bean or soy sprouts
– peeled, grated ginger
– grated daikon or other radish
– wakame flakes, hijiki, or other seaweed (also adds a hit of protein!)
– broccoli florets
– bok choy, spinach, or kale, coarsely chopped
– blanched sweet potato
– corn or baby corn
– umeboshi plums

Finish Your Beautiful, Steaming Bowl with Any of these Garnishes:
– toasted sesame seeds or gomasio (Japanese sesame seed and sea salt blend)
– lemon, lime, or orange zest
– handful of parsley and/or cilantro
– crushed cashews, peanuts, walnuts, or toasted almonds
– toasted sesame oil, drizzled into individual bowls

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Steamed Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli with Miso-Almond Sauce

Served over brown rice, this is one of my favorite quick and light comfort meals. This recipe is highly flexible — you can adapt to whatever vegetables or grains you have on hand. Try adding a dash of apple juice to the miso-almond sauce for a flavor kick. And if you don’t have almond butter lying around or are allergic to tree nuts, peanut butter will probably work in a pinch.

Serves: 2 (easily multiplied)
Total Time: 10-15 minutes

2 sweet potatoes (American yams), cut into bite-sized chunks
1 bunch broccoli
2 T miso
2 T almond butter
Handful of your favorite nuts (walnuts, toasted almonds, and cashews all work well)(optional)
~ 1C boiling water, to taste
Salt to taste

1. Separate broccoli stem from crown. Cut crown into florets. Peel stem and cut into ~1/2″ chunks.
2. In a steamer basket, steam sweet potatoes and broccoli stems. After about 3 minutes of steaming, add broccoli florets and steam until bright green and just tender. If you don’t have a steamer basket, steam in a covered skillet or saucepan with a small amount of water.
3. While the veggies are steaming, combine miso and almond butter in a small bowl. Slowly add boiling water and whisk until sauce is smooth and of your desired thickness. Adjust salt if needed.
4. Arrange sweet potatoes and broccoli in a bowl (perhaps over rice or grains). Drizzle sauce over veggies, sprinkle with nuts, and serve.

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Recipe: (Buttery) Sweet Potato Latkes with Walnuts and Sage

Exotic Latkes! Nutrient-rich sweet potatoes and omega 3-packed walnuts plus frying in heart-healthy olive oil make these much healthier than regular latkes. An ice cream scoop makes uniform latkes. Frying in butter as well as oil adds an optional extra touch of miracle. Happy Hanukah!

Serves: 4 as a main course, more as an appetizer, easily multiplied
Total Time: 45 minutes (including chopping)

1 large sweet potato (yam), peeled and grated
1 medium onion, grated
1 c walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 T sage
1/2 c flour, or 1/4 c flour and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour, or 1/4 c flour and 1/4 c cornmeal
5+ eggs, beaten
1 T salt plus more to taste
1/2 T ground black pepper, to taste
olive oil
butter or margarine (optional)

Tip: To speed up the chopping, I chop the nuts in the food processor, then grate the sweet potato and onion in the food processor without cleaning the bowl.

1) Combine grated sweet potatoes, onion, walnuts, sage, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Toss thoroughly.
2) Stir in the eggs. Mix well until mixture looks uniformly slick. Add another egg if necessary for batter to hold together.
3) Heat 1 T oil and 1 T butter or margarine (or 2 T oil) in a skillet. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out batter. Fry 1-2 minutes/side.
4) Drain on towels (clean dish towels or paper towels).
5) Repeat as necessary, keeping early batches crisp in the oven on a 300-degree baking sheet.
6) Serve plain, or with applesauce and/or lowfat sour cream. Try sprinkling a little nutmeg and/or black pepper into the applesauce.

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Recipe: Winter Squash and Mushroom Stir-Fry with Thyme

Mix regular button mushrooms with a more exotic variety to push those buttons into deeper mushroom flavor. Try this with any recipe that calls for exotic mushrooms to stretch your dollars.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

10-12 oz white mushrooms (one supermarket package), stemmed, halved or quartered if large
10-12 oz crimini or other mushrooms (one supermarket package), stemmed, halved or quartered if large
1 lb winter squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4″ chunks
1 onion, diced
1 T thyme
2 T olive oil
1/2 c stock
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large saute pan.
2. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Saute 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until lightly browned. Stir in the thyme.
3. Add Squash. Saute for 5 minutes.
4. Add Mushrooms and salt and pepper to taste. Saute 5 minutes more.
5. Raise heat to high and add stock. Cover and cook 5-10 minutes or until squash is tender.