Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy
Page 39
1 cup toasted wheat germ
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
1/2 cup thawed frozen unsweetened apple juice concentrate
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup grated carrots (about 2 medium)
1/2 cup tightly packed golden raisins
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray or oil.
2. Combine the flour, wheat germ, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl; whisk well.
3. Combine the eggs, vegetable oil, apple juice, apple juice concentrate, and applesauce in a large bowl; using a hand mixer, beat well on medium speed. Add the dry ingredients and stir by hand until just moist. Fold in the carrots, raisins, and walnuts.
4. Spoon the batter into the muffin pan, filling the cups about two-thirds full. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Place the muffin pan on a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes; remove from the pan and let cool completely on the rack.
Yield: 12 muffins; Serving: 1 muffin
Calories: 216; Protein: 7.4 g; Carbohydrate: 34 g; Fiber: 4.5 g; Sodium: 156 mg; Fat: 6.7 g (Sat: 0.88 g, Mono: 2.34 g, Poly: 2.91 g, Trans: 0.01 g); Cholesterol: 35 mg
Carrot-Apple-Ginger-Nut Muffins
Didi Emmons, caterer, personal chef, and author of Wild Flavors (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2011)
A real mouthful! This nutrient-packed muffin has so much flavor you don’t need lots of sugar.
Nonstick cooking spray
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup safflower or expeller-pressed canola oil
11/2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 large eggs
1/4 cup water
11/2 cups white whole wheat or whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground allspice
21/2 cups loosely packed grated carrots (about 5 to 6 medium)
1 cup grated unpeeled apple (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, ginger, eggs, and water.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, allspice, carrots, and apple. Make a well in the center and pour in the egg mixture. Stir the egg mixture, gradually incorporating it with the flour mixture. Stir in the raisins, coconut, and walnuts. The batter will be chunky.
4. Spoon the batter into the muffin pan, filling the cups to the rim to make a large cap (the batter does not overflow). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
5. Take the muffin pans out of the oven. Run a paring knife carefully around each muffin and invert the pan, knocking it against the edge of your work surface to release the muffins.
6. Eat right away or once cool, cover with plastic wrap.
Yield: 12 muffins; Serving: 1 muffin
Calories: 433; Protein: 4 g; Carbohydrate: 79 g; Fiber: 4 g; Sodium: 45 mg; Fat: 15 g (Sat: 1 g, Mono: 1 g, Poly: 3 g, Trans: 0 g); Cholesterol: 31 mg
Banana-Apricot Nut Bread
Amaranth, a tiny golden-yellow grain with lots of protein and calcium, adds a crunchy texture and wonderful speckled appearance to this quick bread. Be sure to leave the walnuts in fairly big pieces, as that makes for a spectacular-looking topping. And if you have a real sweet tooth, try spreading apple butter (the kind sweetened with just apples and apple juice) or an all-fruit spread onto slices.
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
1/2 cup all-fruit apricot spread or jam
2/3 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup amaranth
Nonstick cooking spray (optional)
1/3 cup canola oil, plus more if needed for the pan
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 large ripe banana, mashed (about 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons honey
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or other nut
1. Bring the apple juice to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the apricot spread, apricots, and amaranth; let stand for 20 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray or oil.
3. Combine the oil, eggs, banana, and honey in a large bowl; using a hand mixer, beat well on medium speed. Add the apple juice mixture to the egg mixture and beat well. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt; whisk well. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir until just moist. (Do not overmix.)
4. Spoon the batter into the pan and sprinkle top with nuts. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes; remove from the pan and let cool completely on the wire rack.
Yield: 1 loaf, 12 servings; Serving: 1 slice
Calories: 227; Protein: 5.87 g; Carbohydrate: 39 g; Fiber: 4.8 g; Sodium: 74 mg; Fat: 9.4 g (Sat: 1.05 g, Mono: 4.42 g, Poly: 3.30 g, Trans: 0.01 g); Cholesterol: 35 mg
Hearty Wheat Berry–Oat Groat Bread
This bread is 100% whole grain, made with whole wheat flour and both wheat berries (kernels of wheat) and oats (oat groats.) Sunflower seeds are thrown in to enhance the nuttiness of the whole grains. Keep in mind that whole grain breads don’t rise as high as breads made with all white flour. But the rich, wheaty flavor is superior. Look for wheat berries and oat groats in health food stores.
2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons wheat berries
2 tablespoons oat groats
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105° to 115°F)
2 tablespoons molasses
11/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 tablespoons canola or other oil, plus more for the pan
21/2 to 3 cups whole wheat flour, plus more for dusting
Nonstick cooking spray (optional)
1. Place the sunflower seeds, wheat berries, and oat groats in a dry nonstick skillet over medium heat. Toast, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, for 3 to 6 minutes, or until lightly browned.
2. Combine the yeast and the warm water in a large bowl; let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the molasses, salt, and oil. Add 21/2 cups of the flour and stir to form a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 6 to 8 minutes, adding enough of the remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands. Knead the sunflower seeds, wheat berries, and oat groats into the dough until well dispersed, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Place the dough in a large bowl lightly coated with oil or cooking spray, turning to coat the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°F), free from drafts, for 1 to 2 hours, or until doubled in bulk. Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a 12 x 7-inch rectangle. Roll up the rectangle tightly, starting with the short edge; press firmly to eliminate air pockets; pinch the seam and ends to seal. Place the roll, seam side down, in an 8 x 5-inch nonstick loaf pan lightly coated with oil or cooking spray. Cover and let rise until the dough reaches the top of the pan, 50 to 60 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
5. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from the pan immediately; let cool on a wire rack.
Note: To make this in a bread machine, use bread machine yeast and a large-capacity bread machine. Follow the manufact
urer’s instructions for whole wheat or specialty loaves.
Yield: 1 loaf (12 servings); Serving: 1 slice
Calories: 149; Protein: 5.1 g; Carbohydrate: 26 g; Fiber: 3.9 g; Sodium: 239 mg; Fat: 3.6 g (Sat: 0.32 g, Mono: 1.42 g, Poly: 0.95 g, Trans: 0.01 g); Cholesterol: 0 mg
Multigrain Hotcakes with Warm Apple Syrup
These multigrain pancakes have a nutty flavor and crunchy texture due to toasted sunflower seeds and several whole grains—millet, barley, wheat. The addition of reduced-fat buttermilk makes for a light, tender texture, but you can substitute apple juice if necessary. Also, these pancakes cook perfectly well in a nonstick skillet without a drop of oil. But if you like a crispy edge on your hotcakes, add some oil to the griddle before cooking.
Syrup
11/2 cups thawed frozen unsweetened apple juice concentrate
1 stick cinnamon, or 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 whole cloves (optional)
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
Hotcakes
2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons millet
1/3 cup quick-cooking barley (such as Mother’s)
11/3 cups fat-free or reduced-fat buttermilk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons thawed frozen unsweetened apple juice concentrate
1 cup bran flakes cereal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
11/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1. To make the syrup, place the juice concentrate, cinnamon stick, and cloves, if using, in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the mixture is reduced by about a third. Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves with a slotted spoon. Stir in the applesauce. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm.
2. To make the pancakes, place a large nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the sunflower seeds and millet. Toast the sunflower seeds for 3 to 6 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Remove from the heat and set aside. (You will use this same skillet to cook the hotcakes.)
3. Place the barley (do not use pearl barley) and buttermilk in a mixing bowl and let stand for 30 minutes. Add the eggs, oil, apple juice concentrate, and bran flakes, mixing until just blended.
4. Combine the wheat and white flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and the sunflower seed and millet mixture in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk until well blended. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just moist.
5. Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium to medium-high heat. Pour 1/4 cup batter into the skillet for each pancake (do not crowd) and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until tops bubble and edges look dry. Turn the pancakes and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more until the undersides are golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve with Warm Apple Syrup.
Note: To keep the pancakes warm, preheat the oven to 200°F. Place the pancakes on a nonstick baking sheet and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Keep in the oven until ready to serve. Also, these pancakes freeze well. Pop them in the microwave or toaster to reheat.
Yield: 12 hotcakes, 11/8 cups syrup; Serving: 2 hotcakes and 3 tablespoons syrup
Calories: 282; Protein: 9 g; Carbohydrate: 43.7 g; Fiber: 4.4 g; Sodium: 502 mg; Fat: 8.9 g (Sat: 0.76 g, Mono: 1.56 g, Poly: 2.95 g, Trans: 0 g); Cholesterol: 0 mg
Griddle-Baked Semolina Pancakes with Sweet Date-Orange Filling
Nancy Harmon Jenkins, author of Virgin Territory: Exploring the World of Olive Oil (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015)
In the summer, Tunisian cooks solve the hot kitchen dilemma by griddle baking, toasting these delicious cakes on a stovetop griddle instead of lighting the oven. These griddle cakes derive their sweetness solely from the dates in the filling, and with the pleasant crunch of semolina, they are a lovely surprise for Sunday breakfast. Any leftovers are also delicious with afternoon tea or midmorning coffee. Made with a combination of high-protein durum wheat semolina and whole wheat flour, they are a healthy antidote to more conventional pancakes and need no infusion of syrup to make them tasty.
If you don’t have a griddle on your stovetop, you can easily make the cakes in a cast-iron skillet, preheated until it’s very hot.
12 ounces dates, pitted
11/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the griddle
2 tablespoons crumbled dried orange peel
2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest
Juice of 1/2 orange
Sea salt
3/4 cup warm water
2 cups whole wheat flour, plus more for dusting
2 cups semolina
1. Process the dates in the bowl of a food processor until they are quite smooth, then, with the motor running, slowly pour in 1/4 cup of the oil. Add the dried orange peel, fresh orange zest, and orange juice and process until you have a smooth paste. Set aside. (This can be done well ahead; the date paste need not be refrigerated except on very hot days.)
2. Add about 1 teaspoon salt to the warm water and set aside to dissolve.
3. Place the flour and semolina in a large bowl. Add the remaining 1 cup oil, working the semolina thoroughly with a wooden spoon until the oil has been absorbed. Slowly add the salty water to the dough, continuing to work it in the bowl until you have a kneadable consistency. Knead in the bowl briefly, then transfer to a board, lightly dusted with additional flour, and knead with your hands until the dough is quite smooth.
4. When the dough is well kneaded, it should feel soft but not at all sticky. Set aside, covered with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel, to rest for about 30 minutes.
5. When ready to proceed, heat a griddle or skillet over medium-low heat. Divide the dough into quarters. Shape a quarter into a ball, then, using your hands, pat it out into a circle on the lightly floured board. (For best results, pat the dough out on a sheet of parchment paper.) Use a rolling pin to roll an even circle 8 to 9 inches in diameter and 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Spread half the date mixture over the circle, dotting it liberally all over the top. Set the circle aside on its parchment paper and roll out another quarter of the dough, making a circle on parchment to match the first. Flip the second circle over the top of the first one and press gently so that the top and bottom circles adhere lightly all the way around, sealing in the date mixture.
6. When the griddle or skillet is hot, brush it lightly with a very little bit of oil—not more than 1/2 teaspoon or so. Turn the griddle cake onto the hot surface and adjust the heat so that it toasts golden on both sides, turning it once, about 4 minutes per side, until the surfaces are golden and crisp and the inside is cooked through. Be careful not to burn the cake.
7. When done, remove the griddle cake and use the remaining dough and date mixture to make a second griddle cake. Serve the cakes immediately, cut into pie-shaped wedges. The griddle cakes are also very good set aside and served later at room temperature.
Note: The round cakes may also be cut up before cooking, if you prefer. Just slice through all the layers to make lozenges, squares, or rectangles, sort of like elegant Fig Newtons.
Yield: 6 servings; Servings: 1/3 of a griddle cake
Calories: 549; Protein: 5 g; Carbohydrate: 118 g; Fiber: 11 g; Sodium: 39 mg; Fat: 5 g (Sat: 1 g, Mono: 3 g, Poly: 1 g, Trans: 0 g); Cholesterol: 0 mg
Menemen (Turkish–Style Scrambled Eggs) with Pita Bread
Ana Sortun, executive chef and owner Oleana and Sofra Bakery and Cafe; author of Spice: Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean (HarperCollins, 2006)
2 large greenhouse or beefsteak tomatoes, halved, most of the seeds removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 Hungarian hot wax pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon red pepper paste or harissa
Coarse salt
8 large eggs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo or Maras pepper
4 small (7-inch) pita breads
2 mini cucumbers, or 1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced
1. Holding the tomato halves cut side out, grate the tomato over a shallow dish on the large holes of a box grater until there is nothing but skin left in your hand. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the bell pepper, wax pepper, and scallions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are tender, about 4 minutes. Add the grated tomato, tomato paste, and red pepper paste. Season with salt. Cook until the sauce thickens slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir the eggs into the sauce gently and as they start to scramble, stir in the parsley and Aleppo pepper. Cook and gently stir until the eggs are scrambled to your liking.
4. Spread the egg mixture on the pitas. Keep warm in a toaster oven until ready to serve and then serve each pita with 5 or 6 slices of cucumber.
Yield: 6 servings
Calories: 323; Protein: 15 g; Carbohydrate: 34 g; Fiber: 3 g; Sodium: 626 mg; Fat: 14 g (Sat: 3 g, Mono: 5 g, Poly: 4 g, Trans: 0 g); Cholesterol: 248 mg
ENTRÉES
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Mediterranean Stuffed Breast of Chicken (FAST FIX)
The filling for these chicken breasts is simple to put together: canned artichoke hearts, jarred roasted peppers, and already-crumbled feta cheese combined with some fresh basil and toasted pine nuts. Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet on the stove; it will take just 2 to 3 minutes.
1/4 cup water-packed artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped
1 (7-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 2 ounces)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil