Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy

by Walter Willett

  2. In a large bowl, toss together the squash, apples, cranberries, parsley, thyme, salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Drizzle in the 1/2 cup oil and stir to combine, then add the flour and mix to evenly coat the squash mixture.

  3. Turn the mixture into the baking dish and bake until the top is deep golden brown and the squash is tender but not mushy (a paring knife should easily slip into the center of a piece of squash), 50 to 55 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

  Yield: 8 servings

  Calories: 335; Protein: 3 g; Carbohydrate: 50 g; Fiber: 7 g; Sodium: 429 mg; Fat: 15 g (Sat: 2 g, Mono: 11 g, Poly: 2 g, Trans: 0 g); Cholesterol: 0 mg

  Farro and Roasted Butternut Squash

  Heidi Swanson, 101 Cookbooks (www.101cookbooks.com)

  If you are pressed for time, opt for a lightly or semi-pearled farro (actually easier to find in some places), which will cut the cooking time for the grains down to about 20 minutes. Barley, both hulled and pearl, would make a nice substitution if you are having trouble finding farro. Also, I found beautiful red spring onions at the farmers’ market but regular red onions will work well, and will be much easier to find.

  2 cups farro, rinsed and drained

  1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed

  5 cups water or stock

  3 cups cubed butternut squash (1/2-inch dice)

  1 large red onion, cut into eighths

  1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced

  3 tablespoons olive oil

  1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

  1 cup walnuts, deeply toasted

  3 tablespoons toasted walnut oil (or more olive oil)

  1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese (about 1 ounce)

  1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

  2. Combine the farro, salt, and water in a large, heavy saucepan. Cover and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the farro is tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour, or about half the time if you are using semi-pearled farro. Taste often as it is cooking, you want it to be toothsome and retain structure. Remove from the heat, drain any excess water, and set aside.

  3. While the farro is cooking, on a rimmed baking sheet toss the squash, onion, and thyme with the olive oil, vinegar, and a couple big pinches of salt. Arrange in a single layer and roast for about 20 minutes. Toss the squash and onion every 5 to 7 minutes to get browning on all sides. Remove from the oven, let cool a bit, and mince just half of the red onions.

  4. In a large bowl, gently toss everything except the goat cheese with the walnut oil. Taste and add a bit of salt if necessary. Serve family-style in a simple bowl or on a platter, garnished with the goat cheese.

  Yield: 6 servings

  Calories: 509; Protein: 14 g; Carbohydrate: 54 g; Fiber: 7 g; Sodium: 460 mg; Fat: 31 g (Sat: 4 g, Mono: 7 g, Poly: 10 g, Trans: 0 g); Cholesterol: 4 mg

  SOUPS AND STEWS

  * * *

  Curried Winter Squash Soup (FAST FIX)

  This version of winter squash soup is a snap to make. Start with frozen winter squash and add some new flavors—apple and curry—to make a delicious but quick entrée. Serve with a crusty whole grain bread and a mixed green salad for a complete cold-weather meal. If you don’t have any homemade stock on hand, opt for reduced-sodium canned broth or reduced-sodium powdered stock; regular canned or powdered stocks are extremely salty. It’s much better to start with a lower-sodium stock and add salt to taste.

  2 tablespoons olive oil

  2 cups coarsely chopped white or yellow onions (about 1 large)

  1 to 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

  1 tablespoon curry powder

  21/2 cups defatted chicken stock or broth, preferably low-sodium

  1 cup apple cider or apple juice

  2 (14-ounce) boxes frozen mashed winter squash, thawed

  1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

  Coarse salt

  1. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, cook, stirring, for 12 to 18 minutes, or until the onions have softened. Stir in the ginger and curry powder and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously. Add the stock, apple cider, squash, and applesauce. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to blend the flavors.

  2. Transfer a small amount of the soup to a blender or food processor and carefully puree on low speed, leaving the center part of the cover off so that steam can escape. Continue pureeing the soup in small batches until the mixture is smooth. Return the soup to the pot and keep warm until ready to serve. Taste for seasoning and add salt as desired.

  Note: The soup will be thick. If you like a thinner soup, add more stock.

  Yield: 6 cups; Serving: 11/2 cups

  Calories: 192; Protein: 4.8 g; Carbohydrate: 32 g; Fiber: 5.7 g; Sodium: 391 mg; Fat: 6.9 g (Sat: 0.93 g, Mono: 7.83 g, Poly: 0.61 g, Trans: 0.07 g); Cholesterol: 0 mg

  Wheat Berry and Lentil Soup

  Start this soup early in the day since the wheat berries take about 45 minutes to cook. Or consider cooking several cups of wheat berries to have on hand. That way you can slip them into this soup, hot cereal, or casseroles at the last minute.

  1 cup wheat berries

  3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

  9 cups water

  2 tablespoons olive oil

  11/2 cups chopped white or yellow onions (about 1 large)

  1 cup diced carrots (about 2 medium)

  3/4 cup diced celery

  2 garlic cloves, minced

  1 cup dried French green or other lentils

  2 cups vegetable broth

  1 tablespoon tomato paste

  1 tablespoon soy sauce

  3 thyme sprigs

  1 bay leaf

  1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  4 cups baby leaf spinach

  1. Place the wheat berries in a large Dutch oven or saucepan. Add 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 4 cups of the water; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 45 to 50 minutes, or until tender. Drain.

  2. In a large Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and sauté for 6 to 8 minutes, or until they begin to become tender. Stir in the garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and cook for 1 minute.

  3. Add the lentils, the remaining 5 cups water, the broth, tomato paste, soy sauce, thyme, and bay leaf to the pot. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, the pepper, and the spinach and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until spinach is wilted. Stir in the wheat berries and cook until warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes.

  Yield: 6 servings; Serving: about 11/2 cups

  Calories: 283; Protein: 12.4 g; Carbohydrate: 50 g; Fiber: 10.6 g; Sodium: 706 mg; Fat: 5.2 g (Sat: 0.73 g, Mono: 3.40 g, Poly: 0.73 g, Trans: 0 g); Cholesterol 0 mg

  Tomato Soup

  Charles Burke, MD, president of the New Hampshire Farm to Restaurant Connection

  This tomato soup features fennel two ways: fresh fennel and fennel seed, augmented with Pernod or other anise-flavored liqueur. The recipe can be made without the liqueur, using double the amount of tarragon, which adds its own unique anise-like flavor. Use any rich tomato sauce, preferably without other herb flavors, or simmer a large can of whole tomatoes until thickened. This soup can be made a day or two ahead, and the flavor actually improves with time.

  21/2 tablespoons olive oil

  1 medium fennel bulb, sliced

  1 medium sweet onion, sliced

  2 garlic cloves, sliced

  1 tablespoon fennel seed

  1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

  1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped, or 2 teaspoons dried

  1/4 cup Pernod or other anise-flavored liqueur

  1/2 cup dry white wine

  2 cups tomato sauce

  1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce)

  3 cups water

  Freshly ground black pepper

  1. In a heavy-bottomed
pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the fresh fennel, onion, garlic, and fennel seed. Cook, stirring, until the onion and fennel begin to caramelize.

  2. Add the red pepper flakes, tarragon, and Pernod, reduce the heat, and simmer until the vegetables are glazed, then add the wine and cook until it has reduced to a glaze.

  3. Add the tomato sauce, Parmesan, and water and boil until thickened.

  Yield: 4 servings

  Calories: 290; Protein: 7 g; Carbohydrate: 26 g; Fiber: 7 g; Sodium: 377 mg; Fat: 13 g (Sat: 2 g, Mono: 8 g, Poly: 1 g, Trans: 0 g); Cholesterol: 4 mg

  White Bean, Chicken, and Spinach Soup

  Try this quick but hearty version of chicken soup for days when you’re feeling a little under the weather. Instead of refined white noodles, it’s chock-full of white beans and spinach, two antioxidant-rich foods.

  1 tablespoon olive oil

  1 small white or yellow onion, chopped

  1 celery stalk, chopped

  1 large carrot, chopped

  2 bay leaves

  3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

  2 cups water

  12 ounces chicken breast tenders, chopped

  1 (15-ounce) can small white beans, rinsed and drained

  1 cup tightly packed baby spinach leaves

  3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano

  1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

  2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  1/4 teaspoon salt

  1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Stir in the onion, celery, and carrot and cook, stirring, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Add the bay leaves and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

  2. Add the broth and water and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and stir in the chicken and beans. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the chicken is tender. Stir in the spinach and remove from the heat. Let stand for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the spinach wilts. Stir in the oregano, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately.

  Yield: 4 servings; Serving: about 11/2 cups

  Calories: 200; Protein: 26.6 g; Carbohydrate: 15.9 g; Fiber: 4.3 g; Sodium: 871 mg; Fat: 4.9 g (Sat 0.76 g, Mono: 2.77 g, Poly: 0.63 g, Trans: 0 g); Cholesterol 49 mg

  Tunisian Chickpea Breakfast Stew

  Author Martha Rose Shulman’s latest cookbook is Spiralize This! (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016)

  This is a traditional Tunisian breakfast dish, a simple bowl of chickpeas flavored with onion, garlic, harissa, and olive oil, served with a number of garnishes. For us, it’s dinner.

  Stew

  1 pound dried chickpeas, washed, picked over, and soaked in 2 quarts water for 6 hours or overnight

  2 quarts water

  2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  1 medium white or yellow onion, chopped

  4 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed

  1 tablespoon cumin seed, lightly toasted and ground

  2 tablespoons harissa, or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  Salt

  2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste

  Optional Garnishes

  Lemon wedges or preserved lemon wedges

  Coarse sea salt or kosher salt

  Harissa

  Chopped fresh tomatoes

  Chopped green and red bell peppers

  Chopped hard-boiled eggs

  Rinsed capers

  Ground lightly toasted cumin

  Finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

  Finely chopped fresh cilantro

  Croutons

  Thinly sliced scallions, both white and green parts

  Extra-virgin olive oil

  1. To make the stew, drain the chickpeas and combine with the water in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.

  2. Meanwhile, in a heavy nonstick medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cumin and stir together for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Remove from the heat and stir into the beans.

  3. After the beans have cooked for 1 hour, stir in the harissa and season with salt. Cover and cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour more, until the beans are very tender and the broth fragrant. Add the lemon juice, taste, and adjust the seasoning.

  4. Serve the soup, passing your choice of condiments on a large tray, or have them laid out on a buffet to stir into the soup.

  Note: The finished soup will taste great for another 3 to 4 days. Keep in the refrigerator. You will want to refresh the condiments each time you serve. You can also make a salad with the leftover beans.

  Yield: 4 servings, excluding garnishes

  For stew only: Calories: 501; Protein: 22 g; Carbohydrate: 74 g; Fiber: 20 g; Sodium: 140 mg; Fat: 14 g (Sat: 2 g, Mono: 7 g, Poly: 4 g, Trans: 0 g); Cholesterol: 0 mg

  Oldways Sweet Potato Peanut Stew (Mafe)

  Sara Baer-Sinnott, president of Oldways, a nonprofit food and nutrition organization (www.oldwayspt.org), from The Oldways 4-Week Mediterranean Diet Menu Plan (Oldways, 2013)

  Mafe, or groundnut stew, is common throughout West and Central Africa. This traditional stew can incorporate meat, vegetables, or seafood, and it is always based on a savory sauce made from peanut butter and tomatoes. This recipe is based on one from Iba Thiam, chef and owner of Cazmance restaurant in Austin, Texas, and it is one of the recipes in Oldways’s A Taste of African Heritage cooking and nutrition program. The sweet potato, a much-loved African heritage food, is a featured ingredient.

  2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

  1 medium yellow onion, diced

  2 garlic cloves, minced

  1 large sweet potato (about 12 ounces), cut into medium cubes

  2 large carrots, thinly sliced

  2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

  1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes

  2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

  1 tablespoon curry powder

  1/4 cup natural peanut butter

  Leaves from 3 sprigs fresh thyme, minced, or 1 teaspoon dried

  Sea salt

  1. In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until translucent.

  2. Add the sweet potato, carrots, and zucchini to the pot and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes.

  3. Add the tomatoes, broth, and curry powder; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

  4. Add the peanut butter and thyme to the stew. Cook, uncovered, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Season with salt and serve.

  Yield: 4 servings; Serving: approximately 21/2 cups

  Calories: 240 calories; Protein: 7 g; Carbohydrate: 27 g; Fiber: 7 g; Sodium: 280 mg; Fat: 11 g (Sat: 1.5 g, Mono: 6 g, Poly: 3 g, Trans: 0 g); Cholesterol: 0 mg

  Chipotle Chicken Chili

  Substitute 2 (15-ounce) cans of any variety of cooked legume—black bean, soybean, red kidney bean—for the dried beans if you’re short on time. But do try the anasazi bean version at least once; it will be worth the extra effort. This ancient bean variety has a beautiful speckled appearance and a hint of sweetness not found in other dried beans. Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are large, dried, and smoked jalapeño peppers rehydrated in a tomato-vinegar–based sauce. They lend a wonderful smoky flavor and a small amount of heat to this chili. You’ll find them in the Mexican food section of the supermarket. Leave out the chicken if you’d like a vegetarian chili.

  11/2 cups dried anasazi beans

  1 cup dried cannellini beans

  2 tablespoons canola oil

  2 garlic cloves, chopped

  1 bay leaf

  1 tablespoon paprika

  1 tablespoon chili powder

  1 tablespoon dried oregano

  1 teaspoon cumin seed

  1 teaspoon ground cu
min

  2 cups coarsely chopped white onions (about 1 large)

  2 cups coarsely chopped green bell peppers (about 2 large)

  4 cups water

  1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped

  1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes

  1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, chopped, with liquid

  1 cup cooked or canned hominy, drained

  8 chicken breast tenders (about 12 ounces), cut into 2-inch pieces

  1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

  Coarse salt

  Chopped white onions and chopped fresh cilantro, mixed together (optional)

  1. Soak the beans in water to cover overnight. (Or use the quick-soak method: Place the beans in a stockpot and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let stand for 1 hour. Drain the beans and proceed to step 2.)

  2. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the canola oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, chili powder, oregano, cumin seed, and ground cumin. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the onions and bell peppers; cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the beans, water, and chipotle pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the beans are soft but still somewhat firm. Add the diced and chopped tomatoes and their liquid. Stir in the hominy, chicken, and cilantro and simmer, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Season with salt. Spoon into bowls and garnish with onions and cilantro, if using.

  Note: Leftovers will freeze well; freeze the chili without the onion and cilantro garnish.

  Yield: 9 servings; Serving: 11/2 cups

  Calories: 309; Protein: 22.4 g; Carbohydrate: 46.3 g; Fiber: 13.8 g; Sodium: 315 mg; Fat: 4.9 g (Sat: 0.47 g, Mono: 3.67 g, Poly: 1.38 g, Trans: 0.01 g); Cholesterol: 22 mg

  Simple Seafood Stew

  Buy the peeled and deveined raw shrimp to save time. Serve leftovers over fresh spinach linguine for a different meal.

  2 tablespoons olive oil

  1 cup diced white or yellow onions (about 1 medium)