They say my heart problems are hereditary.  However, I’m sure eating things like potato salad swimming in mayonnaise and loaded with hard boiled eggs didn’thelp matters. Today I still love potato salad, but limit myself to vegan versions made with vinaigrette. (In fact, just looking at mayo-based salads can turn my stomach – almost croaking from clogged arteries will do that to you.)  This salad is unusual in that it contains silky soft caramelized onions rather than crunchy ones. It’s addictive, simple to make and perfect for those summer barbecues. However, I couldn’t wait until summer.

The chives are optional, but I was so excited to find wild chives growing in my yard that I just had to throw them in.

Potato Salad with Caramelized Onions

2 1/2 pounds new or fingerling potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite-size chunks

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 cups chopped yellow onions (about 4 medium)

Zest of two lemons

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon dijon mustard (use gluten-free variety if you prefer)

1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon minced chives

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the potatoes. Cook until just tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes.

Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large skillet. Add the onions and cook until soft and golden, about 30 minutes.

Pour the onions and all the oil over the warm potatoes. Add remaining ingredients and stir gently. Add salt and pepper to taste, plus extra lemon juice if you love lemon like I do.  Serve at room temperature.

Serves 6

I can’t stop by the farmer’s market these days without picking up some asparagus. It’s absolutely irresistible.  This weekend, I had to get creative to use up the three pounds I hauled home!  I also had some leeks on hand, so I decided to roast them together and create a very simple soup. Light and lemony, it’s the essence of springtime. Add some homemade whole wheat croutons for a slightly heartier meal.  I also whipped up an asparagus and ramp frittata, so watch out for that recipe in the next day or two.

Note: while I often use a food processor to puree soups, in this case, a blender works much better –  you want a nice velvety texture here that can’t be achieved with a food processor (well, with my crappy one, anyway.)

Roasted Asparagus and Leek Soup

2 pounds asparagus, tough ends snapped off, cut into 2-inch pieces

2 cups chopped leeks (white and light green parts only)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest

3 to 4 cups vegetable broth (use gluten-free broth if you are gluten-sensitive)

3/4 cups fat-free milk (or soy milk for a vegan soup)

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Toss the asparagus and leeks with the oil and spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Roast until the vegetables are soft and golden, about 35 minutes.

Place them in a blender with the remaining ingredients (starting with 3 cups of broth and adding more as needed) and process until very smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and gently reheat.

Serves 4

Avocados are loaded with heart-healthy “good fat,” plus omega fatty acids, which are said to reduce heart disease risk.  However, they are quite high in calories,so with the amount I tend to eat, it’s probably too much of a good thing. I had heard of adding peas to guacamole to lighten it, but being a purist when it comes to guacamole, the idea always rubbed me the wrong way.  But today I figured, if I’m throwing tradition out the window, I might as well throw it all the way out.  So in addition to the peas, I added cucumber and mango, plus some nonfat  yogurt and tomatillo salsa to lighten it further.  While this stuff doesn’t have the same dense richness of regular guacamole, it’s pretty damn good in its own right.  And if you’re like me, you won’t feel quite as guilty eating a whole heap of it.

Oh, and wondering who the little sombrero-clad boy is in the photo?  He had always lived in the yard behind the house next door to us. Then one day the two little old ladies who lived there (sisters – but not nuns like our other neighbors) went into a nursing home together.  When the house was sold – with all its contents – the new owners had no use for this kitschy vintage garden statue. He even came with a little wagon.  Score!

Light, Sweet and Spicy Guacamole

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1/2 cup (lightly packed) cilantro leaves

1 lime, halved

3 fresh jalapeno peppers, chopped – or more to taste

3 ripe medium Haas avocados

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/3 cup fat-free plain yogurt, or nonfat sour cream  (vegans, substitute soy yogurt)

1/2 cup prepared green tomatillo salsa

1 small red onion, minced

1/2 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

1/2 cup diced fresh mango

Put the peas, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro and the juice of half a lime in a food processor and process until smooth.

Mash the avocado with a fork or potato masher. Add the pea mixture, salt, cumin, yogurt and salsa, and stir well. Mix in the onion, mango and cucumber.

Taste and add the other half of the lime juice if needed (if your salsa was very acidic, it may not be necessary.)   Serve with baked tortilla chips, of course.

Apr 20, 2010

African groundnut stew

Load up the old iPpod with some Fela or King Sunny Adé and you’ll have the perfect backdrop for cooking this West African favorite. I’ve made groundnut stew dozens of ways over the years, but I love my latest take. There’s something about the combination of sweet potatoes and greens that is particularly delicious – and nutritious. The black eyed peas are another traditional West African staple, and add an earthy flavor plus lots of protein.

This recipe is easy to play with to create your own favorite version of groundnut stew. For instance, carrots can take the place of the sweet potatoes, and cabbage or okra can replace the collards. Serve the stew with brown basmati rice or whole wheat couscous.

African Groundnut Stew

2 tablespoons organic canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 serrano or jalapeno peppers, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
½ teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
28-ounce can tomatoes in juice, diced (reserve the juice)
1 cup vegetable broth (use gluten-free variety if you are gluten-sensitive)
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 bunch collard greens, stems removed, leaves well chopped
½ cup natural peanut butter
1 15-ounce can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Salt to taste
½ cup chopped dry roasted peanuts
1 lime, cut into wedges

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot. Saute the onion, garlic, peppers and ginger over medium heat for 7-8 minutes. Add the cumin and cayenne, and cook one minute more. Add the tomatoes and their juice, broth, sweet potatoes and greens. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes.

Add peanut butter and black eyed peas and gently simmer 10 minutes longer, uncovered. Add the cilantro and season to taste. Garnish with peanuts and a squeeze of lime.

Serves 4-6

I wanted a brownie, I craved a brownie, I had to have a brownie. There was just no way around it.  Of course, as someone with heart disease I can’t eat the kind of brownies I used to – the kind with a stick of butter in every batch.  But my brownie standards remain extremely high, so dry, fat-free brownies are not going to cut it, either.  So I developed this recipe as a way to satisfy my cravings without lowering the bar on flavor or texture. With bittersweet chocolate as well as cocoa, plus an egg and walnuts, they are plenty rich, yet miraculously butter-less. They contain just two tablespoons of oil, and are made with whole wheat pastry flour. I don’t think anyone used to “regular” brownies would ever know the difference – they’re really that good.

When these brownies first come out of the oven they are a bit on the cake-y side, but the next day become pretty fudgy.  So if you can manage to wait to eat them, you’ll be happy you did.

Decadent Lowfat Brownies

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used a Ghirardelli 70% baking bar)
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg + 2 egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small saucepan, heat the chocolate and water on very low heat, stirring until melted. Stir in the applesauce.  In a bowl, vigorously whisk together the egg and egg whites, vanilla, sugars and canola oil. Stir in the chocolate mixture. Add the dry ingredients and mix briefly. Fold in the walnuts.

Spray an 8×8″ metal baking pan with oil.  Spread the batter in the pan and bake for 25 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Serves 8

I adapted this from David Lebovitz’s recipe, adding roasted root vegetables and parsley, and pumping up the flavor with more shallots, vinegar and mustard. I didn’t use authentic lentils du puy as David suggested, but only because I was too lazy to go hunt them down today. It’s great even with regular French green lentils, as I used here.  The sweetness of the roasted root vegetables is a perfect counterpoint to the vinegary dressing.

My husband has been bugging me to make green lentil salad for five years. I don’t know why I resisted, but hey, he could have made it himself, right?  (He claims he did once, but I have no memory of such an occurrence.) In any case, Tim, this one’s for you. And now that I know how good it is, I promise to make it often. Next time. I’m going to try adding toasted walnuts and some lemon zest.

[UPDATE: This is best served warm or at room temperature, on the day it’s made. The lentils really absorb the dressing when refrigerated, so if you plan to eat it leftover, you might want to make a little extra dressing to add after it comes back to room temp.]

French Green Lentil Salad with Roasted Vegetables

2 cups French green lentils, rinsed
¼ teaspoon salt
2 bay leaves
1 small fennel bulb, cut into 1/4″ dice
1 large carrot, cut into 1/4″ dice
2 medium parsnips, cut into 1/4″ dice
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (make sure your vinegar is gluten-free if you are gluten-sensitive)
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard (use gluten free mustard if you are gluten-sensitive)
1 large shallot, finely minced
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Place the lentils in a saucepan with water to cover by 3 inches, along with the bay leaves. Bring to a boil add ½ t. salt. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until just tender.  Drain and set aside.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the diced vegetables with 1 T. olive oil.  Spread on a large baking sheet and roast for 12-15 minutes, until a bit browned but not mushy.

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar and mustard. Add the shallot. Combine the dressing, lentils, roasted vegetables and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 6-8 as a side dish