Blog: Nutrition and Exercise for Health and Weight Control

We made this at my cooking class last Saturday and it was a big hit. I wrote the recipe for cooking everything together in a wok, but I actually browned the chicken in a skillet and added the ginger and garlic to that. It works well either way.

My daughter, Theodora, chopped all the vegetables and stirred together the sauce before class. That’s most of the work; the cooking only takes a few minutes. We just warmed up some brown rice I had cooked the day before to complete the meal.

To save time at home, cut the veggies and prepare the sauce ingredients a day or more ahead. (A good chore for a teenager That way you can have a fantastic meal within minutes when you want it. (more…)

Two clients came to my inaugural cooking class today and we all enjoyed a great time sharing with one another and a wonderful lunch of brown rice topped with tasty stir fry and crispy tofu. Cooking started at 11:00 and we were done eating by noon.

Here’s the recipes although I really didn’t follow the stir fry very closely as I had different vegetables on hand and no seaweed. That’s one of the great things about stir fries - you can use whatever you have. Just try to have some green veggies and some orange and/or red to give plenty of contrast.

When I cut up the vegetables, I put the ones that take longer to cook in one bowl and the ones that cook quickly like tomatoes, peppers and summer squash in another. I start frying the harder veggies first and then add the others along with the garlic and ginger after a few minutes. (more…)

This is my version of Mrs. Leonard Geisert’s prize-winning recipe from Pillsbury’s 13th Grand National Bake-Off in 1961. My mother used to make these cheese-filled chocolaty cupcakes and my brothers and I would usually eat way too many.

Charity made these for me last Sunday as a Mother’s Day gift. The picture doesn’t show slivered almonds on top because she forgot those, but no one really missed them.

Preheat oven to 350.
Line 2 dozen muffin cups with paper baking cups. (more…)

My 14-year-old daughter, Gigi, made this for her father’s birthday last week and it was fabulous. The leftovers were just as delicious cold as hot - great picnic food!

You can vary the recipe by using other vegetables or cheeses. Substituting some meat and/or tofu for some or all of the cheese works nicely as well. We’ve made lots of variations over the years and haven’t had a single disappointing result.

Greek Spinach Pie

Take a package of frozen filo dough out of the freezer to thaw.
Grease a 13″x9″ pan.
Preheat oven to 375.

Saute 1 chopped onion in saucepan.
Add 2 packages of frozen chopped spinach; cook until nearly done.
Stir in 2 tbsp flour.

Combine and add to spinach:

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups cottage cheese, ricotta, or mascarpone
• 1 cup crumbled Feta

Lay 10 sheets of filo dough in pan, lightly spraying each with butter-flavored oil.
Spread filling over dough.
Top with rest of filo, spraying each layer with oil.
Fold edges in.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until well browned.

I’m always looking for new smoothie recipes as I work with hospice patients who need nutrient-dense foods that are tasty and easy to swallow. In my searches I’ve come across a number of sites devoted to green smoothies.

At first I thought these must taste really bad, but after reading many peoples’ enthusiastic praise for the taste as well as the nutrition, I decided to try one. I made up this simple recipe.

Blend together -
1 banana
1 apple, cut up and/or some strawberries
1/2 cup pineapple orange juice
1/2 cup soymilk, kefir or yogurt

Now add about 2 cups of any kind or combination of greens and blend until very smooth. Here are some suggestions:
Kale
Spinach
Young collards
Dandelion
Arugula
Swiss chard
Mint
Romaine
Escarole
Endive
Sprouts
Beet greens

If the leaves are big, cut them up a little and remove the stems. You can also try adding a slice of fresh ginger and/or a spoon of tart cherry juice concentrate. A tablespoon of ground flax seed and the same of granulated lecithin are yummy and super-nutritious additions.

I made my first batch with some young purple kale from my garden and was absolutely astonished at the taste. It turned out to be one of the most delicious things I have ever put in my mouth!

Since then I’ve been making two big green drinks every day and my children, the brave ones who venture try a taste, agree; green smoothies are surprisingly delicious. They’re also highly energizing and if you’re afraid the green taste will be too strong, I have the remedy.

I made one today that had so much dandelion greens and mint in it that the taste grabbed us by the throat - whoa! Well, I just poured it back in the blender and added a half dozen strawberries - ahh, down easy!

And talk about fast food - it’s 5 minutes from start to pouring your glass. If you have any leftovers, save the remainder in a container in the freezer. Smoothies don’t keep well in the refrigerator, but are wonderful frozen, even better when slushy, and they taste just like freshly made when thawed. Try one today!

This is a salad you can vary infinitely with different fruits and vegetables. I sometimes use pears or apples when strawberries aren’t in season. Blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries also make delicious additions.

Lightly steamed green beans and asparagus are also wonderful in salads. To blanch green beans so that they are tender-crisp and remain bright green, do the following:

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.
2. Add green beans.
3. When water returns to boiling, set a timer for 8 minutes.
4. Pour beans into a colander and then plunge them into a large container of cold water.

Here’s the recipe for the salad:

• Put a bunch of salad greens in a bowl - leaf lettuce, spinach, arugula, or whatever you like.
• Add sprouts, cucumber, grated carrots, sugar peas, cooked veggies, etc.
• Toss with a little light vinaigrette.

Top with:

• Berries or other fruits
• Walnuts or pecans
• Crumbled goat cheese

I often make an entire meal on a salad like this with maybe a muffin on the side. I’ve noticed that when I’m feeling a little tired and run down, eating a big meal of enzyme-rich food like salad always gives me a lift.

My 16-year-old daughter, Theodora, wanted to help with the cooking the other day. We had two big eggplants from Annie and our favorite way of preparing eggplant is incredibly simple and amazingly good.

We bake the slices at high temperature in the oven and they’re usually gobbled up as soon as they come out of the oven. Here’s the recipe:

Roasted Eggplant

1. Slice eggplant into 1/2″ slices.
2. Pour about 1 tbsp of olive oil onto a sheet pan; spread it out.
3. Lay slices in pan and turn them over.
4. Sprinkle garlic salt and oregano over all.
5. Bake at 400 until they are just beginning to turn brown, 15-20 minutes. Watch closely as they will suddenly get done and then they’ll soon burn.

Francis Lam recently published a definitive article on Roasted Vegetables which I’m reprinting the majority of here. He emphasizes single layer cooking for best results. However, since I’m usually cooking for a crowd, I’ve often roasted a huge pan full of vegetables. (more…)

One definition of piquant is “having an agreeably pungent taste”. This week we got two bunches of curly kale in our box from Annie’s Organic Buying Club. I thought, “Oh, Siberian kale, maybe I can find some way of cooking it so it doesn’t taste too bad.”

Many years ago, I grew a row of kale in my Highlands, N.C. garden. Kale happens to grow more lustily and live much longer into the winter than almost all other vegetables. Not knowing any creative ways of preparing it and dutifully trying eat those huge leaves for almost a year, I got very burned out on kale and decided this was a vegetable I didn’t like.

Well, the kale in our box had much smaller, younger leaves than those in my long-ago garden and the tasty recipe I came up with made all the difference. Here’s how I made it: (more…)

My 13-year-old daughter, Gigi, had been wanting quiche so one morning when my husband asked me to make breakfast for him, I took care of both requests by inventing a new recipe. It made enough for our whole family and was absolutely delicious.

You can substitute anything for whatever pleases you more. Makes great leftovers too.

Preheat oven to 450.
1. Saute a bunch of sliced crimini mushrooms and 1 sliced leek in a tablespoon of Greek sheep’s butter in a large, cast iron skillet.
2. When those vegetables are softened, add 1 chopped fresh tomato.
3. Lay cut-up cooked broccoli over the veggies in the pan.
4. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of crumbled goat Feta cheese over the broccoli.
5. Stir 8 beaten eggs into about 4 cups of cooked Japanese rice and pour/spread it over everything.
6. Season with Adobo seasoning salt, freshly ground black pepper, and oregano.
7. Lay slices of leftover cooked sweet potatoes over the top.
8. Set the frying pan in the oven and let it bake for about a half hour or until it’s starting to brown.
9. Cut into wedges and serve.

If you’re like most people, when you think of collard greens there’s not a lot of interest. Collards rank with kale as the most nutrient dense vegetables you can buy, but neither is very popular with the average American.

One reason people don’t like them much is that the ones we commonly find in stores and roadside stands are large, tough, fully matured leaves. Also, most don’t know ways to cook these vegetables to make them really tasty.

We joined Annie’s Organic Buying Club a few weeks ago so that we can receive a variety of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables every week at wholesale prices. The food is so packed with flavor, very much like what I’ve grown in my former gardens.

This week’s treasure box included some young collard leaves along with a bunch of leeks.
Here’s how I made Stir-fry Collards with Leeks:

1. Wash and cut up greens.
2. Blanch in a big pot of boiling water for 1-2 minutes.
3. Drain in colander.
4. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a wok and add greens.
5. Chop 1 or 2 leeks and add them to wok.
6. Stir-fry 2-3 minutes until veggies are tender.

Recently I had this for brunch with roasted sweet potatoes and it made a complete and delicious meal. [Cut up taters, toss with a little oil; bake in greased casserole, covered at 450 for 45-60 minutes or till tender and a little crispy at the edges.]

I put a pint of collards in a bowl with an equal amount of sweet potatoes on top. Topped it all with a 6-ounce container of Brown Cow cream-top yogurt. The creamy tart dairy against sweet and crispy taters together with succulent oniony tender greens - wow! Try it and you’ll agree, so good!

I actually brought this food into work in containers and ate it there. If you have a microwave and a refrigerator where you work, there’s no reason you can’t have home cooked lunches. Venture outside the box and enjoy fabulous food in unusual combinations!