Fava Bean Snack

There are days when I have a hard time getting my protein in. And there are days when I don't have much time to cook. I recently discovered this tasty snack, and now I can't get enough!

I buy the frozen fava beans at Whole Foods. They aren't too expensive. I throw some in a bowl and microwave them for one minute. Then I take it out, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil and a few shakes of salt, stir it up, and put it back in for another 40-45 seconds. YUM! Warm, salty, and fairly nutritious. I eat them with a spoon.

My Favorite Salad Dressing

I got a version of this salad dressing from a Weight Watchers message board several years ago, and instantly was a fan. Since then I have completely forgotten the correct proportions and usually just throw it together as fast as I can. It's supposed to be a vegetarian caesar salad dressing, but I don't know if it tastes much like caesar or not. I like to use it as a dip with carrots as well (pictured).

Nutritional yeast is one of those ingredients that I avoided for years because it seemed too "odd." But I first used it in this dressing, and I became an immediate fan. It's a yellow powder that's very high in B vitamins -- especially B12, which is difficult to get if you don't eat animal products. I usually buy it in the bulk section at Whole Foods.


1/2 cup olive oil, or more if needed
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 T Dijon mustard (regular yellow mustard works, too)
1/4 cup tahini paste (sesame)
juice of 1 lemon, and a bit of pulp if you like
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1. Mix all ingredients together until well-blended.
2. Serve with salad or fresh-cut vegetables.
-- Can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to one week.

Moroccan Couscous

Tonight I made this recipe -- one of my favorite dinners. It's very easy and full of flavor. It's also got tons of nutrition, including the healing powers of turmeric!

The recipe is adapted from The New Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas. I've omitted a couple of ingredients, adjusted the spice levels, and added garbanzo beans for protein. I like to serve it with plain yogurt on top. Don't be put off by the long list of spices. I usually just line them up in order on the counter right before I start cooking, and move down the line with my measuring spoons.

Sauce ingredients:

2 T canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
6-7 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
2 cups vegetable broth
1 - 28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 - 15 oz cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1. Saute the onion and garlic in the oil over medium heat until the onion is translucent.
2. Stir in the spices and continue sauteing for 2-3 more minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and the broth, bring to a gentle boil.
4. Add the garbanzo beans, return to a simmer, and cook 10-15 more minutes until heated through.
5. Serve over couscous (recipe below) with yogurt on the side.

Couscous ingredients:

2 cups vegetable broth
1 3/4 cups water
1 T butter or margarine
2 cups regular or whole wheat couscous

1. Combine the first three ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil.
2. Lower the heat to its minimum level and stir in the couscous.
3. Cover for five minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Let sit for two minutes before fluffing and serving.

My Favorite Sodabread

I'm not much of a baker, but I do enjoy quick and easy breads. I also enjoy playing around with recipe ingredients to try to make them healthier. This sodabread is based on a combination of recipes from The Joy of Cooking and an American Heart Association cookbook, with a few twists of my own. It's very easy, and perfect for a weekend morning when you have a little time to wait for your breakfast to cook.


Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups white flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 T caraway seeds
1/2 cup butter or margarine (I like to use either real butter or canola oil margarine)
1 1/4 cups plain non-fat yogurt
1 T orange flavoring (optional)
1/3 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 350F and spray a pie pan with cooking spray.
2. Mix together the first six ingredients.
3. Cut in the butter with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture is the consistency of cornmeal.
4. Stir in the yogurt and orange flavoring (if using) until it is all a solid blob.
5. Stir in the cranberries so that they are more or less evenly dispersed.
6. Shape into a lump on the prepared pan. Cut an "X" into the top with a knife. Bake 40-50 minutes, until a knife comes out clean. The inside will still seem moist because of the yogurt, but it should be fully cooked.

A Recipe at Last

I've made it to the 2nd trimester, and today my 18-week ultrasound showed a healthy baby. It was a huge relief! My diet hasn't been the greatest lately. I have a huge appetite, it seems, and though as is usual for me I tend to focus more on savory carbohydrates, I also have been eating more sugar than I did before I was pregnant. Oh well. Halloween is over, so maybe the sweets will disappear for a while.

In the meantime, here's a recipe I recently made. I started making risotto in 2004 with my pressure cooker. After more than a two-year hiatus from that appliance while we were in Thailand, I finally dug it out of storage last month and started practicing my risotto again. It's surprisingly easy to make, and wonderfully comforting to eat. This version, based on a recipe from The Roasted Vegetable, uses butternut squash -- perfect for a cold fall day.



Butternut Squash Risotto:

1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 red pepper, diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 T olive oil
2 tsp thyme or rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
1 small onion
4 cups vegetable broth + 1 cup water, heated
1/2 cup white wine (don't worry, the alcohol will cook out)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for the table

1. Mix together the squash, red pepper, and garlic with 2 T of the olive oil and the spices. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast at 425^F for 20-25 minutes or until soft, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

2. In a pressure cooker over medium heat, saute the onion in the remaining olive oil until translucent. Stir in the rice, making sure to coat each grain with some of the oil, for about 3 minutes.

3. Add the white wine to the rice and stir until the liquid is evaporated.

4. Add the broth and water, close the pressure cooker, and bring to high pressure for ten minutes. Release the pressure with the burner on low heat.

5. Test the rice for doneness. There may still be a little bit of liquid, but it will soak up quickly, so only continue cooking if absolutely necessary.

6. Stir in 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve with additional parmesan on the side.

** If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can make this recipe in a regular pot by adding about a half-cup of the liquid at a time and stirring until it is soaked into the rice before adding the next half-cup.