Produce can play a part in every course of the menu, even dessert.
By FAYE LEVY, YAKIR LEVYRoasted root vegetable salad with spiced pumpkin seeds(photo credit: YAKIR LEVY)
Recently we attended two cooking classes in which we got ideas on how to start off the year with a more nutritious diet. In both classes the teachers shared practical tips on how to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into our daily meals.At their new cooking school, Kitchen Gardens, chefs Mary Platis and Debbi Dubbs focused their class on apples and vegetables.They highlighted the technique of roasting, which has become one of the most popular ways to prepare vegetables because it’s easy, requires much less fat than frying and produces delicious results.When you roast root vegetables, for example, they become concentrated and sweet, almost like vegetable candy. You can serve roasted root vegetables as a side dish, but Platis and Dubbs demonstrated another way to serve them. They used roasted carrots, parsnips, beets and shallots as a flavorful topping for a salad of baby greens dressed with sherry vinaigrette and garnished with toasted spiced pumpkin seeds. (See recipe.) As an accompaniment for a basic entrée such as schnitzel, instead of serving fried or mashed potatoes, Platis and Dubbs suggested serving an apple slaw. They made their light-textured slaw from apples, grapes and vegetables cut in matchsticks, moistened with Dijon mustard dressing and decorated with toasted pecans. (See recipe.) Pickles provide an easy way to perk up meals, and they’re not made only from vegetables. At the class, we learned how to make tasty pickled apples – packed in jars with rosemary sprigs, shallots, jalapeno pepper and celery, and a sweet brine of two parts vinegar, one part water and one part sugar, flavored with cinnamon sticks and star anise. The apples were refrigerated and the pickles were ready within one day.At the other cooking lesson we attended, Zel and Reuben Allen of the Vegetarians in Paradise website transformed a library lecture room into a cooking class.There the students sliced, chopped and simmered a variety of vegetables and fruits to make a complete meal.The Allens used vegetables in surprising ways, such as adding sweet potatoes to their hummus. We were impressed at how delicious it was. (See recipe.) Zel Allen, the author of The Nut Gourmet, uses nuts creatively in her cooking. Nuts flavor her oil-free salad dressings, such as the creamy garlic dressing that the students made quickly and easily during the class. (See recipe). At serving time we poured the dressing over candy cane salad, a tasty salad of mixed greens topped with red and white vegetables and garnished with pine nuts. (See recipe.) For better nutrition it’s a good idea to plan meals by first choosing which vegetables and fruits to include.Produce can play a part in every course of the menu, even dessert. Indeed, we had apple cake topped with dried apples at the Kitchen Garden class, and pumpkin cookies at the Allens’ class. Faye Levy is the author of Healthy Cooking for the Jewish Home.Roasted root vegetable salad with spiced pumpkin seedsThis recipe is from the Kitchen Gardens cooking class. If you don’t have parsnips, you can substitute turnips, each cut in six or eight wedges, or use more of the other vegetables.Serves 6Roasted vegetables: ■ ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil■ 8 baby beets or 4 medium beets, or cooked, ready-to-eat beets■ 8 shallots, peeled and halved■ 4 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 7.5-cm. (3-in.) lengths■ 6 long carrots, halved lengthwise■ Coarse salt and pepper, to taste■ 2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves (2 sprigs)Green salad:■ 2 bunches arugula (rocket salad) or other salad greens, rinsed and patted dry■ 3 Tbsp. sherry vinegar■ ½ tsp. Dijon mustard■ 1 tsp. minced shallot■ ½ tsp. coarse salt, or to taste■ ¼ tsp. pepper, or to taste■ ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil■ Spiced toasted pumpkin seeds (see note below)To roast beets, heat oven to 230°C (450°F). Place beets on a piece of parchment- lined foil and wrap in foil. Bake until beets are tender when pierced with a knife – 30 to 45 minutes for baby beets or 1½ hours for regular beets. Let cool, unwrap and rub skins off beets with paper towels. Cut beets in half, or in fourths if large. In a large bowl, toss the shallots, parsnips and carrots with 3 to 4 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread evenly on a baking sheet or roasting pan and sprinkle with rosemary, tossing to coat. Add to oven and roast, turning vegetables over once, for 30 minutes or until tender and golden.Transfer to a bowl.Dressing:Combine the vinegar, mustard, shallots, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk until combined. Whisking constantly, add oil in a slow, steady stream until emulsified. Place beets in a medium-size bowl with 1 tablespoon of the dressing and season with salt and pepper; reserve separately. Place salad greens in a large bowl with the other roasted vegetables and add enough dressing to coat them. Before serving, add beets to salad and sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds.Note: Spiced toasted pumpkin seeds:Heat oven to 175°C (350°F). Beat 1 large egg white until soft and foamy in a medium bowl. Combine ¼ cup sugar, 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. ground mild chili powder (optional), ¼ tsp. ground allspice, ¾ tsp. ground cumin and ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper or more, to taste. Stir in 2½ cups raw shelled pumpkin seeds until well coated. Spread on a baking sheet and bake about 8 minutes or until golden and aromatic. Cool on a wire rack.Autumn apple slawWhen making this slaw, said chef Debbi Dubbs, use just enough of the mustard-flavored dressing to coat the vegetables. Any extra dressing can be saved for green salads.Serves 4■ 2 tsp. Dijon mustard■ ¼ cup apple vinegar or balsamic vinegar■ ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil■ Sea salt and pepper, to taste■ ¾ cup grapes, cut in half■ 6 apples, peeled, cored and cut into matchsticks■ 1 kohlrabi, peeled and cut into matchsticks■ 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks■ 4 Tbsp. toasted and chopped pecans For dressing: Whisk mustard and vinegar in a bowl. Drizzle in olive oil while continuing to whisk. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Mix grapes, apples, kohlrabi and carrot in a large bowl. Add enough dressing to coat. Serve garnished with pecans.Sweet-potato hummus“Sweet potatoes turn this familiar appetizer into a velvety smooth, super nutritious and very tasty starter,” wrote the Allens. They served it with wedges of fresh, whole-wheat pita.Makes about 3½ cups■ 450 gr. (1 lb.) orange-fleshed sweet potatoes■ A 400-gr. (14-oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed■ ¹⁄3 cup tehina■ ¼ cup fresh lemon juice■ 3 garlic cloves, peeled■ 1 tsp. ground cumin■ 1 tsp. salt■ ¼ tsp. cayenne■ 2 Tbsp. minced parsley (garnish)■ 2 to 3 Tbsp. pine nuts (garnish)■ 2 to 3 Tbsp. pomegranate seeds (optional garnish)■ Pita, cut into wedges (for serving) Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 2.5- cm. (1-in.) chunks. Put them in a 2-liter (2-quart) saucepan with water to cover.Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook over medium heat for 4 to 8 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are fork tender.Drain, reserving ½ cup of the cooking water.With a slotted spoon, transfer well-drained sweet potatoes to a food processor.Add chickpeas, tehina, lemon juice, garlic, 2 tablespoons sweet potato cooking water, cumin, salt and cayenne. Process until smooth and creamy, adding a little more cooking liquid if mixture is too thick.Serve on a platter garnished with parsley, pine nuts and pomegranate seeds, accompanied by pita wedges.Candy cane salad The Allens call this dish candy cane salad because it is made of red, white and green vegetables. You can make it a day in advance without tossing it; cover it well with plastic wrap and refrigerate it.Serves 8 to 10■ 1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces■ 1 head tender leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces■ 3 leaves kale, torn into bite-size pieces■ 1 bunch mint, chopped■ 1 bunch green onions, green and white parts chopped separately■ 1 small head cauliflower, finely chopped■ 1 small kohlrabi, peeled and cut into thin, 6-mm. (¼-in.) dice■ 1 bunch radishes (about 8 small radishes), sliced■ Seeds of 1 large pomegranate (optional), ¼ cup reserved for garnish■ 1 sweet red pepper, diced■ ½ cup pine nuts■ 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes (garnish)■ Creamy garlic dressing (see next recipe)In an extra-large salad bowl, combine romaine, tender lettuce, kale and mint. Add green parts of green onions and mix well. Spread the lettuces to the edges of the bowl, creating a slight well in the center.Put white parts of green onions in another large bowl. Add the cauliflower, kohlrabi, radishes, pomegranate seeds, sweet red pepper and pine nuts and mix well.Spoon cauliflower mixture into center of lettuces, leaving a border of the greens. Garnish with the cherry tomatoes around the edges and cluster the reserved pomegranate seeds in the center.The Allens’ creamy garlic dressing This flavorful dressing keeps up to 1 week in the refrigerator. Xanthan gum and guar gum can be found at health food stores.Makes 2¼ cups■ ½ cup Brazil nuts, almonds, cashews or sunflower seeds■ ½ cup fresh lemon juice■ ¼ cup water■ 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped■ 1 cup unsweetened soy milk (or lightly sweetened)■ 3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar■ 1¼ tsp. soy sauce, tamari, or Bragg Liquid Aminos■ ½ tsp. salt■ ½ tsp. mustard powder■ ¼ tsp. ground black pepper■ ¼ tsp. xanthan gum or guar gumCombine nuts, lemon juice, water and garlic in a blender. Blend on low speed for a few seconds. Then process on high speed until mixture is thick and smooth.Add remaining ingredients and blend on high speed until dressing is smooth and creamy.Using a funnel, pour dressing into a narrow-neck bottle for easy serving.Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve. Shake well before using.
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