Eat Simply, Eat Well

Healthy recipes & tips to help you live the good life. by Ann Plough

Lettuce & Veggie Wraps w/ Spicy Peanut Sauce

by

Lettuce_veggie_spicy_peanut_sauce_hdr_20150624

Last night at Teurastamo, the site of the old butchery in Helsinki, the Hairy Bikers were taping a segment of their upcoming show on Finnish food. They’d gone foraging in the forests earlier in the day with Sami Tallberg, getting an up-close and personal view of the wild food Finland has on offer, and then cooked with Sami at the “Food Bike Carnival with the Hairy Bikers” event.  Unfortunately, I was unable to be there for the cooking segment, but enjoyed a brief chat with the honorable gentlemen later in the evening. We talked a bit about their foraging experience, and then I asked them “Why come to Finland for food?”

thehairybikers_20150623

It all began with the bidding competition to host the 2012 Olympics. Final round, London vs. Paris, Dave told me. Jaques Chirac was overheard saying: “Why would you want to hold the Olympics in the country whose food is the second worst in the Europe, behind only Finland?!?”.  The voting  was close. Just a few votes separated the winner from the loser, but London emerged victorious. To the Hairy Bikers, Si King and Dave Myers, there was one, clear, logical reason for this: Finland must have voted for London. Si and Dave had observed over the years how British food had emerged to become exciting and innovative; a leader in taste and flavor; and were suspicious that perhaps, like the UK, Finland’s much maligned food culture was misunderstood. They did their research, planned their trip, and here they are on a 5-day mission to unmask the truth behind the fallacy: Finnish food can be pretty darn tasty and the ingredients unusual and amazing. So far so good. They’ve “tried some unusual ingredients in interesting combinations” and have thoroughly enjoyed every bite.  Details? Stay tuned for that! These boys are certain to get to the heart of the matter when the show airs.

What I loved about my conversation with Si and Dave was the open-hearted nature in which they embraced food and new/different food cultures. Food unites people within and across borders, and the work these guys do to break down barriers and misperceptions related to food is admirable. So too is the role they’ve had in helping their followers get healthy.

Though we didn’t discuss it yesterday, in 2013, the Hairy Bikers made a major change in taking back control of their health. They realized that their love of food had lead them to a place where they were overweight and less healthy than the wanted to be. Being foodies, they also realized that a diet of deprivation and of eating foods that didn’t actually appeal to them wasn’t the answer: things had to look good and taste good, while being good for them. They changed their diet, worked on updating much-loved recipes to keep them tasting good while reducing the calories, fat and sugar, and dropped three stone (42 pounds) each along the way. In September 2014, Si suffered a brain aneurysm that put him in the hospital for several weeks and served as another wake-call to the importance of good health – one beyond just diet and including a balanced lifestyle where stress was under control as well. Says Si “If I hadn’t lost all that weight (before the aneurysm), I might not be here right now. ” They’ve now published three cookbooks, have started “The Hairy Bikers’ Diet Club” and have done a series with BBC about reinventing the food they love into a healthier iteration that everyone can love – and feel good about. What’s not to love? Take a look at them in action here:

https://youtu.be/JU-GwC1pBZc

In my studies to become a certified health coach, as I learn more and more about nutrition, habits and the way we live – I look at the world around me and see so many people struggling with the same challenges that the Hairy Bikers faced: busy, stressful, demanding lives; a love of good food; food being part of celebrations; food used for comfort; traditional, much-loved recipes with more calories than we could ever guess. Obesity is a world epidemic, and a problem that is widely acknowledged to be an economic challenge as much as it is a health challenge. People who are overweight or obese tend to have more health problems over their lifetime. They tend to have more sick days and to be less productive while at work. Often, they note that their quality of life is less than they would like it to be as they find their weight, size and fitness levels restrict them from or do not support the type of life they want to live. Further, the obesity problem costs the world a jaw-dropping $2 trillion dollars per year, coming in third place behind smoking and armed conflict and just ahead of alcohol.  It impacts all of us. But we can turn it around.

lettuce_veggie_spicy_peanut_sauce_nofilter_20150624

So where do we begin? I don’t believe in dieting – I believe in changing our diet. Traditional dieting is not sustainable – people end up on and off of diets, weight yo-yoing up and down, and feeling generally dissatisfied. I strongly believe in creating a lifestyle change that works for you and the way you live specifically (because everybody is different), and includes more of the foods that provide the macro- and micro- nutrients our bodies need to be at their strongest and fittest state, does. Where do you start? You start with real, whole foods. Foods that you recognize and can pronounce (although admittedly, with names like kohlrabi, aubergine and jicama – even real foods can have names that may seem unusual…!). Foods that are fresh and good, local and/or organic if possible. Meat and fish that is of good quality and sustainably sourced. Foods like this may require a bit more planning and a bit more prep, but in the end, your waistline will shrink, your health and energy will improve, and you’ll waste less time nursing common illnesses and diseases that are diet-related.

But…the food that fits into this lifestyle must taste good or we won’t bother; and it has to be super simple to prepare while packing in the flavor. As the Hairy Bikers note, we want to be healthy, but we also still want to enjoy our food along the way.

The recipe I’ll share with you today really delivers – healthy and packed with flavor and crunch and spice, it is addicting in a good way and provides tons of macronutrients and fiber along with good fats and protein. Use any variety of the freshest vegetables you can find, good quality lettuce, and peanut butter without preservatives. If you wish, everything can be made ahead and packed to take with you: for a lunch at work; a potluck; a picnic; a road trip. As for me, I’m packing this into the saddle bag on my bike and cannot wait to enjoy it overlooking some beautiful vista somewhere…

lettuce_veggie_spicy_peanut_sauce_handshot_20150624

Lettuce & Veggie Wraps w/ Spicy Peanut Sauce

For the peanut sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons peeled, minced ginger
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/2 cup natural peanut butter, creamy or crunchy – your preference
  • 2 tablespoons tamari (can also use regular soy sauce if gluten is no issue)
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha or other hot sauce of choice
  • juice of 1/2 lemon

Melt the coconut oil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add the garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant and tender; 2-3 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients and stir until smooth. Remove from heat.

For the vegetables:

  • one head of the lettuce of your choice (choose romaine, or a dark lettuce for more micronutrients)
  • variety of vegetables cut into long strips including:
    • red, yellow, orange bell pepper
    • kohlrabi
    • cucumber
    • zucchini (courgette)
    • carrot
    • fennel

To serve, arrange the lettuce leaves and vegetables on a large platter. Serve with the peanut sauce on a the side so that each person can pile the vegetables they want to eat onto the lettuce cup and spoon peanut sauce over the top. This can be served as an appetizer or snack, or go crazy and turn it into lunch!

Serves 4-6.

 

Pan-roasted Cauliflower with Roasted Smoked Garlic and Cilantro

by

pan-roasted-cauliflower-garlic-cilantro

Here is a dish loaded with flavor that can be made ahead and refrigerated or served immediately. This pan-roasted cauliflower can be made as easily with frozen cauliflower as it can with fresh, with no compromise in flavor whatsoever. Serve it hot, straight from the pan, or cold; or reheat it as suits you. It makes a great side dish for any meat dish or alongside flavorful lentils or beans; it pairs well with a meat burger or a veggie burger; and really shines on a plate full of a variety of vegetables and salads – so make a huge pan and bring it to your next potluck.

If you don’t have smoked garlic, no stress. Just use fresh garlic as noted in the recipe, but less of it, and serve this dish up with pride. Or if you’re like me, you’ll dip your fork in again over and over until suddenly there is none to share but you are feeling inexplicably satiated and happy, and considering how soon you can make it again.

Pan-roasted Cauliflower with Smoked Garlic and Cilantro

  • 1/2 head fresh cauliflower cut into florets or 500g frozen cauliflower
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 head smoked garlic, roasted (see note) or 6 cloves fresh garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, leaves and stems chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground Cayenne pepper
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and cook until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the cauliflower.  If using fresh cauliflower, add 2 tablespoons of water.  If using frozen cauliflower, no water is needed. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 minutes. Remove lid and allow the cauliflower to continue to cook and the liquid to evaporate.  Use a spatula to flip the cauliflower occasionally as it begins to brown and crisp.

Once the cauliflower is nice and crisp, 5-7 minutes, remove from heat and stir in salt, roasted, smoked garlic and cilantro. Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve.

Serves 2-4 as a side dish.

Note: To roast the garlic, preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Wrap an entire head of smoked garlic (or use normal garlic if you can’t find smoked) in aluminum foil. Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes. Remove; allow to cool; then squeeze each of the garlic cloves out of their paper shell onto a plate. Roughly chop the garlic. If you are in a rush, you can simply chop the garlic and add it to the pan once most of the liquid has evaporated from the cauliflower. You won’t get the same depth of flavor, but it will be delicious nevertheless. You can also use regular garlic if you can’t find the smoked version for a slightly different flavor profile.

Just Eat It: Za’atar Eggplant Crisps with Yogurt

by

This recipe is a classic case of planning one thing and ending up with something much, much better.

It all started with small video clip that I can’t get out of my mind: a man standing behind a giant pile of beautiful, yellow bananas, all perfectly edible, with a big note saying “rejected” on them – rejected because they are the wrong shape or size per supermarket regulations. What led us to this place where perfectly good food gets tossed away because it’s not cosmetically perfect?

This led me down a new trail to researching food waste.  I had been perusing food news as I often do – winding down just before bed.  I came across something I had somehow missed until just now: a trailer for a documentary that aired on April 22nd for Earth Day by a Canadian couple Jen Rustemayer and Grant Baldwin. The film, Just Eat It covers a year in the life of the couple as they spend the year eating only food that would otherwise be thrown away and researching the why, how and where of the incredible amount of edible food that is simply thrown away every day. The statistics shared in the short clips I saw made me want to get my hands on the entire documentary so that I can watch and learn a whole lot more. Take a look:

Here are a few highlights from the clips that made me think again about the value I place on food and ideas we all have about what constitutes good food vs. less appealing or inedible:

  • 40% of the food grown in America gets thrown away (btw: in the UK the number is estimated to be 50%)
  • 30% of the food grown in America gets thrown away at the farm – for cosmetic reasons: too large; wrong shape; minor defect (i.e. slightly different color on skin or growing mark)
  • the average American family throws away 25% of the food they purchase – a fact brought home with a clip of a woman leaving a grocery store with 4 grocery bags, dropping one from her hand, and continuing to walk on…
  • food wasted in grocery stores and restaurants mostly doesn’t get composted – it ends up on the landfill, where it proceeds to release methane gas into the atmosphere
  • 15 million American families struggle to get enough food every month

All this combined with things we may already be aware of: the world has a water crisis; climate change heavily impacts the ability to grow and store food in many parts of the world; the world’s major health problems are mostly diet-related – caused in many cases by eating food that is highly processed with a shelf life of “nearly forever” – implying that some of the food being wasted could be used to replaced the unhealthy stuff in people’s homes so that they could make better choices.

eggplant slices ready for the oven

eggplant slices ready for the oven

So I turned on the oven and went about making eggplant into something I thought I’d add to dinner, later. But as ‘way leads on to way’ (Robert Frost), I turned a corner when I pulled out the Za’atar and serendipitously created a snack I’ll be coming back to again and again.

Eggplant slices after roasting

Eggplant slices after roasting

So pull out a knife and your small, ripe eggplants, and get cooking. These are amazing and eggplants are really good for you. The eggplants are cooked to the point where they just begin to dry out but are still pliable.  The savory combination of salt, olive oil and Za’atar coupled with the smooth, tart yogurt is simply perfection. And you don’t need to wait until your eggplants are on their way out, either: just choose the smaller, younger eggplants so they aren’t bitter, and get cooking!

 If you’re interested in learning more about Food Waste, solutions being implemented, and what you can do, here are some resources:
Ready for dipping

Ready for dipping

Za’atar Eggplant Crisps with Yogurt

3-4 small eggplants, ends removed and sliced to 1/2″ or 1 cm

1 tablespoon Za’atar*

salt to sprinkle

olive oil to drizzle

1/2 cup Turkish or Greek yogurt (low-fat works great too)

Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

Lay the eggplant slices out on the baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with salt.  Drizzle olive oil over the slices, and then sprinkle each slice generously with Za’atar.  Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, cool slightly, and serve warm with yogurt that’s been sprinkled with additional Za’atar, if desired.

Serves 4 as an appetizer

 *Note: you can buy Za’atar from spice shops and grocery stores, or you can make your own. Try this recipe or this one.
 Looking for other eggplant recipes? Try these:

Did you like this post? What are your thoughts on food waste or how to make better use of the food you buy? We’d love to here from you! Go ahead and leave a comment below and share this with your friends.