Fresh Summer Dining (and Imbibing): Meal Pairing Ideas

Summer is to fresh, light meals what winter is to comfort food. While it instinctively FEELS easier to eat fresh, light and quick-to-prepare meals in the summer - it's also easier to forget that your own kitchen and market-bought produce are part of your routine when you're spending a lot more time out soaking up summer. Alas, guacamole, chips, and two (or three) margaritas aren't exactly what 'fresh seasonal dining' refers to.

While I wouldn't dare suggest you shouldn't enjoy that occasionally (I'll take my guac with a caipirinha, please), I do want to give you some ideas for what you can prepare yourself this summer - in advance or on the spot - to treat yourself and loved ones to the best of the season (without gaining a pound). And in the spirit of kicking back, it will even go well with whatever you're imbibing on:

1) To pair with a mimosa at brunch:

Buy: 

• 1/2 cup quick organic oats
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• Do you know that this almond milk has 50% more calcium than cow's milk? It's also a crazy strong source of Vitamins E and B12, which you need for skin health and for higher energy level, among numerous other benefits
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• These kids are loaded with magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium and fatty acids for slower digestion - and all you need is 1 tbsp 
• 2 tablespoons Just Great Stuff organic peanut butter powder
• I add this for texture, additional protein and more flavor - but it's entirely optional
• Organic blueberries
• For sweetness, texture - optional
• 1 tablespoon acacia honey

Prepare: 

• Add all the ingredients to a small pan and bring to a boil
• Pour into a bowl, top with a tablespoon of honey and blueberries, to taste

Enjoy:

• All this for under 300 calories, a ton of protein from the almond milk and powdered peanut butter, Omega-3 from the chia seeds, half your Vitamin E and B12 daily requirement, several other nutritional benefits - and a delicious, satisfying breakie. 

2) To pair with a good glass of Albariño (or any good glass of wine) at lunch or dinner:

Buy: 

• Dry lentils of any variety (1 cup dry for 2-3 servings)
• I have yet to see a definitive point of view or answer on whether sprouted lentils vs. regular cooked lentils are nutritionally superior. So keep in mind that they're both light in calories but nutritionally dense per cup of cooked lentils (great sources of iron and protein), and go with whatever texture you prefer.
• Olive Oil (1.5 tablespoons)
• Fresh cilantro
• Salt, pepper, lemon to taste

Prepare: 

• Bring a pot of water to boil, cook the beans for about 5-8 minutes, depending on how dense vs. soft you prefer the texture
• Rinse
• Toss with olive oil and chopped cilantro
• Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice to taste

Enjoy:

• Serve it as an accompaniment to salmon, over greens or by itself. And savor with wine.

3) To pair with a cold margarita or caipirinha:

Buy:

• 85% (or higher) lean, grass-fed ground beef (1 lb. for 2-3 servings)
• Organic scallions, or green onions (4 stalks)
• Bottled salsa verde (never canned)
• If you want to make this yourself, hats off! I admit I served mine from a Stonewall Kitchen bottle - of natural ingredients only, not a preservative in sight. If I were having you over for dinner, I would never serve you anything from a can. But if you must, read the label and choose wisely.
• Fresh cilantro ('tis the season)

Prepare:

• Chop 4 stalks of scallions
• Cook the ground beef in a heated pan, breaking it up with a wooden spatula
• You won't need oil - the beef will cook in its own fat as its released, which I like to drain out as I go. But this is up to you.
• Cook until it's of your desired texture and taste - I like mine relatively well done
• Before it's fully cooked, add the chopped scallions and a few tablespoons of salsa verde
• Top with cilantro

Enjoy!

• I eat to avoid inflammation and acidity, so I only pair beef with greens - never rice, bread or starches. But if you have no digestive issues to contend with, feel free to serve on top of rice, in a soft taco shell, or alongside greens, as I do. 
• The mild heat of the salsa verde will pair amazingly with the sweet tartness of the margarita (or cocktail with similar flavor profile)

4) And, for dessert... (with a good glass of port, or whatever you'd like, really)

Buy (per serving):

• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (same one I mentioned above, for the same reasons)
• 1/4 cup vanilla coconut milk (high in Vitamins B12 and D, which you need for energy)
• 1.5 tablespoons chia seeds (for the same reasons I mentioned above: protein, Omega-3 and slower digestion = more energy, babe)
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened, organic grated coconut (for texture)
• 1 tablespoon honey, to taste

Prepare:

• Add all the ingredients (except the grated coconut) to a cup/small bowl and mix
• Top with the grated coconut
• Cover and refrigerate overnight

Enjoy:

• You soak this overnight so that the chia seeds expand; they will be tasteless but provide a tapioca-like texture. And by combining the chia seed with a protein source like almond milk facilitates easier absorption by your body
• This is nutrition disguised as dessert, with just a bit of sweetness from the honey and the natural sweetness of the coconut milk
• A bit of sugar - but a lot of slow-burn energy
• Have it for dessert, as a snack, or with breakfast

Until next time,

- Paloma

Weekend Smug Satisfaction: Conquering Fava Beans

My intention in starting this blog was to focus on fresh, nutritious and easy recipes that ultimately satiate your taste for good food, nourish your body - but take minimal time and effort to prepare. Which makes fresh fava beans a bit of an anomaly. While they're still in season and incredibly delicious, I have to caution you that these will take about 40 minutes to prepare and cook. Cook these on the weekend while sipping a glass of wine and you'll feel grounded and accomplished. Cook these on a weeknight while you're hungry and you may feel more frustrated and hungry than smugly satisfied.

So, onwards. Why fresh fava beans? Nutritional benefits, according to Livestrong (hey, love him or hate him - the website is still a fantastic source of information):

A one cup serving of cooked fava beans provides 187 calories, 33 g of carbohydrates, 13 g of protein, and 1 g of fat. Fava beans are an excellent source of fiber with 9 g per one cup serving. Additionally, fava beans offer the benefit of 177 mcg of folate, or 44 percent of the daily value. Copper, manganese, and phosphorus are also key nutrients present in fava beans. Canned fava beans have 500 mg of sodium in one cup, while the fresh variety has only 18 mg.

Now, here's what you do with them:

1. Buy: About 2 lbs. of fresh beans. 2lbs. will yield just over a cup of beans, in the end, and you'll lose all of the beans' shells.
2. Shelling Part One: Bean by bean, you'll tear or cut off the tip, pull on the stalk or 'string' on the horizontal side of the bean, open the shell and just keep the 4-5 beans inside each shell. They will look like wax-coated beans. Depending on how many you buy, this is where you'll spend most of your time.
3. Cook: Boil them or steam them. I boiled mine between 5 - 10 minutes.
4. Cool: Remove the now shriveled-looking beans from the hot pot, and run under cold water to cool off. 
5. Shelling Part Two: Once cooled, you're going to take each bean and apply manual pressure in order to pop the smaller bean out of the waxy, shriveled shell. You'll be left with shiny, bright green beans that look like the photo above.
6. Dress Them Up: This is the easy part. Add some olive oil, salt (or truffle salt, in my obsessed manner), ground pepper and cilantro to taste. If you're among those that dislike cilantro, try basil, parsley, or another fresh herb to your liking. 
7. Chill and Enjoy! A perfect light summer salad served cold, by itself, as an accompaniment to grilled fish, or tossed with greens.
8. Extra points: Try this with liver and chianti. Ja!

Until next time,

- P

Summertime and the Livin' Is Easy (when you're not in front of a computer screen)

So, Miami threw me off course - it's been over two weeks and I haven't made the time to write since. It's summer in Manhattan (and on this hemisphere, for that matter): days stretch longer; I get off the train a few stops earlier just to languish in the warmer air and sunlight. Visits to the grocery store give way to the sunnier, more luscious and seasonal farmer's market. Dinner is had outdoors, or with the balcony door swung open. Malbec is replaced by rose. You get the picture - I'm inclined to spend far less time behind a computer screen and more outdoors. I may not have made time to write until today, but that doesn't mean I haven't been cooking or eating right.

Since I assume you want to spend less time behind a computer screen now, aw well, I'm going to focus on visual cooking ideas, instead of the usual copy-based recipes. So here's what I've got for you:

1. Wild-caught salmon grilled with scallions and topped with cilantro, served on a bed of organic mesclun lettuce. 

• These are legit, nutritions greens - lamb's lettuce, arugula varieties, spinach, etc.

1. Sprouted green lentil salad, served with a bit of olive oil, truffle salt and cilantro

• These kids are amazing for you - protein, low-glycemic carbs, and iron

1. The now ubiquitous truffled cannelinni bean mash (with green onions), served on fresh kale

Easy, perfect for summer lunch (or dinner). I'll let you get back to your rose now.