A perfect recipe for late summer

This is the time to make a big pot of GUMBO. All the veggies you need for this recipe are bounteously available at your local farm market or farm stand.


 

Shrimp, chicken and sausage gumbo

Seafood and Chicken Gumbo
Fresh okra is seasonal (late spring until first freeze), but you can also use frozen okra in this recipe. If so, eliminate step 1 below and add frozen okra in step 3.
(Serves 4-6)

Ingredients:
1 lb. okra, trimmed and sliced (about 4 cups)
4 T canola oil or butter, or a mix, divided
2 andouille sausages, made from pork or chicken (optional), sliced
1 medium green pepper, diced (1 cup)
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 small onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 T flour
4 cups chicken stock, heated
2 cups chopped tomatoes
2 T each chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried) and parsley
1 large bay leaf
½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1 lb. uncooked shrimp (peeled and deveined), crabmeat, or chicken (boneless, skinless, cut into bite-size pieces), or a combination
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T Tabasco or other hot sauce, ore more to taste
Instructions:

1.      Heat 2T oil/butter over medium-high heat in a skillet. Add okra and sauté, stirring often, for about 8-10 minutes until “roping” (thin strands of white substance) subsides. Set aside.

2.      Heat remaining oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage, if using, and cook until just beginning to brown. Stir in pepper, garlic and onion and sauté until veggies turn translucent, about 5 minutes.

3.      Stir in flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, herbs, salt, and reserved okra.

4.      Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.

5.      Stir in shrimp, chicken and/or crabmeat, cover and cook another 5-10 minutes until meat is tender. Be careful not to overcook shrimp.

6.      Remove from heat. Discard bay leaf, stir in lemon juice, Worcestershire and hot sauces. Add more salt if necessary.

7.      Ladle into bowls over white or brown rice. Pass more hot sauce at the table.

Without sausage, a lighter dish

"A+ Salad"

Here's a really yummy summer salad that takes advantage of summer's bounty, using ripe peaches, peak-season blueberries, as well as a few radishes -- which I love but hardly know what to do with. My husband, who disses salads much of the time, had three helpings and graded it A+. Those sweet peaches and berries ought to make anyone swoon.

Summer salad

RECIPE: Peach, Radish and Blueberry Salad
Makes 5-6 servings

Ingredients
1/2 small red onion
4-5 ripe peaches, peeled (cover with boiling water for 30 seconds; peels will slide off)
4 radishes, very thinly sliced
1 cup blueberries
Vinaigrette made with olive oil and white wine vinegar (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup torn or chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese (or more to taste)
1/4 cup toasted nuts (I used a combo of pine nuts and pistachio, but almonds work too)

Instructions
Slice the onion as thinly as possible. Place sliced onions in a bowl of ice water for 5-10 minutes to remove any sharp flavor. Drain and pat dry.
Cut peaches in half and then slice thinly.
Place onions, peaches, radishes, blueberries and basil in a large bowl and toss with the vinaigrette. Add salt and pepper, if desired, to taste.
When serving, top each portion with some of the cheese and nuts.

Note: If you want, toss the finished product (before adding cheese and nuts) with some lettuce or baby spinach.

Maximizing summer's bounty

Stuffed peppers (poor photo -- sorry!)

Corn, zucchini, bell peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes, peaches, eggplant -- these are just a few of the fresh, local produce now available at farmers' markets nationwide.
I like to make a big pot of succotash -- or what I call "soycotash" because I use edamame instead of Lima beans -- for a delicious side dish, using many of the above ingredients.
It's fairly simple although it does require a lot of knife work. Cut the kernels off a few ears of corn, slice 2 medium zucchini or yellow squashes, dice a red bell pepper, 1/2 onion and mince a few cloves of fresh garlic. Saute all those ingredients in canola oil, add a cup of frozen, thawed edamame along with seasonings (salt, pepper, chopped herbs of your choice) and voila!
With the leftovers, I made this 'tash-stuffed bell pepper as a vegetarian entree. I added a chopped jalapeno pepper to the succotash to give this dish a bit of a kick.

Recipe: Peppers Stuffed with Succotash
Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 large red bell peppers (halved lengthwise, stems left intact, seeds and ribs removed)
3-4 cups succotash
1 cup grated Monterey Jack or mozarella cheese

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place peppers, cut side down, on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, until peppers just becoming tender. Set aside.
Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
Stir the cheese into the succotash, then divide the succotash among the pepper halves. Place in prepared baking dish.
Add 2-3 T water to the dish. Cover with foil and bake for about 15 minutes, until heated through. Uncover and bake for 5 minutes longer. Serve!

Holiday Indulgence Rx, Part 1

Back to reality, dear readers: it's January and the party's over.
Back to work or school -- or in my case both, since my day job is journalism professor -- and time for a reckoning between our bodies and our bathroom scales. (Or whatever other method you may have for keeping track of your girth, such as how tight the skinny jeans have become.)
It's only a couple of pounds extra that I've managed to acquire, but the older I get, the harder it is to deal with even that amount of new weight.

So now what? Here's my first idea about how to shape up this January: GO VEGAN FOR A DAY EACH WEEK. 

Served with cornbread and white wine, yum!

Yes, you could be satisfied with vegetarian-for-a-day, but many of my readers already are vegetarian or at least "flexitarian." Also vegan cuts out dairy, which means cutting out cheese -- a big calorie booster when we eschew meat.
Even if you're not ready to commit to a vegan diet, try the following recipe. I made it for our New Year's Day dinner, with black-eyed peas (a good-luck food for 1/1 among my kinfolk). You can substitute any other bean. Also feel free to play with the proportions, adding more beans if you like. Throw in additional veggies, and/or nuts other than pine.

Recipe: Quinoa with Spinach, Beans and Avocado

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa (may substitute brown rice, couscous or other grain)

2 c salted water

2 c fresh spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces

1 c shredded carrot

1 c canned beans, rinsed and drained (such as kidney beans, black beans or black-eyed peas)

Salt, pepper and garlic powder, to taste

3 T olive oil, or more if desired

Juice of one-half lime

3 T pine nuts, toasted

1 or one-half avocado, cut into bite-size chunks

Instructions:

Cook the quinoa in the salted water until all the liquid is absorbed. Meanwhile, place spinach and carrots in a large mixing bowl. When quinoa is done, add to spinach mixture and toss well to wilt the spinach. Mix in beans, seasonings, olive oil and lemon juice. Spoon into a serving bowl and top with pine nuts and avocado.

Savory and sweet side

This makes a great side dish to go with a Christmas ham, and it's hearty enough to serve as a main course for vegetarians. I've also made this dish (or one like it) to take to a potluck dinner.

You may substitute peeled chunks of sweet potato for the butternut squash, if you prefer.

Recipe:

Butternut Squash, Fruit and Nut Dressing

(Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups butternut squash cut into one to 1 ½- inch cubes Note: many supermarkets carry peeled and seeded butternut squash, refrigerated, in the produce section

5 cups whole-grain bread cubes (from 4 large slices of bread). Note: Bread should either be toasted before you cut into cubes or left out overnight so that it’s “stale.” If you have stale whole-grain bread, use that.

2 T canola oil

½ cup chopped celery and/or carrots

½ cup diced onion, leeks or shallots

2 eggs, lightly beaten, or equivalent amount of egg whites or egg substitute

1 cup vegetable or chicken broth

½ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 T fresh thyme

½ cup golden raisins, dried cranberries or a mix of both

½ cup chopped walnuts

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Place the squash in a steamer insert inside a 2-quart saucepan. Add ½ cup water, sprinkle with salt, cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and cook until squash is still al dente, about 3-4 minutes depending on thickness of the cubes. Remove from heat and rinse squash under cold running water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetables (celery, onions, etc.) to pan and sauté, stirring, until veggies are soft, about 3-4 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.

3. Combine remaining ingredients (eggs through salt and pepper) with cooled veggies in a large mixing bowl. Add bread and squash; stir well.

4. Turn into an oiled baking dish and bake, uncovered, for 60 minutes in a preheated, 350- degree oven.

5. Let cool slightly before serving.

Another way to love on apples

My friend and co-author (for Whole Living Journal) Mary Ann Barnes, MD, contributed this rustic but delicious treat, which is also a snap to put together.
Mary Ann and I have been writing a column for the magazine -- called "The Healthy Foodie," big surprise! -- since 2005. Mary Ann also contributes to a website by that name; click here to read what she is up to.

This recipe that uses in-season apples and just-about-out-of-season blueberries will make your house smell marvelous as it bakes.

RECIPE:  Apple, Blueberry and Walnut Tarts

Serves 8

Ingredients and supplies:

2 pre-made pie crusts

Parchment paper

3 baking apples (such as Jonathan), cored and cut into large chunks

2 tablespoons lemon juice.  

1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

2/3 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup natural sugar

3 tablespoons whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut parchment paper into 8 5-inch squares.

Roll each pie crust into a 12-inch square.  Cut each pie crust into quarters, about 6-inch squares.  Place one piece of pie crust onto a piece of parchment paper.  Press into a cup in a cupcake pan, molding pie crust onto the side, but keeping parchment paper from folding into dough.  Repeat until all eight cups are molded.

In a medium bowl, toss apple pieces with lemon juice.  Combine remaining ingredients and toss lightly to coat.  Divide apple mixture into each cup.  Fold dough down over apple mixture and sprinkle lightly with a pinch of natural sugar.

Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, or until crust is lightly brown.  Serving suggestion: top with Greek yogurt.  

Perfect for potluck

This colorful dish fills all the requirements for what you need to bring to your next dinner party or other potluck affair. It only needs a few ingredients and so is easy to make; tastes good hot, room temperature or from the fridge; healthy, pretty to look at, and filling; leftovers taste great whether you leave them at the party or take 'em home with you.

RECIPE: Bow-tie pasta with broccoli and grape tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 box bow-tie or penne pasta, cooked according to package directions until al dente

1 bunch of broccoli, florets and tender part of the stems cut into bite-size pieces

3 T olive oil

2 packages grape or cherry tomatoes, left whole if larger than 1 1/2 inch, sliced in half otherwise

1-2 T minced garlic

1/4 cup prepared pesto

Salt and pepper, to taste

For serving: grated cheese

Instructions:

A couple of minutes after you've put the pasta in boiling water, add the broccoli. Drain when pasta is cooked to al dente (not mushy), and set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add tomatoes and garlic, stir-frying until tomatoes start to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat, add pesto, and stir well.

Season with salt and pepper; add pasta/broccoli mixture and check seasonings, adding more salt and pepper to taste.

Great combo: crab and asparagus

It's asparagus season! While you can get the tasty spears any time of year -- as is true now of most fruits and veggies -- spring is when they are best. Local growers around here are bringing their asparagus to markets, and I find it easy to over-buy and then have to come up with ideas for serving my husband's favorite vegetable.
Last night we just roasted a bunch of it in the oven with olive oil and seasonings.

One flavor combination that I think works really well is to mix crabmeat with slices of asparagus. For company this weekend, I'm planning to make a crab and asparagus salad (recipe and photo to come), but here's another way to combine the two ingredients, courtesy of Eating Well magazine.

Recipe: Crab Salad Melts
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 asparagus spears, or 12 snow peas, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
• 8 ounces crabmeat, any shells or cartilage removed
• 1/3 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 scallion, finely chopped
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 2-5 dashes hot sauce
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 4 whole-wheat English muffins, split and toasted
• 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Instructions:

1. Place rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat broiler.
2. Place asparagus (or snow peas) in a medium microwave-safe bowl with 1 teaspoon water. Cover and microwave until tender, about 30 seconds. Add crab, celery, bell pepper, scallion, lemon juice, mayonnaise, Old Bay seasoning, hot sauce to taste and pepper; stir to combine.
3. Place English muffin halves, cut-side up, on a large baking sheet. Spread a generous 1/4 cup of the crab salad on each muffin half and sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted, 3 to 6 minutes.

Quick vegetarian supper

I actually meant to add meat to this "pasta" dish (in quotes because it was spaghetti squash and not true pasta) but forgot. To give it some protein, I sprinkled shredded Parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts.

This is a very healthy meal, and super easy. Serve with crusty bread and a crisp white wine of your choice. If you prefer red wine, go for it.

Recipe: Spaghetti Squash with Sauteed Vegetables

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1 medium spaghetti squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)

2 T canola oil

3 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise and sliced into 3/4-inch half moons

1 red bell pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped or minced

8 ounces sliced mushrooms

1 cup diced tomatoes

1/2 cup water

1 T dried oregano

1 T dried thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Parmesan cheese, to taste

Instructions:

Pierce skin of spaghetti squash 2-3 times with the point of a knife. Place on a microwave safe plate and cook in microwave on high for 3 minutes. Let sit in the oven for 4-5 minutes to cool slightly. Be careful as the squash will be hot -- let it cool longer if need be. (I about burned my hands on the next step!)

Carefully cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and pulp in the middle. Using a fork, scrape the meat out of the squash -- it will come out in strands not dissimilar from spaghetti. Season the squash with salt, pepper and little olive oil if you want. Put in a bowl, cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add zucchini, pepper, garlic and mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables start to tenderize, about 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes, water and seasonings. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir well, cover and cook for another 4-5 minutes.

Reheat squash in the microwave for 30 seconds and divide among serving plate.

Spoon vegetable sauce over squash.

Sprinkle with pine nuts and cheese; pass more cheese at table.

Easy, delicious dessert

Pears are in season from now through the mid-winter months. We tend to get lots of pears as Christmas gifts (Harry & David's, you know) and need to figure out how to use a lot of them fast. They're great to eat as is, but when you have more than you really know what to do with, try this tasty dessert, served with lowfat ice cream, frozen yogurt or other creamy (but no-guilt) topping. This amount can feed a crowd, but feel free to cut the ingredients in half to serve to your family.

Recipe: Pear Crumble Serves 10
Ingredients:
Topping
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup whole-wheat or all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 tablespoons canola oil

Filling

3 1/2 pounds ripe but firm Anjou pears, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup raisins
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced crystallized ginger

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. To prepare topping: Combine oats, walnuts, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Drizzle with oil and stir until evenly moist.
3. To prepare filling: Combine pears, maple syrup, raisins, flour, lemon juice and ginger in a large bowl and mix well. Transfer the mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the topping over the pears.
4. Bake the crumble until the pears are tender and the topping is golden, 45 to 50 minutes. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Pasta with White Beans and Veggies

This is easy, healthy and quite delicious.

Recipe: Pasta with White Beans, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Greens and Garlic Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked pasta, preferably whole grain (I like bow-tie or farfalle shaped)
Salted water (for cooking the pasta)

3 T olive oil
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1 large fresh tomato, cut into chunks
1/2 cup water
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 can white (cannelini or white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups fresh spinach or arugula, or a combination of the two
Grated or shaved Parmesan cheese, for serving

Instructions:
Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente; drain and set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and garlic and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, water, salt, pepper and oregano. Cover pan and let mixture heat through, about 3-4 minutes.
Stir in beans and greens (spinach and/or arugula); cover pan again and let heat just until the greens begin to wilt, about 3 minutes. Add pasta to pan and stir well.
Spoon into bowls for serving, passing the cheese at table.

TOP PHOTO: How it should look when all ingredients are in.
BOTTOM PHOTO: A bowl ready to eat, with cheese.

Serve with a fruity red wine, such as zinfandel or shiraz -- or any wine that you like. Crusty whole-grain bread goes nicely with it, as well.

Summer on a plate

Here's another way to enjoy some of the best crops of summer -- sweet corn, profuse zucchini and local garlic (which, by the way, tastes sooooo much better than supermarket garlic shipped from thousands of miles away).


Recipe: Peppers Stuffed with Corn and Zucchini
Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 large red or yellow bell peppers
2 T olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (leave seeds in if you want a spicy dish)
3 cups diced zucchini
2 cups corn kernels
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup grates Monterey Jack and/or cheddar cheese, or more to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, thyme or basil (whatever you prefer)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. Halve peppers lengthwise, leaving stems intact. With a paring knife, removed seeds and ribs. Place peppers, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes until peppers are just tender. Set aside and reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add onion, zucchini, garlic and jalapeno. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in corn and cook briefly just to heat the corn. Remove from heat and let cool. Add salt, pepper, cheese and herbs.
4. Divide mixture among pepper halves and place back on the baking sheet. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to the pan, cover with foil and bake peppers for about 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 minutes longer. Serve.