Ten Ingredient Project

A Blog Entirely New(ish)

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 16:29:00 +0000

Friends of the Ten Ingredient Project, this blog has flown. There's a new blog in town, dedicated to pictures and recipes of delectable whole-food meals fit for humans big and little.

Come visit Kid Can Eat! and have a happy, healthy day!

Fresh Ground Curry Powder

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 22:46:00 +0000

Reasons to make your own curry powder:

1) This stuff is obscenely fresh. No little foil seal on top of store-bought jars can compete with the bold and vibrant flavor of whole ground spices.

2) Spices have potent healing properties, and grinding your own in small batches ensures that the antioxidants and phytonutrients stay locked in the spices as long as possible.

3) If you're like me (nerdy), you'll jump at the chance to buy some new spices that you don't normally cook with (fenugreek, anyone?)

4) Spices are FREE when you're cooking ten ingredient meals!

5) It's a pretty nifty bit of know-how. If cooking with your own homemade curry powder doesn't impress a date, it's time to get a new date.

To make this curry powder, you'll need a standard coffee grinder à la Walmart and a small airtight jar. The recipe is modified slightly from this one; I cut back a little on the coriander.

Fresh Ground Curry Powder
Total Kitchen Time: 10 minutes. Makes enough for 8-10 curries.

4 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
2 tsp. turmeric powder (turmeric is a rhizome like ginger, so it's the one spice that doesn't work "whole" in a curry powder.)
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. black mustard seeds
1.5 inches of cinnamon bark
5 cloves
1 bay leaf

Combine all spices except turmeric in grinder and grind until very fine. Transfer to airtight jar and stir in turmeric. Use in curries, as a popcorn seasoning, on baked sweet potato fries, etc. etc.!

Uncle Brett's Sweet Ginger Curry

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 20:35:00 +0000

My brother Brett flew in from Boston to meet his nephew last week and took my kitchen by storm! I always knew Brett was a dessert mastermind (this guy can fix a fondant like nobody's business) but I had no idea he had a flair for curries quite like this. Not to sound like a total noob, but Brett's curry tastes just like the kind you get at the Indian restaurant! The secret, he showed me, is patience with onions. Of course! Authentic Indian curries use onions to create that thick, flavorful sauce. Duh. Cooking them down to a stringy paste (tastier than it sounds--for at least 30 minutes) brings a practically unholy sweetness to the final dish. Loads of fresh garlic and ginger added at the end of cooking make this a potent healing stew.

Here I ladled Brett's curry over brown rice next to some steamed broccoli and a few tender deglet noor dates for a total ingredient count that leaves two to spare!

Uncle Brett's 5-Ingredient Sweet Ginger Curry
Total Kitchen Time: 45 minutes. Serves 2, with leftovers.

1 cup brown lentils
2 medium onions, sliced as thinly as possible
1 Tbls. extra virgin coconut oil
3 large cloves garlic, grated
fresh grated ginger root, equal in volume to grated garlic

Free Spice Blend
1-2 tsp good curry powder (home-ground curry powder recipe coming soon!)
dash cayenne pepper
salt to taste

Rinse and drain lentils and set to simmer covered with twice the water.

In a large saucepan, fry onions in coconut oil over medium heat for 30-60 minutes, until they turn to a stringy paste and begin to brown.

Are you keeping an eye on your lentils?

Add garlic, ginger and spices to onions and fry a few more minutes.

Add cooked lentils to the onion pot, along with a little bit of their liquid. Stir and heat a few minutes more to integrate flavors.

Serve plain or over brown rice.

Thanks Brett, for a great visit!

Balsamic Black Pepper Mushrooms

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Mon, 30 May 2011 22:26:00 +0000

I've been really into mushrooms lately. I used to have some weird psychological issue with eating fungi, which I cannot be more thankful to have overcome. Not only are mushrooms rich in antioxidants and B vitamins, (even white buttons!) they're also just really freaking tasty.

So now that I've come to my senses, I look for excuses to eat piles of mushrooms in one sitting, main-course style. I've tweaked this recipe several times and I think it's perfect now, thanks to the addition of fresh parsley suggested in a similar recipe in Vegetarian Times.

Pouring the hot mushrooms over fresh raw spinach wilts some leaves while others remain crisp; the tangy/sweet balsamic flavor is all the dressing you'll need.

I enjoyed this meal with a juicy organic pear (ingredient #8) and a glass of white wine (#9) and I felt all French and fancy. You too can feel French and fancy! Enjoy.

7-Ingredient Balsamic Black Pepper Mushrooms
Total Kitchen Time: 20 minutes. Serves 1.

10 medium-large white button mushrooms, sliced to medium thickness
3 cloves garlic, sliced longways
1 Tbls. olive oil
splash balsamic vinegar
2 Tbls. fresh parsley, chopped finely
1/4 cup raw walnuts
2 cups fresh spinach

Free Spice Blend
LOTS of freshly ground black pepper
sea salt

Drizzle oil into pan over medium heat and fry garlic until translucent; about 1 minute.

Add mushrooms. Spread them evenly across the bottom of the pan and then DON'T TOUCH THEM for 10 minutes. This part is really hard (for me). Be sure the pan is hot enough to keep up with cooking off any liquid the mushrooms might release.

After ten minutes of heroic patience, stir gleefully, enjoying your beautifully browned shrooms. Add balsamic vinegar and cook 2 more minutes, or until no liquid remains.

Toss parsley into pan and remove from heat promptly. Grind salt and plenty of black pepper onto mushrooms and stir thoroughly.

Pour mushrooms over fresh spinach, sprinkle with walnuts and serve.

The Five Minute Plate

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Thu, 26 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Five Minute Plate is back! Well, it's gone now. I mean, I ate it. And it was delicious.

This seven-ingredient meal included baby bok choy sauteed in olive oil with a squeeze of lemon juice, fresh strawberries, carrot sticks, and an egg fried in a bit of butter. I've mentioned before that I enjoy unprocessed fats without guilt, including saturated fats like butter and coconut oil.

Unrefined fats are especially important while breastfeeding because all mom's dietary fats go straight into her milk. Trans-fatty breast milk = horror show! Run, babies! Coconut oil, on the other hand, boosts the lauric acid content of the milk which translates to maximum infection-fighting properties for baby.

Breastfeeding has been challenging, but today Darwin and I celebrate two months together growing and learning. I absolutely love giving him this unparalleled super-food. How could I not want the best for these chins?

Have a beautiful day, foodies!

Curry Roasted Cauliflower

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Sun, 22 May 2011 02:00:00 +0000

If you've been to the Ten Ingredient Project homepage recently, this cauliflower might look familiar. Actually, the version pictured on the website is a real recipe from Epicurious, and the version here is my hurry-up-and-cook-while-baby's-sleeping recipe, maybe also the I'm-crap-out-of-onions recipe. I was surprised to find that sweet potatoes added so much deliciousness to this and that overall, minimalist curried cauliflower tastes just as good as its more complicated counterpart. One secret is to use a really flavorful curry powder, i.e. one you've ground up yourself from whole spices (recipe to come--wear your spice snobbery with pride.)

I completed this light meal with a sweet and zingy organic kiwi that my mom sent in my birthday package. Oh yeah, I'm 28 now. That's almost three meal's worth of ingredients! ;)

5-Ingredient Curry Roasted Cauliflower
Prep Time: 10 minutes. Cook Time: 40 minutes. Serves 2.

1 head cauliflower
1 sweet potato
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbls. apple cider vinegar
small handful fresh chopped cilantro

Free Spice Blend
1 tsp. good curry powder
2 tsp. paprika
sea salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Rinse cauliflower, chop into even bite-sized florets, and place in a large mixing bowl.

Dice sweet potato into small cubes, about 1cm across (woah, metric!). Combine with cauliflower.

In a small bowl, whisk togetherolive oil, vinegar, and spices. Pour over vegetables and toss.

Arrange veggies on a large baking sheet and bake for around 40 minutes, until cauliflower is tender and browning a bit at the edges.

Scatter cilantro on veggies; serve.

Roasted Kale Chips

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Tue, 17 May 2011 18:23:00 +0000

I'm a mom now so I get to bust out this classic motherly decree: Eat your greens! Eat them every day. Be hard-core because they're arguably the most nutritious foods on earth. When I was too preggo-queasy to drink green smoothies for breakfast (tears!), I sauteed greens each morning instead. My philosophy about greens is just to do whatever you need to do to get them into your body on a regular basis.

Roasting kale chips almost makes it too easy. Easy like standing over the stove inhaling hot crispy chips straight off the baking sheet until you've made quick work of the entire bunch, and you spend a minute worrying if it's okay to eat that much kale in one sitting, before you remember it's kale, and you've just consumed a super dose of folic acid, calcium, vitamin K, fiber and antioxidants.

When I roast kale chips, I like to "undercook" them slightly, so that the leaves are still a vibrant green and the edges are crispier than the centers. That bright color means that you preserve the most nutrients, and I prefer the combination chewy/crisp texture. Thoroughly roasted kale tends to disintegrate like an Indiana Jones relic in your mouth. (Some people like that.)

Try this a few times with different spice combos and let me know your favorite!

2-Ingredient Roasted Kale Chips
Total Kitchen Time: 15 minutes. Serves: 2 with restraint, or 1 without.

1 bunch kale
extra virgin olive oil

Free Spice Blend
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
&c &c!

Preheat oven to 350. Wash and spin-dry kale. Remove stems and tear leaves roughly into bite-sized pieces.

Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil into your palm and massage raw leaves with your hands. Repeat as needed until kale is lightly coated.

Arrange kale on a large baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and any other spices you like: curry powder, garlic, cayenne, cumin. (Save the black pepper until after roasting, since it won't stand up to the heat of the oven.)

Roasts ten minutes, grind on some pepper, devour, repeat!

A Ten Ingredient Year

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Sun, 15 May 2011 00:38:00 +0000

Any TIPers still out there? What a year it's been! When I announced my bloggy hiatus last summer, it was with more than a heavy heart; it was with a queasy stomach, too. I was newly pregnant! Morning sickness, strange cravings and a passion for whole foods make strange bedfellows. In nine months I went through a kiwi phase, a green bean phase, a frozen-peas-and-pickles phase, and a cream-poured-over-whole-grain-cereal phase. I ate a lot of weird stuff but I stuck to whole foods and my pregnancy was healthy and wonderful. Here I was about a week before delivery.

And here, looking large, fixing up a ten ingredient plate of vegetables, homemade hummus and whole wheat pita.

On March 25, 2011 I had my son, Darwin. Here he is at seven weeks old, the Honeycrisp of my eye.

Since I'm exclusively breastfeeding my baby, eating whole foods is more important than ever. Nutrients and food flavors are transferred in breast milk, and I love that I'm setting up my son for a lifetime of healthy habits by giving him milk that both tastes and performs like the best foods on earth. That means I'm eating lots of unrefined fats like olive oil, coconut oil, butter and nuts; fresh vegetables like broccoli, sweet potatoes, spinach, celery, carrots, mushrooms and onions; luscious fruits like berries, apples, oranges, pears and pineapple; and whole grains like wheat, brown rice, oats and quinoa.

With this new little one, and the happiness of springtime, there couldn't be a better time to restart the TIP blog, to publicly celebrate the way of eating to which I owe so much. I hope you'll join me back for yummy recipes, shameless food porn and mutual inspiration. Happy eating, friends!

The Five Minute Plate, and an Announcement

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 15:12:00 +0000

Well, a Five Minute Plate is an apt post to accompany the announcement that I will be away or infrequently updating the TIP blog in the coming weeks and perhaps months. Readers: THANK YOU for your overwhelming support and encouragement since the Ten Ingredient Project launch at the beginning of the summer.

School starts for me in two days, a double whammy of coursework and teaching that is already diverting my attention from food to books. How lucky I am to have two great loves! But I must budget my time in favor of books for the time being.

Being very busy doesn't mean that I will--or anyone should--sacrifice good nutrition or ten-ingredient eating. I feel strongly that simple meals centered around whole vegetables and fruits are just as important if not MORE so during periods when life is demanding a lot from us. Green smoothies and five minute plates are not glamorous or gourmet, but they have just as much amazing nutrition as exotic or involved culinary inventions.

I've been opting for very simple, clean and light meals lately, like this 100% organic plate of only three ingredients: 1 organic hard boiled egg, 2 organic nectarines, and a big heap of organic steamed spinach.

I hope you've enjoyed this summer of simple plates, and I look forward to coming back to this project when I have more time to devote to the foods that I love. Thanks again to everyone for making the Ten Ingredient Project your own! Happy eating!

Frosty Compost

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 19:53:00 +0000

Ten Ingredient Project eating produces a lot of compost. The "packages" that whole foods come in--the skins, rinds, shells, peels and stems--bear little resemblance to the packages of your average processed food item. At least, I wouldn't dream of piling the latter in my backyard. But those beautiful biodegradable scraps belong close to surface of the soil where insects, microbes and oxygen work to decompose them into rich, fertile soil.

I don't have gardens at the moment, so my compost pile is just kind of hanging out. But even if you're not actively growing anything, composting fruit and vegetable scraps reduces landfill waste, and provides you with a store of good soil in case you do decide to use it.

In case you're wondering if compost makes a real difference in the success of a garden, check out these two kale plants I potted last spring. The one on the left is planted in pure compost, while the one on the right is planted in organic store-bought potting soil. The compost kale was actually the punier plant to start, too.

The most valuable composting trick I've learned comes from my old roommate Alex, who introduced me to the concept of frozen compost. Instead of keeping an open pot on the kitchen counter to attract flies and... interesting aromas, I keep a large plastic bowl in the freezer, and toss in scraps as I produce them. This technique staves off spoilage until the scraps make it into the yard.

At my house, it takes about 3-4 days to produce a heaping bowl's worth of compost, seen above. My dad pointed out recently that if you're eating the right kinds of foods, the compost pot fills up before the contents have time to fester (he's an old-fashioned kitchen counter composter). That's a good point, and maybe even a useful barometer of your eating habits. Do you compost? How long does it take to fill your pot?

Easy Vegan Sushi

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:17:00 +0000

Hooray for Sushi Tuesday! Homemade sushi is a lot easier than you'd think... unless you'd think it would be very easy, in which case you're absolutely right. I get by without even a sushi mat. It's so delicious and even with some of the classic accoutrements it has only ten ingredients.

Avocado is a must in vegan sushi because it approximates the fatty consistency of the usual raw fish. Also, try using brown rice. Besides providing B-vitamins and fiber, brown rice stands up better than white to the hot/tangy flavors of soy sauce and wasabi, in my opinion. I know there are some hardcore sushi fans out there who will disagree with me. You wanna fight??

Nori and other sea vegetables deserve a whole post of their own, they are so nutritious. Trace minerals support thyroid function and reproductive health, and half the alphabet is represented in vitamin content.

In short, there's nothing not to love in this classic dish gone veg!

10-Ingredient Easy Vegan Sushi
Total Kitchen Time: 45 minutes. Makes 2 rolls.

1/2 avocado, sliced
1 carrot, julienned
1 2-inch chunk of cucumber, julienned
2 nori sheets (seaweed)
2/3 cup short grain brown rice
1 Tbls. rice vinegar

soy sauce for dipping (soybeans, alcohol)
pickled ginger garnish (ginger, citric acid)

Rinse and drain rice and set to simmer in a covered saucepan with twice the water.

When rice is cooked, add vinegar and mix well.

Place nori sheets on a flat surface, rough side facing up. Spread rice in a thin layer on the nori, leaving an inch bare on on two opposite sides.

Arrange a line of avocado, carrots and cucumber at one shoreline of the rice. With dry hands, roll nori beginning from the side with the vegetables.

Seal the roll by sticking the nori to itself at the end of the roll. Dampen slightly if necessary.

Slice into bite-sized pieces, dip into soy sauce and rice vinegar and enjoy!

Garam Masala Green Beans

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 21:16:00 +0000

I was in the mood for something light and hydrating today, so I put together this grain-free, just-veggies plate starring these amazing garam masala green beans. I first saw the recipe on a creative vegan blog called Soul Food run by G-ville local Lindsey Mills. The original version, from Vegetarian Times, calls for vegetable oil, but Lindsey subbed in coconut oil and I followed suit. Coconut oil is a good choice for frying because it has a high smoke point compared to other unrefined oils like olive oil and butter, so you can really get food sizzling without contributing burnt-oil carcinogens to your dinner. Plus, those sweet eastern spices love a good coconutty note or two.

I had some cucumber spears, a couple grape tomatoes, and the most unbelievably sweet, juicy organic white nectarine on earth for a total of seven ingredients on this fresh and nourishing plate.

4-Ingredient Garam Masala Green Beans
Total Kitchen Time: 15 minutes. Serves 4.

4 cups fresh green beans, rinsed and snapped
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 1/2 Tbls. coconut oil
juice from 1 lemon

Free Spice Blend
1 tsp. garam masala
1/2 tsp brown mustard seeds

Combine beans, garlic, coconut oil and spices plus 1/4 cup water in a large pan over medium heat. Cover and steam for about five minutes, until beans are tender.

Remove lid from pan and continue frying several minutes until excess water has evaporated and beans begin to brown. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and salt to taste.

Roasted Red Pepper Fusilli

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 22:36:00 +0000

Attention, tomatophobes! Are you tired of feeling left out on spaghetti night? Embarrassed about clumsily pairing red wine with a cream sauce again? Then this is the sauce for you!

Sweet, tangy roasted red peppers, savory onions and mellow carrots blend to make this delicious tomato-free twist on classic red sauce, from the September issue of Vegetarian Times. The fusilli shape provides plenty of cling-friendly crags for the sauce, and of course, I used single-ingredient whole wheat pasta.

As with all my meals, whole plant foods take center stage on this plate. I had the vegetable-rich sauce over whole grains on one half of the plate, and a big pile of lightly steamed broccoli on the other. Total ingredients: 8. Tomatoes: 0. Yum rating: infinity.

7-Ingredient Roasted Red Pepper Fusilli
Total Kitchen Time: 30 minutes. Serves 2.

1 cup roasted red peppers, chopped (from the jar: peppers, citric acid)
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 sweet or yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbls. extra virgin olive oil
2 cups uncooked fusilli pasta

In a pan, fry peppers, carrot, onion, olive oil and garlic on med-high heat for 5 minutes.

Add 3/4 cup water, cover and simmer on med-low heat 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, set fusilli to boil.

After veggies are soft, remove from heat and puree well. I used an immersion blender.

Drain pasta, toss with sauce and serve with salt and freshly cracked pepper.

Chopped Salad with Nuts and Olives

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:22:00 +0000

Walnuts look a lot like brains. Coincidence? Probably. But it's still true that the omega-3 fats in these wrinkly cerebral nuts protect and promote cognitive function. Walnuts also provide protection from cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and immune dysfunction, while making you cooler and more attractive to the gender of your choice. Geez! I think I'll have some right now.

This simple afternoon salad contains grape tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, walnuts, Kalamata olives, extra virgin olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon juice. A couple of years ago I discovered that walnuts and Kalamata olives are a great match. The brininess of the olives and the fatty protein of the nuts give the combination an almost meaty appeal (they make a great vegan Tapenade).

The curing process for olives adds a couple of extra ingredients, but it's no bother when the rest of the meal is comprised of single-ingredient whole plant foods. The total for this rich yet refreshing plate is nine.

Mediterranean Chickpeas

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 13:32:00 +0000

I love it when one of those "there's no food in the house" afternoons yields a surprise as good as these no-cook Mediterranean Chickpeas. The simple lemony dressing, refreshing herbs and sweet sun dried tomatoes dress up the mild, creamy chickpeas without overpowering them.

When the spice blend is as simple as cumin, salt and pepper, it really pays to grind your own. Yes it's an extra step, but one taste of cumin seeds straight from the grinder is enough to make a spice snob out of anyone! A standard coffee grinder will do the trick; just don't ask yours to do double duty. Once French roast stakes its claim on a grinder, it's best to just buy a second one, lest you find yourself crafting coffee-flavored curries.

To make a meal out of these chickpeas, I threw together a mixed steam basket of languishing sweet potato and the last handful of Brussels sprouts from the crisper, and voila: a seven ingredient goat gourmet with plenty of vegetables, plant protein, fiber and heart-healthy oils.

Excuse the ominously lit plate... we were having storms.

6-Ingredient Mediterranean Chickpeas
Total Kitchen Time: 10 minutes. Serves 2.

1 (15 oz.) can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 sun dried tomatoes, diced
1 Tbls. chopped parsley
juice from 1/2 a lemon
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbls. red onion, finely diced (optional)

Free Spice Blend
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
salt* and black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve.

*canned beans tend to be high in sodium; salt sparingly.

The Five Minute Plate

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:32:00 +0000

Long ago in Providence, a roommate introduced me to the simple and satisfying combination of scrambled eggs and carrot sticks. The sweet vegetable crunch alongside fluffy, buttery scrambled eggs tastes so right, I'm surprised the combo isn't commonplace. And I say that as a rehabilitated bacon-lover.

Since scrambled eggs are so quick to prepare, they're a perfect candidate for a five minute plate. I dolled up mine with a handful of fresh dill, and toasted a Toufayan whole wheat pita to complete the plate. With only six ingredients, Toufayan pitas outperform store bought yeast breads big time. High fructose corn syrup and soybean oil? Nope. Convenient and 100% whole grain? Yup. TIP Win!

Lemon Chicken with Whole Wheat Couscous and Vegetables

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:16:00 +0000

I'm delighted to be able to bring you a guest blog post today from a dear friend of mine, writer and gourmand Rachel K. Rachel has a reputation around these parts for arriving at social gatherings laden with bowls and platters of the most delicious dips, salads, meats and pastas this side of the Prairie.

Here she brings us a much-valued omnivore's perspective to the Ten Ingredient Project in her whole food re-creation of a highly processed health food imposter: a "Lean Cuisine" entree. Enjoy, and thanks to Rachel for this terrific adaptation!

Lemon Chicken With Whole Wheat Couscous and Vegetables

When it comes to TIP offenders, denizens of the frozen food aisle are among the worst, what with their “natural flavors” and mile-long ingredient lists. Take, for example, “Lemon chicken,” an offering from Lean Cuisine, which, from what I gather, is TV dinners for health-conscious Weight Watchers. It’s “lightly breaded chicken breast with rib meat in a lemon glaze with broccoli, carrots,& whole wheat orzo.”

Ready for the ingredients? Here goes: BLANCHED WHOLE WHEAT ORZO PASTA (WATER, WHOLE DURUM WHEAT FLOUR), WATER, COOKED FLOURED CHICKEN BREAST WITH RIB MEAT (CHICKEN BREAST WITH RIB MEAT, WATER, SEASONING (DRIED CHICKEN BROTH, CHICKEN POWDER, FLAVOR, SALT), CARRAGEENAN, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, SALT, WHITE PEPPER. FLOURED WITH: ENRICHED FLOUR (FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), SALT, SPICE, DRIED ONION, DRIED GARLIC, DEXTROSE, PAPRIKA EXTRACT. BREADING SET IN VEGETABLE OIL), BROCCOLI, CARROTS, RED PEPPERS, WHEAT BERRIES, SUGAR, 2% OR LESS OF SEA SALT, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, SOYBEAN OIL, BROWN SUGAR, WHITE WINE VINEGAR, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE, SHERRY WINE, TOMATO BASE (SAUTEED VEGETABLES (CARROTS, ONIONS, CELERY), SUGAR, TOMATO POWDER, MALTODEXTRIN, CANOLA OIL, CORNSTARCH, WATER, SALT, NATURAL FLAVORS, CARROT JUICE, DEXTRIN, LACTOSE), CHICKEN FAT, SOY SAUCE (WATER, WHEAT, SOYBEANS, SALT), SALTED MILKFAT BLEND (CONCENTRATED MILKFAT, SALT), GARLIC PUREE, SEASONING (FLAVOR, SUGAR, SALT, MALTODEXTRIN, SPICES, SOY LECITHIN), BROWN SUGAR SYRUP, SPICES, CARRAGEENAN, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, YEAST EXTRACT, DEHYDRATED GARLIC, DEHYDRATED ONIONS, LACTIC ACID, CALCIUM LACTATE.

Carrageenan, it turns out, is a vegan/vegetarian alternative to gelatin that is derived from red seaweed. Which, OK, doesn’t sound so terrible. But salted milkfat blend? Dextrin and dextrose? What could possibly be the difference between the ingredient “flavor” and the ingredient “natural flavors”? And what is “chicken powder”? Is it ground up chicken nuggets?

The good news is, it’s not only possible but downright easy to avoid scary chicken powder (and up the nutritional ante!) when you’re cooking your own “lean cuisine” using fresh vegetables and homemade stock. Simmering chicken bones results in something so nourishing, it’s no wonder the stuff is nicknamed (aptly) “Jewish penicillin.” The process of simmering draws out the minerals in the bones, cartilage, and marrow, which become available in the easily assimilated form of electrolytes. If you’ve ever made stock and refrigerated it to later find meat jello, that’s a job well done. The gelatin in stock is so important: it aids digestion and treats intestinal disorders, fights cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. Most immediately and perhaps most importantly, stock is tasty, and takes plain grains and pastas into another, better dimension. It’s proof that the most delicious things are the best for you, too.

Lean Cuisine’s frozen offering features “lightly breaded” chicken breast cutlets, but because that has the appeal of a chewy dish sponge, the recipe here is for a whole skin-on chicken. Why “lightly bread” when you can forgo the lame jacket of flour, and roast your chicken instead? Chicken skin (and fat in general) helps your body absorb nutrients from food. (Did you know that if you eat a salad with fat free dressing, you won’t be able to properly reap the benefits of alpha- and beta-carotene and lycopene?) Not only does fat bring joy and happiness, your body also needs it (see also “rabbit starvation”; it’s possible to starve when subsisting on only lean meat). Plus, by using the whole chicken, you’ll wind up with another carcass for stock-making.

Busy people cite convenience as a reason to turn to TV dinners, and I get that, I really do. But I promise this recipe is nearly as simple and foolproof as shutting the microwave door, and more gratifying by a landslide. Couscous cooks in five minutes, less time than a Lean Cuisine spends being, well, radiated. The peppers basically roast themselves, and the aroma of stock simmering is, swear to God, one of the best smells to study to (rivaled only by the smell of baking bread). Omit the stock and peppers to save time if you like; you’ll still have spared yourself from the evils of maltodextrin, potassium chloride, and calcium lactate, to name just a few.

Lemon Chicken with Whole Wheat Couscous and Vegetables
Serves four (or more, if you’re not counting any 16-year-old boys. I was.)

Chicken, 2.5 to 3 pounds
(Optional) lemon

2 cups whole wheat couscous (because there was no orzo in the bulk bin!)
Extra virgin olive oil
Four or five scallions, chopped
2 cups water or broth*
Two cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
One roasted red pepper, cut into strips
Broccoli, to taste (I used two crowns; I like broccoli a lot)
Carrots, to taste (I used three; I like carrots a lot)
Lemon zest (the lemon slices went into the chicken cavity, remember?)
Free Spice Blend
Salt, pepper, cumin

The key is to procure a small chicken about 2.5 to 3 pounds, with lots of skin. The eve before you plan to roast, salt and pepper the chicken liberally. If you’re opting for the optional lemon, zest a lemon and set zest aside for the couscous; cut the zested lemon into slices and stuff them into the cavity. Loosely wrap in plastic wrap or a clean plastic bag and put it in the fridge overnight. When you are ready to roast, preheat the oven to 475. If you own a cast iron pan and like to live dangerously, let the pan preheat inside the oven. When both the oven and pan are nice and hot, place the chicken on the pan, breast side up. It should sizzle. If you are without a cast iron pan, or if danger is not your particular cup of tea, putting the chicken on any oven-safe shallow roasting pan works, too. The high temperature will make the skin crispy and awesome (if it starts to burn or smoke, reduce by 25 degrees). After about thirty minutes, flip it to crisp the other side. Continue cooking another ten to twenty minutes, then flip it once more if you are a fiend about crispy skin (and you should be!), and want to recrisp that first side. That’s another five to ten minutes. After pulling the bird from the oven, let it rest before cutting into it, at least 15 minutes.

While the chicken is resting, roast the vegetables:
Break broccoli into smallish florets, slice carrots on a bias, and toss the vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper; roast in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. The peppers can be sliced and prepared similarly, or—if you aren’t in a hurry, and you want something truly magical—you can slow-roast them for about an hour. This can be done in advance. They are worth it, and so transcendent this way. Put them on a sheet pan and roast in a 375 oven, turning by the stem every twenty minutes until all sides are evenly cooked. The skins will slip right off. I keep roasted peppers around stored in their juices, because they get so sweet and silky and fragrant and wonderful, and are better than anything you can purchase in a jar (which needs preservatives! Gross!).

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. When it is shimmery, add the scallions, salt, and a big pinch of cumin. Once the scallions have softened a little, add the garlic and stir until fragrant. Add the couscous to the pot, and push it around to get it toasty. Add two cups of your ultra-nourishing chicken jello/broth (water works too, if you don’t have any broth on hand), and the minute it comes to a boil, give it a stir, cover the pot, and turn the heat off. In five minutes, the couscous ready to fluff with a fork.
Combine with the roasted vegetables, lemon zest, and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the chicken on top of the couscous so the grains can soak up the juice from the meat. Or, because cold roast chicken on a hot summer day is one of the best things on earth, chill everything in the fridge, and pack it up for a picnic later. If I were to take the couscous on a picnic I’d season it a little extra (cold foods need a little extra to coax flavors out), squeeze more lemon juice in there and give everything another glug of olive oil, so it’s less “pilaf” and more “refreshing grain salad.”

*For stock, use a leftover roast chicken carcass or a fresh chicken, add water, and simmer gently, over the lowest possible flame, for 4+ hours. You can add peppercorns, bay leaves or thyme, any vegetables you like for added nourishment. I keep a freezer bag of vegetable scraps: carrot ends, onion peels, less-than-perfect celery for stock making purposes. Feed the bag and watch it feed you!

Buffalo Tempeh

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:19:00 +0000

This recipe could qualify as a local specialty, because as far as I know, Gainesville, Florida has the best tempeh on Earth. Two equally matched local tempeh makers, Artie and Jose, compete for the the veggie-crunchy hearts of townies and restaurant-owners alike. In fact, I designed this recipe in an attempt to duplicate an appetizer I once ordered at a restaurant downtown. Mission accomplished! I loved digging into these buttery, spicy, tangy, messy "wings". No bones about it! Har har.

Fermented soy products like tempeh are easy to digest and packed with protein. I had mine with fried onions, celery sticks and grape tomatoes for a total of seven ingredients on this plate! The tempeh is also fantastic with blue cheese.

4-Ingredient Buffalo Tempeh
Total Kitchen Time: 20 minutes. Serves 1.

3 tempeh strips (soybeans, culture)
3 Tbls. butter
1/4 cup Frank's Red Hot (vinegar, spices)

Melt butter by the method of your choice and whisk together with Frank's Red Hot.

Fry tempeh strips over medium-low heat 5 minutes or until browned on both sides. Toss with buffalo sauce and serve.

"Magic Shell" Mango

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 19:46:00 +0000

Ever tried the ice cream topping called "Magic Shell"? It's a chocolate sauce that hardens upon contact with frosty cold ice cream to make a shell. Fun! But bad. Two tablespoons of the commercial version of Magic Shell, made by Smuckers, feature almost as much sugar as half a can of Coke. Blech. Also depending on which flavor you choose, you could be getting hydrogenated oil, bleached flour and even the infamous red #40. Double blech.

At the core of the product is one good, pure ingredient that's responsible for its unique hardening properties: coconut oil. This stuff is a health food superstar. Cold pressed, nonhydrogenated coconut oil is an antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal food. Nutrition science continues to unearth the surprising benefits of this medium-chain saturated fat in areas of heart health, diabetes and cancer. (Click here for links to abstracts of some of these peer-reviewed studies).

But enough of my health-conscious prattling! Coconut oil tastes tropical, buttery and all-around decadent. Mixed with dark chocolate and drizzled over cold ripe mango slices, it creates that irresistible shell that begs for a spoon to crack through it. And mango is such a sweet fruit that the shell requires zero added sugar to make this a perfectly rich and indulgent dessert. Try it. TRY IT. Just trust me on this one.

3-Ingredient Magic Shell Mango
Total Kitchen Time: 5 minutes. Serves 1.

1 ripe mango, well-chilled
2 Tbls. unrefined coconut oil
1 1/2 tsp. raw cacao or regular cocoa powder

Slice mango in strips or chunks.

If the coconut oil is solid, nuke it for a few seconds until just liquified, but not warm.

Whisk together coconut oil and cacao, then drizzle over cold sliced mango and enjoy!

Field Report: TIP Party!

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:38:00 +0000

Hoorah! Last night's TIP party and potluck went swimmingly. The culinary wizardry and curious palates of the guests provided a rich gastronomic experience for all. Notable delights not pictured included a delicious South Indian Eggplant Curry with brown rice, a Key Lime Pie, a Whole Wheat Cheese Bread, and a Strawberry Basil Rum n' Lemonade. Thanks to everyone who came and brought amazing food!

Harry salts the pot.

Wes's Ten Ingredient Tomato Tartin (homemade whipped cream out of frame)

James, Laura and Jessica snack on raw veggies dipped in spicy peanut butter. Also in frame: a platter of my Lazy Falafel.

Gathered round the coffee table with fruit salad and guacamole.

Phillip's Nicoise salad

James' s Tomato, Nectarine and Red Onion Salad

Nicoise Salad with tuna, green and red beans and new potatoes. I didn't eat this because I'm a veggie, but this dish is exactly in the spirit of the TIP!

Sweet Minty Carrots

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:23:00 +0000

Well, we've had a computer crash here at the TIP living-room headquarters, and my photo editing software is out of commission for an indeterminate length of time, possible weeks. Have no fear! I will do my best to continue posting simple and delicious meals in these hard times, even if it means mooching off Scott's access to the University art department computer labs. There's lots to look forward to, including sweet Thai cucumbers, magic shell mango, and a report from the upcoming TIP party and potluck!

For today, I bring you a ridiculously fast recipe I discovered years ago to jazz up plain carrots. The raisins bring out the carrot's natural sweetness and the citrus and mint liven up this fancy-flavored raw food snack. Enjoy!

4-Ingredient Minty Carrots
Total Kitchen Time: 5 minutes. Serves 1.

2 mint leaves, minced
1 large carrot, grated or julienned
juice from 1/3 lemon
small handful raisins

Toss and eat! No sharing!

Parmesan Quinoa

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:07:00 +0000

I had a dream that Mel Gibson was pursuing me in a calculating, murderous fashion, and it was my duty as a staunch opponent of racial slurs and misogyny and a valuer of my own life to slay him. The problem was, I was too squeamish to deliver a fatal blow! In waking life, the steak knife in the eye would have probably done the trick. But in my dream he twitched and stirred back to consciousness like the Terminator while I hung back, too horrified to go in for the kill.

Eventually I did cleave him in two with a pair of swords at about the horizon line one would choose were one carving a marble bust of Mel Gibson. He collapsed in two lifeless heaps and I woke up in a sweat.

After that I really needed some comfort food. This quinoa dish is fast, hot, high protein and whole grain, and it tastes like fettuccine Alfredo. Even when I'm not recovering from murdering Mel Gibson, I whip it up about once a week. It's good plain or with any vegetable or herb that suits you. It's best not to skimp on the butter or the cheese, however.

I had a steam basket full of sweet potatoes (Vitamin A, fiber) and Brussels sprouts (DNA-protecting sulfur compounds) plus some fresh cherries (antioxidants) with my Parmesan quinoa for a filling and soothing nine ingredient meal.

6-Ingredient Parmesan Quinoa
Total Kitchen Time: 15 minutes. Serves 1+.

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
3 sun dried tomatoes (optional)
1-2 Tbls. butter
grated Parmesan cheese (cheese, cultures, enzymes)

Rinse quinoa well, drain and set to simmer in a covered saucepan with twice the water.

Meanwhile, slice sun dried tomatoes into small pieces with a knife while banishing memories of stabbing Mel Gibson in the eye.

When grains have absorbed their water and turned translucent, stir remaining ingredients into the pot and serve hot.

The Five Minute Plate

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 16:46:00 +0000

Today's five minute plate is a 9-ingredient spinach salad with avocado, red bell pepper, chopped walnuts, dried cranberries (cranberries, sunflower oil, apple juice concentrate) extra virgin olive oil and fresh squeezed lime juice. So vibrant and refreshing! I don't hold back on the healthy mono-saturated fats.

Lentil Sloppy Joes

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 20:24:00 +0000

Full disclosure: I haven't had a real sloppy joe in probably fifteen years. Does that make me a less credible judge of how amazing and delicious these lentil sloppy joes are? I don't care! If you don't trust my endorsement, that's just more sloppy joe for me. I've made this recipe three times since discovering it a few weeks ago on VegWeb. My version is a bit different from the original, which calls for fewer veggies, less chili powder and canned paste instead of fresh tomatoes. Thankful as I am to the genius who invented this recipe, I consider my version an upgrade.

Lentils are packed with protein and fiber and the fresh cooked tomatoes add a boost of lycopene without the dose of BPA in the canned fruit. Savory garlic and onions ward off cancer and vampires.

I was in the mood for a big, unadorned plate of sloppy joe today, so my meal had only the seven ingredients from the recipe. But the slop is also excellent over brown rice or in a whole wheat bun.

7-Ingredient Lentil Sloppy Joes
Total Kitchen Time: 35 minutes. Serves 2-3.

2/3 cup uncooked lentils
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 a vidalia onion, diced
1/2 a green bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 Tbls. butter or extra virgin olive oil.

Free Spice Blend
1 tsp. chili powder
sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

Rinse and drain lentils, then set to simmer in a covered saucepan with twice the water.

Meanwhile, fry onions and bell pepper in a large pan on med-high heat until soft, about seven minutes.

Add tomatoes and fry few more minutes until tomatoes have broken down and become saucy. It helps to cover the pain from now on to keep the juices in.

Add mustard, chili powder and garlic, simmer few more minutes.

Combine cooked lentils with vegetables, stir and serve!

Sunflower Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Terita) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:57:00 +0000

Scott just shipped off to New York for a few days, which means I'll be throwing nightly raucous keggers complete with male strippers, naked limbo contests, and a cocaine bar. It also means I'll be cooking for one until Monday. Despite how sad the phrase "cooking for one" sounds, I kind of like preparing food for myself. Moping and nuking TV dinners is not my style.

Single-serving meals are especially gratifying when the food turns out as tasty as this sunflower salad. The parsley and garlic give it a fresh and zesty kick and the seeds contribute the perfect crunch and a hefty dose of Vitamins E and B1.

I had some quick-broiled zucchini on the side for a light eight-ingredient lunch.

7-Ingredient Sunflower Salad
Prep Time: 10 minutes. Cook Time: 25 minutes. Serves 1+.

2 medium red potatoes
8-10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 Tbls. fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbls. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbls. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbls. raw sunflower seeds
1 clove garlic, grated.

Boil potatoes whole until tender, about 25 minutes. Let cool until you can handle them.

Slice potatoes into bite-sized chunks and toss with remaining ingredients, salt and pepper.