Spaghetti with Broccoli and Lemon

One of the most common misgivings I hear from people about eating a vegan diet is how time consuming it is. People have this idea that being vegan means spending hours finely slicing vegetables, processing complicated juices, and hand-picking grains to mill into flour. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little. But, people genuinely fear the effort perceived in veganism.

Yes, there is work involved in the food that I eat, but that comes more from being healthy than being vegan. The key to a healthy diet is to make most of your food yourself. This allows you to control the amount of additives, preservatives, salt, and fat that you eat, and reduces the amount of processed ingredients you consume. I could technically be vegan, and eat nothing but takeout, french fries, and donuts from Whole Foods. Is there a lot of work in that? No. Would I be the picture of health? No, again.

Like most people, I don’t always have time to prepare intricate, complex, and elaborate meals in the name of health. So, when I find something that hits the trifecta of healthy, delicious, and quick, it ends up becoming a staple. This dish was tossed together for Sunday lunch with a spinach, dried cherry, and marcona almond salad, and toasted ciabatta. The longest step: boiling the water for the pasta.

Spaghetti with Broccoli and Lemon

1 pound spaghetti (whole wheat for a little nutritional boost)
1 head broccoli, chopped into small florets (in the interest of saving time, you can buy pre-cut florets)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti until it is a minute or two away from being done. Save 1 cup of the pasta water.

While the water is boiling, cook the broccoli. You can boil the broccoli in a small pot of water for a few minutes, rinse under cold water, and set aside; or, you can place the florets in a bowl with a couple tablespoons of water, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 3-4 minutes. Broccoli should be fork tender, but not soft.

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat, and then add the garlic. Pay careful attention that the garlic doesn’t burn. Add the broccoli, and toss with the olive oil and garlic. Add the lemon zest and chili flakes, and stir to combine. Add the pasta, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the pasta is done and coated with sauce. Add more pasta water if the spaghetti looks dry. Finish with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

Braised Kale

Sometimes it’s the simplest dishes that end up being the most delicious. I talk a lot about eating your greens; it seems only appropriate since they are so good for you. They are literally powerhouses of essential nutrients like iron and calcium, not to mention antioxidants and vitamins. So, I talk a lot about eating your greens, and I try to follow my own advice. I like greens, some more than others, but they’ve never been my favorite part of any meal...until now. While visiting my aunt, she made braised kale for us, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I assumed it was because we had been traveling for 2 days, and my peanut butter and jelly fed body was crying out for something real.  But, when I made the dish myself a week later, I was licking my plate clean. I have since put away an entire bunch of kale all by myself thanks to this recipe. If greens have seemed better in theory than in practice, please give this dish a try. It just might change your life.

Braised Kale

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 bunch kale (or chard, dandelion greens, etc)
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup water
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt to taste

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over high heat . Add the garlic and sauté until golden and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the greens, and stir to coat in oil. Add the stock and water. Cook over medium high to high heat until the liquid is almost completely absorbed, about 20 minutes. Add the lemon juice, and taste for salt. Enjoy immediately!

Greens Week, Part III

And now for something a little different...greens don’t have to be a side dish, as I talked about in the last post. But, they don’t have to be the only thing on the plate either. Greens are also an excellent complement to a variety of flavors. This was a dish I loved before I became vegan, a simple tomato, sausage, and spinach risotto. Obviously a little adjustment was needed, but the best part about this recipe is how the rice absorbs the juice from the tomatoes, and the massive amount of spinach wilts throughout the risotto. Adapting dishes from omnivore to vegan means paying careful attention to the purpose of each ingredient. In this case, omitting the sausage leaves a textural and flavor opening. My readers know that I am not a big fan of faux “meat,” so I knew I would have to think outside the box. There’s a meaty quality to walnuts, and lightly toasting them adds a smoky richness. Great plant based food is all about creativity and flexibility!

Tomato, Spinach, and Walnut Risotto

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cups arborio rice
1 cup white wine
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 small can vegetable broth
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
6 cups spinach

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the rice, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, coating the rice completely with oil. Add the white wine, and simmer until the wine is almost completely absorbed.

Meanwhile, drain the tomatoes reserving the juice. Combine the juice and the broth in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Gradually add half-cupfuls of the tomato broth mixture, allowing it to be almost completely absorbed until the rice is almost tender, about 25 minutes. Add the walnuts and tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes. Finally, add the spinach, and stir until wilted and completely combined. Serve immediately.

Greens Week, Part II

Greens are one of the most versatile ingredients to work with, not to mention how quick and easy they are to prepare. A huge pile of spinach and arugula, microwaved for two minutes, topped with lemon juice and salt, makes a great addition to any lunch. When making a side of greens for dinner, I like to incorporate similar flavors from the main dish. This broccoli was conceived as a side dish for an Asian tofu stir-fry, incorporating chili, garlic and soy. Later, I was testing one of my recipes, a Southeast Asian tofu dish, and it did not turn out well. I already had brown rice prepared, I was starving, and I had nothing to eat. Remembering this flavorful, and satisfying broccoli dish, I adapted it to spinach, and added some cashews for a little protein and fat. 5 minutes later, I had a nourishing and tasty dinner. Eating greens shouldn’t be an ordeal, and eating well shouldn’t take hours of preparation. You can use this recipe for a main dish, or a side, and have a spectacular and good-for-you dinner in minutes.

 

Chili Garlic Greens

1 tablespoon chili garlic paste
2 tablespoons chinese rice wine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Greens of your choice (1 head broccoli, 6 cups spinach, etc.)
1/2 cup cashews (optional)

In a large sauté pan, combine the chili garlic paste, rice wine, and soy sauce. Stir to combine, and bring to a simmer. Add the greens, cover, and simmer until tender; time will vary depending on which green you are using. Toss and serve immediately.

Greens Week, Part I

Welcome to Greens Week! I talk about this a lot, how important it is to eat a wide variety of leafy green vegetables on a daily basis. Eating greens two or three times a day has been the single greatest change I have made to my diet in the last year. Most of the time, my greens appear as a side dish, gently sautéed with olive oil, lemon, and salt. But they can also be the star of the show, seamlessly integrated into stir-frys, risottos, and more. 

You’ve been hearing it your whole life, Eat your greens! And it’s true; they’re so good for you! Calorie for calorie, leafy green vegetables are absolutely loaded with minerals and nutrients: calcium for your bones, iron, complex carbohydrates for energy, fiber, and tons of antioxidants. Green vegetables give your body everything it needs to be healthy, energetic, and strong, in the most efficient and delicious way possible.

So, what do you actually eat? Over the next week, I will provide a few recipes highlighting specific greens, but these recipes can be adapted to suit any of the wide variety of tender, bitter, and fresh leafy greens you can find in your grocery store, or at the farmer’s market. Kale, collard greens, dandelion greens, spinach, broccoli rabe, arugula, dinosaur kale, broccoli, and bok choy are some of the dark green vegetables you will soon love!

Bok Choy Skillet Supper
adapted from Vegetarian Times

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
8 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 shallots, diced finely
1 cup bulgur
1 cup vegetable broth
1 1/2 cup water
1 sprig fresh thyme
4 heads baby bok choy, halved
Salt and pepper to taste


Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the garlic, and sauté until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, and brown for 5 to7 minutes. Set the mushrooms aside, and add the tomatoes to the pan, face down. Cook the tomatoes until browned, about 10 minutes. Set aside with the mushrooms. Add the shallots to the pan, and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the bulgur, vegetable broth, water, and thyme to the pan. Cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

 

Arrange the bok choy on top of the bulgur radiating out from the center of the pan. Sprinkle the tomatoes and mushrooms on top of the bok choy. Cover, and simmer for 10 more minutes. Remove from heat, and let sit for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.