Superfoods Forever: Delicata squash with quinoa and arugula from Laura Malcolm

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Today's Superfood: Quinoa
Protein, fiber, manganese, magnesium, folate

Erika says: Another great Superfood guest post, this time from fellow Los Angeleno Laura Malcolm. Laura and I worked together a few years back, but we really only got to know each other right before we both left the company - unfortunate, because we discovered we had a lot in common. She moved out of town for a while but is back in L.A. and on my shortlist of people I can't wait to have over for dinner.

I go through food obsessions not unlike music obsessions - pick three or four things, repeat on shuffle for a month, have my fill, revisit next year. This fall, arugula and delicata squash managed to find a new home in my kitchen and before long, a place in every dish a brought to a holiday party. It's surprising it took me so long to get to this delicata squash phase, considering how much I love winter squash but detest preparing it (any time I have to peel or dice it, at least). Delicata is, for me, the richness of a butternut squash with the delicacy of a yellow summer squash that, when roasted, gets a slightly crunchy skin (and better texture) than any grilled summer squash.

Quinoa is one of the most well known superfoods because of its amazing qualities, such as being a complete protein and containing a set of amino acids - something that's very uncommon in non-animal products. Quinoa is incredibly versatile, can be eaten any time of day and is a great substitute for rice or couscous. This recipe is a play on a common fall stuffed squash, but I've managed to take my current fall-food obsessions and carry them right through until now. Roasted delicata squash, arugula, quinoa and cranberries make a filling, fresh and colorful superfood dinner.

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Delicata squash with quinoa and arugula

by Laura Malcolm February-12-2012

Roasted delicata squash has the sweetness of butternut without any of the pain-in-the-neck peeling.

Ingredients

• 4 delicata squash
• olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 Tbsp cranberry juice
• 4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, uncooked
• 3 cups water
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 5-ounce package arugula
• salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut delicata squash in half, and remove the seeds and threads with a spoon. Rub with olive oil and salt, and place cut side down in a baking dish. Bake at 400 until easily pierced, about 25 minutes.In a small saucepan, heat about 1 tsp olive oil. Saute shallot for 2 minutes, then add cranberry juice and balsamic vinegar. Bring to a boil, then turn to low, and leave to reduce while you're cooking. Bring quinoa and water together on the stove to a boil, cover and turn to low. After 15 minutes, you should be able to stir with a fork and see the water has absorbed - if it hasn't, cover and give another minute. Remove from heat and fluff quinoa.Heat about 1 Tbsp olive oil in a saute pan. Add garlic and onion and cook until soft. Add dried cranberries to onion and garlic and let cook for a minute before finally adding quinoa to mixture and tossing to mix. Remove cranberry-balsamic reduction from the stove and whisk in olive oil until it's a taste you like. At this point, I either use a little to dress the arugula as well, or toss the arugula with a very simple olive oil, lemon and salt mixture.Turn roasted delicata squash cut side up and set two on each plate. At this point, you can either layer the arugula and quinoa mixtures in the squash, or I've taken to piling one squash with the quinoa mixture and one with arugula. Drizzle the balsalmic dressing over the top, and enjoy your superfood loaded plate. (The pictured salad also got a blood orange garnish, because, well, it matched the cranberries in the quinoa. Color coordination optional)

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 55 mins Yield: 4 servings

Superfoods forever: Kale pesto recipe

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Kale pesto

I'm still in the throes of my love affair with kale. Man, I hope this one lasts a while. Every time I eat something with kale I feel all those vital nutrients seeping straight into my cells. I swear my skin looks better because of kale. Kale for breakfast, kale for lunch, kale for dinner. Kale in eggs, kale in smoothies, kale in soup, kale in salad, kale in quiche, kale on pizza. It's been all kale all the time over here for weeks.

I have my health coach Rachael Pontillo of Holistically Haute Wellness to thank for my crush on kale. We've been working together about three months now, and as a result I've made a few subtle (but, I hope, long-lasting) changes to my diet. I start the day with hot water spiked with lemon. I'm focusing on whole grains and avoiding white flour whenever possible. And I'm eating as many greens in a day as I used to eat in a week. All these are good things and will help me live forever. Right? Right.

I've used this kale pesto on pizza and on a grilled cheese sandwich. There might be pasta in my future, even though I'm trying to cut back on wheat. What do you think of alternative-grain pastas, like brown rice pasta? I've been hesitant to try non-wheat pasta - I worry it will be such a disappointment that I'll rebound and eat nothing BUT pasta for days on end. But I'm interested to hear your opinions.

By the way, I threw a bunch of radish tops into this pesto, too. Use what you have. Kale is friendly.

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Kale pesto

by Erika Kerekes February-8-2012

Kale makes friends easily with other greens and herbs, so use whatever you have - radish tops, parsley, chard, arugula. This pesto rocks on pizza, pasta, polenta, grilled cheese, or a spoon.

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch Tuscan or curly kale, leaves stripped from stems and roughly chopped (4-6 cups)
• 1-2 cups arugula, chard, radish leaves, parsley, cilantro, or whatever other greens you happen to have around (optional)
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan, Romano or Grana Padano cheese (optional, or substitute 2 tsp nutritional yeast)
• 1 cup pine nuts, almonds or walnuts, toasted in a dry skillet until fragrant
• 3/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

Put the greens, lemon juice, salt, garlic, cheese (if using), and nuts in a food processor with the chopping blade. Turn the processor on and let it run about 10 seconds. Begin pouring the olive oil in through the feed tube. When you've added all the oil, let the processor run another 30 seconds or so, until the pesto is smooth. Store the pesto in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 5 mins Total time: 20 mins Yield: approximately 2 cups

Celebrating Potato Lovers' Month with Idaho potatoes: Valentine's Day potato beet galette recipe

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Potato and beet galette (photo courtesy of Idaho Potato Commission)

There are certain people in my life to whom I try very hard to say yes. Patti Londre of Worth the Whisk is one of those people. Every time Patti has brought me along for whatever ride she's on at that moment, good things have happened. Camp Blogaway. A winter weekend in the Hamptons (she ended up going to Paris instead, but I still got my trip to the beach). A speaking opportunity in San Diego. When Patti says jump, I jump.

That's how I ended up dressed in pink with a bunch of food bloggers on a sunny December afternoon, pretending it was Valentine's Day. The Idaho Potato Commission brought us together to celebrate Potato Lovers' Month, share some delicious potato recipes and mug for the camera. Five bloggers, five spectacular potato recipes, ABBA on the iPod - we had a grand time. The end result was a tabloid-sized page newspapers can grab and use for their Valentine's Day recipe coverage. See me drinking soup out of the ladle?

If you see this in your local newspaper, come back and let me know, okay?

I always think pink for Valentine's Day, so I made an Idaho potato and beet galette. It's super easy, very healthy and simply gorgeous. Scroll down for the recipe, and try out the rest of the group's potato creations too - they were all delicious.

• Western Shepherd's Pie from Worth the Whisk
• Romesco Fingerling Potato Salad from A Communal Table
• Potato-Asiago Cheese Muffins with Herbes de Provence from Cooking on the Weekends
• Cream of Potato and Poblano Soup from Nibbles and Feasts

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Potato and beet galette

by Erika Kerekes February-6-2012

Thinly sliced potatoes and beets bake up crisp on the outside and creamy-tender in the middle. If you can't find fresh rosemary, try a few pinches of dried oregano or thyme.

Ingredients

• 2 large Idaho russet potatoes
• 1 large or 2 small red beets
• 4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 6 Tbsp parmesan or Romano cheese, finely grated, divided

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and peel the potatoes. Using a mandoline slicer or knife, cut into rounds about 1/8-inch thick.Wash and peel the beet(s). Slice the same way as the potatoes, but put into a second bowl. (Keep the potatoes and beets separate to keep the beets' color from staining the potato slices for a prettier finished product.)Heat a large, heavy ovenproof skillet on medium-high. When the skillet is hot, add 2 Tbsp olive oil and use a pastry brush to coat the sides.Begin to build the galette in the hot skillet by layering potato slices in overlapping circles until the bottom of the pan is covered. When the first layer is done, sprinkle with a little chopped rosemary, salt and pepper, and 2 Tbsp grated cheese. Continue with the second layer, this time overlapping alternating slices of potato and beet. Save big, uniform slices for the third and final layer. (Getting the pan hot before putting in the vegetables helps crisp the bottom.) Sprinkle with more rosemary, salt, pepper, and another 2 Tbsp grated cheese. Continue layering the potatoes and beets until all are used. Add remaining rosemary and grated cheese. Drizzle the top of the galette with remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil.Cover the pan with aluminum foil, pressing it tightly onto the vegetables. Turn the heat to medium and cook on the stovetop about 10 minutes. You should hear the bottom of the galette sizzling; if not, turn up the heat slightly.Remove foil and place skillet in the hot oven. Bake uncovered about 40 to 55 minutes, until the top of the galette is browned, the edges are crisp, and the vegetables are cooked through (test by inserting the tip of a small knife straight down - you should feel no resistance).When thoroughly cooked, remove from the oven and let sit 5 minutes. Using a heat-proof spatula, loosen the galette from the pan. Slide it onto a cutting board and slice into wedges. Serve immediately.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 1 hour Total time: 1 hour 15 mins Yield: 6-8 servings

Baked tofu sticks

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On the rare occasions when I work at home, I try to have a healthy snack waiting for the kids after school. I cut up fruit and vegetables and put them on the table because I know if the good stuff is sitting right in front of them, they're more likely to eat it.

My active, growing boys also need a little protein to get them through the rest of the day. Last week I experimented with some extra-firm tofu. I was trying to imitate the marinated tofu I sometimes get at Whole Foods. Frankly, I liked my version more. I cut it into smaller pieces, which meant more marinade-glazed surface area. And it was a lot less salty.

One kid liked it, one not so much. I loved it. Hello, new lunchbox snack.

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Baked tofu sticks

by Erika Kerekes February-4-2012

The longer you let the batons of tofu marinate, the more the flavors will permeate the tofu. Serve at room temperature for the best texture.

Ingredients

• approximately 1 pound extra-firm tofu
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated or minced
• 3 Tbsp hoisin sauce or plum sauce
• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions

Line a plate with several layers of paper towel. Place the tofu on the plate and cover with several more layers of paper towel. Put a baking sheet on top of the covered tofu, then weight the baking sheet down with a can or two from your pantry. Let the tofu drain for an hour, changing the paper towel once or twice if it soaks through quickly. Pat the blocks of tofu dry and slice them into batons about 1 inch wide and 1/2 inch thick. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, ginger, hoisin or plum sauce, sesame oil and rice wine vinegar. Add the tofu and toss gently so all the tofu is coated with the marinade. Leave to marinate at room temperature at least 30 minutes and up to several hours, tossing occasionally.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil, then spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.Lift the tofu pieces from the marinade and lay them in rows on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Bake about 40 minutes, turning the tofu slices over halfway through the baking time. Let cool on the baking sheet. Serve at room temperature.

Details

Prep time: 1 hour 40 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 2 hour 20 mins Yield: 4-6 servings

Superfoods forever: Baked sweet potatoes with garlicky greens and walnut cream by Eat This Poem

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Today's Superfood: Sweet potatoes
Vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, manganese, fiber, potassium

Erika says: I've decided a month of Superfoods isn't enough. I'm not abandoning cake forever, but I'm going to continue to post new Superfoods recipes until I get tired of them (never, I hope). Here's a beautiful dish from Nicole Gulotta, who recently ended a four-year relationship with Cooking After Five to launch Eat This Poem, a literary food blog. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and French bulldog.

My other half is a fairly adventurous eater. I never have trouble serving quinoa, brussels sprouts or sardines, and he'll order foie gras in a restaurant without blinking an eye. But we all have our preferences, and for some reason, sweet potatoes are one of the few vegetables he's not enamored with.

It's been my personal mission for the past five years to convince my husband to embrace sweet potatoes, and I've made some progress. When he tasted my sweet potato and cayenne soup, he agreed the spice gave a nice kick and praised the creamy avocado garnish. When I sliced sweet potatoes and crisped them with sage oil, he thought it was festive for the holidays and that they could pass as a side dish. I think my persistence is finally paying off, because after trying my most recent creation, he helped himself to seconds without so much as a single complaint.

While there is certainly a time and place for russet potatoes slathered with sour cream and sprinkled with bacon, sweet potatoes are a much healthier alternative. They can fulfill any baked potato craving, and the bright orange color means their flesh is filled with vitamins A and C. Combined with other super foods like kale and walnuts, this makes for a deceptively healthy, crave-worthy lunch.

Click here for all the Superfoods recipes in this series

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Baked sweet potatoes with garlicky greens and walnut cream

by Nicole Gulotta February-1-2012

A hearty, healthy vegetarian dinner packed with vitamins.

Ingredients

• 2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed, skin on
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 bunch kale
• 1 garlic clove
• crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted in the oven or in a dry nonstick skillet until fragrant
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 lemon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prick sweet potatoes all over with a fork and place on a sheet pan. Bake until tender, about 1 hour; remove from oven. While the potatoes cool slightly, make the kale. Using your hands, remove kale leaves from the stems and tear into small pieces. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Grate the garlic into the oil and cook until fragrant, about two minutes. Add the kale and season with salt and pepper. (Add a little crushed red pepper flakes if you like some heat.) Cook until wilted, about 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside.Chop the walnuts and add to the Greek yogurt along with salt, pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Stir to combine.When cool enough to handle, slice each potato in half. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and fluff slightly with a fork. Top with a dollop of yogurt and a handful of kale leaves. Reserve any leftover kale and yogurt for another use.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 1 hour Total time: 1 hour 10 mins Yield: 2 servings