I cook with wine…

Oh, lentils, how I love thee! Tasty, quick-cooking, versatile and supremely healthy, lentils are the perfect food for a cold January evening. They are a great source of fiber, which can lower cholesterol, and are high in protein. Lentils are rich in essential vitamins, stabilize blood sugar and are good for your heart. And there are only 230 calories per cup! This flavorful soup helps them shine, while bitter arugula balances the smokiness.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup lentils

3 cups water

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons cumin

2+ teaspoons smoked paprika

1 red onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 can diced tomatoes

1 pound baby arugula leaves

3 cups vegetable broth or water

2 dried ancho chiles

Directions:

Put lentils and water in a large soup pot. Bring to boiling, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes (depending on lentils), or until soft. Once cooked, add arugula, whole dried ancho chile peppers, and broth/water to lentils. Simmer for approximately 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pan, then toss in the cumin and paprika. Sauté spices at medium heat until fragrant but not burned, approximately 30 seconds. Add onions and garlic; stir until coated with spices. Sauté aromatics until translucent. Afterward, mix in the tomatoes and sauté until heated through and bubbling.

Remove ancho chiles from soup pot. Remove tops from chiles and chop the rest into small bits. Add back to soup. Stir in the tomato mixture and add salt and pepper to taste, plus more smoked paprika if you deem it necessary (I had to up it a bit last night, although it would have been fine as is). Enjoy!

If you’re anything like me, many of your fondest childhood memories involve time spent in the kitchen. One of my favorite times was our annual meatball-making day. My mother, grandmother and I would all form a rather efficient assembly line in the kitchen, which would quickly morph into a reenactment of that famed I Love Lucy episode once the meatballs were cooked. Mommom, as she is known, led the pack with her taste buds and general cooking genius. As a result, there is a tradition, but no formal recipe. She gave me the “recipe” just as I will give it to you – a vague list of ingredients with the instructions to “fry a bit up and taste for yourself!” I hope you can gather some friends or family together, and have an equally happy time – trust me, the results are worth it!

Meatballs

Ingredients:

Lean ground beef and/or pork

Green peppers, chopped

Onions, diced

Salt and pepper

Parmesan cheese, grated

Garlic, fresh and powdered

Bread crumbs with Italian seasoning

Eggs (2 – 3 for a large batch)

Directions:

Mix ingredients together; test for taste by frying a bit in a pan. Adjust if necessary. Form into balls. Broil on a cookie sheet until top is brown, flip. Broil until done.

Chunky Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

Olive oil

Fresh Italian parsley

Green peppers, chopped

Onions, diced

Garlic, chopped

Whole canned plum tomatoes

Italian seasoning (dried basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, sage or your preferred combination thereof)

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Sauté peppers, onions, garlic and parsley in olive oil until cooked. Add tomatoes and seasoning and bring to a simmer. Simmer for several hours. Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with cooked pasta and meatballs.

This recipe combines my need to make the most of the last of the summer squash with my cravings for warm and filling food, as we transition from summer to fall here in San Francisco. Everybody’s favorite fungi, the mushroom, plays a central role in the flavor profile (especially the potent dried criminis), while also bringing some serious health benefits to the meal. Mushrooms contain a high level of vitamin B, potassium and zinc. They have also been linked to reduced instances of breast cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease. Furthermore, mushrooms’ powerful antioxidants boost one’s immune system, and that includes the inexpensive button mushrooms featured here. PLUS, they are just delicious! Enjoy.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound farfalle pasta (or pasta of your choice), cooked 

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 oz. package button mushrooms, sliced

1/4 oz. dried crimini mushrooms, soaked in 1/2 cup of hot water

2 zucchinis, cut into 1/2 inch slices, then quartered

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1 tablespoon corn starch

3 tablespoons sherry

1 cup half-and-half  (you can use heavy cream here for a richer flavor, but I’m not sure about just using milk for fewer calories – if you try it, let me know!)

Few dashes nutmeg

Directions:

Saute zucchini and button mushrooms in one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat until cooked through. Combine with pasta and set aside.

In another pan, heat the other tablespoon of olive oil. Add the shallots and garlic and saute until fragrant but not browned. Add the sherry and cook until mostly reduced, about three minutes at medium heat. Add one tablespoon cornstarch and blend well. Then add the crimini mushrooms with liquid and the half-and-half. Simmer until thickened. Season with nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Mix with the pasta and vegetables and serve.

I love all fish, but salmon definitely makes the most appearances on my dining table. It is easy to prepare, flavorfully versatile, healthy and generally doesn’t break the bank. This is one of those super easy weeknight recipes that helps keep me sane, especially as everyone who has tried it, loves it. The main health benefit of salmon is its high concentration of Omega 3 fatty acids, which can promote cardiovascular health in a number of ways, including reducing the risk of heart attacks. 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth (I’d only go veggie if you are a pescetarian though)

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ginger, minced

1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses

Salt and pepper to taste

3 7-oz. filets of salmon

Directions:

Mix together all ingredients except salmon. Place salmon filets in a single layer in a glass baking dish. Cover with mixture and let marinate for at least one hour in a refrigerator. Bake filets at 400 degrees for approximately 10 to 15 minutes or until salmon easily flakes.

Side note, I served this with the baked potatoes and carrot latkes below. It was a fairly easy and very delicious meal to throw together in about 90 minutes and each dish complemented the others.

This heart-healthy lasagna is delicious and packed with lots of goodness from the garden. I used organic whole wheat pasta, which I felt held up better with the vegetables, plus brought a nutty flavor and lots of fiber to the dish. Adding potatoes also increases the carbohydrate content of this lasagna, plus it is oozing with cheese (as any good lasagna should!), so this is not the best dish for weight loss. However, if you are looking for a meatless, filling, and flavorful midweek supper, this should satisfy your craving. Also, the recipe freezes well, which will allow you to enjoy summertime treats, like the heirloom tomato topping and in-season zucchini, anytime of year. I was able to construct this whole dish with 3 medium-sized stainless steel bowls, one small glass bowl, one large pot, a cutting board and a baking dish, so your dishwasher shouldn’t be overflowing afterwards either.

Ingredients:

12 strips whole wheat lasagna (I used Westbrae Natural Vegetarian, which has thinner strips, about 2.5 inches wide – this recipe uses about half of the box)

9 oz. bag spinach

2 small zucchini, sliced into ½ inch pieces, then quartered

1 large red onion, chopped

8 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon dried red pepper

2 eggs

15 oz. container of part skim ricotta cheese

12 oz. package of low-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded

¼ cup skim milk

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon dried sage

½ teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 very large heirloom tomato, cut into pencil-thick slices

5 medium-sized potatoes (I used purple ones for their color, but any will do), sliced very thin, approximately 1/16 of an inch

2 tablespoons olive oil

¾ cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions:

First, use olive oil to grease a 13 x 9 inch baking dish, set aside. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Boil 4 quarts of water with a few dashes of salt, then cook lasagna noodles to al dente – for me, this was approximately 6 minutes. Set out three stainless steel bowls – you will be using them to hold the three of the layers: the cheese mixture, the potatoes, and the tomatoes. Once pasta is done cooking (I usually use this time to shred/chop the other items), drain but don’t rinse, then lay out lasagna noodles in a single layer on waxed paper, somewhere out of the way.

Using that same pot (rinsed and dried), pour a little olive oil to coat the bottom, bring the burner to medium-high heat and dump the bag of spinach in. Allow to wilt slightly, then add the zucchini, chopped onion, garlic and red pepper, plus salt and pepper to taste. Sauté for approximately 10 minutes, or until spinach is wilted and zucchini is soft. Let cool in the pot.

Meanwhile, in a stainless steel bowl, make the cheese mixture. Start with two eggs, lightly whisked, and then add the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and nutmeg. Stir to blend.

Next comes the herb mixture – using the small glass bowl, combine the sage, oregano, basil and salt. Toss the potatoes with a bit of olive oil and approximately 2/3 of the herb mixture in a stainless steel bowl. Save the rest of the herbs for later.

So, to recap, at this point you should have a greased baking dish, several strips of cooked lasagna sitting on waxed paper, spinach mixture in a pot, a small glass bowl with some dried herb mixture, a cutting board with shredded parmesan on top, one stainless steel bowl filled with the cheese mixture, one filled with herbed potatoes, and one filled with slices of heirloom tomato. Now it’s time to assemble them all into one scrumptious lasagna.

Start by placing half of the potatoes in a single layer on the bottom of the pan. Follow by laying strips of lasagna on top, also in a single layer (I lay three lengthwise, then shorten one strip by a couple of inches, and lay that widthwise at the end). Spread half of the spinach mixture on top of the strips, as evenly as possible. Follow with half of the cheese mixture. Top that with the other half of the potatoes, then another layer of lasagna noodles, then the remaining spinach mixture, then the remaining cheese mixture, then the remaining lasagna noodles. At this point, I spread the slices of heirloom tomatoes evenly on the very top, sprinkle with the remainder of the herb mixture, and top with generous sprinkles of parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, covered, in the 375-degree oven. Then remove cover and bake for an additional 15. Let stand for at least 5 minutes, and serve!

This spicy and satisfying dish is quick enough to make after work in the evenings and simple enough to not create a huge mess in the kitchen. Spicy foods come with a lot of health benefits. Most notably, capsaicin (such as that found in the sambal oelek and many other forms of chili peppers) triggers the release of endorphins and can suppress appetite. Some studies even indicate that it can help prevent certain types of cancer. Fortunately, I love spicy foods and hope to include many more recipes carrying these benefits in the future.

Ingredients:

Marinade

Juice of 3 limes

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon sambal oelek (ground red chili paste, found at most Asian food markets)

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon sea salt

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (double chicken and marinade for a more “normal” fajita ratio)

1 large zucchini

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1 red onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons sambal oelek

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

¾ cup sour cream

4 large tortillas

Can be prepared in approximately 1 hour, Serves 4

Directions:

First, cut the chicken into ½-inch thick strips of about 2 inches in length. Then, mix together all of the ingredients for the marinade. Place the chicken and marinade in a shallow bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, chop the zucchini into slivers ¼-inch thick and approximately 2 inches long. Cut the bell peppers into thin strips, and then halve the strips (so that they are approximately 2 to 3 inches long as well). Slice the red onion into similar-sized pieces.

Place the chopped vegetables into a large bowl and toss with the olive oil – this covers them with just a light coating of olive oil, as well as mixes up the veggies for even cooking. Divide the vegetables up evenly into a large pot and a large frying pan. Sauté over medium-high heat for approximately 5 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. After 5 minutes, add 1 teaspoon (if you like your food spicy, maybe half a teaspoon if you prefer milder food) of sambal oelek to each pan. Cook for approximately 3 minutes more, or until vegetables seem done (and be careful to keep your face out of the steam, the chili paste will make your eyes water!). Transfer frying pan vegetables into the large pot, and turn the pot’s burner down to low heat so that you keep the vegetables warm while you are preparing the chicken.

Using the same frying pan you just cooked the veggies in, cook the chicken over medium-high heat until done, approximately 10 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. While the chicken is sautéing, chop the cilantro into small to medium-sized pieces and mix with the sour cream – you will need this to cool off the spicy fajitas. You may also want to place the tortillas in a warm oven or the microwave to heat before serving.

Once the chicken is cooked, arrange the chicken, vegetables, tortillas and cilantro-sour cream in bowls and plates and let your guests build their fajitas to taste. Serve with cold beer or a bottle of chilled Sauvignon Blanc.