Photo Erik Johnson
Davina and I did another nutrition workshop on Friday. The format was a bit different than previous classes. Previously we have done a cooking demonstration in conjunction with a lecture– this time Davina gave an eloquent and informative talk about heart health exposing common beliefs about cholesterol as myths and explaining the importance of including and excluding certain foods in your diet for a healthy heart. We prepared a lunch filled with heart healthy foods.
We are doing another session of the class again on Saturday November 16– Let me know if you would like to join.
LUNCH- recipes below
Starters: Beet and Celery Juice, Pomegranate and Quinoa Salad with Curly Parsley, Roasted Sweet Potato with Avocado and Chive, Sardine on Walnut Cracker with Lemon and Flat Leaf Parsley, Roasted Broccoli and Shallot
Main: Wild Salmon with Kidney Beans, Basil, Spinach, Black Rice and Sorrel
Dessert: Banana Cake with Chocolate Ganache, Coconut Cream, Walnuts and Almonds
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Recipes
STARTERS
Beet and Celery Juice (about 1/4 beet to 3/4 celery)
Pomegranate and Quinoa Salad (2 cups pomegranate, seeds from 1 pomegranate, 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste)
Roasted Sweet Potato with Avocado and Chive (Heat oven to 375 degrees, slice sweet potatoes into rounds 1/8" thick and season with grape seed oil, salt and pepper. Place potato on a sheet tray and roast until tender, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from oven and serve topped with a small slice of avocado and chopped chives)
Sardine on Walnut Cracker with Lemon and Parsley (Cracker: 1 cup finely pureed walnut, 1/2 teaspoon yeast fresh or dried dissolved in 3 tablespoons water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pinch of sugar, 1/3 cup spelt flour– combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and knead until thoroughly incorporated. Place dough on a piece of parchment paper and roll till paper thin. Bake in a 350 degree oven until golden brown. Once cool break crackers into sardine sized pieces. Sardines: Season with salt and pepper. Heat a heavy bottom skillet over high heat. Lightly coat the pan with grape seed oil. Place sardines in the hot skillet and cook until skin is crispy, approximately 2 minutes. turn sardines over and cook until the other side is crispy approximately 2 more minutes. squeeze a little lemon on top, finish with chopped parsley and place on a cracker)
Roasted Broccoli with Shallots (Peel shallots to remove skin. Coat with grapeseed oil and roast in a 375 oven until tender and browned. Cut broccoli into small florets, remove the stalk, peel stalks and cut into rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Season broccoli with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in 375 degree oven until tender and the edges are slightly browned.)
MAIN
Wild Salmon with Three Beans, Spinach and Black Rice
Salmon: wild salmon, grapeseed oil, salt and pepper
Pat the fish dry with a paper towel and then score the fish skin. Do this by making a row of x's across the skin being careful not to cut into the flesh. This will ensure that the fish will not curl up and will cook evenly. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Heat a heavy bottom skillet over high heat and add enough grape seed oil to just coat the bottom of the pan. Place the salmon skin side down and cook until the skin is crispy and brown, approximately three minutes. Flip the fish and cook the other side and cook for approximately three additional minutes. Take care not to overcook! The fish should still be pink in the middle. Also remember that the fish will continue cooking a bit even after you remove it from the heat.
Three Beans: tomato, olive oil, salt, pepper, beans, basil
We used kidney beans, red lentils, giant white lima beans and local tomatoes. If using a variety of beans you must cook each individually since they each cook for a different amount of time. A quicker version would be to use BPA free canned beans and tomatoes.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut tomatoes in half and season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place cut side down on a sheet tray and cook until skin becomes loose from the tomatoes. Remove from oven, let cool and remove the skin. In a large bowl mix the beans, tomatoes and add fresh basil. Add additional olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. This can be reheated but is also delicious at room temperature.
Black Rice: forbidden black rice, water, salt, pepper
In a heavy bottom pot with a tight fitting lid add 1 cup black rice and 1 3/4 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes. Turn off heat but leave lid on for an additional 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork and season with salt and pepper.
Spinach with Roasted Garlic: garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, spinach
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Separate the whole heads of garlic into individual cloves leaving the papery covering intact. Lightly coat the garlic with olive oil and place in oven until the cloves are soft to the touch, approximately 15 minutes. Remove the garlic from the oven, let cool and remove the skin. Look for a sprout running through the clove, cut the clove in half lengthwise and remove the sprout with your fingers or a small knife. Some garlic will not have a visible sprout so this last step may not be necessary. Roughly chop garlic.
Place spinach on a sheet tray and season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix with your hands and incorporate the chopped garlic. Place in oven for approximately two minutes. Remove when the spinach around the edges of the pan is cooked. Stir the spinach thoroughly. The heat from the spinach that is cooked will cook the remaining spinach on the pan.
DESSERT
Banana Cake with Chocolate Ganache, Nuts and Coconut Cream
Banana Cake: 2 ripe bananas pureed in a food processor, 1/4 cup whole grain flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, 2 tablespoons water
Combine all ingredients until just thoroughly incorporated, take care not to over mix. Cook in individual silicon molds or in cupcake pans. For the class I served very small portions- yielding approximately 12 individual cakes from this recipe. Bake in a 350 degree oven until a toothpick tests clean. This will take approximately 10-20 minutes depending on the size of the individual cakes.
Chocolate Ganache: 1/4 cup almond milk, 4 ounces 87% dark chocolate cut into small pieces, 1 tablespoon maple syrup
In a small pot bring almond milk to a boil. Turn off heat and mix in chocolate and maple syrup. If made in advance store in the refrigerator and reheat over a water bath when ready to use.
Coconut Cream: 1 can coconut milk, inside of two vanilla beans
Refrigerate can of coconut milk for at least a couple hours. Open can without turning it over. With a spoon scoop the top thick part of the coconut milk into a bowl and discard the watery part on the bottom. To remove seeds from a vanilla bean using kitchen tongs run the bean through the flame from your stove several times. Place bean on a cutting board and with a sharp knife gently split bean from top to bottom. With the sharp knife scrape the inside of the bean to remove the seeds. Thoroughly combine the coconut and the vanilla. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Walnuts and Almonds: roughly chop
To assemble: Top cooled cakes with ganache and sprinkle with chopped nuts and serve with coconut cream.