Davina Sandground and I taught another workshop at her house today, Heart Health. Much of the class concentrated on the importance of including and excluding certain foods in your diet for optimum heart health. We prepared and ate several simple recipes full of heart healthy foods.
Beet and Celery Juice (about 1/4 beet to 3/4 celery)
Pomegranate and Quinoa Salad (In a large bowl combine 2 cups cooked quinoa, 1 cup pomegranate seeds, 1 cup finely chopped parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Serve room temperature or chilled.)
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 7 minutes. Remove from oven and serve tossed with sliced avocado and chopped chives.)
Kidney Beans Braised with Leeks and Celery Root (Heat oven to 375 degrees, in a large bowl combine 2 cups cooked kidney beans, 1 cup finely shaved leeks, 1 cup shredded celery root, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Place in a skillet, cover and bake for 1 hour.)
Salmon Baked in Paper with Cabbage, Beets, Fennel and Carrot (Heat oven to 375 degrees, in a large bowl combine 1 cup shaved cabbage, 1 cup shaved beets, 1 cup fennel and 1 cup shaved carrots. Dress with 2 teaspoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons cider vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Season the salmon with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in parchment paper and make an envelope. Place on a sheet tray and bake until flakey but still bright orange in the middle, about 5 minutes. Serve salmon hot, room temperature or chilled over the vegetables.)
Roasted Broccoli with Shallot and Toasted Flax Seeds (In a large bowl combine 4 cups finely chopped broccoli, 1 cup roasted shallot chopped, 3 tablespoons toasted ground flax seeds, 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or cover, refrigerate and serve chilled.)
Frozen Banana with Cocoa Powder and Toasted Walnuts (In a food processor combine 2 bananas sliced and frozen, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder. Pulse on and off until mixture is creamy. Serve immediately topped with chopped toasted walnuts.)
Photo: Kate Headley
Lovely evening thanks to fabulous guests and the promise of spring in the air!
