“HEALTHY” Food That Tastes Good?
Healthy food has taken a bad rap. People hear the “H” word and immediately think, “Oh no, not another gaggy health-nut recipe!” It’s not fair—it’s entirely possible for healthy foods to taste amazingly wonderful. It’s all in the recipe used and the preparation techniques. When done well, healthy recipes can be “to die for!”
But what about the technique? Well, whenever you make a dish calling for vegetables, lightly steam them before adding them in. Lightly steaming means no more than 3 to 4 minutes. Any longer, and you’re mishandling the vegetables (and it’s not their fault!).
Here’s an example of mishandling broccoli. Overcooking is mishandling. You know you’ve overcooked your broccoli when it turns this pasty greenish color. YUK, right? For exceptional taste and appearance, the goal is a BRIGHT and DEEP green. You can tell when any veggie is steamed to perfection—it doesn’t have a strong odor and it does have a bright, vibrant color.
And let’s talk beans—hummus actually. Because of the fiber and high vitamin content, this healthy snack is tops on many snackers’ lists today. Made with garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas), this healthy snack is so good and hearty, that when paired with whole grain crackers or whole grain pita bread, it could even be the main course of a meal. But have you tried to make your own? Unless you know a couple technique tricks, it can come out a little nasty.
First, a thorough rinsing of the garbanzo beans is needed to clear away the taste of any ingredients used in the canning process. Folks tend to skip this step, and so the resulting product will have an annoying aftertaste.
Also, the key to brag-worthy hummus is to let the flavor of the beans come through by using a light hand when adding the lemon juice. It’s easy to get careless when adding ingredients, thinking if a little is nice, a lot will be better. Especially not so in this case. Too much lemon overpowers the tahini and bean flavors, so be sure to accurately measure the lemon juice.
Here’s well tested recipe that only takes 5 minutes to put together. Every time I bring this to a gathering, people beg for more.
2 1/2 cups garbanzo beans drained and rinsed well
1/4 cup (scant) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup sesame tahini
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus extra for garnish
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup water
parsley for garnish
Directions:
Add Recipe to Cook'n
In conclusion, if you suffer from a bit of health food prejudice, give the idea of “healthy” a break and an open mind. GOOD and GOOD FOR YOU is not an oxymoron when the right recipes and techniques are applied!
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But what about the technique? Well, whenever you make a dish calling for vegetables, lightly steam them before adding them in. Lightly steaming means no more than 3 to 4 minutes. Any longer, and you’re mishandling the vegetables (and it’s not their fault!).
Here’s an example of mishandling broccoli. Overcooking is mishandling. You know you’ve overcooked your broccoli when it turns this pasty greenish color. YUK, right? For exceptional taste and appearance, the goal is a BRIGHT and DEEP green. You can tell when any veggie is steamed to perfection—it doesn’t have a strong odor and it does have a bright, vibrant color.
And let’s talk beans—hummus actually. Because of the fiber and high vitamin content, this healthy snack is tops on many snackers’ lists today. Made with garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas), this healthy snack is so good and hearty, that when paired with whole grain crackers or whole grain pita bread, it could even be the main course of a meal. But have you tried to make your own? Unless you know a couple technique tricks, it can come out a little nasty.
First, a thorough rinsing of the garbanzo beans is needed to clear away the taste of any ingredients used in the canning process. Folks tend to skip this step, and so the resulting product will have an annoying aftertaste.
Also, the key to brag-worthy hummus is to let the flavor of the beans come through by using a light hand when adding the lemon juice. It’s easy to get careless when adding ingredients, thinking if a little is nice, a lot will be better. Especially not so in this case. Too much lemon overpowers the tahini and bean flavors, so be sure to accurately measure the lemon juice.
Here’s well tested recipe that only takes 5 minutes to put together. Every time I bring this to a gathering, people beg for more.
Homemade Hummus
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups garbanzo beans drained and rinsed well
1/4 cup (scant) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup sesame tahini
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus extra for garnish
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup water
parsley for garnish
Directions:
Put all ingredients except the garbanzo beans and parsley into a blender; blend for 5 seconds. Add the beans and blend on high until mixture reaches the consistency of a granular sour cream, approximately 10 to 15 seconds. If the hummus is too thick, add a little water slowly and blend until it reaches the desired consistency.
Transfer to a serving bowl; cover and refrigerate for a few hours before serving. The flavors will meld well if given a chance to sit for awhile. When ready to serve, drizzle a little olive oil over the top and garnish with parsley. Serve with pita wedges or slices of whole grain bread.
Transfer to a serving bowl; cover and refrigerate for a few hours before serving. The flavors will meld well if given a chance to sit for awhile. When ready to serve, drizzle a little olive oil over the top and garnish with parsley. Serve with pita wedges or slices of whole grain bread.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
In conclusion, if you suffer from a bit of health food prejudice, give the idea of “healthy” a break and an open mind. GOOD and GOOD FOR YOU is not an oxymoron when the right recipes and techniques are applied!
Sources:
- www.thedailymeal.com
- www.mustardwithmutton.com
- www.onceuponachef.com
- www.yourhomebasedmom.com
Alice Osborne
DVO Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
