Mindful Eats

Slow Cooker Pork, Turnip and Collard Green Stew

Pork, turnip, collard green and carrot stew

Some of the world’s greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible. ~Doug Larson

So after all that prattle about the pork shoulder, here's the recipe for the slow-cooker stew. It was delicious - I think this is a recipe for two, but I ended up eating the whole thing myself.

Slow-Cooked Pork, Turnip and Collard Green Stew

Serves 2

1 lb. pork shoulder
5-6 small turnips
5 collard greens
2 small parsnips
1 stalk of celery
1 carrot
1 cup whole wheat fusilli (but you can use any grain you like)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 shakes Worcester sauce
water
any other vegetable you like - onions, potatoes, etc.

1. Chop the turnips, parsnips, celery and carrots into bite sized soup pieces. Turnips should be small (2 inches or less) and heavy.
2. Strip the collard green stems off the leaves and slice leaves into strips. (collard stems can be saved for vegetable juice)
3. Put all the vegetables into the slow cooker.
4. Add the pork shoulder. I had to chop mine off the bone since it didn't fit, but the original plan was to just pop it into the slow cooker without any hassle.
5. Add in 2 soy sauce and a couple shakes of Worcester sauce.
6. Add enough water to cover the vegetables plus another 2-3 inches. Unless the water is 3/4 inches from the top of the cooker. If so, only fill it until it's 3/4 inch from the top.
7. Turn cooker on low. Let cook for 8+ hours.
8. When you're ready to eat, cook the pasta separately. If you have pre-cooked grains, add them in at the end. Do NOT cook grains for hours in the slow cooker- they get overcooked, clumpy and gross.
9. Skim off fat as necessary.
10. Spoon stew over pasta and enjoy!

What I ate: vegetable juice, 1/2 c. kefir, bread, mixed greens + cranberries + blue cheese + pistachios + grape salad, Cosi bread, 2 coffees, 6 squares dark chocolate, 1 apple, 1 oz. Simply Naked Pita Chips, 10 Downing: tiny salmon amuse bosche, celery root soup + creme fraiche, braised short ribs, 1 slice bread, chocolate panne cotta, lemon granita, 1 green tea, 45 oz. water

Exercise: 30 min lifting

Hassle-Free Healthy Meal: Slow Cooker/Crockpot

Collard green and turnip soup

My parents gave me a slow cooker for Christmas last year. I thought it was an odd gift, but I sweetly thanked them and took it home. Then I took the slow cooker out of the box and fell in love. 

The thing is magic! You load it up, add water, turn it on, and when you come home 9+ hours later on a frigid night so hungry you could eat your dog, the warm smell of love hits you as you walk through the door. It's the only way a working stiff like me can come home to a delicious smelling dinner. And the only effort required is chopping and flipping a switch. Magic. Parents (often) do know best.

The magic isn't limited to meals - the slow cooker is great way to prepare slow foods like dried beans and lentils, or carrots on their way to being pureed. 

Slow cookers are especially perfect during the winter. They're great for soups, chili and stews. I also understand they are great for braised meat (next on my list of things to try), but the most frequent meal in my slow-cooker is a turnip collard green soup.

In addition to slow cookers, there are a few other ways to cook healthy and fast.

Turnip and Collard Green Soup

Serves 2

5-6 small turnips
5 collard greens
1 stalk of celery
1 carrot
1/4 clove of garlic
 1/2 barley, quinoa, brown rice or any other grain
 water
 any other vegetable you like - onions, potatoes, etc.

1. Chop the turnips, celery and carrots into bite sized soup pieces. Turnips should be small (2 inches or less) and heavy.
2. Strip the collard green stems off the leaves and slice leaves into strips. (collard stems can be saved for vegetable juice)
3. Put all the vegetables into the slow cooker.
4. Add enough water to cover the vegetables plus another 2-3 inches. Unless the water is 3/4 inches from the top of the cooker. If so, only fill it until it's 3/4 inch from the top.
5. Turn cooker on low. Let cook for 5+ hours. I've let it cook for over 9 hours.
6. When you're ready to eat, add the grains. Leave them in for the regular cooking time. If you have pre-cooked grains, add them in at the end. Do NOT cook grains for hours - they get overcooked, clumpy and gross.

You're done! One of the easiest meals ever. Feel free to experiment - slow cooking is flexible and nearly impossible to screw up.

What I ate: vegetable juice, 1 grapefruit, 1 c. steel-cut oatmeal + flaxseeds + dried cranberries + milk, 2 scrambled eggs, macadamia nuts, 1 latte, baby carrots, hummus, 1 green tea, lobster ravioli, salami, prosciutto, 2 slices bread, cheese, hot chocolate, water

Exercise: None

Lazy No-Chop Sauteed Baby Bok Choy

Raw Baby Bok Choy

To insure good health: Eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life. ~William London

Mindful Eater, do you want to effortlessly get more greens into you and your loved ones? Of course you do. You want the radiant skin and vitamin-full antioxidant goodness of veggies. Well, I do too. But sometimes I feel too lazy to make them. This week I impressed myself with a supereasy new green: baby bok choy (well, new to me). 

Bok choy is loaded with Vitamin C, folic acid, and also has calcium as well as other nutrients. It is winter-hardy, so it may be one of the local greens you can find in the winter months. I bought some for the first time last week since it was on sale (it's seasonal!). 

Feeling lazy one evening, I had a batch of my neighbor Antoinette's delicious home made pesto for dinner and decided I should probably have some vegetables with that. I looked in my refrigerator and saw the baby bok choy. I had no idea how to make them, but I knew that anything could be sauteed. Feeling too lazy to chop, I just washed them, threw them in a pan and sauteed them with garlic. DELICIOUS. Sweet, fresh and crunchy. It doesn't get any easier, and clean up is minimal. Who knew? Well, someone did (but I didn't), and I had to share this supereasy discovery with you. Since they're so easy, I made them last night for some friends, and they loved them too!

Supereasy Baby Bok Choy

Serves 3-4

6-8 baby bok choy
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons canola oil or other oil to saute

1. Carefully wash the bok choy.
2. Remove skin from garlic and dice.
3. Heat oil over medium high heat in frying pan. Add garlic and saute until golden.
4. Throw in all the bok choy. Let it saute 1-2 minutes, then flip over. You are done when the bok choy turns a darker green, and the outside leaves are wilted.

For more articles on real food, visit Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday!

What I ate: Barbara's Bakery Shredded Oat Cereal, 2 lattes, zucchini and potato egg frittata, 1/3 apple, 1 glass orange juice, 2 green teas, 2 chocolate cookies, macadamia nuts, 12 oz. Helios Kefir, dried mango slices, 1 pear, 1 cup quinoa, steamed tofu + rainbow chard + shiitake mushrooms, soy sauce, sesame oil, 1 T. Udo's oil, 2 hot chocolates, 1.5 biscotti, New Chapter multivitamin, water

Exercise: Ran 8 miles (last week before NYC marathon)

Raw Peach, Tomato and Basil Salsa

Preparing fruit salsa with NYC Greenmarkets at Stanton Street fair

Life is better than death, I believe, if only because it is less boring and because it has fresh peaches in it. ~Thomas Walker

Late August is almost always sticky and hot, so I rarely actually cook. NYC Greenmarkets asked me if I wanted to do a cooking demo with them, and the heat made me pause. But we didn't really cook - we prepared a fruit salsa. The most common comments that I heard about the salsa from the people that tried it were: "This is really fresh!" and "Delicious!" One young man kept coming back for more samples, and he eventually brought over a slice of cheese pizza to sprinkle the salsa over. Creative.

I was skeptical of the recipe at first, but those comments were right on. The salsa was incredibly easy to make - we made the whole thing from start to finish right on the street - and it captured the succulence of summer. You can use any stone fruit, but peaches are currently in season, as are tomatoes. The peaches we used were seconds (they're cheaper). They might not be picture perfect, but they are just as delicious and perfect in recipes like this salsa!

Peach, Tomato and Basil Salsa

Adapted from Rose Water Cafe (in Brooklyn)

Serves 3

2-3 ripe (or overripe) peaches 
1 large ripe tomato
1 bunch of basil
1/4 red onion
1 lemon
Salt and pepper

1. Dice the peaches, tomato and garlic.
2. Shred or slice the basil into small pieces. Discard the stems or save for your vegetable juice (or compost).
3. Combine all ingredients into a bowl. Squeeze 1/2 lemon over salsa, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy your supereasy treat. Your guests will think you're brilliant! (Well, you are - you served this, didn't you?)

What I ate: 1 slice When Pigs Fly whole wheat bread + butter, 10 oz. kefir, 2 cups coffee + milk, pineapple + watermelon + blueberries + cottage cheese, spinach salad + roasted brussell sprouts + blue cheese + pesto pasta + green beans + grape tomatoes + cucumbers + parmesan cheese, macadamia nuts, quinoa, tempeh + spinach + broccoli + mushroom stir-fry, 1 black plum, hot chocolate, 50 oz. water

Exercise: Ran 5 miles 

Raw Kale Salad with Cheese, Lemon Juice and Garlic

Lacinto kale, lemon juice, garlic, parmesan, olive oil, crushed red pepper

Our Garrick's a salad; for in him we see, Oil, vinegar, sugar and saltiness agree. ~Oliver Goldsmith

I saw a recipe for kale salad in the New York Times two years ago that looked so delicious and easy, I never forgot about it. For two years. I never made it, but I never forgot about it. Then my friend Gillian had a lovely dinner party, and she served the same raw kale salad! Her husband refuses to eat vegetables, but he finished more than one serving of the salad. That's how good it is.

One big bonus is that this tasty salad features the "superfood" kale, which is rich in phytochemicals and supposedly helps prevent cancer. The lemon juice in this recipe makes the kale sparkle. If you are trying to avoid pesticides, you will want to buy organic kale since it is high on the "Dirty Dozen" list.

Recipes generally call for lacinto ("dinosaur") kale, but Gillian makes it with any kind of kale. She used green kale when I had it, and it was delicious!

Raw Kale Salad with Parmesan, Lemon and Olive Oil

Adapted from NYT recipe and Gillian

Serves 4

1 bunch of kale (lacinto, green, whatever)
Handful of currants or craisins (optional)
1/2 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (NYT calls for pecorino)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Salt and pepper

1. Trim bottom 2 inches off kale and save for your vegetable juice (or compost).
2. Slice the remaining kale into strips about 3/4 inch wide and place in a salad bowl. Add currants or craisins.
3. Smash the garlic with your knife and place in a bowl. Squeeze the lemon juice into the bowl as well. Combine it with the olive oil, cheese, crushed red pepper. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Toss kale with dressing and make sure all the leaves are wet.

Enjoy!

What I ate: Whole Foods plain yogurt + strawberries + blueberries, 16 oz. cafe au lait, Mindful Mix, spinach + roasted beets + radish sprouts + chopped egg + tomato salad, soy nuts, bread, seaweed salad, California roll, rainbow roll, fried rice, wasabi mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, 60 oz. water

Exercise: 1 hour yoga

Salad Days: Egg Over Greens, Sugar Snaps, Tomatoes and Cheese

Red leaf lettuce, sugar snaps, grape tomatoes, goat cheese and egg

A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked. ~Bernard Meltzer

This salad may look weird but it's delicious. The egg coats the greens and adds a layer of richness (and protein!). Summer is the perfect time for salad since the markets are popping with seasonal, ripe produce. This salad capitalizes on two trends:

1. Not cooking during the summer - my oven goes off at the end of spring, and stays off until September. 'Cause it's hot! The most cooking I ever want to do in the summer is a few minutes of boiling or frying.
2. Eggs - a few years ago it seemed like restaurants were topping everything with eggs. I thought this was very fancy, but then I learned to fry an egg earlier this year (that's why we only deliver easy and fast recipes on MindfulEats), and it's easy! So now I top all sorts of things with eggs, and it's glorious - it's tasty and it adds protein.

Salad Topped with a Fried Egg

Red leaf lettuce (use any lettuce type except for Iceberg - it has no nutrition)
Sugar snap peas
Grape tomatoes
Goat cheese
Schoolhouse Kitchen Balsamico vinaigrette (use any type of vinaigrette - it adds a nice zing)
Any other produce that looks appealing - broccoli, arugula, radishes, etc.

1. Wash and dry the produce and chop into bite size pieces.
2. Mix ingredients in a large bowl with vinaigrette.
3. Fry an egg sunny-side up and place on top of the salad.
4. Dig in. Break the egg and let it coat your salad.

Enjoy!

What I ate: 2 cups coffee, Whole Foods plain yogurt + blueberries + strawberries, 1/2 cup kefir, quinoa + cauliflower + tempeh + sugar snap peas, 8 squares dark chocolate, whole wheat spagehetti + sauteed summer squash + grape tomoates +  zucchini + garlic + broccoli rabe, cherries, Dale & Thomas cheese popcorn, Mindful Mix, 2 cups milk, Oikos yogurt + blueberries + strawberries

Exercise: Ran 4.3 miles

Swiss Chard, Egg, Shiitake Mushrooms and Quinoa Hash

Norwich Meadows Farm eggs, Swiss chard, shiitake mushroom, quinoa hash

Ever since I wrote a post on the importance of breakfast, I have tried to eat a substantial breakfast every morning. I used to have coffee or tea in the morning, and maybe a handful of nuts. The most immediate difference I noticed was that my insatiable need to snack declined dramatically, and the ravenous midmorning snacking has disappeared.

Hash is one of my favorite breakfasts since it is so easy to make and takes less than 10 minutes. I usually make it during the weekends since I'm in such a rush during the weekdays - though in a pinch it makes a fast dinner. You can use practically anything in your refrigerator. The fried runny eggs make the dish. When you mix them in, the yolk gloriously runs into the rest of the hash. This version features Swiss chard since the markets are popping with it. I also added quinoa since I had some in the fridge, but if you are avoiding carbs, you can leave it out.

Eggplant, Tomatoes and Israeli Couscous

Eggplant, tomatoes and Israeli couscous

Teachers open the door, but you must walk through yourself. ~Chinese Proverb

I am the first to admit I am a lazy cook. I often prepare my own food to be mindful of what I'm eating, but it has to be fast, easy, and in one pot. When I first saw this Mediterranean Eggplant recipe in Eating is Art, I knew it would meet all my criteria and be delicious (and a great reason to make Israeli couscous - yum). I first made this a couple weeks ago for my friends Suzi and Allison, but I made a few adjustments to the original recipe to make it even easier. I also served it with a frisee and goat cheese salad instead of bread. We all loved it. I had it again tonight, but like most meals, it wasn't as good without friends.

Mediterranean Eggplant, Tomato and Israeli Couscous

1. Mince 6-7 cloves of garlic
2. Chop 2 medium eggplants into bite-sized pieces 
3. Saute the garlic until golden in 3 tablespoons of olive oil 
4. Add the eggplant and saute until soft (add more olive oil if needed) 
5. Add one 28 oz. can of tomatoes (crushed, diced, whatever)
6. Add 1 shake of crushed red pepper, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon rosemary 
7. Simmer for 30-45 minutes
8. In the meantime, make the Israeli couscous by heating 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan. Toast 2 cups of Israeli couscous for a little bit, then slowly add in 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil then let simmer until water is absorbed (10-12 minutes).
9. Spoon the eggplant over the couscous and enjoy

What I ate: 1 cup Horizon cottage cheese + strawberries, 1/2 c. Barbara's Multigrain cereal + milk, 6 squares dark chocolate, 2 hardboiled eggs, 6 oz. sauteed salmon + broccoli, 1 apple, 2 cups Good Earth tea, 2 oz. macadamia nuts, 1 sliver cheddar cheese, Mediterranean eggplant + coucous, 1 hot chocolate, 45 oz. water

Exercise: 10 min. stationary bike, 15 min. upper body weights

Benefits of (Vegetable) Juicing

Breville Juice Fountain and its output: Green Juice

"Socialize with compassion, kindness and grace." - Yogi Tea

Vegetable juice has always been an important tenet for alternative health types. It's integral to the Raw Foods diet, and alternative health gurus like Dr. Mercola insist that it is important for "radiant health". Now it's breaking out of the hippie granola store and into the mainstream with the spread of Jamba Juice and trendy juice bars. There's even a juice bar at my company cafeteria. Why is juicing so hip?

• It's a fast, easy and super-efficient way to get in many servings of fruits and vegetables. The Recommended Daily Allowance for fruits and vegetables is 5-9 servings a day. There's another a ratio floating around that recommends 1 pound of vegetables a day for every 50 pounds of body weight, but we're not sure where that came from.
• Raw foods still have "live enzymes" and phytochemicals in them. This is what alternative health practitioners believe is the key to "radiant health."
• It's easier for your body to assimilate the nutrients from juice since it doesn't contain fiber.
• Vegetable juice doesn't raise insulin levels the way that fruit juice does. 

Squash, Tomato and Goat Cheese Pasta

Summer squash,grape tomatoes and goat cheese over whole wheat spaghetti

My guiding principles for weekday dinners are that they are easy, fast, and take no more than two pans to make (one to boil a whole grain or pasta). This week I managed to surprise myself with a delicious meal. I had yellow squash and zucchini on my Mindful Battle Plan, and when I looked in my refrigerator I saw grape tomatoes that were about to go, and left over goat cheese. Tossed over whole wheat pasta, (yes, it's processed, but I had a hankering. Oh well.) it ended up being the perfect dinner for the false-summer April heat. I am rarely pleased with a new weekday dinner, but this was pretty dang good. And it's easy to customize for your specific tastes or refrigerator leftovers:

Summer Squash, Tomatoes and Goat Cheese with Whole Wheat Pasta

Serves 3

Squash (I used 2 yellow and 1 zucchini)

4 cloves garlic

oregano

crushed red pepper

1/3 log goat cheese

2/3 pint grape tomatoes

olive oil

whole wheat spaghetti

1. Boil water for the pasta. I like to use filtered water.
2. Chop the squash into quarter pieces and dice the garlic.  
3. If the water is boiling, put in 1/2 lb. to boil.  
4. Heat olive oil in saute or frying pan over medium. Add squash and tomatoes and saute 5 minutes.
5. Add garlic. It's really good for you, so if you want to add a couple more cloves feel free. If you like the taste of garlic, you may want to reverse the order and cook the garlic until golden before adding the squash.
6. Add 1 shake of crushed red pepper and three shakes of oregano.
7. Cook for a few minutes until squash is soft and cooked to your liking. This is what it looks like when it's done:   
8. Put a few tablespoons of pasta water in a large pasta bowl, then add the goat cheese. Stir until melted. If you don't like goat cheese, then skip this step. If you prefer olive oil and parmesan, add more olive oil to the squash.
9. Drain the pasta and add it to squash pan. Mix it up.
10. Add to the bowl with goat cheese, and serve with salt and pepper. If you are going the parmesan route instead, just add parmesan over the top.
11. I think the right mix is 1/2 vegetables, 1/2 pasta.

What I ate: 14 oz. green juice, 1/2 papaya, 1 latte, 1/2 c. Barbara's Bakery whole-grain cereal, 2 cups Good Earth tea, 3 c. whole wheat spaghetti + squash (see above recipe), 1 oz. pumpkin seeds, 2 apples, 5 macadamia nuts, 1 c. quinoa, steamed broccoli + tofu, 8 oz. mango kombucha, 1 mango, 1/2 c. brown rice + seaweed, 1/2 c. yogurt + 1T Sarabeth's strawberry-peach jan, 1 hot chocolate, 55 oz. water

Exercise: Ran 4.8 miles, 1 hour yoga