Warming Winter

Somehow in the last four months, I’ve transformed from a college student-activist into a New Yorker with big hopes. Culinary school was a great learning experience, and most of all, helped me move slightly closer to my sweet dreams. For the next few weeks, I’ll have quiet days and busy nights, which leaves me with much more time to prepare my meals. I’ll be able to revisit all the techniques I learned at NGI and finally stop depending on the local sushi bars and deli’s to provide me with nutritional energy.

The recipes below were both adapted from the Food Network to fit my needs. I’m a notorious snacker, and have been wanting to develop a great recipe for granola bars for quite some time now. I’m hoping that these will help to curb my ever demanding sweet tooth and appetite. The blend of coconut, cranberries and chocolate is just simply divine.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there’s soup: the ultimate dinner to survive a New York winter. However, it’s hard to find one that is both nutritionally dense and filling; that’s where Pasta e Fagioli comes in. I added some chard to meet my leafy greensrequirement, and served it with a piece of sprouted whole grain bread on the side.

Recipes are posted below, happy winter (and bring on spring)!

Triple threat granola bars:

Yield: About 20 3-inch bars

2 cups organic rolled oats
1 cup organic almonds, roughly chopped
1 cup organic, unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup raw wheat germ
3 tablespoons organic butter
1/3 cup raw honey
1/3 cup organic maple syrup
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons organic vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1/2 cup dried organic cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8 x 12 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Stir the oats, almonds, coconut, and wheat germ together and place on a sheet pan. Bake for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside.

3. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Place the butter, honey, maple syrup, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir and then pour over the oatmeal mixture. Add the chocolate and cranberries, stir well, and pour onto the prepared pan.

4. Baked for about 25 minutes until firm and golden. Cool for a minimum of 3 hours before cutting into bars.

Pasta e Fagioli with Rainbow Chard
Yield: 4 Servings

1 carrot, small dice
3 ribs celery, small dice
1 medium onion, small dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 stems fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 cup prepared cannelini beans*
1 cup prepared chick peans*
1 cup prepared red kidney beans*
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups organic, free-range chicken broth
3 cups water
1 cup ditalini pasta
1 cup green beans, trimmed and chopped
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1//4 cup basil leaves, chiffonade
1 cup rainbow chard, chopped
1/2 cup Parmiginao-Regginao cheese, grated

*The original recipe called for canned beans. I choose to purchase dried beans and soak them overnight and prepare them this afternoon. I cooked them until they were tender and placed them in the fridge until I was ready to prepare dinner.

1. Heat a large soup pot with two tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Add carrot, celery, onion, garlic, rosemary, bay leaves, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for about 10 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

2. Add beans and tomato paste and stir to fully incorporate. Add water and stock, cover, and bring to a boil.

3. Add pasta and let simmer for about five minutes, then add green beans. Cook until pasta and green beans are tender.

4. Add the lemon zest and juice and stir. Remove both rosemary stems and remove soup pot from heat.

5. In individual serving bowls, add a handful of rainbow chard to each bowl. Ladle soup over greens, allowing them to wilt. Garnish with cheese and basil.

Play On,

Tracy