Swank Recipe Ideas

Daily totals: 2 servings of dairy, 3 tsp saturated fat, 4-10 tsp unsaturated fats

(depending on lifestyle)

Breakfast

Muesli, serves 6 to 8

unsaturated fats: 1 tsp/serving

saturated fats: 1/2 tsp/serving

dairy: 1/2 serving

3 cups / 101/2 oz / 300 g rolled oats

1/2 cup / 2 oz / 60 g chopped almonds

1/4 cup / 1 oz / 30 g golden raisins, plus more to serve

1/4 cup / .5 oz / 15 g raw wheat or oat germ

1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

3 to 4 cups non-fat plain yogurt

water

maple syrup, to taste

In a large bow, toss together the oats, almonds, raisins, wheat germ and salt. Transfer to a airtight glass jar until you are ready to use it.

For each serving, spoon 1/2 / 4 oz / 115g cup yogurt into a bowl, thin with 1/4 cup / 60 ml water, and sweeten with a smidgen of maple syrup. Stir in 1/2 cup / 2 oz / 60 g muesli and let set in the refrigerator for at least an hour, or preferable overnight. Top with a small handful of raisins and serve.

Oatmeal, serves 4

dairy: 1/16 serving

unsaturated: 1/2 tsp/serving

saturated: less than 1/4 tsp/ serving

3 cups / 700 ml water

11/2 cups / 5 oz / 140 g rolled oats

1/2 tsp fine-grain seal salt

1/4 cup / 2 oz / 60 g plain non-fat yogurt

8 prunes

2 Tb maple syrup, or to taste

20 hazelnuts

Note: When I need to bake or roast a small amount of ngredients, I use my toaster oven. If your toaster oven has a “Bake” setting, and a appropriately sized baking tray, use it to toast nuts, make small batches of cookies, and roast vegetables. Preheat it like you would your regular oven.

Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Bring water to boil in a small saucepan. Stir in oats and salt. Turn down heat and simmer until oatmeal has thickened and the oats are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Meanwhile, put hazelnuts on rimmed baking sheet, and toast until they start to darken and get fragrant. This usually takes just a few minutes. The nuts near the edges of the pan will brown faster, so give the pan a stir or two during roasting. Remove from oven, let cool, and chop.

Chop prunes, and fold most of them, with the yogurt into the oatmeal. Taste for sweetness, and add maple syrup if desired. Divide oatmeal into four bowls and top with remaining prunes and hazelnuts.

Fruit Salad, serves 4 to 6

dairy: none

fats: none

1 Tb mint

2 small apples, or pears

6 small fresh figs, quartered

1 cup / 5 oz / 140 g raspberries, cut in half

1 large nectarine

2 cups / 10 oz / 280 g seedless grapes

big squeeze of fresh orange juice

drizzle of honey.

Chop mint. Core apples or pears, cut into 1” cubes. Keep them covered in lemon water until ready to use. Quarter figs, halve raspberries, pit and cube nectarine. Drain apples well, just before combining fruit. Add orange juice, mint, and honey. Toss very gently, avoid bruising the fruit. Serve immediately.

Lunch

White Beans and Cabbage, serves 4

dairy: less than 1/4 serving

unsaturated fats: 1 tsp/serving

saturated fats: 1/4 tsp/serving

2 Tb extra-virgin olive oil

4 oz / 115 g potatoes, unpeeled

fine-grain sea salt

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

2 cups / 12 oz / 340 g cooked and cooled

white beans, or 1(15 oz) can white beans

3 cups / 8 oz / 225 g very finely shredded

green cabbage

a bit of freshly grated parmesan cheese

Scrub and cut potatoes into tiny cubes. Add olive oil, potatoes, and a large pinch of salt to a skillet over medium-high heat. Toss, cover, and cook until potatoes are cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes. Toss the potatoes twice while cooking, scraping the pan as you go. Slice the shallot thinly, and rinse and drain the beans well. Stir both into the potatoes, letting everything brown in a single layer for a couple minutes. Scrape the pan, and toss everything together. Cook until the beans are nicely browned, and crispy on all sides. Stir in the cabbage and cook for another minute, or until the cabbage loses a bit of its structure. Serve dusted with Parmesan.

Miso-Curry Delicata Squash, serves 4

dairy: none

unsaturated fats: 3 tsp/serving, 4 with chicken

saturated fats: 1/2 tsp/serving, 11/2 with chicken

12 oz / 340 g delicata squash

1/4 cup / 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil

4 Tb white miso paste

1 Tb red Thai curry paste

4 medium new potatoes, unpeeled

2 Tb fresh lemon juice

11/2 cups / 11/2 oz / 45 g chopped kale, stems removed

1/4 cup/ 11/2 oz / 45 g toasted sunflower seeds

3/4 cup / 1 oz / 30 g chopped fresh cilantro

Note: This recipe goes very well with roast chicken. Use

about a pound of boneless, skinless, chicken breasts.

Dissolve 2 tablespoons of salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar in 2 cups cold water. Soak chicken in brine for at least half in hour, preferably for a full hour. I put everything in a gallon ziplock in the fridge overnight. Allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before beginning. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in cast iron skillet, until shimmering. Remove chicken from brine, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place breasts, smooth side down, in hot cast iron for five minutes, or until browning. Remove from heat, flip chicken, and transfer skillet to oven to roast with vegetables for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken has an internal temperature of 165°F/74°C. Let cool slightly, slice, and toss with roasted vegetables and toppings.

Preheat oven to 400°F/205°C. Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds with a metal spoon. Cut into 1/2”/ 1cm thick semi-circles. Scrub potatoes and cut into chunks. Whisk together olive oil, miso, and curry paste. Combine potatoes and squash in a large bowl with 1/4 cup / 60 ml of the miso-curry paste. Toss well, and spread into a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, on middle rack, until everything is tender and browned. Toss twice, once browning has started. Watch carefully starting at 20 minutes, you want everything browned, but not burned.

Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice into remaining miso-curry paste, and stir in the kale until coated. Toss the roasted vegetables gently with the kale, seeds, and cilantro. Serve in a large bowl or platter.

More-Than-Potato Salad, serves 4 to 6

dairy: none

unsaturated fat: 1 tsp/serving

saturated fat: less than 1/4 tsp/serving

4 small waxy potatoes, unpeeled

a big handful of green beans

2 Tb whole grain mustard

2 Tb red wine vinegar

1 Tb and 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp honey

fine-grain sea salt

1/4 cup / 1/4 oz / 10 g finely chopped dill

1 small leek, white and tender green parts

6 stalks celery, trimmed and diced

1 cucumber, unpeeled

1 Tb fresh chives

Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Salt generously. Scrub and quarter potatoes, and add to water. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Trim and slice green beens into 1” pieces, and add to pot 30 seconds before the potatoes are done cooking. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, whisk together mustard, vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, honey, and 1/4 tsp salt. Set aside. Trim and chop leek, and rinse well in cold water. Drain and set aside. In a largeskillet, saute the dill in a teaspoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add a few pinches of salt, stir in the leek, and saute until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Trim and dice celery. Slice cucumber in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds, and dice into tiny cubes. Chop chives.

In a large bowl, gently toss the potatoes, green beans, celery, cucumber, chives and half of the leek with most of the dressing. Taste, add salt if needed. Turn into serving platter, and drizzle with remaining dressing and leeks. Serve chilled or at room temperature.