Appetite for Reduction (35 page)

A
ll people need a reliable, basic marinara sauce in theirarsenal. There really is no reason in the world to buy jarred pasta sauce, with all that added sugar and who knows what else. This version uses a healthy dose of garlic and a touch of your usual marinara suspects, thyme and oregano, to give it that Brooklyn Italian mom taste. It’s marinara sauce; I don’t need to sell it. I bet it could make an old sneaker taste good (a vegan sneaker, please)! Once you get the basics down, try some of the variations. There never needs to be a dull pasta night!

1 teaspoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (24-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
½ teaspoon salt

Preheat a 2-quart pot over medium-low heat. Sauté the garlic in the oil for about a minute. Add the thyme, oregano, and pepper, and saute for a minute more, adding a splash of water if necessary. Add the tomatoes and salt, and stir everything together. Cover the pot, leaving a little gap for steam to escape, and cook for 10 minutes. Taste for salt and seasoning and serve!

 

VARIATIONS

 

Spicy Marinara:

Use this in conjunction with any variation—just add ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes along with garlic.

 

 

Marinara Olivada:

Add ¼ cup chopped kalamata olives when you add the garlic. Proceed with recipe.

ADDS 15 CALORIES, 1.5 GRAMS OF FAT, AND 150 MG OF SODIUM PER SERVING.

Marinara Puttanesca:

Along with the kalamata olives (above), add ½ cup capers.

ADDS 20 CALORIES, 1.5 GRAMS OF FAT, AND 525 MG SODIUM PER SERVING.

Cauli Marinara:

After preheating pan, add 3 cups chopped cauliflower and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Cover the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add a splash of veggie broth and cover, letting the pan steam for 30 seconds. Push the cauliflower to the side, saute the garlic as directed, and proceed with the recipe.

ADDS 18 CALORIES, 2 GRAMS OF FIBER, ZERO FAT, AND 20 MG SODIUM PER SERVING.

Mushroom Marinara:

After preheating the marinara, saute 16 ounces finely chopped cremini mushrooms in the oil. Add splashes of water if it seems dry. Stir in the garlic and proceed with the recipe.

ADDS 30 CALORIES, 1 GRAM OF FIBER, AND ZERO FAT AND SODIUM PER SERVING.

Roasted Red Pepper Marinara:

When you add the tomatoes, also add a finely chopped roasted red pepper (about ½ cup if you use jarred).

ADDS 8 CALORIES, 1 GRAM OF FIBER, AND ZERO FAT AND SODIUM PER SERVING.

Sautéed Onion Marinara:

Before adding the garlic, saute a small, finely chopped onion for about 5 minutes. Add splashes of water if things appear dry. Proceed with recipe.

ADDS 10 CALORIES AND ZERO FAT AND SODIUM PER SERVING.

Spicy Cajun Marinara:

Add ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes along with the garlic, add 1 tablespoon Cajun spice blend along with the tomatoes, and add hot sauce at the end, to taste.

THE CAJUN BLEND DOES NOT ADD ANY CALORIES OR FAT, BUT MAY ADD SODIUM, DEPENDING ON THE BRAND.

Lentil Bolognese:

In a covered 2-quart pot, bring 1 cup red lentils, 2 cups water, and a pinch of salt to a boil. Once boiling, lower to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender and the water is mostly absorbed. Prepare the marinara recipe as directed, adding the cooked lentils when you add the tomatoes.

ADDS 165 CALORIES, 5.5 GRAMS OF FIBER, 1 GRAM OF FAT, AND 5 MG OF SODIUM PER SERVING.

Eggplant Marinara:

Cut 1¼ pounds eggplant into ½-inch chunks. Saute the garlic as directed, and add the eggplant with ¼ cup vegetable broth and a pinch of salt. Saute for about 5 minutes to get the eggplant a bit softer. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until the eggplant is thoroughly tender, about 20 minutes.

ADDS 35 CALORIES, 5 GRAMS OF FIBER, ZERO FAT, AND 30 MG OF SODIUM PER SERVING.

Marinara with Peas:

Yes, this is simple, but it’s also so yummy. Just add 2 cups of frozen peas along with the tomatoes, and proceed with the recipe.

ADDS 60 CALORIES, ZERO FAT, AND 50 MG OF SODIUM PER SERVING.

CHAPTER 7

Soul-Satisfying Soups

Y
OU KNOW THAT IMAGE OF A CHEF LEANING OVERTHE STOVE, fanning the steam from his simmering pot toward his face, eyes closed and blissful as he inhales his creation? There’s probably soup in that pot.

You can learn a lot about cooking from making a pot of soup. You’ll hone your knife skills by mincing garlic and dicing onion and veggies. And you’ll get to know each and every vegetable—the soups in this chapter cover just about everything you’re likely to find in the produce aisle. By the time you’re through, rutabaga shouldn’t be an alien-looking potato. Get familiar with herbs and you’ll impress your friends and family by being able to tell the difference between flat-leaf parsley and cilantro without having to smell them. I guarantee that after a few batches of soup you’ll be gliding through your kitchen, seasoning to your taste, adding a little of this, a little ofthat.

Much has been made over soup and weight loss. There have got to be about fifty books dedicated to the subject. But the idea is pretty simple: load up on vegetables, beans, grains, and water instead of on heavier foods. Soup is the perfect vehicle for this. If you’re just easing into a plant-based diet, or you just aren’t all that used to eating vegetables that aren’t popcorn and onion rings, then this chapter would be a great place to start.

SERVES 6 .ACTIVE TIME: 15 MINUTES • TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR

L
entil soup been slung from the stove top of everyone from the ancient Egyptians to the present-day blogger, and with good reason. Its quick cooking time, nourishing flavor, and hearty texture are just the beginning: lentils also have the highest protein content of any plant-based food. And just as the Egyptians gave us the building blocks for society, this soup gives you the building blocks for a super-healthy and filling soup, using pantry items and a few staple veggies.

Saute your onion and garlic while chopping the rest of the veggies and the prep time is hardly anything. Then once the pot gets going, tide yourself over with a few stolen carrots, catch up on your e-mails, or leave scathing comments on conservative blogs all while basking in the steamy aroma of a simmering pot of soup. Throwing a few handfuls of spinach in at the end is a great trick to up the fiber and nutrition content of any soup. It’s so good you’ll want to be buried in your pyramid with it, or at least keep a container of it in the freezer at all times.

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Saute the onion in the oil for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Use a little nonstick cooking spray if needed. Add the garlic, thyme, tarragon, pepper, and salt, and saute for another minute.

Add the celery, carrots, zucchini, lentils, and vegetable broth, and mix to combine. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 45 minutes, until the lentils and veggies are very tender and the soup is thickened.

Add the tomato sauce and spinach, and cook until the spinach is wilted. You can serve it immediately, but as with most soups it’s better if you let it sit for at least 10 minutes first, and it tastes even better the next day.

SERVES 4 · ACTIVE TIME: 10 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 45 MINUTES

I
’ve got no quarrel with consuming red bell peppers as is. They’re all fair and well when you need something to dip in your hummus. But roasting red peppers makes them sweet and exotic-tasting, taking them well out of the crudite realm and into serious cuisine. So serious in fact that I had to give the soup a vaguely Italian name. Ceci means “chickpea,” and here they are partially blended with the roasted peppers and fresh tomatoes to give the soup a great texture that’ll keep you saying “mmm” in Italian, spoonful after spoonful.

2 large red bell peppers
1 medium-size onion, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound tomatoes, chopped roughly (3 average-size;
about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3 cups vegetable broth
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

To roast the peppers, preheat the oven to 375°F, cut out the stem with a paring knife, and discard it along with the seeds. Stand the peppers in a small baking pan (a pie plate or bread pan works great). Bake for about 35 minutes. They should be really soft; they might even collapse a bit. Remove from the oven, and store (see tip) or use a fork and knife to chop them into bite-size pieces (because they’ll be too hot to touch). If storing overnight, chop into bite-size pieces when ready to make soup.

In a skillet, saute the onion in the oil for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Use a little nonstick cooking spray if needed. Add the garlic,
rosemary, salt and black pepper, and saute for another minute. Mix in the tomatoes, stirring constantly for about a minute. The tomato should deglaze the pan.

Add the coriander, vegetable broth, and chickpeas; stir and cover. Bring to a low boil and cook covered for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You just want the tomatoes to break down and the flavors to meld.