Healing Foods: Zucchini, Onion and Tomato Tian-Delicious Without Salt!

As I continue to eliminate salt from my diet—I am, of course, shocked at the amount of it that I was consuming on a daily basis. Not only did I salt as I was cooking, but most condiments, stocks, and processed food ingredients contain very generous amounts of sodium. I have had to rethink using canned tomatoes, ketchups and other condiment sauces, chicken, beef and vegetable stock, and other key ingredients as I scour the labels to assess the sodium level in all of them.

The other evening, I was pleasantly surprised (again!) at how tasty a dish completely devoid of my once favorite seasoning can be. I made veal cutlets that were sprinkled with pepper and sautéed in a little olive oil. Once they were cooked, I deglazed the pan with a little white wine, and added my favorite salt free Kitchen basics chicken stock. I added a teaspoon of spicy Dijon mustard to the liquid and let it reduce. With that, I made a vegetable tian of thinly sliced layered vegetables that are roasted with olive oil and fresh herbs. It was delicious—and with the fresh thyme and other herbs added to it—very flavorful. The vegetables, all heart-healthy and nutrition dense, meld deliciously into a tender side dish that you can serve with many different main courses.

My daughters didn’t notice that salt was missing, and ate it all. So, if you are looking to cut down on sodium—here is a recipe that is so yummy you won’t even know it’s not there.

Vegetable Tian

2 medium zucchini sliced thin

1 large onion sliced thin

2 tomatoes sliced thin or chopped into small dice

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons chopped herbs (I use rosemary, thyme and parsley)

pepper to taste

Coat the bottom of a 9X11 roasting pan with olive oil. Spread a thin layer of zucchini, and top with herbs and pepper to taste. Add the layer of onion, and sprinkle more herbs. Add the tomatoes to the top and drizzle remaining olive oil and herbs over it. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes, until vegetables are softened. Serve with your favorite protein (it goes well with the veal cutlets above).

Healing Foods: Spicy Eggplant Dip

This weekend, I invited my friend Heidi to join me to cook for our friend Gabrielle. I was planning to make Gabrielle some soothing soups since her chemo session had taken a toll on her tastebuds. Heidi and I both did our weekly grocery shopping at our favorite market, and came back to my house with lots of ingredients to cook with for the week.

As we talked about how nice it is to cook together for our friend, we decided that we should cook up some things for our families that Sunday that we could have early in the week---less pressure after work to whip up dinner if it’s already halfway there!

Heidi introduced me to an amazing spicy eggplant dip. Eggplants are split in half, dusted with oil and turmeric, and roasted in the oven until soft as a base for the dip. The eggplant and turmeric alone have many healthy properties.

Eggplant contains nasunin, a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger shown to protect cell membranes from damage. Nasunin has been found to protect the lipids (fats) in brain cell membranes. Cell membranes are almost entirely composed of lipids and are responsible for protecting the cell from free radicals, letting nutrients in and wastes out. Other phytonutrients in eggplant have been shown to lower cholesterol and aid in lessening joint pain in arthritis patients.

Turmeric benefits include aiding in joint pain and ailments, digestion, and liver detoxification. For years, turmeric has been used in ayurvedic medicine for its health benefits.

Once the eggplant is cooked, it is mixed with onion, red chili pepper and yogurt. Served with pita chips, crudités, or as a filling for wraps, it is a deliciously healthy dish.

So with gratitude to my friend Heidi, here is her recipe for spicy eggplant dip...

2 eggplants cut in half

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small red onion, chopped into small dice

1 red chili, seeded and chopped fine (I use the milder version)

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup Fage Greek Yogurt

Split eggplants in half and place on a baking sheet, skin side down. Rub with olive oil, and dust with turmeric. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, or until soft. Cool.

Remove eggplant from skin and place in a bowl. With a fork, smash eggplant, then add onion, chili, salt, pepper and yogurt and mix. Refrigerate until chilled. Serve with pita chips and crudités.

Healing Foods: The Power of Onions and Garlic

Everyone knows that garlic keeps the vampires away. But garlic and onions are also great for supporting heart health. They are also rich in sulfur, and help the liver to break down and detoxify a wide range of chemicals and toxins. While always most powerful in their raw state, garlic and onions can be added to many other healing foods to boost their nutritional and healing properties. The recipes below for roasted garlic and caramelized onions can be made and kept sealed in the fridge for up to one week. they can be added to sauteed vegetables, sauces, as a topping for chicken, pork, or steak dishes, or topped on an olive oil-toasted crostini and eaten as is!

Roasted Garlic

4-5 heads garlic
olive oil
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock

Arrange heads of garlic in the bottom of a souffle pan or small dutch oven with cover. Drizzle with olive oil and stock. Cover tightly and bake at 275 degrees for one hour. Turn off oven and let the garlic sit for another half hour in the juices. Season with sea salt and cracked pepper

Caramelized Onions

4-5 onions, sliced thin (I like to use Vidalia or sweet onions--but any will do).
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 generous teaspoon sugar

Thinly slice the onions. Heat butter in a saute skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 5-7 minutes until translucent. Add sugar and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally to mix onions with the caramel that starts to form on the bottom off the skillet. After about 45 minutes of cooking on low heat and stirring, the onions should be a lovely caramel color and have a sweet caramelized taste. Season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.