Healthy Eating | Megan Peck Cooks

Middle Eastern Vegetable Bake

March 1, 2015 by Megan Leave a Comment

It can be difficult to eat healthy this time of year. Especially here in the Northeast where we just made it through one of the coldest February’s on record. Heavier fatty foods like mac and cheese or meatloaf and mashed potatoes are often enticing while really fresh produce is harder and harder to find. We have to remind ourselves to “eat your vegetables” like our mothers always said, because the idea of a salad for lunch when it’s 5 degrees outside, just doesn’t cut it. Enter the Middle Eastern Vegetable Bake. This vegetable mélange is the solution to healthy eating and cold weather cravings – with a touch of warmth.

An old-fashioned recipe, straight from “The Art of Good Cooking,” by my grandmother Paula Peck – this is a healthy lunch or side dish that is sure to provide those daily servings of vegetables you’re missing. Easy-to-find vegetables like zucchini, eggplant, red pepper, cabbage, onion, potatoes, and carrots are thrown together into a casserole then baked until softened and the flavors are combined. The fragrant aroma of garlic and fresh parsley fills the kitchen as it bakes. Any excuse to use the oven to help heat the house up this time of year is a bonus but the resulting guiltless veggie dish makes it even better.

I’m not sure what makes this dish Middle Eastern – if I had to guess, it would be the addition of grapes. It sounds a bit strange but baked grapes add a sweetness that the other vegetables are missing and balances the dish. The different textures and juices of the vegetables in this simple casserole, will make remembering to eat your vegetables this winter, a much easier task.

Middle Eastern Vegetable Bake

Ingredients

½ cup olive oil

1 small eggplant, cut in cubes

2 small tomatoes, sliced ½ inch thick

1 medium zucchini, cut in ½ inch slices

1 medium red pepper, cubed

8 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 onion, sliced

3 stalks of celery, diced

1 cup shredded cabbage

1 cup diced green beans

3 carrots, peeled and sliced into ¼ inch slices

2 medium red potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ cubes

1 cup seedless grapes

1 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon crumbled bay leaf

salt

pepper

hot sauce (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour a few tablespoons of the olive oil in a large casserole or baking dish. Make one individual layer of each of the vegetables (including a layer of garlic) and grapes, seasoning each layer with salt, pepper, parsly, oregano, basil, bay leaf, and a little olive oil. Make the top layer an assortment of all of the vegetables. Bake uncovered for 30-50 minutes or until all vegetables are tender. Serve warm with hot sauce (if using).

Serves. 8

Turkey Chili with All The Fixins

February 8, 2015 by Megan Leave a Comment

Warming one pot meals are a welcome site this time of year. After shoveling multiple inches of snow in the bone-chilling cold, coming home to a hot steaming bowl of chili could not be more comforting. Plus this chili is healthy (bonus!). I used turkey instead of beef for this lowfat version but the spices and an uncommon special ingredient round out the flavors of this dish to make it just as tasty as the beef version. The special ingredient is chocolate. Yes, chocolate. Not the sweet kind but unsweetened and no, you won’t taste it. It simply adds a deep rich flavor to the chili.

This recipe is a combination I created from recipes I’ve made in the past by both my mother and grandmother. I always liked the zing of the canned diced tomatoes and green chile in my mother’s recipe – pantry items are always a plus this time of year. While my grandmother used beef brisket instead of ground turkey in her beef chili recipe in “The Art of Good Cooking,” she also used that magical special ingredient, chocolate. Together with beans, garlic, onion, and of course, chili powder, this is one irresistible easy weeknight meal.

The harshest days of winter may have come late this year but they are here now and it’s probably no surprise that I turn to classic dishes such as this to get me through the worst of it. I can eat this chili all week, it gets better as it sits. Just change up the toppings: avocado and cheese for a few days then tomato and sour cream. Top it off with a sprinkle of cilantro and the freezing snowy days seem just a little more bearable.

Turkey Chili with All The Fixins

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 lb of ground turkey

½ teaspoon salt

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

1 ½ tablespoons of chili powder

1/8 teaspoon cumin

¼ oz unsweetened chocolate or ½ tablespoon cocoa powder

2 tablespoons tomato paste

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes in juice

4 oz can chopped green chiles

15 oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups of broth or water

salt and pepper

Toppings

diced avocado

grated cheddar cheese

chopped cilantro

diced tomato

sour cream

chopped onion

Instructions

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat for 1 minute. Add ground turkey and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Brown while breaking up meat with a spatula until pink is no longer visible. Remove turkey from pan and set aside.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and leftover turkey juices over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Let sauté for a few minutes, until onion is translucent. Add chili and cumin. Add chocolate and allow to melt. Stir in tomato paste, diced tomatoes, green chiles.

Bring to a simmer and add beans. Add broth or water and bring to a simmer. Add cooked ground turkey and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve hot with choice of toppings.

Beef Stew

January 11, 2015 by Megan Leave a Comment

As the darkest and coldest part of the winter looms, the next three months or so are the most difficult to get through. There’s little to look forward to (the Super Bowl doesn’t quite do it for me) and spring seems so far away. This is when I remind myself that it’s stew and soup season. These hearty but often healthy dishes can be as comforting as a fire in a fireplace (which most of us don’t have in NYC) on a cold winter day. If this winter becomes anything like last years – and lets hope it doesn’t – stews and soups are like that forgiving friend that’s always there for you. The cook times can work around your schedule and often the longer a soup or stew sits, the better it tastes. An easy one pot meal that can be made in the slow cooker while you’re at work.

Though it may not be the prettiest, this beef stew is a classic recipe that I adapted from my good old friend, “The James Beard Cookbook.” I also referred to a version by my grandmother, Paula Peck, in “The Art of Good Cooking.” Instead of just the standard, beef, potatoes, carrots, and onions – I also added mushrooms, tomatoes, and celery. Feel free to experiment with whichever vegetables you prefer. Since the beef needs to be cooked slowly to break down the fat and make it tender, I added each vegetable throughout the cooking process accordingly to my preferred doneness for each one. However, both the vegetables and beef could all easily be thrown together in a slow cooker. After just a few hours, the house smells of rich beef broth with scents of onion and thyme. Serve alone or over rice – the broth acts like a thick gravy that will be devoured with each steaming beefy bite. It may even make you forget about the long stretch of winter ahead, at least for the moment.

Beef Stew

Ingredients

2 lbs beef round or lean beef chuck, cubed

½ cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, large dice

1 clove garlic

2 ½-3 cups beef stock or broth

1 bay leaf

4 red potatoes, diced

4 carrots, peeled and diced

3 stalks celery, diced

3 sprigs parsley

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 tomato, seeded and chopped

Instructions

Place flour in a shallow dish and add salt and pepper. Roll meat cubes in flour mixture.

Melt butter in a large heavy soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and beef cubes. Brown beef cubes on all sides.

Add enough stock to fully cover meat. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Add the bay leaf. Simmer, degreasing occasionally, until beef is tender (1 ½-2 hours).

Halfway through cooking (about 45 minutes), add the potatoes, carrots, celery, parsley, and thyme. Add the mushrooms and tomato about 15-20 minutes later.

Serves 6-8

Remove the thyme stems and bay leaf. Serve hot in large bowls or with rice.

Avocado Grapefruit Fennel Salad

January 4, 2015 by Megan Leave a Comment

With the holidays behind us, we feel guilty about our episodes of gluttony. Though it may not last more than a week or two, we make New Years resolutions to exercise more and eat better. The gyms are packed and there’s that buzz about kale, quinoa, chia, and other healthy super foods. Since grapefruit is said to have properties that help reduce belly fat and we have all heard about the health benefits of avocado, I present you with this light Grapefruit, Avocado, and Fennel salad. A salad reminiscent of summer yet perfect for your post-holiday health kick, no matter how short it is.

You may be thinking that this healthy salad seems too modern to have any connection to my grandmother and the early American foodies. However, I actually found this recipe, in it’s most basic form (no fennel), in “The James Beard Cookbook,” by James Beard. I’m not sure of its history before his cookbook but to me, this qualifies grapefruit and avocado salad as a classic.

I made just a few modifications to the original recipe. I added fennel, which provides a crispy crunch and a licorice flavor gives the salad a light freshness. You can pick whichever vinaigrette you prefer but I opted from a lemon one made with fresh lemon juice and olive oil (which also helps preserve the color of the avocado). Want an extra kick? Try adding a little onion and chili flakes. All of your sweet, savory, and spicy bases are then covered.

Another fun and surprising aspect of this super simple salad is its seasonality. Yes, it’s somewhat seasonal. It may look like a summer salad that’s perfect for a hot day (which it can be), but grapefruit will be at its peak soon – making it cheaper, sweeter, and juicier than it is the rest of the year. So pick your favorite, white or ruby red, and whip up this light refreshing salad for lunch. With the superbowl right around the corner, the return of your favorite greasy appetizers will come sooner than you think.

Avocado Grapefruit Fennel Salad

Author: Megan Peck Cooks

Serves: 4

Ingredients

⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 grapefruits
1 fennel bulb
2 avocados
dried basil (optional)

Instructions

Pour lemon juice into a small mixing bowl and slowly add olive oil in steady stream, while whisking to emulsify. Whisk in dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Peel and segment grapefruit with a sharp knife, ensuring all white pith is removed. Place segments in a medium mixing bowl. Thinly slice fennel and add to the grapefruit. Slice or dice avocado and add to the mixture.
Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and lightly toss to combine. Season with additional salt and dried basil (if using). Serve immediately.

The Best Recipes of 2014

December 28, 2014 by Megan Leave a Comment

It’s been an interesting year. From the disappearance of Malaysia flight 370 to the Ebola outbreak and many other poignant news stories, those compiling this year’s lists of highlights and countdowns have their work cutout for them. Since I’ve never done a list of highlights on this blog before but I always catch myself reading those that I come across, I thought I would give it try – for my recipe posts, not news events of course (I have no business discussing those). So I went back and reviewed the roughly 30 recipe posts of 2014 and picked my favorite 5 recipes, almost exclusively based on taste. Yes, pretty photos and writing are important but what we really want is a darn tasty recipe, right?

Before we get to the top 5 picks, other notable highlights of 2014 for Megan Peck Cooks include the a few stories I wrote for Edible Magazine:

Striped Bass Plaki on Edible East End – a story about my grandmother’s amazing whole striped bass dish made with local Eastern Long Island seafood.

Linzer Torte on Edible Manhattan (featured in the Holiday Issue) – holiday memories surrounding my grandmother, Paula Peck’s, festive cocoa scented Linzer Torte Recipe.

I also had the honor of participating in the research for “1000 Foods to Eat Before You Die,” by Mimi Sheraton – just recently released and can be purchased on amazon (available in bookstores January 13th). It was such a pleasure to work with Mimi Sheraton, a good friend of my grandmother’s.

Now for my top 5 recipe posts of 2014:

Middle Eastern Vegetable Bake

Turkey Chili with All The Fixins

Beef Stew

Avocado Grapefruit Fennel Salad

The Best Recipes of 2014

Classic Baked Lasagna

Smoked Salmon in Sour Cream-Horseradish Sauce

Salad Nicoise with a Twist

Stuffed Baked Apples with Homemade Caramel Sauce

Ginger Almond Sandwich Cookies