Diet. It’s a nasty 4 letter word in my vocabulary! Counting calories, counting carbs, eating Weight Watchers prepared foods or subsisting on short rations. That’s no way to live in my opinion and yet it works for some. I don’t have the self discipline it takes to sit and watch others getting tucked in to a nice plate of roasted chicken with garlic mashed spuds and gravy while I look at a plate of spinach salad. Maybe it’s a character flaw. Nah! You think? Nah!
Your diet is what you eat; good, bad or indifferent. But when we say we are going on a “diet” we really mean some regimen or other that will result in reduced weight and/or better overall health. It is that “regimen” thing that always stopped me. Until a few years back when I went to the doctor for my annual check up. On previous visits the doctor had warned me about my ever rising cholesterol levels and I should consider going on a diet. This time she told me I was this close (holding her thumb and index finger a millimeter apart) from adult onset diabetes. That was an attention getter!
Knowing my reluctance to go on a diet she suggested I buy a book called The Sonoma Diet by a nutritionist called Dr Connie Guttersen. It is modeled on the Mediterranean diet and in essence it amounts to this: There are good carbs and bad carbs, good fats and bad fats. You eat the good and avoid the bad. Then there is portion control; don’t gorge on food and no going back for seconds! And there is no getting away without some exercise…
Well, I bought the book and I was very pleasantly surprised. The food is real, people food; no pre-portioned stuff you have to buy like you do with Weight Watchers and similar programs. My weight and cholesterol dropped to much healthier levels and have stayed there. I am a great fan and advocate for The Sonoma Diet and I highly recommend it.
But what has all this to do with a Multigrain Salad? Well, one of the recipes in Dr Guttersen’s book that helped me get started on the road to controlling my cholesterol is the multigrain salad (Dr Guttersen calls it a Southwestern Grain Medley.) It is one of my wife’s favorites and I make it quite a lot.
One of the things I love about this recipe is its versatility. I made it as written for the first few times but soon I began to vary it to suit my mood and what’s in the fridge/pantry at any given time. It often happens when I cook that I get into a “zone” and my mind races as ideas form. At each step of the way I am improvising and revising till the dish is plated and set on the table. That is never more so than when I make this salad. I made a version of it the other day for my wife to take to work for lunch. She shared it with a colleague who said some very kind words about it and asked for the recipe. That’s a problem on two levels; first, there isn’t a “recipe” because in the construction of the dish it was a matter of one action following another to a natural conclusion. Second, if I write down all the things I did to get there, the recipe becomes very long and intimidating to many home cooks. I find the whole process very therapeutic but I’m weird that way. Most people, I suspect, don’t have the time or inclination to go through all the steps necessary to get where I got to. For those who do, why not give this a try.
Here I will write the recipe as it appears in Dr Guttersen’s book, The Sonoma Diet, trusting she won’t mind my sharing it with you. Then I will write out (as best I can remember) what I did to create the salad my wife took to work yesterday, for those inclined to try it. In case you are not familiar with some of the ingredients or how to prepare them I have added some descriptions and suggested substitutions at the bottom of this post.
So, here’s a bit of advice for what it is worth, that applies to cooking in general but is especially relevant to this recipe:
Do you remember the ending of the first Star Wars movie? (Was it really that long ago? Yikes!) The Rebel forces had identified the Achilles heel of the Galactic Empire’s Death Star. Luke Skywalker is going in for the kill using all the electronic gadgetry at his disposal when he hears Obi-Wan Kenobi’s voice saying, “Use the Force, Luke. Use the Force”. Luke shuts down his heads-up display, goes on manual control and scores the fatal hit. So, the moral of the story is, instead of slavishly following a recipe, listen for my voice (however you imagine it) telling you, “Use the Force, Cook. Use the Force”.
The two recipes are not so very different really. It’s all the pre-cooking of the grains and the roasting and peeling and chopping in my version that gets laborious and time consuming, and so….
A word about some of the ingredients:
Tomatoes – To prepare the tomatoes trim off the stem end and cut the tomato lengthways into quarters. Cut out the seeds and the tough, whitish core then chop the tomatoes into 1/4: (6mm) pieces.
Roasted Poblanos – Poblano chiles have a fairly mild heat (I don’t know where they appear on the Scoville scale but it is near the bottom) and are just right for this salad. To roast them set the peppers over the gas flame on your stove top, turning occasionally with tongs, until they are completely charred all over. Seal the peppers in a paper bag or in a bowl covered with plastic wrap for about 15 minutes. The steam generated in the enclosed space will loosen the charred skin making it easy to peel off.
When the peppers are cool enough to handle, cut off the stem end then cut the pepper in half lengthwise. Remove the seed pod and any stray seeds. Slide or scrape off the charred skin then chop the peppers into 1/4″ (6mm) pieces. (Don’t be too obsessive about removing all the skin. A little charred skin adds a nice smokey flavor). Peeling and seeding is a bit of a messy job but stick with it, the end result is well worth the effort. Do not be tempted to rinse the peppers to remove all of the seeds or charred skin; you will be washing away the flavorful essential oils.
If you can’t find fresh poblanos you can just as well do what Dr Guttersen suggests and chop up a serrano or jalapeño chile. You may know that most of the heat in a hot chili peppers resides in the seeds and ribs of the pepper in the form of a substance called capsaicin. You can control the level of heat by how much of the seeds and ribs you leave in the chili.
The red pepper is roasted, seeded and chopped in exactly the same way.
Quinoa – (pronounced KEEN-wa) Quinoa is an ancient seed cultivated in the Andean countries of South America. Until recently it wasn’t much known outside of the traditional growing regions but it is gaining popularity here in the US and around the world and with good reason. Quinoa is one of the so called “Super Foods”, chock full of goodness and it tastes good to boot.
In its natural state quinoa seeds are coated with a bitter compound called Saponin, making it unpleasant to eat. The compound is water soluble and easily washes off. Some commercially available quinoa sold today is pre-washed and ready to cook but it’s good idea to rinse it under cold running water before cooking anyway. I always do, even though I know it is not always necessary. It’s amazing what the power of suggestion can do!
Quinoa only takes about 15-20 minutes to cook and it is cooked on the stovetop much like rice. If you use a ratio of one part quinoa to 2 parts water or stock (by volume) and cook it covered over low heat till the water is absorbed, the seeds will pop open kinda like tiny popcorn. If you want more intact seeds you can use less liquid (1.5 times the amount of quinoa) so the seeds cook to the point of being tender without popping. Either way works fine.
If you can’t find quinoa, use any other grain of your choice.
Wild Rice – And what about that wild rice? Wild rice like all varieties of rice is a species of grass. The state of Minnesota in the US is a major world wide producer of cultivated wild rice (isn’t that an oxymoron?). Wild rice has a distinctive flavor and texture unlike any other rice. It can be difficult to find and compared to the more common varieties of rice, it’s quite expensive. It takes really long time to cook as well; up to an hour. You can absolutely use brown rice or pearled barley instead. I do not recommend using regular white rice though.
Pearl Coucous – Sometimes called Israeli Couscous it is a kind of pasta. I use it because I like its taste and texture. You can use regular or wholewheat couscous if you prefer. Follow the packet instructions to prepare regular couscous. When I make pearl couscous I use a ratio of 1 part couscous to 1.5 parts salted water or stock. Like the quinoa I bring it to a boil, cover it, lower the heat and simmer about 15 minutes until the water has been absorbed. When it is done I stir in a good glug of olive oil to stop it congealing into a solid lump.
Bulgur Wheat – Bulgur comes in 3 forms; fine, medium and course. (I have also seen it labeled 1, 2 and 3.) It is the fine grade I use here because it doesn’t need cooking. You simply add a little cold water to the dry bulgur and let it sit for 10-20 minutes to absorb the water and there you have it. The courser bulgurs have to be cooked like other grains and that’s OK but they tend to be somewhat gummier than the fine grade.
These are the grains I used the other day when I made this salad. On another day I may choose other grains and accompanying flavors depending on what I have available in the house and what I feel like at the time. On a recent trip home to the UK I saw in the supermarket vacuum sealed packages of precooked grains, perfect for this salad. There were several grain variety combinations to choose from. I would encourage you to experiment with your own choice of grains and flavors. Use the Force, Cook. Use the Force!
Bon Appetite!
Multigrain Salad (from The Sonoma Diet book)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup wild rice – *See note below
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1/2 cup corn kernels – fresh or frozen
- 4 Tsp EVO – divided
- 1/2 cup canned black beans – rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red pepper
- 1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
- 1/2 cup cucumber – seeded and chopped
- 2 green onions – sliced thin
- 2 TBS lime juice
- 1 1/2 Tsp jalapeño or serrano chile peppers – seeded and chopped fine
- 1 1/2 Tsp fresh cilantro (coriander) – chopped
- Salt preferably Kosher or sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Cook the wild rice according to the packet instructions. *See note below. Remove 1 cup of cooked rice for the recipe and save the rest for another use.
- While the rice is cooking, rinse the quinoa under the cold water tap in a fine mesh strainer for 20 -30 seconds and set aside to drain.
- Bring the broth to a boil in a small pot. Add the rinsed and drained quinoa and bring the pot back to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is fully cooked and fluffy. Remove a cup of quinoa for the recipe and save the rest for another use.
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat, Add 1 Tsp oil and the corn. Cook for about 5 minutes until the kernels begin to brown in spots.
- Add the corn to a large bowl along with the remaining 3 Tsp oil, the rice, quinoa and all the other ingredients.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve with a little poached chicken for a healthy and satisfying lunch or dinner.
Notes
That’s the simple version. Now for my more substantial salad recipe:
Jock’s Multigrain Salad
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa – *See note below
- 1 1/2 cups pearl (Israeli) couscous – *See note below
- 1 cup prepared bulgur wheat – *See note below
- 1 1/2 Tsp olive oil
- 1 cup kernels from one large ear of corn – or 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
- 2 plum tomatoes – seeded and chopped into 1/4" (6mm) dice
- 2-3 green onions – finely sliced
- 1 cup cucumber – peeled, seeded and chopped
- 2 poblano chiles – roasted, seeded and chopped. See head notes
- 1 large red pepper – roasted, seeded and chopped
- 1/2 small fennel bulb – fronds, core and tough outer layer discarded, thinly sliced
- salt – preferably Kosher or sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
Dressing
- 1/4 cup (4TBS/60ml) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 garlic clove – minced
- 1 Tsp ground cumin
- grated zest and juice from one large lime
- 1 Tsp Dijon mustard
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Prepare the quinoa, pearl couscous and bulgar. *See note below.
- Heat 1 1/2 Tsp olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat and add the corn. Cook for about 5 minutes until the corn is brown in spots. (Note: some of the sugars in the corn may have caramelized in the bottom of the pan. Don't throw that away, it has good flavor. To capture it add 2-3 TBS water to the pan and shake it about to release the fond. Let the water evaporate until it is almost dry.)
- Add the corn to a large bowl along with the rest of the ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Dressing
- In a small pot heat the oil over medium heat. Add the cumin and garlic and cook about a minute or so until the cumin and garlic become fragrant. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
- In a small bowl whisk together the lime zest, juice, mustard and salt.
- Whisk the oil mixture into the lime juice mixture. Taste the dressing and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Too astringent? Add a bit more oil. Too mild? Add more juice. A bit flat tasting? Add a pinch more salt. Don’t have a lime? A lemon will do nicely.
- Stir the dressing into the salad and set it aside for an hour or so at room temperature to allow the flavors to meld together. (This will keep in the fridge, covered, for a few days.)
Notes
