SAVORING SUMMER
Summertime has a way of inspiring us to be on our best diet behavior. With more heat and less clothes comes greater UV exposure and little room for extra snacking. The need for additional sunscreen during this time of the year is a given, but sometimes we also need a gentle reminder that what we put on our bodies is just as important as what we put in them. However, that doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice flavor! Food grown from the earth is at the foundation of every well-balanced meal plan. With several approaches to this lifestyle, it’s easy to tailor a plant-based food regimen to meet everyone’s lifestyle.
The concept and definition of vegetarianism has evolved greatly over the years—plant-based diets have numerous variations that create several vegetarian subcategories. On the strict end, vegans exclude all meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products and byproducts from their diet, and the even stricter raw vegan prohibits plant foods to be cooked past 115 degrees. There are the lacto types (which allow for daily), the ovo (permitting eggs), and the hybridized lacto-ovo. At the middle ground are pescatarians, who eat fish. Over on the semi-vegetarian side are flexitarians, who, as the name suggests, are more flexible with occasional and mindful meat consumption.
It is estimated that approximately 8% of the world identifies as vegetarian, with the United States making up 2.2% of the global vegetarian population. Another 10% of humans follow some kind of vegetarian diet. Yet, despite the relatively low percentage of vegetarians compared to non-vegetarians world-wide, plant-based diets reduce the risk of death from heart disease by an astounding 40%. Heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, consistently ranks as the number one cause of death not just nationwide, but around the world. Mother Nature knows what’s best for our bodies! Our earth yields a rainbow of wonderfully nutritious, pure foods, so when it comes to tidying up our dietary intake, eat well and be full naturally.
Spinach-Stuffed Shells with Marinara
Serves 8
24 jumbo pasta shells
5 oz. fresh spinach
1 white onion (thinly sliced)
3 garlic cloves (minced)
1 egg
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
½ cup parmesan cheese (grated)
Olive oil
Garlic salt
Black pepper
White pepper
For the Marinara
6 Roma tomatoes
¼ bottle of white wine
2 tbs. butter
1 white onion
3 garlic cloves
1 bunch of fresh basil
2 heaping tbs. capers
Olive oil
Garlic salt
Black pepper
Instructions
Begin by setting a large pot of salted water to boil before preparing the spinach filling. Prep the white onion and garlic. In a large saucepan on medium heat, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan, followed by the onion and garlic. Once they’re cooked until soft and fragrant, toss in the fresh spinach, cover it with a lid, and cook until bright green and slightly wilted—if you need more moisture, just add a bit more olive oil.
In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses with the egg. Add garlic salt and black pepper to taste, plus a pinch of white pepper. When thoroughly incorporated, add in the cooked spinach mixture and fold it together to create the spinach filling.
For the marinara sauce, wash the tomatoes before cutting away the stem bases, and then quarter them, as well as the white onion. Add the cut tomatoes and white onion to a blender, followed by the garlic cloves and half the capers, then add fresh basil, garlic salt, and black pepper to taste. This will make for a light marinara, so if you prefer a heartier tomato sauce, add a bit of tomato paste to embolden the flavor. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top of the ingredients, as well as the white wine, before pulsating until it’s nearly smooth.
In a large saucepan, drizzle enough olive oil to cover the surface, and set it to medium heat. Pour the marinara sauce into the pan. Stir in the remaining capers. Add the butter, which will melt as the sauce cooks. Simmer the sauce until it becomes fragrant—it should begin to bubble gently and turn darker in color. Note: The sauce should reduce a bit while you prepare the jumbo pasta shells, but if it reduces to a point where it’s becoming thick or dry, just add some pasta water to bring it back to life.
Boil the jumbo pasta shells until they are al dente. Remove the cooked shells from the pasta water and set them aside on paper towels to slightly dry and cool. Now, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Assemble the jumbo pasta shells for baking. Prepare a baking dish by covering the bottom of it with a thin layer of marinara. Gently stuff the jumbo pasta shells with the spinach filling. Place the stuffed shells open side up in the prepared baking dish. Once they are all lined up in the dish, spoon on the remaining sauce. Bake for 20 minutes—let the Spinach-Stuffed Shells with Marinara cool slightly before serving three to a plate.
Grilled Artichokes with Creamy Feta Sauce
Serves 4
2 artichokes
2 lemons (juiced; zest 1 of them)
4 garlic cloves (minced)
Olive oil
Garlic salt
Black pepper
For the Creamy Feta Sauce
4 oz. feta cheese (whole feta in water is preferable)
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
1 lemon (juiced)
2 garlic cloves
¼ cup fresh herbs (tarragon, dill, parsley, and basil are ideal)
¼ tsp. smoked paprika
Garlic salt
White pepper
Instructions
Begin by setting a large pot of salted water to boil before preparing the artichokes. Trim their leaf spikes and cut off the prickly tops. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the outer skin of the artichoke stem, then trim the exposed tip off. Cut the artichokes down the center to create two mirrored halves. Rub about half of the lemon juice on the exposed artichokes to prevent them from browning.
Place a steaming rack inside the pot of salted water. Once the water comes to a boil, place the prepared artichokes with the exposed side down on the steaming rack. Cover the pot, reduce the temperature to medium, and steam until they can be pierced easily with a knife (approximately 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the artichokes).
While the artichokes are steaming, prepare the Creamy Feta Sauce. Add the feta cheese, plain Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic cloves, fresh herbs, and paprika to a food processor. Blend until the mixture becomes creamy, then add a pinch of white pepper and garlic salt to taste. Allow the Creamy Feta Sauce to refrigerate while you finish preparing the artichokes; the sauce can even be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.
In a small bowl, mix an equal part of olive oil (a flavored or infused olive oil works beautifully for this step) to the remaining lemon juice before adding in the lemon zest and minced garlic cloves. Once the artichokes are done steaming, remove them from the steamer pot and brush the exposed sides with the lemon juice and olive oil mixture, and sprinkle them with garlic salt and black pepper to taste.
Using a grill mat, grill the artichokes with the exposed side down. Once the grill marks are evident, remove the Grilled Artichokes from the heat and serve them with the Creamy Feta Sauce.
Salmon Cakes atop Baby Greens with Lemon Beurre Blanc
Serves 3-6
½ lb. cooked salmon (skinless)
1 egg
1 bag of baby greens lettuce
½ red bell pepper
2 stalks celery
2 stalks green onions
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 tbs. capers
1 tbs. mayonnaise
1 tbs. spicy brown or Dijon mustard
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp. Old Bay seasoning
Avocado or olive oil
Salted sweet cream butter
For the Lemon Beurre Blanc
½ bottle white wine
1 lemon (juiced)
1 shallot (minced)
1 heaping tbs. capers
4 tbs. salted sweet cream butter (chilled)
Instructions
Begin by flaking the cooked salmon and setting it aside in a medium mixing bowl. In a small mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, the mustard of choice, and the Worcestershire sauce, then whisk in the egg to make the wet base.
Finely chop the red bell pepper, celery, and green onions. Add the chopped vegetable mix to the flaked salmon, followed by the garlic and capers, then gently combine the mixture. Once folded together, add the wet base, as well as the Old Bay seasoning, and again, gently fold until fully incorporated. Refrigerate the salmon cake mixture for at least 30 minutes, preferably up to 3 hours.
To cook the salmon cakes, preheat a skillet to medium-high heat. Melt an equal part of salted sweet cream butter with avocado or olive oil (the butter will give the Salmon Cakes a golden-brown crust; avocado oil is preferable because it has a higher burning point and the oil helps keep the butter from burning). Scoop approximately ¼ cup of the chilled salmon mixture into your hand and press it loosely into a ball—place it into the hot pan, pressing the top with a spatula to flatten and create the “cake” shape. Cover it with a lid to cook. When the Salmon Cakes become golden brown on the bottom, flip them and repeat the process on the other side. If you need more butter and oil during the frying process, simply keep adding an equal ratio of both to the hot pan.
While the Salmon Cakes cook, heat a medium pan on medium-high heat. Add the white wine and the minced shallot, and simmer until the white wine reduces by half. Once the white wine has reduced, remove the pan from the heat. Add the chilled salted sweet cream butter (which should be cut into four parts) and whisk until it is completely melted. Next, stir in the lemon juice and capers.
This should yield approximately 6 Salmon Cakes and can thus be presented either as a main course or as an appetizer. To serve, place a handful of baby greens lettuce on a plate, nestle the Salmon Cakes on top, and then ladle the Lemon Beurre Blanc atop the arrangement.
Editorial Director Lauren Barisic
Photographer Don Dizon
