The Veggie Spiral Slicer Cookbook (5 page)

4.
   
Pour in the eggs and stir well one time, just to mix all the ingredients together. Sprinkle with the black pepper. Cook on medium heat until the bottom of the frittata has set and the top begins to.

5.
   
Move the entire pan into your preheated broiler. Cook until the top of the eggs brown slightly, about 3 to 4 minutes.

6.
   
Remove from the oven and serve warm.

Maple Peanut Butter Apple Power Breakfast Bowl

This recipe is one of my favorites in the entire book. Ever since I was a young child, I have loved apples and peanut butter. This recipe takes this familiar concept and matures it with the addition of omega-3–rich chia seeds and naturally sweet maple syrup. It’s a filling dish for sure, even though it only calls for one apple. Be forewarned, however, that the dish gets soggy if not consumed within an hour of preparation.

SERVES 1 AS A MEAL OR 2 AS A HEARTY SNACK

      
1-1/2 tablespoons maple syrup, any grade of your preference

      
2 tablespoons peanut butter, chunky or creamy

      
1 sweet red apple, spiralized on blade 3

      
1/2 cup crunchy granola or cereal (like an oat cluster cereal)

      
2 teaspoons chia seeds

1.
   
In a large bowl, whisk the maple syrup into the peanut butter until the two have combined and made a thick paste.

2.
   
Add the apple noodles and toss until the peanut maple sauce coats the apple noodles. After a few minutes, the apples will begin to release some of their juices, which will loosen up the peanut maple paste.

3.
   
Once the apples have been thoroughly coated with the sweetened peanut butter, add the granola and chia seeds. Serve immediately.

Black Pepper Grits with Strawberry Jam

Depending on whom I am talking to, I may explain grits as “Southern risotto without the rice” or risotto as “Italian grits without the hominy.” I like my grits on the sweet side, that is, cooked down till creamy, with butter and nice homemade (store-bought is okay too) jam swirled in.

MAKES 2 TO 4 SERVINGS

      
1 large parsnip, peeled, spiralized on blade 3, then riced

      
1 tablespoon olive oil

      
1 teaspoon salt

      
1/2 teaspoon (or more if you like) freshly ground black pepper

      
1 cup whole or 2% milk

      
1/4 cup unsalted butter

      
4 tablespoons strawberry jam, to top

1.
   
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

2.
   
Spread the parsnip rice over the baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to make sure the parsnip is lightly coated in oil. Alternatively, you can spray the parsnip with a 100 percent oil–based cooking spray.

3.
   
Roast for approximately 5 to 7 minutes, or until the parsnip shows a hint of golden brown color. This will help to release its natural sweetness.

4.
   
In a medium pot, place 1 cup of water and the milk. Bring this mixture to a simmer.

5.
   
Add the parsnip rice and cover.

6.
   
Simmer for about 20 minutes or until the parsnip falls apart when squeezed between two fingers.

7.
   
Remove the lid. If there is still liquid, continue to cook on medium heat, stirring frequently until the liquid is cooked off.

8.
   
Once the grits are “dry,” add the unsalted butter and stir until it has melted.

9.
   
To serve, top each serving with 1 to 2 tablespoons of jam, preferably whole-fruit style, and swirl the jam into the grits.

Zucchini Bread

This bread is wonderful as is, but can also be toasted and topped with your favorite chocolate hazelnut spread for an indulgent breakfast or lighter dessert. If (magically) you don’t find yourself finishing the whole loaf in time, you can cut this bread up and make it into an out-of-this-world bread pudding.

MAKES 1 LOAF

      
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

      
1 teaspoon salt

      
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

      
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

      
2 teaspoons baking soda

      
1 cup sugar

      
1 cup applesauce or vegetable oil, or a blend of the two

      
4 eggs, beaten

      
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

      
2 medium or 1 very large zucchini, spiralized on blade 3

      
1 cup chopped hazelnuts

      
1 cup dark chocolate chips

1.
   
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a standard loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2.
   
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, and sugar.

3.
   
In a small bowl, combine the applesauce/oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.

4.
   
Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until almost combined.

5.
   
Using a spatula, fold in the zucchini, hazelnuts, and chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for approximately 1 hour, until the top is golden brown and a knife poked into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan. Store wrapped in tin foil to maintain freshness.

CHAPTER TWO

Soups

Everyone loves a good soup, and good soup is even better when you replace heavy pasta noodles with zucchini or other vegetables. Everything from classic Irish stew and chicken noodle to the more exotic
asheh reshteh
and
avgolemono
are here to warm up your soul and fill your tummy.

Asheh Reshteh

I’m not going to lie to you, this stunningly hearty and flavorful Persian soup takes a long time to make and a little advance planning, but it’s extremely easy and mostly hands off. It also makes a ton of leftovers that get better with time as all the herbs blend together. I made this soup for dinner the first day that I discovered it at lunch in a Mediterranean restaurant—it’s that good.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

For the soup:

      
2 tablespoons olive oil

      
2 large yellow onions, spiralized on blade 3

      
7 cloves garlic, minced

      
1/2 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed

      
1/4 cup dried red beans, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed

      
1/4 cup frozen lima beans

      
1 teaspoon turmeric

      
8 cups vegetable stock

      
salt and pepper, to taste

      
1/2 cup brown lentils

      
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped

      
1 bunch fresh mint, chopped

      
1/4 bunch fresh dill, chopped

      
3 bunches green onions (green portion only)

      
1 bunch spinach, chopped

      
1 medium zucchini, spiralized on blade 3

For the garnish:

      
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

      
1 large red onion, spiralized on blade 3

      
2 tablespoons dried mint

      
sour cream

1.
   
In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil on medium. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally until they are translucent and soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, stirring constantly, and cook for another 30 seconds.

2.
   
Add the chickpeas, red beans, lima beans, and turmeric. Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Cover partially. Cook on medium heat for 1 hour.

3.
   
Add salt and pepper, to taste, and add the lentils, parsley, mint, dill, and green onions. Cook for 1/2 hour, partially covered.

4.
   
Toss the spinach into the pot and stir for another 5 minutes, or until the spinach has cooked down in size. Add the zucchini noodles. Cover partially and cook for another 1/2 hour.

5.
   
Remove the cover and simmer the soup for another 1/2 hour. The soup should thicken.

6.
   
During this last 1/2 hour, make the garnish. In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil on medium. Add the onion and cook until it starts to turn clear. Lower the heat to medium-low and allow the onion to caramelize, stirring frequently. Once the onion starts to turn golden, add the dried mint and turn the heat back up to medium. Cook until the onions are crisp.

7.
   
To serve, top the soup with sour cream and the fried red onions.

Chicken Noodle Soup

While writing this book I started to come down with a cold, so I knew I had to make some soup, and stat. Lo and behold, the cold stayed at bay and I was able to remain in the kitchen, cooking away. I believe that the key to great soup is homemade stock, which honestly is the easiest thing in the world to make—but it does take time. If you want to use store-bought stock, you can, just skip the first part of this recipe. Lastly, I usually remove the breasts from the chicken to use in other recipes.

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

      
1 (3- to 4-pound) chicken

      
1 medium yellow onion, quartered

      
1 tablespoon olive oil

      
1 stalk celery, sliced thin

      
1 large carrot, sliced thin

      
1 medium yellow onion, diced

      
2 cloves garlic, minced

      
1 bay leaf

      
salt and pepper, to taste

      
2 medium zucchinis, spiralized on blade 3

To make the stock:

1.
   
In a large pot, cover the chicken with water until the chicken is submerged in water by 1 inch. Add the quartered onion. Bring the pot to a boil on medium-high heat.

2.
   
Cook the chicken until it has been cooked through entirely. Remove it from the water and set aside to cool. Let the water boil until it has reduced by 75 percent. This can take over an hour. You should end up with 4 cups of golden liquid left. Strain the stock and set the liquid aside.

3.
   
Chop 2 cups worth of the cooked chicken and reserve it to use in the soup.

To make the soup:

1.
   
In the same large pot, heat the olive oil on medium-high. Add the celery, carrot, and diced onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrot and celery are softened and the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

2.
   
At this stage, you should start to see some brown bits forming on the bottom of the pan. This is excellent as long as they are brown and not black. Once you have a nice collection of browning on the bottom of the pan, add a splash (about a tablespoon) of the chicken stock and stir vigorously until you have scraped off all the brown. Add 2 more cups of the chicken stock and 2 cups of water.

3.
   
Add the bay leaf and 2 cups of cooked chicken meat. Reserve the remaining chicken and stock for other recipes. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Taste. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

4.
   
Add the zucchini noodles and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

Pork Chop Ramen

Ramen inspires a lot of fanaticism. This recipe is far from traditional, but it does make one heck of a satisfying meal in a short period of time. And, sometimes, that’s all I need—an awesome, healthy, and delicious meal that I can make more quickly than the time it takes to call and wait for a delivery.