25 April 2020

Weekend Cooking: Super Food! by Joy Bauer

Review of Super Food by Joy BauerThanks to Abrams Books and the Abrams Dinner Party, I have a new favorite cookbook. Super Food! (out this week) is written by Joy Bauer, a well-respected nutritionist with a varied and impressive career, including working with the New York City Ballet and and Mt. Sinai Medical Center.

In these days of COVID-19 restrictions, I was skeptical about what I'd be able to make out of a new cookbook. After all, so many ingredients are hard to find, and it's not all that safe to wander the aisles of the grocery store.

To my very pleasant surprise, pretty much all the recipes in Super Food! are doable even under current circumstances. Bauer's new cookbook is one that I'll likely be writing about for the rest of the year.

Bauer's focus is on superfoods, which pack a powerful nutritional punch and are "served and devoured in Blue Zones, areas where people live the longest, healthiest lives" in the world. The recipes in Super Food! feature whole grains, vegetables, legumes, fruit, and nuts. Animal products make an appearance, but the stars of the dishes are plant-forward.

Review of Super Food by Joy BauerSo far I've made Cumin-Spiked Black Bean Soup with Spicy Okra Topping. I couldn't find fresh okra, so I had to improvise the topping with frozen, but the soup was full of flavor (mostly Southwestern seasonings) and really easy to make.

For lunches earlier this week I made Couscous Pilaf with Fresh Herbs and Feta. I had to sub some dried herbs for fresh and Israeli couscous for the smaller kind, but this too was delicious and would make a good picnic dish in the summer.

For snacking, I made both the Rosemary Walnuts (I did find fresh rosemary) and Cumin-Cayenne Spiced Roasted Pepitas. Was it wrong that the two of us ate both snacks in a matter of days? It was near-impossible not to eat them in one sitting. We especially loved the pumpkin seeds, and I'll be making them many more times in the future. I'm a rosemary fan and can't wait to make the walnuts again when I can pick the herb from my own pots later this summer.

Review of Super Food by Joy BauerDid you think I was done? Ha! Tonight we're having Mexican Meatballs in Chipotle Tomato Sauce. I'll likely serve it over brown rice. I also plan to bake the Mediterranean Rosemary-Olive bread either today or tomorrow.

Other recipes on my list are Banana Cream Pie Overnight Oats (I have to order chia seeds first); Lo-Carb Quiche Biscuits with Bacon, Cheddar, and Chives; Portuguese-Style Caldo Verde with Sausage and Kale; Creamy Farro Risotto with Riced Broccoli and Parm; Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Stew; Italian-Style Sausage, Peppers, and Onions; and Asian Shiitake Meatloaf with General Tso's Glaze.

Oh yeah, we'll be eating like (healthy) royalty! Note that all the photos here are my own. Hope you give the pumpkin seeds a try. They're really spicy, but that's what we love.

Roasted Pepitas with Cumin-Cayenne
Review of Super Food by Joy BauerServes 4, Prep: 2 minutes, Cook: 10 minutes

  • 1 cup raw pepitas
  • 1  teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
Preheat the oven to 325F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the pepitas and oil and toss with a spoon to coat. Add the salt, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne and mix to combine. Lay the mixture out on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 10 minutes. If you'd like them a bit toastier and crunchier, remove from the oven, shake the seeds around, then put back in the oven for another 2 to 4 minutes. Watch closely so they don't burn. Let cool and enjoy.
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Weekend Cooking hosted by www.BethFishReads.comWeekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

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11 comments:

rhapsodyinbooks 4/25/20, 6:07 AM  

I applaud you for making the roasted pepitas last even a couple of days! They look fantastic - I don't think I could have held back. I'm definitely saving this recipe! The Mediterranean Rosemary-Olive bread sounds wonderful too - well, actually it all does! And I love the idea that all this great stuff is associated with "eternal youth" - (probably only if one is more abstemious than I am I suppose!)

Tina 4/25/20, 8:29 AM  

That sounds like a good book. I like the plant based meals you highlighted. And yes, anything with rosemary!

bermudaonion 4/25/20, 9:31 AM  

We all need super foods these days! The recipes you made sound wonderful!

We haven't had issues finding food but have had issues with paper and cleaning products.

Debra Eliotseats 4/25/20, 9:45 AM  

I've thought the same thing about doing cookbook reviews lately....what can I make with only what is on hand? This book sounds amazing and as others have commented, we need super foods right now.

Jackie McGuinness 4/25/20, 10:13 AM  

Too bad we're not closer! I have chia seeds.

Unfortunately I am not a fan of black beans but John loves them. I plan on making him some tortilla soup.

As you can see from my post we are not really experiencing any shortages except yeast of course.

Claudia 4/25/20, 10:34 AM  

Actually, every one of the recipes you mentioned sounded great. Am I hungry? Don't know, but would like to make them all.

gluten Free A_Z Blog 4/25/20, 11:39 AM  

This is a cookbook that would really work for me.. might need to look into it.. Thanks

Deb in Hawaii 4/25/20, 11:53 AM  

I got this cookbook last week and have not started cooking from it yet but all of the recipes you made were ones I tagged to try! Yum! ;-)

Nancy Andres at Colors 4 Health 4/25/20, 3:05 PM  

Sounds like an interesting cookbook Beth, and that recipe for Roasted Pepitas with Cumin-Cayenne is one I'm sure to try and pin. Enjoy the weekend and stay safe and well.

Melynda@Scratch Made Food! 4/26/20, 10:35 AM  

What a great book. I don't buy that many any more (storage pron=blem!) but this one is shelf worthy! The more nutrition we get from our food, the better.

Laurie C 4/26/20, 11:28 AM  

I confess to scrolling down at your first mention of the pepitas to see what recipe you had included in your post, because I have an unopened bag of natural pepitas just waiting to be roasted. So you can imagine my excitement to see the recipe for the spicy roasted pepitas was there! But all your food from this cookbook looks and sounds great!
I had to choose a e-cookbook for our May cookbook club meeting(that's going to be virtual via Zoom conference) and I tried to pick one with recipes wouldn't require trips to specialty stores for ingredients. (I wanted to pick a pantry cooking one, like Perfect Pantry, but couldn't find one that was available as a download from both of our library ebook services at this time.

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