Weekend Cooking: Super Food! by Joy Bauer

Thanks 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.

So 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.

Did 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
Serves 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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