The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet (32 page)

Watercress, Beet, and Heirloom Tomato Salad

This salad was inspired by my friend Marta Alicia Barrientos, from El Salvador. As she would say, “It’s nutreetious and deleecious!”

2 medium beets

1 bunch watercress, tough stems removed

1 tomato, preferably an heirloom variety, cut into bite-size pieces

1 tablespoon olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Wrap the beets in foil, and roast for 40 to 60 minutes or until you can pierce them easily with a skewer. Allow the beets to cool a bit, then slip off the skins and slice the beets into quarters from root to stem. (If your beets are small, just halve them.)

Combine the beets, watercress, and tomato in a salad bowl. Mix the olive oil and lemon juice together, and pour over the salad; mix well. Add a couple pinches of salt and a little pepper to taste. Toss again, and serve.

Alicia’s Sexy Inspired Salad

I’m the salad maker of my household, and my inventions have morphed over the years. This is my current favorite. It’s especially good because of the truffle oil, which, though a bit expensive, is used so sparingly it lasts forever and is really worth the cost. I like this salad best made right after arriving home with all our fresh produce from the farmers’ market, but it’s also a wonderful way to use up the odds and ends in the fridge. Try adding English peas, snap peas, or sprouts and serve with black bean stew and rice.

SERVES 2

Salad

Fresh salad greens such as red leaf, butter lettuce, or romaine

1 small handful of arugula

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avocado, peeled and diced

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–1 heirloom tomato (optional, but nice)

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medium cucumber, chopped into bite-size pieces (peel only if the cucumber is not organic)

4 dandelion greens (optional, but good for you)

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carrot, shaved with a vegetable peeler

3–4 chopped fresh basil sprigs

4–5 chopped fresh cilantro sprigs

1 teaspoon hemp seeds (optional)

1–2 tablespoons toasted sunflower seeds, lightly seasoned with shoyu (see Note)

Any other vegetables you like

Dressing

2
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tablespoons truffle-infused olive oil or extra-virgin olive oil

1
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tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Juice of
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lemon

Juice of
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orange

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teaspoon grated vegan Parmesan cheese (Galaxy Foods makes a nice one that comes in a shaker like regular grated Parmesan)

Get a big salad bowl that makes you happy with lots of room to toss and play. Wash, tear, and throw in the lettuce. Add the arugula, avocado, tomato, and cucumber. Top with the dandelion greens, carrot shavings, and herbs. Sprinkle with the hemp and sunflower seeds.

Pour the dressing ingredients directly onto the salad and toss. (If you want to mix them first, go for it.)

Note:
Toasted seeds—sunflower, pumpkin, sesame—are a great addition to soups, salads, grains, and just about anything else. They are glorious little treasures that will make your tongue so happy. Christopher eats them right out of the jar as a snack.

Caesar Salad

This is the greatest Caesar salad, ever, on the planet. Period. All the components—croutons, dressing, greens—can be prepared and stored separately in the fridge for up to a week, so you can toss together a fresh Caesar for one or two whenever the urge strikes.

SERVES 6 TO 8

Croutons

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teaspoon dried rosemary

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teaspoon garlic powder

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teaspoon fine sea salt

3–4 slices whole wheat sourdough bread, sliced into cubes (about 1
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cups)

Olive oil

Dressing

2 tablespoons blanched or roasted almonds

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons shoyu

1 tablespoon tahini

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

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sheet nori, cut with scissors into 2" x 4" strips

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Stir together the rosemary, garlic powder, and salt in a small bowl. Place the bread cubes in a large bowl, and drizzle with the oil. Toss well to distribute the oil. Sprinkle the herb mixture over the bread cubes, and toss again. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the croutons are dry and lightly toasted. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, combine the almonds, garlic, mustard, shoyu, tahini, lemon juice, oil, and
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cup of water in a food processor or blender; process until smooth and well blended.

To serve, toss the lettuce and croutons together in a serving bowl. Add the dressing, and toss to coat. Sprinkle the nori over the salad, and serve right away.

Sicilian Collard Greens with Pine Nuts and Raisins

Beyond being incredibly yummy, this dish is also a sneaky way to introduce people to the glory of collard greens. For Superheroes who crave it regularly, you should substitute the balsamic vinegar for shoyu and the pine nuts for pumpkin seeds most of the time.

SERVES 2 OR 3

1 bunch collard greens

2 tablespoons pine nuts

3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons raisins

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Use a sharp knife to cut out the central rib and stem from each collard leaf. Rinse the leaves in a sink of cool water, lifting them into a colander to drain a bit (you want some water to remain on the leaves).

Toast the pine nuts over medium heat in a dry skillet for about 5 minutes or until golden.

Shake the pan often to keep the pine nuts from burning. Transfer to a plate, and set aside.

Place the garlic and oil in a large skillet, and sauté over medium heat for 1 minute or until the garlic is fragrant. Add the damp collards and stir, then cover the pan and cook for 2 minutes longer. Add the raisins and pine nuts, and stir. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, cover, and continue to cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Note:
The stems of the collard greens are full of minerals, so if you want to use them, chop them into 1" pieces and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the collard greens.

Warm Potato, Soybean, and Cucumber Salad

This recipe is from Christina Cooks by Christina Pirello. To me, it feels like something that would be served at a fancy luncheon for French ladies!

SERVES 4 OR 5

Salad

1 pound new or fingerling potatoes, unpeeled and cut into 1" cubes

1 cup frozen shelled edamame

1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 small cucumber, halved lengthwise and cut into very thin half-moon slices (peel only if the cucumber is not organic)

Dressing

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cup umeboshi vinegar

1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons brown rice syrup

1 teaspoon white miso

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the potatoes for 12 minutes or until just tender. With a slotted spoon or a skimmer, remove the potatoes from the pot, and transfer them to a mixing bowl. In the same water, cook the edamame for about 4 minutes or until just barely tender. Add the onion to the pot, and cook with the edamame for 30 seconds longer. Drain and add to the potatoes along with the cucumber. Combine gently.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Pour over the warm salad, and stir to coat. Serve warm.

DESSERTS

Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it, too? All of the desserts in this section are 100 percent delicious, 100 percent vegan, and won’t have you bouncing off the ceiling or leave you with a sickly sugar hangover the next day like conventional sweets can. However, they are not necessarily less caloric than their white-flour, refined-sugar siblings, so if you are primarily looking to drop a few pounds, don’t go overboard in this section. Enjoy a beautiful piece of fruit after your meal and save the peanut butter cups for a once-in-a-while reward. The good news here is that because they won’t cause those horrible blood sugar spikes that leave you crashed and craving more, more, more, it’s easier to keep consumption of these yummies under control.