Bean and Legume

The concept of this meal is that it is so easy and safe (no knife work) that a child could prepare it as a Father’s Day treat. Of course, the recipe is easily doubled or tripled. What may surprise you is how delicious it is! Feel free to use your favorite steak sauce, teriyaki sauce, barbecue sauce, or Worcestershire sauce. If your dad doesn’t like steak, feel free to substitute any other protein (chicken, fish, pork, etc.). The steak should turn out well done on the edges and medium rare in the center. For more fully cooked meat, bake for at least 30 minutes.

Sausage and beans make a hearty winter meal If you don’t have fresh tomatoes on hand, use a drained 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes instead. If you don’t have flageolets, other beans to try include Great Northern and cannellini beans. To make this a lower-fat dinner, use turkey or chicken sausage instead of pork. Health food stores typically have many types of sausages available at the meat counter. Experiment with flavors such as applewood-smoked sausage, habañero chile, or spicy Italian.

The Aztecs worshipped the life-sustaining properties of amaranth in pre-Columbian times. Sadly, it all but disappeared after the arrival of the conquistadors. A grain (like wheat), amaranth is high in protein, fiber, and amino acids. In this recipe you’ll notice the silky beads add yet another exciting texture to this one-pot meal. I find amaranth in the bulk bins at the health food store. My food processor has a shredding disk, which works well for zucchini; however, sometimes I simply use my grating tower to get the same effect. The shredded zucchini gives this Glorious One-Pot Meal a thick, stewlike consistency that seems especially hearty. Feel free to swap the amaranth for the same amount of rice (the amount of liquid won’t change).

The thinner the slice of meat, the more tender the pot roast will be. Ask your butcher to slice it less than two inches thick. Also, go for a better-quality meat for a more tender result, but be aware that it is easy to end up with tough meat if it’s left in the oven too long. For rarer meat, cut the vegetables into smaller cubes (1/2 to 1 inch) and remove the pot from the oven at the first whiff of the robust aroma of a fully cooked meal. To speed up your prep time, use frozen green beans and peeled baby carrots. I never peel my potatoes because so much nutrition is in the skin. Just be sure to scrub them well and dig out the eyes. I also think wild mushrooms add a wonderful depth to the meat. Try morels, chanterelles, or shiitakes. My aunt swears by kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper with beef. Consider both, but remember that kosher salt is more intense, so you may want to use less than you normally do.

Traditional masala spices are dry-roasted, which releases the aroma. Masala also calls for pureeing the onions and tomatoes together in a blender with the yogurt mixture. Here I offer a simplified masala, designed to be quick and easy. Of course, you may always vary any recipe to suit your own preferences. You can purchase masala spice mix in a specialty food store, or you can make your own. Combine 1/4 teaspoon garam masala, 1/4 teaspoon curry powder, 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/8 teaspoon turmeric, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne. Keep leftover mix tightly covered in a dark cabinet. Substituting soy yogurt or light coconut milk is fine. Coconut milk used to get a bad rap for being high in saturated fat, but now we know it has the good kind of saturated fat. Turmeric is an anti-inflammatory herb, thought to be good for diseases that cause internal swelling, such as multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, and arthritis.

The sweet potatoes soften in the broth to emerge creamy and bursting with flavor. Even though this exciting meal doesn’t contain chile peppers, ginger adds considerable zing. Be careful not to overdo the black pepper as it will intensify during cooking. Chanterelle or hedgehog wild mushrooms heighten the flavor in this dish, but shiitake or button mushrooms will taste good in a pinch. To make julienne sticks, cut the potato into thin disks. Stack the disks and cut into thin sticks lengthwise.

My husband used to believe he hated pineapple because as a kid growing up in New England he ate only canned pineapple. It wasn’t until he was an adult and moved west that he discovered the glory of the Hawaiian fruit. Nowadays, fresh pineapple can often be found year-round at reasonable prices in mainstream grocery stores. Nothing compares with the taste of fresh pineapple. To peel a pineapple, chop off both ends and stand it upright. Cut the peel off with vertical strokes, then quarter the fruit from end to end. Remove the core from each quarter and discard. Lay the quarter flat and slice into wedges. You can find sushi rice in Asian markets.

I’ve been finding fresh mangoes at my local grocery store often lately, but if you don’t have one, use a can of puree or fresh orange juice. If you don’t have macadamia nut oil, it’s okay to use another nut oil or even olive oil, but realize you will lose some depth of flavor. Vary your meal by changing the lentils: Red lentils will result in a mushier texture, while green lentils will offer a more al dente eating experience. I like to use white or mellow-flavored miso paste, but the strength of miso flavor is really a personal preference.

Eat in the light, clean, Mediterranean tradition for meals that are low in fat but high in flavor. Vary this recipe by using other vegetables such as eggplant, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and mushrooms or by replacing the fish with chicken, strip steak, or even seitan (a wheat product found near the tofu in the refrigerated section of the health food store). This recipe has an elegance that will impress your guests. I like to use an oval Dutch oven with fish fillets simply because they tend to fit better. However, to make a long fillet fit into a round pot, simply cut the fillet into two or three pieces and lay them side by side. You can easily skip the wine in this recipe and still have a great-tasting meal, but if you do use wine, try a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc that you would happily drink rather than a “cooking wine.”

When my husband and I were in Hong Kong on what would turn out to be our engagement trip, we became devotees of a local diner that served this ketchup-based sauce over almost anything. We Americans tend to recoil at the thought of serving the lowly condiment ketchup with anything besides hamburgers and French fries. In this recipe, ketchup is used as a subtle accent, so for the best and freshest flavor, choose a high-quality organic ketchup. This Glorious One-Pot Meal is fabulous with a fillet of salmon or tuna, but you can use chicken or beef instead. It’s hard to resist this mouthwatering sauce. Substitute any vegetables you wish; just try to provide a rainbow of green, red, and yellow vegetables to maximize nutritional value.

The term herbes de Provence refers to the mix of herbs commonly used in southern French cooking. These include basil, thyme, chives, oregano, sage, rosemary, lavender, and dill, and can be used in almost any combination. You can purchase a premixed jar of herbes de Provence and use that in place of the herbs designated in this recipe. Any white fish tastes great in this dish. Try this with cod, sole, roughy, or snapper.

In America, we’re accustomed to eating sweet potatoes candied with maple syrup and brown sugar, or even topped with marshmallows, for a supersweet Thanksgiving side dish. But savory sweet potatoes are another experience entirely. Sweet potatoes with Creole seasoning are fabulous, and with this recipe they’re very easy to make. Any Cajun or Creole seasoning mix from the grocery will do, or make your own by mixing equal parts paprika, salt, and a dash of cayenne. Be careful with the cayenne, as a little goes a long way. Beets make a delicious red substitute for tomatoes if you can’t find good fresh ones for this dish. If you prefer white potatoes, feel free to substitute a large baking potato for the sweet potato. Frozen green beans are a quick solution when you want something green to toss into a pot meal. Simply shake some beans into the pot, reseal the bag, and keep it in the freezer. A single bag can often last for quite a few meals.