Don’t be afraid of flavor
- Scott Daniels: We Ate Well and Cheaply
- May 30, 2021
- 891
We generally, in this part of the world at least, plan our main meal around three items: a protein, a vegetable and a starch. For many American families, that is how we’ve grown up thinking about our food.
In lean times the protein portion gets reduced and the cheaper, filling starch steps in to cover the difference. This is the traditional “meat and potatoes” diet most of us were raised on, and it delivers a lot of calories for the money.
That’s fine as long as there is enough activity in our lives to burn up those calories, but we tend to just keep eating meat, a vegetable and a starch even if the hardest thing we do all day is struggle to put on our socks around the belly that gets in the way of our ability to reach our feet.
I’m a fan of a reality TV show in which people who are just incredibly overweight — in the 600-700 pound range — try to get their lives and bodies under control. They see a doctor who naturally gives them a diet with much fewer calories. And then they go and do this unsustainable thing: They switch from eating enormous, fatty, salty meals for a sorry-looking paper plate of boiled, skinless chicken breast and some steamed cauliflower.
Of course they’re miserable, and before the first episode wraps, they’re bribing the lawn-mowing guy to slip them a few bags of tacos.
The thing I never understand is that when we resolve to get serious about losing a few pounds, we immediately resort to bland, unseasoned food. Good, healthy, sustainable diets do not need to be bland if we look outside our American notion of protein, vegetable and a starch.
The first thing to do is ditch that potato and think in terms of a small protein portion along with several vegetables, at least one of which should be a rich, green, leafy variety like spinach or kale.
I can already feel you turning the page at the mention of kale, but stay with me a moment. Last week we had kale over several nights, and it was delicious; I actually much prefer it to spinach. We quickly blanched it in salted water, drained it and then cooked it quickly with garlic, a shallot, olive oil and a handful of multi-colored grape tomatoes. Unless you’re on some kind of restricted diet, season things up as much as you like.
Meats can be treated to a rub before cooking and seared initially so they aren’t bland. There’s really no need to eat boiled meats and sodden, flavorless vegetables.
I love big, bold flavors, and while I realize corn is a rather starchy vegetable, I highly recommend this corn and minty sauce recipe. We had it with some beef, more of the kale and the chimichurri sauce I shared with you some weeks ago.
This recipe is from the cookbook, “Bobby Flay at Home,” and it’s one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten. Don’t be afraid of flavor, and chef Flay is always a good source for flavorful dishes.
CORN AND SCALLION SALAD WITH CILANTRO-MINT DRESSING
For the dressing:
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup cilantro leaves (swap out for parsley if cilantro isn’t your thing)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
For the corn:
9 ears corn, husks removed
canola oil, for brushing
6 scallions, green and pale green parts, sliced thinly
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
To make the dressing, place all the ingredients except the oil into a blender. Blend until smooth, then slowly add the olive oil with the blender running until an emulsion forms.
Brush the corn with canola oil, add salt and pepper, then cook either on a grill or under a broiler until lightly charred on all sides. Cool and cut kernels off the cob. Add the scallions and feta to the corn, then toss with some of the dressing, serving the remainder alongside.