Recipe: Around the World Beans and Greens

It’s unavoidable. In spite of swearing off ever making another New Year’s resolution (usually sometime in February), another December rolls around and we think, “This time will be different.” We forget that our motivation this time last year felt as compelling and our determination as fervent. I’ve given great consideration to what has undermined my own resolutions throughout the years, and here’s what I have decided: Resolutions are thinly disguised guilt-trips and shoulds-lists that are usually so goal-based we fail to consider the importance of the process. It’s a set-up to fail from the start, and no wonder any well-seasoned adult (foolishly) declaims on an annual basis, “Never again!” Resolutions ironically and inevitably make us feel bad.

So my resolution this year is that whatever resolution I make, getting there must be fun. (Can you imagine meeting someone who has resolved to indulge in a decadent dessert every second Tuesday for a whole year?) Because many New Year’s resolutions are about improving one’s health, they are inherently food centered, and what is more fun than food? Whether it is weight loss you’re after or simply cleaning up your diet and broadening your culinary palate, food is meant to be thoroughly enjoyed—from the purchasing to presentation.

Go abroad. For those of us who love to travel, culture and food are inseparable from a satisfying experience. Consider the cookbook section of your bookstore as being for the off-season traveler, when actual travel to exotic places is elusive. If you are adventurous by nature, choose something that is a true departure from your ethnic experience (a place you long to go?), and if you’re a bit more apprehensive about change, perhaps choose something closer to home. In addition to connecting with other parts of the world through your taste buds, preparing a beautiful meal can be the ultimate treat for one or the motivation you needed to organize a dinner with friends.

Spice things up. Take a trip to the spice section of your grocery store (the bulk section at natural foods stores can be awe-inspiring). Choose five spices or herbs that you have never cooked with before—perhaps some of them taken from your new cookbook—and find a tasty use for each. If you lack culinary prowess, do a Google search that includes the word “recipe” along with the name of the spice. Often when food has become lackluster and our interest in preparing sumptuous meals has waned, we are simply bored and in need of something new.

The “How Many” Game. Our Paleolithic ancestors are believed to have eaten among a variety of thousands of plant foods. Today, sadly, the average American consumes only about twenty as a regular part of his or her diet. Resolve to try a vegetable, grain, fruit, or herb that you have never eaten before at least once a week. If you are already sampling from a wide selection of plant-based foods, challenge yourself to fit as many of them in to a single meal as you can. Take a moment to consider all that has had to occur to getting this food on to your plate, from the farmer to the delivery person, the grocer to the chef (you!). The counting can be especially fun for kids, particularly when they have helped prepare the meal or there are loads of readily identifiable (i.e. color, shape, and texture) ingredients.

Do a little research. Although nothing new, there is widening acceptance for the food as medicine model. Sort of awestruck, I regularly catch myself thinking about what I am putting in my body and what it is doing for me. Leaning over my steaming bowl of Indian-spiced lentils, I think, “This could be protecting me from inflammatory disease.” Considering what your food offers beyond aesthetics is an instantaneous way to empower oneself; our health is up to us, our well-being is in our hands. Reading up on natural foods is as easy as a click of the mouse. Websites like wholehealthmd.com are full of information on food’s connection to health.

Remember, above all, that the variety of foods that we have available to us today is a point of deep gratitude. Food is such an integral part of who we are, how we relate and stay connected to others, and how we nourish our bodies so that they can meet the endless demands we make on them. Imagine if our resolutions for what we put in our mouths were less about idealized body size and more aptly tied to food’s power to heal, nurture, and inspire us. Doesn’t that sound like more fun? These might be resolutions worth keeping.

Greg Hottinger, MPH, RD, is the nutritionist for the Duke University Center for Integrative Medicine and author of The Best Natural Foods on the Market Today: A Yuppie’s Guide to Hippie Food (www.bestnaturalfoods.com). He is a regular contributor to New Life Journal.


Around the World Beans and Greens

Ingredients (Serves 6)
Black and Pinto beans, 1 cup each (soaked and cooked or canned)
Firm tofu or tempeh, cubed (about 8 oz)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
One small hot pepper, chopped (adjust amount to taste)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 large sweet potato
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch of collard greens, kale, or chard (or a combo), washed and sliced in ribbons
Cilantro, a handful, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation
In a large pot or skillet, heat olive oil and cumin on low-medium.
Add onion and bell pepper, sautéing for a minute or two.
Add garlic and ginger, allowing to just begin to brown.
Add the tofu or tempeh and stir fry, still on low-medium, for two to three minutes.
Add bell pepper, hot pepper, sweet potato, and greens and braise briefly.
Place beans (and juice, if canned) in the pot, adjusting liquid so that you can bring this dish to a low simmer for thirty minutes.
Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over rice, quinoa, or cous cous, garnishing with cilalantro.

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