Recipes: How Zen Lost 30 lbs in 5 Months Naturally
/If you’re a listener of our “Little Roads Unfiltered: Italy and Beyond” podcast, you may have landed on this article from the show notes from our recent episode.
In that chat, we detailed the “adventures” of our questionable eating habits that we developed shortly after moving to Italy in 2019; the VERY alarming blood test results we received a few years later; and the subsequent diet turnaround that led to me dropping about 30 pounds in a pretty short time – as well as improving my cholesterol numbers and other dire markers considerably.
Here, as promised, are the recipes that we mentioned in the podcast – as usual with most of my recipes, quantities and other instructions are sometimes estimated, improvised, or otherwise “flexible”.
“Lembas” Bread (Red Lentil Bread)
800 g red lentils, soaked overnight
4 tsp salt
4 tsp cayenne
8 tsp cumin
8 tsp black pepper
8 tsp baking powder
Sesame seeds
Drain the lentils, then put them in a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the spices and baking powder and mix well. Should be the consistency of thick pancake batter. If it is too thin you can add chickpea flour or quinoa flour. Pour into a bread pan that has been lined with parchment paper. Top with sesame seeds. Pop into a preheated oven 180C for about 30 minutes or so, until a knife comes out clean.
As I noted, this will make a somewhat soft bread. Not good for sandwiches; it is too crumbly for that. But if you slice it and toast it you will get a slightly crunchy outside and soft interior, and if you toast it more, you will get very nice cracker-y pieces. This recipe will make two very large breads, so if you are just wanting to try it for the first time to see if you like it, divide this recipe by half or a quarter to make a small batch the first time.
Note: I eat this for breakfast every day. I toast it first, then top it with a tahini sauce that is made of tahini, a lot of lemon juice, a clove of crushed garlic, salt, and pepper. I also eat the white of a hard-boiled egg, and we like to add a few cucumber slices on the side. That keeps me full until dinnertime!
Spicy Tomato Sauce
This easy-to-make sauce is something we have on hand all the time. I make it in large batches and freeze the extra; it freezes quite well. It’s a very flavorful sauce and is great on pasta, with meatballs, in sandwiches, as a sauce for steamed veggies, as a flavor agent in a frittata, on top of farro or quinoa – its uses are endless. It’s always a hit with dinner guests. If you’ve been buying sauce in a jar, stop that immediately! This sauce is way more affordable and healthy, and you’ll want to just buy a good loaf of Italian bread, heat up some sauce in a dish, and use the bread to scoop it up. (In Italian this is called “fare la scarpetta” — “to make the little shoe”).
For a large batch of sauce:
One large yellow onion, chopped
3-4 large cloves garlic, minced
Three cans whole imported Italian San Marzano tomatoes (for some reason, whole tomatoes are significantly better than diced. I think the variety they use for diced might not be San Marzano. At any rate, it is definitely worth it to buy the more expensive, whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes)
One can crushed tomatoes, or one jar of passata
A handful of fennel seeds (optional)
Glass of red wine
Two dried hot red peppers, minced
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
Cover the bottom of a large heavy pan with good olive oil, and a lot of it… maybe 6-8 tablespoons… Enough to cover the onions once you put them in – they should be completely coated and sizzling in the oil. Heat the pan over a medium flame, then toss in the onions and let them melt for a few minutes in the oil. After they start to get translucent, add in the garlic. If you are adding fennel seeds, add them at this point. Add salt, and pepper, and let them cook for a couple of minutes. Do not let the onions brown – if necessary you can add a little more oil.
Now toss in the tomatoes, both whole and crushed. Toss in a glass of red wine (and save a nice one for yourself!), turn the heat down, and let the sauce cook for two or three hours. I leave a lid on but have it slightly askew so steam can escape and the sauce can reduce. After about 45 minutes, use a wooden spoon to break the tomatoes that have not melted into the sauce. Your sauce will have some tomato chunks in it; that is desired. You will need to stir it more often towards the end to prevent burning. In the beginning, you can stir it once every 15-20 minutes.
After an hour or so, taste your sauce. At this point you can add more seasoning (salt, pepper, or even red peppers) as necessary. If you add hot dried peppers, you need to let the sauce cook for a while until the peppers are softened and their flavor is incorporated.
It’s pretty incredible that such a sparse list of ingredients can create such a delicious sauce, but it’s true. Just be sure to start with excellent ingredients. They will make all the difference.
“Best Salad in the World”
We eat salads like this multiple times a week, and it is a meal in itself. Quite filling, and very good for you. I build each one basically the same way, then top with some dressing. I have included two dressing recipes below that we keep on repeat because they are so delicious. You can add another dish (e.g. eggs, meat, fish, bread) to eat alongside this, but you probably won’t need to!
I have these big, flat bowls that I use for this, but if you don’t have a dish like that, just use a large dinner plate.
Start with a layer of greens; my favorite is valerian, or pea shoots. You can use romaine, arugula, spinach… any green you like. I usually chop mine a bit.
Then add a layer of chopped fresh red cabbage. It is crunchy, sweet, and full of vitamins.
Next, add a layer of cooked quinoa. This is great for your health, and also soaks up extra dressing. I cook a cup of quinoa, and that amount usually lasts us for 6-8 salads. You can substitute couscous, or lentils, if you prefer.
Something crunchy: A layer radishes, cucumbers, fennel, or any vegetable you like that adds a crunch texture.
Something sweet: Add some type of fruit to give it a little sweetness. I like pomegranate seeds, goji berries, or dried blueberries or cherries(no sugar added). You could also use sliced pears (unripe is fine, it gives it crunch), sliced apples, sliced mandarin wedges, you get the idea.
A couple spoonfuls of toasted sunflower seeds. I buy them raw and roast and salt them myself.
Then something soft: Either drained and rinsed kidney beans, or maybe a little bit of nice goat cheese.
And then it is done! Time to dress it. If you are looking for a little added nutrition, this is a good point to add hemp seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, or similar. A good way to “sneak” in a little something extra.
A super delicious salad packed with nutrition!
Miso Salad Dressing
I make this in an old jelly jar, and it lasts for a couple of weeks in the fridge. I make it in a concentrated form, then add good olive oil to the salad after. For a large salad for one person, I would use about three spoonfuls of this dressing concentrate, then drizzle the salad with oil.
I never measure, so I did my best to guess measurements here. You can adjust as you prefer to your tastes.
2 TBSP miso paste
2 TBSP sesame oil
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp powdered ginger
2 TBSP soy sauce
juice of two limes
rice wine vinegar (about 1 cup)
Put the miso in the bottom of the jelly jar, and add the lime juice. Mix together until it is thin enough to be easily incorporated into the other wet ingredients (meaning: no miso clumps). Then add all the other ingredients, and shake well. This gives you a delicious, concentrated dressing. Dollop a couple of spoonfuls onto your salad and then drizzle with olive oil.
Lemon Shallot Salad Dressing
This is the other dressing we eat with frequency. Like the miso dressing, it will last in the fridge for a couple of weeks. It is also a concentrate.
2 shallots, diced
2 TBSP dijon mustard
salt and pepper (start lightly with the salt, then add more at the end to taste if you need it)
juice of 3 lemons (about one third of the jar)
olive oil, about 3 TBSP
white wine vinegar
Dice the shallots finely, then add them to the jelly jar. Then add in the mustard, salt and pepper, and the lemon juice. Add in a little bit of oil, and a large amount of white wine vinegar (enough to nearly fill the jar). Shake it vigorously. This is a very concentrated dressing. On a big salad, I usually spoon over two or three spoonfuls of the concentrate, then drizzle with olive oil.
Minestrone
Celery
Yellow onions
Carrots
Garlic (4-5 cloves)
Beans (I like borlotti, but you can use canellini, black, or kidney, depending on your preferences)
Lentils
One large can whole peeled tomatoes
tomato paste (2.3 tablespoons)
Vegetables: anything you like. Red cabbage, green beans, kale, chicory, peas, white cabbage, green broad beans, cauliflower, celery root… any combination of these works great.
This is a soup we eat all year long. it feels like drinking vegetables, and you feel great eating it because it is so nutritious.
The most important part of the soup is the broth. Boxed, store bought broth just doesn’t taste nearly as good, and it’s full of preservatives too (and usually crazy amounts of salt and even sugar!)
So to make your broth, begin by filling a pot with water. Cut three large yellow onions. I take the skins, plus about 2 layers of the flesh, and put it in the water. (Then I reserve the inside part of the onion for the soup itself.) Put one whole carrot in, and cut the tops and bottoms off of 2 more carrots, putting the ends in the water. Then cut off the bottom root of the celery, clean it, and pop it in the water. Save most of the stalks (and leaves) for the soup. Add a good amount of pepper and just a little salt, and boil this for about 2 or 3 hours. This will give you a very rich, hearty broth that is the basis for the entire soup. I make this in huge batches and freeze extra, to use for other soups or veg purees later. I usually make this broth the day before I make the soup. I leave the vegetables to sit in the broth and cool overnight, then strain the broth and toss away the veg scraps.
Now that you have a great broth, you are ready to make a fab minestrone. Dice the onions, and mince the garlic. Put some olive oil in the bottom of a large pot, and toss in all the diced onions. Stir, then add in the garlic. Just a medium-low heat; you don’t want this mixture to burn, or even brown. While this is cooking, chop the celery, then add it in. Next, do the same with the carrots.
Then cover all this with the broth. Add in all the veg you plan to use: my favorite is red or white cabbage, kale, maybe a little fennel. Add in the beans and lentils, and season with salt and pepper. Add in the tomato paste, stir well, and simmer for about an hour.
Variation: Start the soup by frying a few tablespoons of cumin seeds in olive oil, and add a few hot peppers (e.g. chili, jalapenos). After this you follow the recipe above. We enjoy this particular variation best with black beans.
This soup is delicious on its own, but a few pieces of nice cheese on the side are a good complement. It freezes very well, so you can make it in large batches.
Turkey Meatballs
2 pounds ground turkey
1 egg
fresh ginger (as much as you like, but I use a pretty big chunk)
4-5 cloves garlic
1 or 2 yellow onions, peeled
one bunch parsley (or cilantro if you prefer)
hot peppers (I like to use about 4)
sesame oil (about 1 tablespoon)
soy sauce (about 1 tablespoon, maybe a little more)
flour (you only need flour for this if the meatball mixture is too wet to form balls that hold their shape. If you need to add flour, you can use quinoa flour or pea flour, or breadcrumbs)
Cut the onions in half and put in a food processor, Peel the ginger and cut into slices, add to the processor, Add in the garlic cloves, parsley, and hot peppers, and process theminto a fine paste. In a large mixing bowl, put in the turkey, egg, and onion mixture. Then add in the sesame oil and soy sauce, and mix by hand. Form the meatballs, and put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350F or 180C for about 25-30 minutes. These freeze very well so we make them in large batches. They pair very nicely with the salad recipe in this post, and the miso dressing.