These local chefs may cook up the rich, indulgent dishes we love, but a little greens and grains never hurt—here, your next healthy recipe awaits, courtesy of Boston’s finest culinarians.
For an easy, healthy meal you can enjoy all week, cook up a batch of chef German Lam’s oatmeal power breakfast.
Healthy food and lifestyle coach, glamfoodsllc.com
THE DISH: CHOCOLATE SOY ALMOND OATMEAL POWER BREAKFAST
“This dish is easy and versatile. I can make it before I go to sleep, and it is on hand throughout the week. This meal can be enjoyed cold or heated up in the microwave. I also use this to make smoothies when on the go to help me refuel the body, mind and spirit.”
INGREDIENTS
Water
Quick oats or steel-cut oats
Dried cranberries
Apple (grated, diced or julienned)
Ground cinnamon
Banana (sliced, diced or smashed)
Chocolate soy almond milk
Yogurt (organic, regular, low fat or nonfat)
Frozen berries: raspberries, blueberries and blackberries; you can add strawberries as desired.
METHOD
Bring water to a boil with dried cranberries, apple and ground cinnamon for 15 minutes.
Add oatmeal, stir until oatmeal is incorporated with garnishes, and turn off the burner.
Leave oatmeal in the pot overnight to cool down.
Scoop into a bowl and add chocolate soy almond milk to smooth texture. For thicker oatmeal, use less milk.
Add a spoonful of yogurt and garnish with frozen berries.
Executive chef and owner, Oleana, Sarma and Sofra Bakery & Café, oleanarestaurant.com
THE DISH: FATTEH
“I love this dish because veggies with garlicky yogurt sauce and tomato brown butter are a comfort food for me. It’s delicious with mushrooms, romanesco, asparagus, spring onions and fava—sometimes I make it open faced and other times I sandwich the filling between two chips and frost the top with yogurt sauce.”
INGREDIENTS (YIELDS 6 SERVINGS)
3 Arabic-style pita breads, 10 inch rounds, edges trimmed so that you have large squares
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 onions, Vidalia or spring onions, peeled, cut in half and sliced thin
2 ½ tsp. black and yellow spice
4 cups roughly cut romanesco or cauliflower
6 Tbsp. pine nuts
5 Tbsp. butter
1 ½ cups whole milk yogurt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped mint
1 Tbsp. sumac
Salt to taste
METHOD
The Pita
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cut each pita into 2 equal rectangle pieces and split them in half so that you have 4 rectangles from each pita.
Place the pita pieces in a large mixing bowl and use 8 Tbsp. of olive oil to coat pieces evenly.
Lay the pita onto a baking sheet and use a pastry butter to fill in any dry spots that you see with some more oil as needed.
Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 8 to 9 minutes. Let them cool and set aside.
THE FIXINS
In a medium saute pan, add sliced onions and 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Cook onions on medium-high heat until they begin to wilt. Lower heat to low-medium and cook until they become golden brown, stirring frequently, for about 16 to 18 minutes.
When the onions are soft, stir in the spice blend. Continue to cook until the spices become fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes more. Season with salt and set aside.
In another medium saute pan, cook romanesco with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and 4 Tbsp. water over medium-high heat until tender to your liking, about 3 to 4 minutes.
In a small saucepan, melt butter and add pine nuts. Cook over low heat, stirring until pine nuts turn golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Allow them to cool in the butter. Do not drain butter off.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together yogurt with ½ tsp. salt and 1 Tbsp. olive oil.
To serve, place a spoonful of yogurt sauce on the bottom of a shallow bowl. Put one rectangle of pita on top and smother it with 2 Tbsp. of onion, followed by 2 Tbsp. of romanesco. Sprinkle with a little chopped mint and top with another piece of pita. Spoon 2 Tbsp. or more of yogurt on the top, 1 Tbsp. of pine nuts and sprinkle with sumac.
For chef Allen Campbell, runny eggs over avocado and dark greens is the perfect way to start the day
Owner, AC Kitchen meal delivery, allencampbellkitchen.com
THE DISH: FARM EGGS WITH AVOCADO AND TOGARASHI
“This recipe is everything that I love to eat. Runny farm eggs, creamy avocado, lots of dark greens and a good amount of spice and lemon. Postworkout, I would add some brown rice and kimchi as well. Quick, simple and the ingredients that I used here are staples in most home fridges.”
INGREDIENTS
1 clove garlic, sliced thin
1 cup kale, bite-size pieces
1 cup arugula
1 Tbsp. avocado oil
2 eggs
½ avocado
1 Tbsp. togarashi
½ lemon
Salt and pepper
METHOD
Steam kale and garlic for 45 seconds.
In a mixing bowl, fold warm kale and garlic with arugula. Squeeze some lemon over the greens and season with salt and pepper.
Heat avocado oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Crack eggs into pan and season with togarashi and salt. Cover the pan and allow the white to continue to cook without cooking the yolks.
Add greens to a bowl and top with avocado. Squeeze the rest of the lemon over the avocado and season with salt and pepper. Add runny eggs and a sprinkle of togarashi as desired.
Photography by: Olga Kudriavtseva/Unsplash; Allen Campbell
