A wonderful basic condiment on its own, or an ingredient for other things, Roasted Garlic Paste has a surprisingly mild and friendly flavor. The sharpness that we normally expect is dramatically softened through the roasting process, and the result is pungent in a very positive sense.
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or more)
3 medium heads garlic (about 3 ounces each)
• This recipe is very easily multiplied. Get into the habit of making multiple batches and keep this magical stuff on hand as a staple.
• This keeps well for a week or more if stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.
• Be sure the surface of the Roasted Garlic Paste is covered thoroughly with a layer of olive oil during storage, as this creates an airtight seal that helps preserve the paste.
• A toaster oven works very well for roasting the garlic, so you don’t have to heat your entire large oven for just this one small item.
YIELD: ABOUT 3 ONE-TABLESPOON SERVINGS
Protein: 3 g / Saturated Fat: 2 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: 10 g /
Dietary Fiber: 1 g / Calories: 186
Authentic guacamole is very simple to prepare—it’s just pure, ripe avocados with touches of seasoning added. Although best known as a dip for chips, guacamole is tremendously versatile, providing a substantial, colorful accompaniment to many savory dishes, especially those featuring eggs, beans, tomatoes, or cornmeal.
1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice
1 large firm, ripe avocado(about 5 to 6 ounces)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of ground cumin
1 tablespoon minced red onion
2 tablespoons minced fresh tomato or tomato-based salsa
Cayenne
• This keeps for only a day or so, tightly covered and refrigerated, but is best eaten right after it’s made.
YIELD: 4 SERVINGS (ABOUT 2 TABLESPOONS PER SERVING)
Protein: 1 g / Saturated Fat: 1 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: 4 g /
Dietary Fiber: 3 g / Calories: 76
Avocado lovers are always relieved and excited to learn that their favorite green comfort food not only is permitted on this diet, but is actually encouraged! This is a great way to make it into a simple sandwich spread or a dip for whole-grain crackers or vegetables. Just be sure the avocado you use is perfectly ripe, so it will mash effortlessly into a creamy, smooth consistency.
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1 small (3-ounce) avocado (or half a large one)
Salt
• If you are using only half a larger avocado for this, you can preserve the other half by leaving in the pit, and drizzling the open surface with lemon juice. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store out of direct light—either at room temperature (if your kitchen is not too hot) or in the refrigerator. Use this other half on a salad within a day or so—or just make a double batch of Avocado “Butter” to begin with!
• Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. It will keep up to 2 days.
YIELD: 2 SERVINGS (ABOUT 1½ TABLESPOONS PER SERVING)
Protein: 1 g / Saturated Fat: 1 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: 4 g /
Dietary Fiber: 3 g / Calories: 73
With no fancy equipment whatsoever, you can become an artisan cheesemaker. Just drain a good deal of the liquid from any kind of yogurt, and the thickened result will be a soft and tasty homemade cheese. Simple and impressive! There are two ways to go about this low-tech process. The first approach uses a strainer, some cheesecloth, a bowl, and a bag of beans. The second method (for the many of you who don’t happen to keep a supply of cheesecloth around on any kind of regular basis) calls for nothing more elaborate than drip coffee equipment, namely, a cone and a paper filter. Really and truly. The only disadvantage to this scheme is that you can’t make a large amount at one time, because your “dripping space” is smaller. Yogurt Cheese will keep for 3 to 4 days if wrapped tightly and stored in the refrigerator.
Method One
2 cups plain nonfat yogurt
YIELD: ABOUT 1 CUP (4 SNACK-SIZE SERVINGS)
Protein: 5 g / Saturated Fat: 0 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: 0 g /
beans works very well.) Dietary Fiber: 0 g / Calories: 50
Method Two
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
YIELD: ABOUT ½ CUP (2 SNACK-SIZE SERVINGS)
Protein: 5 g / Saturated Fat: 0 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: 0 g /
Dietary Fiber: 0 g / Calories: 50
Add this very tasty concoction to your growing list of “dump and blend” recipes that come out tasting as though they were fussed over for hours!
¼ cup tomato juice
One 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained (or 1¾ cups cooked black beans)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
½ to 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic (start with less; see how you like it)
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
Optional toppings:
Hot sauce
Salsa
Minced parsley and/or cilantro
• Cooking tip: Roll the lime on the countertop, pressing it down, before you squeeze it for juice. This will maximize juice extraction!
YIELD: ABOUT 2 CUPS (8 QUARTER-CUP SERVINGS)
Protein: 3 g / Saturated Fat: 0 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: 0 g /
Dietary Fiber: 3 g / Calories: 53
You can buy very good prepared hummus in almost any grocery store or deli these days, but it is fun (and cheaper) to make your own.
Two 15-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or 3½ CUPs cooked chickpeas)
6 tablespoons sesame tahini
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic(or more, to taste)
½ teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
1 teaspoon ground cumin Cayenne
Extra-virgin olive oil, for the top
• This keeps for about a week if stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.
YIELD: 3½ CUPS (14 QUARTERCUP SERVINGS)
Protein: 5 g / Saturated Fat: 1 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g /
Dietary Fiber: 4 g / Calories: 122
Serve this classic Middle Eastern sauce over cooked vegetables or any main-dish protein.
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¾ cup sesame tahini
½ teaspoon minced or crushed garlic (or more, to taste)
3 or 4 sprigs fresh parsley
½ teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
About 1 cup water
Cayenne
• This keeps for weeks if stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.
YIELD: ABOUT 1½ CUPS (12 TWO-TABLESPOON SERVINGS)
Protein: 3 g / Saturated Fat: 1 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: 4 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g /
Dietary Fiber: 1 g / Calories: 93
Add a little Indian-style seasoning and a scattering (or even a stampede) of fresh vegetables to a bowlful of yogurt, and you have a raita—a general term, in Indian cooking, for yogurt sauces served as a cooling contrast to spicy curries. This is also a wonderful sauce for many other things (you get to choose).
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
2 cups plain nonfat yogurt
¼ teaspoon salt
teaspoon cayenne
Up to 1 cup minced cucumber(peeled and seeded)
Optional Additions(Amounts are flexible; the more, the merrier!):
Minced bell pepper
Minced red onion
Grated carrot
Diced ripe tomato
Minced or torn cilantro leaves
• Make this as close to serving time as possible. It keeps for only a day, or maybe two, but not longer—or at least, it doesn’t keep well longer—in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.
YIELD: AT LEAST 2½ CUPS (OR MORE, DEPENDING ON HOW MANY EXTRA VEGETABLES YOU ADD)
Protein: 4 g / Saturated Fat: 0 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: 0 g /
Dietary Fiber: < 1 g / Calories: 45
Balsamic vinegar is reduced to a thick, flavorful syrup when cooked down to about two thirds of its original volume. You can drizzle this amazing stuff over more foods than you’d ever imagine—everything from roasted vegetables and grain dishes to all forms of Protein-of-Choice. It’s even great on pancakes, fruit, and frozen desserts. This might just be the most versatile one-ingredient sauce ever.
1 cup balsamic vinegar
• You don’t need to use an expensive brand of vinegar for this recipe. In fact, the ordinary, more moderately priced supermarket varieties work the best.
• Store Balsamic Glaze in a covered container in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Theoretically, it will keep forever, but undoubtedly you will use it up sooner than that. If it hardens, just zap it in a microwave for a few seconds and it will soften right up again.
YIELD: CUP (5 ONE-TABLESPOON SERVINGS) (EASILY MULTIPLIED)
Protein: < 1 g / Saturated Fat: 0 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: 0 g /
Dietary Fiber: 0 g / Calories: 31
Pomegranate molasses is a delicious condiment available at Middle Eastern food shops—or in the imported-foods section of basic grocery stores. It keeps forever in your cupboard, and a little bit goes a long way. In this simple sauce (which also keeps forever, if refrigerated) pomegranate molasses is just mixed with some fresh lime juice for a stunning result. It’s good on all vegetables, grains, tofu, chicken, meat—you name it.
¼ cup pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
YIELD: CUP (5 ONE TABLESPOON SERVINGS)
Protein: 0 g / Saturated Fat: 0 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: 0 g /
Dietary Fiber: 0 g / Calories: 33
Combine the two ingredients in a small bowl, and mix with a spoon or a small whisk until smooth. Serve at room temperature, spooned over hot or room-temperature food.
You can spoon this tangy little condiment onto any Protein-of-Choice to give it a boost. It’s also a really good sandwich spread. This keeps for weeks if stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Chinese-style toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons orange juice (freshly squeezed, if possible)
1 tablespoon light-colored honey
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
A touch of minced fresh cilantro (optional)
YIELD: ½ CUP (8 ONE-TABLESPOON SERVINGS)
Protein: < 1 g / Saturated Fat: < 1 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g /
Dietary Fiber: 0 g / Calories: 48
Combine everything in a small bowl, and mix with a spoon or a small whisk until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.
This sauce is delicious on vegetables, and also on all protein choices, grains, and noodles. It’s a good basic sauce to include in your cooking repertoire.
1½ teaspoons cornstarch
½ cup water
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon light-colored honey
½ teaspoon Chinese-style toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced or crushed garlic
• This sauce keeps well for up to 2 weeks in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator, but will need to be stirred from the bottom and reheated gently before serving.
YIELD: ½ CUP (2 SERVINGS)
Protein: 1 g / Saturated Fat: 0 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: < 1 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: < 1 g /
Dietary Fiber: 0 g / Calories: 70
With only two ingredients and in just 10 minutes you can make a perfect gravy. It’s important that the broth itself be delicious, as this becomes the flavor of the gravy. So use your own best homemade, or go for one of those really good commercial brands that come unrefrigerated in 1-quart boxes. One excellent brand is Imagine, which makes a very good vegetable broth and also a No-Chicken Broth, both of them organic. (See here for more details about broth.)
2 cups delicious broth
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
Salt (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)
• Keep this in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator, and use as needed over the period of a week. You can also freeze it.
YIELD: 4 SERVINGS
Protein: 1 g / Saturated Fat: 0 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: 0 g /
Dietary Fiber: 1 g / Calories: 22
Please see the notes about broth on the opposite page.
¼ pound mushrooms
1 tablespoon canola oil
Pinch of dried thyme
¼ teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
1 teaspoon minced or crushed garlic
2 cups delicious broth
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
Freshly ground black pepper(optional)
• Keep this in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator and use as needed over a period of a week. You can also freeze it.
YIELD: 4 SERVINGS 4.
Protein: 2 g / Saturated Fat: < 1 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g /
Dietary Fiber: 1 g / Calories: 61
Here’s your basic salad dressing, a beautiful workhorse that you can make in just seconds with only four ingredients. Please note that the fresher the garlic, the better this will taste.
½ teaspoon minced or crushed garlic
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons balsamic or sherry vinegar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• This keeps for months, if stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.
YIELD: ABOUT CUP (11 ONE-TABLESPOON SERVINGS)
Protein: 0 g / Saturated Fat: 2 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: 9 g /
Dietary Fiber: 0 g / Calories: 111
Roasted Garlic Paste is needed for this recipe, so make it ahead of time—and keep making it! It’s a terrific staple to have on hand, and it keeps for a month or longer in the refrigerator.
1 tablespoon Roasted Garlic Paste (here)
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons balsamic or sherry vinegar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
YIELD: CUP (11 ONETABLESPOON SERVINGS
Protein: 0 g / Saturated Fat: 2 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: 9 g /
Dietary Fiber: 0 g / Calories: 117
A really good alternative to that ever-popular staple, this is the cleanest version around! It keeps for a week or more, if stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.
½ cup low-fat buttermilk
2 to 3 tablespoons mayonnaise(any kind)
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
½ teaspoon onion powder (or to taste)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder (or to taste)
teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper
YIELD: A GENEROUS ½ CUP (8 ONE-TABLESPOON SERVINGS)
Protein: 1 g / Saturated Fat: < 1 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: < 1 g /
Dietary Fiber: 0 g / Calories: 25
Sometimes you just want some creaminess in your basic vinaigrette. This one tastes luxurious and rich, especially if you add the optional shallot (a wonderful flavor-cross between mild, sweet onion and garlic). Store it in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator, and it will keep for several weeks.
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons low-fat buttermilk
2 tablespoons light-colored honey
teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
1 to 2 teaspoons finely minced shallot (optional)
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
YIELD: ABOUT : ¾ CUP (12 ONE-TABLESPOON SERVINGS)
Protein: 0 g / Saturated Fat: 1 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: 4 g /
Dietary Fiber: 0 g / Calories: 64
In addition to its more conventional use on salads, this really good dressing doubles as a sparkling sauce on any Protein-of-Choice (here–here). Delicious and different!
2 to 3 tablespoons balsamic or sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon minced or crushed garlic
teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons light-colored honey
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• This dressing keeps for weeks—and even months—if stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.
YIELD: ABOUT ½ CUP (8 ONE-TABLESPOON SERVINGS)
Protein: 0 g / Saturated Fat: 1 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: 8 g /
Dietary Fiber: 0 g / Calories: 110
The acid from the fruit juice preserves the avocado’s lovely green color. Use this luxurious dressing for Avocado Waldorf (here) or on any sliced fruit or green leafy salad.
¼ cup orange juice (fresh-squeezed, if possible)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 small (3-ounce) avocado—or half a larger one, perfectly ripe
½ cup plain nonfat yogurt
1 tablespoon light-colored honey (possibly a little more)
Pinch of salt
Up to ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest or orange zest (optional)
• This dressing will keep for about 3 days in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.
YIELD: ¾ CUP
Protein: 1 g / Saturated Fat: 1 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: < 1 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: < 1 g /
Dietary Fiber: 1 g / Calories: 25