Food Matters: "Anything goes" granola, Black beans, rice & sweet potatoes, Spicy chickpea stew Recipe

by Marla Nichols

As I left the library the other day, I picked up a new book by Mark Bittman, author of the book, How to Cook Everything and the New York Times food blog, "Bitten". On his blog, Mr. Bittman seems brusque and a bit bossy but is direct, knowledgeable, and cuts through much of the usual food personality baloney. I've never thought of him as a "healthy living" advocate, so was surprised when his new book, Food Matters, detailed a plan for "responsible eating".

In three hundred pages, he describes in detail how global marketing has put both our health and the planet's health at risk and cites a stunning statistic from a United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization report : "global livestock production is responsible for about one-fifth of all greenhouse gases—more than transportation." Mr. Bittman proposes that you can "loose weight, reduce the risk of long-term, chronic disease, save money and help stop global warming with one simple, lifestyle change.

Well maybe not so simple, but still..."In general, eat less meat, and fewer animal products. Specifically, eat fewer refined carbohydrates: white bread, cookies, white rice; eat way less junk food: soda, chips, snack food, candy, etc.; eat more vegetables, legumes, fruit, and whole grains. By reducing the amount of meat we eat, we can grow and kill fewer animals. That means less environmental damage, including climate change; fewer antibiotics in the water and food supplies; fewer pesticides and herbicides, reduced cruelty; and so on."

Here are a few of his statistics that address what we eat and its effect on the environment:

Americans eat twice as much meat as the world average and 10 times as much as developing countries.

To produce one calorie of beef protein requires 40 calories of fossil fuel; to produce one calorie of corn takes 2.2 calories

Each cow on the planet consumes seven barrels of crude oil

A steak dinner for four is equivalent, energy-wise, to driving around in an SUV for three hours while leaving the lights on at home

A 12-oz can of diet soda requires 2,200 calories to produce

A 1-qt. polyethylene bottle requires more than 2,400 calories to produce

His rules are simple:

Eat plants first

Avoid anything with more than five ingredients

Eat locally when possible

Embrace olive oil

Cook at home

Anyways, unlike other books about how we eat, Food Matters made sense to me and I'll try to incorporate some of Mr. Bittman's suggestions in my everyday life. Here are a few recipes to that end: the first is from his book, Food Matters, the other two are from me.

Sorry to slip back into the 80's, but I just watched this again after sooo many years and couldn't help myself. Oh to see Ray Charles again!

Mark Bittman's "Anything goes" Granola

• 5 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant) or other rolled grains (i.e., wheat, rye)
• 3 cups mixed nuts and seeds (i.e., sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews)
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, or other spices to taste (i.e., cardamom, allspice, coriander, nutmeg, ginger)
• 1/2 to 1 cup honey, agave, or maple syrup
• Pinch of alt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups raisins or dried fruit (i.e., dates, cranberries, cherries, blueberries, apricots, pineapple, crystallized ginger, or banana chips)
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts and seeds, coconut, sweetener, and vanilla; sprinkle with salt. Spread the mixture on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or a little longer stirring occasionally. The granola should brown evenly; the darker it gets without burning, the crunchier it will be.
• Remove pan from oven and add raisins or dried fruit. Cool on a rack, stirring now and then until granola reaches room temperature. Put in a sealed container and store in the refrigerator; it will keep indefinitely.
• Black beans, sweet potatoes and brown rice
• 2 Tbs. sun-dried tomatoes in oil, minced
• 1/2 Serrano, fine dice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 onion, fine dice
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 Tbs. lime juice
• 1 tsp. Tabasco
• 1 cup steamed, cubed sweet potatoes
• 1 cup cooked black beans
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• Saute sun-dried tomatoes, serranos, garlic, and onion over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add oregano, paprika and cumin, sauté to roast spices. Add 1 Tbs. lime juice and cook until juice has disappeared. Add Tabasco.
• Season black beans, sweet potatoes and brown rice with salt and pepper. Toss together: sun-dried tomato/onion/spice mix, cooked black beans, sweet potatoes and brown rice. Taste and add more lime juice, Tabasco, or salt if necessary. Garnish with Cotija or Parmesan cheese and plain yogurt.
• Spicy Chickpea Stew (Chana Masala)
• • 4 Tbs. oil
• • ½ tsp. mustard seeds
• • ½ tsp. cumin seeds
• • Fenugreek
• • 1 minced jalapeno
• • 1 medium onion, chopped
• • 1 Tbs. minced garlic
• • 1 Tbs. ginger
• • ¼ tsp. ground cumin
• • ¼ tsp. ground coriander
• • ¼ tsp. turmeric
• • ¼ tsp. ground paprika
• • 4 large tomatoes, chopped
• • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• • ½ tsp. salt
• • 2 cans (16 oz each) chickpeas
• • 1 cup chicken stock

Heat oil; add mustard, cumin, and fenugreek seeds. Cover pot and heat until mustard seeds complete their popping sounds. Add chili pepper and roast in hot oil.

Add onions, garlic, ginger, lower heat to medium and stir well. Add cumin, coriander turmeric, and paprika. Stir well—add small amount of water if spices threaten to burn.

Add tomatoes and cilantro stems, stirring well. Reduce tomatoes and onions to a thick paste. Season with salt. Stir constantly.

When mixture is thick, add chickpeas and stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low; cover, and simmer 30-40 minutes.

Garnish with chopped cilantro—serve with rice and yogurt.