SiciLean™

Natural Remedies for Seasonal Allergies (Recipe: Wilted Spinach Salad with Grilled Chicken)

    'Tis the season. Allergy season, that is. Lately, my house has been a symphony of coughs, sneezes and sniffles.  My first line of defense for any ailment is always diet, supplements and other natural remedies (I tend to use medication - both prescription and over-the-counter medications - as a last resort), so I've busted out my favorite holistic remedies this week, in order to give everyone in my house some relief. If you (or those you love) suffer from seasonal allergies, give these a try:

1. Eat immune boosting foods. Allergies are an immune response. Essentially, an allergic response is triggered when a harmless substance (the allergen) causes the immune system to overreact, as if that substance were harmful. Often, the body responds by creating histamine, causing inflammation in the soft tissues throughout the body (such as nasal passages, eyes, throat, etc.). Foods that boost immunity - particularly, onions and garlic - help prevent this overreaction by the immune system and control the amount of histamines produced. (Source)

2. Eat foods rich in vitamins C and E. These immune-enhancing vitamins also control the symptoms of seasonal allergies: the runny nose, itchy and watery eyes, scratchy throat. Some foods that contain high amounts of these vitamins are peppers (especially red peppers), carrots and spinach (you see where I'm going with this...spinach salad!)

3. Eat foods that are anti-inflammatory. An anti-inflammatory diet benefits us in a number of ways, but those who suffer from seasonal allergies will really benefit from less inflammation in the system. Less inflammation means less reaction /symptoms.

4. Supplement with herbs like echinacea, ginger and licorice. When suffering from allergies and other infections, herbs like echinacea, ginger and licorice (NO, not the candy!) help boost T-cells, the little soldiers of our immune system. They help to fight viruses and infections (like ear infections, sinus infections, etc.), which could result from the mucus and congestion associated with colds and allergies. You can find these herbal supplements at your local pharmacy or health food store. Speak to an expert to make sure that they are appropriate for you, and what dosage is best. (Source)

5. Stay hydrated. Drink lots of water and keep nasal passages moist by using steam, a neti pot, saline spray, etc. sounds to simple to work, but it really does help relieve the symptoms associated with allergies. These things help flush toxins out and reduce discomfort.

This  Wilted Spinach Salad has quickly become my new favorite salad. The spinach is wilted ever so slightly and tossed with grape tomatoes, lots of extra virgin olive oil and toasted garlic (what Sicilian girl WOULDN'T love it!). I like to add some grilled chicken to it, which makes it more of a meal...an immune boosting, vitamin rich, anti-inflammatory one. Will this alone make your allergy symptoms, magically, disappear? Maybe not, but eating this way gives your body the resources it needs to manage allergens, germs and inflammation more efficiently and effectively, so that you can enjoy this beautiful season.

Happy Spring!

Wilted Spinach Salad with Grilled Chicken

For Grilled Chicken:

4 thinly sliced chicken cutlets
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

For Wilted Spinach Salad:

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 bag (approx. 9 ounces) of baby spinach
1/2 box (approx. 1/2 pint) grape tomatoes, sliced in half
Splash of balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle chicken cutlets with salt and pepper and lay in a baking pan. Pour the lemon dressing over the chicken and allow to marinate for approximately 30 minutes.

Heat grill pan over high heat. Grill chicken cutlets, approximately 3 minutes per side (depending on how thick the cutlets are). When done, remove from grill and set aside.

In a medium stockpot, heat the olive oil until hot, but not smoking. Add garlic slices and simmer until they just begin to turn brown. Remove from heat and immediately add the spinach to the pot. Toss until the spinach is slightly wilted and nicely coated with the olive oil. Add grape tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

Divide the spinach salad among four plates and top each one with one sliced chicken cutlet.

Serves 4.

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Watercress and Beet Salad

Hello, fellow Wellness Warriors,

    Salad is the best way I know to "crowd out" the foods that we don't want to be eating and incorporate more of the clean, nutrient rich foods that we do. Salad is full of fiber, so it tends to be fairly filling. That's why it's best eaten at the start of a meal. Along with some protein and healthy fats, it can be a well-balanced meal on its own. The problem is that, unless you have a wide variety of salad recipes up your sleeve, even the most passionate veggie-lover can become really bored, really fast.

    That's where I come in...of all the things that I love to experiment with in the kitchen, my very favorite "project" is coming up with new and interesting salads. So much so, that I am almost always asked to bring salad to family dinners, parties, etc. Everybody knows that I love the challenge of jazzing up an old classic.

    This salad has become my husband's absolute favorite: peppery watercress paired with sweet onion and roasted beets in a light, red wine vinaigrette. In case you aren't familiar with watercress, it's a cruciferous vegetable that gets its name from the fact that it's a water plant, growing wild on the banks of streams and slow moving rivers. It can be a bit bitter, so I like to pair it with something sweet, like the roasted beets or some fruit (berries, pears, etc.). It's peppery flavor also makes it a nice addition to sandwiches.

    But best of all, watercress is a true superfood -  full of vitamin A, vitamin C, beta-carotene, B vitamins, vitamin E, folate and calcium - with only 18 calories per serving. Its phytonutrients and enzymes promote cellular oxygenation and rejuvenation, giving it some incredible anti-aging properties, as well. In fact, the ANDI score ("Aggregate Nutrient Density Index") for watercress is off the charts at 1,000 (the highest score of any fruit or vegetable). Of course, to get the most benefit, watercress is best eaten raw. That's why this salad is such a health-homerun. And if you want to fancy it up a bit, bleu cheese crumbled on top looks and tastes wonderful.

Below are some additional resources for you to check out. Enjoy and please let me know how you like it in the comments section below!

http://www.livestrong.com/article/2706-facts-health-benefits-watercress/

http://www.naturalnews.com/033548_watercress_cruciferous_vegetables.html

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/healthy-eating/health-starts-here/resources-and-tools/top-ten-andi-scores

 
Watercress and Beet Salad 

1 bunch watercress (about 8 ounces), washed, with stems

1 large (or 2 small) beets, roasted and sliced into rounds

1/2 medium sweet onion (I like using Vidalia onions), thinly sliced

4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

salt and pepper, to taste

Roast beets (directions here). When cool, slice them and set aside. In a small bowl, make the vinaigrette by combining the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.

When ready to assemble salad, place watercress in a medium bowl and toss with the dressing. Top with the slices of onion and beet.

Serves 4.

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Summer Veggie Salad with Fresh Herb Vinaigrette

    It's been a while, I know. My trip to Italy was fantastic - I've lots more recipes and stories to share, but I came back exhausted, swamped with work after being away so long, and absolutely stuffed! It's taken me a few weeks to get reoriented.  The food was incredible, however, eating my way through Tuscany for more than two weeks definitely caught up with me.

    Tuscan food, delicious as it is, tends to include lots of meat (particularly, pork), pasta and bread, and much less fruits and vegetables than I am accustomed to eating. It's also a bit saltier (cured meats, cheeses and the like). I returned home, after a whirlwind trip, feeling tired and heavy, wanting to lighten things up and get myself back on track.

    Couple that with the fact that my oven broke down last week and you've got a menu that consists of plenty of salad - light, fresh, healthy and no cooking required. I've made many of the old standby's like this one and this one, and I've tried a few new ones. This Summer Veggie Salad with Fresh Herb Vinaigrette is my new favorite! Especially the dressing, which I imagine will also be a rockin' marinade for grilled fish, chicken or vegetable kebabs. The recipe, which I adapted a bit, comes from Cooking 1.0 by Heidi Swanson. I added a few more veggies to the salad, but the vinaigrette is her recipe, exactly as written. It will absolutely knock your flip-flops off! So...

     I'm now back home on Long Island. Temperatures are in the mid-60's. The sun is shining. The produce markets are brimming with the bounty of spring and I'm back in my kitchen. Yes, indeed, there is no place like home.

Summer Veggie Salad with Fresh Herb Vinaigrette

3 handfuls of mixed baby greens

3 handfuls of baby spinach

1 cup of green beans, blanched

1/2 Vidalia onion, thinly sliced

1/2 carton on grape tomatoes, halved

2-3 radishes, thinly sliced

1 rib of celery, thinly sliced

1 cup of fresh or frozen corn kernels (if using frozen, thaw them)

Fresh Herb Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

1 small log of herbed goat cheese, crumbled (approx. 1/2 cup)

Place greens in a large salad bowl. Add all other veggies. Toss with the vinaigrette, then top with the goat cheese.

Serves 6.

Fresh Herb Vinaigrette

2 shallots

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 pinches of salt

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a blender or food processor, puree the shallots, basil leaves and mint leaves. Add the lemon juice and give it a quick whiz. While running, add the olive oil slowly (this will create a creamy dressing). Finish off by adding the salt and pepper.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups of dressing.

 

 

 

Mixed Baby Greens with Dried Fruit in a Honey-Balsamic Vinaigrette

    I had a completely bizarre restaurant experience recently. No, I will not name the restaurant, but suffice it to say that it is a popular Italian restaurant on Long Island, with a good reputation , which made it even more bizarre. I went out to dinner with a group of friends a couple of weeks ago. Typically, when we go out, my friend, Susan, and I share a salad and an entrée. We have similar taste in…well, just about everything, and so this arrangement suits us well. On this particular evening, we decided to share a salad that they called “Fruitta Secca,” which means “dried fruit” in Italian. It was  a mixed greens salad dressed in a honey-lemon dressing and topped with an assortment of diced, dried fruit. We also decided to share a whole fish (a branzino).

    Now, if you have ever ordered whole fish in a restaurant, you know that it is always sliced in half, horizontally, and de-boned, so that two filets are formed and the meat of the fish can easily be lifted off of the skin. Sometimes, a dressing of olive oil, lemon and fresh herbs is served alongside the fish, to be drizzled over it. Cooking the fish whole helps to seal in the moisture, so it’s a really nice way to prepare the fish. Anyway, I digress. Back to my bizarre dinner…

    When the waitress brought the plates over to us, the fish was cut in half, but it was cut vertically. Right down the center. What this means is that Susan was served the tail end of the fish – meaty, but full of the bones – and I was served the fish head! No meat, just the head with a big fish eye staring back at me from the plate (the other friends who were with us that night are still laughing about the expression on my face when I saw the fish head on my plate). Now, don’t get me wrong - I’m not squeamish about being served fish with the head on. It’s just that I expected some FISH to accompany the head!

    I explained to the waitress that they cut the fish in such a way that I have, basically, nothing to eat. She claimed that it was a “miscommunication.”  She was all, “We always serve the fish with the head on.” I was all, “I know that, but this fish is not cut correctly.” She was all, “You didn’t understand what you ordered.” I was all, “There is nothing EDIBLE on this plate.” She was all, “Fine - I’ll have the chef pick all of the bones out by hand.”  And that did it - Susan and I were so grossed out by the thought of this that we decided to just forget the fish altogether and make do with our salad. Lucky for us,  it was a damn good salad.

    This is my replication of the Fruitta Secca salad that we shared. The only revision I made was in the dressing. I think that sweet balsamic vinegar complements the dried fruit even better than the lemon juice did. The combination of mixed baby greens, dried fruit, and honey-balsamic dressing screams autumn and, for that reason, I’ve decided to serve this salad with Thanksgiving dinner. Minus the fish head.

Mixed Baby Greens with Dried Fruit in a Honey-Balsamic Vinaigrette

4 cups of mixed baby lettuces

1 cup dried fruit, diced (I used a mixture that had no nuts, but if you like nuts, I bet that would work, too)

Honey-Balsamic Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Place greens and ¼ cup of vinaigrette in a large mixing bowl and toss until greens are well-coated with dressing. Divide greens among four salad plates and then top with the dried fruit (about ¼ cup of dried fruit on top of each salad).

Serves 4.

Honey-Balsamic Vinaigrette

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp. honey or agave syrup

Salt and pepper, to taste.

Whisk the vinegar and honey together in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, while continuing to whisk, until the oil is well incorporated.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Makes approx. ½ cup dressing.

Update on SiciLean and Romaine Salad with Strawberries and Basil

      

    Okay, so you know how I said that I was enjoying the lazy days of summer? Well, that laziness is like a faint memory now. For one thing, the kids are finished with their two weeks of day camp. For another thing, I am working hard to set up the new blog, SiciLean™, and “migrate” the recipes and blog posts over from Forty Cloves (not terribly difficult, just time-consuming). I also made the mistake of scheduling all of the appointments that are hard to manage during the school year – doctors, dentists, orthodontist, etc. – over summer vacation, which means that I’ve spent entirely too many hours of the last two weeks sitting in various waiting rooms of various offices.

    But I have made a lot of progress on the new blog: I have designed the site and moved a lot of the files from Forty Cloves. I am currently working on creating an index of recipes that will make it easier to find what you are looking for. I am working on some preliminary posts which will familiarize you with the Sicilian diet and outline the SiciLean™ principles/philosophy. And I’m combing through my vast collection of recipes to find ones that I think you’ll love.

    It hasn’t left a lot of time for cooking. In fact, I haven’t even turned my oven on in a while. The few meals I’ve made have been either grilled or cold. That means, lots and lots of salad (the easiest of all meals, if you don’t mind the chopping). This Romaine Salad with Strawberries and Basil is a great combination of summer flavors and textures – colorful, crisp, and sweet. Enjoy!

 

Romaine Salad with Strawberries and Basil

1 head romaine lettuce, washed and chopped

1 ½ cups of strawberries, washed and sliced

1 generous handful of basil

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 ½ Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Place the chopped romaine lettuce in a medium bowl.  Add the strawberries and basil leaves. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, a pinch of salt and several (maybe 8 or 10) grinds of black pepper.

Add the dressing to the salad and toss well to combine. Adjust salt and pepper, as desired.

Serves 4.

Fennel and Orange Salad

 
Fennel and I have come a long way. Growing up, fennel was served only one way: the raw stalks were set out at the end of a big meal, along with fruit and nuts. I found the celery-like stalks tough and the licorice flavor too strong (perhaps, by that time, I was simply too full to appreciate it). At any rate,  I passed on fennel. For about twenty years. Then, I happened to see TV chef Dave Lieberman make a fennel and green apple salad that looked outrageous. I decided to give fennel another try and…turned out I liked it, after all. For me, the key to enjoying fennel raw is changing the act from a solo to a duet (as Lieberman did).  I slice the fennel bulb thinly and pair it with fruit.

 
The fruit has the effect of mellowing the fennel’s sharp anise flavor, giving it a juicy sweetness and highlighting its crisp texture. I’ve paired fennel with several fruits – apple, pear, orange, kiwi – and my favorite is this Fennel and Orange Salad. The flavors are vivid and fresh, and the oranges give off enough liquid that the salad needs no more dressing than a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkling of salt and pepper to make it sing. I feel quite certain that, if the Mediterranean sun were to drop out of the sky and land on a plate, it would taste just like this salad. Yes, fennel and I have come a long way.

 
Fennel and Orange Salad

2 bulbs fennel

2 naval oranges

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

½ lemon, juiced

Salt

Pepper

Cut the stalks off of the fennel and remove the tough outer layer of the bulb, reserving the fennel fronds. Cut the bulb in half and then slice each half very thinly (you may use a mandolin for this, if you wish). Put the fennel slices into the salad bowl and set aside. Peel a naval orange by slicing off the ends. Sit the orange on one of the flat ends and use your knife to cut off strips of the peel and white pith. Keep turning the orange until it is entirely peeled. Cut the orange in half and then slice each half thinly. Add these orange slices to the fennel, then add the olive oil and lemon juice. Toss to combine and sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Before serving, cut some of the fennel fronds and scatter them on top of the salad.

 

Beef with Arugula and Roasted Garlic

 
I get such a thrill out of the first “grill” of the season. I suppose there is nothing preventing me from grilling throughout the winter, but I never do. I’m happy to spend the winter cooking inside, making soups and stews and roasted meats, but then, in April, things begin to shift. I can’t say that it’s the weather (in New York, it is still pretty cool), but one day, I'll get out of my car and catch a whiff of smoky meat cooking on my neighbor’s grill and spot that familiar cloud of smoke rising above the fence. Then the racks at the supermarket checkout counter become stuffed with magazines adorned with grilled vegetables on colorful platters, and picnic blankets set out on the beach. Then they line the entrance to the produce market with tubs full of tulips and daffodils. And that does it. Now, I find myself scouring cookbooks for marinades and dry-rubs, scrubbing down the outdoor furniture, collecting citronella candles, and getting excited over grilling paraphernalia shown in cookware catalogs. Summer – and, along with it, cooking and eating outdoors – is on its way!

 
While it’s not quite warm enough to eat dinner outside, this weekend we did fire up the ‘ol Weber and grill our first steak of the season. I’ve already told you about my love affair with arugula, following our recent trip to Italy, so it will come as no surprise to you that I put that sucker right on top of a big pile of arugula dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. Then I spread the top of the steak with roasted garlic. We practically licked our plates!

Step 1:

Roasted Garlic

1 head of garlic

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut top off of garlic head (see photo) and place, cut side up, on sheet of aluminum foil. Pour olive oil over the top. Close the foil over the garlic head and place on cookie sheet. Roast for 45 minutes.

Step 2:

 
Beef with Arugula and Roasted Garlic

1 - 1 1/2 lbs. top sirloin steak (about 1 inch thick)

3 cups arugula

2 Tbsp. olive oil

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt

pepper

Preheat grill.

Salt and pepper both sides of steak. For medium-rare steak, grill for approx. 14 minutes (7 minutes per side). While meat is cooking, toss arugula with olive oil, lemon juice, a pinch of salt and pepper, to taste. When steak is done, squeeze roasted garlic over the top and spread. Allow meat to rest for 5 minutes - this allows the juices to redistribute - then slice meat and place over the bed of arugula.

Serves 4-6.

   


 

Roasted Beet Salad

 
Whenever I roast beets, I am reminded of my mother and a story she LOVES to tell – the story of her family’s vacation to Florida when she was a child.  My grandfather was a music teacher and decided that, rather than spring for a set of luggage, he would simply take some of the larger instruments out of their red velvet-lined cases and pack the cases with the family’s clothes for the week.  He tied these instrument cases to the roof of the station wagon and they set off on the long drive from New York to Florida. Nobody thought much of the rain that they encountered along the way. That is, until they arrived in Florida and opened up their “luggage.” Every article of clothing they brought was dyed red, marbled with the deep garnet color of the velvet. My mother claims that they looked like some sort of Partridge family-type rock band, all decked out in their matching, red, tie-dyed duds. This is what it’s like to roast beets.

 
Everything that touches the beets – the cutting board, the towels, your fingers, the other ingredients – will be stained red. You will want to work over the sink. You will not want to use a wooden cutting board. You will want to wear an apron and gloves. But the saving grace is that, despite the mess, you will want to make this salad over and over again. It’s that good. The beets are sweet and earthy and, along with the specks of deep green parsley, resemble little jewels. The shallots and red wine vinegar give the beets just the right “zing” and it makes a gorgeous and tasty starter or side dish.

 
I figure, Mother Nature must have known that she’d better make this one worth the trouble! But then, in her infinite wisdom, she also had a plan B – yellow beets. Feel free to substitute those, or use a combination of red and yellow, as I do.

Roasted Beet Salad

4 beets (red, yellow, or a combo of both)

2 shallots, sliced

1/4 cup chopped parsley

4 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

First, you must roast the beets: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the stems off of the beets and place on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with approx 1 Tbsp. of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper (See photo). Wrap them up in the foil and place on a cookie sheet. Roast for approx. 45 minutes, or until a knife can be easily inserted.

Allow beets to cool and then peel the skin off (again, make sure to do this over the sink). Cut the beets in half and then slice. Toss slices into a bowl with the sliced shallots, chopped parsley, remaining olive oil and red wine vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste.

Note: In a pinch, I have used canned beets (be careful not to use the jarred, pickled ones) and they also work well. While the canned beets aren't quite as rich in flavor and vitamins, using them will save you lots of time.

 

Arugula, Egg and Tomato Salad

 
I have just returned from a trip to Italy and I am so inspired to cook! Sometimes, I get into a rut and find myself making the same meals over and over. Often, it takes a great restaurant meal, a beautiful produce display or a lively conversation with a fellow foodie to get my creative juices flowing again and nudge me out of my culinary comfort zone. In Italy, I had all of these things – the meals I ate there were some of the best I’ve ever had (made with the freshest of ingredients and elegant in their simplicity), the Campo de’ Fiori market is an absolute feast for the senses and can inspire anyone (cooks, artists and photographers, alike), and it seems that anyone and everyone in Rome loves to expound on the subject of food. Among other things, I learned where to find the best gelato, the difference between Roman pizza and all other kinds of pizza, and why the region of Modena produces the best balsamic vinegar. We learned as much about the food of Rome as we learned about its history and culture, so that by the end of our vacation, I was almost as excited about coming home to my kitchen as I was about going to Italy in the first place!

 
(Campo de' Fiori market, Feb. 2011)

I have a bunch of stories and recipes that I’m excited to share with you - sort of a “Roman Food” series for the blog, I suppose - but first on the list of things that I am excited about is arugula or “rucola”, as the Italians call it. I have never enjoyed as much arugula as I did last week. It is definitely the green of choice in Rome and it is used in some very creative ways.

 
This is my favorite of all of the breakfasts we had there (although it can easily be a lunch dish, as well):

Arugula, Hard-boiled Egg and Tomato Salad

A handful of baby arugula

1 hard boiled egg, sliced

1 beefsteak tomato, sliced thinly

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Bread of your choice

On a bed of arugula, layer the tomato slices and the sliced hard boiled eggs. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with focaccia or toasted Italian bread (or, if you are being virtuous, whole grain toast).

Serves 1

Note: I tried another variation of this, as well - I used poached eggs instead of hard boiled. The soft, drippy yolks running over the tomatoes and arugula were heavenly! Whatever egg and bread you choose, you will not be disappointed!