Cooking for friends and family sometimes can be a challenge in face of individual dietary requirements and choices between keto, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free food. This becomes even more important as we consider the need for balance in a healthy diet and try to provide a delicious meal with eye appeal.
A very simple and quick meatless lunch could be zucchini or eggplant sliced in 1/4-inch slices, dipped serially in flour, beaten egg, and some panko mixed with Za’atar flavoring. Then fried crisp to brown in olive oil with a slice of provolone cheese on top and garnished with half a grape tomato.
Recently I was challenged to come up with several satisfying vegetarian luncheon dishes which needed to be a bit more elaborate. Happily, eggs, cheese and milk products could be used in preparation, allowing the dishes to maintain some balance between protein and carbohydrate with different vegetable products.
Zucchini-olive quiche
Zucchini olive quiche (Photo courtesy I. Winicov Harrington)
Have on hand a single premade crust from your grocery deli case for a 9-inch pie.
In a large skillet heat 2 tbsp olive oil and saute 1 thinly sliced onion with 1 1/2 lb zucchini sliced in 1/4-inch slices for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives sliced in half, 1/3 cup julienned sundried tomatoes, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp lemon pepper.
Line a 9-inch pie plate with the crust and scatter 4 oz coarsely shredded Gruyère cheese on the bottom. Spread out the filling over the cheese evenly. Beat 3 eggs in a bowl with 1 tsp Dijon mustard and 1 cup of half-and-half and pour evenly over the filling. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese and bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until a knife inserted comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature with a green salad.
Legumes are a staple in a vegetarian diet because of their high protein content. Thus beans, chickpeas, and lentils are often featured in tasty arrangements with other vegetables or grains. The following salad uses quinoa as the grain component, which makes this dish also gluten free.
Black bean quinoa and radicchio salad
Black bean quinoa and radicchio salad (Photo courtesy I. Winicov Harrington)
This salad can be made with drained and rinsed canned black beans, but the extra effort of cooking dried black beans will give the dish a better texture and additional depth of flavor.
Soak 1 1/4 cups dried black beans in excess of cold water overnight. Place the drained beans in a medium pot, add water to cover by 2 inches and bring to boil. Add 1 tbsp dried onion flakes, 4 cloves, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp oregano and thyme each, and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook on medium low heat for 45 minutes, remove the bay leaf, and drain.
Thoroughly rinse 3/4 cups white quinoa, place in a pot with 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth, and bring to boil. Turn down heat to simmer, cover pot with a lid and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to sit covered for 10 minutes, and then fluff with a fork.
While beans and quinoa are cooking prepare the dressing. Blend together 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp grainy Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp lemon pepper, 1 tsp dried thyme, and 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
In a large bowl toss together the drained beans, quinoa, 2 cups cut up radicchio, 1/2 seeded diced red pepper, 2-3 scallions sliced with greens, 1/4 cup chopped dill, and the dressing. Toss in 4 oz crumbled feta cheese and garnish the serving bowl with halved colorful grape tomatoes and pitted Kalamata olives. Place individual servings on some lettuce greens.
Michael Pollan’s book “Omnivores Dilemma” starts with the question “What should we have for dinner?” but it could equally apply to any meal including lunch. The joy of being an omnivore is that we are not limited to just one type of diet but have the pleasure of discovering the delights of variety of fare.
(I. Winicov Harrington, of Waldoboro, is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less Than $5.00 a Day: The Smart-Frugal Food Plan” and “Uncharted Journey from Riga.” For more information, go to winicov-harrington.com.)
