New Cookbook Brings the Fresh Harvest of Health from the Field to the Table

From the first tender pea shoots in spring to the last brilliant orange pumpkins in autumn, vegetables are the cook's harbinger of the changing seasons. Vegetables are often thought of as sides that complement a main dish of meat, fish or poultry. While this is a great way to showcase the garden's gems, one chef is celebrating vegetables in all their starring roles - breakfast, salads, sides and entrees. The Passionate Vegetable, by fresh food chef and educator, Suzanne Landry, is full of delicious recipes that fit any type of eating style, from vegan and vegetarian, to recipes that include meat.

Everyone knows that eating a variety of vegetables every day is the best way to get the vitamins and minerals needed for optimal health. Having taught natural foods cooking classes for over 30 years, Suzanne believes in encouraging and educating people to eat more vegetables and high-fiber whole grains and beans and less meat protein. Focusing on the connection between food and healing, Suzanne has created fresh and flavorful dishes that allow home cooks to make the most of seasonal produce from local farmers markets, stands, and gardens and cook tasty, yet healthy, well-balanced meals.

More than a cookbook, The Passionate Vegetable reveals the pure simplicity and great flavor of fresh, seasonal vegetables with recipes that are easy to prepare. Chapters include: Healthy Start Breakfasts, Salads that Satisfy, Fresh Garden Salads, For the Love of Soups, Amber Waves of Grain, Bean Cuisine, and Vegetables: Nature's Bounty. Suzanne has included a chapter devoted to meat - To Meat or Not to Meat, and healthy treats: Good for You Desserts. Some of her mouth-watering recipes include:

Barley Confetti Salad with Fresh Dill Lentil and Wild Rice Salad with Cilantro
Spinach Salad with Turkey Sausage & Yam and Pinto Bean Soup
Buttermilk Mustard Dressing Spring Vegetable Bulgar Pilaf
Thai Coconut Chickpeas with Fresh Basil Ratatouille over Spaghetti Squash
Herb Roasted Summer Vegetables Jambalaya
Crunchy Corn Crusted Picnic Chicken Roasted Fresh Figs with Goat Cheese
Fresh Fruit Crisp w/Velvety Cashew Cream Breakfast Cookie on The Go

Suzanne has also included a simple guide to food nutrition, suggestions for healthy vegetarian meals, transition recipes for the meat lover, pantry makeovers, and 145 tips and time-saving techniques to make cooking with vegetables funs.

Suzanne's journey of healthy eating began with her father, who died young from cancer. "My father believed that without good health nothing else in life mattered. The 17 years of recurring cancer taught him the value of good health. His death, along with my own health challenges and those of my children were the catalyst for my journey to explore the connection between food and healing. I know with absolute certainty that changing our diets from high animal protein to one high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains can improve our health."

The Passionate Vegetable brings good health and great flavor together in one easy-to-use package!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Suzanne Landry is an inspiring health educator and gourmet organic chef. For over 30 years, she has shared her love of natural foods cooking and her passion for health with more than 10,000 students nationwide. Since 2005, Suzanne has developed and taught nutrition education programs for cancer recovery patients, guiding them on the road to health and vitality. She is certified by the world-renowned Kushi Institute as a macrobiotic chef and counselor. Suzanne's success as a personal chef to high-profile clients, her extensive knowledge, and talent for engaging and entertaining her students, has made her a sought-after guest speaker at seminars and workshops. She has been featured in numerous newspapers and magazines and in many television segments. Suzanne has also served as an industry consultant to well-known retail stores and food products manufacturers. She is the mother of three sons and lives in Ventura, California with her husband, George. Visit her website, http://www.SuzanneLandry.com.

Beets and Tangerine Salad
(Serves 4)

3 beets, cooked, peeled and cubed
3 seedless tangerines, peeled, and sectioned
½ cup feta cheese, crumbled

Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs minced fresh mint

If using fresh beets, scrub well but do not peel. Cut stem off to within one inch of beet. Immerse in water, cover and bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium. Depending on the size of the beets, cooking will take about 30 minutes or longer. They are cooked when the beet feels tender when a fork is pushed into the center. Drain and cool. Remove skin and stem by rubbing off with your fingers under running water. Cut beets into ½-inch bite size pieces.

Peel tangerines and separate wedges. Remove any white membrane. Either leave whole or cut in half.

This dressing will make more than you need for this salad. It's a favorite in our house and I'm sure you'll want to have extra. For this amount of salad, place ½ cup of finished dressing in a salad bowl. Add cooked beets and tangerines and toss. Sprinkle with feta cheese.

Bites of Insight: Beets are available at our local farmer's market in three varieties. The standard red, yellow and candy striped (or Chioggia). The candy stripped beet is a variety from a small coastal town in Italy called Chioggia. This "peppermint candy" beet looks beautiful grated in salads. However, it loses its candy stripe once cooked and becomes pale pink. It is milder in flavor and requires less cooking.

California Fiesta Quinoa Salad
(Serves 6)

Absolutely one of the most lovEd Salads by my clients, students, family, and friends!

1 cup quinoa, uncooked
2 cups water
¼ tsp sea salt
¾ cup tomato, chopped (1 medium tomato)
¼ cup celery, chopped (1 stalk)
½ cup cucumber, seeded and chopped (1 medium cucumber)
½ cup scallions, chopped (4 scallions)
½ cup fresh cilantro, cleaned and chopped
½ cup fresh or frozen corn, blanched
½ cup cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
¼ cup black olives, pitted and diced (Kalamata are the best!)

Dressing:
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp hot red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
2 Tbs red wine vinegar or ¼ cup lemon juice
½ tsp sea salt

Boil 2 cups water and add salt. Thoroughly rinse quinoa in strainer. Place in boiling water, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 20 minutes or until grain is fluffed and water is absorbed. Remove from pot into a large bowl and allow to cool before adding vegetables.

Slice tomatoes into ½-inch slabs and remove most of the seeds. Then cut tomatoes into sticks and crosswise into ½-inch cubes. This will give you evenly sized tomato pieces that won't get mushy if the salad isn't eaten right away.

Cut celery by slicing down the rib in the center of the stalk. If the stalk is large you might want to cut it in thirds. Then cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces.

Slice cucumber lengthwise into 4 strips and then remove center seeds. Chop these strips into ½-inch pieces. Remove root ends of scallions and cross chop into ¼-inch pieces. Toss cooled quinoa with all remaining vegetables, beans, and olives.

Mix vinegar, oil, hot pepper flakes, and salt together. Toss lightly with salad. Refrigerate for an hour before serving. This will last 5 days in the refrigerator.

Serving Suggestions: My favorite way of enjoying this as a leftover is in scrambled eggs! Just before the eggs set hard, I add ¼ cup or so of this salad and give it a stir. Very yummy breakfast!

Recipes may be reprinted with the following credit:
Recipes from The Passionate Vegetable by Suzanne Landry
Health Inspired Publishing
http://www.HealthInspiredPublishing.com