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  Heirloom Bean Salad with Winter Vegetables

  SERVES 1

  1 cup cooked Rancho Gordo pinquito beans

  2 small or 1 medium carrot, thinly sliced

  ¼ cup sliced lo bok or daikon

  ½ green onion, finely chopped

  2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

  1 tablespoon olive oil or nut oil

  1 teaspoon rice or red wine vinegar

  Salt and pepper

  Place the beans in a bowl and add sliced vegetables, green onion, and parsley. I tend to go heavy on the herbs, because they add such a wonderful freshness, but feel free to experiment with the amount you like.

  You’re welcome to mix the vinaigrette beforehand, but if you’re lazy like me, you can just add oil and vinegar directly to the bowl along with some salt and pepper and any other spices you choose. Gently stir the mixture with a spoon, taking care not to damage the beans. Adjust salt and pepper and enjoy.

  LENTILS

  Lentils are the lazy person’s bean. Because they are much smaller, lentils cook up in a fraction of the time of beans and without the burden of a pressure cooker. Although all lentils are wonderful, I prefer the varietals that keep their shape after cooking rather than turning into a mushy soup. This enables me to be imprecise with my cooking method (I just boil them in some salted water until they’re tender) and use them in a wider variety of dishes. My favorite lentils to cook with are French green lentils (lentilles du Puy) or black beluga lentils. In my experience they cook the fastest and have the best flavor.

  Like beans, lentils can be used to bolster any dish. But unlike beans, you can decide to make them at the last minute. In twenty to thirty minutes you can have a delicious, steaming pile of fresh lentils that store wonderfully in the fridge for several days. Always keep a hefty supply of lentils in your pantry, and you’ll always be able to make a meal.

  GRAINS

  Rice, quinoa, farro, and other grains are another group of foods that make more sense to cook in large batches, because it’s just as easy to cook three cups as it is to cook one. I cook all grains the same way: boil until done. Rice is the only exception; with it I do an additional steam step to give it that characteristic sticky/fluffy consistency.

  A huge perk of cooking large batches of grains is that they freeze beautifully and can be stored in individual serving sizes. I always have a handful of rice balls in my freezer that can be used for anything on a moment’s notice. To freeze your grains, first cool the pot briefly in the refrigerator or submerge the bottom of the pot in cold water, so that you don’t have plastic coming into contact with hot food.*

  Tear off squares of plastic wrap (same length as width) and scoop individual rice servings (about a half cup) into the middle. Fold the plastic over the rice like a square taco and press down on the rice and compress the ball to remove air and pack the stray grains into the ball. Fold the excess plastic (top of the taco) back over the rice, then bring each end to the center, and tie a half knot so the rice looks a bit like a ball. Put all the rice balls into a freezer bag and store in the freezer. Those little plastic fold-top sandwich bags work great for this too. Shake the rice down into one corner, grab it with your hand and squeeze the air out, twist the top, and lay the pouch on the counter with the twist underneath it. Pack into a freezer bag the same way, twist underneath, and when it’s frozen, it won’t matter that the top is not tied.

  How to Prevent Gas and Other Digestive Problems Caused by Healthy Eating

  The number of questions I get from people about bloating, gas, and other digestive problems is not small, and since it is a sensitive subject, I’m sure the questions I get represent just a fraction of the concerns out there.

  It’s not uncommon to experience digestive discomfort when you change your diet. For one thing, any drastic change in eating can be a shock to your system, even if it’s for the better. Also vegetables, legumes, and other healthy foods contain a number of nutrients such as oligosaccharides, soluble fiber, and natural sugars like fructose that can produce excess gas in the intestine.

  Fortunately, several remedies can help prevent the embarrassment and discomfort caused by eating these foods. However, it is important to remember that everyone’s digestive environment is unique, and different things will work for different people. This means you’ll need to experiment with the following tactics in order to identify what works best for you.

  1. Chew thoroughly

  When food reaches your intestine that has been only partially digested, the bacteria in your gut cause the food to ferment, producing a substantial amount of (smelly) gas. More chewing helps your stomach acids do their job more effectively and can dramatically reduce the bacterial gas that gets formed.

  Chewing is even more important when you’re eating vegetables and high-fiber foods, because they are more difficult to break down in your mouth and stomach than, say, a slice of white bread. This means you need to grow accustomed to chewing each bite of food more than you did for processed foods.

  2. Take smaller bites

  For the same reason it is important to chew, taking smaller bites can help ensure that large chunks of food do not reach your intestine undigested. People who take smaller bites also tend to eat slowly, which helps prevent overeating—another cause of poor digestion.

  3. Don’t get too full

  Overloading your stomach will eventually overload your gut, which can prevent proper digestion and cause discomfort. Both chewing and taking smaller bites can help with this, but you can also use our tricks to eat less without noticing if this is a problem for you.

  4. Eat balanced meals

  On a similar note, you don’t want to overload your gut with one kind of food. If all you’re eating is a giant mound of vegetables for dinner and you’re having trouble digesting it, try balancing out your meal with more protein, starch, and fat. These will enable you to feel satisfied with a smaller volume of food (remember point #3) as well as decrease the load of any one nutrient that may be causing problems.

  5. Increase vegetable and fiber intake gradually

  Going from fast food every day to lots of vegetables can be shocking to your system. The bacterial environment in your gut is accustomed to a certain flow of nutrients, and drastically changing this can cause gas and bloating. Your gut can acclimate to a new diet over time, and the key to avoiding discomfort is to make changes gradually. If you’re really struggling with all that broccoli, cut back a little and see if it helps. Once you’re comfortable, you can try adding more if you like.

  6. Experiment with probiotics

  Most of the gas in your intestine is produced by bacteria, but there are also strains of bacteria that have the opposite effect. Adding probiotic foods to your diet can help populate your gut with helpful bacteria that can ease digestion and reduce gas. There are several strains of probiotic bacteria, and research suggests that different strains work better for different people. Experiment with different kinds, and when you find one that works, stick with it to maintain the benefits.

  Examples of probiotic foods are yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, and miso. Keep in mind that when you cook these foods, you will kill some of the active bacteria, so try to eat them raw whenever possible.

  7. Soak your beans

  Beans are infamous for producing excess intestinal gas, but proper preparation can mitigate this problem. Instead of buying canned beans, get dry beans and soak them for at least six hours before cooking them. Soaking beans and discarding the soaking water eliminates the majority of the oligosaccharides that cannot be digested, reducing bacterial fermentation and intestinal gas. If you do buy canned beans, rinse them thoroughly, since most of the oligosaccharides are in the canning liquid.

  8. Eliminate wheat

  Some people have chronic stomach problems that are caused by food intolerance. Wheat sensitivities are the most common, and eliminating wheat and gluten is often the only solution. If you’ve tried everything and are still in pain, it may be
worth giving up wheat and gluten for four to eight weeks to see if it helps. If it works, now you know. If it doesn’t, at least you tried.

  9. Eliminate dairy

  Like gluten, many people have sensitivities to lactose, the sugar in milk, that can develop over time. Cutting it out for a few weeks is an easy way to tell if it is a problem for you.

  10. Avoid fake sugars

  Sugar alcohols such as sorbitol and xylitol can cause digestive problems similar to the oligosaccharides found in beans. If you’ve been relying on artificial sweeteners to cut back on real sugar, this may be a cause of your digestive issues.

  11. Reduce fresh and dried fruit intake

  Fructose can ferment in the gut, and too much will result in gas and discomfort. If you’ve drastically increased your fruit intake, this may be problematic for your digestion. Cut back until you find the amount you can tolerate.

  (Note: I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt and assuming you’ve eliminated most of the high-fructose corn syrup from your diet already.)

  12. Use medication

  Beano is an enzyme formulation that helps with digestion of oligosaccharides that can cause gas. If you simply cannot miss out on your grandpa’s famous chili, popping the occasional Beano at the beginning of your meal should help.

  On the other hand, if you still haven’t figured out what you’re sensitive to and find yourself in an unpleasant state, Gas-X is an effective form of relief that can be used on occasion. It takes twenty to thirty minutes to work. As always, be sure to follow the safety instructions when taking any medication.

  To thaw, remove a rice ball from the freezer and allow it to sit on the counter for a few minutes until you can untie the knot without leaving little pieces of plastic stuck in the folds of rice. If you forget to do this (as I always do), you can run the knotted plastic under tepid water until you can untie it. Place the unwrapped frozen rice ball in a small bowl and microwave on high for one or two minutes.

  Alternative grains like quinoa or my favorite, farro, are even easier than rice and can be similarly stored. Quinoa cooks up in just ten to fifteen minutes, depending on the varietal. Just rinse the grains and then boil in excess water until tender. Farro takes a bit longer, about twenty to thirty minutes depending on how much you make, but the protocol is the same.

  How to Cook Perfect Rice Without a Rice Cooker

  This recipe works for any style of rice. I prefer short-grain brown rice for most dishes, but sometimes cook long-grain basmati rice or the delicious and nutritious Japanese haiga white rice.

  Place 2 to 3 cups of dry rice grains in a large saucepan. Add cold water until it is almost full, and use your hand to swirl the rice around and loosen any dirt and dust. When the rice settles back to the bottom, dump the water off the top and repeat. Continue to rinse the rice until the water is almost perfectly clear, about four or five times.

  After the last rinse, add cold water to the rice until you have at least three times the volume of water as rice. Don’t worry too much about the amount and err on the side of excess. This is especially important with brown rice, which absorbs more water than white rice.

  Place the rice and water on the stove and turn the heat on high. When the rice begins to boil, reduce heat to medium and continue to simmer, uncovered. This is a good time to start the rest of your dinner.

  Check on the rice grains after about 15 minutes by grabbing a few out with a fork and testing them for tenderness (squish between your fingernails or teeth). Rice becomes opaque when it cooks, so there is no point in checking it while it is still somewhat translucent.

  Once the rice does start to turn opaque, check tenderness every 2 to 5 minutes. If too much water evaporates and the rice starts to look soupy, add more water. You should add enough water at the beginning to avoid this.

  Simmer the rice until it is almost tender enough to eat. If you aren’t sure when it is ready, imagine you are an impatient person who wants the rice to be finished as quickly as possible, so you decide the rice is done and serve it, but later regret that decision because the rice is ever so slightly al dente. If you think it’s ready (this is not an exact science, so don’t overthink it), dump off all the liquid. A mesh strainer or splatter guard works nicely for this (simply hold it tightly over the pot and dump the water into the sink). Place the pot with rice back on the burner and reduce the heat to as low as it will go. Cover the rice and set a kitchen timer for 5 minutes.

  After 5 minutes turn off the burner and set the timer for another 5 minutes. Do not lift the lid during this process unless you are concerned that you cooked the rice too long and want to check if it is getting too sticky.

  After the rice has sat for 5 minutes, remove the lid, fluff the rice with a fork, and serve. If for some reason you think you overcooked the rice, you can skip the steaming step and just let the drained rice sit covered with the burner off for 5 minutes. If you undershoot, you can always extend the length of the steaming step.

  LUNCH

  If you work from home, lunch should be as much of a slam dunk as breakfast. A simple, fast, and delicious lunch doesn’t require any real cooking skills. If you’ve got batches of beans, lentils, or grains in the house, all you need is a few fresh vegetables, some herbs, and a simple vinaigrette and you’ve got a great meal. Legumes or grains can be the basis of a warm or cold salad, or you can add them to a regular green salad for more texture and density. Keep in mind that even if you don’t work at home, any of these ideas can be packed up and taken to the office.

  Lunch is a perfect meal to experiment with if you’re new to cooking, since it is less elaborate than a typical dinner. Play around with different vegetables and test new flavors like ginger or curry in salads or simple stir-fries. Try cooking eggs* in new ways and add different spices. As long as you do your best to include some kind of vegetable and minimize your processed grains and sugars, you’re golden.

  Lunch is also a fantastic way to dispense with leftovers. Obviously you can eat any extra food you have the way it is, but it’s also fun to turn it into an entirely new creation. Meats are a fantastic ingredient to play with and make a great addition to salads, stir-fries, soups, or egg dishes. Leftover vegetables can be added to beans or grains with a dash of olive oil, salt, and pepper (and maybe a little vinegar if it tastes flat). Toss in some fresh greens or herbs to brighten your meal with color and flavor. Imagination is your only limit.

  DINNER

  In my experience, dinner is when the home-cooking anxiety usually sets in. Whether you’re cooking for yourself or a whole family, at least a little bit of foresight and planning are required to make dinner a smooth ride. But fear not; it isn’t as hard as it sounds.

  Start with the Foodist Plate we discussed in chapter 4 (and shown again just below). Half your plate should be vegetables, and the more different kinds you can throw in, the better. It’s a good idea to have something green in there on most nights. The other half of your plate is more nebulous. You can have a perfectly healthy dinner that completely neglects either the meat or bean component, but including both will probably be the most satisfying. Depending on my mood, the ingredients I have at home, and the cuisine I feel like making, dinner can look wildly different on any given night and still fit the model. One night might be Japanese-style baked fish with rice and bok choy, and the next might be marinated flank steak with Cuban-style beans and grilled veggies. The options are endless, and this is a blessing.

  It can often help to have a rough meal plan at the beginning of the week, so you have an idea of what to pick up while you’re shopping. Though it’s common practice to choose some recipes and then go shopping for ingredients (and this is a reasonable place to start if you’re very new to cooking), I tend to use the opposite approach. You can never be 100 percent certain of what you’re going to find at the farmers market each week, so having a long list of must-have ingredients for your recipes is likely to be frustrating. A shopping list with items you can’t get will leave you scrambling,
running around the market looking for absent ingredients or inferior substitutes. No fun. The last thing you want to do is turn the farmers market into a source of anxiety. Besides, one of the best things about shopping at the farmers market is discovering new and interesting foods. It takes an open mind and curious eyes if you hope to discover your next favorite vegetable (trust me, it’s out there), and a rigid shopping list will only hinder your exploration. That said, you don’t want to end up with a pile of random vegetables and no obvious meals.

  The best meal-planning strategy combines both structure and flexibility. Start with an idea of what you want to accomplish, and then let the season’s offerings nourish your spirit of adventure and round out your menus. The first thing to consider is how many meals you want to get from your purchases (e.g., four dinners, three lunches) and what their main courses might be, given that a few will probably repeat, since you’re so skilled in batch cooking. It’s perfectly okay to have one or two things in mind you know you want to make and let the rest of your meals be inspired by wandering through the aisles and seeing what catches your eye.

  As you discover which foods will be the focal points of your meals, start to think about how you might like them cooked (even if you don’t know how to cook them that way yet; Google can help with this later). Think about what other flavors usually taste good with what you’re buying—consider herbs (parsley, thyme, mint, cilantro, etc.), proteins (meats, fish, eggs, legumes), and side dishes. If you can’t think of anything, try to remember how these foods have been served to you in a restaurant. If you still aren’t sure what other flavors would be a good choice, ask the vendor you are buying from. Farmers are usually pretty good at cooking the foods they grow. Keep in mind that most seasonal foods are delicious cooked in a little olive oil and garlic with a sprinkle of salt. So don’t feel you have to get super fancy to make something delicious.