Weekend Eating: Back to Whole Grains & Vegetables We Go

OK - that's it. Valentine's Day is over, along with Baking Week, Chocolate Week and every other excuse to bake cookies or eat sugar for breakfast. We're cooking healthy from now on - or at least till, errrr, Easter.

Here are a few favorite healthy recipes that don't sacrifice taste in their pursuit of whole grains and winter vegetables.

• Basil Parmesan Pot Beans - Use real beans from Rancho Gordo and you'll never look back. As diehard bacon eaters, we say, beans like these are as good as meat. Really.

See the rest below...

• Israeli Couscous with Chard - This actually uses Trader Joe's Harvest Grain Blend, a favorite!
• Zucchini Garlic Soup - Velvety and creamy, without a drop of milk or cream.

Are you in the winter doldrums of extra holiday fat and too little exercise, like we are? Want to share what you're eating to lift yourself up and out? Anyone doing a winter purge?

Comments (8)

I'm kind of obsessed with homemade burrito bowls lately - my favorite is lime- and cilantro-flavored brown rice with black beans, avocado and roasted sweet potato cubes.

posted by Joanna on February 15th 2008 at 11:49am
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just note, the zucchini soup's first ingredient is butter. sorry to be a wise-ass, but that is considered dairy! ;)

posted by Barbara S on February 15th 2008 at 12:00pm
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I love TJ's harvest blend!! Thanks for a recipe using it.

Not exactly a purge but I made roasted Brussels sprouts to go along with our dinner tonight (an onion-red pepper feta tart) and I CAN'T STOP EATING THEM. It makes me wonder why I eat junk food when I really love vegetables so much!

posted by classiccook on February 15th 2008 at 1:21pm
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I just made a huge pot of black bean soup, some to eat now and some to freeze. Lots of fibre and protein, very little fat. I also whipped up some skillet cornbread for dipping. Mmm.

posted by TammyE on February 15th 2008 at 2:58pm
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Ha! Thanks Barbara...

posted by faith on February 15th 2008 at 7:34pm
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classiccook: if it makes you feel better, i made oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies for valentine's day, and i CAN'T STOP EATING those. :) maybe i'll have to try brussels sprouts next year.

posted by thinkingwoman on February 16th 2008 at 9:14am
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I just made the couscous recipe, replacing the couscous with pearled barley. It was hearty and perfect.

posted by AMLitt on March 16th 2008 at 4:31pm
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Thanks for this! I want to make those beans pronto.

Definitely having trouble letting go of the yummy winter treats this year! Maybe because it is still cold where I am. Too many cafe lattes and too many pastries from the french bakery down the street!

We usually do some kind of spring "cleanse" thingy in the month of April, will be coming up soon--eek. Just a month of clean eating, mostly vegan, lots of living foods, no booze, caffeine or sugar (and almost no grains). No dairy except for kefir/yogurt. Seems to do the trick! I always feel great by about midway through it.

posted by Bunny Cucina on March 24th 2009 at 4:49pm
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