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The perfect baked potato recipe

Potatoes get a bad rap because of the misconception that they are fattening. Potatoes unto themselves are not “fattening,” but they certainly become less healthful after they have been peeled, deep-fried in over-heated, refined oil or turned into chips or mashed with their weight in butter and cream (not that those don’t all taste lovely.) The classic Russet or Idaho baking potato is a perfect example of a whole food. It came into this world as a package of vitamins (such as C), minerals (like potassium) and fiber. When eaten that way, the potato offers its maximum health benefits. Unfortunately, the majority of the potato’s nutrients are concentrated in the skin and just below. Therefore, when we discard the skin, we do miss out on the best part, nutritionally speaking.

This method for baking potatoes is adapted from Nancy Silverton and Mark Peel’s book, Two Chefs Cook for Family and Friends. No aluminum foil, no microwaves, just a perfectly cooked potato with a dry, fluffy interior and the best skin ever. I learned a while back that different types of potatoes have different levels of starch and that affects how you should cook them. High starch potatoes, aka baking potatoes, are best used for, you guessed it, baking. They likewise make terrible potatoes for potato salad (you just have to try this once and you’ll never make that mistake again.)

One of the reasons I love baked potatoes is because I can set up a topping bar at dinner and everyone can customize the way he or she wants. I find that the kids eat more of something when they are given the opportunity to control it. I enjoy my baked potato with a dollop of strained goat yogurt (my version of sour cream) and some chopped chives or scallions. I allow my 7-year-old to put a squirt of (fruit-sweetened organic) ketchup on his and the girls tend to like butter and some steamed broccoli. We can turn the potato into a meal if there’s some vegetable chili from the night before that I can dollop on top. Yum!

the perfect baked potato recipe

Pamela Salzman

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Ingredients

4 medium Russet or Idaho baking potatoes about 6 ounces each
4 teaspoons unsalted butter softened
Coarse kosher salt preferably additive-free such as Diamond Crystal
Favorite toppings: sour cream creme fraiche or strained yogurt, chopped fresh chives or scallions, unsalted butter, steamed vegetables such as broccoli or spinach, chili

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Scrub the potatoes, dry and rub each with 1 teaspoon of butter. Pour a layer of salt on the bottom of a shallow baking dish or cookie sheet. 1 1/2 cups is perfect for a 13 x 9 -inch dish.
Place the potatoes 2 inches apart on top of the salt and bake for 50 minutes, until tender.
When each potato is removed from the baking dish, rub off any salt clinging to the bottom of the potato. Split open lengthwise and top as desired.

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potato

Fennel and green apple salad recipe

I just adore fennel and its hint of licorice (that’s the black kind, not the red). When I was a child, after a big Sunday dinner, my Aunt Maria would pass around a platter a raw fennel wedges along with a bowl of tangerines and unshelled nuts. We would chomp happily on the fennel the way my kids munch on celery today. Fennel is an amazing digestive aid and the perfect way to end a big meal in the fall and winter when it’s in season.

I started playing around with fennel and green apples last winter and loved the combination for a salad. The flavors go so nicely with poultry and fish and even better, my kids tend to eat more salad when there’s fruit in it. I knew this had to be a part of our Thanksgiving dinner, no doubt the biggest meal of the year. To dress it up a bit, I added greens and my favorite fall/winter salad add-in, pomegranate seeds. While the salad was a huge hit on Thanksgiving, the green and red colors were a natural for Christmas.

Whether you are serving fish, pork, turkey or chicken this Christmas, I’m sure a salad would add some balance to your meal. You can serve it with or without the greens, but the pomegranates are a must. The little red seeds are like rubies or ornaments on a tree! The walnuts were another last minute add-on, but provide some extra crunch and nutrition.

Because I have a juicer, I can make pomegranate juice easily for the dressing, but fresh squeezed orange juice would be a perfectly delicious substitute. I’m sure if you wanted to, you could add some goat cheese, but don’t overcomplicate this. The best salads are the simplest.

fennel and green apple salad recipe

Pamela Salzman

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Servings -8

Ingredients

Dressing:*
1 small shallot finely chopped
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoon fresh pomegranate or orange juice
2 teaspoons maple syrup
a few grinds of freshly ground pepper
6-7 Tablespoons unrefined cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
8 ounces mixed greens or 1 head of frisee optional, washed, dried and leaves separated
1 -2 bulbs of fennel cut in half, cored and sliced thinly
1 large or 2 small green apple, cored and sliced thinly
1 large handful of pomegranate seeds
1 large handful of walnuts chopped

Instructions

Make the dressing: in a small bowl, combine the shallot, salt, lemon and pomegranate juices, maple syrup and black pepper to taste. Pour the oil into the bowl slowly, whisking constantly to emulsify. Reserve until ready to use.
Place the salad greens on a serving platter and drizzle with a small amount of dressing. Toss gently to coat. Add the fennel and apple slices and drizzle with dressing. Scatter pomegranate seeds and walnuts on top.

Notes

*An alternative dressing:

1 small shallot, finely chopped

½ teaspoon sea salt

a few grinds of black pepper

1 ½ Tablespoons sherry vinegar

6 Tablespoons unrefined, cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

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Lentil and brown rice soup recipe + Instant Pot version

Everyone needs a lentil soup recipe in the repertoire. This is a classic and a nourishing one at that. I grew up on lentil soup and my mom was into creating “complete proteins” when we had a vegetarian meal. The thought back then was that if you were eating a meatless meal, then you would need to combine certain foods to create the same complete protein profile as animal protein. Now we know that it is not necessary to eat those complementary foods in the same dish to gain the benefits of consuming all the essential amino acids, but I still adore the combination of lentils and brown rice in my soup.

I prefer to use French lentils, which hold their shape much better than the flat brown ones, but really you can use what you’ve got. I vary this soup often, sometimes adding a few chopped up green beans or a teaspoon of ground cumin for an earthy twist. I always throw in a few handfuls of dark green leafies at the end, spinach and kale being my favorites. And tomatoes only get to join the party if they’re in season since I almost never buy canned tomatoes (ugh, aluminum.) Try garnishing with freshly grated pecorino-romano, it adds a great zest to the soup.

For you lunchbox-packers out there, lentil soup is fabulous the next day in a thermos. And the kiddos get a lunch that will provide stable blood sugar levels, great protein for the brain, and long-lasting energy.

lentil and brown rice soup + Instant Pot version*

Pamela

5 from 1 vote

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Servings

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons unrefined cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil
3 large carrots peeled and diced
3 celery stalks diced
1 large onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 pound fresh tomatoes peeled, seeded and chopped or 1 14.5-ounce can, drained ( I used 1/2 box Pomi)
8 cups chicken stock vegetable stock, turkey stock, or water
2 cups French lentils picked over and rinsed (you can use whatever lentils you can find, such as black or Puy, but note that cook times may vary)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 big handfuls spinach kale or chard (ribs removed), coarsely chopped in large pieces
½ cup brown rice cooked according to package directions or add with lentils and increase liquid by an additional 1 cup

Instructions

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion and garlic and cook, stirring until tender. Stir in tomatoes and cook for a minute. Add stock, lentils, uncooked brown rice (if you’re adding it here), thyme and 2 teaspoons salt.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until lentils are tender, about 45 minutes.
Pull out the thyme sprigs and discard. Add greens and stir until wilted.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. If you didn’t add raw brown rice to the pot with your lentils, add the cooked brown rice to the pot now or put a little in each bowl and ladle the soup on top.

Notes

*To make in the Instant Pot:
Press the "saute" button and wait a couple minutes for the insert to heat up. Add the oil, carrots, celery, onions and garlic and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and cook for a minute.
Add stock, lentils (I tested with French green and black), raw brown rice, thyme and salt. Press the "Keep Warm/Cancel" button to turn the machine off. Secure the lid on top of the insert and lock closed. Make sure the vent is closed. Press manual and make sure it's on High Pressure. I cooked it for 12 minutes and thought that was perfect. The Instant Pot will take a few minutes to come up to pressure, so it will say ON for a few minutes. Once the machine is done cooking, you can manually release the pressure or opt for natural release. Check the manual for an explanation of both.

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lentil soup thyme

Molasses-ginger cookies recipe

Just in time for your cookie exchange! These cookies are chewier than a gingersnap, but still wow you with that sweet and spicy kick. I love rolling them in unsweetened, shredded coconut instead of the traditional granulated sugar, but they are just as good without the additional adornment.

Let’s discuss some of the sweeteners used in this recipe. I used organic brown sugar as my first sweetener. I wouldn’t call brown sugar a high-quality sweetener, but it provides the flavor and tenderness I am looking for. I choose the organic version to avoid the high concentration of pesticides found in regular brown, but this ain’t health food. The other sugar is called Rapadura or a similar product goes by the name Sucanat, short for sugar cane natural. These are minimally processed organic cane sugars which still contain the vitamins and minerals naturally found in the sugar cane plant. The molasses is still present in these granules, which make it a perfect sweetener for these cookies. If you can’t find them, use all dark brown sugar. Lastly, I have used blackstrap molasses in the past, hoping my family will like it as much as regular unsulphured. But alas, we will sacrifice less iron for less bitterness. If you enjoy the stronger flavor of blackstrap, by all means use it. You will be rewarded with a much more mineral-rich cookie. But the end of the day, we should enjoy what we make and my family and friends adore these cookies with regular unsulphured molasses.

As with most cookie dough, this can be made several days in advance, if kept refrigerated and well covered. You can just bake the quantity that you need when you need it. This is especially helpful when your daughters tell you their charity league cookie exchange is on Friday at 4:00 pm and school gets out at 3:00 pm. Grin (and bake it!).

molasses-ginger cookies recipe

Pamela Salzman

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Servings dozen 2 1/2 inch cookies

Ingredients

2 cups whole grain pastry flour all-purpose flour, or spelt flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2/3 cup chopped crystallized ginger optional
1 ½ sticks unsalted organic butter, room temperature
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup Sucanat Rapadura (whole cane sugar) or dark brown sugar
¼ cup dark unsulphured molasses not blackstrap
1 large organic free-range egg
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut or turbinado sugar

Instructions

Mix together the flour, baking soda, spices and salt. Add crystallized ginger.
With an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add molasses, vanilla and egg and beat until well blended.
Add flour mixture and mix until just blended.
Chill, covered, until firm, at least several hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place the coconut in a small bowl. Form the dough into 1 to 1 ¼ inch balls (an ice cream scooper is helpful) and roll them in the coconut or turbinado sugar. Place them 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. You should fit 12 per sheet.
Bake the cookies in the lower third of the oven for approximately 10-12 minutes or until the tops start to crack. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes. Transfer to wire racks.

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cinnamon coconut

Turkey sausages with cabbage and fennel recipe

People ask me all the time for more recipes that are Fast! No, faster! And easy! I understand the challenges that people face when pulling together a weeknight meal, whether they are parents or not. However, we need to put some time into our cooking. I haven’t figured out yet how to make something in no time that’s worth eating. But this sausage and vegetable dish is my idea of fast food.

I buy precooked sausages from Applegate Farms, which don’t contain spooky ingredients like nitrates or nitrites (hooray, no carcinogens!). Slice up some cabbage and fennel and you’ve got yourself a quick and easy dinner. Make extra and toss it with pasta the next day, just save some of the pasta cooking water after you drain it if you need to moisten the sausage dish up. If you have a favorite sausage that is not precooked, I would slice it or remove the meat from the casing and sauté that first. Remove it from the pan, sauté your vegetables and put the sausage back in.

If you haven’t cooked with fennel before, it has a fresh, licorice undertone and perfectly complements the fennel seed that is usually present in most sausages. I use red cabbage here for color, for the extra phytonutrients that come with it and the higher C profile than green, but you can certainly use green cabbage if that’s what you have handy. Cabbage is part of the cruciferous family of vegetables – a group that I encourage you to incorporate regularly into your diet. These include all the cabbages and kale, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and bok choy. These vegetables contain some potent anti-cancer compounds called sulphurophanes. Cabbage also contains some cholesterol-lowering benefits as well as loads of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients. It is also relatively inexpensive, to boot. What are you, in love with cabbage or something? Well, maybe I am!

turkey sausages with cabbage and fennel recipe

Pamela Salzman

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Servings

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons unrefined cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon fennel seeds optional
1 large onion halved and sliced thinly
½ red or green cabbage sliced thinly
2 fennel bulbs tops removed and bulbs sliced thinly
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 nitrate-free pre-cooked sausages, sliced on the diagonal as small or large as you prefer. I cut each link into 4 or 5 slices.
1/3 cup dry white wine

Instructions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the fennel seeds and stir until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
Add onion, cabbage and fennel. Season with sea salt and pepper and sauté until just tender.
Add sausages and cook until heated through.
Add white wine to deglaze the pan. Cook until wine evaporates. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.

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cabbage fennel sausage

Butternut squash, beet and apple skewers recipe

I used to struggle coming up with an hors d’oeuvre that was tasty, fresh and didn’t contain tons of dairy. Have you ever noticed the popular hors d’oeuvres that show up at every cocktail or dinner party – there’s the baked wedge of brie, the spinach and artichoke dip bubbling over with three cheeses AND sour cream, the cheese platter, the mini grilled cheeses and of course, the most sophisticated of all, The Caprese Skewer. Believe me, I’ve made more than my share of boconcini, basil and grape tomatoes on a toothpick, but people, it is no longer 1999! We have got to move on!

So I began thinking about why the Caprese Skewer is so ubiquitous. The Caprese salad is simple and delicious when showcasing perfect tomatoes, aromatic basil and fresh, creamy mozzarella. What could be better than having each of those flavors in one delightful bite? So why not extend the salad-as-skewer idea? What about a Greek Salad Skewer? Grape tomato, spinach or mint-wrapped feta, cucumber, and a pitted kalamata olive sprinkled with dried oregano and drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil. Hmmmm, I like it, but very summery.

It’s Fall, so I roasted butternut squash and apples with rosemary and skewered them together with red beets. Needs a little green. Take a piece of arugula or spinach and turn it around a piece of feta so that the feta doesn’t crumble when you skewer it. Then drizzle it all with a little balsamic and oil. Who wouldn’t want to eat that?? Don’t answer that.

I will forewarn you, there is a bit of prep involved. There’s chopping and roasting and skewering. Ah, I am seeing the lure of the ease of the old standby skewer, but these are so worth it. The colors alone will make your hors d’oeuvre stand out in a sea of cream and you will be a star!

butternut squash, beet and apple skewers recipe

Pamela Salzman

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Servings skewers

Ingredients

½ medium butternut squash * peeled, seeded, and cut into ½ –inch cubes
2 large apples peeled, cored, and cut into ½ –inch cubes
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
3 medium beets roasted, peeled and cut into ½ -inch cubes
4 ounces arugula or baby spinach leaves washed and dried
1 package feta cut carefully into ½ –inch cubes(optional)
1 Tablespoon good quality balsamic vinegar
3 Tablespoons unrefined cold-pressed, extra- virgin olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place the butternut squash cubes in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil to coat. Transfer to prepared sheet pan and spread out in one layer. Season with sea salt, pepper, and half the rosemary.
Place the apple cubes in the same bowl and drizzle with olive oil to coat. Repeat the same procedure as the squash
Place the sheet pans in the oven and roast squash for about 30 minutes, turning halfway, until tender and slightly caramelized. Roast apples until just tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
Whisk together the balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
Thread the squash, apple, beet and arugula or spinach on a small skewer or toothpick. If you decide to use feta, wrap the cube of feta with a leaf of arugula/spinach and skewer. Arrange on a serving plate and drizzle with the vinegar and oil.

Notes

*other ideas include parsnips, carrots, sweet potatoes.

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apple beets butternut squash feta rosemary

Muhammara recipe (turkish red bell pepper and walnut dip)

I know those holiday parties are coming up and I thought another hors d’oeuvre post would be helpful. My good friend Cheryl gave me this recipe. She is an outstanding cook and everything she makes is a home run. I love the fact that this dip is mostly roasted red bell peppers and walnuts and it is easy-peasy to put together. A bonus is that it tastes better if you make it ahead and we all know how much I like to prep in advance. You can certainly use jarred roasted peppers or the ones that you can find in some deli cases, but I find (no surprise, I’m sure) that the ones you make at home taste so much better. Maybe it’s all that love that goes into them!

A note about the pomegranate molasses: I try not to use ingredient that are expensive, hard-to-find or that have a short shelf-life. I found pomegranate molasses easily at my local Whole Foods and it cost only about $4. Also, it lasts for a long time, so I didn’t hesitate to keep it on the ingredient list. However, if you can’t find any and you don’t live close enough to me to borrow it, you can add a drop of raw honey and some extra lemon juice to mimic the tart-sweetness that pomegranate molasses brings to the dish.

Here I am serving it with endive leaves and gluten-free sweet potato chips, but feel free to go with the traditional pita or other raw vegetables.

muhammara recipe (turkish red bell pepper and walnut dip)

Pamela Salzman

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Servings cups

Ingredients

1 ½ cups raw walnuts
½ cup fresh bread crumbs
3 red bell peppers roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped, about 1 ½ cups or 1 12-ounce jar
¼ cup unrefined cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste
2 Tablespoons pomegranate molasses plus more to taste
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
A few shots of hot sauce or ¼ teaspoon ground red chiles or to taste
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Toasted pita your favorite chips or endive leaves

Instructions

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, add the walnuts and bread crumbs. Process until finely chopped.
Add the roasted peppers and olive oil. Process until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients (except the pita) and blend.
Taste and adjust with more oil, molasses and/or salt.
Refrigerate, covered until ready to serve. The flavors will come together as the dip sits. Serve with pita, chips or endive leaves.

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bell pepper cumin walnuts

Healthy brown rice pudding recipe

Brown rice is a staple in my home. A simple bowl of steamed brown rice, whether it is short-grain, long-grain, basmati or jasmine is utterly satisfying to me. I love the nuttiness and wholesomeness of brown over white. Keeping the rice whole, with the bran and germ layers intact, gives you loads of fiber as well as protein, minerals and essential fatty acids that are stripped away if the grain is polished to white. Just as those layers protect the kernel of rice, they’ll protect you, too.

Sure, brown rice takes 45-50 minutes to cook, as opposed to 20 minutes for white, so that’s why I make a huge batch early in the week and have it on the ready for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

Are you skeptical about the use of bay leaves in rice pudding? When my Puerto Rican mother-in-law suggested it to me, I was too. But it really adds an interesting earthy, floral note to the creamy rice. It’s definitely not a deal-breaker, though. Please make this whether you have bay leaves or not. One ingredient my M-I-L did NOT suggest was using brown rice syrup as a sweetener. That’s my addition and one of my favorites in the “less refined sweeteners” category. Brown rice syrup is made by cooking down soaked and sprouted brown rice with an enzyme that breaks the starches into maltose. It is light and honey-like, but not as sweet with a butterscotch undertone.

This brown rice pudding started off as a snack/dessert, but I realized it could do double duty as weekday morning breakfast, especially when everyone is looking for something warm other than oatmeal for a change. Like I do when I make a big pot of oatmeal for a family breakfast, I set up a “topping bar” for the brown rice pudding. Each person can choose his or her own favorites add-ons. There is always fresh seasonal fruit, such as berries or peaches; dried fruit like Goji berries or blueberries; raw almonds or walnuts; raw cacao nibs; maple sugar and ground cinnamon. This beats a cold bowl of processed cereal any day!

healthy brown rice pudding recipe

Pamela Salzman

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Servings for a snack, 2 for breakfast

Ingredients

½ 13- ounce can coconut milk or ¾ cup
¾ cup almond milk rice milk or hemp milk
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
2 cups cooked brown rice short or long-grain
½ vanilla bean split and seeds scraped or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 bay leaf
pinch of salt

Instructions

Whisk together coconut milk, almond milk and brown rice syrup until blended.
Place the cooked brown rice in a medium, heavy-bottomed pot. Add coconut milk mixture, vanilla bean, bay leaf and salt. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice, but is still creamy, about 20 minutes.
Turn off heat and remove vanilla bean and bay leaf. Serve warm or room temperature. Pudding will thicken as it sits.

Notes

Other additions: cinnamon stick or cardamom, dried fruit, chocolate chips or chocolate almond milk, pureed pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices, orange or lemon zest

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coconut rice

the perfect baked potato recipe

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fennel and green apple salad recipe

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lentil and brown rice soup + Instant Pot version*

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molasses-ginger cookies recipe

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turkey sausages with cabbage and fennel recipe

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butternut squash, beet and apple skewers recipe

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muhammara recipe (turkish red bell pepper and walnut dip)

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healthy brown rice pudding recipe

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