Post Holiday Detox
Five-Spice Tofu with Barley and Kale
In this superhealthy vegetarian main course, blogger Sara Forte of Sprouted Kitchen serves sweet-spiced tofu over a warm kale-and-barley salad. “Barley has a nice chew that is delicious with spiced tofu,” says Forte. “Quinoa or farro would also work well.”
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Warm Barley and Caramelized Mushroom Salad
Browned mushrooms, fresh sage and lemon juice dress up this version of a classic mushroom-barley salad from F&W’s Kay Chun.
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Chickpeas with Eggs and Mustard Greens
Chickpeas, mustard greens and chiles get topped with poached eggs in this simple 30-minute dish from F&W’s Justin Chapple.
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Endive Salad with Pears and Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds give this fall salad from chef Dan Holzman of NYC’s Meatball Shop toasted flavor and crunch.
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Fresh Apple-Celery Juice with Ginger and Parsley
Elizabeth Falkner of Citizen Cake and Orson in San Francisco calls this juice her “wake-up call.” Sweet and tangy, it’s a refreshing juice for the morning.
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Farro Salad with Winter Fruit, Pistachios and Ginger
“When I make the dressing for the farro salad, I like to use young ginger, which is tender and easy to grate. And it’s just so juicy,” says chef Annie Somerville.
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Ginger-and-Lemon-Steamed Striped Bass with Fennel Salad
Laurent Gras uses ginger, fennel and lemon to flavor his lean, protein-rich striped bass as it steams; then he serves it over a lemony shaved-fennel salad, an excellent source of vitamin C. “Instead of using oil or butter, I like to steam fish with aromatic ingredients,” Gras says. “You get as much flavor this way—usually more.”
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Quinoa and Brown Rice Bowl with Vegetables and Tahini
F&W’s Gail Simmons makes this vegan rice bowl when she needs something especially healthy to eat.
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Green-Lentil Curry
Many of Madhur Jaffrey’s books have an Indian slant, but she’s most famous for her 1999 tome Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian. While she often follows the Indian tradition of serving several small dishes together, the lentil-vegetable curry here is a Western-style main course. Eaten over rice with yogurt, it’s a very satisfying meal.
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Beet, Fennel and Jicama Salad with Macadamia Nut Dressing
Not only are macadamia nuts a good source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, but when they’re pureed, they also serve as an ingeniously creamy base for dairy-free salad dressings.
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Spinach Salad with Citrus and Roasted Beets
Curly leaf spinach has great texture and flavor and holds this mustardy dressing well. For additional color, feel free to use a variety of different colored beets. You can also swap blood oranges for the tangerines.
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Chicken and Barley Stew with Dill and Lemon
This one-pot dinner from F&W’s Gail Simmons is an enriched take on classic chicken soup with rice; at once flavorful, hearty and comforting.
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Beet-and-Blood-Orange Salad with Mint
To give this refreshing salad Palestinian flavor, Sam Mogannam seasons the dressing with ground sumac, a tangy Middle Eastern spice. While the color of golden beets contrasts nicely with dark red blood orange sections, any beet variety—from standard red ones to the white-and-pink striped chioggia—will be delicious.
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Roasted Delicata Squash with Quinoa Salad
Quinoa is definitely a superfood: A grain-like seed, it’s a “complete” protein containing all eight essential amino acids (another plus: it cooks much more quickly than most grains). To create a terrific vegetarian main course, Michael Symon of Cleveland’s Lola tosses quinoa with arugula, apple, raisins and fresh herbs, then spoons the salad into a halved baked squash (a great source of iron and vitamins A and C).
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Braised Kale
This easy kale recipe—a simple braise of olive oil, garlic and chicken stock—is a terrific counterpoint to rich holiday dishes.