College Cookbook | Whole foods, whole flavor

This past weekend, English professor Tenaya Darlington, Ph. D., challenged students in her food writing class to the ultimate task: a "72-hour change of diet."

As a notorious snacker and carb-fiend, I decided to take the challenge head-on and cut out any and all unprocessed foods unless I myself did the processing—whole foods all the way. Talking with other whole food enthusiasts during my venture, I found out I went over the top cutting out items like coffee because it's roasted or milk because it's homogenized. However, I did leave myself olive oil to cook in and seasonings like balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and a few dried herbs.

As the majority of the meals contained vegetables, they were hearty and nutritious without sparing the flavor. Consider a whole foods meal with whole flavor when you dine on: Small green salad with pickled beets; squash and eggplant; a simple steak fry with sautéed peppers and onions; fresh pineapple.

Pickled Beets

• beets
• vinegar
• sugar (optional)

1. Put washed but unpeeled beets in a large pot.
2. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the beets halfway and finish covering them with vinegar.
3. Boil the beets until you can stick a knife easily in a large one and it slides right off.
4. Drain the beets and let them cool for a few minutes until they can be handled.
5. Peel the beets with a knife (warm beets are easier to peel but a vegetable peeler probably won't get through the tough skin).
6. Slice the beets to the desired thickness and place in a tall container.
7. Cover the beets with three parts vinegar, one part water and a handful of sugar if sweeter beets are desired.
8. Let the beets sit in the fridge for a day at least.
9. Garnish small salad with fresh ingredients with the pickled beets.

Squash and Eggplant

• 3 mini eggplants
• 1 large yellow squash
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• Italian seasoning

1. Slice the eggplants and squash in half vertically and then into 4-inch long strips as thin as possible (the thinner the strips the less cooking time).
2. Place strips in a large bowl and drizzle olive oil over top.
3. Season with the salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings, then toss to coat.
4. Place a deep pan on the stove and set to medium heat. Heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom.
5. Add eggplant and squash to the pan and toss periodically.
6. Cook over medium heat until the eggplant and squash turn translucent and limp.
7. Drain excess oil and plate.

Peppers and Onion Mix

• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 small yellow onions
• 2 green peppers
• 1 portabella mushroom cap
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• Italian seasoning

1. Smash and mince the garlic and slice the onions into thin strips.
2. Over medium-low to medium heat, heat enough oil in a pan to coat the bottom and a bit extra.
3. Toss in the garlic and onion and season with the salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings. Stir them around periodically until the onions turn translucent.
4. While the onions are cooking, slice up the green pepper into strips and cut up the mushroom cap into bite-size pieces.
5. When the onions are ready, add the peppers and mushrooms stirring frequently and adding more oil or seasoning as needed.
6. Sautee until the mushrooms hang heavy and limp while the peppers tender.
7. Drain excess oil and plate.

Simple Steak Fry

• 2 lbs round steak
• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• salt
• pepper
• Italian seasonings

1. Cut the steak into inch-wide strips (sometimes you can find this already done by a butcher or meat department).
2. Place in a deep container and drizzle with olive oil and a helping of balsamic vinegar.
3. Let marinate as long as you desire, the longer the better.
4. In a cold pan, put a splash of olive oil and lay the pieces of meat in before turning on the heat.
5. Cook over medium heat just a few minutes on each side—the thin steak cooks quick so watch you don't end up with leather!
6. Take meat out of pan and reserve the left-over oil and vinegar.
7. Pour either warm or cooled reserve liquid over the small salad with the beets for a savory dressing.

Mary Black is a member of the class of 2010 majoring in English. She can be reached at thehawk@sju.edu.