Healthy Cooking for Food to Live By
Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook Review and Flank Steak Recipe
Apr 25, 2009
Myra and Drew Goodman founded Earthbound Farm in 1984 to produce organic food crops, and today are leaders in the production and sale of organic food available in grocery stores. Food to Live By is Myra Goodman's first cookbook, and showcases an abundance of recipes she has created as a result of organic farming.
Organic Culinary Cooking: Soups and Salads
Recipes feature both hot and cold soups, such as Sweet Corn Chowder, Golden Tomato Gazpacho, and Lemongrass-Coconut Chicken Soup. Sidebars include useful cooking tips for organic products that may be unfamiliar, such as Kaffir lime leaves. A guide to gourmet greens will help cooks identify and choose from the myriad of salad greens available today, including those used in the salad recipes section.
Meat and Seafood Main Dishes
Delicious meat offerings include Prosciutto-Wrapped Beef Kebabs, Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb, and Curried Chicken Salad. There are some helpful tips for making good fish and shellfish choices, despite the current lack of organic USDA standards for seafood. A simple but delicious recipe for Ginger Lime Salmon will put a healthy dinner on the table fast.
Vegetarian Main & Side Dish Recipes
While Ms. Goodman is not a vegetarian, there is no shortage of vegetarian recipes in Food to Live By. Sample recipes include Sweet Pea Risotto, Tricolor Spaghetti Squash and Tangerine Tofu, with instructions on proper tofu preparation.
Summary
In addition to the chapters mentioned here, Food to Live By includes brunch and dessert recipes as well as useful references for stocks and staples to keep on hand. As organic products become more widely available, the demand increases for new recipes featuring healthful ingredients. Food to Live By is a large cookbook filled with beautiful photos, helpful cooking tips and recipes that have something to offer every palate.
Recipe Excerpt
Flank Steak with Lemon Shallot Marinade
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds flank steak
- 1 1/2 cups fresh Meyer lemon juice*
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 6 medium-size shallots, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil or peanut oil (optional)
Directions:
- Pierce both sides of the flank steak all over with a fork. Place the meat in a 1 gallon resealable plastic bag.
- Pour the lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk in the soy sauce. Add the shallots and whisk in the sesame oil, if using. Pour about 2/3 cup of the marinade into a covered microwave-safe container and refrigerate it until it's time to use as a sauce.
- Pour the remaining marinade into the bag with the flank steak and seal it, pressing out any excess air. Refrigerate the steak overnight, or up to 24 hours, turning the bag once or twice to distribute the marinade evenly.
- When ready to cook, set up a barbecue grill and preheat it to high or preheat the broiler.
- Remove the flank steak from the marinade. Grill or broil the steak about 3 inches from the heat source, until cooked to taste, 3 to 4 minutes per side for rare, or 4 to 6 minutes per side for medium-rare. When done, an instant-read meat thermometer inserted at an angle into the center of the steak will register 125 degrees F for rare or 135 degrees F for medium-rare.
- Let the flank steak rest for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, warm the reserved 2/3 cup of marinade in the microwave and place it in a serving bowl. Cut the steak against the grain into very thin slices, holding the knife almost parallel to the surface of the steak and slicing it at a shallow angle. Serve the flank steak with the warm or room temperature marinade on the side for spooning over the steak.
*Or substitute 1 1/4 cups fresh lemon juice and 1/4 cup of fresh orange juice. Alternately, add 1 tablespoon sugar to 1 1/2 cups lemon juice.
Title: Food to Live By
Author: Myra Goodman
Publisher: Workman, 402 pgs, $21.95
ISBN: 978-0-7611-3899-0
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