FLAVOR
POP
Introduction 1
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CONTENTS
6 INTRODUCTION 8 CHAPTER 1 Dried Fruit 32 CHAPTER 2 Nuts & Seeds 56 CHAPTER 3 Olives, Anchovies, & Capers 80 CHAPTER 4 Cheese 104
CHAPTER 5
128
CHAPTER 6
152
CHAPTER 7
176
CHAPTER 8
200
CHAPTER 9
224
RECIPES BY SMARTPOINTS® VALUE
229
INDEX
Maple Syrup & Honey Herbs & Spices Miso, Pastes, Kimchi, & Hot Sauce Citrus & Vinegar Mustard
Introduction 5
CHAPTER 2
Nuts & Seeds
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Nuts & Seeds 33
NUTS & SEEDS ⁄ Superpowers: Nuts and seeds bring so much to the party: rich flavor, crunch, and a nice hit of protein. Like several other flavor boosters in this book, they can pack a lot of SmartPoints,® so we use them judiciously—and chop them whenever possible to help the taste hit every bite. Don’t skip out on toasting the nuts, either; it brings out their full depth of flavor and gives them the best possible crunch.
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How to buy, use, and store: For the freshest taste, buy whole nuts and chop them yourself, unless a recipe calls for a particular style, like sliced or slivered. Because of their high oil content, nuts and seeds turn stale, bitter, and offtasting when they’re no longer fresh. They’ll last for about six months in an airtight container at room temperature, and an extra month in the fridge. Stash the container in the freezer, and they’ll stay fresh for a year.
36 Mixed nut crunch 39 Nectarine & toasted pepita salad 40 Shaved veggie salad with toasted hazelnuts 43 Nut & olive quesadillas 44 Ginger-sesame green beans 47 Cauliflower rice bowl with grilled shrimp & romesco
Try them:
48 Chicken tagine with apricots & almonds
• Chopped and sprinkled on salads, noodles, and sautéed vegetables
51 Pecan-crusted buttermilk chicken
• As a coating to give chicken and fish a crispy exterior (check out our recipe for Pecan-crusted buttermilk chicken on page 51)
52 Baked peaches with almondcrisp topping
• Ground into a flour, as a substitute for all-purpose flour in some baked goods, or to thicken sauces
55 Chewy chocolate-walnut cookies
• Powdered, also useful in baked goods and as a flavoring and thickener in sauces (check out our recipe for romesco on page 47)
Nuts & Seeds 35
Nuts & Seeds 37
Mixed nut crunch PREP 5 MIN 4
4
NO COOK
SERVES 4
4
This snack is as simple as it gets. The nuts add protein to help fill you up. Make it a snack for one by scaling everything down so you get only a single cup (you’ll just need to divide each ingredient by 4). 2 cups plain air-popped popcorn (prepared without oil)
In a large bowl, stir together all ingredients.
1½ cups crispy rice cereal squares 6 tbsp unsalted dry-roasted mixed nuts 1 tsp cinnamon-sugar (equal parts cinnamon and sugar)
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Per serving (about 1 cup): 103 Cal, 5 g Total Fat, 1 g Sat Fat, 80 mg Sod, 14 g Total Carb, 2 g Sugar, 1 g Fib, 3 g Prot
CHAPTER 3
Olives, Anchovies, & Capers
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Olives, Anchovies, & Capers 57
OLIVES, ANCHOVIES, & CAPERS⁄ Superpowers: Olives, anchovies, and capers punch above their weight: Add even a small amount to your dish and you’ll taste the difference, in a great way. They bring a savory umami note to dressings, sauces, salads, pizzas, pastas, and more. Anchovies are especially nimble in recipes—often they actually dissolve entirely into your dish, leaving only a briny, salty (but not fishy) goodness behind. Along with capers, they’re a fairly low-SmartPoints® addition to cooking. The SmartPoints for olives, on the other hand, can add up quickly, so chop them whenever possible and keep in mind that a little goes a long way, flavor-wise.
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How to buy, use, and store: Anchovies can be found in an easy-to-use paste or in tins or little jars. While most capers are pretty much the same, olives come in dozens of varieties, from tiny Niçoise to giant Cerignola, so taste test and experiment. All these flavor boosters usually come packed in brine, oil, or salt, and should be drained or rinsed before they’re used. Olives, anchovies, and capers are pantry staples, all with a fairly long shelf life. Once open and in the fridge, anchovy paste will last up to a year, whole anchovies up to two months, and capers and olives about two weeks.
Try them: • Added to salad dressings, especially Caesar • In anything involving garlic, tomatoes, and pasta (think puttanesca sauce)
60 Tuna salad Niçoise 63 Sautéed chicken thighs with lemon & capers 64 Chicken with pasta & puttanesca sauce 67 Onion & olive pizza squares 68 Pan-roasted asparagus with fried capers 71 Chicken picadillo 72 Sautéed cod with tomatoes & olives 75 Fennel salad with turkey, olives, & mint 76 Grilled chicken with tomatoanchovy sauce 79 Lemony grilled Caesar salad
• Combined with lemon, for a piccata sauce • Whenever seafood, chicken, or herbs make an appearance (see what we mean on page 76, where a caper-and-anchovy sauce works wonders on grilled chicken) Olives, Anchovies, & Capers 59
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Onion & olive pizza squares PREP 10 MIN 5
5
COOK 40 MIN
SERVES 12
5
Salt-cured olives make the best-ever pizza topping, especially when they show up alongside caramelized onions, soft goat cheese, and fresh herbs. If you can’t find fresh oregano, the dried kind is very flavorful and will work just as well. Nonstick spray 1 tsp olive oil 3 medium red onions, thinly sliced 1 tsp sugar ¼ tsp salt 10 small oil-cured black olives, pitted and chopped 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried oregano) 16 oz refrigerated pizza dough, at room temperature 4 oz soft goat cheese, crumbled ¼ cup torn basil
1 Arrange a rack in lower third of oven; preheat oven to 450°F. Spray a 10½ x 15½-inch jelly-roll pan with nonstick spray. 2 In a large nonstick skillet over low heat, warm oil. Add onions, sugar, and salt. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until onions are very soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in olives and oregano; let cool slightly. Set aside. 3 Onto bottom of prepared pan, stretch and press pizza dough (if you have all-purpose flour on hand, you can rub some on your hands to keep dough from sticking). Onto dough, spread reserved onion mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. 4 Bake until crust is browned and cheese is slightly melted, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with basil. Cut into 12 squares before serving. Per serving (1 square): 150 Cal, 5 g Total Fat, 3 g Sat Fat, 313 mg Sod, 19 g Total Carb, 3 g Sugar, 1 g Fib, 6 g Prot.
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