andrew weil’s cookbook ‘true food,’ and his tuscan kale salad recipe
ANDREW WEIL was 66 years old when the first of the True Food restaurants he’s a partner in opened, in 2008. The founder of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine and author of multiple bestsellers on wellness is perhaps the leading champion of an anti-inflammatory diet, and lest that sound anti-delicious, think again. Enter “True Food: Seasonal, Sustainable, Simple, Pure,” the cookbook to empower us to create it at home. After buying and enjoying “True Food,” released last October, I asked if I could share a recipe—specifically the restaurant’s signature dish, for a Tuscan kale salad enlivened with mashed garlic, red pepper, shaved Parmigiano and toasted bread crumbs.
Weil is a keen cook, and it shows in the not-hippie, not-boring, not-weird cuisine that he created with Sam Fox, the founder of the partner restaurant corporation, and Michael Stebner, the executive chef of their now-six-and-counting restaurants. Their approach, whether serving patrons or cookbook readers: “globally inspired cuisine,” and also “delicious food that is also good for you.”
As I have been since my 20s, Weil became a lacto-vegetarian in 1970, at age 28, but by the mid-1980s he added fish into his diet, which continued to evolve over the years. “True Food” (book or restaurant) features poultry and bison recipes as well, so non-vegetarians need not panic about coming away hungry. On that topic: I especially love the section called “The Problem of Proper Portions,” in which Weil writes about what’s “just enough.” In Italy, he says, a “serving” of pasta would fit into a teacup. Food for thought.
Nothing has the life cooked out of it, and the flavors sound positively vivid. I’m drawn in by such intensely colorful dishes as Fettucine with Kale Pesto; Sweet Potato-Poblano Soup; Curried Cauliflower Soup; or Braised Broccoli with Orange and Parmesan. Seafood Fideo (a Mexican soup with toasted pasta cooked into the broth) and Chicken Teriyaki (the first dish chef Stebner created when developing the restaurant menu) are just two of many ideas I’ll try when protein-hungry company is coming.
“True Food” invites us to rethink the entire day’s meals, from breakfast to dessert (and even beverages). A dairy-free Chocolate Pudding looks unsinfully sinful, and promises us it’s “a good way to enjoy the health benefits of chocolate.” Count me in on that health plan.
So what does Weil—who for many years had imagined such a place as “True Food”—think about the retirement-derailing venture?
“It’s never too late to realize a dream,” he says. I couldn’t agree more.
the ‘true food’ kale salad recipe
(from the cookbook “True Food: Seasonal, Sustainable, Simple, Pure”)
Makes 8 servings
Here’s the signature dish of True Food Kitchen. People who never imagined eating raw kale quickly become devoted. Unlike most salads, this one gets even better in the fridge overnight. Make the extra effort to find Tuscan kale—also sometimes labeled as black kale, Russian kale, cavolo nero, or dinosaur kale—as its deeper color and more complex flavor really lift this into the salad stratosphere. –Andrew Weil
ingredients:
- 1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1⁄4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 garlic cloves, mashed
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 2 bunches kale (about 14 ounces), ribs removed and leaves sliced into 1⁄4-inch shreds
- 1⁄2 cup finely grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese (grated on a Microplane)
- 2 tablespoons toasted whole wheat bread crumbs
- Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese shavings, for garnish
steps:
1. In a salad bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and red pepper flakes. Add the kale and toss well to coat. Let the salad sit at room temperature for 10 to 30 minutes. Add the grated cheese and bread crumbs and toss again.
2. Garnish with the cheese shavings before serving. Cover any leftovers and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
how to win the cookbook
I BOUGHT TWO EXTRA COPIES of “True Food” to share with you. To enter to win [UPDATE: The giveaway is now closed], simply comment below, answering the question:
What’s your version of “healthy cooking”? Is there some food you’re eating more or less of, or some way you’re cooking that’s geared to wellness?
(My short answer: I’ve been a vegetarian since college years, and prefer foods in as whole a state as possible–meaning not processed.)
Nothing to share or just feeling shy? That’s fine. Simply say, “Count me in” or some such, and I will.
Two winners were chosen after entries closed at midnight Wednesday, February 13, 2013. Good luck to all.
(Photos and recipe copyright “True Food Kitchen: Seasonal, Sustainable, Simple, Pure,” by Andrew Weil, MD, and Sam Fox, with Michael Stebner; published by Little, Brown and Company.) (Disclosure: Links to Amazon yield a small commission that I use to buy books for future giveaways.)
I try to use whole grain or whole wheat products instead of white flour products whenever possible, e.g., whole wheat bread crumbs, pasta, etc.
Please count me in. I <3 Dr. Weil's newsletters and have been following his advice and collecting all the recipes I find from him.
I really want this cookbook!! I try to make sure what is on my plate is as close to the source as possible–vegetables from my garden or our CSA, eggs from our chickens, beef from our local farmer with grass fed cows.
Count me in :) Thanks.
Please count me in. I read Dr. Weil’s newsletter every morning, follow his advice and have been collecting every recipe of his that I can find.
I’m planning my veggie garden this weekend and ordering my seeds. I simply can’t wait to have dinner from the backyard again. And tomatoes that taste like tomatoes ! ( and I love to cook )
Love him and love dino kale. Would love to have his new book. We’ve loved having turnip and/or beet greens fresh from the garden after snow melt added to little onion, sauteed and added to a scrambled egg lately. Greens with every meal is my goal. Sooo tasty and so easy. Thanks Margaret!
I was diagnosed gluten intolerant 30 years ago, so I have been very conscious of diet for a long time. The fresher the better and bring on the veggies!!
Thanks for sharing the great salad recipe, I have been a fan of Dr. Weil for years, as well as yours too. Would love to win Dr. Weil’s recipe book.
Count me in! Thank you!
I eat health to feel better and live longer!
We eat healthy by not eating anything that isn’t really food. :) We try to grow our own or buy local when and where we can, and I don’t buy much of anything that comes in a box or a can. We also eat a lot of vegetarian meals. I’m always on the hunt for new inspiration, so I’m excited about this giveaway. That kale salad looks delicious (and kale just so happens to be one of my favorite ingredients!). :)
Trying to eat unprocessed foods, more veg’s and I love to cook/bake with healthy oils such as coconut oil.
Trying to incorporate more fresh vegetables into our menus.
My husband grows a vegetable garden. The abundance of homegrown produce is a wonderful incentive for trying new recipes! Kale is easy to grow and one of our favorite greens. Most of our meals these days are vegetarian. There is never a market as fresh or convenient as our own garden! I just received Backyard Parables as a gift. Love it and your blog!
I am trying to teach myself to choose healthy snacks (fresh fruit – whatever is in season, almonds), always read labels, try new veggies.
Nothing packaged and lots more veggies on the plate.
To me, anything that it not processed, not deep fried, and not high in fat is healthier eating. Since being a member of our local community garden last year, I was introduced to GMO’s and since then have vowed to stay away from them. It’s hard but I feel that if I pay attention to labels and try to grow my own food it’s feasible.
I try to pack as many vegetables into each meal as I can and think of the meat and starch as a condiment. When I am good I also eliminate all wheat and sugar, but this is hit or miss!
This kale salad recipe looks so good. Isn’t he amazing?? So please count me in!! Margaret, I’m enjoying your new book so much. :)
The idea that has stuck with me (since the 80’s “Fit For Life” books), because it makes so much sense, is food combining: not eating starch with protein (it neutralizes needed hydrochloric acid for proper protein digestion) and not eating fruit on top of other foods (it digests more quickly and ferments on top of what needs longer to digest) – eat/drink fruit meals instead. And another more recent idea for controling inflamation, which I now see is the source of disease at worse case and major discomfort at the usual! So I am working at limiting starches/carbohydrates – or when I do have them, I enjoy them without meat or protein of any kind. I am a pasta lover and to give it up is just too difficult right now, so I am enjoying it with fresh veggies, garlic, olive oil, etc. And I feel so much better when I stick to these ‘ideas.’! Dr. Weil’s book looks awesome and I’m anxious to read it and try the new recipes! Thanks for the Kale recipe!
It sounds delicious, please count me in!
I try to eat healthy and feed my family well by eating what we grow on our farm and buying in locally as much as possilble. I think a lot of the “fat free” alternatives may have other down falls so good, whole, local foods in moderation.
I focus on using fresh, local ingredients as much as humanly possible, and grow what I can myself during the summer season to ensure that it is as organic as possible. I seek out new recipes that use more vegetables (including things like kale!) and the healthier grains like quinoa. I have reduced our dependence on gluten for filling us up (i.e. less pasta and bread, more quinoa etc.). And the result of my efforts? Our meals are just as delicious, yet more nutritious! Well worth the effort.
My version of “healthy cooking” is seasonal eating, emphasis on organic vegetables (from the farmers market, when possible) and organic, free-range meats and poultry (especially duck, which I adore!) & wild-caught fish. I eat very little processed food and try to minimize bread, pasta, flour and sugar. Nothing is on my verboten list (except some shellfish, which, sadly I’ve developed an allergy to), because I think that leads to deprivation and food neurosis–at least in me–but I do try to emphasize the veg. Long live greens!