Meatless Monday: Claire’s Moroccan Sweet Potatoes

Claire’s Moroccan Sweet Potatoes has been a favorite in our house for longer than there have been “Meatless Mondays.” We first enjoyed it at my cousin’s house during her New Haven years. She lives in Denmark now, but I think of her every time I make it.

Moroccan Sweet Potatoes is Claire Criscuolo’s  unique vegetarian take on a traditional Moroccan meat dish. In Claire’s version, chickpeas and walnuts supply the protein, making it a complete meal and a perfect Meatless Monday dish. It is also excellent when served on a grain — a good way to stretch the dish when serving a crowd.

Moroccan Sweet Potatoes 

Preheat your oven to 400°F

INGREDIENTS

6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, and cut into 1-inch cubes

3 medium carrots, peeled, and cut on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices

1 large yellow onion, peeled, and sliced into 1/4-inch rings

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup golden raisins

Salt and black pepper to taste

1/3 cup of water

One 16-ounce can chickpeas, drained.

1/4 chopped walnuts

• In a large bowl, combine the vegetables, oil, cinnamon, brown sugar, vanilla, raisins, and salt and pepper. Toss well.
• Pour the water into a 9’ x 13” glass baking dish.
• Turn the sweet potato mixture into the dish. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake for one hour.
• Remove the foil and stir in the chickpeas and walnuts. 
• Continue cooking, uncovered, for 10 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender.

This delicious dish takes a bit longer to prepare than last week’s tofu stir fry, but it is worth the time and effort. This one-dish meal is excellent when heated as a leftover, if you should be so lucky.

Moroccan Sweet Potatoes is one of many delicious recipes in Claire’s Corner Copia Cookbook.Published in 1994, it is New Haven restaurateur Claire Criscuolo’s  first (and still my favorite) collection of recipes. If you can get your hands on a copy, check out Claire’s photo on the back cover. Such a kid! But I guess we all were back then. We  love you, Claire — always have, always will! 

Have a great week.

I often blog on food or food issues on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Meatless Monday: Finding Common Ground

Many (perhaps most) American families are currently disagreeing about one hot button topic or another. In my immediate family, the subject is food, specifically diets. I’m a flexitarian bordering on vegetarian, while my son and daughter-in-law adhere to the Paleo Diet. 

I respect their right to choose.  When I first heard the phrase “Paleo Diet,” and learned that adherents eat animal protein (flesh or eggs) at almost every meal and avoid grains, legumes, and dairy, I was a little freaked. But, trusting the intelligence of my two kids, and seeing their leaner, trimmer figures after a mere couple of months, I opted to learn more.

In reading about their Paleo lifestyle choice, I found some common ground. According to Paleo Diet founder Dr. Loren Cordain, “The Paleo Diet is the unique diet to which our species is genetically adapted… The Paleo Diet is based upon eating wholesome, contemporary foods from the food groups that our hunter-gatherer ancestors would have thrived on during the Paleolithic era, or Stone age…” 

“…These foods include fresh meats (preferably grass-produced or free-ranging beef, pork, lamb, poultry, and game meat, if you can get it), fish, seafood, fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and healthful oils (olive, coconut, avocado, macadamia, walnut and flaxseed).” Missing from the Paleo Diet are: dairy products, cereal grains, legumes, refined sugars, and all processed foods, none of which were part of the diet of our paleolithic ancestors. Dr. Cordain cites the Agricultural Revolution as the starting point for a wide range of chronic diseases including obesity, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, cancer, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, and acne. 

Here is the first bit of common ground – the premise that processed food is inherently bad.

I read more about the Paleo Diet on the website’s FAQ page. There I learned that along with meat and seafood, “the foundation of the Paleo diet is UNLIMITED consumption of fruits and vegetables” — a second bit of common ground.

There is a plethora of recipe sites for the modern-day Paleo dieter on which I found recipes for meals, but also for baked treats.

In a nod to the good I’d discovered in my brief exploration into Paleo principles, I decided to tweak one of my favorite recipes from New Haven vegetarian restaurateur Claire Cricusolo’s Claire’s Corner Copia Cookbook to make it more Paleo friendly. I took a couple of steps beforehand.

• Paleo recipes do not use grain-based flours. In preparation for this exercise, at Trader Joe’s I purchased a bag of Almond Meal, which is simply ground almonds. 1/4 cup of almond meal has 180 calories and 7 grams of protein. [1/4 cup of unbleached white flour has 124 calories, and 4 grams of protein.] Information on the bag advised substituting almond meal for no more than 1/2 the amount of flour in the recipe to ensure that the baked good would hold together and not be too crumbly.
• Also, Paleo recipes never use sugar, but honey can be used in moderation. I made sure I had plenty on hand.
• I made a small batch of applesauce; that way I could be sure there was no extra sugar.

Here goes. Wherever I made any edits to the original recipe, I have placed the original ingredients in brackets.

Applesauce-Spice Cake 

Makes an 8-inch square cake

Ingredients

1 cup unbleached white flour

3/4 cup almond meal [substituting for an additional 3/4 cup flour]

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

4 tablespoons butter or margarine at room temp.

7/8 cup local honey [substituting for 1 cup sugar]

1 egg

1 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 chopped walnuts

Method

Preheat oven to 350°

Combine flour, almond meal, soda, salt and spices in a bowl.

In a large bowl, cream butter with honey until light and fluffy. 

[Easiest with an electric mixer]

Add egg and applesauce and continue beating for an additional minute.

Add flour mixture and stir until combined. 

Stir in raisins and nuts.

Grease and flour the pan. Turn the batter into the pan. Smooth the top. 

Bake in the center of the oven for approximately 45 minutes [test at 40] until cake tester comes out clean and cake starts to pull away from the side of the pan. Be careful that the cake does not get too dry.

After the cake cools, cut into squares. Enjoy!

Note that on the East Coast it is Tuesday now. This day really got away.

For those of you reading on Monday, happy Monday. For the rest of you, have a great week!         

I often blog on food or food issues on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Meatless Monday: Welcome to Claire’s

Long before the phrases “sustainable food movement” or “artisanal” were coined, and before most of us had heard of Michael Pollan or Alice Waters, New Haven had Claire Criscuolo. In 1975, on a prominent downtown corner, Claire opened Claire’s Corner Copia, a casual restaurant serving healthy, affordable food, initially cooked entirely by Claire and her family. Much has changed in New Haven and the world during the decades since then, but Claire’s and Claire are still on the same corner where it all began. Welcome to Claire’s is a new cookbook celebrating the landmark restaurant’s first 35 years.



I love Claire. This is not the first time I have dedicated a post to her, nor is Welcome to Claire’s the first of her cookbooks I have purchased. Welcome, however, does the best job of conveying the essence of Claire’s. In this book you hear Claire through her recollections and section intros. You see Claire through the book’s many colored photographs — of Claire, her staff, her food, and her satisfied customers. And you get a sense of just how important Claire’s is from the customer testimonials scattered throughout its pages. 

Of course there are also recipes. Those designated “Claire’s Classic” are directions for preparing time-honored staples from the restaurant’s menu, including my husband’s favorite — Moroccan Sweet Potatoes — and the item most associated with Claire’s — her beloved Lithuanian Coffee Cake. The collection also contains numerous vegan and gluten-free offerings. Indeed, the only readers who may have to look hard to find something to satisfy a craving are those on the Paleo Diet.

I baked the Pumpkin Spice Bread so I would have something to trade at Slow Food Shoreline’s Slow Food Swap last Saturday. I doubled the recipe and baked one large and four small loaves. [I kept two for us.] The use of cardamom instead of the more expected nutmeg, and the addition of dried cranberries as well as the usual pecans, made these loaves deliciously different. My kitchen smelled great for hours. I would caution you, though, to check the breads earlier than the stated time. It might have been my pans or the fact that I had a double batch, but my loaves were done far earlier than I had expected. All turned out fine. I caught them in time. And they made a fine currency for trading.

Claire dedicated the book to her husband and business partner Frank whom she called, “the love of my life.” Sadly, Frank passed away late last year before the book was printed. He would be proud.

I am very glad I’ve added Welcome to Claire’s to my collection and I urge you to do the same. The book is available at Claire’s, in area bookstores, at the Elm City Market, and online. 

I often blog on food or food issues on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Meatless Monday: And Everyday at Claire’s Corner Copia

This is Claire Criscuolo. She is standing still in her restaurant, Claire’s Corner Copia, in New Haven, CT, just long enough for Don to take her photo for my Meatless Monday column. Claire’s Corner Copia turned 35 years old this Fall. For most of those years every dish served at the restaurant on Mondays, and on every other day of the week, has been meatless.

When it opened in 1975, Claire’s was a tiny restaurant in the former location of a KarmelKorn, a corner store known for being a late night haunt of Yale students and street people with the munchies. Good food had decidedly NOT been happening there. Claire Criscuolo, RN, soon changed that. 

In the introduction to Claire’s Corner Copia Cookbook (published in 1994) Claire writes about how the restaurant has evolved over the years. Claire, her husband Frank, and other family members were its first employees. While her first soup was vegetarian (Vegetable Bean), Claire did prepare meat and poultry until 1977, the same year in which she banned smoking and hired her first paid staffer. Tuna salad persisted as a menu item until sometime in the last decade, but with the exception of meat without feet, Claire’s has observed Meatless Monday every day and in every way for over three decades now!

Claire has both boundless energy and a heart of gold. According to a recent article in the Yale Daily News, Claire traditionally donates 10% of the restaurant’s profits to charity. But in celebration of the restaurant’s 35th birthday Claire upped the amount to 35% of her profits from September 17-October 20. Two local charities, determined by customer votes on Facebook, each received a check for nearly $1100. 

Over the years Claire has become an advocate for local food and an activist for healthy eating. She has served on a number of important panels and was instrumental in bringing the Growing Connection and EarthBox Gardening to New Haven. Since 2007, she and Frank have been growing organic arugula and heirloom tomatoes in their home garden, Giardino del Mare.

We have known Claire ever since she first opened. In those days we ate soup or split a piece of Lithuanian coffee cake when we splurged on a meal out. As the restaurant grew and became slightly less funky, we brought parents there for dinner before attending the Shubert Theater. Then we added a family member, and Claire’s was one of the earliest child-friendly places, equipped with sturdy highchairs, so guess where we brought the baby? Claire’s later became the place to grab a seat near the window to enjoy a coffee and a little something for a treat after nursery school or some downtown shopping. The years have passed, but Claire’s is still a favorite haunt, with friendly faces, healthy and tasty food, fair prices, and always something new to try. When we went there for a quick brunch on Sunday with friends (whose daughter worked there in the ’80s), who was there but Claire!


Claire’s was named one of the Top 10 Heart-Healthy Restaurants by msn.com in 2010 and is also kosher, two more reasons to drop by. Let me just issue one warning in advance of your visit. The portions are large, and the food delicious. Come hungry and with a friend or you may have to choose between a meal and a dessert. 

If you can’t make it to New Haven, check out the cookbooks. Those who once lived here and have fond memories of Claire will find many familiar recipes there. You just have to love someone who writes, “If we can ever change the world, and I know we can, it will be through our good work — Together!” That’s Claire. 

Claire, here’s wishing you a very happy belated birthday. Downtown just wouldn’t be the same without you!

I often blog on food or food issues on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Meatless Monday

When I was growing up, every Friday was “meatless.” Normally, I didn’t mind. I grew up in a household where meals were pretty programmatic. Spaghetti with meat sauce on Monday, spaghetti with meatballs on Wednesday, cheeseburgers on Saturday, a roast on Sunday… You get the picture. At home there were no surprises. On Friday my sandwich became tunafish or cheese plus. Friday dinner was a rare treat of take-out— pizza or fish and chips from Greer's (now gone), but simply the best in the day.

This custom only became a problem when I found myself out in the wider world — at a non-Catholic home for dinner, or on a Girl Scout overnight. I had to make a choice — to explain how Fridays were different for me, or to let it go. My point is that at least sometimes giving up meat was a conscious decision.

Catholics around the world still give up meat on Fridays during this season of Lent. I am no longer part of that group, but I find myself recognizing that the tradition of consciously giving up meat once a week is profoundly good for a number of reasons. I long to declare a meatless day once more, but this time I am designating a different weekday.

Today I am joining the Meatless Monday movement. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal  health and the health of our planet,” every Monday, all year long.

After I tell you a little more about it, I am hoping you will join this movement, too.

Meatless Monday is one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project. It was founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. The campaign was endorsed by over 20 schools of public health. Its goal was to help Americans reduce their risk of preventable disease by cutting back on their intake of saturated fat. In 2009 the Meatless Monday message was broadened to include the health and environmental benefits of moderating meat consumption.

Why Meatless? In summary form, “Going meatless once a week may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel.”

Why Monday? The site claims that on Monday “we set our intentions for the next six days. We plan ahead and evaluate progress… And studies suggest we are more likely to maintain behaviors begun on Monday throughout the week.”

Meatless Monday is actually an old idea recycled and revived. Presidents Wilson, Truman, and Roosevelt each galvanized the nation with voluntary meatless days during both world wars. Everyone pitched in and together made a huge contribution. This video is an excellent introduction to the movement.

The extraordinary website has everything you need to make your  Meatless Mondays delicious and meaningful, and to help you spread the word. There are recipes, recipe videos, tips on films and books, articles, and a section of questions and answers.

Who besides me endorses this movement? Check out the site. There you can read that the entire school system of the City of Baltimore went meatless in 2009; a Manhattan borough president recently proposed that the NYC schools should do the same. Universities from Oxford to UC Santa Barbara, schools, corporations, restaurants, and even the city of Ghent have declared Monday Meatless. You can discover the celebrities who have made Meatless Mondays part of their lives.  Simon Cowell, Sir Paul McCartney, Kate Moss, Yoko Ono, Gwnyeth Paltrow, Michael Pollan, and Antonio Villaraigosa, the mayor of Los Angeles, all appear on this list. There is even a place for you to sign up to join the movement.

Some of you may be treading on new ground here. Let me suggest a couple of great vegetarian cookbooks to get you started: Claire's Corner Copia Cookbook and Claire's Italian Feast. The Meatless Mondays website offers many others, but I know these two books very well. They are both by Claire Criscuolo, owner and founder of Claire’s Corner Copia, New Haven’s oldest and finest vegetarian restaurant, also Kosher, by the way, and a great place to eat on Monday or any other day you don’t feel like cooking. I heartily recommend Mexican Rice, Moroccan Sweet Potatoes, and Pumpkin Bread (from the original book) and Sautéd Broccoli Rabe (from the Italian one).  If you visit the restaurant, you have to try the signature Lithuanian Coffee Cake!

Meatless Monday may not sound like a very big deal. But think of this: In an oft-cited study, researchers at the University of Chicago reported that the food that people eat is just as important as what kind of cars they drive when it comes to creating the greenhouse-gas emissions that many scientists have linked to global warming. Their data has been used to posit that if all Americans gave up meat, just one day per week, that would have the equivalent effect on the environment of all Americans trading in a standard sedan for a more efficient hybrid car.

In the historical Meatless Monday campaigns, the nation asked and the citizens answered, each person making a personal commitment and taking a small step with a big impact. Together they changed history. Together all of us can do the same.