When the guests of Miraval Spa find out they don’t have to sacrifice flavor and choice, guests flock to Chef Cary Neff’s cooking classes and have been begging him for years to write a cookbook. Check out the recipes from “Conscious Cuisine: A Harmony of Flavors for a Life in Balance,” below.
BLACK BEAN SOUP Cary Neff
Makes 5 (1-cup) servings
Heat the olive oil in a medium stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and beans. Cook until the onion has softened, about 2 minutes. Add the jalapeòo, bay leaf, thyme, cumin, and coriander. Cook 1 minute. Add the stock and chili sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in the cilantro, salt, and pepper.
Carefully ladle the soup into a blender. Blend the soup until puréed and smooth. Strain the soup through a fine mesh strainer or a colander lined with cheesecloth to remove any bean pulp.
Return the strained soup to a pan and heat over low heat. Adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper. You may need to add a little more stock or water to the soup for a creamy consistency if the soup is too thick.
Per serving:
Calories 200; Protein 11g; Total Fat 1.5g; Saturated Fat 0g; Carbohydrates 37g; Dietary Fiber 11g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 160mg
HEARTY, SATISFYING, AND complex, aromatics and chilies make this soup a classic in Latin and southwestern-style food. I prefer to strain the soup and use the bean and vegetable pulp as a delicious dip or spread.
9123814395933101160581olive oil0.25teaspoon1/4 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oilyellow onion0.5cup1/2 cup diced yellow onioncelery0.5cup1/2 cup diced celerycarrot0.5cup1/2 cup diced carrotgarlic1teaspoon1 teaspoon minced garlicblack turtle beans (2 15-ounce cans, drained and rinsed)3cup3 cups black turtle beans (2 15-ounce cans, drained and rinsed)jalapeno chile1tablespoon1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno chile (with seeds)bay leaf1 bay leafthyme0.5teaspoon1/2 teaspoon dried thymecumin0.5teaspoon1/2 teaspoon ground cumincoriander0.5teaspoon1/2 teaspoon ground coriandervegetable stock4cup4 cups vegetable stockchili sauce0.25cup1/4 cup chili saucecilantro0.25cup1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantrosea salt0.25teaspoon1/4 teaspoon sea saltblack pepper0.25teaspoon1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
CHILLED CHOCOLATE SOUFFLÉ WITH BERRY CONSOMMÉ Cary Neff
Makes 6 servings
Chocolate Souffle
A soufflé is made of two basic types. Savory soufflés which are served as an appetizer or entrée or sweet soufflés which are served as desserts. This sweet soufflé offers an elegant chocolate dessert that is elevated to new heights of complimentary complex flavor by the berry consommé. A traditional chilled soufflé has about 460 calories and 35 grams of fat per serving compared with our lighter version at 230 calories and 10 grams of fat.
Fill a saucepot or bottom of a double boiler halfway full of water, heat till simmering. Place the white chocolate in small mixing bowl or top of a double boiler. Place bowl on top of double boiler. Stir chocolate until chips just begin to melt, remove from heat and continue stirring until chips are completely melted. Stir in the yogurt.
Place the water and gelatin in a small saucepan. Heat over a medium flame to dissolve the gelatin. Stir the dissolved gelatin into the chocolate mixture.
Using an electric mixer whip the egg whites with cream of tartar until medium peaks form. Fold the egg whites into chocolate.
Place aluminum 2-inch molds or pieces of PVC pipe cut into 2-inch molds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray the molds with cooking spray. Ladle the chocolate into the molds and level off the tops. Put in the freezer over night for gelatin to set up.
Next day: Fill a saucepot or bottom of a double boiler halfway full of water, heat till simmering. Place the white chocolate in small mixing bowl or top of a double boiler. Place bowl on top of double boiler. Stir chocolate until chips just begin to melt, remove from heat and continue stirring until chips are completely melted.
Remove the soufflés from the freezer, run a knife around the inside of the mold. Carefully push the soufflé out of the mold. Using a spatula place the un-molded soufflé on a baking sheet lined with a baking rack.
Carefully pour the chocolate over each soufflé to cover. Each soufflé will take about 1 tablespoon of chocolate glaze. You can scoop the chocolate off the baking sheet and reheat if you need additional chocolate to coat all the soufflés. Return the soufflés to the refrigerator to set. Serve with berry consommé, berries and mint.
Per serving with berry consommé:
Calories 230; Protein 6g; Total Fat 10g; Saturated Fat 6g; Carbohydrates 36g; Dietary Fiber 5g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 65mg
BERRY CONSOMMÉ
This recipe is a must keep for those times when fresh berries are plentiful. It serves as a beautiful accompaniment to many individually plated desserts or just spooned over frozen vanilla yogurt or ice cream.
In a medium saucepot bring the berries and water to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer or a colander lined with cheesecloth. Add the fruit sweet and brandy and chill. Reserve the berries for other desserts.
Per 1/4 cup:
Calories 50; Protein 1g; Total Fat 0g; Saturated Fat 0g; Carbohydrates 11g; Dietary Fiber 3g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 0mg
91238146049127770semi sweet chocolate chips0.75cup3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate, chips or chunksyogurt0.5cup1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurtunflavored gelatin powder1.5teaspoon1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin powderwater0.25cup1/4 cup watereggs5 egg whitescream of tarter0.5teaspoon1/2 teaspoon cream of tarterraw cane sugar0.25cup1/4 cup raw cane sugarsemi sweet chocolate chips0.5cup1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate, chips or chunks, for toppingraspberries1pint1 pint raspberries — can be a mixture of fresh and frozen for all berriesstrawberries1quart1 quart strawberriesblackberries1pint1 pint blackberrieswater2cup2 cups waterfruit sweet syrup0.5cup1/2 cup fruit sweet syrup or corn syrupcherry brandy3tablespoon3 tablespoons cherry brandy
Recipes excerpted from “Conscious Cuisine: A Harmony of Flavors for a Life in Balance” by Cary Neff. Copyright © 2002 by Cary Neff. Published by Sourcebooks Trade. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt can be used without permission of the publisher.