5 weeknight dinner recipes from Candice Kumai made with longevity-boosting foods
This January, as part of Well+Good’s (Re)New Year, famed plant-based and classically trained chef Candice Kumai is providing five weeks of healthy recipes to help not only transform your eating habits, but set you up for year-long success. Week 4 is all about eating in a way that will inspire a long, healthy life.
“Eat food, not too much, mostly plants” has been the wellness battlecry in many circles ever since expert Michael Pollan revealed those seven words summed up everything he’s ever learned about food and health. It sounds great in theory, until you’re left trying to figure out how to make a meal full of veggies satiating enough to not leave you reaching for a pint of vegan Ben & Jerry’s later.
Fortunately, Candice Kumai has figured it out. (Just one of the many side-effects that happens after writing six healthy cookbooks.) Her Japanese heritage helped lay the foundation for building plant-forward meals, and over time, she’s added her own twists to them, ensuring they’re delish even if you didn’t grow up like she did with your mom making tofu fried rice and cloudy miso soup.
The secret to living a long, healthy life is quite simple, really: Eat real foods and spice up your dishes with powerful inflammation fighters like turmeric and ginger. That’s it! Ready to fill your dinner table with foods that are meant to give your longevity a boost? Keep reading!
Scroll down for a week’s worth of dinner recipes made to inspire longevity.
Monday: Squash salad bento box
Serves 3
Ingredients
For the salad:
1/2 kabocha squash, halved, quartered and thinly sliced into 1⁄2-inch moons (skin-on)
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp sea salt
3/4 cups cooked and cooled: brown rice, freekeh, quinoa, or pick your favorite leftover whole grain
1 cup curly or lacinato kale leaves, tough stems removed, finely chopped
1/2 Fuji, Gala or Braeburn apple, cored and sliced into 3/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup raw pepitas
For the apple cider-honey vinaigrette:
1/4 cup unfiltered apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp raw or manuka honey
1. Preheat the oven to 375 ̊F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. In a large bowl, toss the squash slices with the olive oil until well coated. Spread the squash out in an even layer across the baking sheet, making sure each piece is touching the surface of the pan to ensure even browning. Sprinkle with the sea salt. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, then flip the squash and roast for another 20 minutes on the opposite sides. When the squash is fork-tender, remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
3. In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients together for the apple cider-honey vinaigrette.
4. While the squash is roasting, make your salad: In…
