Dave Lieberman's Healthy Meal on a Budget
Dave Lieberman's mantra is, "Eat smart. Get healthy. Live long."
And the chef, author and TV host caters his recipes to that guiding principle, using fresh ingredients to make delicious meals that are good for you.
Lieberman, the host of the Food Network's "Good Deal" and "Eat This," has a hot new cookbook, "The 10 Things You Need to Eat: And More Than 100 Easy and Delicious Ways to Prepare Them."
He also penned "More than 100 Recipes for Cooking Fresh and Affordable Food for Everyone" and "Dave's Dinners: A Fresh Approach to Home-Cooked Meals."
Lieberman even finds time to be a contributing editor of "Saveur" magazine.
On "The Early Show on Saturday Morning," he accepted our "Chef on a Shoestring" challenge of cooking a healthy, yummy meal on our budget of only $40.
And his chef's hat was automatically tossed into our "How Low Can You Go" competition. The "Shoestring" chef whose ingredients total is lowest will be asked back to whip up our year-end, holiday extravaganza.
MENU:
Gazpacho
Rosemary-Grilled Mahi-Mahi With Red Pepper and Radicchio Relish
Chocolate Avocado Mousse
FOOD FACTS:
Gazpacho: A refreshingly cold, summertime soup hailing from the Andalusia region in southern Spain. This uncooked soup is usually made from a pureed mixture of fresh tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, onions, celery, cucumber, bread crumbs, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and sometimes lemon juice. Gazpacho can be a meal in itself, particularly when extra fresh vegetables such as sliced celery, green onion, cucumber and green pepper are added. Popular garnishes include croutons and diced hard-cooked eggs. (Source: Epicurious.com)
Mahi-Mahi: Though this is actually a type of dolphin, it shouldn't be confused with the dolphin that is a mammal. To avoid this misunderstanding, the Hawaiian name mahi-mahi is becoming more widespread. Also called dolphinfish and dorado, mahi-mahi is found in warm waters throughout the world. It's a moderately fat fish with firm, flavorful flesh. It ranges in weight from 3 to 45 pounds and can be purchased in steaks or fillets. Mahi-mahi is best prepared simply, as in grilling or broiling. (Source: Epicurious.com)
Radicchio: This red-leafed Italian chicory is most often used as a salad green. There are several varieties of radicchio, but the two most widely available in the United States are Verona and Treviso. The radicchio di Verona has burgundy-red leaves with white ribs. It grows in a small, loose head similar to butterhead lettuce. The leaves of radicchio di Treviso are narrow and pointed and form tighter, more tapered heads. They also have white ribs but can range in color from pink to dark red. Other radicchio varieties have variegated or speckled leaves in beautiful shades of pink, red and green. All radicchios have tender but firm leaves with a slightly bitter flavor. Radicchio is available year-round, with a peak season from midwinter to early spring. Choose heads that have crisp, full-colored leaves with no sign of browning. Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week. Besides being used in salads, radicchio may also be cooked by grilling, sautéing or baking. (Source: Epicurious.com)
Avocado: Native to the tropics and subtropics, this rich fruit is known for its lush, buttery texture and mild, faintly nutlike flavor. Florida was the site of the first U.S. avocado trees in the 1830s but almost 80 percent of today's crop comes from California. Known early on as alligator pear, the many varieties of today's avocado can range from round to pear-shaped. The skin can be thick to thin, green to purplish black and smooth to corrugated. The flesh is generally a pale yellow-green and softly succulent. The two most widely marketed avocado varieties are the pebbly textured, almost black Haas and the green Fuerte, which has a thin, smooth skin. (Source: Epicurious.com)
RECIPES
Gazpacho
INGREDIENTS:
3 ounces soft crusty bread, any tough crust cut away
2 (14.5 ounce) cans of Stewed Tomatoes
1/2 medium sweet onion, roughly chopped
1/2 small green bell pepper, roughly chopped
1/2 English cucumber, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil for garnish
METHOD:
Tear the bread into small pieces and put into a large mixing bowl. Cover completely with 1-1/2 cups cold water, pushing all the pieces down so they are completely submerged. Let stand until the bread has soaked up most of the water and is soft enough to fall apart easily, about 10 minutes.
Transfer bread mixture to a food processer along with the remaining ingredients except the olive oil. Process until the mixture is smooth and thick but some texture and flecks of color from the individual ingredients are still visible.
Refrigerate until well-chilled before serving, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
Ladle the mixture into shallow soup bowls and top each serving with a good drizzle of the olive oil and a few more grounds of pepper.
For more recipes, go to Page 2.
Rosemary-Grilled Mahi-Mahi With Red Pepper and Radicchio Relish
INGREDIENTS:
About 1-1/4 pounds mahi-mahi fillet, skin removed and cut into 4 equal portions
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for the peppers and for drizzling
2 large fresh rosemary springs, torn in half
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 red bell peppers
1 medium head of radicchio, cored and cut lengthwise into eighths
1/3 cup pitted green olives, roughly chopped
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, finely chopped
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
METHOD:
Preheat the broiler to the highest heat and position a rack about 8 inches from the heat element.
Marinate the mahi-mahi by putting the fish pieces in a large re-sealable plastic bag along with 1/4 cup of olive oil, the rosemary, and the lemon juice. Seal the bag, massage the ingredients together, and set aside.
Rub the peppers with olive oil, season generously with salt, and place on a baking sheet, lined with aluminum foil. Broil the peppers, turning every so often, until all the sides have been well blackened, about 30 minutes.
Transfer the peppers to a mixing bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let sit until the peppers have cooled and completely collapsed, about 20 minutes.
Peel and discard the blackened skin, remove the stem and seeds, and roughly chop the pepper flesh.
Heat a grill pan over high heat for about 7 minutes. Grill the fish for about 4 minutes per side, leaving room for the radicchio. As soon as you have turned the fish over, sprinkle the radicchio with some salt, drizzle with some olive oil, and cook on the grill pan until just wilted and tender.
The fish and the radicchio should come off the grill at roughly the same time, but the radicchio may take a bit longer, depending on the size of your grill pan and the amount of heat your stovetop can put out.
Toss the radicchio with the chopped roasted red peppers, olives, sun dried tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt to taste, if necessary, and serve alongside the grilled fish and starch of your choice.
Chocolate Avocado Mousse
INGREDIENTS:
12 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 large, ripe Haas avocado, pitted and peeled
3/4 cup light brown sugar
6 egg whites
METHOD:
Melt the chocolate with the cinnamon and chili powder in a double boiler over hot water and set aside.
Puree the avocado and brown sugar in a food processor until smooth. With the machine running, pour in the chocolate mixture.
Using a stand mixer or whisk, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg whites. Pour the mousse into 6 small serving bowls or wineglasses and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or, covered, overnight.
So, how did Dave do in our "How Low Can You Go" competition?
Gazpacho
bread $.99
tomatoes $1.34
onion $1.89
green pepper $1.12
cucumber $1.50
garlic $.50
sherry vinegar $3.69
total $11.30
Grilled Mahi-Mahi
mahi-mahi $8.74
rosemary $2.49
lemon $.66
red peppers $4.00
radicchio $2.99
olives $2.29
sun dried tomatoes $2.29
total $23.46
Chocolate Avocado Mousse
chocolate $2.99
chili powder $.89
avocado $1.50
total $5.38
Grand total: $39.87
Our Leaders Board:
1. Amanda Freitag $37.17
The Harrison
2. Kelly Liken $37.20
Restaurant Kelly Liken
3. Sebastiaan Zijp $37.31
Bar Blanc Bistro