Eating Healthy, With Pizzaz

Recipes For Colorful, Flavorful Meals That Are Good For You, Too

(CBS)  RECIPES

Purple Belgian Endive & Crab Salad

Purple and blue fruits and vegetables are the exotics of the produce world. Like purple and blue flowers, they have a rare and special allure. They also rank high on the list of the most healthy foods, since they're especially rich in antioxidants.

Leaves from 2 heads purple-tipped Belgian
Endive or regular Belgian endive
4 tsp. rice wine vinegar
1 lb. fresh or thawed frozen lump crabmeat
1 Tbs. minced fresh tarragon
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. mayonnaise
2 tsp. capers, chopped
2 drops of Tabasco sauce
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Arrange 3 or 4 endive leaves on each of 4 chilled salad plates. Coarsely chop the remaining leaves and make a bed of them on the arranged leaves.

In a bowl, combine the vinegar, crabmeat, tarragon, olive oil, mayonnaise, capers, Tabasco and lemon juice, and season with the salt and pepper. Divide the crab mixture equally among the plates, mounding it on the beds of chopped endive. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Adapted from New Healthy Kitchen Series, Starters, by Georgeanne Brennan (Simon & Schuster, 2006).

Editor's note: Simon & Schuster and CBSNews.com are both owned by the CBS Corporation.

Celery Root & Potato Potpie

Containing antioxidants for healing and protection, the white and tan category of produce includes many nourishing root vegetables. Among them are potatoes and celery root, which are combined to create this warming potpie.

For the pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
8 Tbs. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into
small pieces
2 to 3 Tbs. ice water

1 large or 2 medium celery roots, peeled and
cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 lb. potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
4 celery stalks, chopped
2 tsp. all-purpose flour
3 cups low-sodium chicken stock
2 Tbs. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp. black truffle oil

To make the pastry, in a food processor, combine the flour and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles small peas. With the machine running, gradually add the ice water until the dough comes together. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap and flatten into a disk. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight.

In a saucepan, combine the celery roots and potatoes. Add water to cover and 1⁄2 tsp. of the salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium and cook until the vegetables are fork-tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain in a colander.

In a fry pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and celery and sauté until the onion is translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour and the remaining 1⁄2 tsp. salt and stir well. Gradually stir in the stock and cook until reduced to about 2 cups. Stir in the parsley. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Preheat an oven to 400°F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry disk into a round about 1⁄8 inch thick and trim to fit a 6 to 8-cup casserole dish.

Transfer the potatoes and celery roots to the dish and pour the reduced broth mixture on top. Drizzle with the truffle oil. Cover with the pastry, pinching the edges to seal.

Cut 2 or 3 slits in the top. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the edges are bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the potpie from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes, then slice and spoon into warmed bowls. Serves 4 to 6.

Adapted from New Healthy Kitchen Series, Main Dishes, by Georgeanne Brennan (Simon & Schuster, 2006).