On her way to wellness, writer Maggie Battista initially wanted to lose weight, but she took a turn down the path of accepting and loving her body. The change was love vs. hate.
“When someone decides to start a diet, most of the time it starts from a place of not liking something about themselves,” she says. “Through my journey, I found a way to like every part of me no matter how big it still is, or wrinkly or anything, or slow in some cases. It came from a place of self-acceptance, and that has made a shift in my brain where I no longer even use the word diet.”
From that shift came A New Way to Food, her new cookbook that encourages eating what makes you feel good. It includes 100 recipes separated by stories of her trek to wellness and how she learned to love herself. The Boston native says it took her two or three years to develop and curate the recipes.
“I wanted to recant that story [of bad diet culture] and share it with people. Especially with folks that have been through what I’ve been through, which is decades of diet culture, decades of yo-yo dieting, decades of hating yourself. I knew I couldn’t keep it to myself,” the 46-year-old says.
The recipes are dishes she makes regularly, and they allow for flexibility so readers can swap out ingredients depending on personal preferences or allergies. Many of the recipes are what she made during her elimination diet, when she removed dairy products, she says.
Her cultural background also comes through in the food she makes. Her Honduran mother did a lot of cooking in the house, and Battista says she got to a point in her life where she went back to the food she grew up with. Latin and Italian influences can be seen throughout the book, from the Black Beans, Poached Egg and Rice dish her mother would make (Page 121) to the Gooey Baked Ziti she perfected without compromising her dairy-free lifestyle (Page 133).
Vegetables are the core of what she loves and a staple in her pantry at home, though not all the food in the book is plant-based. She says six to seven bunches of greens are always in her house, and she tries to include them in all meals. Ever since she started eating them regularly, she says her body has never felt more nourished.
“This process will be a journey for the rest of my life. It took decades to get here. It’ll take decades onward,” she says. “I’m a work in progress, like we all are.”
Another staple in her kitchen is smoked paprika. It’s her favorite ingredient to incorporate into meals, and she says it brings out a savory notes in sweeter dishes like her smoked red fruit salad (Page 89). She also suggests freezing seasonal fruits and rhubarb for sweet treats later on, especially for pies. From Rye Apple Rhubarb Crisp Pie (Page 277) to the Sweet Potato Pie (Page 278) she makes for fall gatherings, there's no lack of delicious desserts in the book.
One big lesson she has learned is not thinking of food as a reward. She says people should be able to eat whatever they want, whenever they want.
“Someone said to me, ‘This is the first wellness book with pies in it,” she says.
Gooey Baked Ziti
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for pasta water
1 pound penne-shaped pasta
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 cups homemade almond ricotta or store-bought regular ricotta
4 tablespoons minced parsley
3 tablespoons dry Italian seasoning herbs (divided use)
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (divided use)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
7 tablespoons cashew milk or other unsweetened plant milk (divided use)
4 cups preferred tomato sauce, at room temperature
2 tablespoons ghee, melted
Heat the oven to 350 F.
Heat 4 quarts of water in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once it comes to a boil, add a big handful of salt (at least 3 tablespoons). Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain the pasta, drizzle with oil to coat, and let cool to room temperature. Don’t begin assembling the casserole until the pasta is cooled.
Add the salt, ricotta, parsley, 2 tablespoons of the Italian seasoning, 2 tablespoons of the nutritional yeast, eggs, and 4 tablespoons of the cashew milk to a large bowl. Mix until well-combined. Add cooked pasta and mix until pasta is evenly coated. Spread 1 cup of tomato sauce across the bottom of a 8x8-inch (for a taller baked ziti) or 9x11-inch (for a shorter baked ziti) casserole dish. Add all of the coated pasta into the dish and spread to fit the entire dish. Spread the remaining sauce evenly across the top of the pasta.
Evenly drizzle the remaining 3 tablespoons cashew milk and the ghee across the top of the pasta. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning and 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast across the top of the pasta evenly. Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes until bubbly and hot. Remove the baked ziti from the oven and cool for a few minutes before serving.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
SOURCE: A New Way To Food by Maggie Battista
Nicoise Pasta Salad with Basil Dressing
8 ounces dried bite-size, gluten-free pasta
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (divided use)
1 teaspoon plus 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (divided use)
1 small bunch basil (about 10 sprigs), stems cut and discarded
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 1 medium lemon)
10 twists freshly ground black pepper
3 cups mixed greens, like butter lettuce, romaine and radicchio
1 cup fresh vegetable of your choice (like green beans), cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup pitted olives, Nicoise or kalamata, halved
2 (5-ounce) tins solid-pack light tuna in olive oil
Fill a large pot with 1 quart of water and set it on the stove to come to a boil. When it boils, stir in 1 tablespoon of the salt and the dried pasta. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked al dente to package directions. Drain in a colander, toss with 1 teaspoon of the oil, and set aside to cool.
To make the dressing, add the basil, nuts, remaining 1/2 cup oil, water, lemon juice, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to a powerful blender. Blend until smooth.
Combine the pasta, greens, veg and olives in a very large bowl. Set aside.
Pour half the dressing on the pasta salad. Toss to combine until there’s dressing on every bite. Fork the tuna across the top of the pasta salad. Serve with remaining dressing, on the side, for folks to add as they like.
Makes 4 servings.
SOURCE: A New Way To Food by Maggie Battista
