Eat (and Live!) the New French Way With Tres Green, Tres Clean, Tres Chic

Rebecca Leffler, who grew up in Cedar Grove and graduated from MKA in Montclair, had been living in Paris since moving there in 2004 to study French cinema. She ended up working in the field (she was a journalist and the France Correspondent for The Hollywood Reporter) but after coming home for the summer a few years ago, she discovered how the health movement was gaining momentum in the U.S., but at the time, France was very far behind. When you think of French cooking, butter and flaky croissants come to mind.

“There was no kale in sight and green juice or chia seeds were crazy concepts,” says Leffler. “I ended up writing a book and it really took off there.”

Très Green Très Clean Très Chic (Titled Green Glam & Gourmande in France where it launched last year and has become a #1 best-seller) is a charming cookbook, organized by season to help any food-loving Francophile enjoy all that Mother Nature has to offer.

It’s actually more than a cookbook. Très Green Très Clean Très Chic combines recipes with yoga poses, music playlists, and beauty tips because, Rebecca explains, it’s just not what you eat, but how you eat and how your body assimilates what you’re eating. “It’s a lifestyle.”

All of the recipes are vegan and gluten-free, but with a French twist, and in addition to Leffler’s own, they include recipes from famous chefs like Alain Passard or Thierry Marx or healthy cooking superstars including Beatrice from la Tartine Gourmande or Elenore from Earthsprout.  “It’s great for anyone with food allergies or who wants to experiment with alternative cooking, but it’s really for anyone, especially people who aren’t ready to be 100% hard-core veggie, but who simply want to eat more plants and feel better, says Leffler. Like her Magnifique Millet with Spring Vegetables recipe:

Magnifique Millet with Spring Vegetables
(Makes 2 salads)

• ½ Cup dry millet
• 6 small red radishes
• 8 asparagus spears (white or green)
• 2 carrots
• 2 fresh spring (green) garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• ½ cup chopped fresh green onions
• 2 handfuls of fresh spinach
• ½ cup  shelled peas
• 1 handful of arugula and/or mustard greens
• 1 handful of fresh herbs of choice
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. For best nutrition, add the millet and a pinch of salt to a bowl of water, cover, and soak overnight or during the day. Rinse and drain before cooking. If you don’t remember to soak . . . OMG YOU MIGHT DIE! Just kidding, pas de problème, just rinse the millet and follow the rest of the directions.
2. Add the millet to a small pot over medium heat and lightly toast for 1 to 2 minutes. Then add 1 cup  water if you soaked the millet, or 1½ cups water if not. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for around 15 minutes if presoaked, or 20 minutes if not, until the millet has absorbed the water (but isn’t too mushy!). Let it sit in the covered pot off of the stove for around 5 more minutes until it’s fluffable (a word I invented to describe what happens when one places a fork into perfectly cooked millet).
3. Rinse and cut off the tops of the radishes. Halve or chop into pieces depending on their size.
4. Snap the asparagus spears at their natural breaking point, then cut the tender parts into small pieces. Peel or wash the carrots, then grate. If you’re using fresh garlic, chop into small pieces or slice thinly. If you’re using regular garlic, peel and grate.
5. In a small pot over medium heat, heat the coconut oil and add the green onions. Sauté for around 1 to 2 minutes, until the onions become translucent. Add the radishes, asparagus, carrots, spinach, and peas (and any other seasonal spring veggies you wish), and sauté for just around 1 minute, so they are tender but still quite crisp. Turn off the heat.
6. Add the millet and mix together so the millet becomes warmed, but not hot or mushy. Top with the arugula and fresh herbs and, just before serving, add the lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, and nutritional yeast. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Leffler is living in NYC these days and is making the rounds promoting her book. She’ll be in Montclair at Watchung Booksellers on July 13 to share her très chic healthy recipes.
 

(Recipe from Très Green, Très Clean, Très Chic: Eat (and Live!) the New French Way with Plant-Based, Gluten-Free Recipes for Every Season, copyright © Rebecca Leffler, 2015. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Photo credit: Sandra Mahut)