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Cooking With Calibrate Guide

If you’re interested in cooking, making your own meals can fast become a foundational part of your Calibrate journey. To that end, think of this guide as an ultra-basic starting point. Below, with the help of Calibrate Food Expert, Stephanie Middleberg, MS, RD, CDN we’ve gathered some easy fundamentals for getting into the kitchen with Calibrate.

Roasting

One of the best ways to prepare your vegetables is by roasting them in the oven. This simple technique only requires olive or avocado oil, a bit of salt, herbs (like rosemary, thyme, or oregano), and a sheet pan. 

Begin by chopping your vegetables into pieces and setting your oven at 425° F. Coat your vegetables with olive or avocado oil (you can toss them in oil in a mixing bowl, or drizzle the oil over them in the pan; aim for about 1 Tbsp per pound of vegetable). Add salt and pepper along with any herbs you like (if you’re using dry herbs, 1-2 tsps of each should be sufficient). After roasting, you can give your vegetables an optional drizzle of olive oil and squeeze of lemon to bring out some extra flavor. 

Estimate a vegetable’s roasting time based on how hard it is to cut through at the outset and how small you cut the pieces. The denser the vegetable, the more time it will take; the smaller the pieces, the less time it will take. If you have a mix of vegetables, start by roasting the densest first and add the less dense ones later. Also, remember to flip your vegetables about halfway through to ensure even roasting. 

Here’s a list of approximate roast times, with shorter times corresponding to smaller pieces and longer times to larger ones: Root vegetables: 30 to 45 minutes; winter squash: 20 to 60 minutes; crucifers: 15 to 25 minutes; soft vegetables: 10 to 20 minutes; thin vegetables: 10 to 20 minutes; onions: 30 to 45 minutes (longer roasting will yield a crispier result); tomatoes: 15 to 20 minutes.

Another favorite trick for tomatoes, straight from an Italian bed-and-breakfast, is to roast them overnight. Heat the oven to 500 degrees, and place a pan of cherry tomatoes in. Turn off the oven, and when you wake up, you’ll have a tasty addition to morning eggs or lunchtime salads. 

Marinades

Marinades are a great way to create additional flavor and to prevent protein from drying out. While marinating sounds like it takes a lot of time (and you certainly can marinate something in the refrigerator overnight for maximum flavor), you actually only need 10-15 minutes to get results. The basics of a good marinade involve three components: fat (to coat the meat so it isn’t dry. Olive oil is a good bet here), acid (to help tenderize the meat. Vinegar or lemon juice are typical options), and flavor (to add complexity. Herbs or sauces like soy or mustard are a few examples). 

Strive for an oil-to-acid ratio of 3:1 (what you’d normally find in a vinaigrette, which you can absolutely always use as a marinade). As for flavor, salt is a good starting point, but from there, the sky’s the limit with herbs like thyme, rosemary, oregano, tarragon, and more. You can also add chopped garlic, onions, and sugar-free sauces and condiments like soy, mustard, hot sauce, etc. Once you’ve combined the ingredients, the easiest way to marinate your protein (or veg!) is to use a ziplock bag. This allows you to shake the bag and ensure your protein is fully coated. Let sit for a bit in the refrigerator before you’re ready to put it in the oven or on the grill.

A good rule of thumb for cooking a marinated meat like chicken is 375° for 25-30 minutes, but timing can vary by size and thickness, so a meat thermometer can be helpful to measure doneness (it should have an internal temperature of 165°). You can also cut into the middle and look for an opaque white inside. If it’s still pink, return it to the oven and check again in 5-10 minutes. Fish is more variable, but this guide offers a good starting point.

Parchment Paper Cooking

Try wrapping a cut of fish in parchment paper and baking in the oven at 400° for 10-15 minutes. This method utilizes steam to create a healthy, moist final result. You can also toss in your favorite herbs and citrus to add additional flavor.

Prepping Legumes

This guide is a great overview for preparing legumes. For dried beans, cover them in water overnight in your refrigerator, then boil until tender (between 30 minutes and 1 hour). One great way to incorporate beans into your meals is chili. Most simple chili recipes involve cooking down onions, carrots, celery, and garlic, then adding your beans with a can of tomatoes with chili seasoning (paprika, chili powder, cumin, and oregano) and letting simmer as long as you please (slow cookers are great for this). You can top off your chili with cilantro, lime, and avocado. 

Slow Cooking 

Slow cookers, like the Instant Pot or Crock Pot, can make your life easier and your dishes healthier. These pots enable you to prepare delicious, and tender foods on your schedule—a favorite trick is to get things ready the night before so you don’t have to bother in the midst of a busy day. Because your food is cooked in its own juices, all you have to do is season well with herbs, add some broth (vegetable or chicken), and toss in naturally flavorful foods like onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. 

If you want to cook a protein that you can use over multiple meals, you can try slow cooking a whole chicken. Start by giving a light seasoning of salt, pepper, and paprika. Next, place the chicken in your slow cooker and add chopped vegetables. One easy combo is 2 carrots, 1 onion, 6-8 garlic cloves, and 4-6 parsnips or sweet potatoes (in place of potatoes). Finally, add a handful of flat leaf Italian parsley, 6 quarts of water, and set the cooker on high for 4-6 hours. Once you’re finished, you can shred the meat to spread over multiple meals throughout the week. 

Another hack we love is to combine a protein, lots of vegetables, and a Calibrate-friendly sauce; voila- dinner is served.

With any slow cooker, you don’t want to overfill it with liquid because the lids mean that there’s no way for the liquid to evaporate, and your ingredients will also release their own juices (so there will be more liquid when you’re done cooking than when you started). A good rule of thumb is to only add enough liquid to barely cover your ingredients, at most. You can also look at these guides for a Crock Pot and an Instant Pot for more tips and inspiration.

Wok Cooking 

Woks are a type of frying pan that are typically used for Asian dishes like stir fries. The main benefit of using a wok is that the high heat retention allows you to cook your food faster, using less oil than normal dishes and bringing your vegetables to a tender, yet crisp texture. Wok cooking also helps your vegetables retain more nutrients than if they were boiled. 

The key to cooking with a wok is cutting all your ingredients into thin slices to ensure your food cooks quickly and evenly. Start by heating your wok over medium-high heat. It’s ready when you can flick water on it and the water evaporates within 1-2 seconds. Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive or avocado oil and swirl around (after a few seconds, you can also add a clove of chopped garlic, some chopped ginger, hot peppers, or about ⅓ of a chopped onion). 

If you’re going to add meat or seafood, put this in next, and cook for a few minutes until the color has changed but the protein has not cooked through. Next, add your vegetables (snap peas, green beans, bok choy and broccoli are great options) and slowly cook for 5-10 minutes until tender. If you’d like to include a sauce, be it as simple as some soy or something more complex, add this in slowly as the vegetables are cooking through.

Steaming 

Steaming is another great way to cook vegetables and fish. Simply bring about an inch of water to boil in a large pot that’s separated in two sections by something like a wire rack or a surface with plenty of holes. Once the water is boiling, place your food onto the rack or second pot and cover. 

For vegetables, similar to roasting, cooking time is dependent on density and size of cut. But typically it takes between 5-20 minutes. For fish, smaller fillets take 4-8 minutes and larger ones can take up to 10 minutes. 

Baking Fruit 

To make fresh fruit feel more like dessert, try it sliced and plated with a sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger and a dollop of yogurt. (It might seem funny at first, but balsamic vinegar is also a great add-on. The acid brings out the sweetness of the fruit.) If you have a bit more prep time, baked fruit is easy to pull off. Simply slice fruit, place on a greased pan, and cook at 350 degrees for 25 minutes (if you want a glaze, switch to broil for the last 5 minutes). You can also quickly sautée with a bit of butter and cinnamon for a treat that even kids will drool over. 

Yogurt 

Yogurt is one of the most versatile foods that you can use as the main component of any quick meal. For breakfast, take a scoop or two of yogurt, add a handful of berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.) with half a teaspoon of nuts. Craving a refreshing dip with your roasted vegetables? You can make a quick tzatziki with yogurt, cucumbers, lemon juice and fresh dill. 

Finally, you can create a satisfying sweet and savory dessert with yogurt, roasted figs, and pistachios. The best part about this dessert is that roasted figs store in the refrigerator for about a week, so you can assemble this whenever you want a treat. Just roast 6 figs cut into quarters with 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest for 20 minutes at 400°. Give a rough chop to ¼ cup of pistachios and you’re ready to assemble.

Mirepoix 

Mirepoix is a simple, yet ubiquitous technique for building flavor in many dishes. It requires a rough chop of onions, carrots and celery (usually a 2:1:1 ratio), adding 1 tablespoon of olive oil to coat the pan and cooking over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until soft and translucent. 

You can use mirepoix as a base for a myriad of foods, but it’s especially great in chilis, stews, and soups. Finally, you can use this base (add garlic and mushrooms) to create a great vegetable stock that you can add into a slow cooker for liquid. 

Herbs and Spices

Herbs and spices are essential ingredients for seasoning and adding flavor to your dishes. You can use different blends in dry rubs for your protein or to bring a new flavor profile to your vegetables. Keep in mind that using ¼ teaspoon powdered spice is equivalent to using about 1 teaspoon of dried herbs or, 1 Tablespoon of fresh herbs.  

This guide is a great overview of all the herbs and spices you can add to your pantry. Some staples include rosemary, thyme, basil, bay leaf, oregano, sage, paprika, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and turmeric. You can also grab some fresh herbs (cilantro, basil, parsley) and preserve them. 

Oils

Olive oil (especially extra virgin) is an all-around good choice for cooking, baking, and even drizzling on dessert. When cooking at high temperatures (greater than 375°F), you may want to consider using avocado oil because its higher smoke point ensures the oil won’t degrade and impart an undesirable flavor to your food. 

Substituting Pasta

Vegetables are a great alternative that can replace white pastas by creating a similar texture. Spaghetti squash is an easy vegetable to use that has a texture similar to angel hair pasta. To prepare it, many recipes (like this one) have you cut it in half vertically; season with olive oil, salt, and pepper; and then bake in your oven. Once cooked, you can use a fork to turn the inside of the squash into small, angel hair-like noodles. 

Another good vegetable to use in place of pasta is zucchini. Zucchini noodles (zoodles) require a spiralizer to create noodles that you can eat raw or quickly cook (1-2 minutes) and add your favorite pasta or pesto sauce. If you’re really feeling zucchini-forward, you can even create this zucchini pesto to go with your zoodles. 

Other options to satisfy a pasta craving are garbanzo, lentil, or other legume-based packaged pastas (such as Banza and Tolerant).

Substituting chips

If you still find yourself craving chips, you may just be craving the crunch that comes with a bag of chips. Kale chips are a healthy alternative that only require a few ingredients and heating your oven to make. For crispy kale chips, remove the stems (the chewy bits), tear the remaining kale leaves into chip sizes, and let dry (one of the keys to anything crispy is reducing any extra moisture your food has prior to seasoning). Next, massage some olive or avocado oil into your kale leaves (1-2 Tbsp per bundle of leaves), add any seasonings you enjoy (like salt, pepper, chili powder), then place in your pan and bake at 225°F for 20-25 minutes. Halfway through, toss and flip to ensure even baking and monitor the last 5-10 minutes closely because kale chips burn quickly. 

Additional resources

Keep in mind that not every recipe on the sites below will fit within your Calibrate Food Triangle, but they represent a good launch point as you continue to explore.

  • The Minimalist Baker (free): This blog is full of simple, healthy recipes that require 10 ingredients or less, 1 bowl, and 30 minutes or less to prepare. 
  • New York Times Cooking (paid): A great resource with a vast archive of vegetable recipes and guides on different methods of cooking.
  • America’s Test Kitchen (paid): A PBS show with an online membership with recipes, in-depth cooking guides and recommendations of the best kitchen tools. Stick with the Diabetes recipes, which were overseen by cardiologist Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, one of Calibrate’s Clinical Advisors.
  • 40 Aprons (free): Check out the low carb section of this site for a rich and approachable trove of delicious recipes.
  • The Modern Proper (free): Another high quality site with a robust low carb section with recipes for every taste and skill level.