Chef and author Grace O has traveled the world in search of delicious, good-for-you foods. Her passion for discovering food treasures from the Blue Zones and elsewhere, where people live longer, healthier lives, is the driving force behind her new cookbook, Anti-Aging Dishes from Around the World. In her third cookbook, Grace O, founder of the ground-breaking healthy food website, FoodTrients.com, delivers all the hallmarks of her two previous award-winning cookbooks, and more. Read on for a great recipe from Grace, and more details of her book.

Serves 4

The spices in this dish are inspired by Indian cuisine. The acid in the yogurt marinade helps tenderize the chicken. The sugar helps brown the chicken skin and caramelize it as it roasts. Be sure to toss the chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and cauliflower florets occasionally, coating them in the chicken fat as it renders.

Benefits

Chickpeas contain fiber which aids digestion, increases satiety, and helps lower blood cholesterol. The iron in chickpeas helps transport oxygen properly throughout the body. The zinc they contain may play a role in reducing your risk of macular degeneration. It also maintains collagen and elastin for beautiful skin.

Ingredients

• 3 – 3½ lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken parts (breasts, thighs, legs)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1½ cups low-fat Greek yogurt, divided
• 5 Tbs. fresh lemon juice, divided
• 2 tsp. ground turmeric, divided
• 2 Tbs. water
• 2 cans (14-15-oz. each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 Tbs. fennel seeds
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground cardamom
• ½ tsp. ground cayenne
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• 1 large red onion, thinly sliced, divided
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• ½ cup fresh mint or cilantro leaves, torn

Directions

1. Season Chicken with salt and pepper to taste.

2. In a large bowl, combine ¾ cup yogurt, 2 Tbs. lemon juice, 1 tsp. turmeric and 2 Tbs. water. Add the chicken and toss, coating evenly. Let sit for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator, before cooking.

3. Place oven rack on the top third of the oven and heat to 425 degrees F.

4. On a sheet pan, combine the chickpeas, fennel seeds, cumin, cardamom, cayenne, remaining turmeric, cauliflower, and half the onion slices. Drizzle with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss well to coat.

5. Move the vegetables to both sides of the sheet pan. Scrape any excess marinade off the chicken parts and place them in the center, skin-side up. Place in the oven and bake, tossing the veggies occasionally, for 45 to 50 minutes or until the skin of the chicken is evenly browned, and the chickpeas are golden and starting to crisp.

6. Meanwhile, toss the remaining onion slices with 2 Tbs. lemon juice and season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

7. Combine the remaining yogurt with the remaining lemon juice, salt, and pepper and set aside. 8. Scatter the chicken with lemony onions and mint or cilantro. Serve with seasoned yogurt alongside as a sauce

More about the book

In addition to 250 easy-to-make recipes using everyday favorites, exotic ingredients, and superfoods from around the world, Anti-Aging Dishes from Around the World includes healthy resources, guides, and tips for improving your lifespan and health-span. Grace’s global approach to her age-fighting recipes is to ramp up the flavor profiles of each dish to entice food lovers everywhere.

“My life has been devoted to my two passions – great food and wellness,” Grace says.  “I have traveled the world in search of foods that can help us age better, and I love discovering food treasures from the Blue Zones and places beyond, where people live longer, healthier lives. This is the driving force behind FoodTrients.com and this new cookbook.”

In Anti-Aging Dishes from Around the World, Grace takes classic recipes and gives them international twists with a few simple steps, creating very interesting meals. Grace uses superfoods and spice profiles from all over the world, including Africa, Asia, South America, the South Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S. Recipes range from Appetizers; Soups; Side Dishes; Vegetarian; Noodles and Sauces; Salads; to Meat; Seafood; Poultry; Flatbreads; Drinks; and Desserts. Some of the delicious anti-aging recipes found in the cookbook include: 

• Vietnamese Shrimp & Noodle Salad with Dipping Sauce
• California Hemp Seed Salad with Strawberries & Kale
• Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
• Peruvian Fresh Fish Ceviche
• Blue Zone Apple-Sage Cauliflower
• American Steakhouse Potatoes with Caramelized Onions
• Israeli Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Figs
• Polynesian Pot Roast
• Belizean Chicken Stew
• Lebanese Braised Lamb Shanks
• Hawaiian Avocado Chiffon Pie
• Turkish Apricot-Almond Cake
• California Persimmon Cookies
• Chinese Monk Fruit Spice Cookies

The book also features invaluable guides to Herbs and Spices from Around the Globe; Top 50 Foods for Longevity; Alternative Flours and Grains; The Healthiest Cooking Oils; Better-for-You Sweeteners; The Best Anti-Aging Teas; and the “New” Ancient Grains. Grace also includes her signature FoodTrients chart that tracks the health benefits of each recipe.

All of us are concerned with our health these days. If you want to know the top foods for aging better or the difference between prebiotics and probiotics; which cooking oils are best to use; which salts are healthier; the perfect teas to help you calm down, energize, or fight the flu, Anti-Aging Dishes from Around the World has the answers.

All proceeds from sales of this book will be donated to the Grace O Foundation, which supports educating the public about nutrition, working with other food-based non-profits, and participating in research that explores food and the diseases of aging.

About Grace O:

Over a span of 30 years, Grace O has built an impressive record of business achievement, community building, philanthropy, and community service in California. Guided by her spirit of entrepreneurship and building on a model of generosity learned from her family, Grace has spent a lifetime helping people heal through food and medicine. When she moved from the Philippines to the U.S. in 1992, she began her impressive corporate ascent from employee to owner and operator of a number of skilled nursing facilities in California.

In 2011, Grace combined her entrepreneurial skills, her passion for the culinary arts, and her commitment to health by launching a new culinary brand, FoodTrients®, a non-profit website and cookbooks dedicated to the nutrients in foods that help prevent the diseases of aging. She is also the author of two other award-winning cookbooks—The Age GRACEfully Cookbook: The Power of FOODTRIENTS to Promote Health and Well-being for a Joyful and Sustainable Life and The Age Beautifully Cookbook: Easy and Exotic Longevity Secrets from Around the World.

To further understand and help prevent the diseases of aging, Grace launched the Grace O Foundation, which is dedicated to nutrition and longevity research, health education, food advocacy, and other charitable efforts. All proceeds from her cookbooks are contributed to the Foundation research and programs. To learn more visit www.FoodTrients.com.