The Whole Wheat

Another lovely recipe from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking. This recipe came together very easily and was delicious in a pita bread with the left over eggplant & chermoula the next day.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. dried white beans freshly cooked (your favorite recipe or one of mine)
• 3 T. olive oil
• salt
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 – 1c. kale, thinly sliced in ribbons

1. Drain the beans and set aside.
2. In a large skillet over med-high, warm the olive oil. Add the beans to the pan in a single layer (do this in batches if they are not all in one layer). Stir to coat them olive oil then let them brown on one side, 3-5 minutes. Turn and allow to brown on the second side.
3. Add a bit of salt to taste, then stir in the onion and garlic. Cook about 1-2 minutes.
4. Stir in the kale and cook until it begins to wilt.
5. If desired drizzle with a touch of olive oil prior to serving.

This is a delicious way to eat eggplant! I also used leftovers in a pita rollup! Brad found the sauce a bit sharp but I quite liked that aspect. However be aware of it as you add lemon juice in case you don’t like it quite so intense.

Chermoula Sauce Ingredients:

• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• salt
• 1 c. chopped cilantro
• 1 1/2 t. sweet paprika
• 1/2 t. ground cumin
• pinch of cumin
• 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
• juice of 2 lemons

1. In a mini-food processor combine all ingredients and process until smooth.
2. Note: can use 1/3 c. parsley in lieu of 1/3 c. of cilantro.

Eggplant Rounds:

1. Slice one eggplant into rounds. Salt and let rest for 30 minutes, dabbing up the liquid that accumulates.
2. Wipe slices clean then brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
3. Lay slices on baking sheet and broil for about 5 minutes per side, until nicely browned. Brush second side with olive oil after flipping.

Serve eggplant rounds drizzled with Chermoula sauce. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts prior to serving.

Rice bowls are a lovely way to get an easy dinner on the table with a variety of great ingredients and flavors. Sadly the other night I realized we were out of brown rice, so I just used spelt instead. I loved the results – but brown rice would be just as good!

Ours was topped with bacon avocado, portobello mushrooms, crispy tofu, beets, sweet potatoes, and spinach. It is all tied together by a citrus-soy dressing and sprinkling of sesame seeds. Mix up the ingredients any way you prefer – this dish is ready for endless variation.

Spelt with dressing:

• 1 c. spelt
• zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
• juice of 1 orange and 1 lemon
• 1 T sugar
• 2 T rice wine vinegar
• 2 T soy sauce

1. Rinse 1 cup of spelt well. Place in a medium pot with water at least an inch above the spelt.
2. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer and cover. Cook for 30-60 minutes until spelt is done. Drain.
3. In a small sauce pan, bring orange and lemon juice to a boil. Add sugar and mix. Add soy and rice wine vinegar. Boil for about 1-2 minutes until slightly thickened. Mix in zest.
4. When spelt is finished and drained, mix with about half of the dressing. Set aside.

Topping Ideas:

1. Crispy tofu: cut extra firm tofu into cubes. Marinate in some soy mixed with ginger. Broil for about 5 minutes per side until crispy.
2. Portobello mushrooms: brush generously with a mixture of soy, ginger, and sesame oil. Let sit for at least 10 minutes or longer. Broil about 3-5 minutes per side until nicely cooked thru. Slice into long thin pieces.
3. Avocado: you may not have access to bacon avocados as I found at the farmer’s market, but avocado adds a wonderful flavor and creaminess to these rice or spelt bowls!
4. Spinach or other greens: briefly boil or saute spinach.
5. Sweet potatoes: easy to steam in the microwave or bake in the oven.
6. Beets: several thin slices of roasted beets add wonderful flavor!
7. Sesame seeds: not to be missed, these help unite all the flavors together!

There is no denying that Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks has not only fantastic recipes, but beautiful photos. Her recent book: Super Natural Cooking is an absolute delight and I will be sharing some recent discoveries from that soon as well. But this recipe is all about summer fruit and dessert – which we all need from time to time. My version is vegan of course, but Brad and fully enjoyed it!

Ingredients:

• 2-3 peaches
• 5-6 plums
• 1/4 c white or brown sugar
• 1 T plus 1 t cornstarch
• 3/4 c rolled oats
• 3/4 c flour
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• sprinkle of nutmeg
• pinch of salt
• 1/3 c vegan butter, melted (I like Earth Balance)
• 1/3 c rice milk

1. Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.
2. Cut the peaches and plums into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle the first 1/4 cup sugar and the cornstarch over fruit. Mix well, but gently. Place in the bottom of a deep dish pie plate or other baking container (about 8×8 if square).
3. Combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a medium bowl to make the topping. Stir in the butter and rice milk and mix until clumpy and dough-like. Spread evenly over the plum and peach mixture.
4. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the topping is golden.

Original recipe can be found here on 101 Cookbooks.

We’ve been a small Mexican food kick ever since we picked up those fresh tortillas and pumpkin seed dip at the farmer’s market! Last night we had a wonderful spread: fresh tortillas, sikil p’ak (the wonderful spicy pumpkin seed dip), heirloom beans, guacamole, soy taco filling, fresh salsa, and Mexican rice! Now that is doing Taco Night right!

This Mexican rice recipe comes via Rick Bayless’ wonderful book: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico, with few modifications. The way I prepared the recipe will leaveyou with about 1 c. of salsa to enjoy, and a full dish of rice that was far more than just Brad and I could eat in one setting.

Salsa Ingredients:

• 1 lb. tomatoes
• 2-3 Serrano peppers
• 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

1. Turn the broiler to high, then place the tomatoes on a pan about 4-inches from the flame. Heat until the top is bubbling and may have black spots, about 5 minutes. Flip the tomatoes over and repeat on the other side.
2. Remove from the heat to let cool. Remove the skin and discard. Keep all collected juices.
3. In a skillet over med-high, heat the garlic and chilis, turning often. The skins will turn black in spots, which is fine. Remove when softened, about 5 minutes or longer.
4. Discard the chili stems and peel the garlic cloves. Place in a small food processor with 1/4 t. salt. Process until chunky or paste like.
5. Add the chunks of tomato and process in batches until chunky. Add as much collected juice as desired to reach the consistency you prefer. Stir in the onion and cilantro.
6. Allow to sit several hours (if possible) for the flavors to blend.

Rice Ingredients:

• 1 c. white rice (medium grain preferred)
• 1 c. salsa
• 3/4 c. water or broth
• 1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a medium pot with a lid (oven safe), heat some olive oil over med-high. Add the rice and cook until chalky, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the salsa and cook about 1 minute until fragrant.
4. Add the water and salt, then bring to a boil.
5. Cover tightly and place in oven. Bake for 25 minutes then test a few kernals. If rice is nearly finished, remove from heat but keep covered for 5-10 minutes. If it does not seem close to being finished cooking, return to the oven for another 5 minutes then repeat the above.
6. Sprinkle in cilantro and fluff with a fork.

Few things are more fun on a weekend morning than a breakfast taco! Yesterday we spent the morning wandering around the always-impressive Saturday Ferry Building Farmer’s Market. We found the most fantastic stall with fresh tortillas, an amazing pumpkin seed dip, and tamales – even vegan tamales!  We had to pick up all of these items when we were there – and I was anxiously awaiting getting to eat them!

This morning, since it is Sunday and I do have the time, I decided to make one our favorite breakfast dishes – these tacos. This was the first time I have used tofu for an egg dish but I really liked the results.  The flavor and texture were very similar to scrambled eggs. I also loved that I was able to stuff them full of veggies – what a great way to start the day.

Ingredients:

• 2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• chili powder & cumin
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1 pound firm or extra firm tofu
• 1 roma tomato
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 small can of green chilies
• 3 T. nutritional yeast (opt.)
• pumpkin dip or salsa
• tortillas

1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Salt then add the cubed potatoes. Cook for 2 minutes then drain. Return to hot pan, sprinkle about 1-2 t. olive oil, a dash of salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin. Mix well.
2. Transfer potatoes to a small baking dish or pan. Set under broiler for about 5 minutes or until nicely browned.
3. Heat a non-stick pan over med-high. Add about 2 t. of olive oil. Cook onion until softened about 3 minutes. Add red bell pepper and zucchini, cook another 5 minutes.
4. Crumble the tofu directly into the pan. Continue cooking and stirring for about 2 minutes.
5. Either make a quick salsa by finely chopping the garlic and tomato, or simply use a prepared salsa you like. Add to tofu scramble.
6. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast, add potatoes and green chilies. Cook several more minutes until warmed thru.
7. Serve immediately with any sides desired: salsa, tortillas, green onions, pumpkin dip, etc.

Basic recipe from Tofu 1-2-3 by Maribeth Abrams.