Dharma Feast Cookbook (35 page)
Read Dharma Feast Cookbook Online
Authors: Theresa Rodgers
Another healthy muffin recipe. If you are trying to limit your and your family’s intake of processed sugars, these muffins are perfect because this recipe doesn’t use any sugar. The sweetness comes from the dates.
| M AKES 12 M UFFINS | P REP TIME 50 MINUTES |
1½cups whole wheat pastry flour ½ teaspoon cinnamon Pinch of ground cloves 3 teaspoons baking powder ½ cup rolled oats 1 cup chopped pitted dates 1/3 cup oil 2 eggs 1/3 cup water or rice or almond milk ¾ cup grated apple (1 medium apple) | Preheat oven to 375°F. Sift together flour, spices, and baking powder. Add rolled oats and dates and mix well. In separate bowl, beat together oil and eggs. Beat in milk then add the apple. Mix well. Stir the flour mixture into the wet mixture just enough to mix; don’t overbeat. Spoon batter into well-oiled muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. |
| C RANBERRY M UFFINS |  |
These muffins are a little tart because of the cranberries but this is nicely balanced by the sweetness of the maple syrup. Fresh cranberries are available in autumn.
| M AKES 12 SMALL MUFFINS | P REP TIME 45 MINUTES |
1½cups whole wheat pastryflour 1tablespoon baking powder ¾ cup Grade B maple syrup 3 tablespoons oil 2eggs ¼cup milk or rice milk 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup whole cranberries ½ cup chopped pecans (optional) | Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift together flour and baking powder. In separate bowl, beat together maple syrup, oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Stir dry ingredients into liquid ingredients. Beat enough to blend well, but don’t overbeat. Fold in cranberries and pecans, if using. Spoon mixture into well-oiled muffin tins until they are ¾ full. Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. |
S
AUCES
, S
PREADS, AND
D
IPS
Sauces, spreads, and dips enhance a meal partly by giving it more flavor. They also tie dishes together. For example, when we think of a vegetable and a grain, we think of them as separate. But Tahini Sauce brings steamed broccoli and rice together deliciously.
Sauces, spreads, and dips are also a great way to bring more raw foods into our diet—a few cut-up raw vegetables and a dip can be added to any meal. Be careful because we don’t want to bury a fresh vegetable under a lot of sauce.
It’s easy to experiment and create your own recipes. Grind different nuts into flour in a blender and add water, vinegar or lemon juice, oil, different spices, and fresh herbs to make an original sauce.
Except for
Guacamole,
it’s best to make the raw dips and spreads with a food processor or a heavy-duty blender such as a VitaMix. Some regular blenders will work but for the most part they are not designed for these recipes.
| W HITE M ISO S AUCE |  |
This sauce came into our repertoire sixteen years ago when I, Tika, was cooking for the first time for a large group of people. Working non-stop to prepare meals at a retreat center and running on an average of three hours of sleep every night, I remember the moment I finally tasted the white miso sauce over steamed broccoli—somehow the simplicity of this dish made all the effort worth it.
| M AKES 2½ TO 3 C UPS | P REP TIME 10 MINUTES |
4 cloves garlic, peeled and squeezed ¾ cup white miso 1 cup olive oil ½ cup apple cider vinegar ½cup apple juice | Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend. If you like it thinner, add more water. Note |
| N UT P ÂTÉ |  |
Several years ago we experimented a lot with raw food dishes. Tika invented a bunch of hearty nut pâtés because we needed something more filling to serve that was raw. Nut pâtés go well with salad, and in this recipe you can substitute other nuts such as cashews or pine nuts. You can also experiment with spices and flavors; for example, dulse, fresh herbs, or dried dates. These additions may require a little water to achieve the desired consistency.
| S ERVES 4 | P REP TIME 15 MINUTES |
1 cup almonds, soaked (or 1 cup walnuts, soaked) 3 green onions, cut into small pieces ½ red bell pepper, minced Lemon juice to taste Salt to taste Cayenne pepper to taste | Put everything in a food processor and blend into a paste |
| T AHINI S AUCE |  |
Tahini is a paste of ground sesame seeds used for cooking in North Africa and the Middle East. We love this Tahini Sauce because it completes grains and vegetables to make a satisfying meal. Sometimes tahini, especially if it is raw, can taste just a little bitter. Experiment with different kinds. Our favorite is roasted tahini because it’s nuttier tasting and less bitter, but it’s not raw. The best recipe for tahini sauce is John’s Tahini Dressing in
May All Be Fed: Diet for a New World
(Harper Perennial: New York, New York, 1993). Ours is a close second.
| M AKES ABOUT 2 CUPS, DEPENDING ON AMOUNT OF WATER USED | P REP TIME 15 MINUTES |
1cup tahini (see Note below) 1/3 cup warm water or more, depending on thickness desired Juice of ½ lemon or 1–2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 2cloves garlic, crushed and minced Salt and Pepper | Add some warm water to tahini and stir until creamy. Right after it gets creamy it gets firm again. Add as much water as needed for it to be creamy but not too watery. Add all other ingredients and stir until everything is well blended. Pour over baked potatoes or steamed broccoli or other steamed vegetables. It is also good as a dip for raw veggie sticks. Note |
| T URKISH Y OGURT M INT S AUCE | |
I (Tika) spent a week at the Turkish Coast and had the pleasure of every meal being served with a variety of Turkish appetizers—tomato cucumber salad, lentil salad, different types of olives, baked and marinated vegetables, and the always-at-hand and most delicious Yogurt Mint Sauce. I had it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and never got tired of it!
| S ERVES 4 | P REP TIME 15 MINUTES |
2 cups yogurt 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint ¾ teaspoons salt ¼ teaspoon pepper | Whisk the yogurt until smooth. Add mint, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Serve with eggplant slices, with baked or raw vegetables, or as a side dish with a Mediterranean dinner. |