Food Over Medicine (17 page)

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Authors: Pamela A. Popper,Glen Merzer

BOOK: Food Over Medicine
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1 green bell pepper, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons cumin

½ teaspoon turmeric

2 cups tomatoes, diced

3 cups cooked chickpeas

1 cup vegetable broth

1 pinch saffron steeped in hot water for 15 minutes

Sea salt to taste

½ cup cilantro, chopped

Sauté the onion and green bell pepper in a large skillet over medium heat for seven to eight minutes. Add water one to two tablespoons at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking. Add the garlic, cumin, and turmeric. Cook another minute. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, vegetable broth, and saffron, and cook 10 to 12 minutes. Season with sea salt to taste and cook another five minutes.

Serve garnished with the chopped cilantro.

Spring Vegetable Stir Fry
SERVES 2 TO 3

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 carrot, cut into matchsticks

½ bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut in half

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

¼ cup toasted almonds, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

¼ cup chives, chopped

Sea salt to taste

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the onion and carrot; stir fry three minutes. Add water one to two tablespoons at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking. Add the asparagus and sugar snap peas; cook two minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook three minutes longer.

Quinoa Pilaf
SERVES 4

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 medium green bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon fresh sage, minced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced

One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 cup vegetable broth

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Sauté the onion, celery, and green bell pepper in a large saucepan for five minutes. Add water one to two tablespoons at a time to keep them from sticking. Add the garlic, sage, and thyme; cook another minute. Add the tomatoes, vegetable broth, and quinoa; bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and cook the pilaf until the quinoa is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.

Lentil Cakes
SERVES 6

3½ cups vegetable stock

1½ cups green lentils

2 medium leeks, diced small and cleaned

Combine the vegetable stock and lentils in a medium stockpot and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium, and cook the lentils until tender, about 45 to 50 minutes.

1 large carrot, diced small

2 celery stalks, diced small

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Sea salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon arrowroot powder

2 cups whole grain bread crumbs, divided

While the lentils are cooking, sauté the leeks, carrot, and celery in a large saucepan over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Add water one to two tablespoons at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking. Add the thyme and garlic; cook another minute. Set aside until the lentils are finished cooking.

When the lentils are tender, drain any excess liquid from the pan and let the lentils cool to room temperature. Mash the lentils just enough so that some of the texture remains in them. Add them to a bowl with the vegetable mixture, arrowroot powder, one cup of the bread crumbs, and salt and black pepper to taste. Mix well.

Divide the lentil mixture into 12 parts and shape each part into a half-inch-thick cake. Dredge each cake in the remaining bread crumbs and place each on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake the cakes for 20 minutes, turn them over, and bake another 20 minutes, or until browned.

Pierogies
SERVES 4
Dough

2 cups semolina flour

1 teaspoon salt

¾ to 1 cup cold water

Filling

2 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled, and diced

1 teaspoon granulated onion

Sea salt to taste

Caramelized Onions

2 large yellow onions, diced small

Horseradish Sauce

1 package silken tofu

1 tablespoon, more or less to taste, prepared horseradish

Sea salt to taste

Combine the flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add three-fourths cup water and mix it into the flour. Knead the dough. If it is dry, add more water—you should have a firm but pliable dough. Continue kneading for five minutes. Shape the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Set the dough aside while you make the filling.

Add the potatoes to a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring the pan to a boil over high heat. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook the potatoes until tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Drain off all but one-fourth cup of the cooking liquid, add the granulated onion and sea salt to taste, and mash the potatoes.

Add the onions to a large saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until the onions are well browned. Add water one to two tablespoons at a time to keep the onions from sticking. Set the cooked onions aside while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth and creamy.

TO ASSEMBLE AND COOK THE PIEROGIES

Divide the dough into two parts. Roll one half of the dough until one-eighth-inch thick. Cut circles with a three-inch cookie cutter. Add a teaspoon or so of filling to the center of each circle. Fold the circles in half over the filling and pinch closed. Make sure the seams are airtight so they don’t burst open when cooking. Set each pierogi on a flour-dusted cookie sheet while you prepare the rest of them. Roll out the other half of the dough, then cut, fill, and seal.

To cook the pierogies, bring a pot of water to a boil and salt it. Add the pierogies one at a time and boil them for four minutes, or until they float.

Add the cooked pierogies to the pan with the caramelized onions, season with salt and pepper, and serve with horseradish sauce.

Sweet and Sour Tofu
SERVES 4

1 pound extra-firm tofu, drained

¼ cup Bragg Liquid Aminos

¼ cup maple syrup

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

Black pepper to taste

1 cup Sweet and Sour Sauce, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the tofu into three-fourths-inch cubes. Place the cubes on a small baking sheet (the smaller the better so all of the marinade will absorb into the tofu). Set aside while you prepare the marinade.

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade and pour over the tofu mixture. Let sit for one hour.

Bake for 20 minutes. Turn and bake another 20 minutes. Remove the tofu from the baking sheet into a bowl and add the sauce. Toss to mix well.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1½ cups apple cider or apple juice

¼ cup cider vinegar

¼ cup Bragg Liquid Aminos

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons arrowroot powder

Combine everything in a saucepan and whisk to mix well. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat and let cook one minute until thickened.

Barbecue Tofu
SERVES 4

1 pound of extra-firm tofu, drained, rinsed, and patted dry

3 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk mixed with 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder

3 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1½ tablespoons granulated garlic

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cups Barbecue Sauce, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the tofu into three-fourths-inch cubes. Place cubes in a large bowl and toss with the almond milk mixture. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add to the bowl with the tofu and toss gently to coat the tofu.

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