Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook (43 page)

2.
Combine the soy sauce, garlic, and black pepper in a small bowl to make the marinade. Brush some of the marinade over each mushroom. Set the mushrooms aside while you prepare the filling.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:

3.
Bring the vegetable stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the millet and bring the pot back to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, for 15 minutes, or until the millet is tender.

4.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

5.
Place the onion, red pepper, and fennel in a large saucepan and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan. Add the garlic and sage leaves and cook for 2 minutes. Add the millet, mix well, and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

6.
Divide the millet mixture between the four mushrooms. Arrange in a baking dish, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes.

TURN THE USUAL stir-fry into a special meal with this recipe. Cilantro is not the norm in pesto, and pesto is not the norm in Asian cooking, but it works—with better than tasty results.

SERVES 4

4 large portobello mushrooms

½ medium yellow onion, peeled and diced small

½ red bell pepper, seeded and diced small

1 head baby bok choy, finely chopped

2 cups cooked
brown rice

½ cup
Spicy Cilantro Pesto

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2.
 Separate the mushroom stems from the caps. Finely chop the stems and set them aside. Place the caps, top side down, in a baking dish and set aside.

3.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped mushroom stems, onion, and red pepper and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan. Add the bok choy and cook for 4 minutes. Add the brown rice and cilantro pesto, season with salt and pepper, and mix well. Remove from the heat.

4.
Divide the rice mixture between the mushroom caps. Arrange in a baking dish, cover the dish with aluminum foil, and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes.

VARIATION

If you’d prefer to stuff these mushrooms Italian-style, omit the yellow onion, red pepper, baby bok choy, and Spicy Cilantro Pesto. Combine the 2 cups cooked rice with one 14-ounce jar artichoke hearts, drained and chopped; ½ cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes; ½ cup
Basil Pesto
; and ¼ cup pine nuts,
toasted
. After filling the mushroom caps, bake, covered, for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes. Serve this variation on a bed of wilted spinach or with a green salad.

USE ALMOST ANY of the grain pilafs in this book to make this dish (see the
Great Grains
chapter), or try it with these ingredients. Basmati rice has a mild, nutty flavor that does not need much more than cooking to be a flavorful addition to any recipe.

SERVES 4

2 cups
Vegetable Stock
, or low-sodium vegetable broth

1 cup brown basmati rice

1 cinnamon stick

2 medium eggplants, stemmed and halved lengthwise

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced small

1 celery stalk, diced small

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced small

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

¼ cup 
finely chopped
 basil

¼ cup
 finely chopped
 cilantro

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1.
Bring the vegetable stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the rice and cinnamon stick and bring the pot back to a boil. Cover and cook over medium heat for 45 minutes, or until tender and the stock is absorbed.

2.
Carefully scoop the flesh out of the eggplant halves, leaving a ¼-inch-thick shell. Coarsely chop the pulp and set it aside with the shells.

3.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

4.
Place the onion, celery, and red pepper in a large saucepan and sauté over a medium heat for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the vegetables start to brown. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan. Add the garlic and eggplant pulp and cook for 5 more minutes, or until the eggplant is tender. Remove from the heat. Add the cooked rice, basil, and cilantro to the eggplant mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

5.
Divide the rice mixture evenly between the eggplant shells and place the stuffed eggplants in a baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes.

THIS ITALIAN-STYLE EGGPLANT dish is usually filled with bread crumbs and cheeses. This version uses a savory millet and spinach filling—seasoned with fresh basil—and baked and topped with tomato sauce. It is often served with
Baked Ziti
, but can stand alone with a salad or on a bed of pasta.

SERVES 4

3 whole cloves garlic, plus 4 cloves, peeled and minced

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

¼ cup
Vegetable Stock
, or low-sodium vegetable broth

2 large eggplants, stemmed and cut lengthwise into ½-inch slices

1 cup millet

Salt to taste

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced small

1 celery stalk, diced small

1 carrot, peeled and grated

6 cups packed chopped spinach

½ cup minced basil

¼ cup nutritional yeast, optional

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 cups
Tomato Sauce

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2.
In a small bowl with a fork, or using a mortar and pestle, mash the 3 whole cloves of garlic with the soy sauce.

3.
Combine the garlic–soy sauce mixture with the vegetable stock to make a marinade.

4.
Place the eggplant slices on a baking sheet and brush with some of marinade. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn the slices over, brush with more of the marinade, and bake another for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the eggplant is tender. Remove the eggplant from the oven and set aside.

5.
Bring 3 cups of water to a boil and add the millet and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, for 20 minutes, until tender.

6.
Place the onion, celery, and carrot in a large saucepan and sauté over medium heat for 7 to 8 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan. Add the remaining minced garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add the spinach, basil, and nutritional yeast (if using) and season with black pepper. Cook until the spinach is wilted, then remove from the heat, add the cooked millet, and mix well.

7.
Spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9 × 13-inch baking dish. Divide the millet mixture between the baked eggplant slices, and roll each slice over the millet mixture. Place the eggplant rolls, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish. Cover with the remaining tomato sauce and bake, covered, for 15 minutes.

DELICATA SQUASH, THOUGH considered a winter squash, has a lot more in common with summer varieties; it is quicker-cooking than most winter squash and the skin can be eaten when cooked.

SERVES 4

2 delicata squash, halved and seeded

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 shallot, peeled and minced

½ red bell pepper, seeded and diced small

6 cups
 chopped
 spinach

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon minced sage

2 cups cooked
cannellini beans
, or one 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed

¾ cup whole-grain breadcrumbs

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast, optional

3 tablespoons pine nuts,
toasted

Zest of 1 lemon

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.
Season the cut sides of the squash with salt and pepper. Place the halves on the prepared baking sheet, cut sides down. Bake until the squash is tender, about 45 minutes.

3.
Place the shallot and red pepper in a large saucepan and sauté over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan. Add the spinach, garlic, and sage and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the beans and season with salt and pepper. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the bread crumbs, nutritional yeast (if using), pine nuts, and lemon zest. Mix well.

4.
Divide the bean mixture between the baked squash halves. Place the stuffed squash halves in a baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated through.

STUFFED CABBAGE MAY be an Eastern European invention, but luckily it found its way to my dinner table as a kid (although it was years before I realized Mom did not invent it). This version uses a wild rice blend, instead of the traditional rice or barley, but you can use whatever grain you like.

SERVES 6

1 large head savoy cabbage, separated into individual leaves

1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced small

2 carrots, peeled and finely diced

2 celery stalks, diced small

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon minced sage

¼ cup dry sherry

3 cups cooked
wild rice
blend

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

½ cup
Vegetable Stock
, or low-sodium vegetable broth

2 cups
Tomato Sauce

1.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the cabbage leaves in the boiling water for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove them from the pot and rinse until cool. Set aside.

2.
Place the onion, carrots, and celery in a large saucepan and sauté over medium heat for 7 to 8 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan. Add the garlic and sage and cook for 3 minutes. Add the sherry and cook until the liquid is almost evaporated. Remove the pan from the heat, add the wild rice, and season with salt and pepper.

3.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

4.
Lay 2 cabbage leaves side by side with a ½-inch overlap. Place ½ cup rice filling in the center of the leaves. Fold the leaves in from the sides over the filling, then roll it into a cylinder. Place the roll, seam side down, in a 9 × 13-inch baking dish. Repeat until all the filling is used, reserving any leftover leaves for another use. Add the vegetable stock to the baking dish, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 10 minutes. Uncover the dish and pour the tomato sauce over the cabbage rolls. Bake for another 15 minutes.