The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet (43 page)

SERVES 5

Croquettes

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(14-ounce) block extra-firm tofu, crumbled

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cup dried hijiki, rinsed well and soaked in water to cover until softened

Soy sauce

Mirin

1 carrot, diced

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cup diced burdock

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cup shelled hemp seeds

Pinch of fine sea salt

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cup whole wheat pastry flour, if needed

Safflower oil for frying

Sauce

1 tablespoon ginger juice (grate a 2" piece of ginger and squeeze out the juice with your fingers)

Generous pinch of red-pepper flakes

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon mirin

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

5 romaine lettuce leaves

1 cucumber, cut into very thin diagonal slices (peel only if the cucumber is not organic)

To make the croquettes, place the tofu in a mixing bowl and mash with a fork to create a coarse paste.

Drain the soaked hijiki and chop into small pieces. Place the hijiki in a small saucepan with enough water to just cover. Season lightly with soy sauce and mirin, cover, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the carrot and burdock to the pan, reduce the heat to low, and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 30 to 35 minutes. Add the hemp seeds and a pinch of salt and stir together to create a stiff dough, adding the pastry flour if needed. Using your hands, shape the dough into football-shaped croquettes about 1" in diameter.

Heat 2 to 3 inches of the oil in a deep pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, increase the heat to high, and gently drop 3 or 4 croquettes into the oil. Cook until golden and crisp on the outside, about 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fried croquettes to a plate lined with parchment paper or paper grocery bag (which hopefully you don’t have because you only use canvas bags!) to drain. Cook the remaining croquettes in batches.

To make the sauce, whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Adjust the seasonings to your taste.

To serve, arrange the lettuce leaves on individual salad plates. Distribute the cucumber slices evenly among the plates. Divide the croquettes among the plates, and drizzle with the sauce.

Fruity French Lentils

This is a great summer dish and perfect for lunch, but it’s also very versatile; you can use apricots, figs, persimmons, or other fruits in place of the raspberries. Made with fall fruits like pears or dried cranberries, this would be a lovely part of a holiday meal. It’s light with a surprising combination of ingredients that complement each other beautifully.

SERVES 2

1 cup green lentils

Pinch of fine sea salt

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cup fresh raspberries or fruit of your choice

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cup chopped fresh basil

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cup chopped fresh parsley

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cup chopped walnuts

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cup fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon strawberry jam

Sort through and rinse the lentils; drain and place them in a saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, add a pinch of salt, and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain any remaining cooking liquid and rinse under cold water to cool.

Combine the fruit, basil, parsley, and walnuts in a mixing bowl. Stir the lentils into the fruit mixture, and mix again.

Stir together the orange juice and jam in a small bowl. Pour over the lentil mixture, and mix well. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.

Tuna Salad Sandwich (Kinda)

By “kinda” I mean this sandwich doesn’t exactly replicate tuna, but then it’s not trying to . . . it’s an independent sandwich with a life of its own! The tempeh offers a richness and deliciousness that is unique. The salad mixture is great on a piece of toast, in a sandwich, or as part of a composed salad plate, and I encourage all Flirts or Vegans to try it.

SERVES 4

1 (8-ounce) package tempeh

1 red onion, minced

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cup umeboshi vinegar

1 celery stalk, chopped

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carrot, chopped

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cup fresh or frozen and thawed corn kernels

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cup fresh or frozen and thawed peas

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small cucumber, chopped (peel only if the cucumber is not organic)

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cup chopped kosher dill pickles

1 tablespoon Vegenaise

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tablespoon Dijon or stone-ground mustard

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or to taste

1 tablespoon drained capers

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Bring water to a boil in a pot fitted with a steamer basket. Cut the tempeh in half, and place in the steamer basket. Steam for 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the onion, and boil for 10 to 15 seconds. If you dig raw onion, you can skip this step. Use a strainer or slotted spoon to transfer the onion to a mixing bowl. Keep the water boiling in the pot on the stove.

Add the vinegar to the onions, stir well, and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.

While the onion marinates, blanch the celery, carrots, corn, and peas in the reserved boiling water for 10 seconds each, scooping them into a mixing bowl as each vegetable is done. Set aside to cool.

Drain the marinated onions through a sieve, and rinse quickly under running water. Squeeze the excess liquid from the onions, and add to the bowl with the vegetables. Cut the cooled tempeh into small cubes, and add to the bowl along with the cucumber, pickles, Vegenaise, mustard, lemon juice, and dill, if using. Stir well to combine. Serve topped with capers and parsley.

Tofu Salad

Try this salad as an open-faced sandwich on toast or enjoy it just straight from the bowl. Tofu is really cooling, so this dish is wonderful in the summer, but feel free to make it all year round.

SERVES 1 OR 2

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cup fresh or frozen and thawed peas

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(14-ounce) package firm tofu

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cup finely chopped celery

3 olives, chopped

1 tablespoon rinsed capers

2–3 slices kosher dill pickles, chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped scallion or chives

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

1 tablespoon Vegenaise

1 tablespoon umeboshi vinegar or 2 teaspoons umeboshi plum paste

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Whole wheat pitas (optional)

Green leaf lettuce leaves

1 red radish, thinly sliced

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the peas, and blanch for 3 minutes or until the peas are bright green. Drain and set aside.

Wrap the tofu in cheesecloth or a clean dish towel and place on a plate. Place a second plate on top of the tofu, and place a weight on top of it for 10 minutes to press out the liquid. Bring water to a boil in a steamer or a pot fitted with a steamer basket. Unwrap the tofu and place it in the steamer basket. Cover the pot and steam the tofu over boiling water for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the tofu and transfer to a bowl. Mash with a fork to make it crumbly. Add the peas, celery, olives, capers, pickles, scallion or chives, parsley, Vegenaise, vinegar, and lemon juice. Taste the mixture. If it is too bland, add more umeboshi vinegar, a little at a time, to taste.

Spoon the tofu salad into warmed pitas with the lettuce leaves and sliced radishes, or serve on the lettuce leaves and garnish with the radishes.

SOUPS AND SALADS

Soup is an important part of the Superhero diet, so I try to have it at least once a day, and often more. Luckily, making soup (especially miso) is easy and even relaxing. Here are a few tips for making great soup:

• Use what you have: I love to clean out my fridge as I cook and put everything to good use. I find the things that need eating, the things that need donating to the dogs, and the things that have lost that loving feeling as they start to become compost all by themselves. More often than not, the things that still have some vitality end up in my soups (often in some version of my Magical Healing Soup, page
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  ).
  
• Top it off well: Croutons are a great addition to soups. Make one of the garlic bread recipes on page
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  , and then cut the bread into cubes to make croutons! Or you can skip the garlic and go for plain. Mochi also makes great croutons. Cut the mochi into little cubes, and fry (with or without oil) or bake in the oven until they puff up.
  
• For miso soup: All miso soups have about 1" to 1
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  " of wakame seaweed per cup of liquid. I generally just cut mine dry with scissors over the soup. And all miso soups should contain no more than 1 teaspoon of miso paste per cup of liquid.
  
• One super important note: Never boil miso! Boiling kills its powerful enzymes, so add the miso at the end of the cooking time and simmer for just 2 to 3 minutes.
  

Dandelion, Bok Choy Miso Soup

It’s hard to believe that you can throw together a soup this healing and nourishing in just about 10 minutes, but it’s true. Serve it any time of day, including breakfast! This recipe includes two different flavors of miso—it’s not necessary that you use both, but I think it tastes better. If you only buy one miso, make it barley since it’s the most medicinal. Once you’ve mastered this soup, play with a combination of vegetables, but always include the wakame and miso. Try combining daikon with celery, or leek with chopped dandelion greens, and scallion. You can also top the soup with nori and plain croutons.