Whole Wheat Pizza with Smoked Mushrooms, Vegan Mozzarella and Topped with a Truffle Oil Dressed Arugula Salad with Lemon

My husband got another project off his desk today so I wanted to make him a special dinner to congratulate him. All Italians are fond of pizza, this Italian included. My husband has been married to me so long that he has also embraced pizza. I don’t make if very often because it is low on vegetables and we are trying to maximize our consumption of those for health purposes. Today was a celebratory day, so pizza seemed appropriate.

I hate making the same boring pizzas over and over again. But I hate making the same meals of any sort repetitively. The flavors of this pizza are unexpected but work well together. I think this pizza has flavor anyone would love (vegan or omni). If you are looking for a wow pizza, this unusual pizza may be for you.

Whole Wheat Pizza with Smoked Mushrooms, Vegan Mozzarella and Topped with a Truffle Oil Dressed Arugula Salad with Lemon
Serves 2

Ingredients:

¼ of the whole-wheat pizza dough
1 cup of smoked mushrooms
2 servings of vegan mozzarella, shredded
1 cup of arugula
1 teaspoon of truffle oil
approximately 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
lemon zest, to taste – optional but recommended

Directions:

Preheat your oven (preferably with a pizza stone) to 450 degrees.

Prepare and prebake the pizza according to the directions here.

Top the prebaked pizza crust with the smoked mushrooms and vegan mozzarella and bake until the cheese is melted. This should take about 8 minutes.

Toss the arugula with the truffle oil and place it on top the pizza. Zest the lemon over the pizza (if using). I added about ½ a lemon worth of zest. Squeeze a little lemon juice on the pizza and eat while still hot.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 569.9
Calories From Fat (19%) - 106.7

Total Fat - 14.27g
Saturated Fat - 1.3g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 588.11mg
Potassium - 702.9mg
Total Carbohydrates - 113.36g
Fiber - 12.33g
Sugar - 3.3g
Protein - 17.14g

Comments:

I loved the combination of flavors. The smokiness is subtle and the mushrooms are chewy. Crispness is added with the crust. Vegan mozzarella is warm and soft. Fresh arugula adds a crisp spicy/bitter flavor and well as cancer fighting nutrition. Lemon juice and zest helps to cut through the fattiness of the cheese and truffle oil. The aroma from the truffle oil is wonderful when it hits the hot pizza.

Overall, while this is not a traditional pizza I loved the flavor combination. My husband thinks this pizza is restaurant worthy. Since he is my biggest fan, but also my toughest critic, I take that as the supreme compliment.

Fava Beans with Toasted Bread and Tofu Tahini Sauce

This is variation of the chickpea dish that our favorite Lebanese restaurant makes. In addition to changing the bean I added the tomatoes and lemon and eliminated the oil. I also changed the yogurt to silken tofu. Overall I am very happy with how well this dish came out.

Fava Beans with Toasted Bread and Tofu Tahini Sauce
Serves 6

Ingredients:

½ yellow onion, finely diced
4 Roma tomatoes, finely diced
1 ½ cloves of garlic, grated
¼ teaspoon of cumin
¼ teaspoon of coriander
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 pound of small dried fava beans, cooked until tender
6 small whole wheat pita breads (or substitute low fat pita chips)
8 tablespoons of silken tofu, tahini and garlic dip
3 tablespooons of almond milk, or less
¼ cup of pine nuts, toasted

Directions:

Cooke the onion, tomatoes, garlic and lemon juice until onions are tender. Add the cooked fava beans and heat over low until hot.

While the beans are getting warm tear the pitas into bite size pieces and dry toast in a cast iron pan until crispy.

Make the sauce by combing the silken tofu, tahini, and garlic dip and almond milk (one tablespoon at a time) into the blender or food processor. Add almond milk until you reach the consistency you like.

To serve the dish, place the beans in the bottom of the bowl. Pour a drizzle of the tofu tahini mixture on top and garnish with the toasted pine nuts. Surround the exterior of the beans with the crispy bread shards. Traditionally the bread is placed on the bottom of the dish and the beans put on the top. My husband likes this served with the bread shards on top so that is the way we eat it. Feel free to layer this any way you wish.

Serve hot.

Nutritional information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 415.9
Calories From Fat (18%) - 74.92

Total Fat - 9.12g
Saturated Fat - 1.04g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 293.88mg
Potassium - 1113.86mg
Total Carbohydrates - 61.69g
Fiber - 25.18g
Sugar - 8.21g
Protein - 29.54g

Comments:

This dish has good flavor and I particularly like the interplay of textures with the soft beans, creamy tofu topping and crunchy bread shards. The flavor is definitely Middle Eastern, but not overpowering. If you like things acidic a little fresh lemon juice added at the end when you are plating would be very nice.

Middle Eastern Eggplant and Zucchini in the style of Imam Bayildy

(pictured: eggplant on the left, zucchini on the right, with reduced sauce on top)

There is a Middle Eastern dish that I love called Imam Bayildy, which means the Imam fainted. It is a famous Turkish dish that you find in most Middle Eastern restaurants. The original dish is quite high in fat from the amount of olive oil that is traditionally used. Some say that is where it got its name. The Imam fainted when he heard how much of the precious olive oil was used to make the dish.

Since we are trying to keep our fat down to minimize our inflammation I decided to change the dish significantly. Additionally I decided not to stuff the whole split eggplants and then also to add zucchini. This is why I am calling this “in the style of Imam Bayildy". Many of the flavors are the same, but the technique and calorie count are very different.

Middle Eastern Eggplant and Zucchini in the style of Imam Bayildy
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely diced
4 Roma tomatoes, peeled and diced
½ teaspoon of cumin seed
¼ teaspoon of coriander seed
¼ teaspoon of fennel seed
¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon of agave
14 ounce can of tomato sauce
½ cup of water
2 medium white eggplant
2 medium zucchini

Directions:

Sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil until tender. Add the remaining ingredients except the zucchini and eggplant. Cook over medium heat while you prep the zucchini and eggplant.

Slice the zucchini and eggplant lengthwise from top to bottom. Score the exterior of the eggplant to make it easier to cut later. Cut a deep cross hatch pattern into the interior of both the eggplant and zucchini to help them collapse so that they are reasonably flat when cooked.

Put the zucchini and eggplant interior down into the bubbling sauce. Cook covered on low heat for 20 minutes. Turn the zucchini and eggplant over and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

When the zucchini and eggplant are soft, remove them from the pan and move to a serving platter to cool to room temperature. The eggplant may cook more quickly than the zucchini. If this happens cook the zucchini until it is also soft and then remove to a serving platter to cool.

Continue to cook the sauce (uncovered) to reduce the sauce to a thicker consistency that you can serve on top the zucchini and eggplant. When the sauce is thick (about 15 minutes) cool it to room temperature.

This dish is best served room temperature or cold. Imam Bayildy is traditionally served cold but I think the flavors are better at room temperature.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 147.92
Calories From Fat (26%) - 37.83

Total Fat - 4.34g
Saturated Fat - 0.62g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 538.45mg
Potassium - 1168.11mg
Total Carbohydrates - 27.45g
Fiber - 11.71g
Sugar - 11.96g
Protein - 5.47g

Comments:

You can make this dish with all eggplant or zucchini if you wish. I prefer eggplant and my husband likes zucchini so I make both versions at the same time. This is a much easier and healthier version of the iconic original dish. If you like Middle Eastern dish you should give this a try.

Roasted Tomatoes with Pomegranate Molasses, Sumac and Almonds

Last weekend I made slow roasted tomatoes with balsamic vinegar. Today I wanted to try a couple of variations. First I wanted to roast the tomatoes a little more quickly so I increased the oven temperature by 50%.

We love Middle Eastern food in our house so I wanted to use pomegranate molasses and sumac in this version of the tomatoes. It seems like I am always reaching for the pomegranate molasses and sumac lately. Finally I decided a few slivered almonds would be tasty and in keeping with the Middle Eastern theme.

Roasted Tomatoes with Pomegranate Molasses, Sumac and Almonds
Serves 8

Ingredients:

Approximately 17 Roma tomatoes (enough to fill a half sheet pan)
2 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon of pomegranate juice
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
½ teaspoon of sumac powder
¼ teaspoon of kosher salt
1 tablespoon of slivered almonds

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.

Cut the Roma tomatoes in half top to bottom. Remove the stem end and the seed sacs.

Combine the pomegranate molasses, pomegranate juice (to thin the molasses), and lemon juice and whisk to combine.

Use a spoon of put a little of the juice into each tomato. I think I used about a ½ teaspoon per tomato half (so not much really). Next sprinkle the tomatoes with the sumac and kosher salt and put the pan in the oven.

Check the tomatoes in one hour to see if they are a texture you like. I roasted my tomatoes for an hour and fifteen minutes. I sprinkled the almonds onto the tomatoes just before serving so they retained their crunchy texture.

Nutritional information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 89.06
Calories From Fat (11%) - 9.75

Total Fat - 1.14g
Saturated Fat - 0.12g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 73.26mg
Potassium - 695.7mg
Total Carbohydrates - 19.43g
Fiber - 3.58g
Sugar - 12.43g
Protein - 2.77g

Comments:

If you like Middle Eastern food I think you will really like these tomatoes. The sweet and tart flavor from the pomegranate molasses works well with the tomatoes, lemon juice and sumac. The flavor of these tomatoes is complex and yet familiar. The crunchy almonds are a nice textural variation next to the soft tomatoes. I think this is my new go to tomato side dish for when I am having Middle Eastern food.

Vegan Mozzarella

I have been searching for the perfect vegan mozzarella for a long time. To say that I am picky about my vegan cheese would be an understatement. Buffalo mozzarella was my favorite type of mozzarella. I loved the soft texture and the almost sweet yet salty taste. When Rose of Dandelion blogged about mozzarella, I knew I had to try it again. I blended the recipe I was most happy with, with the one Rose mentioned from Veganize It Don’t Criticize It, and that seemed to work well.

My mozzarella is equal parts silken tofu and almond milk with raw cashew added for richness. I used lemon juice for a very slight tang. The agave is added to mimic the sweetness dairy adds to fresh cheese. My cheese is a little higher in sodium than some of my recipes because I think that is necessary to come close to a dairy cheese taste since they all rely on salt.

This is definitely my best mozzarella so far. This cheese does not taste at all like tofu, or cashews. The flavor is very mild, like mozzarella. The texture is softer than commercial mozzarella, but not quite soft enough to mimic buffalo mozzarella, but close. Here is the recipe if you want to give it a try.

Vegan Mozzarella
Serves 10 (4 ounce servings)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup of raw cashews
12.3 ounce package of Organic Silken Tofu, firm
1 ½ cups of almond milk (I used my version with oats)
2 teaspoons of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 teaspoon of amber agave nectar
4 teaspoons of agar, powdered (NOT flaked)

Directions:

Place the raw cashews in your blender. Process until they are a fine powdery meal (but not cashew butter). Add the remaining ingredients, except the agar and process until the mixture is completely smooth.

Pour the contents into a saucepan and sprinkle the agar on top the mixture and whisk it completely in. Allow it to stand for 5 minutes so the agar will bloom.

After the 5 minutes has passed, turn the heat on medium and cook, stirring continually. The mixture will start to bubble (like polenta) at about 160 degrees. You want to continue to cook it for about 5 minutes to come close to 212 degrees. The agar sets best when it has come to a least 185 degrees and is then cooled to 110 degrees.

If you want to use this on pizza, the temperature of the agar needs to reach 185 degrees before it will begin to melt again.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 170.76
Calories From Fat (15%) - 25.72

Total Fat - 2.95g
Saturated Fat - 0.42g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 452.35mg
Potassium - 571.46mg
Total Carbohydrates - 35.05g
Fiber - 3.49g
Sugar - 1.85g
Protein - 5.74g

Comments:

If you are accustomed to commercial mozzarella this cheese will seem too soft to you. The texture of this cheese is closer to buffalo mozzarella, which is a much softer cheese. Unlike my vegan cheddar cheese brick this cheese retains a softer character but is still firm enough to slice. Next time I am going to back down a little on the agar to make the cheese a tiny bit softer (maybe ½ teaspoon).

I tried this with tomatoes and basil salt for a twist on vegan caprese salad for lunch and was very happy with the results. This will undoubtedly turn up this weekend on pizza if we don’t eat it all first.

I have frozen vegan cheese before, and it does fine. However, we normally don’t have any difficulty eating it before there is any worry that it will go bad. It will last a week in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container.

Vegan Braunschweiger

(pictured: vegan braunschweiger on wasa crisp with dijon and pickled red onion)

Credit for this concept goes to Bryanna Clark Grogan and her recipe posted on August 6, 2009. I am very excited about this recipe. Topped with Dijon and onions this reminds me so much of liver without the negative health impact.

I made some changes to the Bryanna’s original recipe; most noticeably I swapped out the silken tofu and sunflower seeds for the pulp that is left when I make almond milk. I make almond milk so often I always have the pulp on hand and wanted another way to use it. There are only so many veggie burgers I can make with the almond pulp before I have a freezer full. I thought this recipe would be a good way to use the almond pulp, and it was!

The texture of this loaf is firm, but spreadable. Texture is one of those things that I think is critical in cooking and this one turned out really well. This is so good spread on a hearty bread or cracker with a little mustard and pickled onion.

Vegan Braunschweiger
Serves 8 – ½ or each small loaf

Ingredients:

wet strained pulp from making almond milk (recipe here)
4 ounces of Yukon Gold Potato, scrubbed and cut into small chunks (peel on)
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons of onion flakes
¼ cup of nutritional yeast flakes
¼ cup of whole-wheat flour
¼ cup of liquid aminos
2 cloves of garlic
½ teaspoon of thyme, dried
½ teaspoon of oregano, dried
5 allspice berries, ground (approximately ¼ teaspoon)
1/8 teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon of liquid smoke
8 ounces of almond milk, unsweetened

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Put everything in the blender with half the almond milk and puree until everything is combined. If the mixture is too thick add the remaining almond milk 1 tablespoon or 2 two at a time until the mixture will pour (mine was still somewhat thick).

I used four small loaf pans (4 ½ by 2 ½ by 1 ½) and the mixture filled each to within ¼ inch of the top of the pan. Place the pans in another pan and add water so that it comes half way up the sides.

Bake for 45 minutes, until the mixture is beginning to set, but is still somewhat soft. It will firm significantly as it cools.

Wrap tightly and store in the refrigerator. I plan to freeze half of mine like Bryanna suggested on her site, assuming it lasts long enough to make it to the freezer.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 80.32
Calories From Fat (37%) - 29.41

Total Fat - 4.62g
Saturated Fat - 0.03g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 832.11mg
Potassium - 388.89mg
Total Carbohydrates - 9.41g
Fiber - 1.01g
Sugar - 0.55g
Protein - 3.6g

Comments:

It has been a few years since I have had brauschweiger, but I think this is a reasonable approximation. The flavor is quite good, and as I said earlier the texture is great.

If you make almond milk and are looking for a way to use the leftover pulp this is great option. There are so many options for where you can take this base. I can imagine many different pate varieties in the coming months.

Update:

I took this to cooking class tonight, and please note this is not a vegan class, and ..... it was much better received than I expected. The men definitively seemed to like it more than the women. But, overall I think this is a winner. The texture is definitely dead on. Most people thought the flavor was good, although I did get a few suggestions that I will try to incorporate into the next batch.

Hummus - Basic Reduced Fat

We eat a lot of hummus in this house. Hummus has become our go to sandwich spread. I make a lot of different variations of hummus depending on my mood. There is my roasted red pepper, garlic and sweet paprika hummus, also my roasted garlic hummus, and my roasted red pepper and smoked paprika hummus. There are many other hummus variations that I have yet to put on the blog. They will all get posted eventually.

Most of my humus recipes have little or no fat and this is not exception. After reading the book “Life Over Cancer” we have been trying to keep our fat percentage down to about 13% overall, with most of that being omega 3 fat. In order to achieve a fat percentage that low it is imperative to keep the fat down on the hummus. Commercial varieties of hummus can get 50% or more of their calories from fat. Sure, they taste good, but that much fat isn’t necessary. This recipe is my attempt to keep the fat down but still maintain a little richness from the tahini.

Hummus - Basic Reduced Fat
Makes 3 ½ cups

Ingredients:

1 cup of dried garbanzo beans, cooked (cooking water saved)
2 tablespoons of tahini
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
½ teaspoon of cumin seed
¼ teaspoon of coriander seed
¼ teaspoon of sweet paprika
1 teaspoon of lemon zest
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 ¼ cups of bean cooking liquid (added a little at a time – see directions)

Directions:

Cook the garbanzo beans until very tender. Drain the beans and reserve the cooking liquid to use later in the recipe. Make the hummus while the beans are still warm. This is one of the secrets to a smooth hummus without a lot of added fat from olive oil and tahini.

Into the food processor place everything but the bean cooking liquid. Process to combine the ingredients. Add the cooking liquid ¼ cup at a time and continue to process checking the hummus consistency. Remember that the hummus will firm up in the refrigerator so you may want to make it a little thinner than you think you would like in the end.

Refrigerate in a covered container. This will last at least 5 days in the refrigerator.

If you want to serve as part of a mezze spread, swirl the top of the hummus to create grooves. Pour a little extra virgin olive oil on top so that it puddles in the swirl. Sprinkle the top with sweet paprika, toasted pine nuts and chopped fresh parsley.

Nutritional Information (per ¼ cup serving):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 66.54
Calories From Fat (26%) - 17.18

Total Fat - 2.05g
Saturated Fat - 0.25g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 139.72mg
Potassium - 143.88mg
Total Carbohydrates - 9.47g
Fiber - 2.67g
Sugar - 1.57g
Protein - 3.21g

Comments:

This is my basic reduced fat hummus. The secret to getting the hummus creamy with just two tablespoons of fat (tahini) is making the hummus while the beans are still warm. I don’t know why this works, but it makes a big difference in the creaminess of the hummus.

The flavor of this hummus is mild so that you can mix it with many different ingredients on crackers, cucumber rounds (my favorite) or sandwiches. I even use this as the base of a roasted vegetable pizza to keep the veggies from sliding off when you eat it.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti Dressed with Herb and Lemon Pesto and Topped with Eggplant Tomato Sauce

For tonight’s spaghetti dinner I wanted to do something familiar but different. Instead of tossing the pasta and sauce together I decided to make an herb and lemon pesto and dress the pasta with that and then top it with a little sauce. This worked great and I love the contrast of colors, red on light green. The fresh herbs and lemon added a nice brightness which was a good contrast to the slow cooked sauce.

This dinner was packed with antioxidants and fiber from the vegetables. The whole wheat pasta added a lot of protein to the meal. I love a healthy dinner that fights disease and tastes great, that is my favorite combination. Here is what I did.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti Dressed with Herb and Lemon Pesto and Topped with Eggplant Tomato Sauce
Serves 4

Ingredients:

16 ounces of whole wheat spaghetti
6 quarts of salted water
¼ cup of fresh basil (leaves only)
¼ cup of fresh parsley (leaves only)
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1 lemon juiced and zested
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
4 cups of eggplant tomato sauce

Directions:

Cook the pasta according in the salted water until it is al dente.

While the pasta is cooking make the herb and lemon pesto. Combine the basil, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest and olive oil in your blender and process until completely smooth. Hold the sauce until the pasta has finished cooking.

Toss the pasta with herb and lemon pesto and put that in the bottom of the bowl. Top the pasta with the eggplant tomato sauce and serve hot.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 508.93
Calories From Fat (12%) - 60.77

Total Fat - 7.05g
Saturated Fat - 1.06g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 259.66mg
Potassium - 864.66mg
Total Carbohydrates - 101.67g
Fiber - 5.17g
Sugar - 6.81g
Protein - 19.55g
MyPoints - 11.57

Comments:

Dressing the pasta in the fresh herb and lemon pesto added a lot of fresh flavor to the pasta dish. Normally I would have used these elements to make a gremolata topping, but for a change this is also nice. I can’t decide which I like better this, or the gremolata. They are both good options (the gremolata or the pesto). I think the family enjoyed dinner tonight; there was not a strand of pasta left when they were finished.

Fattoush – my way

If you like lemon you will like fattoush. I first had this at a Lebanese restaurant and instantly loved it. The original recipe is high in calories from the olive oil in the dressing. My version of fattoush uses chia seeds to emulsify the dressing with much less fat. I kept the important parts of the salad, the small dice of tomato and cucumber, the lemon juice, sumac and toasted flat bread.

If you are unfamiliar with sumac it is a ground dried berry that has a tart lemony flavor. I buy my sumac on-line from Zamouri Spice.

Fattoush – my way
Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 whole wheat roll up, torn into bite sized pieces
1 teaspoon of olive oil
10 cups of mesclun greens, torn into bite sized pieces
½ cup of fresh parsley, leaves picked
1 cup of red tomatoes, finely diced
1 cup of yellow tomatoes, finely diced
2 cups of cucumbers, finely diced
¼ cup of broccoli sprouts
3 tablespoons of lemon dressing (recipe below)
14 ounces of brined artichokes, cut into bite sized pieces
2 teaspoons of sumac powder

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed skilled. Toss the flat bread pieces in the oil and cook over medium heat until the bread is crispy. When crispy turn off the heat and finish the salad.

Put all the vegetables into a large bowl and toss with the dressing. When the vegetables are evenly coated sprinkle with the sumac powder and toss to coat.

Place the salad and top with the crispy flat bread pieces so they stay crispy as long as possible.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 284.18
Calories From Fat (31%) - 87.75

Total Fat - 10.36g
Saturated Fat - 1.34g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 965.78mg
Potassium - 1155.62mg
Total Carbohydrates - 39.64g
Fiber - 15.49g
Sugar - 7.41g
Protein - 15.02g

Lemon Dressing for Fattoush Salad
Makes 12 tablespoons

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons of ground chia seeds
juice and zest of one lemon
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons of water
¼ teaspoon of kosher salt
¼ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients and stir so the chia seeds are evenly distributed. Stir every few minutes while the chia seeds are absorbing the water. The dressing is ready to use in 10 minutes and will hold in the refrigerator for days.

Nutritional Information (per tablespoon):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 44.62
Calories From Fat (72%) - 32.07

Total Fat - 3.71g
Saturated Fat - 0.46g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 40.32mg
Potassium - 15.08mg
Total Carbohydrates - 2.61g
Fiber - 1.87g
Sugar - 0.14g
Protein - 0.77g

Comments:

This salad is light but filling. It is a good salad to have if you are eating late and don’t want a heavy meal to digest before bed. I make this a lot of lunch since I normally always have lettuce, tomato, cucumber, lemon and flat bread in the house. If you like feta, the almond feta would be nice on this salad.

Silken Tofu, Tahini and Garlic Dip/Sauce

Tonight’s dinner is low in fat so I decided to make a rich topping for the dish and this is what I came up with. I was blown away by the texture and flavor of this sauce/dip. Tahini and garlic are noticeable but not overpowering flavors. Lemon is a subtle background note. This dip tastes nothing like tofu. I think this might be my new favorite sauce. I can see this as a dip for raw veggies or as a topping for any Middle Eastern dish that would normally contain strained yogurt.

Silken Tofu, Tahini and Garlic Dip/Sauce
Makes approximately 29 tablespoons

Ingredients:

12.3 ounce package of silken tofu, organic and firm
1 tablespoon of canola oil
1/2 garlic clove, grated
2 tablespoons of tahini
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
¼ teaspoon of kosher salt

Directions:

Put all the ingredients in the food processor and blend until completely smooth. Refrigerate until you are ready to use. This will keep for a week in the refrigerator based on the keeping power of my prior silken tofu dips.

Nutritional Information (per tablespoon):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 18.47
Calories From Fat (64%) - 11.91

Total Fat - 1.37g
Saturated Fat - 0.16g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 20.69mg
Potassium - 30.82mg
Total Carbohydrates - 0.63g
Fiber - 0.08g
Sugar - 0.17g
Protein - 1.04g

Comments:

This sauce is much better than I anticipated. The texture is rich and thick. I love the subtle tahini flavor with the background of lemon. Next time I may eliminate the canola to see what happens to the texture. Overall, I am thrilled with this sauce and will find many ways to use this. If you want to reduce the calories and fat use the low fat silken tofu.

Moroccan Lentil Burgers with Preserved Lemon

This is the final recipe from this past Saturday. As you probably noticed there was a Moroccan theme to Saturday's dinner. My husband is on a Moroccan kick since he had his favorite Moroccan chickpea stew on Thursday. When I asked him what flavor veggie burger he wanted he immediately said “Moroccan sounds good to me”. Well, it sounds like a good idea and one I don’t remember making so I decided to give it a shot.

Since I wanted the Moroccan flavor I knew I need an appropriate spice blend and preserved lemons. Next I thought since I want Moroccan flavor I should use almonds and this would be a perfect way to use my homemade almond flour (leftover from making almond milk). Green lentils were the base of burger for a few reasons. Lentils are quick and I haven’t used them in while. I added a little ras el hanout and kosher salt to taste. Last I added vital wheat gluten until the mixture would hold together. If it feels a little dry add a little more liquid.

This veggie burger follows my standard recipe for burgers, a little bean/legume, some grain or flour, spice and vital wheat gluten. This method has worked well for me for a few years now so I don’t vary much from the process.

Moroccan Lentil Burgers with Preserved Lemon
8 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound of green lentil, cooked until tender
2 tablespoons of ras el hanout
2 teaspoons of kosher salt
1 preserved lemon, finely minced
½ cup of almond flour (or bread crumbs)
8 tablespoons of vital wheat gluten
2 tablespoon of canola oil, to cook burgers

Directions:

Begin heating your cast iron skillet rubbed with canola oil.

Mix the lentils, ras el hanout, salt, preserved lemon, and almond flour. Taste the mixture for seasoning before adding the vital wheat gluten. Once the seasoning is correct add the vital wheat gluten and knead it into the burgers. If your burgers get a little dry add liquid a few tablespoons at a time until they come together.

Form the burgers into entrée size burgers, or slider sized burgers as I did.

Cook the burgers until they are golden on one side and then flip and cook on the other side. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200-degree oven until the remainder of dinner is ready.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 294.78
Calories From Fat (16%) - 45.9

Total Fat - 5.26g
Saturated Fat - 0.52g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 885.52mg
Potassium - 602.08mg
Total Carbohydrates - 39.85g
Fiber - 18.1g
Sugar - 1.15g
Protein - 23.91g

Comments:

These burgers had a great preserved lemon flavor. I was surprised how much I liked the preserved lemon flavor in veggie burgers. I also liked the ras el hanout in the burger. If I were going to make these again I would add a few soaked chopped golden raisins and maybe a little fresh cilantro. Overall this was a good burger that I will make again. This was another winning recipe idea from my husband.

Cucumber, Pickled Onion and Green Salad with “Buttermilk” Dijon Dressing

There were so many colors on the plate this evening I wanted a more monotone salad to accompany dinner. Don’t let the color of this salad make you think it is bland. The pickled onions add a lot of flavor as does the Dijon mustard and rosemary.

Cucumber, Pickled Onion and Green Salad with “Buttermilk” Dijon Dressing
Serves 4

Pickled Onion Ingredients:

½ red onion, thinly sliced
white vinegar to cover

Salad Dressing Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of reduced fat almond milk mayo
½ cup of almond milk
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon of fresh rosemary, finely minced
¼ teaspoon of kosher salt
½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Salad Ingredients:

8 cups of mesclun greens, torn into bite size pieces
1 seedless cucumber, finely sliced

Directions:

Cover the red onion with white vinegar and refrigerate. This needs to sit a minimum of 15 minutes, but a day is not too long. When you are ready to make the salad drain the vinegar from the onions.

Combine all the salad dressing ingredients in your food processor and puree to combine. Refrigerate until you need it. This will keep days in the refrigerator.

Combine the greens, cucumber, drained onions and salad dressing in a big bowl. Toss to combine. Taste the dressed salad for seasoning and adjust the salt and pepper as desired. Serve cold.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 57.11
Calories From Fat (43%) - 24.81

Total Fat - 2.85g
Saturated Fat - 0.2g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 205.85mg
Potassium - 314.47mg
Total Carbohydrates - 6.56g
Fiber - 2.69g
Sugar - 1.28g
Protein - 2.16g

Comments:

This is a simple salad that has big flavor punch for the onions and the dressing. It is a nice change from our usual salad with vinaigrette.

Potato and Seitan Sausage Hash with Collards, Tomatoes and Lemon

Breakfast this morning was a bit of feast since my sweetie is home today. I had not made hash in a while so I thought that sounded like a good idea and one that is man friendly.

I added the seitan sausages to increase the protein in this breakfast. As you will see in the nutritional information this meal is packed with protein (48 grams in the hash alone). I included the turmeric and black pepper for the cancer fighting properties. Onions and garlic were added for flavor as well as nutrition. The lemon zest was included at the end to lift the flavor.

The collard and tomato side dish was added since we needed a few more vegetables in our meal. Collards are a member of the cruciferous family and were added for their cancer fighting properties. Tomatoes were added to the collards since I read that broccoli and tomatoes are healthier together than apart so I assumed this might apply to collards and tomatoes. I added the lemon juice and zest to add a little something extra to the flavor. This flavor combination (collards, tomatoes and lemon) worked really well. This may be my new favorite way to make collards, it is that good.

Potato and Seitan Sausage Hash
Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of canola oil
1 red onion, finely minced
3 seitan sausages, sliced into 1/8 inch half moons
8 ounces of Yukon gold potatoes
4 cloves of garlic, minced (allow to stand 10 minutes so allicin will develop)
½ teaspoon of turmeric
¼ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of lemon zest - optional

Directions:

Microwave the potatoes for a few minutes to mostly cook them. When they are cool enough to handle cut them into bite size pieces and reserve for later.

Heat half the canola oil in a heavy skillet and sauté the onion until it is soft. Add the sausages and cook for two to three minutes (undisturbed) so they will begin to brown on one side. Add the remaining ingredients (including the oil you didn’t use earlier) and stir to combine the spices evenly throughout the ingredients. Cook (stirring infrequently) for a few minutes to heat everything and get a little brown on the potatoes. If using the lemon zest add it at the end of the process just before serving.

Serve hot.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 459.48
Calories From Fat (16%) - 75.47

Total Fat - 8.56g
Saturated Fat - 0.73g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 622.13mg
Potassium - 932.81mg
Total Carbohydrates - 49.83g
Fiber - 3.99g
Sugar - 0.59g
Protein - 48.53g

Collards, Tomatoes and Lemon
Serves 2

Ingredients:

4 collard leaves, cut in ½’s lengthwise and then thinly sliced
1 large tomato, diced
1 teaspoon of lemon zest
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt

Directions:

Cook the collards and tomatoes over medium heat until the collards wilt (about 3 minutes). Turn off the heat. Add the lemon juice and kosher salt and toss to coat. Grate the fresh lemon zest over the dish when you serve it.

Serve hot.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 19.94
Calories From Fat (9%) - 1.8

Total Fat - 0.21g
Saturated Fat - 0.03g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 124.61mg
Potassium - 201.6mg
Total Carbohydrates - 4.49g
Fiber - 1.6g
Sugar - 2.08g
Protein - 1.08g

Comments:

This was a very tasty and filling breakfast. We both liked the hash and particularly the collards. Next time I will definitely make double the amount of collards. I also think the collards would be great served over a grain (brown rice, millet, or quinoa).

If you are looking for a big hearty man friendly breakfast that packs a lot of protein this is good choice.

Moroccan Chickpea Stew

Michael Chiarello was making Moroccan food today on Easy Entertaining and that reminded me that I hadn’t made my Moroccan chickpea stew in months. This is one of the few recipes that is repeated a few times a year at my house. I think this is one of my husband’s top 10 favorite dinners.

This stew is a combination of something we made in cooking class with a number of additions from yours truly. I added the preserved lemon and now I can’t imagine this stew without it. However if you don’t have preserved lemon in your refrigerator you can substitute fresh lemon. It isn’t the same but it will get you close.

When this stew is cooking the entire house smells so wonderful. I adore the aroma of this dish. It is sweet from the cinnamon and savory from the coriander, cumin and fennel. My husband would disagree but I think this smells as good as chocolate cookies baking in the oven.

I use the bean cooking liquid first when I add liquid to this stew. My theory is that some of the vitamins from the beans come out into the water when they cook so I like to use that cooking liquid when I can.

I hope you try this recipe; it is one of our family favorites. If you do try it please let me know what you think.

Moroccan Chickpea Stew
Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 large red onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
2 – 3 inch cinnamon sticks
1 ½ teaspoons of cumin seeds
1 ½ teaspoons of coriander seed
1 ½ teaspoons of fennel seed
28 ounces of canned diced tomatoes
1 pound of dried chickpeas, cooked until soft
1 cup of golden raisins
1 preserved lemon, peel chopped finely
enough water or vegetable stock to cover beans in pot (or use the bean cooking liquid)
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 cups of julienned fresh greens (spinach, chard, beet greens, etc.) – optional
a few tablespoons of sliced almonds, for garnish - optional

Accompaniments:

Serve with cooked couscous, millet or amaranth - optional

Directions:

Sauté the red onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add spices and sauté until fragrant, approximately one minute. Add remaining ingredients except fresh greens and almonds. Add enough water, vegetable stock or bean cooking liquid to cover the beans. Cook over low until the flavors have combined (at least 30 minutes). Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the finely shredded greens once the heat has been turned off and approximately 2 minutes before serving (they should be wilted but still recognizable), if desired. Your grain of choice can be added to the bottom or top of stew when served if desired. If using the almonds sprinkle them on the top of the stew at the very end, before serving, so they retain some of their crunch.

Nutritional Information (without optional ingredients):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 309.54
Calories From Fat (13%) - 41.56

Total Fat - 4.96g
Saturated Fat - 0.52g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 207.18mg
Potassium - 912.13mg
Total Carbohydrates - 59.08g
Fiber - 14.87g
Sugar - 19.43g
Protein - 13.15g

Toasted Millet
Serves 4

Ingredients:

½ cup of millet
1 ½ cups of water
¼ teaspoon of kosher salt

Directions:

In a dry medium saucepan over medium high heat toast the millet for a few minutes, stirring so it doesn’t burn. When the millet begins to lightly brown (about 3 minutes) add the water and salt and bring the water to a boil. Cover the pan and reduce the heat so the millet is just simmering. Check the millet in 20 minutes, when the water has been absorbed turn off the heat and allow the millet to stand for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes has passed fluff the millet with a fork before serving.

Nutritional information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 94.5
Calories From Fat (9%) - 8.83

Total Fat - 1.06g
Saturated Fat - 0.18g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 121.42mg
Potassium - 49.64mg
Total Carbohydrates - 18.21g
Fiber - 2.13g
Sugar - 0g
Protein - 2.76g

Comments:

We don’t have many favorite recipes at my house. This is partly by design since I don’t like to repeat dishes. However, this one is too good not to make every couple of months. It is hard to say what I love more the aroma or the taste. The stew is cooking now and my nose is bathed in the intoxicating aroma of this stew. If they made this into a perfume I would wear it. As lovely as it smells the taste is equally fantastic. I really hope you give this a try if you are looking for a new way to prepare chickpeas.

The version of this recipe I made tonight had spinach stirred into the stew just before serving and fresh minced cilantro (1/4 cup), mint (2 tablespoons) and lemon zest (about 1 teaspoon) in the millet. I did add a few sliced almonds for garnish, about a teaspoon per serving.

On the health front this stew if packed with healthy ingredients that fight high cholesterol, heart disease and cancer. Please note, I did get the lycopene into dinner tonight with the canned tomatoes as I promised.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Spinach, Chickpea and Walnut Pesto

Today I was in a funky mood. I didn’t feel like cooking or doing much of anything. Needless to say I still had to make dinner. This is one of those dinners that comes out of what I have on hand. I discovered that chickpeas in pesto work surprisingly well. I will use that trick from now on. I also like the thickness the tofu sour cream added to the sauce.

Dinner tonight was pasta because it is fast, and easy to eat. I added the chickpeas to increase the fiber, protein and calories. The raw spinach was added for nutrition. Leafy greens are something I don’t think any of us eat enough of. The garlic and rosemary were both added for their ability to fight cancer. Lemon was included because I love lemon and like to add it to pesto even though it isn’t traditional. Tofu sour cream was added because I only had a few tablespoons left from this weekend and I though it would add creaminess to the sauce, and it worked. If we had more tofu sour cream on hand I may have added as much as ½ cup to the sauce.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Spinach, Chickpea and Walnut Pesto
Serves 6

Ingredients:

6 quarts of water
½ tablespoon of kosher salt
19 ounces of whole wheat rotini
6 cups of raw spinach
1/3 cup of walnuts, toasted
½ cup of cooked chickpeas
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary leaves (stripped from its stem)
juice of ½ lemon
¼ cup of tofu sour cream
kosher salt and pepper to taste
walnuts, roughly chopped for garnish – optional
extra virgin olive oil, for serving - optional

Directions:

Bring water to a boil and add kosher salt. Add pasta to the boiling water and stir vigorously for 30 seconds to keep pasta from sticking together. Cook according to package directions and then drain.

While pasta is cooking add remaining ingredients to you food processor and process until everything is smooth and combined. This will take about a minute.

Toss hot pasta with sauce in a large bowl. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Serve immediately. You can garnish with chopped walnuts and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil if desired. Both of these garnishes will increase the fat percentage, but will be quite yummy.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 444.36
Calories From Fat (15%) - 66.22

Total Fat - 7.77g
Saturated Fat - 0.52g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 113.65mg
Potassium - 257.98mg
Total Carbohydrates - 81.8g
Fiber - 13.06g
Sugar - 4.19g
Protein - 16.06g

Comments:

I was quite pleased with the overall fat percentage of this recipe. This pasta dish was filling and tasty. If you aren’t watching you fat as closely as we are I would suggest you add a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the sauce. Olive oil would add a great flavor and nice mouth feel to this dish. This dish can be eaten tomorrow for lunch either hot or cold.

Whole Wheat Flaxseed Waffles with Wild Blueberry Lemon Sauce

This morning I wanted to make a special breakfast since my sweetie is home. He loves waffles so that was what we had today.

I used the most recent recipe I posted for waffles, with two minor changes. I increased the baking powder to 1 ½ teaspoons and added ¼ teaspoon of lemon extract since I was making a blueberry lemon sauce. The additional baking powder was added to lighten the waffles a little since I didn’t want to eliminate the flaxseeds. I think this batch of waffles was a little lighter, but they are still not quite perfect. Good, but not perfect yet. I will continue to work on them. Keeping the flaxseeds is important to me for the omega 3's and their cancer fighting abilities. I am determined to a make a healthy waffle that is as good or better than the white flour original.

The blueberry sauce on the other hand was fantastic tasting, very quick and easy. Before I started the waffle batter I put 2 cups of frozen wild blueberries into a saucepan and began cooking them over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the waffles were ready so was the sauce. At the end of cooking I added a tablespoon of lemon-flavored vodka (from what I was steeping for cello). I topped the pancake with sauce, a little fresh lemon zest, and a few sliced almonds. The sauce had a big blueberry flavor and was sweet enough that it didn’t need added sugar.

Wild blueberries are much higher in antioxidants than cultivated blueberries. I buy mine at Costco and try to always have a bag in the freezer for smoothies, pancakes and cobblers. Blueberries and lemon are a favorite combination at our house.

Blueberry Lemon Waffle Topping
Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 cups of frozen wild blueberries, unsweetened
1 tablespoon of lemon vodka (or a dash of lemon extract)

Directions:

Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until the blueberries break down. This should happen in 10 minutes. Add the lemon vodka, or extract, in the last few minutes of cooking.

This sauce can be served warm or cold. I think it has a more pronounced flavor when it is warm.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 92.11
Calories From Fat (0%) - 0

Total Fat - 0g
Saturated Fat - 0g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 0.14mg
Potassium - 95.14mg
Total Carbohydrates - 18g
Fiber - 6g
Sugar - 10g
Protein - 0g

Comments:

This sauce would also be good mixed with some tofu ricotta, or in a fool. I would like this over a piece of pound cake. If you are a fan of blueberries this is tasty quick sauce when you need a quick dessert.

Cello - Foundation Recipe

(pictured L-R: lemon, pink grapefruit, orange/vanilla, blood orange)

Do you have an Italian friend that makes homemade lemon cello, aka liquore di limone, or limoncino? If you don’t you are in for a treat. Assuming you enjoy an occasional adult beverage that is. Don’t have too much though, it will increase your probability of cancer.

For anyone that doesn't know "lemon cello" (the most commonly sold variety of cello in the US) it is a sweet lemon flavored liquor. It is typically served after dinner as an aperitif. You can find it in most large liquor stores in the US. In my opinion, the commercial stuff isn't nearly as tasty as the homemade version.

In Italy every household makes their own cello. I learned this on a trip to Italy in the early 90’s from a Tuscan housewife. Italians use grain alcohol for their cello, but I find vodka to be much smoother and easier to drink. I use Absolute since it is reasonably priced and fairly neutral in flavor. The fruit and sugar will be the stars of this beverage.

Whenever I am using citrus fruit I scrub the outside before I do anything else. Then I use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer most skin from the fruit (zest). Don’t go into the pith (the white inner membrane) or your cello will be bitter. Put the zest into the jar and cover it with vodka. Cover the jar with a tight fitting lid and store it in a cool dry place (I use my pantry). I always have multiple bottles going at the same time (as you saw above). You may find it useful to label them if you do this since the zest will lose its color as it sits in the vodka. Then, as I use more fresh citrus I add the zest to the appropriate bottle. Allow the zest to sit in the vodka for at least a week, a month is better, and a year isn’t too long. Taste the vodka periodically to see if it has pulled the oils from the skin and tastes like the fruit. If you are happy with the level of flavor you can move to the next step.

Strain the zest from the vodka and press to get it to release all the flavored vodka. Now you can sweeten the flavored vodka how you like. Traditionally Italians use simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water) that have been heated to dissolve the sugar and then cooled. Only add cooled syrup to your flavored vodka so that you don’t evaporate any alcohol. Add as much simple syrup as you like. Cello can be very sweet, or a little sweet.

Next put the finished cello into a pretty bottle (not completely full since frozen water expands) with a tight lid, and store it in the freezer until you want to drink it. It is good over ice in a frozen glass. We also like to use it with sparkling water (we use Pellegrino) and make adult lemonade. It is great over ice cream, or fresh fruit. The possibilities are almost endless.

If you want to make your cello your own you can change what you put inside. Our favorite is pink grapefruit and orange cello with cranberry syrup. We combine pink grapefruit and orange vodka with a cranberry juice that we sweeten with agave. Another very popular combination is orange and vanilla cello (excellent over vanilla ice cream). To make this one you add a vanilla bean to the orange zest. You could also add vanilla extract, but the little black flecks from the bean are very nice and more aromatic.

I hope you enjoy making cello. If you give it a try please let me know. Should you have any questions post a comment or drop me an email. I have made hundreds of bottles of this stuff and would be happy to answer your questions. By the way, this makes great presents if you have one of those hard to buy for friends. Just don't wait until the last minute to get started.

Fresh Lima Bean Soup with Lemon and Mint

This soup is a combination of a fresh pea soup we learned in cooking class a few weeks ago and a cooked fava bean soup that was posted here on the blog SmarterFitter.

My husband isn’t crazy about mint so I try to keep my mint use to a minimum when he is eating. I on the other hand love mint, and we have a boatload of it our garden. However, even with my love of mint you want to keep the mint level down in this soup. I started with one mint leaf in the soup expecting to add more, one at a time. More mint would not add to the flavor or this soup. I wanted a subtle kiss of mint, and that is what you get from one leaf.

Oh well, looks like I will need to make more mojitos instead. Just kidding, really I am. ;)

Fresh Lima Bean Soup with Lemon and Mint
Serves 1

Ingredient:

1 cup of very fresh shelled lima beans (frozen would be fine here)
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
¾ cup of water
½ teaspoon of basil salt
¼ teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
1 fresh mint leaf
¼ teaspoon of lemon zest, for garnish – optional
1 small mint top, for garnish – optional

Directions:

Place the lima beans, lemon juice, water, basil salt and mint leaf in your blender. Puree until the soup is completely smooth. Chill until ready to serve.

To serve, grate a little fresh lemon zest and black pepper on top. Garnish with a mint sprig if desired.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 325.75
Calories From Fat (3%) - 9.05

Total Fat - 1.08g
Saturated Fat - 0.25g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 1160.35mg
Potassium - 973.82mg
Total Carbohydrates - 61.83g
Fiber - 18.3g
Sugar - 4.56g
Protein - 19g

Comments:

This soup is cool and refreshing with a light taste of mint and lemon. I would only make this with fresh picked lima beans or frozen lima beans. Old beans would make this soup starchy, which wouldn’t be nearly as fresh tasting.

This soup would also make a nice appetizer in espresso mugs or shot glasses. It would be great with a little dollop of tofu sour cream.

Seitan Piccata with Fiddlehead Ferns, Potatoes and Onions

Dinner tonight was something quick from the freezer and the refrigerator. I defrosted a couple of seitan cutlets and fiddlehead ferns today in the refrigerator while I did other things. This was a dinner made completely from things I had in the pantry. This is my version of piccata, it is not a traditional Italian recipe. I started using Marsala after I ran out of Pinot Grigio and found I like it better this way.

If you don’t have fiddlehead ferns in the freezer, asparagus is very close in taste and makes a good substitute. If you want to purchase fiddlehead ferns out of season go to the website for Earthy Delights they normally have blanched frozen fiddlehead ferns.

This dinner took about 15 minutes to make but would be a great dinner if you have unplanned dinner quests. I have made these dishes many times and they are always well received.

Seitan Piccata with Fiddlehead Ferns, Potatoes and Onions
Serves 2

Piccata ingredients:

½ teaspoon of canola oil
2 pressure cooked seitan cutlets
¼ cup of Marsala wine
¼ cup of vegetable stock or water
2 tablespoons of caper
zest and juice of one lemon
½ tablespoon of cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons of cold water
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 sprigs or fresh parsley, finely minced
4 very thin slices of lemon to top piccata - optional

Fiddlehead fern ingredients:

1 teaspoon of canola oil
½ red onion, roughly chopped
5 ounces of Yukon gold potato
1 pound of fiddlehead ferns (or asparagus)
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
dried thyme, to taste
a squeeze of fresh lemon juice - optional

Directions:

Scrub the potato, pierce it a few times with a paring knife and microwave a few minutes so that it is just tender. Cut the potato into bite sized pieces.

Lightly coat or spray a non-stick, or seasoned cast iron pan with canola oil and sauté the onion over medium heat. Add the potato to the pan to lightly brown.

Meanwhile heat another non-stick or seasoned cast iron pan with canola oil and sear the cutlets on both sides. Deglaze the pan with the Marsala wine and add the water and capers and put the cover on so the seitan will steam for a few minutes. If you are topping with thin lemon slices add them here.

Add the fiddlehead ferns to the potato pan and turn the heat down as low as possible and put a lid on the pan. You want the ferns to be just cooked and this will take a few minutes only. Treat the fiddleheads like you would asparagus. Season the fiddleheads and potatoes with salt, pepper and thyme, to taste. Add a little fresh lemon juice to the pan, if desired.

Add the lemon juice, lemon zest and cornstarch to the pan. Stir to incorporate the cornstarch.

Top the piccata with the sacue and then fresh parsley when you are serving.

Nutritional information (Piccata ½ of the recipe):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 234.94
Calories From Fat (14%) - 32.18

Total Fat - 3.64g
Saturated Fat - 0.34g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 648.4mg
Potassium - 410.27mg
Total Carbohydrates - 17.25g
Fiber - 1.52g
Sugar - 1.54g
Protein - 30.24g

Nutritional information (Fiddleheads and Potatoes ½ of the recipe):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 164.97
Calories From Fat (17%) - 28.04

Total Fat - 3.22g
Saturated Fat - 0.21g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 146.63mg
Potassium - 601.69mg
Total Carbohydrates - 28.48g
Fiber - 2.41g
Sugar - 0.57g
Protein - 11.63g

Comments:

This is a great dinner when you don’t have much time but you want something a little special for dinner. My husband is going to be gone for a day and a half on business so I wanted to make a nice dinner tonight. Seitan Piccata is a family favorite (it is another Italian thing).

In the bad old days I would have served this with a chocolate and hazelnut semifreddo for dessert. I guess I should work on making a vegan version of semifreddo while my husband is away so I can surprise him when he comes home. Expect to see that semifreddo soon once I work out the details.

Green Tea with Ginger, Pomegranate and Lemon

We change our morning beverages with great regularity. I get bored with the same beverage (unless it is a double shot of espresso) every morning. Recently I was reading an article about the benefit of consuming green tea with vitamin C. According to the science by pairing green tea and vitamin C the antioxidants were able to withstand the non-acidic environment of the intestines allowing you to absorb 5 times more of the catechins.

Then I read another article that indicated that it is the ascorbic acid, not citric acid that protects the catechins. The second article indicated that you should have 1/10th of a teaspoon of ascorbic acid to each 8 ounce cup of green tea.

Well, now doesn't that just make everything clear as mud? Either way, I think I am going to continue to add lemon, since I know it has other nutritional benefits. I am also going to try the ascorbic acid in the tea. I will you know soon if it changes the taste of the tea.

Another article was discussing a Japanese study that showed that drinking green, and not smoking, extended your life span by years. The amount of green tea made a difference, as did whether you were male or female. But I already drink 10 cups of green tea a day so this article encouraged me to continue doing what I am.

Now, we don’t normally add lemon to my green tea, but for potentially 5 times more health bang for the same amount of tea we were ready to give it a try. Both my husband and I thought this was a very nice combination that we enjoyed drinking. I added the pomegranate juice because it is another nutritional superstar that is reported to fight cancer.

Green Tea with Ginger, Pomegranate and Lemon
Serves 1

Ingredients:

2 green tea bags

16 ounces of almost boiling water
¼ - ½ inch of fresh ginger, thinly sliced into coins
2 tablespoons of pomegranate juice
1/8 of a lemon

Directions:

Brew the tea and ginger for 10 minutes so that all the maximum amount of nutrients will steep into the mug. When you remove the tea and ginger slices, add the pomegranate and lemon juice and drink within 2 hours of brewing so that you will absorb the maximum amount of nutrients possible.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 34.78
Calories From Fat (5%) - 1.57

Total Fat - 0.08g
Saturated Fat - 0.03g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 17.66mg
Potassium - 306.46mg
Total Carbohydrates - 8.8g
Fiber - 0.25g
Sugar - 4.76g
Protein - 0.23g

Comments:

This tea is good hot, room temperature or cold. However, remember to drink it within 2 hours of brewing to get the entire nutritional bang the beverage has to offer. According to the doctor that wrote “Anticancer”, you should consume your freshly brewed tea within 2 hours.