Hope's Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet (36 page)

½ cups water

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large carrot, gratedor chopped

6 cups water

1 medium head cauliflower, very coarsely chopped

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons dry vegetable soup base

½ teaspoon each basil, mint, chervil, thyme, and ground celery seed

2 tablespoons white miso (dark miso will make the soup tan instead of creamy)

¾ cup raw cashews

1 cup water

½ cup nutritional yeast

Salt to taste

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a soup pot and toast millet until golden brown and beginning to pop. Remove from heat, add 1
½
cups water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 20 minutes. In a medium skillet, heat oil and sauté celery, green pepper, onion, garlic, and carrot until onion is translucent. To millet pot add 6 cups water (for thick soup), cauliflower, bay leaf, sautéed mixture, soup base, and herbs and celery seed, stirring occasionally so millet doesn’t stick. Simmer for 20 minutes. In a blender, process miso, cashews, 1 cup water, and yeast. Add to soup and simmer 10 minutes. Taste for salt and adjust consistency with more water if you like.

Complementary protein: millet + cashews + cauliflower + miso + yeast

Old-fashioned Potato Soup

4 servings

Even when your cupboard is bare, you probably have on hand the ingredients for this soup. Serve with grilled-cheese sandwiches for a quick winter lunch.

2 tablespoons oil for sautéing

1 medium onion, chopped

3 stalks celery with leaves, chopped

3 medium or 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced

3 to 4 cups SeasonedStock or water

Salt and pepper to taste

1 smallbay leaf

1 cup instant dry low-fatmilk

1 to 2 tablespoons margarine

Garnish: parsley, chives, green onion, or dill

Heat oil in a heavy pot and sauté onion and celery until onion is translucent. Add potatoes, stock, salt and pepper, and bay leaf and cook until potatoes are tender, about ½ hour. Let cool briefly. Stirring, slowly add milk and margarine. Taste for salt. Heat through but do not let boil. Garnish and serve.

   
Variations:
Use leeks instead of onion. Add canned minced clams, diced carrots, canned asparagus, or cooked cauliflower.

Complementary protein: potato + milk

Mulligatawny

2 quarts

The San Francisco Ecology Center is famous for its great soups. Ed Lubin of the Center offers this one, which he says is “a favorite of our lunchtime patrons.” It is delicious and easy to make. The longer it cooks, the better it tastes.

3 to 4 tablespoons margarine

2 onions, coarsely chopped

2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced

1 carrot, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 small turnip or parsnip, grated

1 large or 2 small Pippin or other apples, cored and chopped

1 teaspoon curry powder

3 ounces tomato paste

2 tablespoons parsley 5 cups water

2 cups cooked garbanzos (2/3 cup uncooked) or one 1-pound can, undrained

Salt or vegetable seasoning powder to taste

Heat margarine in a large pot and sauté onions and garlic until onions are translucent. Add carrot, celery, green pepper, turnip, apple, curry powder, tomato paste, parsley, and water and cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Purée beans in a blender until smooth and add to soup pot, with more water if the soup is too thick. Taste for salt and spices. Heat through and serve or continue to simmer, the longer the better.

Cold Zucchini and Buttermilk Soup

4 servings

Buttermilk, so much cheaper than yogurt, can be the basis for many delightful and practically instant summer soups. Here are just two ideas; many other vegetables and fruits might be used.

Oil for sautéing

1 medium zucchini, coarsely chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

3 cups buttermilk

Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish: fresh dillweed or parsley

Heat oil and sauté zucchini, onion, and garlic until soft but not mushy. Purée in a blender and add buttermilk and salt and pepper. Chill and garnish.

Cold Curried Apple and Buttermilk Soup

4 servings

You can vary this by substituting a seeded cucumber for the apple.

Oil for sautéing

1 medium onion, chopped

1 apple, cored and chopped

2 teaspoons curry powder

Pinch mustard seed (optional)

3 cups buttermilk

Garnish: fresh dillweed or parsley

Heat oil and sauté onion, apple, curry powder, and mustard seed until soft but hot mushy. Let cool and add buttermilk. Chill and garnish.

7.
A Meal in a Salad Bowl

   
Exotic Rice Salad

   
Macaroni Salad Ricotta

   
Tabouli

   
Vegetable Salad Carousel

   
Tempeh and Bulgur Salad

   
Garbanzo and Cheese Salad

   
Lentil Salad

   
Fine Fruit Salad and Other Ideas

*
Ultimate “Egg” Salad

   
Tempeh Mock Chicken Salad

*
New recipe
.

M
Y DAUGHTER CALLS
me a “salad freak.” Sometimes in the summertime salads are about the only food that seems appetizing to me. So I have had to learn ways to fill my protein need from the salads I love—and it is not difficult. The recipes here demonstrate some of the many, many possibilities.

T
IPS FOR
P
ROTEIN
-E
NRICHED
S
ALADS

To lettuce salads add:

   Parmesan cheese

   cheese cubes

   ground toasted sesame seeds

   toasted sunflower seeds

   cooked beans

   leftover cooked beans and grains

   cooked broccoli, green peas, cauliflower

To fruit salads add:

   nuts

   ground toasted sesame seeds

   toasted sunflower seeds

   low-fat yogurt

   low-fat cottage cheese

Exotic Rice Salad

4 servings

On a summer’s eve this tangy salad (served with sliced beets and cucumber in Vinaigrette Dressing) could be just the meal to refresh the palate.

1½ cups cold
*
cooked rice (¾ cup uncooked)

½ cup coarsely chopped celery

½ cup coarsely chopped peanuts

1½ cups yogurt

2 tablespoons chutney (or more to taste), or 2 tablespoons apricot preserves plus a dash of lemon juice and grated or powdered ginger to taste

Toss in a salad bowl.

Complementary protein: rice + milk product + peanuts

*
Room temperature is best. If rice is too cold, it will be gritty.

Macaroni Salad Ricotta

4 servings

Serve on a bed of lettuce. Colorful, light, and satisfying.

½ pound whole wheat macaroni

1 cup ricotta cheese

2 teaspoons prepared mustard Yogurt as needed

¼ cup sliced or chopped black olives

1 bell pepper, coarsely chopped

2 scallions with tops, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley Red pimientos to taste

½ teaspoon each dillweed and basil

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook macaroni until tender, drain, and chill. Mix ricotta cheese and mustard and thin with yogurt to the consistency of mayonnaise. Combine macaroni and remaining ingredients and toss with dressing.

   
Variation:
Substitute cottage cheese for part or all of the ricotta, buttermilk or milk for part or all of the yogurt.

Complementary protein: wheat + milk product

Tabouli (Zesty Lebanese Salad)

6 servings

This recipe is adapted from a traditional Lebanese dish often served on festive occasions. If you want to be truly authentic, let your guests or family scoop it up with lettuce leaves instead of spoons. For a group, I’ve often served Tabouli with Middle Eastern Tacos—a great combination. The variation was suggested by Camille Gilbert of California.

4 cups boiling water

1¼ cups bulgur

¾ cup cooked white or garbanzo

beans (¼ cup uncooked)

1½ cups minced fresh parsley
*

¾ cup minced fresh mint leaves
*
or additional parsley

¾ cup chopped scallions

3 medium tomatoes, chopped

½ cup or more lemon juice

¼ cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Pour boiling water over bulgur, cover, and let stand until light and fluffy, about 2 hours. Shake in a strainer and squeeze out excess water. Combine it with remaining ingredients and chill for at least 1 hour. Serve on raw grape, lettuce, or cabbage leaves.

*
Mince by hand or in a blender, using a wooden chopstick to scrape the herbs from the container sides into the blade action.

Variation:
Use 1 cup bulgur and ½ cup soy grits.

Complementary protein: wheat + beans

Vegetable Salad Carousel

4 servings

These recipes are intended to stimulate your imagination to think of delicious ways to use leftover vegetables in salads. (My favorite combination is the cauliflower-lima.) The flavor is best when served at room temperature. Add your favorite herbs to the basic Vinaigrette Dressing.

Potato

6 medium potatoes, cooked, sliced, and cooled to room temperature

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 to 2 green onions, finely chopped, and/or ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

¼ cup chopped sweet pickles

¼ to ½ pound Swiss cheese, cut in chunks

Complementary protein: potatoes + milk product

Lentil-Mushroom

3 cups cooked lentils (1 cup uncooked), cooked with 1 whole onion and 1 bay leaf until tender but not mushy; remove onion and bay leaf before using

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 to 2 green onions, finely chopped

¼ to ½ pound Muenster or other cheese, cut in chunks

¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley

¼ pound raw mushrooms, sliced

Complementary protein: beans + milk product

Cauliflower-Lima

1 small head cauliflower, cooked until barely tender

2 to 3 cups cooked lima beans (1 cup uncooked)

1 red onion, thinly sliced

¼ to ½ pound Swiss cheese, cut in chunks

Complementary protein: beans + milk product

Vinaigrette Dressing

3 to 4 parts oil

1 part vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix well. Pour over vegetables, toss, and serve.

Tempeh and Bulgur Salad

Serves 3 to 4

When Bill and Akiko Shurtleff, authors of the
Book of Tempeh
(as well as the
Book of Tofu and
the
Book of Miso)
, discovered that there were no tempeh recipes in the first draft of this
edition
, they were determined that I come to appreciate this traditional Indonesian food, tempting me with delicious recipes like this one. I’m convinced.

2 tablespoons oil

4 ounces tempeh, cut in ½-inch cubes

½ onion, chopped

½ cup bulgur

1 to 4 large mushrooms, chopped

1 cup water

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 stalk celery, diced

½ large carrot, diced or grated

1 tomato, diced, or 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice 1
½
teaspoons honey

½ teaspoon dillweed

½ teaspoon oregano

Dash white pepper

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet and sauté tempeh, onion, bulgur, and mushrooms for 3 to 4 minutes. Add water and soy sauce, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Combine with remaining ingredients, mix well, and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Complementary protein: soy (tempeh) + wheat

Garbanzo and Cheese Salad

4 to 5 servings

Use any combination of fresh vegetables; just be sure to include the garbanzos and cheese.

1½ cups cooked garbanzo beans (½ cup uncooked), cooled to room temperature

2/3 cup grated Swiss or cheddar cheese

Red leaf lettuce, torn into pieces Spinach, torn into pieces

½ cup sliced scallions

1 green pepper, chopped

½ cup raw shelled peas or defrosted frozen peas

½ cup diced or sliced yellow crookneck squash

½ cup chopped or sliced cucumber

1 cup mung bean or alfalfa sprouts

Toss with your favorite dressing.

Complementary protein: beans + cheese

Lentil Salad

4 servings

Good by itself for lunch or with soup for supper.

½ cup lentils

1 small onion, chopped

4 cups Seasoned Stock

Oil for sauteing

½ cup bulgur

¼ cup soy grits

1 cup yogurt

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon Dijon or other prepared mustard

2 teaspoons lemon juice (or more to taste)

6 cups chopped spinach, scallions, and red onions

Cook lentils and onion in 2 cups stock until tender but not mushy, about 25 minutes. Drain extra water. Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat and sauté bulgur and soy grits for 5 to 10 minutes, to toast, stirring constantly. Heat remaining 2 cups stock, add to bulgur and grits, cover tightly, and cook over low heat until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Let cool. Mix yogurt, mayonnaise, garlic powder, mustard, and lemon juice. Combine grain with lentils and vegetables, and toss with dressing. Chill if desired.

Complementary protein: beans + wheat + milk product

Fine Fruit Salad and Other Ideas

8 servings

¾ cup roasted peanuts

1 cup raw or roasted sunflower seeds

1 cup sliced apples

1 cup sliced bananas

½ cup tangerine or orange sections

1 cup sliced fresh peaches

1 cup seedless grapes

½ cup raisins

½ cup shredded coconut

2 to 4 tablespoons-honey

Juice of ½ lemon

½ cup white wine

Garnish: 10 to 15 fresh mint leaves

In a large bowl, combine peanuts, seeds, fresh fruit, raisins, and coconut. Mix honey, lemon juice, and wine and toss with salad. Garnish.