Practical hint: Soak large amounts of beans and chick peas and freeze them in plastic bags for future use. This will enable you to make quick nutritious meals within as little as half an hour. This section is divided into 5 basic meal types:
- Casseroles / stews / soups
- Patties (burgers) / loaves
- Cheesy dishes
- Quiches, pies and other tofu dishes
- Miscellaneous
- CASSEROLES/STEWS
If you have a pressure cooker, most grains and legumes can be cooked in 20-25 min. For chick peas and most beans (except mung beans), it is wise to cook the legumes for half the time before adding the vegetables to keep vegetables from disintegrating.
BEAN STROGANOFF
3 onions
2 c soaked beans (may be frozen) (optional: 1 c chick peas)
5 diced carrots
1 tin tomato puree
1 small tin tomato paste
(if preferred, use plenty of chopped fresh tomatoes) 3 T soy sauce
2 t paprika herbs/parsley salt
2 t food yeast
½ c cashews or sunflower seeds water
Chop onions and brown in soy sauce, add beans, salt, paprika, stirring often. Cover with boiling water, bring pressure cooker to 2nd ring and cook for 10 min. Add vegetables and more salt, tomato paste and puree, herbs and more water to cover to about 3 cm above the ingredients. Pressure cook for a further 10-15 min. Cover cashew nuts (or sunflower seeds) with 1 cup water and blend till very smooth. Thicken stew with corn flour, if necessary, and add the blended cashew nuts to the stew together with the food yeast. Let simmer for 1 min. If sauce is too sour, it may be sweetened slightly with honey or brown sugar. Without a pressure cooker, the beans can be pre-cooked till almost done, then add all other ingredients and bake in a casserole dish for 1 hour. Serve with whole brown rice, barley rice, noodles or bulgur wheat (a very tasty, easy-to-cook Middle-Eastern dish – see recipes under Miscellaneous)
Variations:
Leave out the blended nuts and carrots, add some diced tomatoes for a rich tomato sauce on rice, spaghetti or whole-wheat toast. Unthickened, the stew can be served as a soup, served with home-baked whole-wheat bread and macadamia nut butter or a savoury spread.
GARBANZO-A-LA-KING
2 c soaked chick peas (garbanzos)
3 large onions or plenty spring onions 2 T soy sauce
2 c cashews or sunflower seeds
3 c water
1 T food yeast pinch of thyme
¼ t oregano
1 can asparagus salad cuts salt
frozen green peas (optional) juice of ½ lemon.
Cover chick peas with water, add salt and pressure cook for 20-25 min. Keep the juice. Brown the chopped onions in the soy sauce and add to the chick peas and their juice in the pot, plus the juice of the asparagus. Add the frozen green peas and cook gently. Meanwhile blend the cashews, food yeast, herbs and 3 c water till very smooth and add to the chick peas. Cook till thick, and lastly add asparagus pieces and lemon juice. If too thin, thicken before adding lemon juice, if too thick, merely add more water.
LENTILS BOLOGNAISE
Use the recipe given for Bean Stroganoff, but substitute the beans and chick peas for one 500g packet of washed, sorted and preferably soaked lentils. Cook all ingredients together in pressure cooker for 15 min. and leave out the blended cashew nuts
MOUSSAKA
1 brinjal (egg plant) 1 large onion, diced
1 garlic clove, pressed 3 tomatoes, diced
1 T tomato paste
½ t coriander
4 T red grape juice
1 c cooked Adzuki, Lima or other beans salt
herbs
about 2 cups SIMPLE SOUR CREAM
Slice brinjal thinly, rub with salt and let stand for 30 min. to draw out bitterness. Rinse and bake in oven at 180°C (350°F). Brown onions and garlic in saucepan, add tomatoes, tomato paste and grape juice. Let simmer for 5 min., then mix with cooked beans. Add salt and herbs to taste. Place half of the baked brinjal in a baking dish. Cover with half the bean mixture, followed by half of the SIMPLE SOUR CREAM. Repeat layers once more. Finally sprinkle herbs on top and dust with paprika. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 45 min.
- PATTIES AND LOAVES
The following basic recipe applies both for patties (steamed in a frying pan) or loaves baked in the oven.
Basic recipe:
1 c soaked soy beans or chick peas
1 c water
2 t food yeast (or Brewer’s Yeast for brown colour)
½ t salt
½ onion
1 clove garlic
1 c rolled oats (or _ c rice flour) 1 T soy sauce
Italian herbs
(Optional: for an extra rich flavour, add 2 T ground toasted pumpkin seeds – toast lightly under grill and blend dry in blender. Alternatively, 2 T of Sesamsan Cheese will also give a rich flavour)
Blend everything together, except the rolled oats or rice flour. Add mixture to the oats, mix well and let stand for about 5-10 min to allow the oats to absorb the moisture.
For PATTIES spray frying pan with lecithin spray or rub ½ t of olive oil over surface. Heat pan on high, then turn down to lowest setting. Drop spoonfuls of mixture into pan and flatten patty to about 1 cm thick. Cover with lid and let steam for 4-5 min. on one side, turn over and repeat on other side. Patties can also be shaped and baked in the oven at 190°C (375°F), but be careful that they do not dry out. Serve with Pink Sauce, Quick Tomato Sauce or any mayonnaise.
For LOAF spray a bread pan or baking dish, fill with mixture and bake in oven at 180°C (350°F) for 45 min. Let cool, loosen sides and slide up-side down onto serving plate. Cut into slices and garnish. Serve with hot tomato and onion sauce, Brown Gravy or white nut or chick pea sauce.
Variations
If you do not have a blender, substitute the soy beans/chick peas with 1 cup tofu and 1 cup finely ground nuts, or 1 cup tofu and 1/4 cup legume flour (e.g. soy, chick pea, lentil) A very easy patty can be made with left-over stew: mix ½ cup rolled oats or rice flour for every 1 cup thick stew and prepare as described above.
POTATO BALLS
(very easy and tasty meat ball substitute – makes a good patty or loaf too)
1 c grated potatoes
1 c grated onion
2 t soy flour
½ t sage
½ t marjoram
1 c whole-wheat bread crumbs 1 c ground walnuts
½ t salt
Mix well and form into balls. Place in baking dish, cover with any gravy and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 30 min.
- CHEESY DISHES LASAGNE
500 g cooked spinach ribbon noodles (or other noodles) 4-5 c tomato and onion sauce
1 c cooked lentils (optional)
1 litre thin, uncooked Pimento Cream Sauce Italian herbs
1 c pitted olives, chopped (optional)
Spread 1 cup of tomato and onion sauce, ¼ cup lentils and some of the olives and herbs over bottom of oven dish. Follow with a layer of noodles and pour ¼ of the Pimento Cream Sauce over the noodles. Repeat the layers 3 more times, reserving some of the tomato-onion sauce for the top. Top off with the rest of the cream and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 200°C (400°F) till cream has set and is golden brown (about 30 min.) Serve with salad and Sesamsan Cheese.
SESAMSAN “CHEESE”
2 c sesame seeds, lightly toasted in oven or frying pan
1 T onion flakes
2 T food yeast 1 t salt
pinch of garlic powder
Place all ingredients in blender and blend till fine, but not powdery. Use as substitute for Parmesan cheese.
PIZZA
Dough:
Any regular bread dough may be used, but the Perfect Whole-wheat Bread dough makes an excellent base. When using the whole-wheat bread dough, the topping should be added gently after the dough has risen for the second time, and then baked together at 200°C (400°F) for about 25 min.
For a change try the following tender crust as a base.
Yellow corn meal dough
2 c finely ground yellow corn flour 1 c whole-wheat flour
2 T gluten flour (because of lack of gluten in corn flour)
1 t salt
2 T food yeast (optional) 1 T active yeast
1 T honey
½ c nut or seed butter (e.g. tahini) 1 _ c warm water
Work butter into well-mixed dry ingredients. ( If you do not have the butter, the nuts or seeds may be blended with water in the blender to cream and then worked into the flour mixture, in which case you will need about 1 cup of thick cream ). Blend water, honey, active yeast and gluten flour. Add yeast mixture to flour and knead well. Let rise for about 40 min. Make two equal balls, roll into flat circles and place on sprayed pizza plates. Let rise for 20 min. and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 8 min. Remove from oven, cover with topping and bake till pimento cream has set.
Topping:
Spread on baked crust:
Tomato and Onion Sauce, or: Quick Tomato Sauce, or: Canned tomato puree/paste
Sprinkle with the following, finely chopped: celery, parsley, olives, tomatoes, onion/spring onion, green pepper, etc.
Top with:
Pimento Cream Sauce or thick cashew nut cream (see section on Sauces) and bake till golden brown
FONDUE
Something different and sociable for a special evening: Heat cooked Pimento Cream Sauce and pour into a heat-resistant pottery dish. Set the table attractively with candles, different kinds of green salads and dressings or even a big bowl of fruit salad and a basket with bread cubes. Place the dish over a heating candle to keep warm and dip the bread cubes into the cream sauce with your fondue fork.
CANNELLONI
Easy Pancakes (see section on Desserts and Cookies)
Filling:
5 big onions
1 can tomato paste (115 g)
5 c cooked brown lentils
“Cheese” sauce:
Use pimento Cream Sauce (see section on sauces), but omit the pimento.
Chop onions finely, add salt and brown very well in a frying pan sprayed with a lecithin spray or a few tablespoons soy sauce. Add tomato paste and cooked lentils. Flavour to taste with herbs and salt.
Place about 3 T of the filling in centre of pancake, fold two sides one over the other, then fold the remaining two sides under the pancake. Place pancakes side by side in shallow casserole dish and cover with “cheese” sauce. Bake in oven at 180°C for about 45 min.
- QUICHES, PIES AND OTHER TOFU DISHES
Tofu is a very versatile food. Tofu blocks can be bought from health shops or some supermarkets and are a good stand-by for quick meals. It is made from soy bean milk and is very nutritious, but one must bear in mind that it is a partly refined product and should not be eaten too often.
SCRAMBLED TOFU
Brown chopped onions in soy sauce in a frying pan. Mash a few tofu blocks with a fork, add salt, a little lemon juice and heat together with onions in pan, stirring constantly. Herbs, garlic, etc. may be added to taste. Serve on hot toast.
TOFU COTTAGE CHEESE
Mashed cold tofu may be seasoned with salt, herbs, chives, garlic and lemon juice and eaten on bread as a very tasty substitute for cottage cheese.
BAKED TOFU
tofu blocks, cut into strips of about ½cm thick soy sauce
seasoned crumbs
Soak tofu in soy sauce for several hours, turning regularly. Roll blocks in bread crumbs and bake at 180°C (350°F) on a baking sheet till crumbs are light brown. Eat as is together with vegetables, or use as a filling in pita bread or on bread rolls.
TOFU OMELET
(makes one omelet)
½ c tofu
¼ c rice flour
½ c cashews (or: increase rice flour to _ cup)
½ c water 1 t salt
1 t onion powder
1 large clove garlic
_ t turmeric or
¼ medium carrot (for yellow colour)
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Spray non-stick or heavy-base frying pan or spread ½ t olive oil over interior. Preheat pan, pour in omelet mixture, cover and cook on low heat for about 5 min till soft brown on bottom. Loosen around edges, flip over carefully and cook 5 min. on the other side. Serve with your favourite savoury sauce.
SOY OMELET
See recipe for SOY WAFFLES and use the method as described above.
ONION QUICHE
Pie crust:
Basic Pie Crust or Yellow Corn Meal Pizza Crust
Filling:
½ c cashews 1 c water
500 g tofu (about 2 cups)
2 onions, sliced and browned in soy sauce 2 t onion powder/ 2 T onion flakes
1 T lemon juice
2 t salt
¼ t oregano
1 t sweet basil
½ clove garlic 2 T corn flour
Blend nuts and water till smooth. Add all ingredients, except browned onions. Blend, then stir in the onions, pour into pie dish lined with pie crust. Bake for 1 hour at 180°C (350°F). Sprinkle top with paprika and parsley. Also delicious eaten the following day, or even cold. The filling can be varied. Experiment with adding grated vegetables or diced tomato. Cover the rim with tin foil if it seems to be burning before cooked.
- MISCELLANEOUS
(This section will give you a few ideas on side dishes)
BULGUR PILAVI
3 c bulgur (cracked wheat) 5 c boiling water
2 big onions
1 green pepper
2 T soy sauce
1 t tomato puree or 2 chopped tomatoes salt to taste
Chop onions, tomatoes and green pepper finely and stir-fry in soy sauce or a little water till fluid is absorbed. Add 5 cups boiling water and salt to taste. Add bulgur, stir, cover with lid and lower heat to lowest setting. When the water has been absorbed, the bulgur is cooked (about 10 min.)
KISIR
(bulgur salad)
Cook bulgur as for Bulgur Pilavi and add the following ingredients when cold: 1 tomato
1 green pepper
2 spring onions parsley, finely chopped 1 T dried peppermint
1 t paprika pinch cumin
juice of ½ lemon
Chop tomato, pepper and onions finely and add together with rest of ingredients to cooked bulgur. Makes a very popular salad.
BAKED POTATO DISH
5 raw potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly 2 thinly sliced onions
4 c of either one of the following:
salt paprika
crushed garlic (optional) dill (optional)
Mix the potatoes, onions, salt, garlic and cream sauce well together and place into a sprayed casserole dish. The sauce must cover the potatoes – if not, add some nut or soy milk or more sauce to raise level. Sprinkle with paprika, cover with lid and bake at 200°C (400°F) till potatoes are soft right through.