Archive | nuts RSS feed for this section

Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo

24 Jul

Fettuccine Alfredo. A classic childhood favorite.

Here’s a recipe that can satisfy your craving without weighing you down. Yep, this recipe is vegan, dairy-free, cholesterol-free, saturated fat-free. Now don’t you worry, there is still a heck of a lot of creaminess going on. Cashews=creamy, buttery, rich. Cashews get soaked in water, drained, and blended with aromatic onions and garlic. Unctuous, silky sauce.

The Alfredo sauce really comes together with a few dashes of lemon juice and white miso paste (Chloe says this is optional, but I love white miso and I would not skip it; you can purchase white miso at Whole Foods).

I added some peas and a few halved grape tomatoes to my noodles, and slurped it all up alongside roasted asparagus spears.

I kid you not, this tastes like traditional fettuccine alfredo. Maybe even better since I know how much healthier this version is…

Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo

From Chloe’s Kitchen

serves 4-6

1 pound fettuccine

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup raw cashews or blanched almonds*

2 cups water

2 teaspoons white miso paste

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

optional: chopped Italian parsley, frozen or fresh peas, halved grape tomatoes…

*Soak your cashews or almonds in water overnight to soften. This ensures that the sauce will blend up nice and smooth. Alternatively, you could boil the nuts for 10 minutes and then drain.

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine and cook according to the package directions. If you are using frozen peas, drop them (I used about 1/2 cup?) into the water about 2 minutes before the pasta is done cooking. Drain and return to pot.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and let cook until soft. Add garlic and let cook a few more minutes. Remove from heat.

In a blender, combine the onions and garlic, cashews, water, miso paste, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Process on high until very smooth, about 2 minutes.

Toss the hot pasta with the sauce until the noodles are evenly coated. Adjust seasoning to taste. If the sauce gets too thick, add a little water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Garnish with fresh tomato slices and parsley, if using.

Tags: , , , , ,

Baked Oatmeal, Revamped for Summer

19 Jun

Last fall I wrote a post about baked oatmeal. It was filled with apples and bananas and was the perfect get-out-of-bed-and-watch-the-leaves-change-color breakfast.

Now that summer is here and things are starting to heat up, I made a summer-ed up version of this oatmeal. A get-out-of-bed-and-treat-your-body-right breakfast (or snack or dessert). There’s raspberries instead of apples, I used coconut oil instead of butter, almond slivers instead of walnuts, and a few pumpkin seeds and coconut flakes that I had hanging around in my pantry to give the oatmeal an extra seedy crunch.

I think that there is no need for butter in oatmeal. A touch of coconut oil lends a really nice warm-weather flavor and is cholesterol-free.

As you will read in the instructions below, “thwack” is a technical kitchen term and has an important purpose in the recipe 😉

P.S. Why are halved raspberries so seductive?

Baked Oatmeal

A revamped version of this recipe, originally from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Everyday

serves 6 generously or 12 as part of a larger brunch spread

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats

2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds

1-2 tablespoons coconut chips/flakes

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt (or fine-grain sea salt)

1 large egg

2 cups milk

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly (if it is hot outside, your coconut oil may already be in a liquid state and therefore you would not need to melt it)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 ripe bananas, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 1/2 cups fresh berries

1/4 cup slivered almonds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Optional: Grease the inside of an 8-inch/ 20 cm square baking dish with coconut oil.

In a bowl, mix together the oats, pumpkin seeds, coconut chips/flakes, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla.

Arrange the bananas in a single layer in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle 2/3 of the berries over the top. Cover the fruit with the dry oat mixture. Slowly drizzle the milk mixture over the oats. Gently give the baking dish a couple of thwacks on the counter-top to make sure the milk moves through the oats. Scatter the remaining berries and the slivered almonds across the top.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the top is nicely golden and the oat mixture has set. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Cut it up and serve.


Tags: , , , ,

Pineapple Not-So-Fried-Rice

15 Jun

I’m at a weird transition point in my life.

Just a few weeks ago, I was working full time, volunteering once a week, and taking an online medical biochemistry class to fulfill a prerequisite for graduate school.

I felt busy and stressed, but I was in the groove. There came a point when I had to let something go. I stopped volunteering and I quit my job. I went back home to California for a week and was able to completely relax and gather myself. Now that I am back in New York, my main responsibility is to do well in this biochemistry class. Sure, I study throughout the day, but boy do I have gobs of free time.

Gobs. Of. Free. Time.

What a blessing, right? I’m trying to seize the day and take advantage of my new-found ‘freedom,’ but it is hard to get out there and explore when I feel obligated to catch up on Parks and Recreation and devour the tin of chocolate covered almonds in my pantry. Life is so hard sometimes.

At least now I have the time to experiment in the kitchen and cook healthy meals for myself.

The tofu gods were calling on me this week, I’ve been craving tofu like a maniac (see my previous post on Tofu Bento Bowls). And now that I finally realize how important it is to drain and press the tofu (see recipe below), all of my tofu dishes have been turning out better than ever.

This recipe is from Chloe Coscarelli’s book. This is her Pineapple Not-So-Fried Rice. In her picture, she plates the dish in a pineapple boat. I tried to do the boat, I even looked up how to do it online and watched a video. When push came to shove, things just got messy and I found that I was wasting to much of the sweet flesh. I broke down and cut the pineapple up and ate my meal out of a bowl. Oh the perils of being uncreative/lazy.

Despite the pineapple boat failure, the meal tasted superb. There’s sweet yellow pineapple and crunchy raw cashews. Baked tofu and bright green peas. Shredded carrots and studs of raisins. With all sorts of onion and garlic and spice to flavor the rice.


Tofu cubes fresh out of the oven. Ain’t nothin’ better. All it took was a good pat-dry and a press, a little soy sauce, and an oven.

Pineapple Not-So-Fried Rice

Serves 4-6

From Chloe’s Kitchen

1 14-oz package extra-firm tofu, drained

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 pineapple, or 1 1/2 cups diced pineapple

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 scallions, chopped (optional)

sea salt or Kosher salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce

3/4 cup cashews

1 carrot, peeled and shredded (I simple sliced the carrot thinly with my knife, but you could use a box grater if you want)

1/2 cup peas (you can use fresh or frozen)

1/2 cup raisins

3 cups cooked rice

1/4 cup water or vegetable broth

Note: The first thing I did was get my rice cooking so that it would be fully cooked for when I needed it later.

To prepare the tofu: Wrap the tofu tightly in dry paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Set the tofu on a flat surface and place a small baking pan on top. Then stack something heavy, like canned food or books, on top. Let the tofu sit for 20 minutes while it releases its water. When ready, discard the towels and cube the tofu.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the tofu with the soy sauce, making sure each cube is coated. Place in one layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, turning the tofu a few times with a spatula. Remove from the oven and set aside.

If you are using a whole pineapple, peel it and remove the core. Slice the pineapple into cubes. If you want to make a pineapple boat for serving, cut the pineapple in half lengthwise, remove the inner flesh with a paring knife, then cut into bite-sized pieces (I tried to do the boat, but found that I was losing too much of the good flesh, so I nixed the idea).

In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil over medium-high heat and saute the onions until soft and lightly browned. Season with salt. Add the garlic, scallions (if using), curry, coriander, and chili-garlic sauce. Let this cook a few more minutes. Add the cashews, carrots, peas, raisins, cooked rice, water (or broth), pineapple, and tofu. Cook until heated through and adjust salt to taste. Serve the rice in the pineapple shell (if you are brave enough to try the boat method) or simply in a bowl. Enjoy!

Tags: , , , , , ,

The Lunch Crunch: Israeli Couscous Salad With Miso Dressing

19 May

I am no stranger to Israeli couscous salads. They are the perfect throw-together meal. Salad as an entree. Grain + veg. + protein. Check.

And after this year, I am no stranger to the wonders of white miso. I have been cooking up a miso storm this year. From satisfying miso soup with soba noodles to a cozy carrot soup with miso and sesame. From roasted veggie + tofu miso red curry smash to wild rice salads with all the fixings. And Chef Chloe has an excellent recipe in her cookbook for miso-glazed eggplant. All of these recipes are absolutely fantastic.

Israeli Couscous + Miso may not sound like they go together, but the buttery smooth rounds of couscous combine perfectly with the creamy flavor of the miso. And all those crunchy veggies, seeds, and nuts provide the texture to keep my mouth entertained.

This salad is totally vegan. It could be made gluten free if you switch out the couscous with brown or wild rice. You could still stay vegetarian and add a poached or hard-boiled egg (or cubed tofu) as an extra boost of protein to complement the salad.

Psst…did you know that radishes produce a compound shown to help support the body’s natural detoxification system? The skin is a major detox organ in the body, so the more radishes and detoxifying foods we eat, the clearer and healthier our skin will look! Get into it.

Couscous Salad

1 (~6oz) box of Israeli couscous (or any grain that you like)

2-3 large handfuls of spinach

1 bundle of radishes, cubed

1 red bell pepper, chopped fine

2-3 large carrots, chopped and cubed

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup miso dressing (see recipe below)

Make the couscous according to the directions on the box (toast the couscous in a pot, pour boiling water over it, simmer until done).

In a large bowl, combine the spinach with the chopped vegetables, pumpkin seeds, and almonds. Add the cooked couscous (I like to add the couscous when it is still warm). Toss the salad and add the dressing, a little at a time, to your liking.

Miso Dressing:

From My New Roots

makes 1/2 cup of dressing

1/4 cup light white miso

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce

Whisk all ingredients together. Leftovers can be stored in a glass jar in the fridge for up to a week.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Charoset: A Passover Delight

9 Apr

Happy Passover everyone. Have you made Matzo Lasagna yet this year? There are still 5 more days left of the holiday, so get your cheese on! And if you have a hankering for dessert, try my Kiss n’ Swirl meringues (just use Kosher for Passover vanilla, or omit it altogether).

I love Passover because the food is so unique and holds so much meaning and tradition. Charoset comes from the Hebrew word for clay, and is meant to symbolize the mud which the Israelite’s used to hold the bricks together when they were enslaved in ancient Egypt. You can read more about the story of Passover here.

Charoset is made from grated apples, nuts, dried fruit, and sweet wine…all whizzed up in the food processor or blender (or by hand if you are feeling rustic). I find Charoset utterly delicious, so sweet and full of my favorite ingredients. I like to use dried figs and raisins, but in the past I have also used dried apricots/dates/prunes. Fuji apples are my go-to because they are so crisp and sweet. And the wine has to be Manischewitz Concord Grape. People either love Manischewitz wine or they hate it. I can’t seem to get enough of the sweet stuff.

Charoset

Makes about 5 cups

*Note: you do not have to follow these measurements exactly. I just add ingredients to my liking, using these ratios as a guide. You can use whatever nuts/dried fruit/apples/wine/spices you like. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup walnuts

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup dried figs, I like to use Turkish figs

1/2 cup raisins

3 fuji apples

1 cup Manischewitz wine (you can use grape juice or another sweet red wine)

2-3 tablespoons cinnamon

pinch of ground cloves

pinch of ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Method:

In a blender or food processor (I used a blender because that is all I have), pulse the nuts until roughly chopped. Empty the nuts into a large bowl. Now place the dried fruit in the blender. Pulse until chopped and add to the bowl with the nuts.

Chop the apples by hand, halve them, quarter them, and chop each quarter into about 4 or 5 small chunks. Add the apples (you may have to add one at a time if using a blender) and wine to the blender and pulse just until roughly chopped into small pieces. Add the apples to the bowl with the nuts and dried fruit. Add the spices and stir everything together by hand. Taste and add more wine or spices as needed.

Let the charoset sit for a few hours in the fridge to let the flavors develop. Enjoy with matzo and horseradish, or mix it into yogurt.

Tags: , , , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →