Vegan and Gluten Free Mac and “Cheese”

serves 6-8

4        tablespoons olive oil

1        medium red onion, finely chopped

1        cup chopped carrot

1/2   cup chopped celery

2       cloves garlic, sliced

1/2   teaspoon chopped fresh sage

1       teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon

1/2   cup short grain rice

1/2   teaspoon turmeric

2       cups water

salt and pepper to taste

6      ounce silken tofu

1       pound gluten free short pasta

-In a heavy post, heat the olive oil and saute the onion for couple of minutes.  Add the celery and the carrots and continue to saute for five minutes.

-Add the garlic, the sage and the tarragon.  Saute for couple minutes and add the rice and the turmeric.  Stir until the rice is well coated.

-Add the water, the salt and the pepper.  Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until the rice is cooked and smell and taste done.  Remove from the heat.

-Place the cooked rice in a food processor with the tofu and puree until you have smooth yellow paste. THIS IS YOUR VEGAN CHEESE.

-In a pasta pot, bring salted water to boil, and drop the pasta. Stir and boil for 6 minutes or until the pasta is al-dente.  Remove from the heat and drain well.

-Place the pasta in a bowl, add the vegan cheese and toss well.  Spoon the pasta in a baking dish and bake in a 375 degree F.oven for 25 minutes.  You can sprinkle ground toasted almonds on the top if you like.

make 6-8 serving

3              cups almond milk

4              tablespoons corn starch

1  1/2      cups sugar

1/2        candied orange peels, or orange mamalade*

12            ounces firm lite tofu

8 ramekin cups

-Preheat the oven to 375 F.

-In a heavy saucepan bring 1 cup of water with 1 cup of sugar to a boil.  Stirring until sugar is dissoleved. Boil syrup, without stirring, washin down any sugar crystals that cling to side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water, until it begins to turn golden.  Swirl pan untilsyrup is a deep golden caramel.  Divide caramel among ramekins, coatin bottoms.  Set ramekins in a roasting pan.

-In a chilled bowl, dissolve the corn starch in 1/2 cup of the almond milk. Add the rest of the almond milk and the rest of the sugar and mix well.

-In a food processor, place the candied orange peels or the orange marmalade and processes until smooth.

-Add the tofu to the food processor and continue to puree until you have smooth paste.

-Fold the tofu orange paste into the almond milk .

-Pour almond milk tofu custard among ramekins and add enough hot water to pan to reach halfway up sides of ramekins.

-Bake in middle of the oven until they are just set but still tremble slightly, about 40 minutes.

-Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely on a rack.

-Refrigerate for couple hours or overnight.

*I prefer candied orange peels, the flavor is much stronger.

Leeks do belong to the onion family, but in addition to being larger, their flavor is much milder.  They are used mostly as flavoring of soups and soup stocks.  There are two kinds of leeks—one native to the Mediterranean that is thicker and milder in flavor.  It grows from winter to spring.   That’s the one found in American stores.  The other kind is native to the United States, called “ramp,” that is much thinner, more pungent in flavor, and more closely resembles scallions.  This variety starts budding out in the spring.  American Indians used native leeks in their cooking as well as in the treatment of coughs and colds, and to relieve the pain and itching of bee stings.

European chefs call leeks “the poor man’s asparagus.”  In England there is an annual competition for the largest leek.  The most unusual place where a leek is found is on the flag of Wales, a province of England.  The founding myth of the Welsh leek is when it was worn in the helmets of Welsh soldiers in 640AD to distinguish themselves on the battlefield from their enemy, the Saxons.  Some Welshmen wear leeks to commemorate King Cadwallader’s victory over the Saxons on St. David’s Day, March 1^st.  Another version of this myth holds that the battle was fought in a field of leeks, and the leek is honored because of the Welsh victory on that day.

When the leek is growing, soil is constantly piled up around the base of the leek to encourage a long, thin, white base.  Because the leek grows mostly underground, one must cut it in half and wash it thoroughly before cooking, as the sand infiltrates the layers of the leek as it is growing.  It is better to use a leek that is no larger than two inches thick—the younger the leek, and consequently the thinner, the more delicate the flavor.  It is better not to wash the leek until you are ready to cook it, as putting a washed leek in the refrigerator will spread the odor throughout. 

Leeks are full of vitamin C, as well as a kind of fatty acid that is known to be good treatment for hypertension.  Food scientists believe that leeks increase the production of good cholesterol, or HDL. 

Here are a couple of recipes that may help you take advantage of the benefits of using leeks in cooking:

Leek with  Mushroom And Tarragon

Serves 4

3           leeks

1     medium onion, julienne

1     pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced

1     tablespoons olive oil

2     cloves garlic, mashed

2     tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

Salt and pepper to taste

-Cut the green part of the leeks and discard.  Thinly slice the leeks and wash thoroughly.

-In a shallow frying pan, heat three tablespoons of olive oil and saute the mushrooms until the juice evaporate and the mushroom start to become golden.  Remove the mushrooms and set aside.

-Add the rest of  the olive oil and  sauté the onion and the leeks over low heat for couple minutes.

-Add the mushrooms,  garlic, the tarragon and the spices, stir and continue to cook for couple minutes.

Cauliflower Tajeen

serves 6-8

1        head cauliflower

4        tablespoons olive oil

1        medium onion, chopped

1      16 ounce can diced tomato

1      8 ounce tomato sauce

6      cloves garlic, mashed

1 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2    medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

1   12 ounces can cooked garbanzo beans, drained

3   scallions, chopped, optional

salt and pepper to taste

-Break the cauliflower into separate florets.  Place the florets on a cookie sheet. Spray with olive oil spray and broil until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

-In a heavy pan, heat the olive oil and saute the onion for 4 minutes.  Add the diced tomatoes, the tomato sauce, 8 cups water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. 

-Add the garlic and the cilantro and then drop the potatoes, bring back to a boil.  Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are done but not soft. 

-Drop the florets and the garbanzo beans. Adjust the seasoning and bring to a boil.  Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.

-Sprinkle with the chopped onion and serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

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4        tablespoons olive oil

1        medium onion, finely chopped

8        ounces soy vegetable protein crumbles, or chopped mushrooms

1        clove garlic, mashed

1        fresh fennel julienned

4       cups skim milk

3        tablespoons cornstarch

1        tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

1/8   teaspoon fresh nutmeg

1/8   teaspoon allspice

salt and pepper to taste

-To make the boats; In  a deep pot, bring salted water to a boil.  Cut the zucchini lengthwise in half and drop the zucchini in the boiling water.   Bring back to a boil and  boil for couple of minutes.  Drain and allow the zucchini to cool.  Scoop out the inside of the zucchini with a teaspoon.  Place the zucchini halves, cut side up, in a baking pan.

-To make the stuffing; Heat the olive oil and cook the onion for couple of minutes.  Add the soy protein, the garlic, little salt and pepper.  Stir and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.

-To make the sauce; Mix the cornstarch with 1 cup of milk.  Mix well until the cornstarch dissolve.   Mix with the rest of  the milk and pour into heavy sauce pot and add the nutmeg, the tarragon and salt, stir and place over medium heat.  Cook , stirring constantly until the sauce thicken slightly and coat the back of the stirring spoon.  Remove from the stove, add the fresh fennel and set aside.

-To asseble the dish; divide the stuffing between the zucchini halves.  Pour the sauce over the stuffed zucchini.  Bake in a 375 F degree oven bake for 30 minutes.  Serve with rice.

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I never got excited, that is, until last week, when he brought home a paper with his test on it, accompanied by a broad grin, as though he had done something good.  When I saw what he was so proud of, I began shouting.  “These triglyceride levels are dangerous,” I said.  I felt betrayed, both as a nutritionist and as a chef.  “How could you?” I shouted.  “I cook healthy.  I serve you only the healthiest meals, and now, this?

After my shock and anger subsided, I decided I had better get to the core of the problem. Not only was he endangering his health, but my reputation was at stake.  I tried writing down everything I cooked and he ate.  I used only good olive oil, a lot of vegetables, and hardly any refined carbohydrates, and good grain and beans.

Like a betrayed wife, I found myself looking through the trash can in his car.  The first clue was the discarded wrapper for a Heath Bar.  The second clue came to me one day when my daughter and were shopping in the grocery store.  We came to the isle where strawberry twizzlers were displayed.  My daughter wanted one, and I said, “No junk food for you, young lady,”  “But dad has a lot of these in his desk drawer in his office,” She protested.  That was it. I decided to invade his office.  At first he was happy to see me visit his office, that is, until I started opening his desk drawers.  When I located his stash, I screamed, “I found it!   He was trying to go around me to escape from the embarrassment of being caught, but I had him trapped.

“But you told me to eat carbohydrates,” he protested.

When a nutritionist tells you to eat carbohydrates, it means brown rice, whole wheat bread, fruit and vegetables.  It doesn’t mean strawberry twizzlers, Heath Bars or Crispy Creme Doughnuts.

When a nutritionist tells you to eat good fat, it doesn’t mean double cheeseburgers with bacon slabs on top of the cheese.  It mean olive oil, walnuts, almonds  and small amount of good cheese.

The most important tip for eating healthy is cooking from scratch, I mean chopping, sauteing and cooking on the stove, not opening a can and warming in microwave.

How about a soup recipe:

Acorn Squash Soup

serves 4  

4            tablespoons olive oil

I             medium onion, chopped

1            leek

1            medium acorn squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

1            yam, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

1            cube vegetable broth

1/8      teaspoon nutmeg

2          cloves

8          cup of water

1/2      teaspoon grated fresh ginger

salt to taste

-Chop the white part of the leek.  Heat the olive oil in heavy saucepan and saute the onion and the leek for 5 minutes.

-Add the squash and the yam plus 1/2 cup of water and continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

-Add the vegetable broth, the nutmeg, the clove and the rest of the water.  Bring to a boil, cover and cook over medium heat until vegetables are soft.

-Remove the cloves, add the ginger, and then puree the soup in a food processor or blender until smooth.

-Adjust the seasoning and cook over low heat for 5 minutes and serve.

One supposes that meals of soup, or stew, have derived form absolute necessity. I can see in my mind farm wives or fisherman’s wives putting together a hearty soup by using everything they could find in the larder to make it into a full meal, as well as seasoning it with herbs and spices to improve the taste by concealing the flavor of day-old bread and old vegetables.

Despite necessity, it’s no big secret that winter is a good time for soup, and if one does it right, one can make an entire meal out of a hearty soup.

Potato Leek Soup

serves 6

5      tablespoons olive oil

2      medium onion, julienned

2      small leeks (use white part only), thinly sliced

1/2 cup fresh fennel, chopped (optional)

2      large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

2     cups cooked cannellini beans

3     tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

-In heavy pot, heat olive oil and saute the onions over low heat until slightly golden.

-Add the leeks and the potatoes and saute for 5 minutes.

-Add 6 cups of water and bring to the water.  Cover and simmer until the potato almost done, about 10-15 minutes.

-Add the beans, the fennel, the tarragon, the nutmeg, the salt and the pepper.  Continue to simmer for extra 5 minutes.

Serve this soup with fresh garlic cheese bread and you will have good meal.