Authors: Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Appetite for Reduction (24 page)

BOOK: Appetite for Reduction

6.85Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

ads

Preheat a 2-quart pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion in the oil for 5 to 7 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic, herbs, and spices. Sauté for another minute or so.

Add the tomatoes and broth, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the raisins, tortilla chips, chocolate powder, and almond butter. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until slightly
reduced.

Once the mole has cooked for 15 minutes, use a submersion blender to puree it smooth. If you don’t have a submersion blender, transfer it to the food processor or blender and puree until smooth. If your blender isn’t equipped with a lid that has an opening on top, make sure to lift the lid every few seconds so that the steam doesn’t build up and kill you.

Transfer the mole back to the pot and stir in the agave. Taste for seasonings and add the beans. Let sit for at least 10 minutes so that the flavors “marry.” Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Unfried Refried Beans

SERVES 6 • ACTIVE TIME: 10 MINUTES • TOTAL TIME: 20 MINUTES

PER SERVING

(⅛ RECIPE):
Calories: 200
Calories from fat: 15
Total fat: 2 g
Saturated fat: 0 g
Trans fat: 0 g
Total carb: 36 g
Fiber: 12 g
Sugars: 3 g
Protein: 11 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 200 mg
Vitamin A: 4%
Vitamin C: 15%
Calcium: 8%
Iron: 15%

R
efried beans aren’t actually beans that are fried twice, they’re beans that have been very well fried. These refried beans, however, are neither twice fried nor well fried; they’re completely unfried. I use tomato sauce to get that mouthwatering consistency you’ve come to expect from refried beans, without using that ½ cup of oil you’ve come to regret. This is one of those recipes I’ve been making forever; it’s completely dependable in tacos or over rice, when you get that hankering for a Mexican-inspired meal but don’t want to spend a lot of time.

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed (see tip, page 220)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
1 (24-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
Pinch of cayenne (optional)

Preheat 2-quartpot over medium heat. Sauté the onion in the oil for 3 to 25 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic, coriander, cumin, and salt. Saute for another minute or so. Use splashes of water if it appears dry.

Add the pinto beans and mash with a fork or a mini-potato masher (or avocado masher). Add the tomato sauce and mix well. Cook to heat through, adding splashes of water to thin, if necessary. If you like it spicy, mix in a pinch of cayenne.

Hummus & Friends

SERVES 8 (ABOUT ¼-CUP EACH) TIME: 10 MINUTES

PER SERVING

(⅛ OF RECIPE)
Calories: 60
Calories from fat: 20
Total fat: 2.5 g
Saturated fat: 0 g
Trans fat: 0 g
Total Carb: 9 g
Fiber: 2 g
Sugars: <1 g
Protein: 4 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 260 mg
Vitamin A: 0%
Vitamin C: 4%
Calcium: 0%
Iron: 4%

T
he secret to great-tasting and creamy low-fat hummus is to reserve a little bit of the chickpea liquid. This oil-free hummus might not be the one I would take to a potluck to impress people, but if I’m settling in for a night of TV and wantto mindlessly munch on some carrot sticks, this dip really does the trick. It’s also wonderful over the
Baked Falafel
(page 121), or to top off a salad. I love that you can eat this in ¼-cup servings, or heck, have a little more if you want! I laugh at the serving size of those nutrition labels in the supermarket because really, who eats just a tablespoon of hummus?

BASIC RECIPE:

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, liquid reserved
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon paprika (optional)

When you open the can of chickpeas, pour about 23 tablespoons of the liquid into a cup and set aside. Drain the rest of the liquid and rinse the chickpeas. Pulse them in a food processor along with the garlic until no whole chickpeas are left. Add the olive oil and lemon juice and puree for a bit. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved liquid, the salt, and paprika, if using. Blend until very smooth, adding the last tablespoon of liquid if needed. Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a spatula to make sure you get everything. Taste for salt and lemon juice. You can serve immediately, but I like to let it chill for at least an hour.

And now for the friends!

Horseradish-Dill Hummus

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
¼ cup loosely packed fresh dill

Puree the horseradish along with everything else. Pulse in the dill until chopped finely.

PER SERVING (⅛ OF RECIPE) Adds 1 g of sugar and 2% Vitamin C to the Hummus nutritional info in the main recipe.

Curried Green Onion Hummus

2 to 3 teaspoons curry powder
½ cup chopped green onions

Puree the curry powder along with everything else. Pulse in the green onions until chopped finely.

PER SERVING (⅛ OF RECIPE) Adds 2% calcium to the Hummus nutritional info in the main recipe.

Shabby Sheik Hummus

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne

Puree the spices along with other ingredients in the hummus.

PER SERVING (⅛ OF RECIPE) The nutritional info is the same as for the main recipe.

Roasted Red Pepper & Kalamata Hummus

1 roasted red pepper, peeled and seeded (¼ cup if from ajar)
¼ cup pitted kalamata olives

Puree the red pepper along with everything else. Pulse in the olives until chopped finely.

PER SERVING (⅛ OF RECIPE) Adds 10 calories, 10 calories from fat, .5 g total fat, 2g carbs, 1 g fiber, 2 g sugar, 80 mg niacin, 10 % vitamin A, and 31 % vitamin C to the Hummus nutritional info in the main recipe.

Pizza Hummus

¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)
1 cup fresh basil

Reconstitute the tomatoes in a bowl by submerging them in warm water for about 215 minutes. Puree along with everything else. Pulse in the basil until chopped finely.

PER SERVING (⅛ OF RECIPE) The nutritional info is the same as for the main recipe.

Jalapeño-Cilantro Hummus

1 seeded, chopped average sized jalapeno
½ cup fresh cilantro

After pureeing, pulse the jalapeño and cilantro into the hummus until chopped finely.

PER SERVING (⅛ OF RECIPE) Adds .5 g fiber, less than 1 g sugar, 2% vitamin A, 2% vitamin C, and 2% calcium to the Hummus nutritional info in the main recipe.

CHAPTER 5

Sink-Your-Teeth-Into Tofu & Tempeh

T
OFU IS LIKE THAT FRIEND WHO ALWAYS KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT to say. So versatile and accomodating, tofu is there when you need her. Breakfast? Sure, try a scramble. Lunch? How about baked and sliced in sandwiches? And for dinner, whether it be a fancy night out on the town or a quiet evening at home with a
Law & Order
marathon, tofu knows what’s up.

If tofu is the fun-loving soy next door, tempeh is its more grown-up cousin. Tempeh is a soy patty, but that description doesn’t exactly get the tongues wagging. It’s from Indonesia, and has a rich and interesting history, but really, all of that info can be Googled.

The reason I love tempeh is because the first time I tasted it, in burger form at a vegan restaurant in the ’80s, it was so delicious it made my eyes roll back in my head. I had only been vegetarian for a short while, but sinking my teeth into that tempeh, I knew I was gonna be all right. It was downright succulent and the flavor complex—nutty, earthy, meaty. Everything you could want out of food.

Together, tofu and tempeh are true Wonder Twins. Topping salads or mashed potatoes and fighting crime, soy can do it all deliciously.

The Great Soy Scare

There’s a lot of scare mongering (soy mongering?) all over the place lately. I asked Matt to clear up some misconceptions about soy and here is what he had to say. He even cited a few sources to make it easier for you to do your own research and fact checking!

Soybeans have been a part of people’s diets for thousands of years. It’s a bean, so it’s full of plant protein, healthy fats, and phytochemicals. In the last thirty years we’ve seen a lot of research on its ability to reduce cholesterol, lower cancer risk, and possibly even help prevent obesity.
²

After the FDA approved the statement that soy is healthy for your heart,
³even more research came out. We are talking dozens of studies in research journals every month. Food companies jumped on the soy bandwagon and started putting it in everything from potato chips to pasta. Soon enough the backlash came, challenging it as a “superfood.” I hate to say
smear campaign
, but suddenly antisoy propaganda appeared everywhere. “It’s unsafe for kids!” “There’s estrogen in it, so it gives men boobs!” None of this is true.
⁴There is no estrogen in soy like the estrogen our body produces, thankfully. Some of the phytochemicals have the unfortunate name of phytoestrogens, but they act against estrogen mostly and are the compounds that have the benefits!

The research says that soy is safe for everyone. People have been eating it for a long time and the people who eat the most it have lower rates of cancer, and heart disease, even when we take other factors into consideration. Try to eat it in its most whole form—think more edamame and less textured vegetable protein. And don’t worry about your sperm count decreasing or your breasts growing because of a simple bean. That just doesn’t happen!

Tofu & Tempeh in Training

Some of these recipes assume you know a couple of things about tofu, but just in case you don’t, here is where you report for tofu basic training.

HOW TO PRESS TOFU (AND WHY, FOR GOODNESS’ SAKE?)

With the exception of a few brands, extra-firm tofu, the kind I most often call for, usually comes packed in water. If you would like your tofu to absorb more flavor, you press it first to get rid of some of the water and make room for more marinade. There are expensive tofu-pressing gadgets out there, but really, all you need are a flat surface, a clean kitchen towel, and a really heavy book. You can also add a couple of cans of beans for good measure.

Remove the tofu from the package and press it lightly with your hands over the sink to remove some of the water. Wrap it in a kitchen towel and set it on a counter. Balance a superheavy, hardcover book on the tofu. Place a few cans of beans on the book. Let the tofu rest for half an hour, then flip and press for another half hour. Change the kitchen towel if it appears excessively soaked. Your tofu is now pressed and ready to use!

HOW TO TAME YOUR TEMPEH

Tempeh can have a bitter flavor, but not necessarily in a bad way, more like in an arugula way. If you’re easing into the world of tempeh, have something against arugula, or just want the other flavors you’re using to stand out more, steaming the tempeh is the way to go. First slice the tempeh into the desired shape, then steam for about 10 minutes. Another benefit of steaming is that it loosens up the tempeh and gets it ready to soak up more marinade. Can’t go wrong there.

Basic Baked Tofu (or Tempeh)

SERVES 4 • ACTIVE TIME: 10 MINUTES • TOTAL TIME: 2 HOURS