Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook (35 page)

SERVES 6

1 batch
Grilled Vegetable Kabobs
, skewers removed, vegetables cooled to room temperature

1 cup
Pineapple Chutney
, or to taste

12 ounces whole-grain penne, cooked according to package directions, drained, and rinsed until cool

½ cup chopped cilantro

4 green onions (white and green parts), thinly sliced

Place the vegetables in a large bowl. Add the pineapple chutney, cooked pasta, cilantro, and green onions and mix well.

KIMCHI IS A fermented condiment that can be made from any number of vegetables. In this recipe, I like to use a very spicy cabbage kimchi, and I recommend you do, too. Taste your kimchi first and use less of it if you want a milder salad, and certainly feel free to add more if you want to give the dish more kick. Kimchi is often made with shellfish or other animal ingredients, so be sure to look for a vegan brand for this recipe. Both kimchi and gochujang (Korean chile paste) are available in the Asian section of grocery stores or online.

SERVES 4

1 pound brown rice noodles, cooked according to package directions, drained, and rinsed until cool

2½ cups
 chopped
 cabbage kimchi

3 to 4 tablespoons gochujang

1 cup
mung bean sprouts

4 green onions (white and green parts), thinly sliced

1 medium cucumber, halved, seeded and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons sesame seeds,
toasted

1.
Place the rice noodles, kimchi, gochujang, and mung bean sprouts in a large bowl and mix well.

2.
To serve, divide the mixture between four individual plates and garnish each with the green onions, cucumber slices, and sesame seeds.

SOBA NOODLES ARE thin Japanese noodles made from buckwheat and served in cold salads, with a dipping sauce, or in a hot broth. This recipe comes together in less than 20 minutes, most of which are spent cooking the noodles. While you wait, cut up and steam a head of broccoli to serve alongside.

SERVES 4

3 tablespoons mellow white miso

Zest of 1 orange, and juice of 2 oranges

3 tablespoons grated ginger

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 pound soba noodles, cooked according to package directions, drained, and rinsed until cool

¼ cup chopped cilantro

4 green onions (white and green parts), chopped

Place the miso, orange zest and juice, ginger, and crushed red pepper flakes in a large bowl and whisk well to combine. Add water as needed to make a pourable sauce. Add the cooked noodles and mix well. Serve garnished with the cilantro and green onion.

Warm Pasta Dishes

THIS IS A perfect summer dish when tomatoes and basil are in season, and with no long-cooking sauce, you spend little time in a hot kitchen.

SERVES 4

Zest and juice of 2 lemons

6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 cup finely chopped basil

3 medium tomatoes, chopped

3 ears corn, kernels removed (about 2 cups)

1 pound spaghetti, cooked according to package directions, drained, and kept warm

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine the lemon zest and juice, garlic, basil, tomatoes, and corn in a large bowl. Add the cooked pasta and toss well. Season with salt and pepper.

WHITE WINE, SUN-DRIED tomatoes, and fresh dill make an otherwise ordinary pasta dish really special.

SERVES 4

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

½ cup dry white wine

6 sun-dried tomatoes, soaked for 15 minutes in hot water, drained, and chopped

½ pound baby spinach (about 3 cups packed)

¼ cup chopped dill

2 cups cooked
chickpeas
, or one 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

12 ounces whole-grain penne, cooked according to package directions, drained, and kept warm

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the onion in a large skillet or saucepan and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep from sticking to the pan. Add the garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add the white wine and sun-dried tomatoes and cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Add the spinach, dill, and chickpeas and cook until the spinach is wilted. Remove from the heat. Add the cooked pasta, mix well, and season with salt and pepper.

BROCCOLI RABE, ALSO known as rapini, is a popular vegetable in southern Italian cooking, often sautéed with garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Toasted pine nuts are a great addition to many dishes and golden raisins add a contrasting sweetness to the bite of the vegetable.

SERVES 4

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1 pound broccoli rabe, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

Zest and juice of 2 lemons

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

¼ cup golden raisins

¼ cup nutritional yeast, optional

1 pound whole-grain penne, cooked according to package directions, drained, and kept warm, ¼ cup cooking liquid reserved

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

¼ cup pine nuts,
toasted

½ cup
 chopped
 basil

Place the onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté for 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown, Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the onions from sticking to the pan. Add the broccoli rabe and cook, stirring frequently, until the rabe is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, lemon zest and juice, crushed red pepper flakes, raisins, nutritional yeast (if using), and the cooked pasta and reserved cooking water. Remove from the heat. Mix well and season with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with the pine nuts and basil.

THIS QUICK AND easy pasta dish takes only about as long to put together as it takes to cook the pasta itself. White beans make it a more filling dish, but you could use steamed asparagus in place of the beans for a lighter version. One of my favorite pesto recipes is one made with equal parts basil, tarragon, and arugula, so feel free to try that variation as well for an unusual twist on the classic sauce.

SERVES 4

12 ounces whole-grain spaghetti, cooked according to package directions, drained, and kept warm, ½ cup cooking liquid reserved

1 cup
Basil Pesto

2 cups cooked
cannellini beans
, or one 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed

Place the cooked spaghetti in a large bowl and add the pesto. Add enough of the reserved cooking liquid to achieve a creamy sauce. Add the beans and toss well.

KALAMATA OLIVES HAVE much more flavor than canned black olives, and many grocery stores now have olive bars where you can choose from a variety of olives, from Niçoise to garlic-stuffed. You could almost make this dish from an Italian antipasto bar, except this version doesn’t contain all the additional oil.

SERVES 4

5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 large tomatoes, diced small

½ cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon oregano

1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved

One 15-ounce can artichoke hearts (oil-free), drained and halved

1 pound whole-grain rigatoni, cooked according to package directions, drained, and kept warm

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Chopped parsley

Place the garlic in a large skillet or saucepan and sauté over low heat for 5 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the garlic from sticking to the pan. Raise the heat to medium, and add the tomato paste, tomatoes, white wine, and oregano and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the olives, artichokes, and cooked pasta, mix well, and cook for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with the parsley.

ROASTING AND THEN pureeing red peppers intensifies their flavor, which makes them really stand out in this bright pasta dish. The Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and fresh basil are a natural pairing, but you could also use herbs like tarragon or fresh dill.

SERVES 4

1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut into ½-inch half-rings

1 large head broccoli, cut into florets

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 pound penne, cooked according to pasta instructions, drained, and kept warm

1½ cups
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

½ cup basil
chiffonade

1.
Place the onion and broccoli in a large skillet and sauté over medium-high heat for 7 to 8 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons a time to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan.

2.
Add the garlic to the onion mixture and season with salt and pepper. Add the pasta and the red pepper sauce to the pan and mix well, stirring until heated through. Serve garnished with the basil chiffonade.

I LIKE TO peel the eggplants for this dish so that the vegetable cooks down into the sauce. If you want firm pieces of eggplant in your dish, leave them unpeeled.

SERVES 4

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced

2 medium eggplants (about 1½ pounds), stemmed, peeled, quartered, and cut into ½-inch pieces

6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 teaspoons
 minced
 oregano

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Salt to taste

1 pound penne, cooked according to package directions, drained, and kept warm

½ cup chopped basil

Place the onion in a large saucepan and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the onions from sticking to the pan. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes, adding water only when the eggplant starts to stick to the pan. Add the garlic, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and red wine vinegar and cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Season with salt. Remove from the heat, add the pasta, and toss well. Garnish with the basil.