Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook (55 page)

3.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

4.
 Add the spinach and cilantro to the lentil mixture and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the lemon zest and juice. Pour the mixture into a 9 × 13-inch baking dish.

5.
 Spread the mashed yams evenly over the lentil mixture and bake the casserole for 20 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

TRADITIONAL MOUSSAKA IS made with lamb or beef—a version I’ve never had. The first time I had it, the dish was made with some kind of meat analog, and it had almost no flavor. So of course I had to make my own version, and here it is. The lentils are perfectly spiced with cinnamon and allspice, and the traditional béchamel sauce that goes on top has been replaced with a variation on our own no-fuss
No-Cheese Sauce
. This dish takes a little effort, but the flavor makes it well worth it for special occasions.

SERVES 6 TO 8

FOR THE LENTILS:

2 cups green lentils, rinsed

2 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced small

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

¼ cup
 tomato paste

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice

Salt to taste

FOR THE EGGPLANT:

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

¼ cup
Vegetable Stock
, or low-sodium vegetable broth

2 large eggplants, stemmed and cut into ½-inch slices

FOR THE CUSTARD LAYER:

2 large yellow onions, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

¼ cup cashews,
toasted

Salt or low-sodium soy sauce to taste

2 tablespoons tahini

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons arrowroot powder

1 cup nutritional yeast

TO MAKE THE LENTIL LAYER:

1.
Add the lentils to a medium saucepan and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, for 40 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Drain any excess water and set the lentils aside.

2.
Place the onions in a large saucepan and sauté over medium heat for 6 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the onions from sticking to the pan. Add the garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste, cinnamon, and allspice and cook for 1 minute. Add the lentils to the onion mixture, season with salt, and mix well. Set aside.

TO MAKE THE EGGPLANT:

3.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

4.
Combine the soy sauce and vegetable stock in a small bowl and set aside.

5.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the eggplant slices on the parchment
paper—do not overlap—and brush each piece with some of the soy-sauce mixture. Bake the eggplant until it is tender, about 15 minutes. (Do not overcook, it as it will continue cooking in the casserole.)

TO MAKE THE CUSTARD LAYER:

6.
Combine the onion, red pepper, cashews, salt, tahini, nutmeg, and arrowroot powder in a blender and puree until smooth and creamy. Add the nutritional yeast, and process until the yeast is well incorporated, scraping down the sides with a spatula as needed.

TO ASSEMBLE THE CASSEROLE:

7.
Place half of the lentil mixture on the bottom of a 9 × 13-inch baking dish. Arrange half of the eggplant on top of the lentils. Top with the remaining lentils, followed by the rest of the eggplant. Top with the custard mixture.

8.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the casserole is hot and bubbly.

TAKE THIS DISH to a potluck and don’t tell anyone how healthy it is. They won’t know the difference.

SERVES 6, OR 8 AS A SIDE

2 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced into rings

6 medium Yukon Gold or other waxy potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and sliced into thin rounds

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Two batches
No-Cheese Sauce

Spanish paprika to taste

4 tablespoons chives

1.
Place the onions in a large skillet and sauté over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, or until browned. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the onions from sticking to the pan.

2.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the potatoes and parboil for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.

3.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

4.
Layer half of the parboiled potatoes in the bottom of a 9 × 13-inch baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Spread half of the No-Cheese Sauce over the potatoes, and then sprinkle half of the onions over the sauce. Repeat with the remaining potatoes and sauce, and top with the rest of the onions. Sprinkle with paprika and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbly. Remove the casserole from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Garnish with the chives and serve.

I HAVE NEVER been a fan of traditional Italian-American lasagna made with a red sauce. But I do like anything made with a cream sauce, so of course I like lasagna made that way. This unusual lasagna is very rich without all the fat, thanks to a tasty sauce made from cauliflower.

SERVES 6 TO 8

2 to 3 large sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into ½-inch rounds

2 large heads cauliflower, cut into florets

¼ cup pine nuts,
toasted

Unsweetened plain almond milk, as needed

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast, optional

½ teaspoon nutmeg

1½ teaspoons salt

1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced small

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon
 minced
 thyme

½ cup
 finely chopped
 basil

12 cups spinach (about 2 pounds)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

12 ounces whole-grain or Jerusalem artichoke–flour lasagna noodles, cooked according to package directions, drained, and rinsed until cool

1.
Place the sweet potatoes in a double boiler or steamer basket and steam for 6 minutes, or until tender but not mushy. Rinse until cool, then drain and set aside.

2.
Steam the cauliflower for 6 to 8 minutes until very tender. Combine the cauliflower and pine nuts in a blender, in batches if necessary, and puree until smooth and creamy, adding almond milk if needed. Add the puree to a large bowl and stir in the nutritional yeast (if using), nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.

3.
Place the onion in a large skillet and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep it from sticking to the pan. Add the garlic, thyme, basil, and spinach and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the spinach wilts. Add to the cauliflower puree and mix well. Season with additional salt and pepper.

4.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

5.
To assemble the lasagna, pour 1 cup of the cauliflower mixture into the bottom of a 9 × 13-inch baking dish. Add a layer of lasagna noodles. Place a layer of sweet potatoes on top of the noodles. Pour 1½ cups of the cauliflower mixture over the sweet potatoes. Top with another layer of noodles, followed by a layer of sweet potatoes. Add another layer of the cauliflower mixture. Top with a final layer of noodles and the remaining cauliflower sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the casserole is hot and bubbly. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

D
ESSERTS
 

Recipes by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

I CALL THESE “lunchbox” cookies because they hold up well to being knocked about a bit
and
because you’re definitely going to want one of these for an afternoon treat. Even though they are soft-baked, they are not cakelike at all (as lower-fat cookies tend to be). Almond butter is the perfect secret ingredient! It gives the cookies great texture while providing a yummy flavor people won’t quite be able to put their finger on.

MAKES 24 COOKIES

⅓
cup unsweetened applesauce

⅓
cup almond butter

½ cup
dry sweetener

1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1
⅓
cups oat flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup sorghum flour, or whole-wheat pastry flour

½ cup grain-sweetened chocolate chips

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat baking mats.

2.
In a large mixing bowl, use a strong fork to beat together the applesauce, almond butter, dry sweetener, and flaxseeds. Once relatively smooth, mix in the vanilla.

3.
 Add in the oat flour, baking soda, and salt and mix well. Add the sorghum flour and chocolate chips and mix well.

4.
Drop spoonfuls of batter onto the prepared baking sheets in about 1½-tablespoon scoops, about 2 inches apart. Flatten the cookies a bit, so that they resemble thick discs (they won’t spread much at all during baking). Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. The longer you bake them, the crispier they will be.

5.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

THIS COOKIE IS so bursting with vanilla! Vanilla bean
and
extract to be exact. And a top-secret ingredient gives the cookie a hint of extra mysterious vanilla-ness—it’s coconut flour! These cookies are cute and crackle-topped, just like a cookie should be. The recipe makes 36 cookies, but since the cookies don’t spread while baking, you should be able to fit them all on two large baking sheets.