Hope's Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet (31 page)

½ cup red wine

Salt to taste

6 to 8 corn tortillas

½ to 1 cup grated Monterey jack or other cheese

½ to 1 cup combined ricotta cheese and yogurt, or blended cottage cheese and yogurt

Garnish: black olives

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat oil in a large skillet and sauté onion, garlic, mushrooms, green pepper, and corn. Add beans, tomatoes, spices, wine, and salt and simmer 30 minutes. Put a layer of tortillas in an oiled casserole. Top with a layer of sauce, 3 tablespoons grated cheese, and 3 tablespoons cheese-yogurt mixture. Repeat layers, ending with a layer of sauce. Add a little of the cheese-yogurt mixture and garnish with olives. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Complementary protein: beans + corn +milk products

Easy Mexican Pan Bread

6 servings

I’ve gotten letters from people telling me how much they liked this recipe. With a fresh salad (try putting in some avocado), it can be a light meal in itself. If you are serving a crowd, make this along with other dishes with a Mexican touch. Using dark beans—kidney or black beans—makes it colorful.

½ cup dry beans

2 tablespoons oil for sautéing plus 2 tablespoons more

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 egg, beaten

1 cup cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon chili powder (or more to taste)

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 green pepper, diced (optional)

½ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup grated Monterey jack or other cheese

¼ cup sliced black olives

Garnish: chopped fresh onion and/or tomato (optional)

Cook beans with extra water; drain, reserving ¾ cup of the cooking liquid. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Heat oil in an ovenproof skillet and sauté onion and garlic until onion is translucent. Remove half the onion and garlic to a bowl and add the cooked beans and reserved liquid, egg, 2 tablespoons oil, cornmeal, baking powder, chili powder, cumin, green pepper, and salt. Mix well and return to the skillet, but do not stir—the onion should stay on the bottom. Bake for about 15 minutes. Just before it is done, sprinkle with grated cheese and olives, and continue baking until the cheese melts. Garnish before serving.

Complementary protein: beans + corn + milk product

South of the Border Bake

4 servings

A favorite of Chynna Goldstein of Mill Valley, California, who writes: “I usually double the recipe so that I have enough for two meals … that is, if we don’t make pigs of ourselves and eat it all the first time around. Delicious with green salad and whole wheat sourdough French bread.” Elinor Blake, who adapted this recipe for the book, says, “It looks beautiful when cooked—soufflé-like—and tastes wonderful.”

Oil for sautéing

1 small onion, chopped

2 eggs or 3 egg whites

2 cups low-fat milk

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup raw whole-kernel corn

¾ cup garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

¼ cup chopped seeded green chilis

5 corn tortillas (6-inch diameter), cut in quarters

½ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup chopped tomatoes

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat oil and sauté the onion until translucent. Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the milk, shredded cheddar, corn, beans, chilis, and sautéed onion. Line the bottom and sides of a 10-inch glass pie pan with tortilla pieces and fill with mixture in bowl. Sprinkle with grated cheddar, tomatoes, and parsley. Bake until firm in the center and brown on top, about 40 to 45 minutes.

Complementary protein: beans + corn + milk and milk product

Baked Stuffed Anything

2 to 3 servings

A creation of Mary Sinclair of Albany, California, and Julie Rosenbaum of Ann Arbor, Michigan, both of whom helped test many of the recipes in this book. Serve with a green salad and crusty French bread.

1 medium eggplant or 2 large zucchini’s or 1 medium squash

2 tablespoons oil for sautéing

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, diced

4 mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon coriander

¼ teaspoon cumin Black pepper

Few dashes Tabasco sauce or ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ cup cooked rice

½ cup low-fat cottage cheese

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

3 tablespoons pignolia nuts or sunflower seeds

Cut the eggplant in half and scoop out the flesh. Set the shells aside. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Heat oil in a skillet and sauté the eggplant flesh, onion, green pepper, mushrooms, garlic, spices, and Tabasco for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, let cool 2 to 3 minutes, and add the rice, cottage cheese, parsley, and nuts. Mix well. Put the eggplant shells in a shallow baking dish and fill with sautéed mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes.

Complementary protein: rice + milk product + nuts

Sue’s Famous Vegetable Squares

Sue Kanor of Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, was the “artist in the kitchen” who helped develop many of the recipes for the 1975 edition of this book. Lots of fresh parsley and celery give these squares a light taste that is irresistible.

1¼ cups combined soybeans and raw peanuts, cooked together (about 1/3 cup uncooked beans and ¼ cup peanuts)

4 tablespoons margarine

4 stalks celery, minced

2 carrots, grated

¼ pound mushrooms, chopped

1 onion, minced

½ cup chopped fresh parsley

½ to 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

½ cup wheat germ

1 egg

¼ cup water or Seasoned Stock

Salt and pepper or soy sauce to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a blender, grind the cooked soybeans and peanuts. In a large saucepan, melt margarine and sauté celery and carrots for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and onion and cook until onion is translucent. Turn off heat and add soybean-peanut mixture, parsley, nuts, wheat germ, egg, water, and salt and pepper. Add more water if necessary; the mixture should have the consistency of loose stuffing. Pack the mixture into a shallow pan in a layer no more than ¾ inch high. Bake until the loaf is dry, about 30 minutes. Cool for a few minutes and cut into 2- to 3-inch squares. To complete the protein complementary, serve with rice and/or bulgur.

Complementary protein: soy + peanuts + wheat + rice

Variation:
Add this simple mushroom cream sauce for a truly elegant dish.

Mushroom Cream Sauce

2 cups mushrooms, sliced thin

2 tablespoons margarine

1 tablespoon flour

1½ cups low-fat milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Sauté mushrooms in margarine until soft. Add flour to coat the mushrooms and stir; cook to toast the flour. Add milk, salt and pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir over heat until sauce thickens.

Complementary protein: wheat + milk

Spinach-Rice Pot

4 servings

I once made this casserole on a TV talk show, and the stage crew loved it. Serve it with a contrasting vegetable, such as sautéed carrots or yellow squash.

2 cups cooked brown rice (¾ cup uncooked)

¾cup grated cheddar cheese

2 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 pound fresh spinach, chopped

2 tablespoons wheat germ

1 tablespoon melted margarine

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine rice and cheese. In a separate bowl combine eggs, parsley, salt, and pepper. Add the two mixtures to the spinach and pour into an oiled casserole. Mix wheat germ and magarine and spread on top. Bake for 35 minutes.

Complementary protein: rice + wheat + milk product

Sesame Eggplant Parmesan

4 servings

Even eggplant haters like this dish. It is easy, but elegant enough for guests. A meal by itself with a fresh green salad, it can become a heartier dinner if you add your favorite pasta or rice as a side dish, or as a bottom layer under the eggplant.

Oil for sautéing

1 medium eggplant, sliced ½ inch thick

2 cups marinara or spaghetti sauce

¼ teaspoon each oregano, thyme, and rosemary (optional)

½ onion, grated

½ green pepper, grated

1 carrot, grated

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ cup toasted ground sesame seeds

½ pound mozzarella cheese, sliced

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat oil in a skillet and sauté eggplant slices until browned and becoming soft. Remove eggplant and add to skillet the sauce, herbs, onion, green pepper, carrot, Parmesan cheese, and sesame seeds. Simmer 15 minutes. Arrange the eggplant slices on a large ovenproof platter or in a shallow 2-quart casserole. Cover with sauce and top with mozzarella slices. Bake for about 15 minutes.

Complementary protein: sesame seeds + milk products

Bolinas Soyburgers

4 servings

Elizabeth Rivers of Bolinas, California, adapted these burgers from the Soybean Croquette recipe in the 1975 edition of this book. She developed them to please her kids, and says, “Kids love these—even when they hate ‘health food.’ ”