Filed under: Vegetables
Roasted Asparagus ready for noshing.
The asparagus is starting to come up and I am ready. My favorite way to eat asparagus is to snap it off and eat it raw, grazing in the garden. My next favorite way it to roast it. Roasting does an excellent job of reviving supermarket asparagus. It can be roasted plain, just rolled in a little olive oil with a sprinkle of salt, or add some pressed garlic and balsamic vinegar or lemon juice. So simple, and so good. Serve as an appetizer, vegetable, snack, or in salad.
Roasted Asparagus
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
1 pound fresh asparagus
1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sprinkle of salt
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced (optional)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or lemon juice (optional)
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Rinse the asparagus. Break the tough ends of the asparagus by holding the stalk gently by both ends and bending until it breaks and discard the tough end. Alternatively, peel the tougher bottom end of the asparagus with a peeler down to a more tender level.
Lay the prepared asparagus in a single layer on a dark roasting pan and sprinkle with the olive oil. Roll the spears back and forth over the pan until they are evenly coated with the oil. Sprinkle with salt and the optional garlic and/or vinegar or lemon juice. Roll the spears again to distribute all evenly.
Asparagus in the pan ready to roast.
Roast in the oven 8 to 10 minutes, depending on how thick the spears are, until just tender when pierced with a fork.
April 28, 2010
Cilantro Miso Pesto with dippers.
Traditional unpasteurized miso is a live, fermented food that can enhance both daily fare and special occasion dishes. Along with being a tasty treat, it contains beneficial bacteria to aid digestion and can bind with toxins in the body and carry them out. Miso usually contains soy protein in the form of whole soybeans, which, unlike animal protein, allows the regular excretion of sodium from the body, helping to keep blood pressure lower. There are recent studies suggesting that the fermentation process in miso creates anti-hypertentive peptides that may also help lower blood pressure.
The traditional process of making miso begins with cooked grains (usually rice or barley) being inoculated with aspergillus oryzae spores. Together, they are incubated overnight and become what is called koji (pronounced KO-jee). The next day the koji is mixed with cooked soybeans, chickpeas, or other grains and sea salt. Soybeans add complete, high-quality protein plus all the healthful benefits of the whole soybean, while natural sea salt adds an abundance of trace minerals. This mixture is packed into wooden vats, then covered and weighted down. The fermentation process can last up to three years, if done using traditional methods.
Red and white miso.
The culturing and fermentation processes change the soybeans into a readily digestible form. It also transforms both bean and grain components into a kind of protein booster. Since the essential amino acids in the soy and grains complement each other, the amount of protein that can be utilized by the body is increased. When shopping for miso look for the words “unpasteurized” on the label. This insures that the miso is still alive. It will usually come in a tub with a small hole in the top to let gasses escape. If the miso is in a sealed bag, it is likely pasteurized and not alive anymore.
There are scores of ways to include miso in daily meals and holiday feasts celebrated in my book, Miso Cookery. Here is one of my favorite recipes for holidays or anytime. It is an especially tasty addition to any kind of burrito. Try it with last weeks’ soybean burritos!
Cilantro Miso Pesto
Yield: 1 cup
This versatile bright green pesto is an east/west fusion food that makes an colorful appetizer served with sweet red and yellow bell pepper strips or crackers and chips. For a festive finger food, fill bite-sized pastry shells with this quick and easy pesto. From the first time I put it together, it became a frequent addition to daily menus. Try tossing Cilantro Miso Pesto with hot pasta or add a little more oil and some vinegar or lemon juice to make a tasty salad dressing. Hempseed has a unique nutty flavor plus all the essential amino acids and both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids.
Quick and easy to prepare, this pesto makes a great last minute addition to any everyday or party fare. It can be made a few hours ahead of time and refrigerated in an airtight container–it will oxidize, so don’t make it too far ahead..
Process in a food processor until minced:
3 ounces (1 ½ cups chopped) cilantro
2 to 4 cloves garlic (to taste)
Add and process until well blended:
½ cup raw cashews, walnuts, or hulled hempseeds
2 tablespoons sweet white, mellow white, or sweet barley miso
2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)
¡Buen Provecho!
April 9, 2010
Soybean burritos on corn tortillas ready to roll.
Soybean burritos became a “national dish” in the early days of The Farm community in Tennessee, and continue to be a favorite for many. They are always on the “vegan experience” menu for the groups of midwifery students that I feed while they are here for workshops. These burritos can be one of the best introductions to soyfoods as a main dish, providing affordable complete protein that is easy to prepare and served in a familiar, comforting tortilla wrap. Burritos can be put together with whatever fixings are your favorites; the options are endless, including a hefty serving of some type of raw greens. My favorite combination is a line of soybeans on corn tortillas (for a wheat-free dish) with fresh salsa, tofu sour cream, nutritional yeast, sliced avocado (in place of vegan margarine), and either chopped lettuce, baby kale, or sprouts.
Originally we always rolled or pressed our own tortillas, a special touch that can still be done if you have the time and inclination. Now there are a vast variety of ready made tortillas available when time is an issue. Canned soybeans are also available for that time issue making these burritos a truly quick, easy, and nutritious meal.
Cooking Whole Soybeans for Optimum Digestibility
To be truly digestible, soybeans need to be cooked until they are soft enough to squish on the roof of your mouth with your tongue. In our first soybean experiments in the Farm community (early 1970’s) we found the only way to achieve this was with a pressure cooker at 15 pounds pressure for about 75 minutes. That was in the days of the old time pressure cookers with the pressure rockers, and it could only be done without soaking the beans, since if the beans were soaked the skins came loose and got caught in pressure valve and caused the cooker to go on overload and try to blow up. The new generation of pressure cookers is vastly improved, with more safety features for pressure release when necessary. With the new type of pressure cooker, soaked soybeans can be safely cooked at 15 pounds pressure for 15 to 18 minutes, then removed from the heat source and let to drop down to zero pressure on it’s own. Salt to taste. The pressure cooker instruction books says the soaked soybeans only need 9 to 12 minutes at pressure, but they were not soft enough for my liking with that timing. This is still a great savings in time, energy, and money. Anyone who consumes beans would do well to invest in this new type of pressure cooker.
Another energy saving method for cooking soybeans that has proved worthwhile is the crock-pot or slow cooker. It takes longer than the pressure cooker, but still works well, and the slow cooker is a low energy use appliance.
Soaked soybeans before cooking with uniform rehydration.
For the crock pot or slow cooker, soak the soybeans 10 to 12 hours or until when one is split open it has uniform color and tenderness throughout. Rinse and drain the soybeans several times. Bring water to boil in the slow cooker on high, and bring the soybeans to boil in water in a pot on the stovetop. Transfer the boiling soybeans and water to the slow cooker and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours, making sure the beans stay covered with boiling water until the soybeans are soft enough to squish with your tongue on the roof of your mouth. Salt to taste.
The Basic Soybean Burrito
These are just some of the possible fillings for the burrito; choose what you like:
- cooked soft soybeans (pressure cooked, slow cooked or canned-see above)
- tortilla of your choice (corn, wheat, teff, etc), warmed to soften
- your favorite salsa or chopped fresh tomatoes and hot peppers
- chopped lettuce, greens, or sprouts of your choice
- chopped cilantro
- sliced avocado
- tofu sour cream or mayo (commercial or home made)
- nutritional yeast
- mustard
Don’t put so much on one tortilla that you can’t roll it up. Folding the ends in as you roll makes helps avoid drips while you are enjoying your burrito.
¡Buen Provecho!
April 2, 2010
I was roasting sweet potato rounds in the oven recently when my grandson walked in sniffing the air. When I turned on the oven light and let him look through the oven window to see what was there, he exclaimed, “cookies!” Well, sort of…he certainly ate them like they were. I chose the round shape rather than logs purposefully.
The chef arranging sweet potato medallions on the baking sheet.
So, today when he came over, Mason helped me prepare some to roast. I did the peeling, since the sweet potatoes had sort of sad looking skins from having been forgotten in the potato bin. If the skins look good, i.e. smooth and paper-like on organic sweet potatoes, the skins don’t need to come off and will peel off easily after roasting if necessary. I did the slicing into about ¼-inch thick rounds. He tossed them in the bowl as I sprinkled on about two tablespoons of olive oil and a scant teaspoon of salt over the 3 pounds of the prepared sweet potatoes. Then he spread them out on the dry pans ready for the oven. There was a lot of finger licking going on after the rounds were spread out in one layer on the pans. The roasting and caramelizing takes about 20 minutes in a preheated 400ºF oven. The caramelization of the natural sugars in the sweet potatoes makes them sweet like cookies indeed.
When they came out of the oven and cooled a few minutes, once again he ate them like cookies and asked for a bag to take home with him for later.
Mason sampling the Sweet Potato Medallions.
Part of the morning glory family, sweet potatoes are both economical (easy on the budget) and a nutritional powerhouse. They are rich in dietary fiber as well as vitamins B6, A, and C, the last two being powerful antioxidants that work to eliminate free radicals that can damage cells in the body; a good food for any age. A medium sized roasted sweet potato of 100 grams or a ½ cup serving contains about 90 calories, 2 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber, and a glycemic load of 9.
If you are not growing them, choose sweet potatoes with firm, smooth skins and no bruises, cracks, or soft spots. If stored in a cool (about 55ºF), dark, well-ventilated space, (not the refrigerator) they can last for months. Storage in the refrigerator can result in a hard core forming in the center. Cut with a stainless steel knife to avoid discoloration. They can be roasted without the oil and salt, if this is an issue, and will still caramelize and be delicious. Back in the day of trying live off the land, we would take the very small sweet potato fingers from a harvest of all different sizes and roast them with the skins on with nothing added until they caramelized for a healthful sweet treat beyond compare. Bet you can’t eat just one….
January 25, 2010
Roasted Brussels Sprout and Cannellini Bean Soup
After our successful roasted Brussels sprouts session I had leftovers to create with. Since it has not been above freezing here since New Years, I was drawn toward a steaming pot of soup. Cannellini beans are delicately flavored white kidney beans that partner well with roasted vegetables. With leftover roasted Brussels sprouts and canned beans, this soup goes together quickly. Caramelizing onions and carrots makes them fit right in with the roasted Brussels sprouts. If you have leftover roasted sweet potatoes, you can cut them julienne and add them to the soup along with the Brussels sprouts in place of the carrots for that bright orange color. Miso enhances the savory taste or umami in the soup.
Roasted Brussels Sprout and Cannellini Bean Soup
Yield: 10 cups
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large chopped onion (about 2 cups)
6 cups water
4 cups or 1 pound roasted Brussels sprouts, but in quarters
1-15 ounce can Cannelini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup (1/4 pound) julienne carrots
white or yellow miso to taste
Sauté the onions in the olive oil until caramelized. Add the julienne carrots to the pan when the onions are just starting to caramelize. Heat the water in a 2 or 3-quart soup pot. When boiling, add the Brussels sprouts, beans, caramelized onions, and carrots and simmer until all is heated. Dissolve 2 teaspoon white or yellow miso (I used chickpea miso) in each bowl upon serving.
On to the next…..
Tempeh, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, and Apple Salad on a bed of Buckwheat Lettuce
Since I was not ready to brave going out in the ice and snow to look for ingredients, inspiration for both of these dishes came from what I had on hand. This kind of cooking sometimes leads to a combination of ingredients that one might not normally consider, but ones that can be surprisingly tasty. In this case, it was ripe, sweet-tart Pippin apples from last autumns harvest, soy tempeh, and buckwheat lettuce growing in the greenhouse. I think I would have preferred a Fuji apple, for both taste and color, but this one worked just fine. Caramelized onions would have been a good addition as well. Topped with a mildly sweet/salty dressing, this made a satisfying winter salad; part roasted and part raw and live, with the solid protein and benefits of both cultured and fermented tempeh and miso. This makes a high fiber meal that will stick with you for a while!
Tempeh, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, and Apple Salad on a bed of Buckwheat Lettuce
Yield: 5 cups
For the salad
½ pound roasted Brussels sprouts, halved or quartered (2 cups)
½ pound sweet-tart apple chunks (2 cups)
¼ pound 1/8-inch thick tempeh strips
1 tablespoon coconut oil
buckwheat lettuce or other lettuce
For the dressing
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon agave syrup
½ tablespoon dark red miso
1 small clove garlic, pressed
2 tablespoon olive oil
Cut the tempeh into 1/8-inch strips then steam the tempeh for 20 minutes. Lightly brown the strips in the coconut oil, then cut into bite sized pieces. Toss together the Brussels sprouts, apple, and browned tempeh strips. Mix together the vinegar, agave, miso, garlic, and olive oil and pour over all and toss. Make a bed of buckwheat or other lettuce on each salad plate, top with the salad, and enjoy.
January 19, 2010
My almost four year old vegetarian grandson Mason loves to come over and help cook just about anything. Involving children with hands on in the process of cooking makes a big difference in what they might consider eating and lets them know where their food comes from. Recently I came home with Brussels sprouts still on the stalk, which he immediately picked up and walked around with, using it as if it were a sword like he does with anything long (video game influence, I think).
Mason sampling the Brussels sprout stalks.
When he finally put down the Brussels sword, I sent him for the step stool and we got to work cutting the sprouts off the stalk. I did most of the cutting but at his request, I held his hand with a small knife so he could try cutting some.
Cutting the Brussels sprouts off the stalk.
We left the smaller sprouts whole and I cut the larger ones in half lengthwise. His job was to wash, drain, and put them in the bowl. I had decided to experiment by blanching or par-boiling half of them in boiling water for two minutes before roasting to see if there was any difference in the final result. When the water boiled, I put half in and when the water came back to a boil, I brought the step stool over to the stove so he could watch the sprouts turn bright green in the course of their 2 minutes boil. Mason was in charge of the timer.
Bright green color of par-boiled Brussels sprouts.
After the two minutes we plunged the sprouts into ice-cold water to cool down then took them out to drain. Moving the step stool back over to the island workstation, I had him toss the remaining raw sprouts in the bowl as I added a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and a teaspoon or so of salt. Next we spread them out on a baking pan. The same process was followed for the drained blanched sprouts.
Both pans went into a preheated 400ºF oven to roast. The blanched sprouts were tender with some caramelization starting at 10 to 15 minutes, depending on their size and maintained more of their green color. The raw sprouts took 5 to 10 minutes longer in the oven to become tender, depending on their size and maintained less color.
Winter snack time with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Sweet Potato Medallions, and Pomegranate.
As they cooled we started sampling them to see which we liked the best. I liked the result more with the blanched sprouts as they retained more color and didn’t dry out as much in the oven. He loved them all, eating them like candy. When it was time for him to go home, he asked for a bag of roasted Brussels sprouts to take with him. Now that is truly loving your Brussels sprouts!
Mason embracing Brussels Spouts.
January 8, 2010
In my quest for developing tasty, affordable, and healthful vegan meals for an upcoming book, I found inspiration from the traditional Native American companion crops of beans, corn, and squash. Known as the three sisters, these three crops were and still are grown together, with the corn providing poles for the beans, the beans providing nitrogen for the soil, and the squash vines mulching the ground. The corn and beans together provide complete protein, the squash vitamins A and C, and all together plenty of fiber. Add some dark leafy greens like kale or collards for folate plus more protein, calcium, and vitamins A, C, and K. These original people really had it figured out well before government commodities came along.
The three sisters growing together in Guatemala.
This is a quick and easy soup (or stew made with less water) using canned beans and hominy plus leftover baked squash. Originally, tepary beans were probably used with hominy or corn cooked in lime. For this recipe, any kind of beans and corn will do. Canned beans are the quickest, but a bit pricier than dried beans if you are trying to stay within a budget. If you want to start with dried beans, soak ¾ cup of either white, pinto, or kidney beans overnight and either pressure cook or cook on the stovetop until tender but not falling apart. Alternatively, canned hominy can be replaced by frozen or canned sweet corn. The greens can be replaced with cabbage, but when I tried this, I ended up adding a large amount of parsley to get some more color into the soup. We must have color.
Along with the greens, the three sisters’ friend is also chiles. I like to add some “heat” to winter soups and stews. For color, I used a minced red jalapeno I had frozen from the summer garden, but dried cracked red pepper would do just as well.
For the final fusion, instead of using vegetable broth in the soup, I added chickpea miso to the bowl of soup. Any flavor of miso will work, but the lighter ones will maintain the rich golden color of the both. The miso I use is unpasteurized and still alive, so I put a teaspoon or so in the bottom of the soup bowl, pour the boiling soup into the bowl and stir to dissolve the miso while the soup is cooling down enough to eat. Do not stir the miso into the boiling soup as it will destroy the healthful benefits of this live food.
Three Sisters Soup with Greens and Miso
THREE SISTERS SOUP PLUS GREENS AND MISO
Yield: 10 cups
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ cup chopped onion (1/2 a medium onion)
- 1 tablespoon minced jalapeno, red or green or 1 teaspoon cracked red pepper
- 6 cups water
- 1-15.5 ounce can (1.5 cups) Great Northern, Kidney, or Pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1-15.5 ounce can (1.5 cups) hominy, rinsed and drained OR 1.5 cups frozen corn kernels
- 2 cups cooked cubed winter squash
- 1 bunch (5 ounces) chopped dark leafy greens (or more…)
- Salt to taste or miso
In a soup pot, sauté the onion and jalapeño (or cracked red pepper) in the olive oil until they are soft. Add the water and bring it to a boil. Rinse and drain the beans and hominy or corn. Peel and chop the squash. Clean and chop the greens. Add the beans, hominy, and squash to the boiling water, cover and let them simmer until they are fully heated. Add the greens and let the soup simmer only two or three minutes until the greens turn bright green. If you are using salt, stir it into the soup to taste and serve. If you are using miso in place of salt, ladle the unsalted soup immediately into soup bowls with 1 to 2 teaspoons of miso in the bottom of the bowl. Stir to dissolve the miso and serve.
¡Buen Provecho!
December 18, 2009
