Appetite for Reduction (20 page)

A
light layer of bread crumbs with fragrant herbs will have you popping this cauliflower into your mouth as if it’s popcorn. I love this cauliflower to top off spaghetti, alongside lasagne, or tossed into a salad.

⅓ cup store-bought whole wheat bread crumbs
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon salt
Several pinches of freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cauliflower, cored and chopped into bite-size pieces

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, herbs, salt, and pepper. Drizzle in the oil and use your fingertips to rub it into the bread crumbs.

The cauliflower should be slightly damp from having washed it; if it’s totally dry then run it under water for a sec, so that the crumbs stick better. Roll the cauliflower around in the crumbs, then place the cauliflower in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle any excess crumbs over the cauliflower. Spray with a bit of cooking spray.

Bake for 12 minutes, until tender and lightly browned.

SERVES 4 • ACTIVE TIME: 20 MINUTES • TOTAL TIME: 40 MINUTES

I
don’t usually cook the living daylights out of my greens, but collards are brought to new heights when they are cooked so tender and off the stem. Ethiopian restaurants serve these mellow stewed and sautéed greens alongside heavily seasoned items, and you should do the same. Try the
Mushroom Tibs
(page 95) and
Ethiopian Millet
(page 78).

1½ pounds collard greens, coarse stems removed, leaves torn
into pieces
2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt

Place the collards and broth in a 4-quart pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a low boil, and keep covered for about 30 minutes, using tongs to toss the collards around every few minutes. They should become a few shades lighter, and very tender but not complete mush.

When the greens are pretty much ready, preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger in the oil for about 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Mix in the red pepper flakes. Use tongs to lift the collards out of the pot and add them to the pan. Don’t add the cooking liquid at this point, but do reserve it.

Cook the collards with the onions for about 5 minutes, and add splashes of the reserved broth as needed to keep them from sticking. Taste for salt and serve.

 

Variations

 

F
eeling collardy but not ginger and peppery? Leave out the pepper flakes and ginger and up the garlic by two cloves. These collards are now ready to go with whatever your little heart desires.

SERVES 4 • ACTIVE TIME: 10 MINUTES • TOTAL TIME: 30MINUTES

A
hearty cabbage side dish, with a little sweet earthiness from carrots and peas. This would be at home alongside any of the Indian-inspired meals, or the Ethiopian dishes. You can try it with plain old brown basmati and
Masala Baked Tofu
(page 146).

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion, sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 medium-size carrot, sliced ½ inch thick, diagonally
1 pound cabbage, cut into thin strips (about 4 cups,
or ½ medium head of cabbage)
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons curry powder
½ to ¾ cup vegetable broth
1 cup frozen peas

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion in the olive oil with a pinch of salt for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and ginger, and saute for a minute more. Add a splash of the vegetable broth to deglaze the pan, then add the carrot, cabbage, salt, curry powder, and ½ cup of the vegetable broth. Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If needed, add up to ¼ cup more broth.

Add the peas and cook for about 5 minutes. The cabbage should be tender with just a little bit of snap to it. Taste for salt and serve immediately.

CHAPTER 4

Main Event Beans

B
EANS ARE A STAPLE FOOD IN PRACTICALLY EVERY CULTURE, and can the entire world be wrong? Well, maybe, but not about beans! Protein, iron, fiber, calcium—beans are the gift that keep on giving.

And lucky for me that beans are so nutritionally perfect. As a young vegetarian in the ’80s, I had to learn new and fun ways to prepare them. Instead of using highly processed and way expensive meat substitutes, I would use beans as my protein. Good thing those fake meats were so expensive, because it gave me a chance to become a connoisseur—to really experience the nuance of each and every bean—taste, texture, and flavor. Every variety has its own unique personality. Rice and beans don’t mean deprivation!

Linguistically speaking, meat used to mean “beans.” And it’s not a wholly unfair comparison. Nutritionally speaking, beans are as high in protein as many meats. Beans actually do contain all of the essential amino acids, and if you’re eating a variety of plant-based foods, you’re set up to have them in the amounts you need. See the bowls section (page 265) to see how it’s done! And you know what beans do have that meat does not? Fiber and complex carbohydrates—your body’s preferred fuel. Most beans are very low in saturated fat and high in the healthy ones. Plus, the nutrients are so plentiful that it doesn’t take many to improve the nutrition of a meal.

This chapter celebrates the endless versatility of beans—lightly mashed, pureed, left whole and stewed, or formed into burgers, beans can be enjoyed every which way. They don’t have to be relegated to a side dish. Have your beans front and center as the main event!

SERVES 4 ∙ ACTIVE TIME: 15 MINUTES ∙ TOTAL TIME: 30 MINUTES