Forks Over Knives (28 page)

3.
For the stuffing: Put the water and onions in a sauté pan and cook until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Let the water cook off completely. Add the ginger, garlic, green chiles, cumin, and salt and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the kale and spinach and cook until the spinach has wilted. Add the walnuts, mix well, and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.

4.
For the tomato sauce: Boil the tomatoes in a pot of water until the skin softens and splits. Drain and cut into fine pieces. Put the onions and garlic into a sauté pan and cook with a small amount of water until translucent. Add the Italian herbs, salt, turmeric, and chile powder and stir. Add the tomatoes. Cook for 10 minutes and remove from heat. Puree the sauce in a blender until smooth.

5.
Return the sauce to the sauté pan and reheat. Just before serving, add the chopped basil.

6.
To assemble the pie: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place four of the polenta patties in a baking dish. Top with the stuffing, divided evenly among the patties. Place the remaining polenta patties on top, and bake the pies for 20 to 25 minutes. Top with hot tomato sauce and serve.

CHRISTY MORGAN | THE BLISSFUL CHEF

THIS DISH IS
sort of like gumbo. In the Caribbean they call it “rundown” because they throw whatever they can find into this tasty stew seasoned with jerk spices. This is wonderful served with coconut rice, black beans, and plantains.

SERVES 4 TO 5

½ cup water

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

1 cup carrot, chopped

2 cups chopped asparagus

2 cups chopped chayote squash

1 tablespoon jerk seasonings

Salt

1 cup chopped collards

½ cup frozen peas

½ cup veggie broth

Small can tomato sauce

Soy sauce or tamari

Bring the water to a boil in a medium skillet. Stir in the thyme, oregano, carrot, asparagus, chayote, jerk seasonings, and a pinch of salt. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the collards, peas, and veggie broth and stir well. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato sauce, cover, and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add soy sauce or tamari to taste and simmer for another few minutes.

ANN CRILE ESSELSTYN

THE MINT MAKES
this absolutely delicious and is worth a special trip to the store to find. Better yet grow your own. Use as much spinach as possible. It melts to nothing. Swiss chard also works well and cooks almost as quickly as spinach. Red lentils cook fast. If you use other lentils, you will need to cook them longer. Lime juice adds an especially good flavor. Sweet potatoes are beautiful in here! this is so good, I usually double the recipe, and even that is not enough! This can be served with broccoli or fresh asparagus and sliced tomatoes.

SERVES 2 TO 4

2 garlic cloves, chopped

3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 cup red lentils

3 medium red-skinned potatoes or 1 large sweet potato, cut into ½-inch dice (2 to 3 cups)

6 to 12 ounces baby spinach leaves (you can’t have too much)

Zest of 1 lemon or lime

3 tablespoons lemon or lime juice

⅛ to ¼ teaspoon cayenne

¼ cup fresh mint, chopped

Black pepper

Cook garlic for 1 minute in a saucepan over medium heat, adding a little vegetable broth or water as necessary. Add the 3 cups vegetable broth, lentils, and potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the lentils are tender. Add spinach, lemon zest, lemon juice, and cayenne. Cover and simmer until spinach wilts, about 2 minutes. Stir in mint and add black pepper to taste.

ANASTASIA ST. JOHN | COMPASSIONATE DIET AND LIFESTYLE ADVOCATE

THIS IS A
fun and delicious way to prepare lentils. It’s a great entrée for a special dinner.

SERVES 4

1 cup red lentils

3 cups water

½ cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped cremini mushrooms

½ cup raw cashews

1 garlic clove, minced

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

⅛ teaspoon cayenne

½ teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon rosemary

1.
Bring the red lentils and water to a boil in a medium pot. Reduce the heat and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 15 minutes. Drain off extra water if necessary.

2.
Cook the onion and mushrooms in a cast iron skillet until browned. Put the cooked lentils, onion, and mushrooms into a blender. Add the cashews, garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne, thyme, and rosemary and puree until smooth. Spread the pâté evenly over the bottom of an 8 × 8-inch glass baking pan and allow to cool, then refrigerate at least 2 hours or until firm.

3.
Cut the pâté into four squares, then brown each side in the cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Serve immediately.

CHEF AJ |
UNPROCESSED

YOU WON’T FIND
soy or breadcrumbs in this loaf, just whole-food goodness.

SERVES 8

3 cups cooked lentils (about 1 pound after cooking)

One 16-ounce bag of frozen carrots, defrosted and drained (about 3 cups)

2 cups chopped red onion (about 1 large)

2 garlic cloves, peeled

½ cup fresh Italian parsley

2 cups raw walnuts

2 cups uncooked oats (not instant)

2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato powder

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, optional

1.
Preheat oven to 350
^°
F.

2.
Put the lentils, carrots, onion, garlic, parsley, 1 cup of the walnuts, and 1 cup of the oats in a food processor fitted with the “S” blade. Pulse until combined, then continue to process until almost pastelike. (Depending on the size of your food processor you may have to do this in several batches.) Scrape the mixture into a bowl.

3.
Chop the remaining 1 cup walnuts and add it to the lentil mixture along with the remaining 1 cup oats, the tomato powder, and the poultry seasoning. Stir to mix well.

4.
Scrape the mixture into a silicone standard loaf pan and bake, uncovered, for 50 to 55 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let sit at least 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving dish. Decorate with whole walnuts, if desired. Let cool another 5 minutes and then slice.

Tip
If you do not have a food processor, you can chop all the ingredients finely by hand and use a potato masher to incorporate the lentils. Your loaf will have a chunkier texture.

VARIATIONS:

This loaf is delicious even without any sauce or gravy of any kind, but you can also add your favorite condiments, such as ketchup, mustard, or barbecue sauce.

Stuff cold leftovers into pita pockets for a great lunch!

ALAN GOLDHAMER AND DOUG LISLE |
THE HEALTH PROMOTING COOKBOOK

A GREAT CHOICE
when you want a filling, substantial main dish. The leftovers can be used for sandwiches.

SERVES 8

4 cups cooked, blended garbanzo beans

2 cups cooked brown rice

2 cups tomato sauce

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1 cup grated carrots

Juice of ½ lemon

1.
Preheat oven to 350
^°
F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the blended beans and rice. Add the tomato sauce, mustard, carrots, and lemon juice.

2.
Spoon into a loaf pan, and bake for 30 minutes. Cover the loaf with aluminum foil if the top begins to brown too quickly.

VARIATION:

Add 1½ teaspoons garlic powder or onion powder with the other seasonings.

MARY MCDOUGALL | THE MCDOUGALL PROGRAM

THIS IS ONE
of my favorite fast and delicious meals that can be put together, cooked, and served in only 15 minutes.

SERVES 3 TO 4

¼ cup vegetable broth

½ tablespoon soy sauce

2½ cups frozen lima beans (16-ounce bag)

2½ cups shredded cabbage

1 to 2 teaspoons seasoning mixture (see tip)

½ to 1 teaspoon sambal oelek (chile paste)

1½ cups frozen corn, thawed slightly

2½ to 3 cups cooked brown rice

1 large chopped tomato

Put broth, soy sauce, lima beans, and shredded cabbage in a large nonstick sauté pan and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes. Add the seasoning mixture of your choice and the sambal oelek. Continue to cook for another 3 minutes. Add corn and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the rice and continue to cook and stir until the rice is heated through and all the vegetables are tender. Stir in tomatoes. Serve at once.