Breakfast Yogurt Lemon Berry Parfait

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

Breakfast Yogurt Lemon Berry Parfait is the perfect start to your day. It’s loaded with protein, fiber and anti-oxidants and sets you up for the entire morning. The berries and lemon combination brightens up the yogurt and almost makes you feel as if you are being just a bit naughty eating dessert for breakfast.

My husband, who is 6’2″ eats one of these parfaits with one of my protein muffins. I find either of these options sufficient for me. But one thing we have found over the years, is that skipping breakfast is rarely a good idea. So periodically I like to switch things up a bit, especially as the seasons change.

Therefore, in winter I prepare a fully loaded hot cereal. But as the days are finally getting longer and warmer, this Breakfast Yogurt Lemon Berry Parfait fits the bill. It’s like summer in a jar.

I came across the recipe on a vlog that I follow of this British PhD nutritionist, Dr. Emily Prpa. Even though her target audience are pre-menopausal women, which at 73 I clearly am not, I find her very engaging and with sensible and non-scary health information that frequently makes sense for me as well. Unfortunately, however, she is not a recipe writer and this one had a few issues that I have corrected here.

NOTE:

You can make this parfait vegan by using a non-dairy yogurt. It will be a little less protein but still a good choice. This can be gluten free if you use an oatmeal, such as Bob’s Mill that is labeled as gluten free.

RECIPE

YIELD: 4 glass jars

INGREDIENTS

JAM LAYER/JAR

100 g frozen mixed berries per portion (320g in total)

1 tsp chia seeds OR a mixture of Chia and Hemp

YOGURT LAYER

400 g thick Greek yogurt (dairy or non-dairy) I used a full fat yogurt, but you could use a reduced fat or non-fat yogurt if you prefer.

Juice of 1 medium lemon

Zest of 1 lemon

4 tsp maple syrup

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

CRUMBLE TOPPING

160 g rolled oats (Gluten Free, if that is a problem for you)

60 g chopped almonds

4 tsp ground flax seeds

4 Tablespoons vanilla protein powder (any kind you like – whey, plant based)

¼ teaspoon of kosher or fine sea salt

4 tsp maple syrup

4 tbsp cashew butter (You could also use almond butter if you prefer)

1/4 cup of milk to combine (I used cashew milk, but you could use dairy)

DIRECTIONS

You will need 4 (16oz.) jars with lids

Place the frozen berries to the bottom of each jar. Add 1 teaspoon of the hemp/chia seeds on top of the berries in each jar.

Make the yogurt layer:

In a medium bowl, use a whisk to mix the Greek yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract and maple syrup until combined and smooth. Divide the yogurt evenly over the berries in each jar.

Make the crumble topping:

Using the same bowl, mix the oats, ground almonds, flaxseeds, protein powder and salt.

Then whisk the cashew butter and maple syrup in a small bowl. Add ¼ cup of the cashew milk. Using a whisk, stir vigorously until you have a thick but runny mixture. You may need a bit more or less of the milk since it will depend on the consistency of the nut butter to begin with. At first the nut butter will appear to seize up, but give it a minute, adding more milk if necessary to get the right consistency.

Add the nut butter mixture into the oat mixture and mix until mostly evenly coated. You should begin to see some clumps form.

Divide the mixture evenly over the yogurt in each jar. If there seems to be more topping than you need, just refrigerate any extra and it can be used with yogurt or cereal. If you wish for a softer oat topping then add about 1 Tablespoon more of milk.


Cover each jar tightly and refrigerate overnight. These will last up to a week in the fridge.


Raspberry Fool

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

Raspberry Fool is an incredibly simple dessert to make and is the perfect ending to a fish or vegetarian holiday dinner. If you make a non-dairy whipped cream, then you could serve this with a meat or vegan meal. However, as a lover of real whipped cream made by me, I would prefer to eat this dessert when it doesn’t violate the laws of kashrut. But you do you.

There are very few ingredients to make this rich, yet somehow, light dessert. It feels luxurious somehow although there is nothing exotic about it. All that it needs to accompany it is a simple cookie. During Passover, I serve this with my Passover Florentine Cookies.

Why is this dessert called a “Fool?” It isn’t 100% clear, but many people believe that the word comes from the French verb fouler, which means to crush or press. The raspberries are macerated with sugar and liqueur and then lightly mashed or crushed before adding them to the whipped cream.

This beautiful Raspberry Fool has the fluffy white whipped cream with ribbons of fresh, macerated and crushed raspberries running through it. You can certainly make the whipped cream ahead and then place it in a sieve over a bowl in the fridge to allow any of the liquid to drain off. The raspberries can also be prepared ahead but do not assemble the dessert until you are just ready to serve it. Any leftovers (Really, there will be leftovers??) will still taste good, but won’t look quite as pretty.

While I have only made this dessert using beautiful raspberries, I can’t see why you couldn’t make it with ripe strawberries, blackberries or a mix of berries. Perhaps its because great raspberries seem so decadent.

Serve the Fool in a pretty dish. Get creative. I used small snifters that came as part of a gift of Napoleon Mandarin Liqueur. Dessert should be delicious and fun! Top it with either a few unmacerated raspberries and a sprig of mint or add a small dollop of the macerated berries that you set aside for this purpose.

While I rarely make any of Ree Drummond’s recipes, this is hers. It works perfectly every time and is simple and straightforward. I did make a couple of tiny tweaks. The most difficult thing about it is to know when to stop whipping the cream.

Of course, you don’t have to wait for a holiday to make this delightful treat!

RECIPE

YIELD: 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

3 cups fresh raspberries and a few more for garnish

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3 Tablespoons Chambord or Framboise liqueur

2 cups of cold heavy or whipping cream (I try to buy it without any stabilizers)

Powdered or Confectioners Sugar

A good splash of pure vanilla extract

FOR GARNISH

3 fresh, washed and dried raspberries per serving

A sprig of mint per serving

OR a drizzle of the macerated raspberries that you have set aside for this purpose

A simple cookie to accompany it

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, gently stir together the raspberries, granulated sugar and liqueur (you could use water but it just isn’t the same). Allow this to sit for about 15 minutes.

In a separate bowl that you place in your sink to avoid any mess, add the heavy cream. (TIP: chill the beaters or balloon whisk before using.) You could do this in a standing mixer, but for this amount of cream I generally use an electric hand mixer. And for some reason having to do with physics that my husband has tried to explain to me MANY times over the years, a larger amount of cream to whip makes less mess than a smaller amount.

Whip the cream on high until it starts to form soft peaks and look like whipped cream.

At this point stop the whipping and add the vanilla extract and 2 to 3 Tablespoons of confectioners sugar. Whip it some more to mix everything through and then stop to taste it. You want the whipped cream to be fairly stiff but not turned to butter.

If it is too soft like a Chantilly, the cream will collapse as soon as you add the berries. If its perfect, you’re done. If you prefer it sweeter or with more vanilla, add a bit more, whip and taste.

You could use more of the liqueur instead of the vanilla in the whipped cream. It’s your choice. Once the cream is to your taste, set it in a sieve over a bowl. It can be refrigerated until you are ready to assemble.

Just before assembling, take a fork and mash the raspberries until all of the liquid and fruit are mashed together. Spoon half of the fruit into the whipped cream and gently fold it through once or twice with a rubber spatula to create streaks. DON’T OVER MIX! You want it to be streaked, not solid pink. Repeat with remaining raspberries, setting aside some first as a garnish. You could alternatively choose to layer the whipped cream and fruit in your serving dishes. It’s hard to go wrong.

Now enjoy!

Matzattata

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

I don’t know about you, but after two seders and Shabbat, I am ready for something lighter and simpler for dinner. So tonight I made a Matzattata. Perhaps as you can guess this is a riff on a frittata. Now I could simply have made a frittata, but I wanted to use a few less eggs while also making something just a bit more substantial.

While I am giving you how I made the Matzattata, there are almost endless variations you could make by switching out vegetables or herbs or spices. So as long as the proportions are more or less similar, make this your own.

RECIPE

YIELD: 2 to 4 servings depending on sides and appetite

INGREDIENTS

4 standard squares of matzah

5 large eggs

3 to 5 Mushrooms, sliced (Mine were very large so I only used 3)

5 of the thicker kind of asparagus, with the stem thinly sliced. Save the tips plus about 2-inches of stem to add separately

Onion or shallot, finely chopped – about 1/4 cup

1 bell pepper, finely diced

1 medium tomato, seeded and finely diced

2 Tablespoons dairy or non-dairy milk (I used cashew milk)

kosher salt and either cracked black pepper, Aleppo Pepper or red pepper flakes

Neutral oil such as avocado or a buttery olive oil

rounded 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Rounded 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Rounded 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

About 5 ounces of your favorite shredded cheese. I used a Kosher for Passover smoked Gouda and Mozzarella.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.

Break up the matzah into smallish pieces – about 2 x 3-inches. Place the broken matzah into a sieve or colander. Run cold water over the matzah and using your hand, gently toss the matzah. Only do this for about a minute. You wanted the matzah softened but not mush!

Drain and add to a medium bowl. Add the 5 eggs, milk, dried herbs and about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and mix well. Set aside.

In a 9-inch oven-proof non-stick (or well seasoned cast iron) skillet, heat 3 Tablespoons of olive oil or a neutral oil like avocado on medium heat until just shimmering.

Add the onion, pepper, mushroom and thinly sliced asparagus stems. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Sauté for 2 minutes and then add the tomato. Cook until the vegetables have softened – about 5 minutes.

Once the vegetables have softened, add in the matzah/egg mixture. Using a spatula or large spoon, spread the mixture over the top of the vegetables, covering everything. Press down slightly.

Cover the top with the cheese. I didn’t do it because I forgot, but lay the asparagus tips over the cheese in whatever way looks pleasing. Press it down slightly into the cheese.

Allow this to cook undisturbed on the stovetop for about 3 to 5 minutes. Then place the pan in the hot oven uncovered! Allow it to cook for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown. It will look like there is a LOT of oil, but it’s fine.

Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes. This will allow things to firm up so you can make clean slices. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs or cut tomatoes.

Eggplant Supreme

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

We all LOVE eggplant in my family. This Eggplant Supreme is sweet from roasting the eggplant. It is savory and bright with lemon, almonds and mint. Serve it with or without crumbled feta and it will be a delightful addition to any table. This Eggplant Supreme is along the lines of something I saw Jamie Oliver make on YouTube and it turned out to be a big hit.

Eggplant Supreme can be a wonderful side to a meat, fish or vegetarian meal. If you add some crumbled feta, it makes a light lunch. Best of all, it can be made ahead and will hold up in your fridge for about a week – unless you devour it like we do!

I enjoy it best at room temperature, but it can also be eaten straight from the fridge. Just be sure to use a quality olive oil. I like to use the Mediterranean Medley Olive Oil from Sciabica, but a good quality lemon or garlic oil would also be great here. Fresh mint is classic in Mediterranean cuisine and it just brightens things up. However, if for some reason you are not a fan, you could use pretty much any fresh herb as a substitute.

I chose to use a shallot, but you could use red onion, Vidalia, yellow onion or even a scallion. Because I used a shallot, I didn’t feel the need to add any fresh garlic, but you certainly can.

Another thing I love about this eggplant dish is that there is no messy frying. The eggplant planks are roasted in the oven. I do strongly encourage you to cook the eggplant on parchment rather than using foil or even directly on the pan. Using anything else tends to make the eggplant stick and then you end up with large rips in the planks. And while I used a mortar and pestle to make the topping, you could chop the things together and then mix in the olive oil, lemon juice and zest.

Eggplant Supreme is great for Passover and all year long so give it a try.

RECIPE

YIELD: About 6 to 8 servings as a side

INGREDIENTS

3 eggplants about a pound each

About 1/3 cup Olive Oil, divided

Zest and juice of one lemon

1/3 cup chopped raw almonds

About 1/4 cup of loosely packed fresh mint leaves plus more for garnish

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

1 small shallot, chopped or about 2 tablespoons of any onion you prefer

Feta cheese – Optional

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. If you are doing multiple sheet pans and have convection, preheat to 375 degrees F. Line your sheet pans with parchment and set aside.

Cut off the tops and bottoms of each eggplant. Then lay the eggplant on its side and take a thin slice off, which should mostly be skin. You then want to slice planks that are about 1/2 inch thick. Don’t worry if they are not perfectly the same. Mine NEVER are! I have found that it is easiest to stand the eggplant on its now flat bottom and to slice down vertically from the top. Some people prefer cutting with the eggplant on its side. Do whatever is easiest for you.

When you get to the last piece of each eggplant, again take a thin slice of skin off to expose the meat of the eggplant. Lay each plank on the prepared pans without overlap. Brush each plank with the olive oil and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Bake the first side for 20 minutes.

Then remove the pans from the oven and carefully turn the planks over. Brush this side with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. This side will cook faster so only bake it for another 8 to 10 minutes. Ovens vary so just watch it. You want the eggplant tender and beginning to brown.

While the eggplants bake, prepare the topping. You will use about 3 Tablespoons of the oil for this and about 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Remember that you already salted the eggplant and if you use feta, cheese, that also adds salt. Put everything into a mortar and pestle or small food processor. If you are using a mortar and pestle, bash everything to get a coarse, paste. If using a processor, pulse everything until you get a coarse paste. You want texture! If you are just chopping by hand, then add all of the chopped bits into a bowl and mix through with the olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice.

Once the eggplant has finished baking, lay the planks on a platter in a pleasing arrangement. There is no one right way.

Spread the topping over the middle of the eggplant. If you are using feta, crumble it over the top. Drizzle a bit more olive oil and add a few cracks of pepper if you are using feta. Now enjoy!

Passover Brownies

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

Over nearly 5 decades of preparing Pesach meals, I have made many wonderful desserts. You will find most of them on my blog and I will also link to them below. For several years I tried to make these brownies from Joan Nathan’s Jewish Cooking in America. This doyenne of Jewish cooking tells the best stories, but I have always found her recipes to be problematic. And the recipe for these Passover Brownies created by the Capsouto Frères NEVER worked. I finally figured out that there was a mistake in the recipe.

I have fixed the mistake and made a couple of small tweaks to the recipe. These Passover Brownies are just delicious and for those who must avoid gluten, they are good enough to enjoy all year. Rich with dark chocolate, dense and yet light because of the eggs and almond flour, they are a wonderful addition to any Passover meal.

And perhaps best of all, these brownies get EVEN better as they age which makes them a perfect make-ahead dessert. The flavors intensify and the brownies themselves become a bit denser while maintaining their lightness.

This recipe is a more old fashioned Passover recipe that does not take advantage of Kosher for Passover baking soda and baking powder which was unavailable decades ago. Our only leavening was lots of eggs that we separated into the yolks and whites. The whites had to be beaten into stiff peaks and gently folded into the rest of the mixture which included the yolks. While a bit of a tedious process, it still works.

When eggs were scarce during the pandemic, it was certainly nice to have other options. But recreating some of these older recipes brings me closer to my parents and grandparents, may they all rest in peace. I especially wanted to make some of these older recipes this year when my family is far away and it is just me and my husband. It reminds me of a happier time when our family was bigger and lived close by one another.

If you have a hand or standing mixer, this recipe is not too onerous to make. But it will take a little more effort than a standard brownie recipe to achieve the delightful result. And if we can’t take a little more effort during the holiday, well when can we?

For More Passover Desserts

Turkish Walnut Cookies for Passover (Mustacudos de Muez)

Fudgy Passover Brownies – Gluten-Free

Chocolate Orange Vegan Passover Cake

Vegan Dark Chocolate Mousse

Lemon Ricotta Almond Cake for Passover

Iraqi Almond Cardamom Cookies

Passover Sephardic Wine Cookies

Passover Almond Coconut Macaroons

Passover Florentine Cookies

Passover Orange Ginger Spice Cookies

Chocolate Chip Vegan Meringue Buttons for Passover

Vegan Almond Coconut Macaroons

RECIPE

Yield: One 9″ square pan (You decide how big or small to cut them. I got 16 pieces)

INGREDIENTS

1.5 sticks of unsalted vegan or dairy butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

5 large eggs, separated

6 ounces best quality bittersweet chocolate (try for 70 to 72% cacao)

6 ounces finely ground natural almond meal or flour

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

A good splash of dark coffee (about 1 Tablespoon)

DIRECTION

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square metal baking pan with parchment and lightly spray it with avocado oil or other kosher for Passover neutral spray.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. I just use an oven-safe bowl that I place over a pot with hot water. You can melt chocolate in the microwave but it’s a fussier process. Just heat the water and have the bowl sit in the pot just ABOVE the water. Stir occasionally with a spatula. Once melted, remove the chocolate from the heat and allow it to cool slightly.

While the chocolate melts, cream the better and sugar, scraping down the bowl periodically. You should cream the butter and sugar for at least 3 minutes in either a standing mixture or with a hand mixture. Slowly add the egg yolks one at a time. You want this to be light and fluffy.

Then add the slightly cooled chocolate, the vanilla extract, coffee and the ground almonds. Mix through.

In a separate clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Take about 1/4 of the whipped egg whites and thoroughly mix it into the chocolate batter to loosen it up. Then in 3 other portions, gently but thoroughly fold in the remaining egg whites just until no whites are showing. Use a rubber spatula for this and make figure eights through the batter to incorporate the whites without deflating them too much.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes. The top should look baked and just slightly cracked.

Allow the brownies to cool completely before cutting. Don’t worry if the center sinks a little as it cools. Now enjoy!

Turkish Walnut Cookies for Passover (Mustacudos de Muez)

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 1 Comment

Mustacudos de Muez are a Passover specialty of the Jews of Turkey. These unprepossessing cookies are simple to make and quite delicious. Unlike the many varieties of almond and coconut cookies that are ubiquitous during Passover, the Mustacudos de Muez are not as chewy or as sweet. The walnuts have a unique depth of flavor and the orange zest and cinnamon will transport you to the Bosporus.

These cookies are great with tea or coffee, but also would be wonderful with a sweet dessert wine. When you bite into one, there is a bit of crunch to the outer shell of the cookie and then you experience just a slight chewiness as you inhale the orange, walnut and cinnamon goodness.

I found the recipe in Claudia Roden’s The Book of Jewish Food.

If you looking to arm chair travel this Pesach holiday, you can’t go wrong with these delightful and simple cookie. They are fairly sturdy so also make a good treat to bring if you are lucky enough to be invited to someone else’s Seder.

There are many wonderful desserts on my blog that are Kosher for Passover and I’ve just added another. Tomorrow I will post my Passover Brownies recipe. After all, you can’t have too many great desserts.

RECIPE

Yield: Between 16 -20

INGREDIENTS

2 cups (250g) English walnuts

1/2 cup (90g) granulated sugar

1 large egg

Zest of 3/4 of a large orange (navel or Cara Cara)

3/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of Kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. or 325 degrees F if using a convection oven.

Line rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper or use a Silpat.

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until the mixture forms a firm paste with the walnuts still retaining some coarseness.

Moisten your hands with a bit of water or a thin coating of a neutral oil so that the paste does not stick.

Form the mixture into balls the size of walnuts in their shell. Arrange them on the prepared cookie sheets leaving about an 1.5 inches between. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool before storing the cookies in a tin or airtight container.

Triple Chocolate Banana Protein Muffins

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

Triple Chocolate Banana Protein Muffins are one of my go to breakfast muffins. They taste like a great chocolate banana bread but with an ooey, gooey chocolate center and a hit of Dutch-processed cocoa to up the chocolate game. And did I mention that they happen to be gluten free? I mean, come on!

These Triple Chocolate Banana Protein Muffins will keep you going all morning long or for a healthy afternoon snack when dinner is hours away. When making these delicious muffins, it is essential to use VERY ripe, even black, bananas. These add lots of natural sweetness without adding a lot more sugar.

If you want to make these muffins a bit more tropical add 2 Tablespoons of unsweetened, finely shredded coconut to the mix before baking. These muffins can be frozen or refrigerated. I usually take out four muffins at a time which we go through in 2 days. Do zap the muffins before eating to re-gooify the chocolate centers. Sooooooo good!

RECIPE

YIELD: 12 standard size muffins

INGREDIENTS

3 medium bananas – VERY ripe, peeled and mushed leaving just a few whole bits of banana visible. If your bananas are really black, there will even be liquid.

1/3 cup dark chocolate vegan chips

1.75 cups of superfine almond flour (I like to mix blanched (without the skins) almond flour and natural (with the skins) almond flour for the best texture)

1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1/4 dark or light brown sugar

1/2 cup of your favorite protein powder (I like a Grass-fed vanilla protein powder)

2 Tablespoons peanut butter powder

2 Tablespoons Unsweetened Dutch Process Cocoa Powder (I like Valrhona but any good brand will work.)

2 Tablespoons finely shredded unsweetened coconut (Optional)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

3 large eggs

1/4 cup of Refined Coconut Oil, melted and cooled slightly

Chocolate peanut butter or chocolate almond butter

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. with a rack in the middle.

Line a muffin tin with parchment muffin cups (You could spray a non-stick pan instead of using the parchment, but I like the liners.)

In a large bowl, add the almond flour(s), nuts, chocolate chips, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa, salt, peanut butter powder and protein powder. Mix thoroughly.

In a separate medium bowl, add the eggs, brown sugar, mushed bananas and melted coconut oil. Whisk together to incorporate everything. Then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix until you no longer see bits of almond flour but don’t continue mixing after that. Allow the mixture to rest for 12 minutes to allow the almond flour to absorb all of the wet ingredients.

Using a 2 tablespoon scoop or measure, add this amount of batter to each muffin cup. It should fill about 1/2 of the muffin cup. Then add about 1 teaspoon of the chocolate almond or peanut butter to the center of each muffin. Fill the muffin cups to the top of the tin with the remaining batter.

Place the tin in the 400 degree oven for 6 minutes. Then turn the heat down to 375 degrees and continue baking for about 11 more minutes. Ovens vary so just watch it until you see how your oven does.

Remove the pan to a wire rack and allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 12 minutes. Then remove the muffins from the tin and place directly on the cooling rack to completely cool.

Once the muffins are cool, they can be store in plastic bags or stasher-type bags depending on how you plan on keeping them. I use three bags and refrigerate 2. We go through these every 2 to 3 days. Unless your house is very warm, the muffins can remain unrefigerated for 2 to 3 days without spoiling. Now enjoy!

Butter Bean Stew with Kale and Pasta

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

You don’t have to be vegan to enjoy this rich, gently spicy Butter Bean Stew with Kale and Pasta. Rose harissa, thyme, rosemary and garlic will take this otherwise humble dish to the next level. The beans are dense and creamy, the pasta is slurpy and the sauce simply cries out to be slathered on a piece of crusty bread.

Rose harissa is a fragrant and mildly spicy North African chili paste featuring chili peppers, garlic, olive oil and rose petals. In addition to its slightly floral spiciness, rose harissa adds a glorious color to the sauce. These days, it can frequently be found in better grocery stores and is readily available online.

Butter Bean Stew with Kale and Pasta is perfect for these still chilly and damp winter days. And as if it weren’t enough to be hearty, delicious and healthy, the dish is made entirely in just one pot! Now who doesn’t like that!?

Butter Beans, which are also called lima beans can be found frozen and in jars. I’ve tried the ones in cans and thought that they were just awful. You could use any large white runner bean in this recipe. If you can find butter beans in jars, I strongly recommend that you keep a few jars in your pantry for a quick dinner.

Since the stew contains pasta, you don’t really need a carb, but we bake our own bread and I have rarely ever said no to a great piece of bread. This stew has everything, including an entire bunch of Dino kale (also called lacinato or cavolo nero) so no salad or side veg is necessary. This one-pot wonder comes together in about 35 minutes, which makes it perfect for weeknights. Be sure to keep a little of the water/bouillon mixture aside to add if you will have left-overs. The sauce does thicken even more as it sits.

RECIPE

YIELD: 4 generous servings

INGREDIENTS

1 Tablespoon avocado or Olive oil (I used some of the oil from the jar of sundried tomatoes)

1 large leek, washed and thinly sliced (White and light green parts)

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

1 rounded teaspoon dried thyme

1 rounded teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

1/3 to 1/2 cup of oil-packed sundried tomatoes, drained and chopped

1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour (If you are GF you could use cornstarch or potato starch)

About 2.5 cups of hot water (Keep about 1/2 cup aside to add as needed)

1 vegan bouillon cube, crumbled and dissolved in the hot water (You could use Better than Bouillon if you prefer.)

1/2 Tablespoon (1.5 teaspoons) Rose harissa

400 to 500g. cooked butter beans with their liquid, preferably from a jar (About 3 cups)

1/2 cup unsweetened vegan heavy cream (I like soy cream, but other plant-based cream should work.)

1 bunch of Dino kale (Also known as lacinato or cavolo nero) with the thick stems removed. Just tear or coarsely chop the kale.

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

2.5 sheets of fresh lasagna, torn into slurpable pieces (I have seen GF fresh lasagna in my store but have never tried it so I cannot vouch for it. But if you do use a GF pasta, and sub out the flour as suggested, this dish could be GF as well as vegan.)

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oil in a 5 quart pot or Dutch Oven over medium high heat. Add the leeks and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook for about 4 minutes or until the leek has softened and just begun to brown around the edges.

Add the garlic, thyme and rosemary. I like to rub the dried spice between my hands to activate the oils. Stir through and cook for about 2 minutes or until fragrant.

The sundried tomatoes and flour go in next. Give everything a good stir and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in the water with the bouillon and bring everything to a boil. With the pot uncovered, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for a couple of minutes until the sauce begins to thicken.

Then add the beans with their liquid, the rose harissa and the cooking cream. Stir through and cook for another couple of minutes.

Add in the chopped or torn kale and stir through for a couple of minutes. Once the kale has slightly softened, add the nutritional yeast and stir that through.

Now tear the lasagna into slurpable pieces and throw them into the pot.

Stir through. As soon as they soften, which only takes a couple of minutes, you are ready to enjoy!

Bucatini with Creamy Cabbage and Walnut Sauce

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

I know. Cabbage and pasta?? But stay with me here because this vegan sauce is actually quite wonderful. It’s creamy, dense, full of silky, caramelized cabbage and thickened with ground walnuts, cashew milk and nutritional yeast for just the right nutty, cheesy finish. The thick bucatini is the perfect pasta to slurp up this delicious Creamy Cabbage and Walnut Sauce.

When we watched Nisha Vora make it, my husband, who is quite open to vegan dishes, said thanks but no thanks. I was quite certain that I could make this and he would love it. With a few tweaks from the original recipe, he gobbled it down and even had seconds. I served it with a crisp arugula salad and my homemade seeded whole grain sourdough bread. So, so good!

Creamy Cabbage and Walnut Sauce of course can be used with other pasta shapes. And because this dish is not super protein dense on its own, you might want to serve it with a lentil rigatoni or high protein pasta to up your protein intake.

Not only is this dish delicious, it is budget friendly. Once again, the humble, ubiquitous green cabbage is transformed into star material – just like the girl with glasses in the old Hollywood musicals. All of the ingredients are easily available in any good supermarket.

Unlike the original recipe, I did not use fresh thyme or basil. I have found that fresh basil especially goes bad so quickly that it is not something I try to keep on hand. Freeze dried herbs, however, are flavorful and last well in either the fridge or in the pantry for the shelf stable versions. I also find that the flavor of the thyme and basil is much more reliable than for the fresh herbs.

RECIPE

YIELD: 4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 small green cabbage (About 1.5 pounds)

5 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided

kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

4 fat garlic cloves, peeled and very thinly sliced

1/2 Tablespoon (1.5 teaspoons) of dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1.25 cups of full-fat unsweetened oat milk or cashew milk (I used cashew milk)

1/2 cup of nutritional yeast

3/4 cup (3 ounces) lightly pan-toasted walnuts, pulsed or crushed into a coarse powder

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice (1/2 of a juicy lemon)

1.5 teaspoons dried basil or a handful of fresh

Coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Slice the cabbage into quarters. Then cut out the thick core. Using a sharp knife, slice or shred the cabbage. You should have about 10 cups. Thinly slice the garlic cloves.

Heat a 12-inch non-stick or seasoned cast iron skillet with high sides over medium high heat. Add 3 Tablespoons of the EVOO and heat until shimmering.

Add the cabbage, 1 teaspoon of the salt and about 8 to 10 cracks of black pepper.

Use tongs to coat the cabbage in the oil. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook the cabbage until it is silky and starting to brown. If it seems to be sticking or browning too quickly, add a splash of water to deglaze the pan.

While the cabbage is cooking, lightly pan toast the walnuts and process them into a coarse powder. I found that a mini food processor worked great by pulsing the nuts. You don’t want a paste, which is why pulsing the nuts is important. If you don’t have a processor, you can crush the nuts with a rolling pin or bottle.

Add the garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes and stir frequently for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Cover it and set aside.

Cook the pasta according to the package but for the least amount of time shown. Just before the pasta is finished cooking, ladle off 1 cup of starchy pasta water.

Meanwhile prepare the sauce. Using a large measuring cup or a bowl, whisk together the cashew milk, nutritional yeast, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2 Tablespoons of EVOO.

Once you have drained the pasta, add it back to the pot and add in the sauce and crushed walnuts. Toss it well using tongs over medium heat to coat all of the pasta. I added in a ladle or two of the pasta water to loosen the sauce and to give extra creaminess. Fold in the cabbage.

Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice, dried or fresh basil and a few extra cracks of black pepper if desired. Garnish with the parsley and dig in!

I added the remaining reserved pasta water to the left-over pasta for storage in the fridge. Sauces almost always thicken as they sit and this will give the sauce the right consistency when reheating.

Cauliflower Tofu Korma

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

Rich and loaded with umami, this Cauliflower Tofu Korma is a winner. The seasonings are just right to produce a flavorful dish that is as good as any in a restaurant. And the aromas coming out of your kitchen will make people run, not walk, to the table. I came across the recipe on my favorite vegan blog – PickUp Limes.

Of course, I made a few tweaks. The full-fat coconut milk lends the richness, which makes the Cauliflower Tofu Korma so incredibly satisfying. The dish comes together quickly and with only a little bit of fussing. I prefer to cut up my own cauliflower, but you could use store bought cut up cauliflower for an even faster result. And while I mostly followed the recipe, I think that next time I will use a mix of cauliflower and broccoli which will add color, texture and even additional flavor.

So what is Korma and how does it differ from curry or sabzi?

A curry does not need ingredients like yogurt, coconut milk, nuts, seeds and fragrant whole spices. But a korma needs all of these ingredients. Korma is a specific, mild, and creamy type of Indian curry. “Curry” is a broad term for diverse, spiced South Asian sauces. Kormas use yogurt, cream, coconut milk, nuts, and mild spices to create a thick, velvety gravy.

“Sabzi” (or sabji) refers to an Indian stew made of cooked vegetables. A sabzi is often seasoned with spices and served either dry or in a light gravy. It is a fundamental part of Indian cuisine, particularly in North India and Gujarat. Sabzi is commonly served with roti, paratha, or rice. 

If you are not into a lot of heat in your food or are planning a meal with a diverse group, you can’t go wrong with a rich korma that is generally milder than a curry.

I served my korma over basmati rice, accompanied by a quick spinach raita, chutney and flat bread. It was a big hit with my husband and we are looking forward to left-overs.

RECIPE

Yield: 4 to 6 servings, depending on sides

INGREDIENTS

1 pound of Extra Firm Tofu, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Freshly cracked black pepper (Just a few cracks or about 1/8 teaspoon)

1 medium to large cauliflower cut into florets (The leaves can be used if they are nice.)

1/4 cup of a neutral vegetable oil (I like Avocado oil.)

10 whole cloves

10 green cardamom pods, lightly smashed

2 cinnamon sticks

2 bay leaves

Generous 1/2 cup of raw cashews

10 medium to large garlic cloves (It’s about a standard bulb of garlic.)

2 small or one large yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped

4.5 Tablespoons of water

Rounded Tablespoon of garam masala

1.5-inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

Rounded teaspoon of ground coriander

Rounded teaspoon of ground turmeric

2 teaspoons of kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon of Kashmiri chili powder (If you are using another chili powder, like cayenne, I would only use a 1/4 teaspoon.)

Rounded Tablespoon of granulated sugar

25 ounces OR 3 cups of full-fat coconut milk

Chopped cilantro for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Steam the cauliflower for 8 minutes in a pot large enough to comfortably hold the florets. To steam the cauliflower, just use enough water to cover the bottom of the pot by an inch or 2. It should NOT cover the cauliflower.

Once steamed, drain the cauliflower and lay the florets out on a tea towel or paper towels. Gently pat to remove any excess water. Set aside.

While the cauliflower is steaming, add the cashews, garlic, ginger, onion and water to a blender or food processor Blend until you have a smooth paste. Set this aside.

In a large, deep, non-stick skillet with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering add the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves. Be careful when doing this as the spices can pop right out of the pan! Stir and toast for 1 minute.

Carefully toss the tofu pieces with the cornstarch and some freshly cracked black pepper. Add this to the pan with the spices. Using a soft spatula, gently coat the pieces with the oil. Brown the flat sides of the tofu. Don’t stir it or the tofu won’t brown and might crumble. This takes a few minutes and honestly.

Once the tofu is golden, discard the whole spices using tongs. Then add the dried ground spices and cook for a few seconds more, stirring it through.

Now add in the cashew paste and cook for 3 minutes. I didn’t need to but you can add some splashes of water if you need to deglaze the pan.

Next comes the coconut milk. Add it and stir everything gently but thoroughly. It may seem like a lot of liquid at first, but the sauce will thicken especially if you make this ahead and reheat it.

It’s now to to plate this delicious meal and enjoy!