Tofu “Feta” Cheese
Ingredients:
- 15 oz/16 oz firm/extra firm tofu
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar (distilled vinegar works, too)
- 1 tbsp Greek seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Directions:
- Drain tofu.
- Chop tofu into ½-inch cubes.
- Put tofu in a tall jar (24 oz or larger) or glass bowl with lid.
- Put spices in the jar/bowl with the tofu.
- Add the liquids.
- Put lid on jar or bowl and gently turn it upside down and right side up a few times to mix the ingredients.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or, preferably, overnight. Give it a stir or a shake every few hours (or so) to ensure all the cubes become marinated.
- You can keep the leftover tofu in the marinade for at least a week in the fridge; it becomes more flavorful as it sits.
Mint Ginger (Kashayam) Tea
Servings: 2
Kashayam is an Ayurvedic tea brewed with whole spices to boost immunity among other health benefits.
Ingredients:
- 16 oz water
- 2 sprigs mint (12 to 18 medium/large leaves)
- 1 tsp ginger (fresh, finely chopped or grated)
- ¼ tsp coriander (whole seeds)
- ½ cinnamon stick
- Optional: 1 tsp raisins (chopped)
- Optional: 6 whole walnuts
Directions:
- Chop ginger into tiny pieces and chop raisins (if using).
- Heat water to a boil.
- Using a tea pot or cooking pot, pour water over mint leaves, ginger, coriander seeds, cinnamon stick, and raisins.
- Cover and steep for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Garnish with 3 walnuts.*
*Note: The original recipe recommends serving this with 3 walnuts because the natural fats in walnuts (and other nuts) appear to increase the bioavailability of fat-soluble phytonutrients found in plants.
Adapted from: https://www.nutritionscience.in/blog/mint-ginger-kashayam-recipe-herbal-tea-recipe-whole-food-plant-based-recipe
Lentil and Barley Salad
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients:
- 1-½ cups dry green lentils
- 1 cup barley*
- 2 cups greens (Swiss chard, collards, kale, lettuce) of choice (chopped; raw or cooked)
- ½ cup fresh cilantro or parsley (chopped)
- 1 small onion (chopped) or 2 to 3 green onions (chopped)
- 1 apple (diced)
- 1 cup pomegranate arils/seeds (when in season) or ½ to ¾ cup dried fruit (pomegranate arils, golden raisins, apricots)
- ¼ cup almonds* (chopped, sliced, or slivered)
- Optional: salad topper: tofu feta (see above)
- Optional: roasted and cooled vegetables of your choice (sweet potatoes, carrots, whatever is in season)
Dressing:
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves (chopped)
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp date paste*
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Directions:
- Combine the lentils and barley with 5 cups of water.
- Bring to a boil and then cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the lentil and barley are done, about 25 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
- In a mason jar – add the apple cider vinegar, garlic, Dijon mustard, date paste, salt and pepper (to taste).
- Shake vigorously until emulsified and combined.
- Combine the cooled barley and lentils, pomegranate arils, greens of choice, cilantro/parsley, apple, almonds, and roasted vegetables (if using).
- Dress with the vinaigrette and toss thoroughly to combine.
- Serve cold or at room temperature.
- Optional: top salad with tofu feta (see above).
*Notes:
- To make this gluten-free: substitute the barley with brown rice or my favorite combination: ⅓ cup each of buckwheat, millet, and amaranth.
- To make this nut-free: use sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds instead of almonds.
- Date paste substitute: add 3 to 4 medium-sized dates (chopped) to the dressing recipe and 1 to 2 tsp of water. Then, instead of shaking the dressing in a mason jar to mix the ingredients, blend the dressing using an immersion blender.
Adapted from: https://www.parsnipsandpastries.com/lentil-and-barley-salad-pomegranate-feta/
Fig, Date, and Walnut Bread
Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients:
- 1 cup water or tea (black, green, herbal, whatever you like)
- ½ cup dried figs (chopped and any tough stems discarded)
- ½ cup dried dates (pitted and chopped)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (or gluten-free, all-purpose flour)
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ cup almond butter (or ¼ cup almond flour mixed with 2 to 3 tbsp plant-based milk) or sunflower seed butter (nut-free option)
- ⅓ to ½ cup date paste (or ½ cup chopped dates blended with a couple tbsp of water)
- ⅔ cup fresh orange juice (from 2 to 3 oranges)
- Grated zest of 1 orange
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped
- ¼ tsp salt
- Optional: top with sunflower seed “cream” cheese and a few dashes of cinnamon.*
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line a 9×5″ loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a small saucepan, heat water or tea over medium-high heat. When it just starts to bubble, turn off heat, and leaving pot on the burner, add chopped dried figs and dried dates. Leave them to soften while you continue with the recipe.
- Put chopped nuts into a shallow baking pan and toast in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until walnuts are brown and rich smelling. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, sift together whole wheat flour and oat flour, baking soda, orange zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- In another bowl, mix together orange juice, date paste, almond butter, and applesauce.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ones.
- Drain figs and dates and add to batter.
- Gently add walnuts and stir until just combined.
- Pour into prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until top is golden and puffed and an inserted tester comes out clean.
*Notes:
- For a sunflower seed “cream” cheese recipe, click here. Omit the garlic! And you can use raw sunflower seeds instead of “sprouted.”
- Wrapped well, bread freezes well or keeps well in the refrigerator for several days, but judging by the audience last week, tends to be consumed immediately.
Adapted from: https://www.vegkitchen.com/vegan-fig-and-walnut-bread/
