Linda Watson's Blog, page 2

Pine Cones Alfredo

In the competitive world of vegan dining, one dish stands out as the fiber champion: Pine Cones Alfredo. While amateur vegans merely trade fiber-free foods like meat and dairy for beans, artichokes, and kale, the pros rely on robust recipes like this to get their grams up.

My Uncle Eliot graciously allowed me to share his recipe. He saw it as essential to being named a Top Fiber Fellow for five years in a row. “It ain’t rabbit food,” he said between chews. “Nothing amps your microbiome like pine cones.”

Pine Cones Alfredo are:

Crunchy
Creamy
Woodsy
Filling
Free-range
Thrifty
Gluten-free
Floral
Fiber-licious

Pine Cones Alfredo Pine Cones Alfredo are traditionally served on April 1st. Servings4 people Cook Time20 minutes Ingredients 8medium pine conesfree-range and organic 4ounces vegan butter 1cup full-fat oat milk 1cup nutritional yeast 1/2teaspoon salt edible flowersfor garnish, optional Instructions Lightly brush pine cones to remove dirt and insects. Set aside. In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat butter and milk. Stir in nutritional yeast and salt. Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Pour half the sauce on a serving plate, top with pine cones, and pour remaining sauce over the cones. Optionally, dust with additional nooch. You can't get too much. Garnish with violets or other edible flowers. Serve hot. Compost any extra.

Use Cans as Vases

Want to brighten someone’s day with a bouquet but don’t have a spare vase? My friend Elise taught me to use clean aluminum cans for flowers! The shiny silver looks modern on its own. You can also wrap the can to hide a sticky label strip or just for fun. Here, I used a scrap of bird-themed wrapping paper for birder friends.

I use a can opener that cuts the lid in a way that doesn’t leave sharp edges. If you don’t, wrap the edges in sturdy tape to avoid injury.

When the blooms are past their glory, your lucky recipient can reuse or recycle the can instead of returning a vase.

Lemon Tahini Dressing

Lemon Tahini Dressing brings the brightness of citrus and the magic of umami to salads, roasted vegetables, and baked potatoes. You may be tempted to eat it by the spoonful. This creamy dressing is a dairy-free, climate-friendly alternative to ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Save money by using the lemon zest instead of an extra lemon.

Lemon Tahini Dressing Tangy, creamy, and savory, this dressing works well on salads, roasted vegetables, and baked potatoes. Makes just under 2 cups of dressing or 14 servings. Prep Time10 minutes Ingredients 1/2cup olive oil 1/4cup tahini 1/4cup shoyuor other soy sauce, gluten-free if needed 2medium lemonsjuice and zest 1small garlic clove 1/4cup green onion 1/4cup water Instructions Put all ingredients in a blender and blend at high speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Taste and adjust seasonings. Your dressing is ready to go! It keeps at room temperature for four hours and refrigerated for five days. Recipe Notes If you can't get organic lemons, use 1/3 cup lemon juice instead.Because this is a homemade dressing made with fresh vegetables, it doesn't last as long as bottled dressing. But that freshness brings flavor!Tahini, aka sesame-seed butter, is a key ingredient for hummus. Find it near the peanut butter at most grocery stores or any Mediterranean market.Thanks to Arthur Gordon, the original owner and chef of the Irregardless Café, for the inspiration and many, many wonderful meals.

My biggest mistake: soy

My editor asked why I nixed soy in Wildly Affordable Organic. I cited the influential 2009 article in Men’s Health that made a case for soy being the “most dangerous food for men.” The story cited peer-reviewed papers, which I read  to verify my stand, checking for financial interest on the part of the authors. The anti-soy warning rang true, because my Taster lost his strength and energy during a period when I cooked a lot of mock-meat soy products. (I was fairly new to cooking all plant-based, and finding ch1k’n was a relief.)

He returned to normal within a few days after I switched back to our normal diet of beans, vegetables, fruit, grains, nuts, and seeds. We dropped the mock meat, tofu, and soymilk. My Taster avoids soy to this day. We’ll never know if it was the soy, some other ingredient, or even something he wasn’t eating while we ate so much b33f and p@rk instead.

Soy is Back and It’s Delicious!

About two years ago, I started tossing tofu into my breakfast smoothies as part of my plan to ward off breast cancer. Minimally processed soy may help slow the progression of prostate cancer too.

Fast forward to the present. Men’s Health now says this about tofu: “the soy-based food is now totally okay to eat and actually really delicious.” They own up to tarnishing the super-legume’s reputation:

Back in the 2000s, a few small studies and rodent research suggested that the phytoestrogens in soy products could disrupt hormones. Several news outlets (including this one—our bad) may have overblown those findings.

My bad too. I’m sorry that it took me so long to realize that the widely reported problems with soy were of people who consumed ludicrous amounts. Three quarts of soy milk a day? Ai yi yi! I know more about understanding research articles now too. On the other hand, some people have an allergic reaction to soy. If any food makes you feel bad, quit eating it.

Now I wonder why more school cafeterias don’t serve more soy products, especially the whole-bean edamame or minimally processed products like tofu, miso, and nattō. Even Soy Curls! The protective effect of soy is most powerful for girls and young women.

New Recipes to Get You Started

This week, I’m sharing two new recipes: how to freeze and press tofu to transform its texture and Barbecued Tofu.

Barbecued Tofu

Marinate frozen and pressed tofu in this homemade barbeque sauce, then bake or grill it for a healthy and thrifty main dish. (The image above shows baked cubes and a grilled triangle). Use it in sandwiches, on salads, tucked into a taco, or just as the protein anchor for a meal. If you’re in a hurry, use bottled barbecue sauce.

You can use the barbecue sauce by itself on beans too.

Barbecued Tofu Meaty slabs or squares of tofu, marinated in a spicy barbecue sauce Servings3 servings Ingredients 12ounces Frozen and Pressed Tofu Barbecue Sauce 1/3cup shoyuor soy sauce 1/3cup ketchup 2tablespoons rice-wine vinegar 1tablespoon minced ginger 1/2tablespoon minced garlic 2teaspoons blackstrap molasses 1/4teaspoon dried ground chipotle powder Instructions Freeze and press tofu. Cube or cut into shapes as desired. Put all sauce ingredients in a microwave-safe container and heat on high for 90 seconds, just until it starts to boil. Let it rest for about five minutes. Pour about one third of the sauce into a low, wide container, add tofu in a single layer, and cover with the rest of the sauce. Cover the container and refrigerate for at least a half hour and up to three days. Grill marinated slabs of tofu for three or four minutes, until heated through and the grill marks look the way you want them to look. Or bake cubed tofu at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes, turning halfway through. Refrigerate any extra for up to five days.

Frozen Tofu

Banish bland tofu by giving it the freeze. As the water-rich tofu freezes, ice crystals form and swell. When you thaw and press it, much of the water drains away, leaving space for marinades and a meatier texture. I thought this was a vintage hippy technique, but it turns out that Japanese and Chinese cooks have been freezing tofu for centuries.

How can you use frozen and pressed tofu?

Marinate and:

Grill slabs for a main dishBake cubes to top a main-dish salad or grains bowlCrumble and cook in a skillet with onions and peppers to tuck into tacos

See my recipe for tofu marinated in barbecue sauce. Or skip the marinade and stir crumbles right into stews and chili, where they will soak up the surrounding sauce.

What’s so great about frozen and pressed tofu?Thrifty ($2.08 a pound organic or about 42 cents a serving)Convenient (freeze it today, use it within a year)Meaty but not meatGluten-freeVery few ingredientsGood source of protein, calcium, iron, and fiberWeirdly enough, a serving of tofu probably has less soy than a serving of beef. Frozen Tofu Meaty tofu slabs, cubes, or crumbles. Makes six slabs, with two slabs in a usual serving. Vegan, gluten-free, no added oil. Servings3 servings Ingredients 12ounces extra-firm tofu Instructions Slice tofu crossways into six slabs and put them in a single layer in a freezer-safe container or baking pan. Cover and freeze until frozen through, at least four hours. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or for about two hours on a counter. Fold a smooth, clean kitchen towel in half and put it on a plate. Press thawed tofu gently with your fingers to remove some liquid, then arrange in a single layer on the towel. Fold the towel edges up to cover the tofu. Top with a heavy weight. I use a cast-iron skillet filled with jars full of dried beans, with a layer of foil between the towel and the cast-iron pan, so it doesn't rust. Let the weight press liquid out of the tofu for about two hours, replacing the towel with a fresh dry one after about an hour. Your tofu is ready to cube, crumble, or marinate as is! If you don't plan to use it right away, refrigerate for up to five days.

Pepper Bash

Cook peppers, onions, mushrooms, and salsa together to give yourself a flavorful jump-start on meals all week. This super-nutritious mix works well in tacos or burritos, sandwiches, with pasta, and even as a side dish or dip. The mushrooms cook down to create a savory base rich in umami. It’s hard to believe that this is a fat-free recipe.

Pepper Bash Like a warm super-salsa, this vegetable mix brightens many types of meals. Make a batch to spoon into tacos, toss with pasta, pair with avocado on toast, or just dip it up with chips. Courseside dish CuisineMexican Servings2 cups Prep Time15 minutes Cook Time10 minutes Ingredients 1/2large red onion1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped 1tablespoon water 2medium red bell peppers2 1/4 cups cored, seeded, and chopped 4medium white button mushroomsor baby bella mushrooms, 1/2 cup chopped 1/2cup salsasuch as Frontera Chipotle Salsa 1/2teaspoon dried oregano 1/2teaspoon saltoptional Instructions Put chopped onion in a large skillet with water to keep it from sticking. Heat over medium-low heat. Add the bell peppers and mushrooms as you chop them, then add remaining ingredients. Stir occasionally. Cook until vegetables are tender and the sauce from the salsa and mushroom liquid is as thick as you like it, about 10 more minutes. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. Keeps refrigerated for a week.

SARS-CoV-2 enzyme blocked by chocolate, tea, and more

Chemical compounds found in green tea, dark chocolate, and muscadine grapes can bind to and block an enzyme in the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This stops the virus cells from replicating, according to a press release from NCSU. Wow! I read the study, and it still sounded like incredibly good news. So I wrote to Dr. Xie to check before sharing the news with you:

Dear Dr. Xie, I would love to recommend eating more dark chocolate and drinking more green tea, but don’t want to extrapolate too far. Would you go so far as to recommend a glass of red wine with the chocolate?

Readers, he said yes! But that’s on a personal level. He noted that he studies phytochemistry to hunt for natural plant chemicals that can help human health but is not a expert on human nutrition. Here’s what he practices personally and recommends to friends:

Drinking tea and taking chocolate provide health benefits. This is because green tea and dark chocolate have those nutritional flavan-3-ol gallates and dimeric procyanidins.Drink a glass of red wine, but be aware that alcohol addiction is harmful to health. (Personally, I eat red grapes before they are fermented.)Don’t drink tea, grape juice, or red wine with cow milk or soy milk, which can block the health benefits.

Personally, he drinks at least one cup of green tea a day. During the pandemic, he often drinks two cups a day. Based on the taste, loose tea may contain more helpful compounds than bagged tea.

Remember, these are just good healthy practices that may help minimize your risk if exposed to the virus. Keep wearing your mask, washing your hands, and enjoying the outdoors. Also talk less in shared spaces, as Derek Thompson pointed out in Americans Elites Still Don’t Understand How COVID-19 Works. When you are eligible for a vaccine, please get it! Treat yourself to a glass of wine or some dark chocolate afterwards.

Check out some of my chocolate-rich recipes to get you started!

Please Take This Short Survey

Dr. Xie’s team is studying how natural chemicals in certain types of foods may help speed the recovery process in COVID-19 patients. It takes about three minutes. Take the survey here >>

Adzuki Beans in Orange Sauce

Brighten up a winter day with smallish, slightly sweet adzuki beans in zingy orange sauce. This thrifty recipe uses the zest and juice of organic oranges. Adzuki beans cook faster than kidney beans.

Adzuki beans originally came from China, Japan, or India more than a thousand years ago, where they are often used in cakes or other confections. My sister-in-law enjoyed a birthday cake made for her in Japan with red beans between the layers. When she asked her hosts about the cake, they said of course it had red beans, it was a birthday cake!

Adzuki Beans with Orange Sauce Make a flavorful pot of red adzuki beans and stir them into a bright and healthy orange sauce. Serve on hot rice or another whole grain for a complete meal. CourseMain Dish CuisineAsian Servings10 servings Prep Time30 minutes Passive Time1.45 hours Ingredients Adzuki Beans 2cloves garlic 1pound adzuki beansdried 1medium onion 2teaspoons salt 1medium carrot 6cups water Orange Sauce 2cloves garlic 2teaspoons grated ginger 1medium onion 2teaspoons sesame oilor peanut or canola oil 1/2teaspoon dried ground chipotle powderor cayenne powder 2medium orangeszest and juice 4cups shredded green cabbage240 grams 1medium orangefor garnish, optional Instructions Mince 2 cloves garlic and set aside. Sort and rinse adzuki beans as described in the Basic Beans recipe. Chop onion and cut carrot into 1/4 inch wide moons. Put garlic, beans, onion, salt, carrot, and water into a medium pot. Cover pot and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low so bean mixture barely boils. Cook until beans are tender, about two hours, then make sauce. When beans are almost tender, make sauce. Mince remaining garlic and set aside. Grate ginger and chop onion. Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic, ginger, and chipotle and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add onions, stir, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Shred cabbage and stir into onion mixture. Zest each orange right on into the cooking vegetables, then juice it and add juice to vegetables. Test cabbage to see if it's tender. If needed, cover and simmer for a few minutes. Drain adzuki beans. Pour sauce onto beans and stir to mix. Serve hot over rice, garnished with an orange wedge if desired. Refrigerate extra for up to four days or freeze for up to a year. Recipe Notes Instead of buying a bottle of specialty sesame or peanut oil, pour oil off the top of a freshly opened jar of tahini or peanut butter.For a fancier presentation, serve beans and sauce unmixed, so each serving has a layer of rice, beans, and sauce. This looks particularly nice with an orange wedge on the side.Variation: replace cabbage with two bell peppers, sliced thin and cut in bite-sized pieces.

Marcella Beans with Rainbow Chard and Lemon

These tender heirloom beans cook up into a soupy, saucy wonder with very little effort. My Taster, who is not a fan of white beans, said that this recipe could make him a convert.

Cook dried beans, aromatics, and herbs in a slow cooker or big pot for healthy comfort food. Serve a bowlful with toast and carrot sticks for an easy meal. Dish them up for a hearty, plant-based option at any holiday meal, from breakfast to Santa’s midnight snack.

If you can’t get Marcella beans, use another white cannellini bean or other white beans.

Marcella Beans with Rainbow Chard and Lemon

Soupy white beans with rainbow chard, red onions, and lemon will brighten a winter day. Tastes rich but has no added fat. May help make you rich, because you eat every drop, including the bean broth. Vegan and gluten-free.



CuisineGreek





Servings10 servings

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time4 1/2 hours







Ingredients








1pound

Marcella beansor other dried white beans

6cups

water

1tablespoon

salt

1medium

red onionchopped

1bunch

rainbow chardabout 12 ounces or 340 grams, stems and leaves chopped separately

2cloves

garlicminced

3/4teaspoon

dried thyme

1/2teaspoon

dried sage

1medium

lemonor 2 tablespoons lemon juice










Instructions









Pick over and rinse beans. Put in a slow cooker with water and salt. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours.



Add chopped onion, chard stems, thyme, and sage to beans. Stir and cook on high for 2 1/2 hours or until beans are tender.



Stir chard leaves and lemon juice into beans. Cook for 10 minutes until leaves are tender. Taste and adjust seasonings. Don't drain.



Serve hot by the ladleful to include the tasty bean gravy. Refrigerate any extra for up to 5 days or freeze for up to a year.