Forks Over Knives: Flavor! Archives - Forks Over Knives

Sneak Peek: 3 Recipes from Our Brand-New Cookbook, “Forks Over Knives: Flavor!”

Darshana Thacker Wendel — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 07:00:49 +0000

Every country has so much to share in terms of its traditional cuisine, much of which is already vegetarian or vegan or can easily be adapted to be vegan. For many years, I explored those foods in restaurants, on my travels, and in my research. But often such culinary treats are rich and not so healthy—and they leave you feeling sluggish. That’s why I set about putting together Forks Over Knives: Flavor!, a collection of my favorite dishes from around the world, prepared with whole-food, plant-based ingredients.

Flavor! is Forks Over Knives’ first-ever four-color cookbook, and in addition to 150 exclusive recipes, it features truly stunning, coffee table–worthy photography and a helpful primer on how to stock your plant-based kitchen.

The following three recipes offer a taste of Flavor!, which is available for online order now and in stores on Oct. 30.

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Thai Red Curry Noodles with Stir-Fried Vegetables

Darshana Thacker Wendel — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 14:00:48 +0000

Thai curries are wonderful because they have a wide range of flavors brought together with a nice creamy sauce, which is usually coconut milk–based. I find that soy or almond milk is lighter and fresher-tasting than coconut milk. I make my own red curry paste for these Thai Red Curry Noodles, but you can use oil-free store-bought Thai curry paste. Just be sure to add the paste gradually, tasting it as you go and stopping when the curry meets your preferred spice level.

From Forks Over Knives: Flavor!

Yield: About 8 cups

8 ounces Thai-style brown rice noodles (or any whole-grain noodles, such as soba noodles, or whole-grain pasta)
½ medium yellow onion, cut into ¼-inch dice (about 1 cup)
6 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 small sweet potato (about 8 ounces), scrubbed and cut into ½-inch dice
¼ cup oil-free Thai red curry paste
2 tablespoons Date Paste
1 cup fresh or frozen stir-fry vegetables
1 small tomato, cut into ½-inch dice (about ½ cup)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 cup unsweetened, unflavored plant milk
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water to keep them from cooking further. Set aside.
Combine the onion, garlic, ginger, and ¼ cup water in a large sauté pan or soup pot and cook over medium heat, covered, for about 15 minutes, until the onion is tender, stirring occasionally and adding 1 to 2 tablespoons more water as needed to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan. Add the potato, curry paste, date paste, and 1½ cups water and continue to cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the potato is tender.
Add the stir-fry vegetables, tomato, lime juice, milk, and salt and pepper to taste; bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Gently fold in the noodles and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the noodles are warmed through.
Serve warm, garnished with fresh cilantro. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

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Persian Yellow Split Pea and Eggplant Stew

Darshana Thacker Wendel — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 14:00:37 +0000

The following recipe is a sneak peek from our new cookbook, Forks Over Knives: Flavor! Find more exclusive recipes from the recently released book here.

Many years ago, when I lived in India, a group of visiting Iranian friends made a Persian-themed dinner that included this stew. I loved the flavor of saffron with the yellow split peas, and I have been making it ever since. Dried rosebuds, which this recipe calls for, are common in Persian cuisine, in both savory and sweet dishes. You can also find edible rose petals in many Mexican markets and tea shops or online.

Yield: About 6 cups

1 cup yellow split peas
1 medium yellow onion, cut into ¼-inch dice (about 2 cups)
12 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
Rind of one lemon, finely chopped
2 (15-ounce) cans sodium-free or low-sodium tomato sauce (about 3 cups)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 big pinches saffron
½ teaspoon dried rosebuds (optional)
1 large eggplant (about 1½ pounds), peeled and sliced lengthwise into ½-inch thick slabs
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Sea salt
Finely chopped fresh mint (optional)

Instructions

Combine the split peas and 4 cups water in a large pot or Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 1 hour, until the peas are tender enough to mash easily when pressed between your fingers.
Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, cook the onion, garlic, lemon rind, and ½ cup water over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the onion is tender, adding 1 to 2 more tablespoons of water as needed to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the pan. Add the tomato sauce, cumin, coriander, cardamom, turmeric, pepper, cinnamon, saffron, and rosebuds (if using). Add 2 cups water and stir to combine.
Lay the eggplant slices on top of the sauce and bring the sauce to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the eggplant is tender.
Add the split peas and their cooking liquid to the pan. Season to taste with the lemon juice and salt; stir to combine. Cook for another 5 minutes to allow the split peas to absorb the flavors.
Serve stew warm over steamed rice, and garnished with the mint (if using).

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Corn and Mushroom Empanadas

Darshana Thacker Wendel — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 14:00:30 +0000

The following recipe is a sneak peek from our new cookbook, Forks Over Knives: Flavor! Find more exclusive recipes from the recently released book here.

Empanadas are single-serving pastries that can be filled with sweet or savory ingredients. They are made in many parts of the world, but they are especially identified with Argentina. Empanadas are traditionally fried, but these are baked. The combination of potato flour and whole-wheat flour gives the pastry a light, crisp texture. I serve the empanadas with Chimichurri, a traditional Argentinian herb-based condiment. Empanadas are labor-intensive, but you can prepare the dough and filling, and even assemble them, a day in advance. Then all you’ll have to do is bake them just before serving. If you can’t find potato flour, use 1½ cups mashed, cooked russet potatoes (about 1½ pounds) instead.

Yield: Makes 24 to 30 empanadas

Ingredients

Dough

½ cup raw cashews
1 cup potato flour
½ cup whole-wheat flour
½ teaspoon sea salt
Unbleached all-purpose (or whole-wheat) flour for dusting

Filling

½ pound white mushrooms, trimmed and roughly chopped (3 cups)
1 small yellow onion, cut into ¼-inch dice
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
3 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
2 tablespoons white miso paste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black or white pepper
3 cups chopped fresh spinach
Sea salt
1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon flaxseed meal (brown or golden)

Instructions

To make dough, soak cashews in ½ cup hot water for 20 minutes. Transfer cashews and soaking liquid to a blender or food processor; blend until creamy.
In a food processor fitted with a dough blade or a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine cashew “cream”, potato flour, whole-wheat flour, salt, and 1½ cups water; mix to a smooth dough, adding water if needed to make the dough come together.
Using a spatula, scoop the dough into a large bowl; let it stand for 10 to 15 minutes.
To make filling, in a large sauté pan, combine mushrooms, onion, jalapeño, and garlic; sauté over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion are translucent and the water from the mushrooms has cooked off. Add corn, miso, cumin, cayenne, and pepper; cook 5 minutes more.
Add spinach and cook for 2 minutes, or until spinach is wilted. Add salt to taste. Transfer filling to a large bowl to cool for 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small saucepan, combine flaxseeds and ½ cup water. Bring to a boil and simmer until mixture gels, about 2 minutes. Strain out the seeds and preserve the gel.
Prepare a station to roll out the dough. You’ll need a large cutting board or other clean, flat surface, a rolling pin, a pastry brush, a bowl of all-purpose flour for dusting, and the bowl of flaxseed gel.
Lightly dust the work surface with flour. Transfer dough onto the floured surface and knead until smooth.
Scoop 1 generous tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball. Repeat with remaining dough until you have 24 to 30 balls.
Re-dust work surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll a dough ball in flour, and use the rolling pin to flatten it into a 4-inch disk, dusting with more flour as needed. Repeat until you have six disks, and place them on one of the prepared baking sheets.
Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling onto the middle of each disk. Fold the dough in half, press the edges together to seal, and crimp edges using your fingers or the tines of a fork. (Dust fingers or fork with flour if the dough is too sticky.) Transfer the empanadas to the second prepared baking sheet.
Repeat steps 10–12 to form remaining empanadas, then divide them evenly between the two baking sheets. Brush each empanada with flaxseed gel. Bake 25 minutes.
Remove the trays from the oven and increase the heat to 400°F. Flip the empanadas using a thin spatula and brush with flaxseed gel. Return empanadas to oven, rotating baking sheets from front to back and top to bottom racks for even baking. Bake 10 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.
Let empanadas cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with the Chimichurri for dipping.

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