Tofu Crossing

Years ago we ate Logan Bread on an Outward Bound trip in the Florida Everglades. When planning our menu for a recent, week-long Appalachian Trail hike in Vermont, I tried different recipes over several weekends. Below is the recipe of the Logan bread our family agreed is the best.

This is a slight modification of a Logan Bread described here: http://neice.com/2009/08/logan-bread/

1 quart water
4 pounds whole wheat flour
1 1/2 pounds raw sugar or brown sugar
12 ounces non-fat dry soy milk
2 tablespoons baking power
2 tablespoons sea salt
2 cups honey
1 cup blackstrap molasses
1 1/4 cups oil
1 cup sesame seeds
1 1/2 cups wheat germ
1 cup each – dried fruits, nuts, TVP

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees
2. mix all ingredients together very well and turn into a greased roasting pan. Bake one hour.
3. Cut into squares and then allow to air-dry until squares are semi-dry.

A square like the one in the picture contains 300 calories (!) and is absolutely delicious.

This simple and delicious recipe evolved when I looked in my vegetable drawer and found two leeks, half a bunch of celery and a stub of a carrot.

Summer Lights Celery Soup
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 leeks
1 pared down bunch of celery
an inch of carrot
salt and pepper
herbs for garnishing (chives, parsley)

First I cleaned the leeks and chopped them finely, and put them into a pot with some olive oil and salt to saute. The celery was close to the heart of the bunch – the outer stalks had already been pulled off for other snacks and the upper half lobbed off for another soup, so what was left was the tenderest most flavorful part. I chopped it up right down to where the roots start, leaves and all, and added it to the leeks. I fine chopped the carrot stub, more for color than for taste and threw it in. When the vegetables had all softened, I added three cups of water to cover them and simmered for half an hour. With the soup blender I pureed the soup with 2 cups of rice milk. Seasoned with salt and pepper, and served with some fresh chives and parsley from my garden herb pots.

My family loved this soup. The tender celery makes it very sweet and there are none of the harsh strings that outer celery stalks bring to a soup. The leeks contribute a more gentle flavor than onions. All together creating a soup that feels soft and gentle, and a delicious antidote to the heat of a hot summer night.

Raw Carrot Cake

Our Passover dessert was a cake made with no flour, sugar, or an oven! As unbelievable as this may sound, this cake was a breeze to make, though be sure to allow enough time to make each layer and chill it before going on to the next. It is superbly delicious and unlike any cake you’ve ever eaten.

My husband Irad made the cake for our Passover Vegan Seder, and the recipe and his comments are below:
The recipe comes from http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/cakes/r/rawcarrotcake.htm :

Ingredients:
For the Crust:
•    2 cups finely ground raw almonds
•    ½ t. salt
•    ½ cup finely chopped Medjool dates
•    1/3 cup maple syrup
•    ½ cup raw sunflower seeds
For the Filling:
•    1 lb. carrots, finely chopped
•    1 16-ounce bag frozen pineapple, thawed
•    1/3 cup finely ground raw cashews
For the Frosting:
•    1 1/3 cups finely ground raw macadamia nuts
•    2 cups finely chopped Medjool dates
•    1/4 cup maple syrup
•    ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
Preparation:
1. Line the bottom of a 9” spring-form pan with parchment paper.
2. Make the crust. In a food processor, blend the almonds, salt, dates, and maple syrup until creamy. Mix in the sunflower seeds and press into the prepared pan. Place the pan in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before adding the filling.
3. Make the filling. In a food processor, blend the carrots, pineapple and cashews until just combined. Spread the mixture on top of the crust layer and place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
4. Make the frosting. In a blender or food processor, blend the ground macadamia nuts, dates, lemon juice and maple syrup until creamy. Spread over the filling and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving. Serve cold.

Couple tips: Make sure the almonds, macadamia nuts and cashews are finely ground first, before other ingredients are added. The crust and frosting are quite sticky, and take some patience to spread.

-Irad

It was beautiful, delicious, very satisfying in terms of chiming all the sweet tooth bells, and even healthy. Chag sameach – Happy Passover.

Kitchen Sink Miso

The third in my series of Miso Soups, this one has everything in it but the kitchen sink. It is rich, hearty and satisfying, yet not heavy. It is a meal alone, or a great first course. It is almost the other two misos from this blog combined, and there is plenty of room for improvisation.

Ingredients (highly flexible except for the miso itself)
2 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil (or canola oil)
One onion (or scallions or shallots)
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger (or more if you really like ginger)
1 cup of diced celery
1 cup of crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 pkg of dried shitake mushrooms (or any dried mushrooms
1/2 cup of miso
8 -10 cups of water or vegetable broth (I use water and it is fine)
1/2 lb. of firm tofu
3 carrots, shredded
1/4 large head of white cabbage, shredded  (purple will muddy your soup)
shredded daikon radish
12 oz. can of garbanzo beans (or 1 cup pre-soaked and pre-cooked)
frozen peans
your additional vegetable improvisations (green beans, corn, radish slices,)
sprouts and cilantro for garnish

Cook the onions in the oil, add the garlic, ginger and crimini mushrooms. Put the dried mushrooms to soak in a cup of water. When the mushrooms begin to look cooked, add the miso, the soaked dried mushrooms with their water,  and the remainder of the water (or vegetable broth). Bring to a boil and throw in all the other ingredients. Cook 5 minutes, garnish and serve – Do not overcook the carrots/cabbage – it is better to have some texture to the vegetables, and leave room for reheating the soup.