Appetizer

Hummus is Hummus

Once in a restaurant Israel with my sister, I asked about the hummus, and the server’s reply was “hummus is hummus”. Not true! I don’t like any of the hummus varieties available today in stores loaded with too much salt and often with preservatives. Freshly made is best and simple to do.

2 cups chick peas (garbanzo beans) (I soak dry beans and cook them until soak. Canned beans can be used instead)
4 Tablespoons Tahini (sesame butter)
juice of 1/2 large lemon
1 cup or more of water
salt to taste (optional)

Place the beans in a blender and add a cup of water. Blend until creamy. Depending on your blender power you may need to stop the blender and stir the contents with a spoon several times until it is smooth using a little more water if necessary. Add in Tahini and lemon juice and blend to incorporate. Place in a container and refrigerate until ready to serve. When ready to serve, spread desired amount out flat on a plate about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and cumin, drizzle with olive oil or sprinkle with pine nuts.

Mini CriMini Mushroom Burgers

Some folks call the small sized burger a slider, some call them White Castle style, here at REAL we call them Mini Crimini Burgers. Regardless of what you call them, this recipe is simple with optimum results. We recommend 3 minis each as an entree or 2 each as a party appetizer for 12 friends. WARNING: After you taste these juicy mushroom burgers with sautéed onions you may want to make extra because they go fast. Garnish with your favorite burger sides.

1 cup Balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon REAL Tuscan Herbs (or Herbes de Provence)
1 teaspoon granulated garlic or 2 cloves of minced garlic
24 large crimini mushrooms (1.5″-2″ in diameter)
2 yellow onions chopped (about 2 cups)
1 Tablespoon olive oil (for sautéeing the onions)
24 REAL Gluten-Free Mini Burger Buns (split)

Dry clean the mushrooms by brushing them with a very soft brush (remove the stems, chop them into small pieces, reserving for use later in this recipe).

In a small bowl prepare the marinade, mixing together the Balsamic vinegar, herbs and garlic.

Place the mushrooms in a shallow dish, bowl or glass baking pan and pour half the marinade over them.

Preheat a cast iron grill-pan or frying pan over medium heat.

Place the mushrooms on the grill and cook until tender, brushing with the remaining marinade.

When they are done, place them back in the pan and keep warm in a low temp oven.

In the same pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions and the mushrooms deglazing the pan with the remaining marinade.

Assemble the Mini Crimini Burgers on the mini buns as you would any burger and garnish each with a teaspoon of the onion mushroom saute.

Baked Tofu Fries

A popular appetizer on some Asian menus is Fried Tofu. Tofu contains a good amount of fat and deep frying it in oil takes a healthy food and turns it into a not-so-healthy one. Here’s a great way to make Fried Tofu, without frying!

One package (15-16 ounces) of tofu.

Freeze the entire package of tofu. Once frozen, the package can be defrosted. Freezing and defrosting changes the texture of the tofu and makes it chewier.

When the tofu has defrosted, remove it from the package. With your hands, over the sink or over a bowl, gently press the block of tofu and squeeze out the water. The tofu can be wrapped in a towel to remove more water.

On a dry cutting board, cut the tofu into 1/2 to 1 inch wide sticks.

Preheat over to 400^oF. Take a large baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. Place the tofu sticks the baking sheet. Do not overlap.

Cook for 15 minutes. Remove baking sheet and carefully turn tofu fries over. Return to the over and cook for another 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and place tofu fries on a serving dish. Serve hot with Spicy Peanut Sauce

The REAL Mezze Platter

Our REAL Mezze Platter consists of Baba Ganoush, Red Pepper Hummus and Cucumber Salad and is a great party plate. Or serve it with our our REAL Baked Falafel Burgers on our REAL Soft Sesame Buns for a hearty lunch or satisfying dinner.

Baked Potato Pancakes, Latkes: Gluten-Free

These potato pancakes are light and delicious, with little or no oil at all. They are a great party food for any celebration. Top with our REAL Tofu Sour Cream or REAL Apple Sauce or our REAL Apple Cranberry Raisin Butter (Holiday Butter). Recipe includes 4 varieties: plain potato, potato carrot onion, potato buckwheat and potato spinach.

RECIPE
Potatoes (about 3 pounds, washed and scrubbed, peeled if not organic)
1 large onion
1/2 cup potato flour (all purpose flour, wheat or gluten-free may be substituted)
2 Tablespoons olive oil (optional – if you are on an oil-free diet leave this out)
3/4 teaspoon salt (optional – if you are on a salt-free diet leave this out)
1 cup frozen spinach
1 carrot (washed and scrubbed, peeled if not organic)
1/2 cup roasted buckwheat groats
1 cup water
Tofu Sour Cream

1. Line 3 sheet pans with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Peel and cut onion. Cut onion in half. Grate one of the halved pieces and put in a small bowl. Chop the other half and put in a small bowl.
3. Grate carrot and place in a small bowl.
4. Place the buckwheat in a small saucepan, add water, stir, cover and cook over high heat, bringing to a boil. Turn heat to low and cook until water is gone and buckwheat is soft, about 15-20 minutes.
5. In a large cast iron pan or heavy skillet, over medium high heat, dry saute the chopped onion, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. Adjust heat so onions do not burn. Add in carrots and cook for 2 more minutes. Spoon out onions and carrots and place in a small bowl.
6. In the same pan, add the spinach and let it cook for about a minute or two, just to defrost and/or soften and remove some of the water. Spoon out 1/2 cup of the spinach and place in a small bowl.
7. Take 1/2 cup cooked buckwheat and place in a small bowl.
8. Grate potatoes over large bowl, filled halfway with water. Toss the grated potatoes around in the water, drain, rinse and let sit in a mesh colander over a larger bowl. Press potatoes to squeeze out additional water.
9. In a very large bowl, toss together the grated potatoes and grated onion. Add oil and salt if using. Mix well. Sprinkle in the potato flour, a few tablespoons at a time. Using your hands, mix together to make a dough. Use enough flour so that the mixture can be shaped into a patty. Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Take one quarter and place in another bowl. Pull enough potato dough to form into a patty of desired size. About 1/4 cup will make a 2 1/2 – 3 inch pancake. Place on sheet pan. Take another 1/4 of the dough and place in the mixing bowl. With your hands, knead in the sauteed carrot/onion mixture. Form into pancakes and place on sheet pan. Using the third quarter of potato dough, knead in the buckwheat, form into pancakes and place on sheet pan. Using remaining dough, knead in the spinach, form into pancakes and place on sheet pan.
10. Bake for 15 minutes then remove from heat. Flatten by pressing down on each pancake with a spatula and flip the over. Bake for another 15 minutes.

Serve immediately with Tofu Sour Cream or Apple Sauce.

Collard Rolls – Raw

Try rolling up your salad for a fun, colorful twist. Collard Rolls are a great way to get your greens. A cool dish for a hot night.

2 large collard leaves
2 carrots, grated
1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced in thin circles
1 tomato, sliced in thin circles
1/2 cup Sunflower Seed Cheese
2 tablespoons raw almond butter
water
optional: your favorite hot sauce or hot chili powder, agave

Rolls:
Carefully tear one side of the collard leaf away from it’s stem. Repeat with the other side. Take one of the halves and place it on a cutting board. Spread about 2 tablespoons evenly on the leaf, leaving about 1/2 inch boarder all around. Top with 2 tablespoons of grated carrots, 2 slices of tomato and 2 or 3 slices of cucumer. Take one of the thinner sides and roll into a cylinder. Repeat with other collard leaves.

Sauce:
In a small bowl, mix the almond butter with about 2 tablespoons of water. Beat with a fork until smooth. Continue to add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you have the consistency of cream. Season to taste with hot sauce or hot spices and/or a little sweetener like agave.

Place rolls on a serving dish along with the almond butter dipping sauce.

Black Bean Paté

Hummus, a paté made from garbanzo beans, is very popular today all around the U.S. But garbanzos are not the only bean in town! Life is too short to eat only one kind of bean spread. There are so many different kinds of beans waiting to be whirred up into something special. Spice things up a bit with this black bean paté. Instead of oil and tahini, avocado is used to make this dip rich and creamy. Serve with REAL Corn Cakes.

1/2 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 ripe avocado
Juice of 1/2 lemon or lime
1 teaspoon cumin
Optional: 1/2 teaspoon Chipotle
oil for sauteeing

Lightly oil a frying pan and place on medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until translucent and lightly browned.
In a food process, add the beans, tomatoes, avocado, lemon or lime juice and process, mixing everything together. Add in spices, onion and garlic and process until light and creamy. Scoop out into a bowl and serve.

Scallion Pancakes with Plum Sauce

This is adapted from the Vietnamese Happy Pancakes recipe from Mark Reinfeld and Jennifer Murray’s The 30 Minute Vegan Taste of the East. Instead of the sauteed vegetable topping in their recipe, I use a Plum dipping sauce made from REAL Prune butter. It’s amazing how perfect these little pancakes are with so few ingredients, and gluten-free. I am very happy indeed. LISTEN to Caryn Hartglass’ interview with Mark Reinfeld.

3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 cup water
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (scallions)
1 tablespoon sesame oil (not toasted)

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, salt and turmeric. Add the water and mix well. Fold in the green onions and set the mixture aside for 15 minutes, during which time it will thicken slightly. Heat a skillet or griddle until it’s piping hot and brush a very light coating of oil. Stir the batter again and pour 1/3 cup onto the skillet in a very thin layer. Cook for about 5 minutes until the edges turn brown. Flip and cook for a minute on the other side. Keep pancakes warm in a 200F oven until ready to serve.

Plum Sauce
2 tablespoons REAL Prune butter
Water
1/4 teaspoon Ume Vinegar (this is a very salty plum vinegar, salt or soy sauce may be substituted – to taste)
1 teaspoon finely chopped green onions (scallions)

In a small bowl add about 4 tablespoons of water to the prune butter. Beat with a fork to incorporate. Add a little more water at a time to thin to the consistency of heavy cream . Add the vinegar. Garnish with chopped green onions.

Buckwheat Noodles in Peanut Sauce

As an appetizer or main dish, cook up your favorite noodles and toss with this easy, creamy sauce. It’s too good.

2 tablespoons peanut butter – almond butter or sesame tahini can be used instead of peanut butter
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon mellow white miso paste
1/4 water for the sauce
4 ounces dry noodles (100% buckwheat noodles shown in the picture)
3 cups water for cooking the noodles

1. In a large pot, boil water. Stir in noodles, cover the pot and cook until soft. Remove from heat. Place a colander in the sink and carefully drain off the water.
2. While the noodles are cooking, put the peanut butter in a medium size mixing bowl. With a fork, add 1/4 cup water, about a tablespoon at a time until the mixture is creamy. Beat in the nutritional yeast followed by the miso. The mixture should be a thick paste.
3. Add the hot noodles to the paste and toss well, coating the noodles with the sauce. Serve immediately.

Serves 2-4.

Lettuce Wraps

The fun way to get your greens – lettuce wraps. Even kids that don’t want to eat lettuce like wrapping stuff up in the leaves and eating them up.

One head lettuce
3 carrots, diced, about 1 cup
3 celery stalks, diced, about 1 cup
1 large leek, white and light green parts, cleaned and diced, about 3 cups
5 cloves garlic, minced, about 2 tablespoons, or 1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/3 package silken tofu, 4 ounces
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
water

1. Carefully remove each leaf from the head of lettuce. Rinse each leaf and pat dry. Set aside.
2. Place a large cast iron frying pan or other heavy frying pan on medium high heat. Cover the bottom with about 1/4″ of water (or wine, beer or tea). Add the carrots, celery, leeks and garlic. Stir to even out in pan. Sprinkle in the ginger and turmeric. Stir occasionally until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium size mixing bowl or blender, add the tofu, mustard and water and blend until creamy.
4. Remove vegetables from heat and stir in Dijon sauce.

Place the vegetables in a bowl and the lettuce leaves on a large plate. Each person may serve themselves by scooping about 1 heaping tablespoon of the vegetables onto a leaf. Depending on the kind of lettuce, it may be eaten rolled up or open. Serves 4-6.

Pâté aux haricots verts à la Lois – or – Grandma’s Vegan Chopped Liver

The tradition continues. My grandmother used to make chopped liver with plenty of schmaltz (chicken fat) and everyone in the family loved it. My mom continues the tradition and makes her version for all the family holidays. Only mom’s ‘chopped liver’ is so much better, made with simple, plant-foods, onions, walnuts, string beans and vegetable oil and love.

1lb FRESH string beans (frozen is okay, but not as good – DO NOT use canned string beans)
3/4 cup walnuts
2 very large onions, chopped
Canola oil or other high temperature vegetable oil (enough to cover size of frypan)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in large frying pan at medium heat.
2. When oil is very hot, sauté onions until almost tan, stirring constantly.
3. Wash, drain, remove stems, and cut up string beans.
4. Add to frying pan and cook until tender, not firm about 20 minutes or more. Stir often.
5. When string beans are tender add walnuts to pan and mix together.
6. Remove from heat and let cool.
7. Place in food processor. Pulse until the ingredients are broken up. Process until smooth.
8. Continue to process, turning on and off until the mixture looks like chopped liver.
9. Add salt and pepper to taste (optional)
10. Scoop into a small bowl, cover and refrigerate until cold.

Watch the video on making GREEN BEAN ONION WALNUT PATE

Insalata Caprese

Like the salad from the Italian region of Campania, this version uses tofu. Dried black olives add the salt and tahini dressing adds the tang to perfect this simple combination.

Serves Four

1 package extra firm organic tofu, drained and patted dry
16 tomato slices – (about 4 tomatoes)
16 fresh basil leaves
16 dried black olives, pitted
tahini dressing

1. Cut the tofu in half along the short side and then make 16 1/4 inch slices, 8 per block.
2. On a serving dish, place one tomato slice, top with a tofu slice. place one split pitted olive and one basil leaf on top and drizzle with tahini dressing. Repeat with remaining tomato and tofu slices.

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