Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook (20 page)

SERVES 2

1 to 1½ cups orange juice

1 cup pearled barley

2 tablespoons currants

3 to 4 dried unsulfured apricots, chopped (see
more
about sulfites and sulfur dioxide)

1 small cinnamon stick

⅛
teaspoon ground cloves

Pinch salt, or to taste

Bring 1 cup of water and 1 cup of orange juice to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the barley, currants, apricots, cinnamon stick, cloves, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 45 minutes. If the barley is not tender after 45 minutes, add up to an additional ½ cup orange juice and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick before serving.

SPELT IS AN ancient cousin of wheat, and it makes a hearty breakfast cereal. This recipe takes a little effort, but the flavor and health benefits make it well worth the time. You can cook the spelt berries the night before and finish the dish in about 15 minutes in the morning.

SERVES 2

1 cup spelt berries

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛
teaspoon ground cinnamon

⅛
teaspoon ground cloves

2 cups unsweetened almond milk

¾ cup dates, pitted and chopped

¼ teaspoon orange zest

1.
Bring 2½ cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the spelt, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Cover the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the spelt is tender. Drain any excess water.

2.
Add the almond milk, dates, and orange zest to the cooked spelt berries and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, or until heated through and creamy.

Hearty Breakfasts

THERE ARE MANY very good recipes for scrambles, but most call for tofu. In this recipe, cauliflower takes the place of the tofu—with delicious results. If you can find ackee, the national fruit of Jamaica with a taste similar to scrambled eggs, use it instead. It is the inspiration for this dish, but it is very hard to find outside of Jamaica. Serve this filling vegetable dish with
Fruit Salad
, or use it in
Breakfast Rancheros
.

SERVES 6

1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and cut into ½-inch dice

1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and cut into ½-inch dice

2 cups sliced mushrooms (from about 8 ounces whole mushrooms)

1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets, or two 19-ounce cans Jamaican ackee, drained and gently rinsed

Salt to taste

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1½ teaspoons turmeric

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 to 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

¼ cup nutritional yeast, optional

Place the onions, red and green peppers, and mushrooms in a medium skillet or saucepan and sauté over medium-high heat for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan. Add the cauliflower and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the florets are tender. Add the salt, black pepper, turmeric, cayenne pepper, garlic, soy sauce, and nutritional yeast, if using, to the pan and cook for 5 minutes more, or until hot and fragrant.

THIS POPULAR MEXICAN dish can be served many ways: with or without corn tortillas, or with black beans or vegetarian refried beans (see
“Refried” Beans and Tomatoey Rice
for a homemade version). The choice is yours.

SERVES 6

1 batch
Breakfast Scramble

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced small

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 jalapeño pepper, minced (for less heat, remove the seeds)

1 tablespoon minced oregano

2 large tomatoes, diced

Salt to taste

6 corn tortillas

Chopped cilantro

1.
Place the onion in a medium skillet or saucepan and sauté for 10 minutes, or until the onion is tender and starting to brown. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the onions from sticking to the pan. Add the garlic, jalapeño pepper, and oregano and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until they start to fall apart, about 10 minutes. Season with salt.

2.
While the sauce is cooking, heat the tortillas one at a time on a dry, nonstick skillet over medium heat, turning frequently, for a few minutes. Wrap the heated tortillas in a kitchen towel to keep them warm.

3.
To serve, place a warm tortilla on a plate and spoon some of the sauce over it. Top with some of the Breakfast Scramble and garnish with the cilantro.

VARIATION

To give this dish a southwestern twist, prepare the rancheros, but instead of serving on tortillas, place the breakfast scramble in a 9 × 13-inch baking dish lined with parchment paper, pour 1 batch of
No-Cheese Sauce
over it, and bake in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes. Serve topped with the Breakfast Rancheros sauce and garnished with minced green onion and chopped cilantro.

GRILLED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS are served on a bed of wilted spinach with a cauliflower hollandaise—a wholly plant-based alternative to the classic Eggs Florentine.

SERVES 4

1 batch
Grilled Portobello Mushrooms

2 cups cauliflower florets (from ½ of a medium head)

¼ cup
Vegetable Stock
 or low-sodium vegetable broth

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

⅛
teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 pound fresh spinach

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1.
Combine the cauliflower, vegetable stock, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Puree the mixture using an immersion blender, or transfer it to a blender with a tight-fitting lid and cover it with a towel, puree until creamy, and return the cauliflower hollandaise to the pan to keep warm.

2.
Add the spinach to a large pot with ¼ cup of water. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat until the spinach wilts. Drain and season with salt and pepper.

3.
To serve, place a Grilled Portobello Mushroom on each of four individual plates and divide the spinach between the mushrooms. Spoon the sauce over the spinach and serve hot.

THIS TRADITIONAL EGYPTIAN breakfast (pronounced
fool mudammis
) is almost always made with dried fava beans. They need to soak at least 8 hours before cooking, so start this dish the day before you want to serve it to let the beans soak overnight. Ful Medames is usually served with pita bread and a fried egg, but take some liberty and serve it over brown rice with fresh lemon instead.

SERVES 4

1½ pounds dried fava beans, soaked 8 to 10 hours

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced small

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Salt to taste

1 lemon, quartered

1.
Drain and rinse the beans, and add them to a large pot. Cover with enough water to top the beans by 4 inches and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook until the beans are tender, about 1½ to 2 hours.

2.
While the beans are cooking, place the onions in a medium skillet or saucepan and sauté over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the onions are tender and starting to brown. Add the garlic, cumin, and lemon zest and juice and cook for 5 minutes longer. Set aside until the beans are fully cooked.

3.
When the beans are done cooking, drain all but ½ cup of the liquid from the pot and add the onion mixture to the beans. Mix well and season with salt. Serve garnished with the lemon quarters.

S
ALADS