Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook (22 page)

LIMA BEANS AND quinoa are both native to the Americas and, therefore, are a natural pairing in this dish.

SERVES 4

2 tablespoons brown rice syrup

¼ cup brown rice vinegar

Zest of 1 lime and juice of 2 limes

4 cups cooked
quinoa

2 cups cooked
baby lima beans
, or one 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed

1 cup shredded red cabbage

1 carrot, peeled and grated

½ cup chopped cilantro

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the brown rice syrup, brown rice vinegar, and lime zest and juice in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the quinoa, baby lima beans, red cabbage, carrot, cilantro, and salt and pepper and toss until well mixed. Refrigerate before serving.

COOKING MILLET LIKE pasta—in a lot of water—keeps it from clumping as it cools. Serve this salad on a bed of arugula or mixed greens.

SERVES 4

1 cup millet

Zest and juice of 1 orange

Juice of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons brown rice syrup

½ cup dried unsulfured apricots, chopped (see
more
on sulfites and sulfur dioxide)

½ cup currants

½ cup golden raisins

1 Gala apple, cored and diced

2 tablespoons finely chopped mint

1.
Bring 2 quarts of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat and add the millet. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 12 to 14 minutes. Drain the water from the millet, rinse it until cool, and set it aside.

2.
Place the orange juice and zest, lemon juice, and brown rice syrup in a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the apricots, currants, raisins, apple, and mint and mix well. Add the cooked millet and toss to coat Refrigerate before serving.

QUICK-COOKING BULGUR makes this a perfect summer dish—there’s no long cooking in a hot kitchen. Use quinoa for a gluten-free version; it also cooks in less than 20 minutes.

SERVES 4

1½ cups bulgur

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 medium cucumber, halved, seeded, and diced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

4 green onions (white and green parts), sliced

Zest and juice of 2 lemons

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

¼ cup minced tarragon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot and add the bulgur. Remove the pot from the heat, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and let it sit until the water is absorbed and the bulgur is tender, about 15 minutes. Spread the bulgur on a baking sheet and let cool to room temperature. Transfer the cooled bulgur to a bowl, add all the remaining ingredients, and mix well to combine. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

WHEAT BERRIES ARE one of the heartiest grains, which gives them a long cooking time along with their exceptional health benefits. Use quinoa or millet for a gluten-free (and somewhat quicker-cooking) alternative.

SERVES 4

2½ cups wheat berries, soaked overnight

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

¼ cup brown rice syrup

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

½ cup chopped green onion (white and green parts)

2 tablespoons minced tarragon

1 Bosc pear, cored and diced

½ cup fruit-sweetened dried cranberries

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1.
Bring 5 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan and add the wheat berries. Return to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook until the wheat berries are tender, about 1¾ hours. Drain the excess water from the pan and rinse the berries until cool.

2.
Combine all the other ingredients in a large bowl. Add the cooled wheat berries and mix well. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

Bean Salads

THIS DISH MAKES a nice presentation for guests. If you keep pesto on hand—and I recommend that you do—then this is a very quick recipe to put together. Serve it with a green salad for a complete meal.

SERVES 6

4 cups cooked
navy beans
, or two 15-ounce cans, drained and rinsed

One 15-ounce can artichoke hearts (oil-free), drained and roughly chopped

½ medium yellow onion, peeled and diced small

½ cup
Basil Pesto

6 large tomatoes, such as beefsteak

1.
Combine the beans, artichoke hearts, onion, and pesto in a small bowl and set aside.

2.
Cut the top ½ inch off of each tomato and scoop out the flesh, leaving a ½-inch shell. Divide the filling evenly between the prepared tomatoes and arrange them on a platter or among individual plates to serve.

SOUTHWESTERN FLAVORS ARE spicy and intense, so they make for good winter salads when it’s cold and you need a little warmth. In cooler seasons, heat the beans and add them to the rest of the ingredients while they’re still warm, and don’t chill the salad before serving. During warmer months, serve the salad cold over a spicy green like arugula.

SERVES 4

4 cups cooked
navy beans
, or two 15-ounce cans, drained and rinsed

2 large tomatoes, diced

Zest and juice of 2 limes

¼ cup brown rice vinegar

½ cup chopped cilantro

6 green onions (white and green parts), thinly sliced

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

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon cumin seeds,
toasted
and ground

Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Chill 1 hour before serving, if desired.

IF YOU GET your corn at the farmers’ market and it was picked just that morning, you can skip the cooking step—just add it directly into the salad and enjoy the sweet, fresh flavor it lends to the dish.

SERVES 4

6 ears corn

3 large tomatoes, diced

2 cups cooked
navy beans
, or one 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed

1 medium red onion, peeled and diced small

1 cup finely chopped basil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the corn and cook for 7 to 10 minutes. Drain the water from the pot and rinse the corn under cold water to cool, then cut the kernels from the cob.

2.
In a large bowl, toss together the corn, tomatoes, beans, onion, basil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

THE FIRST TIME I made a dish with mangoes, I threw several away before I realized that they all had a big seed in the center that you had to cut around. That was twenty years ago, though—long before there were YouTube videos showing how best to prepare one.

SERVES 4

4 cups cooked
black beans
, or two 15-ounce cans, drained and rinsed

2 mangoes, peeled, halved, pitted, and diced

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced small

1 bunch green onions (green and white parts), thinly sliced

½ cup finely chopped cilantro

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

½ cup red wine vinegar

Zest and juice of 1 orange

Zest and juice of 1 lime

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

THE NEXT TIME you make grilled vegetables for a cookout, reserve half of the recipe (or make extra!) and use the leftovers for this wholesome and delicious summer salad.

SERVES 4

½ batch
Grilled Vegetable Kabobs
, vegetables removed from the skewers

2 cups cooked
black beans
, or one 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed

½ cup finely chopped cilantro

Zest of 1 lime and juice of 3 limes

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

1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced

Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

ALSO KNOWN AS broad beans, fava beans are native to North Africa and parts of Asia. If you cook the dried bean, you have to remove the outer shell before eating them (so don’t feel guilty about buying canned!). Fava beans are not as widely available as other beans, so if you can’t find them, feel free to substitute lima beans or edamame.

SERVES 4

4 cups cooked
fava beans
, or two 15-ounce cans, drained and rinsed

2 large tomatoes, chopped

4 green onions (white and green parts), sliced

1 large cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded, and diced

½ cup finely chopped cilantro

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

Zest of 1 lemon and juice of 2 lemons

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon cumin seeds,
toasted
and ground

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

THE EARTHY SWEETNESS of beets is brightened by orange and fresh dill in this vibrant, healthy salad.

SERVES 4

4 to 6 medium beets (about 1½ pounds), washed and peeled

2 oranges, zested, peeled, and segmented

2 cups cooked
navy beans
, or one 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed

¼ cup brown rice vinegar

3 tablespoons minced dill

Salt to taste

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 cups mixed salad greens

4 tablespoons slivered almonds,
toasted
, optional

1.
Place the beets in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the beets are tender. Drain the beets and set aside to cool.

2.
Once the beets have cooled, cut them into wedges and place them in a large bowl. Add the orange zest and segments, beans, brown rice vinegar, dill, and salt and pepper to the beets. Toss lightly to combine.

3.
To serve, divide the mixed salad greens between four individual plates. Top with the beet salad and garnish with the toasted almonds, if using.

WHEN I WAS a kid and my mom made succotash, I thought I was being punished with lima beans. How could such a good cook make something so unappealing unless she was mad at me? It was many years before I gained an appreciation for this lovely bean and realized that Mom never intended her succotash to be anything besides a nourishing and enjoyable dish for her family. This recipe is my version of her dish.

SERVES 4