THE CHINA STUDY QUICK & EASY COOKBOOK (28 page)

MAKES 4 SERVINGS    

Bisques are cream-based pureed soups made from any number of vegetables. Pureeing vegetables intensifies their flavor. I used to eat bisque like a dip for bread. My mom had to limit me to one or two pieces of bread at a meal because I would eat half a loaf this way.

3–4 cups vegetable stock

2 large tomatoes, diced

1 12-ounce bag frozen cauliflower or 1 12-ounce package Mori-Nu Silken Lite Firm Tofu

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 pitted Medjool dates (optional)

1 tablespoon toasted ground cumin

2 teaspoons toasted dried oregano

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1 teaspoon sea salt

1.
Combine all ingredients in a medium stockpot and cook over medium heat for 10–12 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender.

2.
Puree in batches, adding more vegetable stock as needed to make a creamy consistency.

MAKE IT EASY

• Most of the recipes in this book allow you to use silken tofu as a substitute for the cauliflower, especially as a way to save time. If you do so in this recipe, cook everything but the tofu, puree the tofu in a blender until smooth and creamy, and add it to the soup at the very end of cooking before you puree the rest of the soup ingredients.

• To toast ground cumin, add it to a sauté pan over medium-low heat and let it cook until it starts to smell fragrant.

• The dates in this recipe balance out the tartness of the soup very nicely, but they are optional if you like a tangy flavor.

Couscous with Mint, Pine Nuts, and Chickpeas

Broccoli, Red Pepper, and Brown Rice Stir-Fry

Fruit and Vegetable Curry

Quinoa and White Beans with Lemon and Olives

Poblano-Corn Quinoa Cakes

Jerk-Style Beans

Polenta Rounds with Saffron Cream and Wilted Spinach

Zucchini, Corn, and Red Pepper Pancakes

Mediterranean Vegetable Stew

Eggplant-Tomato-Olive Ragu

Glazed Eggplant Cutlets

Mushrooms Barbacoa

Jerk Mushrooms

Burrito Bowl

Quinoa–Black Bean Buddha Bowl

Falafel Bowl

Falafel Tacos

Mushroom Tacos

Tostadas

Cauliflower Parmesan

Mediterranean Pita Pizza

Pita Pizza Alfredo

MAKES 4 SERVINGS    

Couscous is a quick-cooking pasta used in a lot of Mediterranean dishes. This is one I eat often when I don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

3 cups vegetable stock

1½ cups whole grain couscous

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed

¼ cup finely chopped fresh mint

3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts (optional)

zest of 1 lemon

sea salt and black pepper to taste

1.
Bring the vegetable stock to a boil in a 2-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add the couscous.

2.
Cover with the lid and let sit for 5 minutes, until all the water is absorbed. Add the remaining ingredients, fluff with a fork, and season with sea salt and black pepper to taste.

TIPS

• For a gluten-free version, you could cook 1½ cups of quinoa in 3½ cups of vegetable stock for about 15 minutes, and then continue with the recipe above.

• If you don’t like mint, cilantro or basil are both good in its place.

MAKES 2 SERVINGS