I love falafel. I eat them as an appetizer, in a pita with Green Sauce  or even
on pizza. But I don’t want all the added fat that would normally be in a deep-fried
dish. So, I bake it instead and the results taste as good as the fried original.

Ingredients
2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas),
drained and rinsed
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
4 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
4 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Add everything to a food processor and process, leaving a little texture to the beans.
3. Using a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon, shape the mixture into balls. Place on a
nonstick baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
4. Turn the falafel over and bake for another 8–10 minutes.

I used to make a version of this sauce with sesame oil and tahini. It was delicious, but heavy. Now I love it without the sesame oil, and you could make this flavor – packed version even lower in fat by leaving out the tahini (see Tip). You will still have a really good sauce to use on pasta, steamed vegetables, or many other dishes you’ll find in this book.

Ingredients

1 12-ounce package Mori-Nu Silken Lite Firm Tofu
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup tahini (not raw)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth and creamy.

2. Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

TIP

If you leave out the tahini, increase the cilantro to 1 cup.

Makes 4 servings

One day I made falafel for a few friends and realized right before the first guest arrived that I had forgotten to buy pita bread. One of my guests said that she often serves falafel in corn tortillas, either with Green sauce or with salsa, and voila, dinner was saved!

Ingredients

12-16 6-inch tortillas

1 recipe falafel

1 cup Green Sauce

2 cups chopped romaine lettuce

1 large tomato, chopped

1 medium red onion, diced

Directions

1. Preheat a non-stick skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add enough corn tortillas to cover the bottom of the pan and heat for 3-4 minutes to soften the tortillas. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

2. To serve, cut each falafel in half and place two or three halves in the center of each corn tortilla.

3. Top each tortilla with some of the Green Sauce, romaine lettuce, tomato, and red onion

Serves 4

Sukiyaki is a Japanese soup or stew usually made with meat, vegetables, and a broth made of soy sauce, mirin (a Japanese rice wine used in cooking), and sugar. I make it with brown rice noodles (though udon or soba are often used). It is one of my favorite noodle dishes and comes together quickly once all the ingredients are assembled. Most of the ingredients for this dish can be found in traditional grocery stores, though I sometimes have to go to my co-op or local natural foods store to find seitan.

8 ounces brown rice spaghetti
1 leek, white part only, washed and thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 cups shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
3 cups mushroom or vegetable stock or Basic Soup Stock (page 146)
1 8-ounce package traditional-style seitan, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons brown rice syrup or agave nectar
1/4 cup sake
2 tablespoons mirin
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
1 bunch fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside. Sauté the leek and mushrooms in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking. Add the stock, seitan, syrup or agave nectar, sake, mirin, and soy sauce to the vegetables and mix well. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the spinach and noodles.