Hope's Edge_ The Next Diet for a Small Planet - Frances Moore Lappe [119]
Fry tortillas briefly in a little oil, or heat in the oven until crisp. To assemble, spread each tortilla with a sizable amount of beans, then add garnishes, sauce, and yogurt. Each person gets 2 tortillas.
Variation: For an authentic homemade sauce, peel and seed 4 ripe tomatoes and seed 6 green chili peppers. Chop the tomatoes, chilies, and 1 onion and mix well with 1 clove minced garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon vinegar.
Complementary protein: beans + corn + cheese
Middle Eastern Tacos
10 tacos
Wonderfully tasty and satisfying! Of all the recipes that appeared in the 1971 edition, this is the one my family has eaten most often. The bean-sesame mix makes a great cracker spread, too. With precooked beans, the whole thing can be put together in no time. Increase any of the spices to taste.
3 cups well-cooked garbanzo beans (1 cup uncooked)
½ cup ground toasted sesame seeds or ¼ cup sesame butter
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
Salt to taste
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
10 pieces Middle Eastern flatbread (pita) or wheat tortillas
Garnishes:
shredded lettuce
chopped tomatoes
chopped cucumber
chopped onion
1½ cups yogurt or grated cheese
Purée together beans, sesame seeds, garlic, lemon juice, coriander, salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper, adding bean cooking liquid or water if necessary to make blending easy. Let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes. Cut flatbread in half (to give 2 semicircles from each) and fill pockets with bean mixture. (If you like, heat filled pockets in oven before garnishing. If serving on wheat tortillas, fry until soft but not crisp.) Set out garnishes and let everyone assemble their own. Each portion should include yogurt or cheese topping to complete the protein complementarity.
Complementary protein: beans + sesame seeds + milk product + wheat
Tortillas Verdes
A delicious light meal created by Bill and Akiko Shurtleff of the Soyfoods Center in Lafayette, California.
Up to 1 tablespoon margarine (optional)
6 large (8-inch diameter) tortillas (preferably whole wheat)
1 ripe avocado, peeled and seeded
8 ounces tofu
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup oil
1 teaspoon dillseed
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soy sauce
¼ cup water
2 cups combined chopped lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sprouts
Heat margarine in a skillet and fry tortillas for 15 seconds on one side and 30 seconds on the other, or steam tortillas in a steamer. In a blender, purée the avocado, tofu, lemon juice, oil, dillseed, salt, soy sauce, and water. Put an equal amount of salad vegetables on each tortilla, top with purée, and serve immediately.
The purée can also be used as a dip, or add beans to make tostadas.
Protein complementarity: soy (tofu) + wheat or corn
Terry’s Takeout Tofu
4 sandwiches
Writes Terry Gips of Princeton, New Jersey, about his recipe: “Fast food never had it so good. Look out, hamburger!”
1 tablespoon oil
1 to 2 medium onions, sliced into rings
1 cup sliced mushrooms (about 8 medium)
1 cup vegetables: sprouts, leafy greens, thinly sliced carrots, celery, shredded cabbage, etc.
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 slices tofu,
½ inch thick and 4 inches long
¼ pound Swiss or Monterey jack cheese, cut into 4 slices
8 slices whole wheat bread or 4 pita breads
Heat oil in a large skillet and sauté onion rings for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and vegetables and sauté briefly. Remove vegetables or push to one side and add soy sauce, tofu, and about 1 tablespoon water (to keep tofu from sticking). On each tofu slice put 1 slice of cheese. Turn heat down to low, cover skillet, and cook until cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes. Put tofu-cheese slices on bread or in pita and cover with vegetables. If you like, garnish with lettuce or additional sprouts.
Complementary