By PASCALE PEREZ-RUBINMom's vegan pancakes(photo credit: TAL SIVAN-TZIPORIN/ATALIA GUTSHLACK-FEINSTEIN)
Three years ago, my oldest son Ben proudly announced that from that moment on, he would only be eating vegan food.As a result, I decided that at each meal, I would prepare for him one or two vegan dishes in addition to whatever meat dish I had made. Over the years, we all got used to eating vegan dishes at meals, and every once in a while, we even have strictly vegan meals on the weekends.Raw tehina has become a staple at our table, as have grains, vegetables and legumes.At this year’s Israel Book Week, I was overcome with excitement when I happened upon a cookbook called My Vegan Table (in Hebrew) by Ori Shavit (Tchelet Publishers). This was exactly what I needed to expand my repertoire of vegan recipes. Shavit is a food critic and writes a popular blog called “Vegans on Top.” She also works as a consultant for restaurants and offers cooking workshops. When I met up with Shavit in her kitchen, she told me how she found her way to veganism after watching a lecture by American animal-rights activist Gary Yourofsky.Her three basic tenets are: not wanting to cause harm to animals; eating healthily; and protecting the environment. She loves to prepare vegan dishes that are tasty, moist, colorful, attractive and fun to eat.SPINACH AND MANGOLD QUICHE (GLUTEN-FREE) Use a 22 cm. x 35 cm. pan.Vegetables 1 to 2 Tbsp. coconut oil 1 bunch of mangold, rinsed well 1 bunch of Turkish spinach or box of regular spinach, rinsed well and chopped coarsely 5 stalks of scallions, chopped coarsely Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper Olive oil Filling 1 package (300 gr.) tofu, cut into large cubes 1 red onion, quartered 1 cup (150 gr.) chickpea flour (can be found in health and specialty stores) 1 heaping tsp. baking powder 1½ cups (375 ml.) non-dairy milk, with no added sugar or water Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg ½ cup sliced almonds Separate white parts of mangold from rest of leaves and chop both. Set aside.Heat two tablespoons of olive and coconut oil in a pan over a medium-high flame.When the oil is hot, add the scallions and white parts of the mangold. Cook for five minutes until soft. Add the mangold leaves and cook for another five minutes until soft. Add the spinach and cook for two to three minutes until leaves wilt. Season with salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning. Drain excessive liquid and let cool.Using a food processor, blend tofu with red onion. Transfer to a bowl and then add chickpea flour, baking powder and water. Stir until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, you can add a little water. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix well.Preheat oven to 180° and grease a pan with olive oil.Add the spinach and mangold and mix well. Pour mixture into pan and sprinkle with almond slices. Bake for 40 minutes or until quiche is firm. Let cool for 15 minutes, so that quiche can set.AUNT MIRIAM’S EGGPLANT AND SPINACH LASAGNA Use a 22 cm. x 35 cm. pan.1 package lasagna noodles Eggplant 3 eggplants, cut into 2 cm.-thick slices Olive oil Salt and pepper Spinach 1 bunch of Turkish spinach, or 1 package of regular spinach, rinsed well 2 cloves garlic Sea salt Olive oil or a little water Sauce 3 cloves garlic, chopped 3 400-gr. cans of crushed tomatoes (total 1,200 gr.) Pinch sugar Sea salt Black pepper Olive oil Serving suggestion Chopped parsley Preheat oven to 180° and line tray with baking paper.Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on pan and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until completely soft.Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan and add spinach. Cook for two to three minutes until leaves wilt. Transfer to a bowl. Add garlic and salt. Stir.To prepare sauce, heat four tablespoons of oil in a medium pot over a medium-high flame. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds while stirring, so it doesn’t burn.Add the crushed tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring back to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes until liquid has evaporated.Blend with an immersion blender until smooth.To prepare the lasagna, spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of an oven-proof dish. Then, add a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles, a layer of eggplant, a layer of spinach, and then another layer of tomato sauce. Continue with a few more layers and finish with a layer of tomato sauce. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for a day or two.Preheat oven to 180° and bake for 40 minutes.One alternative is to replace eggplant with zucchini. Another is to add tofu and dried tomatoes.MEXICAN LENTIL AND VEGETABLE STEW (GLUTEN-FREE) Makes four to six servings.1 leek, sliced into thin rings 3 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped coarsely 1 chipotle or chili pepper, chopped finely ½ butternut squash, cut into small cubes 1 large red pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips 500 gr. (2½ cups) green lentils Kernels from 3 cobs of corn 6 tomatoes, with or without peel, cubed 1 Tbsp. sweet paprika ½ tsp. smoked paprika ½ tsp. sugar Sea salt Black pepper 2 cups water Olive oil Serving suggestion Bunch of fresh coriander, chopped Heat two to three tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over a medium-high flame. When the oil is hot, add the leeks, garlic and hot pepper, and fry for five minutes while stirring.Add the squash and red pepper strips and cook another five minutes.Add the lentils, corn, tomatoes, paprikas, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir well. Add the water and bring to a boil.Lower the flame and cover. Cook for another 15 minutes, stirring every so often. Taste and adjust seasoning.Serve in individual bowls. Garnish with chopped coriander.MOM’S VEGAN PANCAKES Makes 15 pancakes 2 cups (280 gr.) white flour 1 cup (125 gr.) whole-wheat flour (can also use white flour) 5 Tbsp. light brown sugar 1 packet baking powder Pinch of salt 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2½ cups unsweetened soy or almond milk Serving suggestion Cut-up fruit Coconut cream Real maple syrup In a large bowl, add flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Add the oil and vanilla. While stirring, gradually pour in non-dairy milk. Let rest for five minutes.Grease a small nonstick pan and heat over a medium flame. When the pan is hot, pour in small amounts of batter and flatten. Fry for one to two minutes until little bubbles appear and edges turn brown, and then flip pancakes. Fry for one more minute. Transfer to a serving plate and fry another batch of pancakes.Serve with coconut cream, cut fruit and maple syrup.Coconut cream Place a can of coconut cream (preferably 20% fat or higher) in the fridge for at least 24 hours. Open can carefully and pour into a bowl only the thick white layer of coconut cream that forms on top. Add one to two tablespoons of powdered sugar and whip with an electric mixer.Translated by Hannah Hochner.
if(catID != 151){
var cont = `Take Israel home with the new Jerusalem Post Store
