Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Vegan Feast Kitchen/ 23rd Century Table

I like combining traditional ingredients (Southern USA, in this case) in untraditional ways.  This combo makes a delicious, fiber-and-nutrient-rich, colorful salad, which can serve as a hearty side dish or a meal in itself. It's a wonderful hot-weather dish, of course, but it's also hearty enough for a winter salad and utilizes staples you might have in your kitchen during cold-weather months. The zingy dressing is practically fat-free, too.

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It's been so unseasonably cold these days that I made my husband light a fire in the woodstove so that I would feel like having a salad last night! I was busy all day transcribing recipes and catching up on some other writing chores, after a busy dance weekend.

My group dancing a Saidi cane dance (I'm on the right)

I wanted to make a comforting hot dinner (with a salad) that was quick to make and a little on the exotic side. So I took out a book that I bought recently to add to my Middle Eastern cookbook collection, Secrets of Healthy Middle Eastern Cuisine by Sanaa Abourezk (who trained at the Masha Innocenti Cooking School in Florence and the Cordon Bleu Baking School in Paris; is a food writer, and has also worked as a nutritionist in South Dakota, where she now lives). It is a book of lower-fat versions of the wonderful dishes of the Levantine culturea (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine). It does have meat recipes, but there are LOTS of vegetarian recipes.



I had some mushrooms that I wanted to use up, and I had some cooked black-eyed peas. Bulgur cooks quickly, so I looked for recipes using that grain. I found two recipes that fit the bill (the mushroom recipe could even use up that piece of red bell pepper that languished in the refrigerator vegetable drawer), and served them with a simple salad of island-grown greens with cucumber, tomato and olives, and a lemon-garlic-olive oil dressing. It was just perfect! (And both recipes would be suitable for the Weight watchers' Core plan!)

SANAA ABOUREZK'S SPICY MUSHROOMS (FITR HAR) (WW CORE PLAN COMPATIBLE)
serves 4

MY CHANGES: I had very large mushrooms, so I sliced them. I didn't parboil them as the recipe instructed (I was lazy!). I also had no cilantro, so I used some dried basil to taste-- fresh parsley could also be substituted. 1 tsp. seemed like alot of chili pepper, so I used a couple of large pinches of cayenne.

1 lb. small fresh mushrooms
1 med. onion, finely chopped
1 T. olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp red chili pepper (see note above)
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 cup chopped cilantro

Parboil the mushrooms in 4 cups boiling water for 2 minutes, drain. (See my note above). Saute the onions in the oil until transparent. Add the mushrooms, garlic and both peppers. Stir-cook 5 minutes. Add pepper and cilantro (and salt to taste). Simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve in a flat dish.

4 servings, each 90 calories, 4 g fat, 2.7 g fiber


SANAA ABOUREZK'S BULGUR AND BLACK EYED PEAS (BURGHUL WA LOBEYEH HAB)(WW CORE PLAN COMPATIBLE)
serves 4

MY CHANGES: I used cooked, dried black-eyed peas-- canned could also be used. Again, I had no cilantro so I used 1 tsp. dried basil and 1 tsp. dried mint instead (if using fresh, use 1 tablespoon each).

1 T. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, mashed
2 cups black-eyed peas, frozen (see my notes above)
3 cups water (I used vegan broth)
1 cup medium bulgur wheat
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (see my notes above)
pepper to taste

Saute the onion and garlic in the oil in a large pot.

Thaw the black-eyed peas, if using frozen ones, and simmer over low heat in the pot with onions for 5 minutes. (No need for this if you use canned or cooked ones, just add to the pot--BCG) Pour the water (or broth) into the pot with the onions and peas. Add the bulgur and herbs, bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer on low, covered, until all of the liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Taste for seasoning.

4 servings, each 280 calories, 4 g fat, and 14 g fiber.

Enjoy!

Here are two bean recipes we've been enjoying in the last couple of days:

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BRYANNA'S EASY BLACKEYED-PEASY DIP 

This dip is inexpensive, a bit spicy, creamy, and full of fiber! I like using blackeyed peas because they don't need to be soaked, and they cook quickly.

2 1/2 cups drained canned or cooked blackeyed peas
1/2 of a 12.3 oz. box extra-firm SILKEN tofu (regular or lite)
1 1/2 Tbs fresh or organic bottled lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. garlic granules
1/4 tsp sugar
3/4 cup chunky no-sugar tomato salsa (medium to hot)
2 large green onions, chopped (white and green)
2 Tbs vegan "bacon bits"

Place the drained blackeyed peas, tofu, lemon juice, salt, garlic granules, and sugar in a food processor. Process until smooth. Add the onions and pulse. Add the salsa and soy bacon bits and pulse again. Scoop into a bowl. Cover and chill. Serve with baked tortilla chips, wholegrain bagel or pita chips, or raw vegetable dippers.

Yield: 3 1/2 cups

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 1/4 cup): 52.9 calories; 11% calories from fat; 0.7g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 285.6mg sodium; 137.8mg potassium; 8.1g carbohydrates; 2.3g fiber; 1.8g sugar; 5.8g net carbs; 3.9g protein; 0.7 points.



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BRYANNA'S LEVANTINE-STYLE BEAN SOUP (a Canadian version of Shorbat Hummus wa Fool) 
Servings: 8 
This is a delicious and colorful soup. I used dried split yellow peas instead of the traditional dried fava beans, which are hard to find in my neck of the woods. When cooked down, they taste very similar.  PS: "The Levant consists today of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Cyprus, Hatay Province and other parts of southern Turkey, some regions of northwestern Iraq and the Sinai Peninsula." (Basically, the Eastern Mediterranean region.)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levant

1 cup split yellow peas
1 Tbs olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/ 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (save the juice)
1/2 Tbs dried mint (or 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint or cilantro, minced)
1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
6 cups water
2 cups good vegetarian broth
2 1/2 cups drained canned or cooked chickpeas
1 lb. red-skinned potatoes, scrubbed and diced
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano, rubbed between your fingers
1/2 Tbs salt, or to taste
freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Rinse the split peas and leave to soak in plenty of water overnight.

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot and saute the onions until almost soft, adding the garlic towards the end. Add the drained tomatoes, the mint, and the optional cayenne pepper, if using. Cook down for 10-15 minutes. Add water, broth, and reserved tomato juice, bring to a boil, then add the drained, soaked split peas. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours, or until the peas are tender.

Add the chickpeas and the diced potatoes, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the oregano, salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning.
(I like to remove most of the chunky solids from the soup with a slotted spoon and blend the remaining soup with a hand immersion blender until smooth, then add the solids back to the soup.)

Serve immediately with good bread. You can garnish each bowl with a sprinkling of chopped fresh cilantro, minto or parsley, or some dried mint.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 277.3 calories; 11% calories from fat; 3.7g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 831.7mg sodium; 1047.4mg potassium; 50.2g carbohydrates; 13.6g fiber; 9.7g sugar; 36.6g net carbs; 14.0g protein; 5.1 points.

Enjoy!