Read THE CHINA STUDY QUICK & EASY COOKBOOK Online
Authors: Del Sroufe
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
Quinoa and White Beans with Lemon and Olives
Polenta Rounds with Saffron Cream and Wilted Spinach
Zucchini, Corn, and Red Pepper Pancakes
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 