Newark Natural Foods

These are like toasted marshmallow cookies- I kid you not!

2 egg whites

1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup maple sugar

Preheat oven to 250 and grease two cookie sheets.

Beat egg whites, cream of tartar and vanilla in electric mixer until foamy white and doubled in volume.  Continue beating and add the maple sugar, a little bit at a time. Beat until stiff peak stage. Spoon little puffs onto baking trays- heaping tablespoons- and bake for 30 minutes until meringues are firm.

Cool and store in airtight tin.

Baked tofu is an easy way to get protein in the meal. It is important that excess water is removed from the tofu before you marinate it. You can press the tofu by slicing it and arranging it flat between two tea towels. Cover with a cutting board and put a weight on top of the board. Fifteen minutes should do it. Or… you can just blot the slices with a towel, using enough pressure to get out the moisture, but not enough to mutilate your tofu!

 Some of my favorite ways to bake tofu are

1- Dipping each slice into a marinade of tamari, grated ginger and toasted sesame oil. No need to grease the tray that you put them on. Bake at 350 -375  for about 20 - 30 minutes, until surface is dry. Flip with a spatula halfway through.

2- Dipping each slice into a mixture of tamari and maple syrup. Bake as above

3- Using a marinade of tamari and Braggs. bake as above.

4- Dipping each piece into tamari and then coat each side with nutritional yeast. Bake as above. (These do not store well.)

5- Cut into strips and then coat each piece with flour, then beaten egg, then seasoned bread crumbs (lots of salt because the tofu is so bland). Spray with oil ( I use a pump spray with olive oil, but I’m sure any oil is fine. Spray the pan as well. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, until outside is crisp. Serve these with tartar sauce or catsup. They are like vegetarian fish sticks!

Baked tofu changes consistancy after it is refridgerated. It becomes chewier- great texture for a vegetarian “chicken” salad.

We would love to hear how you make your baked tofu!

Brown rice is soooo much better for you than white and once you are used to it, you may begin to prefer it. Use short grain for a sticky rice and long grain when you want rice that won’t stick together. Here is a simple, yummy dish featuring brown rice:

Brown Rice with “Sausage”, Mushrooms and Spinach

2 cups long grain brown rice

4 cups +1 tbsp. water

sea salt

I pkg. Tofurkey Italian sausage, slices into 1/4″ diagonals

1 -8 0z. pkg. mushrooms, sliced

I lb. bag washed baby spinach

olive oil

Mix rice and water in pot. Bring to boil. Add pinch of salt, cover and lower heat to very low. Simmer for 45 minutes- no peeking! Cool and fluff rice to separate the grains.

Saute sausage in olive oil in large pot (you will need a big pot to put all that spinach in), stirring often, until it begins to brown. Add mushrooms. Cook for a few minutes until mushrooms begin to get tender and add the spinach. When spinach wilts down, add rice and heat through. Add more salt if needed.

It’s that easy! This is a great dish for company because you can prepare the rice ahead of time and also chop up the sausage and mushrooms.

This is my version of the cucumber salad you find at Middle Eastern restaurants. It is incredibly fast and easy and so refreshing on a hot day.

2 large cucumbers, peeled or partilally peeled and seeded

1 tomato

1/2 small lemon

sea salt

1/2 cup chopped parsley

Chop cukes. Cut open the tomato and remove seeds, then chop and add to cukes. Squeeze lemon juice over and season with a few pinches of salt- to taste. Add parsley and toss to mix.

Here is a recipe I found on the Eat Right For Your Blood Type website that is great for those who are avoiding the nightshade family.  Those nightshades are notorious for causing joint inflammation in many of us.  But with this recipe you will not even notice the absence of tomato because the taste is so remarkably like real tomato sauce.  A tip mentioned was that it is better if it’s made the day before and allowed to mellow.
No-Tomato Tomato Sauce

2 1/2 cups/675g steamed carrots

1/2 cup/100g steamed beets

2/3 cup/app 90 ml water

3 tablespoons/45 ml lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons/app 5-6g salt

1 tablespoon/app 12g basil (optional)

1/2 teaspoon/app 3-4g onion powder

pinch of oregano

3/4 cup/175g chopped cooked onions

1 clove minced garlic

Steam the carrots and beets until tender.  Brown onions and garlic together.  Measure all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Freeze or refrigerate until ready to use.

My favorite things to add to a salad are roasted beets and toasted walnuts. To roast the beets, clean and chop them into cubes, toss with olive oil and kosher salt (or sea salt) and bake them at 375- 400 degrees until tender. Serve with a vinaigrette dressing over greens