From The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook by Tosca Reno (Robert Kennedy Publishing, 2007).
1⁄2 red onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup (240 mL) carrot, grated 1 rib celery, chopped fine
1 Tbsp (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 block tofu, medium firm
1⁄4 cup (60 mL) fresh basil, chopped
1⁄4 cup (60 mL) fresh parsley, chopped
3 Tbsp (45 mL) low-sodium soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
4 quarts (3.8 L) water
6 large green or Savoy cabbage leaves (Keep a few extra leaves handy in case any get damaged while cooking.)
In large nonstick skillet, sauté onion, garlic, carrot, and celery in olive oil. Crumble tofu into skillet. Add herbs. Cook a few minutes more until heated through. Add soy sauce or tamari and mix well. Remove from heat and set aside.
In medium saucepan bring 4 quarts (3.8 L) water to boil. Place cabbage leaves in boiling water. Reduce heat and let cabbage cook briefly just until it changes colour. Remove from water immediately and run under cold water. Set on paper towel to drain.
Divide tofu mixture among 6 cabbage leaves. Roll cabbage carefully so tofu mixture doesn’t fall out and leaves don’t split. Place cabbage rolls in steamer basket and steam for 10 minutes. If you don’t have a steamer you can use a grill pan to grill the rolls, or bake them in the oven at 350 F (180 C) for 20 minutes. Serve hot.
Serves 6.
Each serving contains:
158 calories; 13 g protein; 9 g fat (1 g sat. fat., 0 g trans fat); 9 g carbohydrates; 3 g fibre; 488 mg sodium
source: "Meatless Proteins", alive #328, February 2010
Tourtière is, for me, the dish that best represents Québec. It can be traced back to the 1600s, and there’s no master recipe; every family has their own twist. Originally, it was made with game birds or game meat, like rabbit, pheasant, or moose; that’s one of the reasons why I prefer it with venison instead of beef or pork. Variation: If you prefer to make single servings, follow our lead at the restaurant, where we make individual tourtières in the form of a dome (pithivier) and fill them with 5 ounces (160 g) of the ground venison mixture. Variation: You can also use a food processor to make the dough. Place the flour, salt, and butter in the food processor and pulse about ten times, until the butter is incorporated—don’t overmix. It should look like wet sand, and a few little pieces of butter here and there is okay. With the motor running, through the feed tube, slowly add ice water until the dough forms a ball—again don’t overmix. Wrap, chill, and roll out as directed above.
My love of artichokes continues with this classic recipe, one of the best ways to eat this interesting, underrated, and strange vegetable. Frozen artichoke hearts are a time-saving substitute, though the flavour and texture of fresh artichokes are, by far, much superior and definitely preferred.
Cervelle de canut is basically the Boursin of France, an herbed fresh farmer’s cheese spread that’s a speciality of Lyon. The name is kind of weird, as it literally means “silk worker’s brain,” named after nineteenth-century Lyonnaise silk workers, who were called canuts. Sadly, the name reflects the low opinion of the people towards these workers. Happily for us, though, it’s delicious—creamy, fragrant, and fresh at the same time. Cervelle de canut is one of my family’s favourite dishes. It’s a great make-ahead appetizer that you can pop out of the fridge once your guests arrive. Use a full-fat cream cheese for the dish, or it will be too runny and less delicious.