During the Nine Days leading up to Tisha Be’av, this year marked on July 29, it is the custom in many households to avoid eating meat, except on Shabbat.As a child, I was taught that the reason for this tradition is to mourn the destruction of the first and second Holy Temples in Jerusalem. But I enjoyed the Nine Days because I ended up eating more of my favorite foods – creamy macaroni and cheese, noodle kugel with cottage cheese and poached eggs on toast.Now I consider this midsummer period as an occasion to jump-start a diet or a healthier eating style, whether it’s to make meals low-calorie, low-fat, vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free.Michael Natkin, author of Herbivoracious, a book of internationally inspired vegetarian recipes, has good tips on making meatless cooking flavorful.Lemons are a key ingredient.“Almost every dish needs acidity for balance and citrus is often the ideal option,” writes Natkin. He adds fresh herbs to his dishes with a liberal hand. When he uses tomato paste, he likes to add it to onions and to brown it.Beans and lentils are central to vegetarian cooking because they are plant-based protein sources. “Without exception,” writes Natkin, “legumes that are cooked at home will have a better flavor and, especially, texture than canned beans.”Instead of using meat, Natkin uses chickpeas and green olives to make a vegetarian tagine. He seasons it with the Moroccan spice blend ras el hanout, as well as with sumac, pomegranate molasses and preserved lemon, and serves it over couscous.When he prepares Sephardi kouftikes de prasa, or leek patties, he flavors them with cumin and makes them into a sandwich – he tucks them into pita with labaneh, mint leaves and harissa-spiced red cabbage.A light summertime dish is Natkin’s Thai tofu salad made of strips of sauteed tofu and diced cucumber flavored with green onions, fresh coriander and mint, with an oil-free dressing of soy sauce, lime juice, sugar, sliced fresh hot chilies and sliced shallots.The salad is eaten wrapped in lettuce or cabbage leaves.Cookbook author Allyson Kramer took on a particularly challenging regimen.She makes meals that are not only vegan (free of all animal products, including eggs, dairy foods and honey), but also gluten-free, which means they include no wheat or other gluten-containing grains such as barley or rye.Kramer is vegan by choice and gluten-free by necessity. At first she found that going gluten-free was hard. But after experimenting, she discovered that “with a little knowhow...gluten-free vegan eating is simple.”She explains how to cook this way in Great Gluten-Free Vegan Eats.“The most important thing to understand when cooking and baking without gluten,” comments Kramer, “is that there isn’t one ‘all-purpose flour.’” Instead, combinations of different kinds of gluten-free flour are needed to achieve the desired results.Some flours she uses are almond meal, chickpea flour, brown rice flour, cornmeal, potato flour and even cocoa, which she treats as a kind of flour.For vegan cooking, there are nondairy “milks” available, such as soy milk and rice milk, but finding substitutes for eggs is not as easy. For baking, Kramer replaces 1 egg with a quarter cup of applesauce or half a banana, or with a mixture of 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal and 2 tablespoons water.Many of Kramer’s dishes are easy and light, like her refreshing minted green pea bisque made of pureed frozen peas, onions caramelized without oil, a little garlic, nondairy milk and fresh mint. Her falafel-inspired Mediterranean croquettes are made of chickpea flour, mashed potatoes, garlic, roasted red peppers, chopped black olives, parsley, black pepper, lemon zest and a touch of tehina. The patties are brushed with olive oil and baked.For a quick summertime drink, Kramer blends frozen orange juice, almond milk, frozen banana slices and vanilla to make a creamy smoothie.ZUCCHINI AND CORN WITH TOMATOES This recipe is adapted from 30 Low-Fat Vegetarian Meals in 30 Minutes by Faye Levy. You can serve this easy dish warm with hardboiled eggs or with a green salad topped with feta cheese or cottage cheese. To make it into a vegan entree, instead of serving it with eggs or cheese, add cooked lentils or canned chickpeas.Makes 4 servings 570 gr. (11⁄4 pounds) small pale-green-skinned summer squash (Hebrew kishuim) or zucchini, cut in 2.5-cm (1-inch) dice 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels 2 to 3 tsp extra-virgin olive oil 350 gr. (3⁄4 pound) ripe tomatoes, diced 1⁄2 tsp. dried oregano pinch of hot red pepper flakes (optional) 1 green onion, chopped salt and freshly ground pepper Add squash and corn to a saucepan of enough boiling water to cover them. Return to a boil over high heat. Cook 3 minutes or until squash is crisp-tender. Drain in a colander or strainer.Heat oil in same saucepan, add tomatoes, oregano and pepper flakes and heat through over medium-high heat about 1 minute. Add green onion, squash and corn, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and toss well. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.LOADED OTSU NOODLES For this Japanese recipe for cold sesame noodles in Herbivoracious, author Michael Natkin makes his sauce from tehina, soy sauce, fresh ginger, lemon and hot pepper sauce. The cold vegan dish “is a huge hit with kids as well as adults and is easy to make ahead for summer barbecues.”Natkin uses extra-firm tofu; if it’s not available, use firm or medium.Makes 4 servings For the sauce: 1⁄4 cup tehina 2 Tbsp. tamari or other soy sauce 1 Tbsp. sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) or 2 tsp. sugar 2 tsp. rice vinegar juice and grated zest of 1⁄2 lemon a 2.5-cm. (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated 1 tsp. or more thick Asian hot sauce, or 1⁄2 tsp.cayenne pepper Freshly ground black pepper For the noodles: 250 gr. (9 ounces) plain buckwheat soba (Japanese noodles) or other noodles 1 heavy eggplant (about 700 gr. or 11⁄2 pounds) sliced into 1.25-cm. (1⁄2-inch) rounds 1⁄4 cup vegetable oil 225 grams (8 ounces) extra-firm tofu 1⁄2 cup toasted sesame seeds 2 slim cucumbers, cut into 1.25-cm. (1⁄2-inch) cubes 1⁄2 head of iceberg lettuce (for serving), leaves pulled apart 2 green onions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced Flaky sea salt Freshly ground black pepper For the sauce: Combine the tehina, tamari, sweet soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, hot sauce and pepper in a small bowl and whisk until smooth (or you can use a mini food processor). Let the sauce rest so the flavors can develop while you make the noodles and vegetables.For the noodles: Prepare the noodles according to the package directions, typically by boiling about 4 minutes. Don’t let them overcook. Rinse in cool water and drain. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat the broiler. Brush the eggplant with 2 Tbsp of the vegetable oil and grill or broil until deep brown on both sides and thoroughly tender. Let cool, then slice the rounds into approximately 5 x 2.5-cm. (1 x 2-inch) pieces.Heat remaining 2 Tbsp oil in a skillet over high heat. Slice the tofu into approximately 5 x 2.5 x 2-cm. (2 x 1 x 3⁄4-inch) rectangles, dry thoroughly with a paper towel, and saute in a single layer until nicely browned on both sides, about 5 minutes total.Taste and adjust the sauce. Does it need more salt? More citrus? More heat? Is it too thick? You want a fairly liquid texture, not pasty, and it should be highly flavored. If it’s too thick but has plenty of flavor, use a little cool water to thin it out.In a large bowl, toss together the noodles, sauce (reserving 2 Tbsp), sesame seeds (reserving 1 Tbsp), cucumber, eggplant and tofu.To serve, line a bowl or platter with the lettuce and mound the noodles on top. It can be hard to get the vegetables to mix in, so you may need to distribute them a bit with your tongs. Top with (in order): the reserved sauce, green onions, remaining sesame seeds, a couple pinches of salt, and a grind of black pepper.ORANGE JULIA This creamy smoothie from Great Gluten-Free Vegan Eats is Allyson Kramer’s healthier version of a classic shopping-mall treat, Orange Julius. You can garnish the rim of each glass with a half slice of orange.Makes 4 servings 11⁄4 cups frozen orange juice (see Note A below) 1 cup almond milk (see Note B below), rice milk, or nondairy milk of your choice 1 banana, peeled, sliced and frozen 1⁄2 tsp. vanilla extract extra orange juice or nondairy milk to thin, if desired Blend all the ingredients in a blender until smooth. Serve immediately, with straws.Note A: Kramer freezes orange juice in ice-cube trays.Note B: Kramer’s recipe for homemade almond milk: Soak 2 cups raw whole almonds overnight in water to cover, drain them and blend them with 41⁄2 cups water, and if you like, 1⁄3 cup agave nectar and 2 tsp pure vanilla extract, until very smooth. Strain mixture through cheesecloth and stir in 2 cups water. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The strained almond pulp can be added to smoothies, cookies or rice pudding.
