Roasted vegetables and cold sesame noodles

LÃ©vana Kirschenbaum has published “The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen-Glorious Meals Pure & Simple.” The hardcover book by the restaurateur, master chef, cooking teacher, and author, takes “kosher cooking and whole foods to a whole new level.”

The book is easy to follow with recipes that are simple and clear. Beautiful color photographs by Meri Pliskin accompany only some of the recipes. A nice addition to the general index is a large gluten-free one as well as a Passover one. Here are two recipes to whet your summer appetite. I have a few in mind for the High Holy Days, yes, next month!

Cold sesame noodles

Children love these noodles: I used to make oodles of them in my catering years. Here is a good place to sneak in a perfectly healthy pasta such as soba or rice noodles: Trust me, the fun sauce will beat any resistance out of the diehard white-pasta eaters out there. LK

Ingredients:

1 pound buckwheat or rice noodles (plain noodles if you must), cooked according to manufacturer’s instructions, and drained.
1 cup Thai sauce, or a little more if needed to coat the noodles. (She includes a recipe in the book.)
4 scallions, sliced very thin

Directions:

Toss the noodles with the sauce and the scallions just before serving. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Makes 8 servings.

Variation: perfect for leftovers

Throw in some thinly sliced cooked or grilled beef, or some diced cooked chicken or natural (no nitrites) smoked turkey and some soybean sprouts or sliced nappa cabbage.

Roasted vegetables (gluten free)

Everyone loves a plate of grilled veggies, to eat as is or to use as a filling for sandwiches. I have chosen to share the most ridiculously simple way. First of all, my “grilled” veggies are roasted, requiring no turning over and no maintenance. Second, the trick is to combine your veggies according to their cooking time.

To the selection below, you can add string beans, asparagus, endives, radishes, brussels sprouts, and fennel; but you will roast carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips, potatoes separately because they require a longer cooking time. Roast beets all by themselves so they don’t bleed into your other veggies, or use the wonderful golden beets now available at all good produce stores. For all roasting, remember, one layer, no piling! Lining the baking sheet with foil reduces, or sometimes even eliminates, cleaning. When the vegetables are roasted, go ahead and get a little fancier if you wish: toss in a little olive oil, chopped fresh basil, a few drops of balsamic vinegar, and a little ground pepper. Most often, I add nothing at all! LK

Ingredients:

2 large zucchinis, cut in thick sticks
2 large red onions, sliced thick
3 large red peppers, cut in large sections
1 large eggplant, cut in thick sticks
2 large portobello mushrooms, caps and stems separated, stems cut in half
Sea salt to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450Â°F. Line a large cookie sheet (you might need 2) with foil.

Spray heavily with vegetable oil spray. Place the vegetables snuggly and in one layer on the cookie sheet. Spray heavily again with vegetable oil spray.

Sprinkle with sea salt to taste. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables look lightly charred. The mushrooms (or string beans or asparagus) might be ready first: take them out and roast the remaining vegetables a little longer. When the mushrooms are cool enough to handle, slice them on a bias.

Cooking with Beth

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