Recipes courtesy of the
People’s Food Co-op in La Crosse

Easy Crowd-Pleasing Artichoke Dip
Hummus
Tabouli
Kung Pao Tofu

Easy Crowd-Pleasing Artichoke Dip

  • 1 can drained artichoke hearts
  • 1 small can diced green chilies
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup cream cheese
  • 1 bunch diced green onions or 1 leek
  • 1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

In a 2 quart casserole dish dice up artichoke hearts, add in the other
ingredients mix well. Bake at 350º for 20 minutes or until cheese is
bubbly. Best served with bagel chips, crusty bread, carrot sticks, or pita
chips.

Hummus

A Co-op favorite! Hummus is a pureed garbanzo bean dip with Middle Eastern origins. Serve with pita and an assortment of fresh vegetables. Tahini, or sesame seed paste, can be found in health food stores, gourmet shops and even many grocery stores.

  • 2 cups canned garbanzo beans, drained
  • 1/3 cup tahini
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cloves garlic (or more!), halved
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pinch paprika
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley

Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl.

All this is optional—drizzle olive oil over the garbanzo bean mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley, it’s also great served with warm pita wedges, feta cheese and and an olives tray!

Tabouli

A delicious and healthy dish—it’s great served with the above mentioned  hummus, pita, olives, feta…etc…

For authentic-tasting tabouli, use olive oil.

  • 3/4 cup boiling water
  • 1/2 cup cracked wheat or fine bulgur
  • 1/2 cup minced parsley
  • 1/4 cup minced mint leaves
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped green onion
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1 cucumber, seeded and diced
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil OR oil substitute (liquid from cooking chickpeas* or reduced vegetable broth)
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste
  • 1 tsp. sea salt, or to taste
  • Pepper to taste
  • Pinch allspice

Pour boiling water over the cracked wheat, cover, and let stand about 20 minutes until wheat is tender and water is absorbed. Add the chopped vegetables and toss to mix. Combine oil or substitute, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and allspice.  Add to wheat mixture and mix well. Chill. Serve and enjoy.

*I always serve this with hummus, so I use the chickpea liquid.

Kung Pao Tofu

This is another one of those dishes that’s perfect for vegans and vegetarians, or if you’re avoiding too much meat in your diet and have finally discovered the wonderment that is tofu. The dish is a wonderful addition to any table, especially if you’re planning an Asian food spread. It “ages” gracefully, which means that next day when you take it out of the fridge, it will be great if not even better. It really holds up, and the flavors have time to mingle. Mix it up with freshly-cooked Indian basmati rice (which has a wonderful aroma and flavor) or  serve it over some couscous. It’s delicous hot or cold. Enjoy!

For tofu marinade:

  • 1 lb extra firm tofu, in 1” cubes
  • 1/2 cup tamari
  • 2 tsp molasses
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1 tsp minced fresh ginger

For tofu sauce:

  • 10 oz teriyaki sauce
  • 1/8 cup tamari
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup sesame oil
  • 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 Tbsp arrowroot
  • 2 Tbsp water

For topping:

  • 1 red bell pepper, julienned
  • 1 green bell pepper, julienned
  • 1/4 cup minced cilantro
  • 1/2 cup chopped toasted cashews
  • 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

Whisk tamari, molasses, canola oil, and ginger and marinate cubed tofu in the tamari mixture for 1 hour. After tofu has marinated, bake in oven at 325º for 15 minutes, flip, and bake 325º for another 15 minutes.

To prepare the sauce, bring teriyaki sauce, tamari, orange juice, garlic, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes to a simmer, then add 1 Tbsp arrowroot with 2 Tbsp water and mix into sauce. Whisk until the sauce starts to thicken. Remove the sauce from heat and cool.

While the sauce is cooling and the tofu is baking, prepare the nuts and vegetables. Wash and cut the peppers and cilantro. Toast the sesame seeds in the oven for 5 minutes until light golden. Also toast the cashews in the oven for 5-7 minutes. Combine the cooled tofu and the cooled sauce with the vegetable and nut mixture.

Mix well and serve on its own or over rice.