Enjoy your favorite pasta dishes with more protein and fiber, fewer carbs, and no gluten! [1] Penne Bolognese. [2] Mac and Cheese. [3] A box of rotini, one of five Banza pasta shapes (all photos courtesy Banza). [4] Fresh chickpeas in the pod (photo courtesy Melissa’s).

We love rice noodles: gluten free, but they don’t complement European pasta sauces and other noodle dishes.

So we tried pasta made from brown rice, brown rice-kale blends, corn, farro, lentils, soybeans, even quinoa. (We found the last, which we like as an earthy grain, undesirable as pasta.)

The winner by far: chickpea pasta, which looks, cooks, and tastes like regular pasta.

Yes, the same lovely legume that gives us hummus makes the best pasta!

The pasta has a slight chickpea flavor if you eat it plain; but covered with sauce, cheese and perhaps meatballs, sausage or anchovies (or sausage and anchovies, for surf and turf), most people aren’t likely to notice a difference.

Bonus: Chickpea pasta has double the protein, four times the fiber and almost half the net carbs.

Interestingly, Banza was not developed because the founder sought a GF pasta, but because he wanted more nutrition from pasta, one of his favorite foods.

He achieved just that: The nutrient-dense pasta boasts 25 grams of protein, 13 grams of fiber and just and C43 grams of carbs in each serving.

It has been embraced by athletes and vegans looking for more protein in their diets, by the gluten-sensitivite community, by parents trying to sneak more “good stuff” into the family’s diet via their favorite carbs.
 
Types of Banza Chickpea Pasta

The line includes:

 
There are delicious recipes on the brand’s blog. You can buy the pasta on the website, or at some 5,000 retailers and etailers nationwide.

Even if you aren’t looking for gluten-free pasta, how about some high-nutrition pasta—for hot dishes, cold pasta salads, even a sweet noodle pudding, made with elbows, ricotta and raisins?

The brand is certified kosher by OU.

According to Technomic, a food industry research and consulting firm, it’s tofu.

The company’s MenuMonitor tracks more than 7,000 commercial and noncommercial menus to identify new ideas, including new menus, seasonal promotions and limited-time offers. The next trending sandwich protein, they say, will be…tofu!

Chicken and bacon are, by far, the most popular “hot” proteins on sandwiches, the company says. But tofu is on the rise due to growing consumer desires for:

 
So don’t be surprised to find tofu on the sandwich and burger menus of mainstream venues.

Why not try it in your own kitchen?

Chop tofu into “egg” salad; grill or pan-fry it to replace sandwich meats or burger patties.

For starters, here’s a tofu burger recipe from tofu specialist House Foods. They also sent us recipes for:

 
There are more tofu recipes below. Also below, what is tofu and tofu health benefits.
 
 
RECIPE: TOFU SLIDERS OR BURGERS

Ingredients For 8 Sliders Or 4 Burgers

 
For The Pesto Mayonnaise

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the pesto mayonnaise. Stir all ingredients for in a small bowl; refrigerate until ready to use.

2. QUARTER the block of tofu into 4 equal pieces. Slice each quarter horizontally into 2 thin pieces.

3. BEAT the eggs with the mustard in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. In a third bowl, combine the flour and herb seasoning.

4. HEAT the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Dip the tofu in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, then the bread crumb mixture. Add to the skillet and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Top with the mozzarella slices after turning the slices.

5. SPREAD the sides of the buns with the mayonnaise; place the tofu slices on the bottom halves, topping with basil and tomato slices.

TIPS

[2] Eggless egg salad, substituting tofu (here’s the recipe from House Foods).

[3] Make tofu sliders or burgers, garnished any way you like, with pesto mayonnaise and fresh basil, or…

[4] pizza-burger style, with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.

[5] House Foods Extra-Firm Tofu. House Foods tofu is non-GMO.

[6] Tofu blocks (photo courtesy Hodo Soy Beanery).

[7] Tofu breakfast scramble (here’s the recipe from Oh My Veggies).

[8] Tofu chocolate pudding, or budino in Italian (here’s the recipe from House Foods).

Tofu is made from curding soy milk, much in the same way cheese is made from dairy milk.

First, soybeans are ground with water and heated. The soy milk is separated from the solids (analogous to milk curds), the hot soy milk is stirred and a coagulant (a natural firming agent, analogous to rennet) is added.

The curds that form are poured into a forming box (a mold) and the whey is pressed out. The pressing action forms the curd into a solid block of tofu, which is also known as bean curd.

Here’s more about tofu, including the history of tofu.
 
 
TOFU HEALTH BENEFITS

Nutritionists, physicians and other healthcare providers want you to eat more tofu.

Tofu offers a variety of health benefits. It’s low-calorie, cholesterol-free, and an excellent source of high-quality protein, iron, and calcium.

Soy foods in general are associated with decreased risk of cancer. A comprehensive analysis of 28 previously published studies on Chinese adults shows that intake of soy foods in the form of tofu (and soy miso) does a better job of reducing the risk of stomach cancer than soy in general.

 
It’s still January, and the window for new year’s resolutions is still open. Why not turn Meatless Mondays into Tofu Tuesdays?

Take a look at these tofu cookbooks:

Our neighborhood Thai restaurant closed on December 31st, victim to a(nother) heartless New York City landlord.

It left us without our weekly supply of tom kha gai—and at the start of National Soup Month, no less.

Tom kha gai, literally “chicken galangal soup,” is a spicy and sour hot chicken soup with coconut milk.

In Thailand, most tom kha gai/kai recipes include coconut milk, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, Thai chili peppers, cilantro (dill weed in Laotian versions), straw mushrooms (or shiitake or other mushrooms), chicken, fish sauce and lime juice.

Fried chiles are sometimes added, for a smoky flavor as well as texture, color, and heat—just a touch so they don’t overwhelm the other flavors.

Other versions substitute seafood, pork or tofu for the chicken. We adapted this recipe from the Long Grain restaurant in Camden, Maine.

The soup is very easy to make. The challenge for people who don’t live near Asian markets is to find some of the ingredients. We’ve suggested substitutes.

Don’t want to chase after ingredients? Don’t like ginger or lemongrass? Try this recipe for Spicy Sea Bass Chowder With Coconut Milk.

RECIPE: TOM KHA GAI, THAI CHICKEN & COCONUT MILK SOUP

Ingredients For 6 Servings

 
Preparation

1. LIGHTLY SMASH the lemongrass and ginger with the back of a knife. Cut the lemongrass into 4” pieces. Bring the lemongrass, ginger, lime leaves and broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce the heat and simmer until flavors are melded, 8–10 minutes. Strain the broth into clean saucepan; discard solids.

2. ADD the chicken and return to a boil. Reduce the heat, add the mushrooms, and simmer, skimming occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and mushrooms are soft, 20–25 minutes. Mix in the coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar.

Tom kha gai, Thai coconut soup. [1] Photo by Evan Joshua Swigart | Wikimedia. [2] A more elegant presentation from DC Cuisine. [3] Lemongrass: top, with the outer leaves, which are removed (center).Photo courtesy Keirsten’s Kitchen.

MORE FOR NATIONAL SOUP DAY

 
________________
*Your supermarket probably carries the Thai Kitchen brand. It’s inexpensive and functional; but if you’ll be using fish sauce frequently, spring for one of the better brands from Thailand or Vietnam.

†There is nothing like fresh lemongrass. Trim the outer leaves and the bottom (see photo above) and use the first six inches of the base. You can buy fresh lemongrass online and you may find frozen lemongrass locally, which is almost as good. Dried lemongrass is as pale a substitute as dried basil, parsley and other herbs. You can steep any leftover lemongrass, including the trimmed tops, into a delicious herbal tea. To substitute: Zest from 1 lemon = 2 stalks lemongrass. You can also use fresh lemon verbena, lemon balm or lemon leaves.

[1] One of the grab-and-go soup cups, in five flavors. [2] Soup pouches, in 10 flavors. [3] Combine one of six varieties of noodles with a broth for a delicious noodle bowl. [4] Add pho ingredients to pho broth. [5] Enjoy Thai Green Curry plain, or [6] loaded with fresh veggies, proteins and/or grains of choice. Photos courtesy Nona Lim.

January is National Soup Month, a hot repast for colder weather.

The category of grab-and-go soups have grown and grown, first thanks to chains like Hale and Hearty following deli take-out, followed by fresh packaged brands in store refrigerator cases.

Boulder Organic and Healthy Choice are two of the larger brands. They are typically regional or store brands. For example, Fresh Direct carries Ladle Of Love and Splendid Spoon. Whole Foods in New York City sells their own brand plus a small selection of others, including today’s tip, Nona Lim.

NONA LIM: DEVELOPED FOR ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE
DELICIOUS FARE FOR THE REST OF US

Nona Lim soups were developed in Oakland, California, by a former professional athlete who constantly sought natural ways to gain a competitive advantage. She discovered the power of the right foods as “functional medicine.”

She observed how inflammatory foods would hurt her performance, and found that her body and brain would only function at peak performance—or recover faster— when fueled with whole, clean foods.

Nona went to the drawing board and created a healing, nutrient-dense, non-inflammatory meal program made with fresh, plant-rich, whole food ingredients and clean preparations made from scratch. Word spread, and the brand took off.

The variety of prepared meals and soups, broths and noodles are infused with the Asian flavors of Singapore, where Nona spent her childhood. The products are dairy free, mostly gluten free (some noodles are wheat-based), and in Nona’s words, “100% crap-free.”

You can customize any of the soups and broths with your favorite meats, seafood, and vegetables. Products include:

 
SOUP CUPS

We love these soup cups: light and delicious soups and broths in convenient 10-ounce “heat-and-sip” cup. Just pop it in the microwave (the soups are also tasty chilled).

They’re low in calories, so also work as a light snack; and certainly, a more nutritious alternative to a mocha latte.

The cup and lid can actually be re-used for refills or anything else you want to carry and sip. We’re avid re-cyclers, and we love it!

Flavors include:

 
SOUP POUCHES

Multi-portion soup pouches include:

 
For a lighter touch, we like the:

BROTH POUCHES

 
You can enjoy them as is; but they’re so easy to customize with whatever vegetables, meat, seafood, tofu, or grains you like. Our secret: Toss in all the leftovers.

Here’s a store locator.

The products can be purchased online. Consider gifting them to your favorite athletes, dieters, and anyone down with the flu.

Discover more at NonaLim.com.

Every foodie knows charcuterie: meats crafted into pâtés, rillettes sausages, terrines and more.

In the U.S., it is served as a first course and often appears on appetizer boards alongside cheeses and cold cuts.

But whether for palate preference, avoidance of so much animal fat or pescatarianism, a new trend is redefining charcuterie: seacuterie, an appetizer platter* of seafood.

Seacuterie is a new term for smoked and cured fish and shellfish dishes prepared with techniques typically associated with meats.

The first example we know of was the salmon pastrami developed by pioneering chef David Burke at Park Avenue Cafe in New York City, in the early 1990s (photo #4—he called it pastrami salmon).

It was adopted by other chefs, and led to other fish pastrami, culmimating in the most gorgeous mosaic of octopus pastrami from Chef Markus Glocker at Bâtard in New York City (photo #3). Now, chefs from coast to coast—especially seafood specialists—offer seacuterie plates (photo #2).

While you may not be up for making salmon pastrami or octopus pastrami (we couldn’t even find a recipe for it!), you can put together a “seacuterie” board of assorted appetizer fish. We did it for New Year’s Eve—it’s great with champagne and other sparkling wines—and are planning it again for Valentine’s Day.
 
 
CREATING A SEACUTERIE PLATTER

This is not an exercise for the faint of pocket, but you can save money by seeking out frozen seafood and limiting your choices (photo #1).

Everything should be easy: nothing in the shell, like crab claws; nothing drippy, like calamari salad.

Select five types of seafood. Some suggestions:

 
 
ACCOMPANIMENTS

 
Plus

 
Preparation

1. ARRANGE the items on a large serving platter or board. Some items (capers, olives, salads) will require ramekins or small bowls).

2. GARNISH the platter with sprigs of dill.

3. SET OUT cocktail forks or picks, small spoons (like espresso spoons) and spreaders; plus cocktail plates and napkins.

4. SERVE the breads and crackers on a separate plate or basket, unless you have a jumbo plate that holds everything.

[2] An elegant seacuterie board from Chef Aaron Black of PB Catch in Palm Beach (photo © PB Catch).

[3] Octopus pastrami by Chef Markus Glocker (photo by NY Eater).

[4] The original seacuterie: salmon pastrami from Chef David Burke (photo © Chef David Burke).

*A seacuterie platter is different from a plateau de fruits de mer, a platter of shellfish—lobster, oysters, shrimp, etc.—served on a bed of ice, along with condiments such as mignonette sauce, cocktail sauce and lemon wedges. It is usually served on a silver stand instead of a flat plate or platter.