Celebrating with Parve Spaghetti Bolognese

Hello everyone,

This past Shabbat, on the 14th of Kislev, I celebrated my 40th birthday.
It sounds like a significant age, "40 years old."
While it sounds big, it doesn't feel big at all. In some ways, I still feel like a child.
I can spend hours with my eldest son, captivated by the same children's science books that fascinate him – and me.
Similarly, I can sit on the floor with my daughters and play with blocks or toy kitchen sets.
A little confession – sometimes during work meetings or parent-teacher conferences, I feel slightly out of place, not quite fitting in among all the "adults."

A birthday is supposed to be a time for introspection. This time, I didn't have much time for self-reflection. Shabbat is so short in the winter, it breezes by.
It's a race from meal to meal – and then, in a blink, it's Havdalah, and we hadn't accomplished much.

Amid all the celebrations, gifts, and the grand cake my dear husband bought from the neighborhood bakery (perhaps not the healthiest, but certainly wonderful for the soul), and the well-wishes and blessings, I didn't have much time for introspection. However, I have so much to thank Hashem for; foremost is the privilege of being part of this tremendous and wonderful organization called Hidabroot.
The mere fact that Hashem granted me a personal column, giving me the opportunity to share my knowledge and to learn from you, the wonderful readers, is monumental for me.

From the depths of my heart, thank you.
 

Revital, my dear and righteous neighbor, baked delightful spelt cookies for my birthday.
They were delicious, crisp, with an enticing aroma.
Within less than a minute, they were all gone.
I asked her for the recipe – she laughed, "That's your recipe; you gave it to me! Spelt flour cookies with oats, coconut sugar, and banana."
I didn't recognize the recipe.
Honestly, it wasn't easy to admit, but hers turned out much better.
That's what's called the personal touch.
Each of us has that magical touch.

Another example of this personal magic came from a reader named Adi.
In the previous article, I shared a recipe for what can be done with a block of tofu: Pad Thai.
Truth be told, Pad Thai is the only thing I know how to make with tofu.
Then, Adi wrote in the comments with a simple and easy recipe for Tofu Shawarma.
I went to the supermarket, choosing a tofu labeled non-GMO soybeans, thanks to another lovely reader named Yael, who clearly explained in the previous article's comments why that's important, and I gave the recipe a try.

The result was extraordinary:
As you can see in the pictures, it truly looks like real shawarma, the kind where the shawarma vendor slices it with an electric knife from the large rotating block near the fire.
The aroma – like juicy meat in warm pita with fresh chopped veggies.
The taste – captivating! The plates were emptied.
But it's entirely vegan. How is that possible?
The secret is in the seasoning.

Here's a recipe for natural shawarma, courtesy of Adi:

• Use a vegetable peeler to slice pieces from the tofu block into a bowl.
• Mix with one or two tablespoons of olive oil.
• Season the mixture.
  Adi recommends shawarma seasoning. Since I didn't have any, I used soup seasoning, lots of cumin, salt, and a bit of curry.
• Mix and let it rest.
• In the meantime, fry onion cubes. Once golden, add the seasoned tofu.
• Continue frying until all the colors, flavors, and aromas meld into a wonderful mix.
• Serve inside a pita spread with homemade hummus (recipe available here) and a finely chopped Israeli salad (tomato, cucumber, onion, lemon).
  For adults, you can add rings of purple onion seasoned with sumac (but as you guessed, I eat like the little ones).

Another thanks to add to my list. Thank you, Adi and Yael from the previous article, and thank you to all the readers for your comments, questions, advice, and insights (with an "I") .
Keep sharing your wonderful tips and great recipes, enriching all of us.

At the end of the previous article, I took on the Soy Flakes Challenge.
I discovered a new world.
Prepare the flakes according to the package instructions.
Drain well after soaking.
It became a raw material, a ground meat substitute.
Season as needed (shawarma/meatball/grilled meat seasoning or a mix of favorite spices) and make patties, stuffings, or whatever your imagination conjures up.
With my raw material, I created parve spaghetti "Bolognese."

• Cook whole wheat pasta (I recommend the "Te'eman" brand, kosher and very tasty).
• Meanwhile, in a separate pot, sauté in some olive oil: onion, grated carrot, and tomato cubes.
• Add garlic cubes and frozen basil.
• Mix in the soy flakes after soaking and draining, exactly as noted on the package.
• Season with salt, cumin, turmeric, garlic powder, and bay leaves.
• Add a can of tomato paste and a cup of water, and bring to a boil.
• Combine the two pots and get a wonderful dish – parve spaghetti Bolognese.

So, if spaghettiBolognese is parve, why not sprinkle some parve Parmesan over it?
The wonder of nutritional yeast.
It looks like Parmesan cheese, it tastes like Parmesan cheese, but actually, it's a byproduct of the beer industry.
No, I’m not mistaken. Yes, it’s a byproduct, and not just any byproduct, but from the beer industry.
The amazing thing is, this byproduct is super nutritious, especially for children.
So healthy and rich in nutritional values that it's sold in health food stores and pharmacies in capsule form as a dietary supplement or as part of treatments for various skin conditions, and for alleviating stress and anxiety. Some even claim it purifies blood and improves tissue building processes in the body.
Athletes especially love it.

So what can nutritional yeast add for us?
First, it’s rich in protein.
Second, it’s packed with essential minerals.
Lastly, it’s full of important B vitamins, including B12, usually found in animal products.
Unlike tofu cheese, I have many winning recipes and tips for nutritional yeast.

In the next article, with Hashem's help, I want to move on to starchy vegetables like potatoes and corn.
It will be the place to offer a recipe for parve creamy pasta, where nutritional yeast will star.

Until then, wishing you good health,
Chen Tovi

Just a little note,
Very late on Motzei Shabbat, after I'd finished this article, when everyone at home was asleep and only my computer and I were awake, I received an email from my upstairs neighbor, Revital.
Here's its content, I haven't touched it:
1 cup spelt or regular flour
1 cup oats
1 cup coconut sugar (although I used less)
1 banana
1 egg
A little white or dark chocolate chips, whatever I had at home
The recipe doesn't call for baking powder, but I added a quarter teaspoon
10 minutes at 200 degrees, and that's it :-)

And two more thanks have been added,
One sent upward, over the ceiling, to my dear neighbor, who thinks of me.
And the greatest thanks of all was sent much higher, to the One who created the world and surrounds us all with great love.