Cooking Class: Dr. Ayesha Sherzai Cooks & Shares the Science Behind a Delicious Meal

Dr. Ayesha Sherzai, Brain Health Doctor

Dr. Ayesha Sherzai, the “Brain Health Doctor,” will prepare an easy-to-make, healthy, and of course, tasty meal. Throughout the session, she will discuss the science behind the nutrition component. While she is preparing the meal, she will share how people can make this kind of cuisine a part of their daily lives.

Barbecue Jackfruit Sandwich with Crispy Slaw

Serves: 4

Given its mild flavor and meaty texture, jackfruit is a perfect plant-based meat substitute in stir fries, tacos, and more!

Ingredients

• 2 cans of young green jackfruit in water or brine
• EVOO spray
• 3 tablespoon monk fruit sweetener
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• A pinch of iodized salt
• ½ to ¾ of a cup sugar-free BBQ sauce (see recipe at the bottom of the page)
• Whole wheat buns. You can also serve in lettuce wraps, but whole wheat buns take the trophy.

Instructions

1. Prepare the jackfruit. Open the jackfruit cans, throw the content in a colander, and rinse the jackfruit pieces thoroughly under cold tap water. Let the water drain.
2. Chop off the center “core” portion of the fruit and discard. Remove any tough seeds and discard.
3. Heat a skillet on medium heat. Spray with EVOO and add the jackfruit in the skillet. Toss to coat for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the monk fruit sweetener and the spices and stir well to mix. Add ¼ to ½ cup water to allow for the sweetener and the spices to mix well. Then lower the heat on the lowest setting, put the lid on the skillet and allow to slowly simmer for 5-7 minutes. If the mixture is too dry, add more water and let cook in the moisture as the jackfruit absorbs the flavor of the spices, while you prepare the slaw.
5. Keep an eye to make sure the mixture does not burn.
6. In about 5-7 minutes, remove the lid and stir the mixture. Now add your barbecue sauce, starting with ½ cup and adding more as you wish to ensure the jackfruits are bathed in the sauce, and you create a luscious mixture. Make sure it’s not dry and stringy. Don’t hesitate to add more barbecue sauce.
7. Heat for a minute or two to warm the sauce. Turn off the heat, as you don’t want your sauce to burn. Your barbecue jackfruit is now ready to serve. Keep in pan to keep it warm until serving on whole wheat buns (or tortillas for tacos).

Crispy Slaw

Serves: 4

Crisp, refreshing, and a perfect topping for BBQ.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of shredded green or red cabbage
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 small apple, shredded (or replace with any crispy fruit or vegetable, such as red radish, daikon radish or broccoli stems. Don’t use watery vegetables such as cucumbers or zucchinis – you’ll get slaw in a pool of vegetable juice, and it will dilute the flavors).
• Juice of 1 lemon or lime
• Salt + pepper to taste
• 1 avocado, mashed and mixed with water to thin it as a sauce
• 1 tablespoon monk fruit sweetener

Instructions:

1. Mix all the shredded vegetables and fruit with the lime/lemon, salt/pepper, and monk fruit sweetener in a large bowl.

2. Use your hands to massage them to soften a bit or leave them crispy – your choice.

3. You can make this easy slaw ahead and store in a container in the fridge.

Assembly of the sandwich:

1. Toast the whole wheat buns.
2. Place a heaping serving spoon or two of jackfruit on the bottom half of the bun. Pour some more barbecue sauce if you’d like.
3. Pile on some slaw and place the top half of the bun on top and press gently to make it stable.
4. You can serve this with sliced jalapenos, pickled onions, sweet potato (air)fries and more slaw.
5. Don’t forget to serve with a big napkin to hold the sauce drippings. Enjoy.

Ayesha’s sugar-free Basic BBQ Sauce Recipe

Makes a little over 1 cup.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup canned tomato sauce (pureed tomatoes, simple, no salt added)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (if you don’t have it, just add another tsp of smoked paprika to your mixture)
• 4 heaping tablespoons monk fruit sweetener
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce (or liquid aminos)
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• A pinch of cayenne (optional)

Instructions

1. Whisk all ingredients together in a medium saucepan.
2. Cook over medium-high heat until the sauce reaches a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer (uncovered) for 10 minutes, or until the sauce has slightly thickened.
3. Adjust to suit your taste.
   Make it sweeter: Add more monk fruit sweetener, to taste.
   Make it smokier: Add a touch more liquid smoke or smoked paprika, to taste.
   Make it thicker: Simmer the sauce for longer until it reduces to your desired consistency.

4. Use the sauce immediately or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 1 week.

Eggplant Rolatini with Tofu Ricotta, Tomato Basil Sauce and Cashew Cream

Serves 6

Keeps in the fridge for several days, not freezer friendly.

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplants, sliced lengthwise

Tofu Ricotta Filling

• 1 block of extra firm tofu
• Juice of 2 large lemons
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• Freshly ground black pepper
• A pinch of salt (optional)
• 1/4 cup walnut parmesan (recipe below)

Tomato Basil Sauce

• Extra virgin olive oil spray (optional)
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 28 ounce can (or two 15 oz cans) of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes, NOT diced tomatoes. You can get whole tomatoes and process them.
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, chopped plus more for garnish
• A pinch of salt, optional
• Freshly ground black pepper

Cashew Cream

• 1/2 cup cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours or overnight
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 1/4 tsp garlic
• 1/2 tsp miso paste
• 1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

Walnut Parmesan

Yield: 10-12 servings and can be stored in a small jar in the fridge for weeks.

• 1/2 cup raw walnuts (or any other nuts)
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp miso paste (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C).
2. Arrange the eggplant slices on 1-2 baking sheets in an even layer and bake oven for 20 minutes, then flip and bake for another 10 minutes. Set aside and maintain heat to 375 degrees F (190 C).
3. While eggplant is baking, add all the walnut parmesan ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times. You want a course meal, not a powder. Pour the parmesan out of the processor container and set aside.
4. Now add the tofu ricotta ingredients to the food processor and pulse to combine, scraping down sides as needed. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
5. Make the cashew sauce by blending all the ingredients in a blender and food processor. Set aside.
6. Now make the tomato basil sauce: place the garlic in a pan on medium heat, sprayed with extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil and let it become fragrant for about 30 seconds. Then add the tomato sauce, oregano, black pepper, basil, and salt (optional). Mix and place on very low heat for about 15 minutes so the flavors get to mix with each other.

Set aside.

7. Pour about a cup of the tomato sauce into an 8×8 baking dish (or similar sized dish) and reserve the rest of the sauce for topping / serving. Set aside.
8. Scoop generous amounts (about 2 Tbsp) of tofu ricotta filling onto each eggplant slice and roll up. Place seam side down in the sauce lined baking dish. Continue until all filling and eggplant strips are used up. Pour more tomato sauce on the rolls for extra flavor.
9. Drizzle or spoon over some cashew sauce on top in a zig zag pattern.
10. Bake for 20 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly and warm and the top of the rolls are very slightly golden. Serve immediately with additional drizzle of the cashew sauce, walnut parmesan and fresh basil. Leftovers keep for a couple of days, though best when fresh.

Notes:

You can avoid oil.

You can skip the salt.

If you don’t like eggplants, you can use pasta shells instead, but try to find whole wheat pasta. You could also cook this with whole wheat penne pasta – mixing the ricotta with the pasta and covering it with the tomato sauce and cashew cream.

If you can’t have cashews, use ¾ cup silken tofu to make the cream and add a tiny bit more nutritional yeast for taste.

If you can’t have walnuts, substitute with sunflower or pumpkin seeds.

If you can’t have tofu, mix the eggplant slices with white beans and steamed spinach, and cover it with the tomato sauce and cashew cream.