Lentil Patties!

Looking for ways to amp up your veggies and legumes? I've got the perfect recipe for you!

Since moving toward a more plant-based diet, I have been concerned with my protein intake. I have increased eating eggs, quinoa and a bunch of other goodies, but I wanted to make something creative today. Voila! Lentil patties to the rescue.

I had a small bag of brown lentils in the pantry and figured I could try making them into something fun. I rounded up a bunch of things like brown rice, nutritional yeast, veggies, spices and came up with this little treat.  I even made a special spice blend just for this experiment.  You certainly don't need the spice blend to make this great, but if you're feeling overwhelmingly creative and have some time, why not.

I would think you could add whatever greens or any type of lentils you have on hand and throw it into this mixture. I think it's a great base to play around with. Enjoy and I hope to hear about how you made out with this recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked brown lentils
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 3 green onions
• 1 large garlic clove 
• small handful of kale, washed
• small handful of spinach, washed
• 1/2 jalapeno, not seeded
• 4 dashes of Worcestershire
• 2 tsp nutritional yeast 
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 2 tsp Steph's special seasoning
• squeeze of lemon juice
• 1 tbsp whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp bread crumbs
• ground black pepper to taste
• cornstarch for dusting
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil for cooking
• 1 tsp salt or to taste

Directions

Throw all ingredients into a food processor. That's it! Blend until combined. Easy-peasy, right?

The mixture should come together nicely, and not be too sticky.  If it is, add a bit more flour or breadcrumbs. You should be able form a patty without it sticking to your hands. I used a 1/3 measuring cup to portion the patties out to ensure they were the same size. Once you have your patties formed, dust them with a little cornstarch. It will help form a crust when cooking. 

Heat a large frying pan, and add 1 tbsp of olive oil or oil of your choice. You don't need a lot, it's just to brown them up, so feel free to use cooking spray instead. You will need to add more as you cook as the patties will soak up a bit of the oil.

Cook on each side for about 3-5 minutes. You want to see a light to medium brown color before flipping. Everything is already cooked in these patties, so you're really just browning them up for texture. The crust is sooo good and you can actually pick these up and eat them instead of using a fork. 

Below are the recipes for the masala yogurt sauce, and my special spice blend.  

Masala yogurt sauce

• 1/4c plain fat free yogurt
• 1-2 tbsp masala spice mix
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 chili (you can omit if you're not into spice)
• squeeze of lemon juice

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Let it chill if you can, or enjoy it right away.

Steph's special spice blend

• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds

Toast all the seeds together in a shallow pan. Just as they become fragrant, turn off the heat.  Be sure to constantly stir because the sesame seeds will start to brown quickly and you'll burn them if you don't constantly shake/stir. 

Take the toasted seeds to your mortar and pestle and grind 'em up.  You may need to do this in batches.  Once the entire mixture is ground up, store in an air tight container for uses with other dishes. 

Enjoy friends!

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Carrot-Banana-Zucchini Loaf

I'm a big fan of banana bread. I almost never make it though because of all the sugar that the recipes usually call for.  This past weekend, I was searching for ways to use the 10lb bag of carrots I bought and came across a Carrot-Banana loaf recipe. It got me thinking... I've made 'Morning Glory' muffins before and figured why couldn't I make a loaf, but without all the sugar? 

This recipe is vegan, and can be gluten-free if you want.  I didn't have any gluten-free flour on hand, so I used whole wheat instead. 

I absolutely LOVED how this turned out.  Beware that it is a pretty dense loaf, with all the banana, carrot and zucchini in it. It's also pretty moist, so don't be afraid to pull it out at the 25 min mark. I just kept inserting a knife in the middle to check done-ness. You may need to cook a little less or a few minutes more, depending on your oven.

Two slices of this keep me full for a couple of hours. I did not add the apricots because I don't like fruit in my bread, but I added it in for those who do.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup organic raw honey
• 3 tablespoons organic olive oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed organic ripe bananas (I used two bananas)
• 1 finely shredded zucchini 
• 1 cup grated organic carrots (I used 1.5 cups)
• ¼ cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (I juiced half a lemon)
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 cups Organic gluten free all purpose flour (or whole wheat if you aren’t doing gluten-free)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup chopped organic dried apricots (I didn’t add these)
• ½ cup organic chopped raw almonds (I added chopped walnuts instead and added a full cup.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3, 3” X 6” loaf pans (I only had to use two disposable tin ones, the NoName ones from NoFrills)
2. Using a fork beat the honey, oil, vanilla, and salt. Add the bananas, carrot, zucchini, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix the flour, baking powder, and baking soda into the banana mixture. Then fold in the nuts and apricots.
3. Spoon into the loaf pans and bake for about 20-25 min, or until tooth pick comes out clean. Let it cool for about 5 min before removing from pan.

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General Tso's Tofu

I've been on a really good vegetarian kick for the last few weeks and have also amped up my workouts at the gym.  I was getting concerned that I wasn't eating enough protein and in turn have been researching more tofu recipes to balance me out. 

I love tofu. I  love Chinese food also, so when I found this recipe for General Tso's Tofu, I had to try it. I promise you'll want to make this as soon as you can!

I served it with blanched broccoli, tossed in a bit of sesame oil and mirin and let it all cool. I also finished it off with a tiny bit of sea salt. The result is a cool sweet accompaniment to the spicy tofu. Oh I almost forgot, I also boiled one bar of Chinese Egg noodles which were nice to gather the left over sauce.  I was a champ and thought 12 seeded dry chili's was the way to go for this. If you ultra love spicy, follow suit. Otherwise, stick to 3 or 4 so you don't burn your face off. 

Note that you don't need to marinate this tofu for hours and hours. This can be a quick meal if you need it to be. 




Serves 4 as part of a multi-course meal

1 pound extra-firm tofu
2 cups broccoli florets
1 tablespoon peanut of vegetable oil
8 dried whole red chilis, or substitute 1/4 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced ginger,
1 scallion, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon white sesame seeds, for garnish

Sauce:

3 tablespoons tomato paste (or substitute ketchup for a slightly sweeter sauce)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons chili sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons sugar

1. Rinse and drain the tofu, then cut into 1-inch cubes. Blot the tofu all around with paper towels (drying the tofu helps it pan-fry better.)
2. Bring a medium pot of salted water to boil. Add the broccoli and cook for about 2 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again. Set aside.
3. Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the tomato paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, chili sauce, sesame oil, and sugar.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of the peanut oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl to coat the bottom. Add the tofu in one layer (you may have to do this in batches) and allow it to sear on the first side undisturbed for about 1 minute. Then use a spatula to move the tofu cubes around until they are golden on half or most of the sides, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
5. In the same pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of peanut oil. Add the dried chilis, garlic, ginger, and scallions and stir-fry until just fragrant, about 30 or 40 seconds. Pour in the sauce and stir until thickened, about 1 minute. Add the tofu and carefully toss to coat with the sauce. You can either toss the broccoli in with the sauce or serve it on the side. Transfer everything to a large serving dish. Sprinkle the sesame seeds and scallions greens on top and serve with rice on the side.

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Spicy Garlic Hummus

I was driving down the road when I ran over some hummus. A little further on, I hit taramasalata. Then I saw a road sign: 'Caution - dips in road'

I am a huge lover of hummus and I usually make it two or three times a month.  I like to switch it up and make different varieties; such as black bean, or white bean and feta. I love throwing in fresh jalapenos, raw cashews or cilantro.  Lately though, I've been craving just the good 'ole traditional hummus.


I played with this recipe a bit and have decided that I'll keep this one around. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.  


P.S. This recipe has a kick so if you're shy about spice, I'd cut the cayenne down to 1/4 tsp and add more to taste. If you like a bit of heat, try adding in a dried chili or some chili flakes.

Spicy Garlic Hummus

Ingredients:

- 1 can chickpeas, drained (reserve some liquid from the can as you will add this while pulsing in the food processor to smooth it out)
- 2 cloves garlic (add more to taste, of course. If you're using roasted, you will want to add about 4 cloves)
- 2 tbsp tahini
- juice of one lemon
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 

Directions: 

1. In a food processor, blend the chickpeas until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs.  
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse, you are trying to get it to a smooth and creamy texture.  
3. Start to add the reserved chickpea liquid in small bits, as you continue to pulse until you get it to the desired consistency.  Taste test.
4. Adjust seasonings and lemon to taste. 


Serve with fresh cut veggies, pita or nacho chips. Enjoy!






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Coconut Quinoa Pancakes, Gluten-Free Option

Pleasure to meet you Quinoa flour. I bought you for the first time today, after I experienced you at brunch earlier.  I have to say, I'm quite impressed by your strength. Your flavour is light and dense and I very much enjoyed you in the coconut-quinoa pancake I devoured.  You were topped with a smear of cream cheese and warm saucy (not too saucy) blueberries. I even enjoyed your friend, maple syrup. Oh how delicious you all were together!


I liked you so much that I decided to re-create you for breakfast this morning.


I decided to dress you up with a little warm baked apples and cinnamon.... and then grace you with some lovely crushed pecans.  Oh don't worry, I didn't forget the cream cheese.  


I have a soft spot for double smoked bacon, so a slice of that made it to the plate to join in the edible fun. Everyone played so nicely together!


I didn't have a gluten-free alternative flour, so I used all-purpose. I plan on buying buckwheat or another alternative this weekend and giving it another go. 

Here's the recipe, Enjoy!

Coconut Quinoa Pancakes (Gluten-free option)

1 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend
1 cup quinoa flour or quinoa flakes (see note above)
1/2 cup shredded coconut (I prefer unsweetened)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for cooking
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs

1. Combine flour, quinoa flour, coconut, brown sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whisk to work out all of the clumps.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, vanilla and eggs until well combined.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, whisking all the while until well combined. The batter will have texture because of the coconut (and quinoa flakes, if using), but should not have lumps.

4. Heat a well oiled pan or griddle over medium heat. Add batter in 1/4 cup scoops and cook until bubbles just begin to form around the edges. (Unlike most pancake batters, this will not bubble vigorously—you’re looking for just a couple of bubbles.) Flip and cook for another two minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Serve immediately, with a drizzle of honey or warmed maple syrup.

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Stuff you squash!

Over the years I've grown fond of squash. It started with acorn squash years ago. I had never cooked it before, and one day saw a recipe for a PC Apple Maple sauce baked on acorn squash.  Intrigued, I went to the store bought the sauce and immediately recreated the very simple recipe. 


I've come a long way from relying on store bought sauces as the show stopper secret ingredient, but for some reason when it came to acorn squash I just couldn't seem to come up with any other way to cook it... until recently. 


Thanks to my Twitter and Facebook friend Mike Lieberman (Urban Organic Gardener), I have discovered an amazing way to nom-nom this really yummy squash.

Courtesy of Mike, I made this delish dish. After my first bite, I was hooked.  I made it twice that week.  I went on and on to friends about this sweet recipe I just discovered. Best of all, when you dig deep down in the veggie goodness, you hit warm gooey goat cheese. CHEESE people! 


For the recipe, click here.


I usually don't follow recipes, and staying true to that, I of course made some edits.
Here is what I did differently:
1. I used kale, it's what I had on hand.  I removed the leaves from the stem and chopped finely.
2. I didn't add tomatoes
3. Added chopped mushrooms and zucchini. I love their flavour and thought this would be a great addition to 'beef it up'.
4. Used A LOT of goat cheese.  I put some on the bottom, then the kale and veggie medley and topped it with more goat cheese Like Mike.  
5. Right out of the oven, I topped it off with some smoked sea salt, courtesy of my fellow foodie Ian Raine.  He makes some wicked home-smoked foodie treats. 


...and voila!

Those are organic pea shoots on the side.  They had a light cool flavour and added a pleasing texture and raw freshness to the dish.  You know, keeping it real.  


I hope you give this one a try.  This simple dish left me satisfied, full and really enjoying the finishing flavour on my palate.  It captured the sweet, the salty and a warm soft texture that is going in my good books fo sho.


Cheers!




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