Posts filed under 'recipe'
BBQ Pinto Bean Burgers
A few weeks ago I had one of those crazy “I must cook something new right this second!” moments. Within 30 minutes of that “moment” I was chowing down on the burger you see above. It was one of those wonderful and crazy cooking experiments that worked out really well. So not only did I eat the burger for lunch but I also ate it again for dinner and then if I remember correctly I ate it again for lunch the next day.
My favorite parts of this recipe are the raw onions and the BBQ sauce that are mixed into the burger. I always like raw onions on top of my veggie burgers but they always either fall off or you eat a huge chunk of the onion with one bite and it just doesn’t get evenly distributed between bites. I figured if I chopped them up and stuck them in the burger that would take care of those 2 problems and it did! Some of the onions got cooked while the burgers were frying in the pan but the majority of them were still raw-ish. You definitely got that raw onion flavor with every bite. For the BBQ sauce, I alway’s knew I was going to put some on top of the burger, when I had the idea to make them, but I then decided to also put some into the burger to get that extra BBQ flavor. It was nice and subtle.
A few weeks after creating this burger I also used this recipe during a vegan cooking class I was teaching with 2 of my friends for our local vegan meet up group. Everyone really liked it and I hope you all like it too!
BBQ Pinto Bean Burgers
makes 4-5 burgers depending on the size you want
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 of a red bell pepper, finely diced
2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 15oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 small onion, finely diced
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
3 tablespoons of your favorite BBQ Sauce, I use Annies Smokey Maple
1 tablespoon tamari
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons water (only if needed)
1 avocado, sliced
mesclun salad
burger rolls
In a medium or large saute pan, heat your olive oil over medium heat, add your chopped garlic and peppers and saute until soft. About 5 minutes.
In a medium size bowl mash the pinto beans with a potato masher or fork. Mix in the garlic-pepper mixture, onions, vital wheat gluten, BBQ sauce, tamari and salt. Ditch your mixing utensil and with clean hands kneed the burger mixture to help activate the vital wheat gluten (this is what makes the burgers hold their shape.) If the mixture seems too dry add the water 1 tablespoon at a time until your mixture is moist enough to hold it’s shape.
Form into whatever size burgers you want.
In the same pan you cooked the garlic and peppers add 1 tablespoon of oil and reheat the pan over medium heat. Cook the burgers until golden brown, approx. 3-5 minutes each side.
Place on bottom of a burger bun, spoon extra BBQ sauce, add some avocados and some mesclun salad, top the burger with the other bun and EAT!
July 13th, 2010
Pecan Crusted Seitan w. Kale Slaw
This is a new obsession. When I heard about pecan crusted chicken I was already a vegetarian so it was too late for me to try it. I love everything that has to do with nuts so I was bummed that I was going to miss out on this sure to be delicious meal. It wasn’t until MANY years later that I realized that I could make it with seitan. What took me so long? I don’t know. I’m glad I realized it though because I don’t know how I lived without it. If I could crust everything in pecan’s I would. That’s how much I love this recipe.
I wasn’t quite sure how to begin with this recipe so it took me a few tries to get it exactly right. Above was my first attempt which I served with a Kale Slaw, which is a whole other story of delicousness, and some BBQ sauce. It was really good but I knew that some of the ingredient measurements needed to be changed.
Toasted Pecan Crusted Seitan
I made it again for New Years Eve. This time I toasted the pecans first to see if that would change the taste at all. It did but in a subtle way and I decided that toasting the nuts first was unnecessary and an extra step that I could do without. I served it with store bought Orange Papaya Chutney and it went over well with the few that were around to taste it. I then proceeded to make this recipe a few more times the same way over and over again because I decided to teach it to members of my local vegan group at a cooking class I was helping to teach and just because I tend to obsess about things at times.
Needless to say…I’m very happy with this recipe. I’m toying with the idea of maybe marinating the seitan before crusting it in pecans but for now I think it’s just perfect the way it is.
Pecan Crusted Seitan
This recipe gives you the option of frying or baking the seitan. I’m a lover of all things fried but my favorite way to make these is baking them. Almost everyone who has tried both the fried and baked versions choose baked as their favorite way to eat this recipe. Enjoy!
2 cups Pecans (whole or pieces)
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup non dairy milk (unsweetened!)
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
4 seitan cutlets (left whole, cut into strips or nuggets)
canola oil, if you are frying
IF BAKING PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES.
1. For the crust: Pulse the pecans in a quisenart until they are broken down somewhat and then add the dried rosemary, all purpose flour, parprika and salt and process until all is combined and it resembles coarse bread crumbs. Empty onto a plate.
2. In a small bowl mix the non dairy milk, mustard and arrowroot until combined.
3. Dip the seitan (cutlet, strips, nuggets) into the milk and then into the pecan crust and roll it around until it is covered with the pecan mixture. Towards the end of your batch you’ll find you might have to press the crust onto the seitan. This happens because of the wetness left behind from some of the milk mixture. This doesn’t always happen when I make it but sometimes it does. Set aside on a clean plate, if frying, or baking sheet tray lined with parchment paper, if baking. Continue with the rest of the seitan.
4. If you are baking the seitan: simply place it in the 350 degree oven for 25 minutes, flipping the seitan halfway through the cooking time.
5. If you are frying the seitan: pour canola oil into a frying pan until it covers the entire bottom of the pan and then some about 1/3 of an inch. Fry until golden brown on each side, about 3-5 minutes each side, (cutlets you’ll have to flip once, strips you will flip 1-3 time and nuggets about 2-4 times depending on how you cut your seitan). Drain on paper towels.
6. Serve as is or with some of your favorite sauces: BBQ, Chutney, Agave Mustard..etc..
March 15th, 2010
Hidden Veggie Tomato Sauce
I have a very picky eating child. No veggies will pass by those precious lips of hers except peas. Occasionally when I’m chopping up carrots she will say “Reno eat that” and I’ll give it to her and she either eats it or throws it in the trash. One day I had her help me snap some string beans in half and she again said “Reno eat that” and she took 2 bites of one and then that was enough. At least she tried it though and when she tries foods or actually eats foods I have Yo Gabba Gabba to thank for that. I’m always singing 2 of their songs to her. One goes something like “There’s a party in your tummy, SO YUMMY, SO YUMMY” the other ones goes “Try it! You’ll like it!” Those 2 songs have helped us get a few extra bites of food into her body.
This is all so frustrating to me on so many levels. One being that my career before having her was all about food and cooking.Two, I’m a veggie mom to a veggie kid who won’t eat her veggies. Third being…(i forgot! i know there was a third though!) Anyway I have basically resorted to blending veggies into our foods to trick her into eating them. The best thing ever for doing this besides mashed potatoes are tomato sauces. I could dump a pot of tomato sauce on our front lawn and she would eat it. Needless to say…we eat pasta…ALOT.
Hidden Veggie Tomato Sauce
Don’t worry about your knife skills on this one. The veggies are blended in the beginning and the entire sauce at the end of the recipe. The chopping of the vegetables in the recipe are to make it easier on your blender/food processor.
1/3 cup olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 bunch of kale, stems removes and chopped
2 medium carrots, scrubbed and chopped into 2 inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and chopped
2 28oz cans Whole Peeled Tomatoes (i like Muir Glen)
1/2 cup fresh basil, washed well
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onions for 5 minutes then add garlic and saute for 3 more minutes or until soft.
While the onions and garlic are cooking chop the kale, carrots and pepper in a food processor until the vegetables are fully broken down into itty bitty pieces. Then add them to pot of already cooking onions and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes.
Then add both cans of tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Place a cover over the pot with a bit of the pot still open to let steam escape. Cook or 1 hour stirring whenever you think about it. Add the basil for the last 10 minutes of cooking time.
Turn the heat off and blend the sauce in batches in your blender or food processor.
This recipe makes a ton of sauce. It keeps in the fridge for about 5 days. I like to freeze single serving sizes for just Reno. Its great for those nights when I don’t want to fight to get her to eat what we are eating and we don’t in turn have to eat pasta again.
Happy VeganMoFo
October 13th, 2009
Sweet Chili Lime Tofu
I’ve never followed a recipe from VeganYumYum before. I’ve just never got around to it. There was one that would always stick in my mind though and I was always saying to myself that I have to make that, it sounds perfect, my favorite tastes, etc..etc.. Well I finally made that recipe and I still can’t get it out of my mind. I can even still imagine what it tasted like on all my little taste buds. I’m talking about this here recipe: Sweet Chili Lime Tofu with Wok Steamed Collards and Quinoa. It was so flipping delicious. I made it on a night when Peter goes out to a class and I’ll say he was lucky there was any left when he came home. I kept sneaking past the stove and stealing some of the glazed tofu. I just couldn’t get over the taste of the glaze. I’m wishing I was eating right now. I almost made it for lunch yesterday and for dinner tonight. It is such a taste obsession for me.
October 8th, 2009
Carrot-Spinach Potstickers
This recipe has a special place in my heart because it was one of the first recipes I’ve ever created. Its probably at least 10 years old and was created long before I went to culinary school. I use to eat these spinach dumplings at a local chinese restaurant and wanted to try to make myself. In the end I came up with something not even resembling the dumplings I was trying to recreate. I came up with something so much better. When making the recipe don’t go crazy chopping up all the onions, carrots, etc..it’s all going into a food processor. The rough chopping just helps to get them going in the processor. This also makes a ton of them. You will no doubt be snacking on them as the next batch of them are cooking up over the stove. They are also fantastic cold out of the fridge the next day and the day after that.
Carrot-Spinach Potstickers
1 small onion, roughly chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and again roughly chopped
1 10 oz box chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained of any liquid
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon low sodium tamari
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 packages of wonton/dumpling skins, usually 50 come in a package, vegan ones can be found in asian markets (completely defrosted if frozen)
olive oil and water for cooking method explained below
*pulse onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor until chopped into smallish bits
*add carrots and pulse until they are in nice smallish bits
*add spinach, tamari and blend until all the ingredients are combined, stop and scrape the bowl with a spatula a few times. Everything should be very finely cut up.
*on a very clean and dry countertop of large cutting board lay out a few rows of wonton skins. (if they are square shaped wrappers lay them so one of the corners is facing you like a diamond) Add a heaping teaspoon of the carrot-spinach mixture in the middle of each wrapper. Dip one of your fingers or a pastry brush in a bowl of water and brush the edges of each wraper and fold in half from top to bottom pressing on the edges to seal them. Wet you fingers and grab the top corners and fold them up so they are touching each other and press to seal them together. It should remind you of a tortellini shape pasta. I like them this shape because you can fit more in a pan and I think they look prettier. You could totally just fold them in half if you want to skip that extra step.
*continue filling the rest of the potstickers.
*Coat the bottom of a large non-stick saute pan with a thin layer of olive oil and place on a medium-high flame. Place as many potstickers as will fit in the pan as long as they aren’t touching each other. Fry for about 1-2 minutes to develop a crispy bottom then add 1/2 of cup of water to the pan and cover immediately with a tight fitting lid. Lower heat and steam approx. 5-8 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated. Take the lid off the pan and let the rest of the water evaporate. Remove the potstickers and start cooking process again from the beginning with the rest of the potstickers, adding a bit more oil to the bottom of the pan. Each batch you’ll find you need less and less oil especially if you non stick pan is still nonstick. Mine isn’t.
*serve with some tamari or you favorite dipping sauce.
This potsticker was true to it’s name and stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Happy VeganMoFo!
October 2nd, 2009
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