Archive for Vegetarian/Vegan

“CoNveRt-a-MeAtLoVer 2 B VeGetaRiaN” PaTTieS

{ April 13, 2011 @ 1:29 am } · { Main Course, Vegetarian/Vegan }
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OK, I have found what Gold would taste like if is was a vegetarian dish…and if it were Gold, I’d be rich! lol                             
No, these weren’t meant to taste like real meat…but only to suggest that you can still eat food that is meatless, healthy, and deeeelicious….
This dish is packed full of Iron, Calcium, Protein, and Fibre.  I fried them in Oil because I can… and if anything, they would rival a fried beef patty in Fat anyways.  You can also bake these in the oven…although I haven’t tried them yet.  I’ll let you know how they turn out when I try…
Ingredients:

2-1/2 Cups prepared lentils, mashed WELL

1 Cup Nutrela Soya Granules, prepared as per instructions on box (or other ground veggie meat)

1-1/3 Cups Whole Wheat Breadcrumbs, fine

4 Cloves Garlic, minced

1/2  Small Onion, chopped finely

1 Cup Ricotta, drained in cheesecloth-squeeze out excess moisture…

1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

1 tsp. Oregano

1 tsp. Vegetable Broth Granules

1/2 tsp. Cumin, ground

1/2 tsp. Black Pepper, ground

3 tsp. Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped finely

2 X-lg. Eggs

Oil suitable for Frying, such as Canola

Directions:

MIX all ingredients in large bowl. Refrigerate atleast 2 hours.

ROLL  tightly  into TBSP. size balls.

FRY in small batches  in oil, approx. 3-4 minutes on each side on med. heat (6-7 setting) until dark golden, crispy, yummy goldenness… I squish them down a little as they tend to stick to the pan if you don’t allow them to crisp up enough.

Makes approximately 26 Tablespoon size servings
 
Serve with a Large Crisp Green Salad and  a Cold Glass of V8 🙂 
 
Optional Serving Style:

Slice up 1 Cup of fresh mushrooms and mix in a can of condensed mushroom soup.  Combine with 1/4  Can of water.  Spoon over prepared Patties in a 1.4 L baking dish.   Bake in the oven at 350°F for  45 Minutes.

Obviously a tomato based sauce would be heaven with this.  Whatever you prefer will be great!

*note– I used canned lentils this time around because I had two tins sitting around begging to be used, but if you want to be brave and really learn a new skill, learn how to cook them from scratch, …it’s an easy legume to start with… http://homecooking.about.com/od/howtocookvegetables/a/lentiltips.htm

Guacamole and Stripples© Sandwich

{ March 24, 2011 @ 4:30 am } · { Vegetarian/Vegan }
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*Guacamole:

1 large ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, chopped
1 ripe tomato, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. finely minced red onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, to taste

Toasted whole wheat bread

Stripples (2-4 per sandwich)

Oil or cooking spray

Directions:

Guacamole:  Combine all ingredients, except lime juice, in a medium bowl. Mash to desired consistency. Add lime juice to taste; mix well.

Fry Stripples in a little oil, to make them crispy.  Put desired amount of Guacamole on one slice of bread, cut stripples in half and stack on top.

Eat.

*makes atleast 4 sandwiches

To prevent browning during storage, put the pit from the avacado in the prepared Guacamole and keep in fridge.

Herbed Baby Lima Bean Hummus

{ March 23, 2011 @ 2:14 am } · { Vegetarian/Vegan }
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  • 1 Package (450 g) dry baby lima beans, presoaked overnight
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves, smashed with side of a large knife
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Cracked pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Directions:
COOK Beans 1-1/2 hours, or until tender.
ADD remaining ingredients and blend in food processor or use a handblender.
BLEND until smooth.
Serve warm with whatever crackers or pita chips you prefer. I like to use the flavoured triscuits, if you use the black pepper triscuits, be careful not to over season the hummus with the pepper 🙂
It’s also better if you prepare it a little early and let the flavours develop.

Mushroom and Quinoa Patties (Vegan)

{ March 23, 2011 @ 1:45 am } · { Vegetarian/Vegan }
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1/2 Cup Quinoa, uncooked

1 can (10 oz.) Mushrooms (I used the PC Brand Mushroom Medley)

1/4 of a Red Onion, finely chopped

2 Cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. chopped Flat leaf Parsley

1/8 tsp. Chili flakes (optional/to taste)

1 cup baby lima beans, cooked and mashed

Salt and Pepper, to taste

oil for frying

Directions:

.RINSE the quinoa in a fine strainer or cheesecloth very well before cooking.  ~  This step is very important to remove the saponins that can give it a bitter taste.
.COOK  quinoa in 1 cup of water until water is absorbed. Let it cool down for 5 minutes.
. Fry onion and garlic, or cook in microwave to save time.
.In a bowl,  MIX cooked quinoa, mushrooms, onion, garlic, chili flakes,mashed lima beans, parsley and salt and pepper to taste..
.Form mixture into ping pong size balls, flatten into patties.
.Fry in oil.

Serves 4 (atleast in my house)  Makes about 16 patties