Seitan Burgers

The weather was reminiscent of summer this week. Holding out a promise of what is soon to come.  It seemed a good time for a cookout.
I thought about making some burgers and fries.  As long as the burger didn't have meat, and the fries weren't fried.  So I made seitan burgers (and confession: ended up baking them!) and eggplant chips.
The next day I tried the portabella fries recipe that will post soon after this.  It's a great side for the burgers--definitely will pair those together in the future. 

Don't worry about following this recipe as is, use whatever spices that appeal to you.  Maybe you want to make a curry burger or add oregano, grated cheese, etc....

 I used serrano relish, lettuce, tomato preserves and carmellized onion.  This was my partners who had avocado, tomato, onion, mustard, relish....
it goes on!





 These were REALLY tender and had great texture.  The addition of the black beans and flours was to help bind them for if I grilled them.  Definitely going on the grill next time.  May increase the oat flour though.

Fava and Greens (Foole M'Damas and Greens)

I love foole m'damas and anything with fava beans.  We are on the cusp of getting the first fresh fava beans of the season.  Meanwhile I have plenty if dried ones to use--a quick dish when the fava beans are split (called habas).
Even quicker if you have a few hours to soak the beans, then they will cook in about 30 minutes!

Serve as a side dish or an appetizer. I made tempeh the evening we had this.  A simple white fish would work really well and for some color on the plate how about some roasted peppers?

Erbazzone

Wow-- we had these when in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy.  We were staying in an agritutrismo in Reggio Nell'Emilia and wandered into the small piazza nearby.  There we stopped into a tabacchi to get an aperitif and that was store selling homemade erbazzone.  It was our first exposure to them and the senses were overwhelmed.  The smell of the fresh, flaky dough and parmeggiano that was inside the onion-garlic-greens filled pastries.  They were served to us warm and we took them to an outdoor table and enjoyed with a Campari.  La vita e bella!

I used a mix of greens I had on hand--spinach or swiss chard alone would be fine and you could add meat if you like, actually it's traditional to use pancetta.

These make a great addition to the Easter table and also perfect for lunch with a salad!

Brushing the dough with garlic oil midway through
 baking makes for a golden , flavorful crust

Lentil Loaf

Meatloaf substitute--and a great way to get more beans in your kids diet.  Top with a savory tomato based sauce and bake, serve with mashed cauliflower and a salad.  The lentil loaf can be made a day or two ahead and kept in refrigerator until baking.  I bake this in a 4 x 8 loaf pan but you can use any size you like, even muffin tins!
I served ours with a cauliflower, turnip and sweet potato mash, roasted baby carrots and swiss chard.

Leftovers freeze and reheat really well!

Mashed Root Vegetable Medley

Cauliflower makes such a great substitute for potatoes but I had only a small amount left from another recipe.  I had various odds and ends of vegetables around.  I figured the sweet potato added a sweetness and the parsnip a bit of pepperiness to the dish so in the pot they went.  Then I found a small turnip that had to be used-- everyone in the pool!

Serve under the Lentil Loaf posted above.


So fast to make it will be done if you start it when the lentil loaf goes in the oven.

Dawali Green Bake

You can make this in a smaller pan for more distinct layers. Or individual ramekins
and throw in the oven just before serving.  Would be great with a simple white fish
like tilapia and roasted carrots.

Inspired by grape leaves but I had oodles of bags of frozen, blanched greens in the freezer.  I particularly like the stuffed grape leaves at a Turkish restaurant I go to.  They are filled with rice, currants, dill and mint (and whatever magic they use to make them delicious!)
I used a blend of chard, kale and chickory.  Use what suits you, if you like mild greens then swiss chard and spinach would work equally well.
I like coarse wheat bulgur because it is light but still has substance.  I think quinoa could be used but it's such a small grain that it may be lost among the other ingredients.  Stick with white or brown rice or freekeh if you want even more texture.
The sweetness of chopped raisins plays really well with the herbs in this dish, dates would work really well too!  This comes together quickly and bakes just long enough to heat through.  Also this can be made a day ahead and refrigerated until ready to use then heat--easy!

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto

There is a stand at the local farmers market that sells a wonderful variety of spices and grains.  On one of my visits I spotted brown arborio rice.  Finally I felt a bit better about eating risotto!  Trying to consume whole grains to me means consuming the entire rice kernel when possible.
This risotto comes out still creamy but the rice has more bite to it.  If you prefer one that is softer by all means use the white arborio--or any grain you like!  No reason farro, spelt, etc can't be used--just adjust cooking time for each grain.

How do you like your squash?  I couldn't choose between a puree or roasted cubes of butternut squash so I did both--again you can just use the squash with one preparation.  The puree added even more creaminess and the roasted squares had a carmelly taste that heightened their sweetness.  Combined with fried sage leaves and chopped hazelnuts this was irresistible!

Served with roasted mushrooms and homemade seitan "sausage"