Black Bean Patties

My plan was to make sweet potato/black been patties from a cookbook but realized I just cooked all my sweet potatoes, so I decided to to make my own with ingredients I had on hand.  We served the patties without buns topped with a cream/salsa sauce. As with most bean patties, they were a little moist, so make sure to fry them until they are crisp on the outside.

Black Bean Patties

1          cup mushrooms, finely chopped

½         orange pepper, finely chopped

1          shallot, finely chopped

3          garlic cloves, minced

1          15 oz. can black beans, mashed

1/2       cup red lentils, cooked

1          tablespoon fresh cilantro

            cumin

3/4       cup bread crumbs

Sauce

             Soy sour cream

             Prepared salsa

             Garlic

             Green onion

             Cilantro

             Hot Sauce

Saute' onion, mushrooms, garlic and pepper in olive oil until soft.  Add cumin, salt and pepper.

Cook 1/2 cup of red lentils (approximately 10 min.) until soft.

Drain and rinse beans, mash with potato masher.

Add all ingredients together with bread crumbs. 

Form into patties and fry in olive oil.

Sauce:  Mix all ingredients in food processor.  Use as much or little as desired of each ingredient.

         

             

Creamy Broccoli Soup with Dill and Mustard

This soup is a great source of vitamin C and fiber! The recipe calls for dill seed but all I had on had was dill weed so I used a generous amount.  I used almond milk instead of soy milk and grainy Dijon mustard.  I added a serving spoon of soy cream cheese but it isn't necessary, the arrowroot will make the soup creamy.

Creamy broccoli Soup with Dill and Mustard (The Complete Vegan Cookbook)

1      lb. fresh broccoli

2      tablespoons olive oil

4      cloves garlic, minced

1/4   teaspoon dill seed

2      cups vegetable stock

1      teaspoon dried dill weed

1      bay leaf

1/4   teaspoon salt

3      cups plain soy milk (I used Almond Milk)

        soy cream cheese (I added)

2      tablespoons arrowroot powder

2      tablespoons Dijon mustard

        black pepper

      red pepper flakes  (I added)

Trim off and discard the tough stem ends of the broccoli. Peel the remaining stalks if they are particularly thick-skinned. Coarsely chop the stalks and flower heads. Set aside. Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and dill seed and saute' for a minute or two, then add the broccoli, vegetable stock, dill weed, bay leaf and salt. Simmer over high heat, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook until the broccoli is very tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the bay, add soy cream cheese (if using) and transfer to a blender.  Puree in several batches. Return the soup to the pot over medium-low heat. Add the soy milk, stirring to combine.

Put 3 tablespoons of cold water in a small jar with tight fitting lid.  Add the arrowroot powder and shake to dissolve.  Stir this into the soup, along with the mustard and pepper. Heat until the soup is barely bubbling, then serve.

Super Quick Tomato Basil Cream Pasta - Vegan Yum Yum Cookbook by Lauren Ulm

Well, we're back from our "fun in the sun" trip to South Carolina.  While it was nice to get away for a week, we missed our doggies and also our home cooked meals.  Since today was spent grocery shopping and making dog food, I decided to make something easy for dinner.  The creator of this recipe has a wonderful cookbook or you can visit her website at:  http://veganyumyum.com/
I followed Lauren's recipe but added diced yellow squash, soy parmesan and crushed red pepper (which I included in the recipe below).

The pasta was served with a side salad of Hearts of Palm, Beets and Romaine dressed with an oil and vinegar dressing.


Super Quick Tomato Basil Cream Pasta- Vegan Yum Yum Cookbook by Lauren Ulm


6-8 oz.      whole-wheat spaghetti
2               large, ripe tomatoes
1/2            yellow squash (diced)  my addition (optional)
1/2            cup raw cashews
1/4            cup water
1               tablespoon tomato paste
2               tablespoons olive oil
2-4           garlic cloves, minced
1              teaspoon salt
2-3           tablespoons wine or water (optional) I used wine and pasta water
1-2           teaspoons black pepper
1              large handful fresh basil, chopped
                soy parmesan

Bring pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta.

Core the tomato, then roughly chop.  Add to food processor or blender, seeds, skin and all. Add the cashews,water and tomato paste. Blend until very smooth.

Add olive oil to saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and squash (if using) and cook until golden.

Pour the sauce from the blender into the saute pan and bring to simmer. Add the salt and let it cook 4-5 minutes.

If desired, add the wine or pasta water to thin out the sauce.  Add red pepper flakes (optional) and soy parm.  Add cooked, drained pasta to sauce and  saute with pepper and chopped basil leaves.  Toss to coat.

Hiatus

Our blog will be on hold for a week while we recharge at the beach.  See you soon!

Farfalle Pasta with Beet Vinaigrette and Parsely Pesto

This is a beet lovers salad!!!  If you are not a beet lover, the Parsely Pesto is worth making anyway.   Just switch out the beets with your favorite veggie.

Beets Nutritional Benefits:  Beets are loaded with vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and C.  The greens have 

higher content of iron compared to spinach.  They are also an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, sodium and iron.

Farfalle Pasta with Beet Vinaigrette and Parsley Pesto

Recipe courtesy Alex Guarnaschelli

Ingredients

Parsley Pesto:

Kosher salt

2 cups fresh curly parsley leaves

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup thinly sliced scallions, green and white parts

Beet Vinaigrette:

5 medium beets, thoroughly scrubbed and quartered (reserve and finely slice beet greens, if attached)  *** I cut smaller pieces

2 cups water

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

Pasta:

1 pound farfalle pasta

Kosher salt

1 tablespoon soy butter   ** changed to soy butter

1/4 cup soy parm (optional)  ** changed to soy parm

  

Directions

For the parsley pesto: Bring a medium pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the kosher salt until the water tastes like seawater and stir to blend. Add the parsley and cook for 1 minute, and then remove with a slotted spoon. Immediately plunge leaves into an ice bath and allow to cool, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain the leaves slightly and then put them in the blender with the sugar and olive oil. Blend until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add some water to facilitate blending. Taste for seasoning. Stir in the scallions and set aside in a bowl large enough to hold the pasta.

For the beet vinaigrette: Put the beet pieces in a medium saucepan and add 1 cup of water. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Allow it to reduce until there is about 1/4 cup liquid. Add the remaining 1 cup of water and reduce again until you have only 1/4 cup left. Season to taste. Remove from the heat and stir in the red wine vinegar and olive oil.

For the pasta: In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add a generous amount of salt; the pasta water should taste like seawater. Add the pasta to the pot and stir so it doesn't stick to the bottom as it cooks. Cook the pasta until al dente (chewy but not hard or raw tasting) 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander, reserving some pasta cooking liquid in case you need it later.

To serve: Pour the pasta into the bowl with the parsley pesto. Add the beet vinaigrette and butter and toss to blend. Add the Parmesan and finely sliced beet greens, if using. Serve immediately. Alternatively, you can drizzle the red beet vinaigrette over the pasta for a different color effect.

Spiced Sour Cream Waffles

The first waffle was a bit of a disaster, although it tasted fine. I forgot how much batter to put on the waffle grill and covered the whole bottom of the iron.  It was huge and I had to take it out in pieces.  I finally figured out the amount to put on the iron then got down to business.  The rest were perfect!  We made a potato, red pepper, tempeh bacon and onion scramble to go along side.


Spiced Sour Cream Waffles (American Vegan Kitchen cookbook)

2       cups all-purpose flour
1       tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
2       teaspoons baking soda
2       teaspoons ground cinnamon
1       teaspoon ground ginger
1/2    teaspoon salt
1       cup soy milk
1       cup vegan sour cream
1/2    cup canola oil
1/4    cup maple syrup
1       teaspoon pure vanilla extract
         peaches or mandarin oranges + syrup

Preheat the waffle iron. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt.  Whisk together.

In a medium bowl, combine the soy milk, sour cream, oil, maple syrup and vanilla. Whisk together. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well. IF the mixture is too thick, add a little more soy milk as needed. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

Spray the waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray. Pour the waffle batter onto the waffle iron and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer the cooked waffles to an ovenproof platter and keep warm in the oven until all of the them are cooked.  Serve topped with fruit and syrup.
**I used canned mandarin oranges and smashed with a fork then added syrup.  The recipe original suggested fresh peaches.