Lentil Burger
Lentil Burger
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons flax meal
- 6 tablespoons water
- 1 cup cooked lentils
- 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1½ cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup chopped onions
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Combine the flax meal and water in a small saucepan and boil for three minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the lentils, beans, breadcrumbs, onions, oil, spices, salt, and pepper. Add the binder and mix well. Divide into six parts and shape into patties.
- Fry in a lightly oiled pan on medium-high heat for five to 10 minutes, flipping carefully once. Serve with your usual burger accompaniments.
- Based on a recipe by Sarah Kramer, author of How it All Vegan!, The Garden of Vegan, and La Dolce Vegan.
Lemony Couscous with Chickpeas
Lemony Couscous with Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 350 g uncooked couscous
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 575 ml boiling water
- 2 lemons
- 60 ml olive oil
- 1 x 400g of chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
- 1 cup chopped black olives
One or more of
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
- ½ cup half a small bunch finely chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup half a bunch finely chopped scallions (spring onions)
- ½ cup half a small bunch minced fresh mint
Garnish
- ½ cup chopped toasted almonds
Instructions
- Put the couscous and salt into a bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Cover and set aside for about 10 minutes, until the water is absorbed.
- Grate the lemon peels and juice the lemons.
- Stir together the lemon zest, ¼ cup of juice, and the olive oil.
- Fluff the couscous with a fork, separating any lumps. Add the chickpeas, olives, the lemon-and-oil mixture, and the herbs and toss well. Add more salt to taste if needed.
- Serve at room temperature or chilled.
- Top with the toasted almonds just before serving.
- Recipe slightly adapted from of Moosewood Restaurant's Simple Suppers cookbook.
Herb-stuffed Tomatoes
Herb-stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 4 medium tomatoes (ripe but firm)
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 large onion (finely chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- 12 wrinkly black olives (pitted and)
- roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons chopped oregano
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped mint
- 1½ tablespoons chopped capers
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 163° C.
- Trim about 1cm off the top of each tomato and discard. Use a little spoon or a melon baller to remove the seeds and most of the flesh, leaving a clean shell.
- Lightly salt the inside of the tomatoes and place upside down in a colander, to drain off some moisture.
- Meanwhile, put the onion, garlic, olives, and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium pan and cook on low heat for 5 to 6 minutes, to soften the onion completely.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the breadcrumbs, herbs, capers, and some pepper. Taste and add salt, if you like.
- Wipe the insides of the tomatoes with a paper towel, then fill them up with the herb stuffing, pressing down very gently as you go to get a nice dome of stuffing on top.
- Place the tomatoes in a greased ovenproof dish and drizzle lightly with the remaining oil. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the tomatoes soften. Serve hot or warm.
- Recipe adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi.
Chicken-free Nuggets
Chicken-free Nuggets
Ingredients
- 450 g chickpeas (rinsed and drained (or substitute any white beans))
- 400 g potatoes (rinsed and drained (or 2 cups boiled potatoes))
- 1½ teaspoons wheat gluten (optional, for firmer texture and ease of flipping)
- 30 g dried breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¾ teaspoon seasoning (or ½ teaspoon rubbed sage)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- Dipping sauce: barbecue sauce (tomato sauce, and/or sweet mustard (optional))
Instructions
- Mash the chickpeas (or white beans) with the potatoes well, until there are no whole chunks in the mix. (After starting with a potato masher, you can use your hands.)
- Sprinkle wheat gluten over the mashed chickpea-potato mixture and combine well.
- Add the breadcrumbs and seasonings, and then mix well. Taste to adjust the seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if needed.
- Using a plate or cutting board, form the mixture into 5-centimetre patties, about 1½ centimeters thick. If the mixture feels dry, add water or oil as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, just until the patties are easy to form and hold their shape.
- In a large frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium to medium-high heat. Fry half the nuggets for about 8 to 10 minutes on each side until they are nicely browned. (Aim for only turning them once or twice.)
- When the first batch is done, move the patties to a paper-towel-lined plate. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and repeat with the remaining nuggets.
- Serve with dipping sauce.
- Recipe and photo from Tanya Sitton in All Animals Magazine.