Black Bean and Roasted Cauliflower Veggie Burgers

I don't think it's any secret that veggie burgers have the potential to be pretty terrible. In fact, I would say that it is far easier to get your hands on a less then desirable veggie burger than a truly tasty one. But, hey, maybe that's just me. At any rate, last night I set out to make a delectable veggie patty to assuage my burger craving.

I'd like to just preface this with some food for thought (sorry, I had to). I am not a big fan of meat substitutes, such as your Tofurkies or your "Chick'n" Nuggets or vegetarian hot dogs. That is, things that are trying desperately to replicate meat in every way but really just beg the question, What exactly am I made of? I used to be super into these things, thinking I could enjoy a hot dog guilt free! What could be better? Until I realized that the ingredients list was practically a novel composed of impossible-to-pronounce words. I have since tried to steer clear of these mysterious chemicals and randomness, which is, I think, definitely for the better.

That being said, these black bean and roasted cauliflower veggie burgers were made from scratch, using lots of CSA veggies, so I could avoid questioning their contents. Problem solved.

Here is what happened.

I roasted some cauliflower, coated in olive oil, in a 350 degree oven.

When the cauliflower was nice and soft and flavorful, I mashed it up along with some black beans. To that I added eyeballed amounts of:

• chopped green onion
• cilantro 
• olive oil
• lots of garlic!
• milled flax seed
• breadcrumbs
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper 
• and one beaten egg to hold it all together

Then it was just a matter of making the patties (which is always easiest, albeit messiest, by hand) and frying them up in a skillet, trying to get the outside as crispy as possible without the patties falling apart. Just like with regular burgers, I find it is best to pop them into a hot skillet and not touch them until it is time to flip them, flip them once and don't touch them until they are done. It is unbelievably tempting to poke at them and mess with them to see how they are progressing, but it is really best to fight those urges, for the good of the burger!

I added a generous amount of sharp cheddar cheese just at the end to get all melty. 

Served on a bun with fresh tomato and lettuce, along with homemade baked french fries. Very yummy and much healthier and less fattening then a regular burger. This doesn't necessarily mean that a veggie burger has the capacity to always replace a real burger, but I think any time it is chosen over it's beef counterpart is a win for everyone. 

And THEN, this morning for breakfast I added a patty to a breakfast sandwich (or really I just added an egg to the burger). Either way it was wonderful. 

Some things I might have done differently, or might try next time, are leaving bigger chunks of veggies in the patty and flash frying each side for a crisp and then baking them. One of the worst things about a veggie burger is there potential to be mushy and lack a solid form. I will certainly be looking for ways to reduce this risk as I continue to experiment with veggie burgers and let you know! But overall this was a success! 

The Fantastic Falafel!

Before you write falafels off as "dirty stinking hippie food", let's talk about how great they can be!

Falafels, or little balls of chickpeas either fried or baked, are incredibly tasty and full of protein, which makes them a great alternative to meat. Easy to make, healthy and versatile, the falafel is, or should be, a staple on any household menu!

Like anything, I am sure there are many ways to make a tasty falafel. And once you have that down, you can make a falafel and pita, falafel salad or falafel appetizers with a yummy dipping sauce. Here is what I whipped up the other night.

First of all, I got the idea to make some falafel goodness because I had a lot leftover hummus from a little dinner party the night before (made by chef and life superstar Lauren Howard). This was a chickpea and edamame hummus, a simple yet incredibly delicious spread made by mashing the chickpeas and edamame and adding garlic and lemon.

Since I had so much leftover, I figured I would just use that mixture and enhance it just a bit with new flavors to create the falafel balls. I got some naan on which to craft delicious falafel sandwiches.

To the hummus I added some bread crumbs, olive oil, finely diced onion, cumin, coriander, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. I would have added an egg to help it all stick together and remain moist, but I didn't have one. It all worked great, so no stress if there is an egg missing from the equation. I rolled the new mixture into little balls by hand and placed them on a baking sheet.

I baked them in a 350 degree oven. You can deep-fry them as well and of course they would be to die for, but the healthier way is definitely to bake them. They still get a nice crisp and crunch in the oven.

While those cooked, I made a crunchy slaw to serve on my falafel sandwich. I thinly sliced or grated red cabbage, green cabbage, salad turnips and carrots.

 

Then I made a little sauce. Traditionally, falafel sandwiches are served with a tahini (or sesame) based sauce. Sometimes I find the tahini sauce, while being super delicious, can also be rather dense. This time around I kept it super light with a cucumber yogurt sauce. To make the sauce, I eyeballed portions of the following:

• Plain greek yogurt 
• Sour Cream
• Lime juice (I used a whole lime)
• Grated cucumber (from my CSA, of course!)
• Garlic 
• Cilantro

This turned out to be sinfully delicious, I highly recommend it! Would be great to have a jar of this in the fridge to bust out for all sorts of dishes.

When the falafel balls looked and smelled done, I pulled them out of the oven.

And then the fun part.

I stared with some soft, warm naan (pita works great too, or any kind of flat bread really) and onto it I spread a healthy amount of hummus (I kept some of the original aside).

Then, some crisp CSA lettuce.

Followed by the slaw.

Then I drizzled a generous amount of the cucumber yogurt sauce and topped it with several falafel balls.

Finally, I topped it all off with more of the cucumber yogurt sauce, some sriracha and cilantro.

Boom! Truly fantastic, I must say. And yes, it might start out as a sandwich and turn into a salad and that's OK! These things can be messy but the flavor remains amazing!

Crock pot Creations!

The crock pot! 

What a marvelous creation. I am a huge fan of kitchen tools that serve multiple functions, and the crock pot is an excellent example of how to get the most of cooking. Whether you want to save time, make a big batch of delicious goodness to freeze for later, warm up with a hot bowl of stew or combine a bunch of random stuff in your fridge for one awesome result, the crock pot is your guy. Variations on the idea of the crock pot include the slow cooker, but from where I'm standing both do the same thing: they allow you to throw a bunch of food into one big cooking machine, turn it on low and let it all come together for hours and hours. Niiiice and sloooow. This is a fantastic way to easily create rich, deep and hypnotizing flavors. And since we are in full fall mode here in New England, now is definitely the time to dust off the crock pot, plug 'er in and go rake some leaves while a delicious meal is basically made for you. What could be better?

If the idea of the crock pot is new to you, check out crockpot 101. If you would like to see a comprehensive list on what you can do with your crock pot, check this out, or do some research on your own. It is way to easy to find great ideas on how to get the most out of slow cooking.

I had a great time using my crock pot for the first time this fall just the other day. I had a very specific goal in mind: find a way to combine some leftovers in the fridge with fresh veggies while expelling minimal time and energy for one warm and tasty result. This is what happened.

First, I collected my fresh veggies and chopped them all into comparably sized chunks so they would cook evenly in the crock pot. I used the basics, all from CSA or local farms:

• Squash
• Carrot
• Onion
• Celery
• Potatoes

I threw it all into the crock pot, turned it on HIGH and poured in a little white wine to prevent any burning. I kept it on HIGH for one hour so the veggies could come up to cooking temperature. Then I turned it on LOW and let just those veggies cook together for about 6 hours. 

Then I added some lentils and let it all cook on LOW for another 6 hours, approximately. If it is on low, let go! For me, with just a bunch of veggies in the crock pot, it could cook for an eternity and just get better and better. 

I then added garlic, a couple bay leaves, some light seasonings like cumin, salt and pepper. I added some chopped tomato, some tomato paste, and a little veggie stock. 

The vegetables release a lot of moisture when they cook and it doesn't boil off so I always wait to see how much liquid I need to add after they have been cooking for a while (if you want to thicken up your mixture, you can add some tomato paste or dissolve some corn starch in cold water and mix it all into your creation). I then added some stir fry leftovers that had been sitting in my fridge for almost a week. Still totally good to eat (passing the smell test and all) but not exactly appetizing as a meal on it's own since we had been eating so much. Throwing it in the pot at this point, it will just blend into everything and enhance the richness and flavor. I let this all cook for a couple hours. 

Then it is really ready to go any time! Of course, something like this is best served with some crusty bread.

Warm, delicious, healthy and easy! Just one of truly infinite ways to use the crock pot! 

Won't you step into the freezer?

I must admit that I have never been that good at freezing foods. I might throw something in the freezer, maybe some leftovers that I don't want to throw away, and find it a year later all freezer burned and inedible. So my new project is to learn all about efficiently freezing foods and convert that knowledge into practice. I figure I might as well offer a little "guide to freezing" that includes the tips that I learn along the way.

There are many reasons to freeze food. If you cook for one or two people and find that you often have leftovers, freezing is a great way to eliminate food waste and store those leftovers for another time. It is also a great way to prepare meals ahead of time so you don't have to worry about cooking during the week. Whatever your reason for freezing, here are a couple tips to get the most out of the process.

• Proper storage! I think it is pretty much common knowledge that properly storing foods in the freezer is the best way to get the most out of them for the longest amount of time. Freezer burn occurs when there is air exposure and moisture loss. To prevent that from happening, choose containers that are durable and leak-free, or even try a foodsaver so you can store foods in completely airtight bags. Trust me, this is an investment that you won't regret! 

• Freeze Time and Date Labeling My suggestion here would be to label everything you are freezing with a date and do some research on how long that particular food can last in the freezer. Definitely give food a good once-over once it is thawed to be sure that it looks and smells good.

• Portions I have found that freezing things in portions is helpful when you want to defrost an exact amount. If I make a giant container of soup and want to enjoy it over several occasions, I will store it in several different containers so I don't have to thaw and re-freeze it, a process that may decrease the quality of the food.

• MAKE A LIST FOR THE FRIDGE This is probably one of the most important tips I can offer because it has helped me so much: make a list of everything that you have in the freezer and put it on the fridge so you are always clear on what you have and when it should be used by. This will help to cut way back on food waste. 

• Thawing It is best to thaw things in the fridge because thawing at room temperature increases the chance of unwanted bacteria growth. 

• Don't Freeze There are some things that don't freeze well. Among these things are sour cream, yogurt, lettuce, cucumbers, cooked eggs, and fried foods. My tip would be to do some research if you are unsure of how something will freeze.

3 Weeks of Vegetables!

I have been on a little computer hiatus for the last month or so, just trying to soak in the last drops of summer. It has been quite wonderful, but in so doing I have missed reporting on three weeks of incredible CSA veggies. Here is a brief overview of the deliciousness that I have been picking up from the Vegetable Ranch every Tuesday.

Week 15

This week brought me a very solid, standard selection of amazing veggies that are staples in any kitchen!

• Carrots 
• Tomatoes
• Onions
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Lettuce
• Parsley
• Kale 

Week 16

Another great week with a package of vegetables that included some of my all time favorites, like beets, cherry tomatoes and salad mix!

• Onions
• Beets
• Potatoes
• Bok choy
• Squash
• Tomatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Salad mix

Week 17

More yumminess and even more variety, with some new treats like cauliflower and salad turnips.

• Eggplant
• Squash
• Onions
• Cauliflower
• Cabbage
• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Salad turnips
• Lettuce

Salad turnips are not something you see every day at the grocery store, so you might be wondering what you can do with them. First of all, I store them just like I store radishes (cut off ends and keep them in some water in the fridge). As for how to use them, they definitely are a great addition to any salad, just like the name implies. They are a mild, slightly sweet flavor with a great crunch. They can also be roasted or sauteed for delicious results.