Sweet Potato, Lentil and Kale Burgers

For me, 2014 is the Year of Change. I'm in the midst of moving from the shores of Washington's Puget Sound, where fresh seafood is abundant and shellfish is easily harvested, back to a place in Oregon that is beautifully situated between the Cascade Mountain Range and a city where a river runs through it.

I'm also starting off this new year transitioning towards more of a plant-based diet, eliminating the fish and shellfish that have been a part of my pescetarian diet for the past number of years.

I've tried this before and failed, but now I have the support and encouragement of family who are also discovering and enjoying the benefits of vegetarian and vegan cuisine, which makes it easier for me to stick with my resolution to eliminate seafood and more. I haven't entirely eliminated eggs and the occasional sheep and goat cheeses, yet.

Ever wondered what to call yourself while you are transitioning to a plant-based diet?

• A vegan is one who does not eat meat, eggs or dairy of any kind. Some vegans avoid such foods as gelatin, honey... or eating or buying anything that has some form of animal-based ingredient used in the process of making the product.
• A flexitarian is one who has a mostly vegetarian diet, but sometimes eats meat. 
• One who is a vegetarian but also eats eggs is called an ovo-vegetarian. 
• One who is a vegetarian but also eats dairy is a lacto-vegetarian. 
• One who is a vegetarian but also eats dairy and eggs is called a lacto-ovo vegetarian. 

This past weekend,  I attended a vegetarian/vegan potluck. Everyone brought something for the "Burrito Bar" - tortillas, beans, corn, tempeh, tofu, homegrown sprouts, salsa, spices and condiments. One brought black bean brownies and another black bean pudding for dessert.

The theme of our discussion was beans. I tossed out the idea of having a bean burger "bake-off" with a prize for the best bean burger recipe. I am not posting my bean burger "bake-off" entry recipe until after this event happens, IF it happens.

Although this is not a bean burger, here is one our family's favorite ovo-vegetarian burgers. There are only a few changes to the original recipe, which is on page 79 of Luke Volger's cookbook "Veggie Burgers Every Which Way."

 This recipe will make six 4-inch burgers, so we recommend doubling or tripling the recipe, cooking and freezing what you don't eat right away to reheat for later meals. Remember to never double or triple the salt when making more than one batch of anything with salt as an ingredient; increase salt to taste.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup French Lentils (small, green)
1 bunch Kale (remove tough stems)
1 medium Sweet Potato (approx. 8 ounces), peeled and chopped into 1" pieces
4 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 medium Onion, diced
1-1/2 teaspoons Garam Masala
1-1/2 teaspoons Curry Powder
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
3 cloves Garlic, minced
2 Eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon ground Coriander
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Squeeze of fresh Lemon Juice

3/4 cup Oatmeal (gluten-free), lightly ground

1/4 cup Almonds, ground to a meal-like consistency (using spice grinder with slivered Almonds)

Sort through the lentils and rinse. Bring lentils to a boil in a small sauce pan in 3 cups water. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. When tender, drain and transfer to a large bowl. Coarsely mash lentils with a potato masher.

Steam the kale, by what ever method you prefer, for 5-8 minutes. Remove and cool, then wrap in a clean kitchen cloth towel and squeeze out any excess liquid. Finely chop and set aside.

Steam the sweet potato for 8-10 minutes, or bake until tender. Add the sweet potato to the lentils, mashing and blending with a potato masher or fork.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a saute pan on medium heat. Add the onion, garam masala, curry powder and cayenne pepper. Cook until the onion is translucent, 8-10 minutes. Then add the chopped kale and minced garlic. Cook and toss to combine for 2 minutes. Note: If a crust forms on the base of the pan, add 2 tablespoons water and scrape up the browned mixture with a wooden spoon.

Combine the kale-onion and lentil mixtures together. Stir in the eggs, coriander, salt and lemon juice. Blend in the ground oatmeal and almonds. Adjust seasoning according to your taste. Shape into 6 burger patties.

In an oven-safe skillet or non-stick saute pan, heat another 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat. Once hot, add the patties and cook until browned on both sides, 3-5 minutes per side. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until firm to the touch and cooked through.

Serve hot on a toasted bun, or room temperature in a lettuce wrap, with your favorite condiments. Freeze and reheat leftovers.

Recipe adaptation, meal preparations, and photos by Effie.

Healthy, Hearty, Homemade Lentil Soup

Feeling kind of funky like me or want something nutritious waiting for you at home to eat following a long walk? Make yourself a pot of this hearty lentil soup - rich in proteins, plus a good source for B-vitamins. Here's my recipe. Delicious!

Ingredients:

2 cups lentils (I use a mix of regular red lentil and french lentils)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 large potato, diced

1 large onion, diced

1 large carrot, diced

1 15-ounce can stewed tomatoes

2 quarts organic vegetable broth

1 teaspoon thyme

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

2 cups water

Juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Sort lentils looking for debris, bad lentils and rocks

2. Place in strainer rinsing them thoroughly

3. Place lentils in a large soup pot, add water and

tomato sauce cooking on medium-high heat.

4. Peel potato and carrot and dice. Dice the tomato,

onion, and mince the garlic.

5. Add everything to the pot, except the salt, pepper and lemon juice. Let it cook for 45-50 minutes on medium-low heat (simmering); check your water adding more, as needed. Sample the lentils. If they’re soft the soup is ready. If not, cook until tender.

6. Stir in the juice of 1 lemon and 1 teaspoon sea salt or salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and corn tortilla chips, optional.

Adapted from Ero Fit & Associates' recipe. Thanks to Wonders of Walking for sharing the link.

Meatless Monday Campaign

After a busy weekend of preparing food and entertaining guests, I wanted something on this cold and frosty day that was warm, nourishing and easy to fix for dinner tonight. One of the benefits of be a member of Linkedin.com is that you can join groups, and groups email digests, and group members share a plethora of information. The downside, of belonging to any online community or surfing anywhere on the Internet is that you can be inundated and overwhelmed with solicited content. I recently had to change a bunch of email preferences to curb the quantity of emails I am receiving daily and weekly. That said, from time to time I find a tidbit of info that has meaning or benefit to me. This is how I found out about the Meatless Monday Campaign and this delicious morsel shared by Tracy Ritson of the Green Publishing Group on Linkedin.

The following recipe "Meatless Monday Winter Warm-Up - Hearty Lentil Soup" comes from Angela on Sustainable Scribe by PLANET FORWARD.

"Monday! As you may or may not know, Planet Forward supports the Meatless Monday campaign – a non-profit initiative in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. It’s part of an eco-friendly worldwide movement to reduce consumption of animal products in favour of more plant-based meals to fight global warming and improve our personal health. This week we bring another vegetarian recipe for you to try.

Beans are a staple for vegetarians as they are a healthy (and fat-free) source of protein and carbohydrates. Plus they are more familiar to flexitarians and other non-full-time vegetarians than tofu, tempeh and seitan. Our hearty lentil soup recipe can be made ahead of time and you can even freeze it (in an air-tight container) if you make too much. I am a huge soup fan especially during the long-cold Canadian winter and this is one of my favourites.

Hearty Lentil Soup - serves 4 people as a main course with a salad and bread (gluten-free ideally but whole-wheat/grain is good too)

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 carrot sliced
• 2 stalks of celery diced
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup dry lentils
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt/pepper to taste (if needed)
• Tabasco Hot sauce (optional and to taste)

Note: To the above, I added green onions, corn, peas and fresh tomatoes quartered, and a half tablespoon of Mountain Rose Herbs All Purpose Seasoning.

Preparation:
In a large pot, saute onions, celery and carrot in the vegetable oil for 3-5 minutes until onions are transparent. Add the vegetable broth, lentils, bay leaves and salt/pepper (if needed).

Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until lentils are soft, about 45 minutes. Remove bay leaves and stir in hot sauce (if desired) and that’s it. Easy-peasy. Serve with a side salad and fresh bread to round off a great and satisfying meal.

Don’t forget - to join the movement, sign up online by going to your local Meatless Monday site or you can go here http://www.meatlessmonday.com/ to learn more. If this Monday passed you by, next week is another chance to go meatless – it’s only one day for an eco-friendly cause. Join us.

Bon (vegetarian) Appetit!" - Angela

Marinated Scallops with Sauteed Bell Peppers & Lentils

Yesterday was a busy day in town for me. Before heading home I stopped by the market and bought a pound of large sea scallops (8-10). I wasn't sure how I was going to prepare them or serve with them, but I'd think about it when I got home.

I grabbed The Big Book of Potluck by mistake thinking it was one of my "challenge" cookbooks and started flipping through it, still unaware that it wasn't. I must have been really tired. The recipe for the marinated halibut steaks served with sauteed bell peppers on pages 296 and 297 looked like our kind of  food - fresh ingredients, gluten-free and easy to prepare. I had all the ingredients to make the meal, except the halibut.

No problem. I set to work making the halibut marinade and used it to marinate the scallops,  put the French (green) lentils on to cook in  vegetable stock and sauteed the peppers and onion . By by the time my husband walked in the door, dinner was almost ready and the house was filled with the aroma of garlic. Six minutes later, we sat down to a simple, delicately flavored and satisfying meal with a glass of white wine.

 

Marinade for 8-10 Scallops

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2-1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1-2 teaspoons dried parsley

1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt and ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Rinse and pat dry the scallops and place in a shallow glass dish or bowl. 
2. Pour the marinade over the scallops, turn to coat and marinate for 10-20 minutes.
3. In saute pan on medium-high heat, cook the marinated scallops for about 3 minutes each side or until the center in no longer pink. Watch closely so the scallops do not overcook.

Sauteed Bell Peppers

Ingredients:


2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 each: red, green, orange or yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced into 1/2 inch strips
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
1/4 cup or less of white wine
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon of salt and ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large skillet or wok, on medium heat, melt the olive oil and butter. 
2. Add the bell pepper and onion and cook on low uncovered until tender (about 15 minutes).
3. Stir occasionally. When tender, stir in the wine, thyme, salt and pepper.
4. Cook uncovered another 5 minutes or so.

Serves 4-6

French Lentils

(Lentils, French)  French lentils are a small dark speckled lentil, which are sometimes referred to as "green".  They are a firmer lentil that takes a little longer to cook, but they have an excellent flavor.  French lentils originated in Southeast Asia along the Indus River, where they remain quite popular. Their French name "Puy" comes from their growth in the Puy region of France. We have not found French lentils in supermarkets in the United States, but they are readily available from coops, health food stores, and many specialty food stores.  They are an excellent ingredient for soups, salads, and many other recipes, including curries.  The actual size of the French green lentils can be seen in the photo of the cup to the left.  We could not find nutritional chart information for these lentils, but like other lentils, the French green are low in fat and high in protein and fiber." All-Creatures.org

Cooking French (green) lentils is a very simple method:

1. Pick over lentils to remove debris or shriveled lentils 
2. Rinse in cold water and drain. 
3. Lentils do not need to be pre-soaked, but you can soak them for a few hours to reduce your cooking time by half.  
4. When cooking lentils in preparation ahead of time to add to a recipe or as a side dish, use 3X  the amount of water to lentils and avoid cooking them with anything acidic like vinegar, which retard the cooking process. 
   
5. Cover with water or broth and boil for 2-3 minutes (aids digestion) and reduce heat and simmer until tender (anywhere from 20-40 minutes).

Rice and Lentils with Wild Salmon Over Vegetables

Thank you to my friend Elli for this fabulous Iraqi recipe Kichri - Rice and Lentils Dish. I prepared it this evening to serve with Zenobia's Wild Rice Over Vegetables entree from Raman Prasad's cookbook Recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, on page 132. 

 Here is Elli's recipe and the background to this aromatic, savory dish: 

Kichri - Rice and Lentils Dish

"This is a simple and quick dish that is very tasty and nutritious. Plus some history of the middle east as a bonus.

Iraqi cuisine is a fine cuisine. What we now call Iraq (name invented by the British when they created the country, as they did for the whole Middle East), was once a major trade route and the cultural center of the Islamic Empire during the Golden Age. This cuisine has mellow flavors that blend together -- certain flavors that you will not fine anywhere else.

When the concept of fine dining -- which includes using silverware and glassware, eating three course meals, and maintaining certain table manners -- was invented in the Islamic capital, Europeans were eating bread, salt and roasted pigs with their hands, and would have to sell their house for an ounce of cloves. Being on a central trade route from India to the west meant that a wealth of spices was available to Iraqis and were commonly used in the country for centuries. There are minor resemblances to Indian cuisine, but you will not get the bombardment of spices in Iraqi cuisine, it is about finesse.

I did some modifications to the original recipe by the advice of my sister, chef Hadas Levendiger. This makes it even quicker to make, at a minor price in flavor." Elli A.

Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1/2 an hour to 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice
• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 1 chopped onion
• 5-7 spoons oil
• 4 ounces tomato paste
• 2-3 cups of boiling water
• 10 crushed garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Wash rice and lentils
2. Soak in water for at least 1.5 hours.
3. In a pot, fry the onions until they are golden in color.
4. Add crushed garlic and fry little bit more. Be careful not to burn the garlic; it burns very quickly.
5. Add rice, lentils, and tomato paste to 2 ½ cups of boiling water. The water has to be boiling before you add them.
6. Mix spices
7. Bring to a boil again and cook on low heat for 20 minutes.

[Note: I added a 1/2 cup more boiling water for more moisture near the end of the cooking time; stir occasionally as it slow-cooks without a lid.]

Water and Cooking Time

This largely depends on the type of rice you use. It varies between 2-3 cups of water and 20-45 minutes of cooking time. Plain white rice is the quickest and needs the least amount of water.

Original Recipe

Same as above, but do NOT add garlic, turmeric and cumin to the pot. When the dish is ready, fry the garlic and spices in a frying pan, and then mix it in.

This is an extra step that emphasizes the flavor of the spices. Cooking them in water does have flavor degradation.

Serves 6 

Wild Salmon Over Vegetables

I made some changes to the ingredients in the original recipe*. Here's my version, using what I had on hand:

Ingredients 

 

3/4 pound wild salmon fillet, with skin left on (option to remove it)

garlic salt, dill weed and lemon peel to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

Bragg's organic Ginger & Sesame Salad Dressing

1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced

1-1/2 tomatoes, thinly sliced

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees.
2. Lightly oil glass baking dish with olive oil.
3. Layer the thinly-sliced vegetables on the bottom.
4. Lightly pre-cook the vegetables in the microwave for 2 minutes. 
   
5. Lay the salmon across the top of the layered vegetables.
6. Rub the seasoning on the topside of the salmon.
7. Drizzle the ginger and sesame seed salad dressing over all.
8. Bake uncovered for 20-minutes.

I was pleased at how well this dish turned out; not at all fishy. The seasoning and dressing gave both the fish and the vegetables a fresh, delicate flavor. For those that don't have much time to spend in the kitchen, this is a very simple way to prepare salmon and cut down the time it takes to cook a meal.

Serves 2

* Zenobia's ingredients to serve 7 to 8:

1-1/2 pounds wild salmon skinned
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3/4 teaspoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 to 4 portobello mushroom caps, finely chopped