om nom nom
I've been cooking quite a lot lately, often as a tasty form of procrastination, but also because it is a fun way to fill up time that isn't meant to be devoted to other things.
Have some recent favourites:
Mushroom Pecan Burger
From the Rebar cookbook. I made it for a barbeque last week and even the non-veggie people thought it looked and tasted delicious. I substituted shredded beets for the shredded carrots, which added an awesome red colour, and mashed it with a potato masher rather than using a food processor, which meant it was chunkier, which I prefer in a veggie burger.
The best part was that it all held together well enough to go on the barbeque, rather than needing to be pan fried or broiled in an oven.
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 red onion, diced
1 tsp salt (I skipped this because I don't like salt much)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp thyme leaves
1/2 tsp red chile flakes (I tripled this)
6 cups sliced button mushrooms
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1 1/2 cups grated carrot (I used beets)
1 cup pecans, roasted and finely ground (I just chopped them, which gave the burgers more crunch)
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1/4 tsp tabasco sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce (which I accidentally skipped)
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat and sauté the onion. Turn up heat and add garlic, mushrooms, salt, thyme, and chile flakes. Stir and sauté until mushrooms have released juices and the pan begins to dry out. Deglaze the pan with balsamic vinegar. Let the liquid evaporate, turn the mushrooms out into a large bowl and let cool.
Add the brown rice and grated carrot to the mushrooms. In a food processor, pulse the mixture in two or more batches until well combined but still coarse. (Or mash it up with a potato masher.) Return to bowl and add remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly and season to taste. Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight (I waited a whole twenty minutes before starting to slowly starve to death...) Shape into patties and sauté until golden brown on both sides. (Alternatively, barbeque for about five minutes on either side.)
The recipe says to serve it with grilled onions and horseradish mayonnaise (1 cup mayo to 4 tbsp horseradish), but I forgot to grill the onions and hate mayo-it's just as good with normal burger toppings.
Mango Summer Rolls
From Vegan With A Vengeance. It's mango and cilantro in cute little rolled up pieces of rice paper. How can it possibly go wrong?
1 mango, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
1 cup bean sprouts, or seedless cucumber, sliced into matchsticks (my favourite is alfalfa sprouts)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
4 ounces very thin rice noodles
1/4 cup peanuts, very finely chopped
20 rice paper wrappers (plus extra in case some tear)
Boil a medium sized pot of water. Turn off the heat and add the noodles. Let them soak for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the noodles and run them under cold water until they feel cold. Transfer them to a bowl.
Have ready a pie pan or large wide bowl filled with hot water (tap water is fine, and a frying pan is exactly the right size) and a clean counter space or a cutting board. Place the rice paper wrappers, two at a time, into the water until they are flexible (30 seconds to a minute). Carefully remove from water and lay flat on clean surface. In the lower two thirds of the roll, place a teablespoon of noodles and sprinkle a few of the chopped peanuts (about 1/2 tsp) over them. On top of that place five or six mango strips and top of that lace six or seven bean sprouts and three or four cilantro leaves. Fold the left and right sides over the filling, then take the bottom of the wrapper and begin rolling. Keep wrapped and chilled, serve with finger bowls of the dipping sauce.
Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon Asian chile oil (apparently this doesn't exist, so I ended up using sweet chile sauce, which isn't at all similar, but still tastes fine)
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tbsp roasted peanuts, chopped
1 1/2 tsp sugar
Mix all ingredients together and chill until ready to serve.
And, now, beachy times for me.
Have some recent favourites:
Mushroom Pecan Burger
From the Rebar cookbook. I made it for a barbeque last week and even the non-veggie people thought it looked and tasted delicious. I substituted shredded beets for the shredded carrots, which added an awesome red colour, and mashed it with a potato masher rather than using a food processor, which meant it was chunkier, which I prefer in a veggie burger.
The best part was that it all held together well enough to go on the barbeque, rather than needing to be pan fried or broiled in an oven.
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 red onion, diced
1 tsp salt (I skipped this because I don't like salt much)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp thyme leaves
1/2 tsp red chile flakes (I tripled this)
6 cups sliced button mushrooms
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1 1/2 cups grated carrot (I used beets)
1 cup pecans, roasted and finely ground (I just chopped them, which gave the burgers more crunch)
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1/4 tsp tabasco sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce (which I accidentally skipped)
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat and sauté the onion. Turn up heat and add garlic, mushrooms, salt, thyme, and chile flakes. Stir and sauté until mushrooms have released juices and the pan begins to dry out. Deglaze the pan with balsamic vinegar. Let the liquid evaporate, turn the mushrooms out into a large bowl and let cool.
Add the brown rice and grated carrot to the mushrooms. In a food processor, pulse the mixture in two or more batches until well combined but still coarse. (Or mash it up with a potato masher.) Return to bowl and add remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly and season to taste. Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight (I waited a whole twenty minutes before starting to slowly starve to death...) Shape into patties and sauté until golden brown on both sides. (Alternatively, barbeque for about five minutes on either side.)
The recipe says to serve it with grilled onions and horseradish mayonnaise (1 cup mayo to 4 tbsp horseradish), but I forgot to grill the onions and hate mayo-it's just as good with normal burger toppings.
Mango Summer Rolls
From Vegan With A Vengeance. It's mango and cilantro in cute little rolled up pieces of rice paper. How can it possibly go wrong?
1 mango, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
1 cup bean sprouts, or seedless cucumber, sliced into matchsticks (my favourite is alfalfa sprouts)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
4 ounces very thin rice noodles
1/4 cup peanuts, very finely chopped
20 rice paper wrappers (plus extra in case some tear)
Boil a medium sized pot of water. Turn off the heat and add the noodles. Let them soak for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the noodles and run them under cold water until they feel cold. Transfer them to a bowl.
Have ready a pie pan or large wide bowl filled with hot water (tap water is fine, and a frying pan is exactly the right size) and a clean counter space or a cutting board. Place the rice paper wrappers, two at a time, into the water until they are flexible (30 seconds to a minute). Carefully remove from water and lay flat on clean surface. In the lower two thirds of the roll, place a teablespoon of noodles and sprinkle a few of the chopped peanuts (about 1/2 tsp) over them. On top of that place five or six mango strips and top of that lace six or seven bean sprouts and three or four cilantro leaves. Fold the left and right sides over the filling, then take the bottom of the wrapper and begin rolling. Keep wrapped and chilled, serve with finger bowls of the dipping sauce.
Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon Asian chile oil (apparently this doesn't exist, so I ended up using sweet chile sauce, which isn't at all similar, but still tastes fine)
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tbsp roasted peanuts, chopped
1 1/2 tsp sugar
Mix all ingredients together and chill until ready to serve.
And, now, beachy times for me.