Saturday, September 09, 2006

Cooking up new things...

This afternoon I wanted to try making homemade, soy-free black bean "burgers" (hereafter called patties). So after looking at a couple of recipes, most notably Kate's recipe at Vegan Ventures, I came up with these patties.

Ingredients:

1/4 green bell pepper, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
Cumin, cayenne pepper, onion powder (I didn't measure, but I used a lot)
1 cup cooked black beans
Several dashes liquid smoke

Chop the bell pepper and set aside. Process the garlic, sunflower seeds, and spices until crumbly. Mash the black beans with the liquid smoke, adding a little water if necessary. Mix everything together with your hands and form into 4 patties. Grill for 5-7 minutes on your George Foreman grill.

These patties were very tasty, served up on a whole wheat bun with Dijon mustard, onion, and lettuce. The problem was, they were very crumbly and fragile, especially in transit from the grill to the bun. I don't know much about what might hold something like this together, other than eggs (which are obviously out) and perhaps tofu (which I was trying to avoid). I'll have to play around with this a bit to get it right; any suggestions?

When I checked my mail today, there was something very nice waiting for me there! I was so excited! I've already flipped through it several times, trying to decide what all I wanted to try and make right away. Bob and I decided to make the Sunflower- Lentil Pie (p. 103) tonight for dinner. We served it with the Sesame Mustard Tahini Sauce (p. 56), per Dreena's recommendation in the recipe. It was delicious! I really enjoyed the earthy flavor of the pie along with the tangyness of the sauce. Very filling, served alongside steamed broccoli and a tossed salad. We quite enjoyed our nice, romantic dinner.
We have so many leftovers that it's really quite ridiculous. But I'm looking forward to cooking up a little something tomorrow... We'll see!

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your "patties" look great. Love the whole wheat bun.

My next purchase is going to be that cookbook (mostly for the Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies everyone posts about)!

Eat Peace Please said...

Laura, I am so happy for you. I know that happy feeling waiting for her cookbook to come in the mail. Just wait for the new one!!!

About the patties, I saw on the link you provided that she had an original version and then the newest modified and she said that the 3/4c wheat germ really did the trick of holding it together. I agree, or you could possibly use less water or grind the seeds to make them hummus-y and it will hold. Tofu works as a binder, but may not be that good in this recipe. If you do use tofu, try firm.

I am so jealous of that Sunflower Lentil Pie. That is the very first thing I have ever wanted to make from that book and I never did because my "oven-mishap" happened right around then and I tried making it and bringing it to a friend's to bake it, but something happened to it in the car (oops). I am happy to hear you enjoyed the loaf and I can't wait to see what you will be making next. I love love love this cookbook (and reading it over and over again). Have fun!

Dr. Melissa West said...

How about flax seed to hold the burgers together. Mix 1 tbsp flax seed meal with 2 tbsp. water = 1 egg.

Mmmm I want to make that sesame lentil pie again.

Anonymous said...

Yeah for your new cookbook! You're going to love it ALL!!!!

I froze the sunflower lentil pie and it held up great... or mashed up with some vegenaise in a sammy. YUM!

I just bought some lentils today too... Might have to make that one again!

KleoPatra said...

Laura, you are SO CUTE. This is a great photo of you! The excitement is evident and i'm SO happy YOU won. Loving that for ya. I'm likin' what you made and show here in a big way. Patties 4 ever! And the sunflower pie, too... Go Laura!!

Kate said...

Thank you so much for linking to my black bean burger! It's very nice to see somone getting somthing out of my blog. I always had a problem with crumbly burgers when every I tried to put them on the grill. In my most recent experiment with black bean burgers I added wheat germ (acidentaly, it turns out) and they stuck like glue. Just play around with different binders and the praportions of wet vs. dry.
Vive Le Vegan is the next book I would like to get. I am just waiting to get in the cash (starbucks job calls). Congrats on winning!

MeloMeals said...

Quick oats, breadcrumbs and even flour will help bind it together.

They look delicious.. as does your meal.

Anonymous said...

congrats in the book! your food looks good !

Vicki's Vegan Vice said...

i've been wanting to try the lentil pie - yours looks great! congrats to you again on winning the cookbook - it makes it that much "sweeter" :o)

Nikk said...

You know, if you want to just send me some of your leftovers, that'd be great. :)

I've GOT to get my hands on Vive! Every book store I've gone to over the last 3 weeks has not had it. I will end up having to order it off of Amazon...

funwithyourfood said...

uh oooh new cook book! let the fun begin :)
Cute pic
teddy