Chick Pea Burgers (with secrets)

I haven't eaten hamburgers in years, accompanying my husband's occasional grilled beef burger with a companionable portobello mushroom on a roll. In times past I ate turkey burgers as well. So I know how easy and satisfying it is to pile up the pickles and relish, onion and sliced tomato on something filling, chewy and tasty between the bread slices. The black bean & beet patty was better on the plate, so today I wanted something to eat on bread that was crisp on the outside, dense and flavorful on the inside and could stand up to my husband's relish and chili sauce. I started with a can of chick peas and a handful of ... are you ready? peanuts! It ends with a coating of crushed Ryvita sesame rye cracker and all's well!  I broiled them on both sides before baking them for 20 minutes.

Chick Pea Burger (no oil)

1 can chick peas (about 1.75 cups, drained)
2 Tblsp peanuts (dry roasted low salt)
1 medium carrot, grated
1 medium parsnip, grated
1/2 cup raw spinach, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp parsley
2 Ryvita Sesame Rye crackers

1. Smash the chick peas with the peanuts in a bowl. Chop the spinach, grate the carrot and parsnip and mix in with the chick pea mixture.
2. Combine all the spices and herbs in the bowl, mashing and stirring. If this feels too wet, add just a little flour of your choice (brown rice or chick pea flour) perhaps up to a tablespoon. You don't want this to feel dry though. Moist is good but not wet.

3. Crush the two crackers on a plate. Form 4 burgers, rolling their surfaces in the crumbs (this should just cover all four).
4. Place on a piece of tin foil on a baking sheet or pan and put under the broiler for about 5 minutes on each side, turning carefully with a spatula.  Turn down the stove to bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.
Serve as you wish! One was plenty for me on a piece of Ezekial sprouted whole grain bread with pickle slices, onion and lettuce and our fresh cole slaw. My husband had two, one with double bread and the works, the other more simply.  As always, put more spice or heat into these if you want them that way. Good nutritional content from the combination of legumes and vegetables for 170 calories!

Chickpea burgers Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 1 Serving (112g) 1 burger Amount Per Serving % Daily Value* Calories 169 8% Total Fat 5g 8% Saturated Fat 1g 3% Trans Fat Cholesterol 0% Sodium 400mg 17% Total Carbohydrate 25g 8% Dietary Fiber 3g 10% Sugars 2g 0% Protein 7g 14% Vitamin A 11% • Vitamin C 7% Calcium 5% • Iron 8% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs. courtesy of cronometer.com using my data.

If you want to make up your own slaw, I recommend that you use what you have. Here's what I used.

Cleaning the Fridge Again Cole Slaw
leftover nub of cabbage
leftover nub of radicchio
one remaining stalk celery
1/4 of a red pepper, finely chopped
two slices dill pickle finely chopped
dash- 1/8 tsp celery seed
splash of pickle juice
squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Made about 3.5 cups - which disappeared between 2 of us. Very satisfying crisp, crunch, tart and sweet flavors, contrasting well with the warm, chewy textures of the chickpea burgers.

Kamut apple ginger bread/muffins

Kamut is a form of wheat originally from Iran, that is easier to digest than the common American wheat grain.  It does have some gluten, but higher protein, fiber and trace elements. It's distinct flavor, texture, and longer shelf life makes it appealing. This bread like muffin is the stuff of a cold winter's breakfast kitchen. My kids grew up eating whatever fruit we had chopped and tucked into whatever baked good I pulled together. The request to "write this one down," was the evidence that whatever it turned into was truly successful. So I'm writing this one down, even though I think there are lots of variations to be explored with it. Normally for any "gingerbread" I would use black strap molasses. I refrained this time, using only the powdered spices and maple syrup, since we've been trying not to add refined sugars and I'm just not sure how to categorize molasses, but I'll look into it. My husband ate his with honey, gluing his walnuts onto each slice that way. I ate mine straight up, not needing the extra sweetness.


Kamut Apple Ginger Bread/Muffins
2 cups Kamut flour
1 Tblsp baking powder
2 tsp (or more) cinnamon
1 tsp (or more) ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp salt

1.75 cups unsweetened soy milk (I use West Soy)
3 Tblsp real maple syrup (this is bread like,  if you want it sweet, use more syrup)
1 medium apple chopped = 3/4 cup OR MORE
1/3 cup raisins (or cranberries or chopped apricots or more of any of these)

Walnuts - optional (I threw some on the plate when I served the slices)

1. Mix together all the 7 dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Peel & chop the apple. You could use twice as much apple and this would turn into a marvelous apple-cake bread (I will try this and let you know how it goes.)
3. Pour wet into dry, mix quickly, adding in the fruit.
4. DECIDE if you are making a loaf or muffins.  I tried it as a loaf this morning and the slices were a nice change of pace. Muffins would have more crispy exterior surface proportionally to each serving.
5. Spread tin foil in a pan, or use parchment paper, or use a silicone sheet and shape a loaf, using the back of a fork to mound evenly and make a crinkly texture on the outside (nice for crispiness' sake). If making muffins, use silicone cups with or without muffin tins. Muffins will only need about 15-20 minutes, a loaf form will take 20-25 minutes.
Slice and serve -- good hot. This has a whole-wheat bread like texture, interrupted by the moisture and sweetness of the fruits you use.

Kamut is not for those with celiac disease, but has shown to be more easily digested by people who have inflammatory or allergic tendencies. Here's the nutritional content of 100 grams of the grain. I've long enjoyed Organic Puffed Kamut, sold by Nature's Path - a whole grain cereal as a tasty good source of fiber (50 calories and 2 g dietary fiber for a whole cup of cereal), and excellent vehicle for fresh berries!

"Kamut" Khorasan wheat, uncooked

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	1,411 kJ (337 kcal)
Carbohydrates	70.38 g
- Starch	52.41 g
- Dietary fibre	9.1 g
Fat	2.20 g
- polyunsaturated	0.616 g
Protein	14.70 g
Water	10.95 g
Thiamine (vit. B1)	0.591 mg (51%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2)	0.178 mg (15%)
Vitamin B6	0.255 mg (20%)
Folate (vit. B9)	0 μg (0%)
Vitamin E	0.60 mg (4%)
Iron	4.41 mg (34%)
Magnesium	134 mg (38%)
Phosphorus	386 mg (55%)
Zinc	3.68 mg (39%)
Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database

Kamut ginger muffins/bread Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 1 Serving (190g) 1/5 loaf/ 2 muffins Amount Per Serving % Daily Value* Calories 259 13% Total Fat 2g 4% Saturated Fat 0g 1% Trans Fat Cholesterol 0% Sodium 324mg 13% Total Carbohydrate 56g 19% Dietary Fiber 7g 26% Sugars 16g 0% Protein 8g 15% Vitamin A 4% • Vitamin C 3% Calcium 30% • Iron 17% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs. courtesy of cronometer.com using my data.

Portobello Tomatillo Tacos

Traveling from the city to upstate after a long morning, we arrived very hungry and with limited food resources. Having brought along 2 portobello mushrooms, which in a previous time would have been grilled and eaten like burgers, I wondered how to turn them into a lunch that would stand up for itself in spite of that memory. We had just a few corn tortillas left in the fridge, some frozen corn, some frozen fresh parsley, and one tomatillo. That's how it started. This is how to do it -- in about 15 minutes a delicious treat - filling, nutritious and refreshing. You don't have to do the cashew sauce, and you could make a lot more of this and it would definitely disappear. If you have peppers, or wanted to add sliced onions to the saute, that would be marvelous too.  We extended the meal with a few spicy corn chips and half a beer each. A side salad would also stretch this out. The other option is to make a whole bunch of these... with varying ingredients and turn it into a taco party!


Portobello Tomatillo Tacos
For the filling:
4 corn tortillas (6" stone ground)
2 portobellos
1 tomatillo
2 Tblsp parsley
1/2 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
For the Sauce:
3 Tblsp roasted unsalted cashews
2 tsp Tamari
mixture of spices:
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp salt
(make it hot if you want it that way)
2 Tblsp hot water or juices from the cooking pan

1. Slice the portobellos in thin strips. Roughly chop the tomatillo. Water saute these two ingredients in about 1/2 cup water, throwing in the shredded cabbage, parsley and corn. Stirring.
2. Put cashews, spices, and 2 tsp Tamari into a narrow tall cylinder for blenderizing ... add about 2 Tblsp hot water or juices from the cooking pan and grind until it is a pureed sauce.
3. Heat each tortilla over the hot burner (on low flame) turning from one side to the other (about 10-15 seconds each side), lay on a plate, load with vegetables, cover with cashew sauce.

Serve two overlapping tortillas per plate, ready  to roll and eat.

Portobello Tomatillo Taco Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 1 Serving (294g) (2 tacos) Amount Per Serving % Daily Value* Calories 379 19% Total Fat 10g 15% Saturated Fat 2g 9% Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0% Sodium 462mg 19% Total Carbohydrate 66g 22% Dietary Fiber 9g 34% Sugars 4g 0% Protein 12g 24% Vitamin A 3% • Vitamin C 18% Calcium 12% • Iron 22% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs.courtesy of cronometer.com using my data.

Marinated Tempeh with Sweet Potato Noodles

We came home from a social gathering and really needed some serious food after eating carrots and cherry tomatoes all evening. I had seen this coming and had boiled and started soaking some tempeh in a spicy marinade earlier in the day.  Phew! Dinner turned into a one-dish meal. Comforting, filling, and adding in just what we needed to close the day. You can definitely exchange the sweet potato noodles for rice or mung bean starch noodles, but if you have an Asian grocery nearby, the texture of the sweet potato noodles really adds something.  Dessert was a mandarin orange. There is a high sodium content in this due to the Tamari, Ume plum vinegar and Sriracha.


Marinated Tempeh with Sweet Potato Cellophane Noodles
1 package tempeh
1/2 bag sweet potato cellophane noodles (2 servings)
2 cups sugar snap peas, cleaned & de-strung
1 cup shitake mushroom caps, sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed & chopped
2 Tblsp sriracha Vietnamese Chili Sauce
2 Tblsp Tamari
1 tsp Ume Plum Vinegar
1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar

1. Cut up and boil tempeh for about 10 minutes. Then put tempeh in a bowl with 2 tblsps sriracha chili sauce, a tablespoon of tamari and about 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar. Let this soak, stirring the sauce over the tempeh chunks for several hours. You can even put it in the fridge for a while.

2. Water saute garlic with sliced mushrooms. Add snap peas, tamari and plum vinegar, stir, cover, stir, cover.

3. Add tempeh and soaking pepper sauce to wok, stir, cover, stir, cover. Meanwhile, boil water and cook the cellophane sweet potato noodles until clear and spongy.

4. Drain and rinse noodles, and add them to wok mixture, stirring them into the juices.  You might add more sriracha or tamari on the table.  You can definitely turn this into a meal for 4 by adding another vegetable dish and/or soup and salad.

spicy tempeh sweet potato noodles Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 1 Serving (400g) Amount Per Serving % Daily Value* Calories 694 35% Total Fat 11g 17% Saturated Fat 2g 11% Trans Fat Cholesterol 0% Sodium 1864mg 78% Total Carbohydrate 130g 43% Dietary Fiber 5g 18% Sugars 5g 0% Protein 23g 46% Vitamin A 2% • Vitamin C 65% Calcium 18% • Iron 41% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs.courtesy of cronomieter. com using my data.

Light Butternut Onion Soup

Guests coming for dinner and the weather had turned surprisingly cold. I felt the need for a soup first course but didn't have anything handy in the fridge. Wondering what I could pull together, I looked into the fridge and found a half a butternut squash waiting to become something. With a couple fresh sweet onions, that piece of squash brought a satisfying warmth before the rest of the meal.

1. Make a broth or use a good vegetable stock. I used mushroom stems, celery, onion, ginger.
2.  Steam the cubed squash.
3. With a cup of water in a pan, add the dry herbs and the marmite, all the onion in large slices chopped in half or quarters. Stir fry that until it begins to get sticky to the pan, then add the broth, straining out all the stuff.
4. Transfer to the bigger stock pot, add the squash (you can smash the squash ... leave it in chunks, or puree it before you put it in.)  Cook all together for about 10 minutes. I used a potato masher to smash the squash while leaving the onions mostly intact though quite soft and translucent. Add the frozen spinach -- it will thaw immediately!.  Cook more if you want, or serve just like that! Probably great with just a little parmesan cheese if you eat that...

Butternut Onion Soup Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 1 Serving (243g) Amount Per Serving % Daily Value* Calories 48 2% Total Fat 0g 0% Saturated Fat 0g 0% Trans Fat Cholesterol 0% Sodium 142mg 6% Total Carbohydrate 11g 4% Dietary Fiber 2g 7% Sugars 5g 0% Protein 2g 3% Vitamin A 14% • Vitamin C 20% Calcium 5% • Iron 6% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs. courtesy of cronomieter.com using my data.

Homestyle Mushroom Bibimbap

I have only had mushroom Bibimbap once, but it was extraordinary. We had this amazing dish at a serendipitous lunch at Mandoo Bar on E. 32nd Street in Manhattan. So I was dreaming of how to imitate anything like that and came up with this. I'm sure I will change and refine it, and encourage you to do the same! Aside from mushrooms, the Sriracha sauce is a requirement! This Vietnamese chili sauce adds spice but also terrific flavor. Aside from soaking the mushrooms for several hours, this dish took about 40 minutes to put together.








Homestyle Mushroom Bibimbap

1 cup brown jasmine rice
4 cups water (including soaking water for mushrooms)
4 cloves garlic
6 shiitake mushrooms
12 dried mushrooms (wood ear, shiitake or whatever you have)
1 cup raw spinach - small leaves
4 savoy cabbage leaves
2 scallions
1 small zucchini
1 cup full of enoki
4 inches of daikon radish
2-3 tblsp tamari
1.5 tbsp black vinegar
1/8 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp ginger root
1 tsp sesame seed
3 tsp Srirachi chili sauce

1. Soak dry mushrooms several hours. Slice the diakon and put in a small bowl with sriracha sauce (Vietnamese chili sauce) and let soak.
2. Cook rice. steam separately a few minutes (microwave in a bowl is fine) finely slivered cabbage, spinach leaves in a little water, and matchsticks of zucchini  with vinegar, tamari and sesame seeds.
3. Simmer slivered fresh shiitake mushrooms with sliced soaked mushrooms in some of the mushroom  juices with tamari, ginger, garlic and a dash of black vinegar added, covered.
4. In a small cast iron or enamel pot put 1/8 tsp roasted sesame oil and coat the bottom of the pan. Layer in about 1/2 of the rice. Meanwhile, uncover the mushrooms, stir in the chopped scallions and cook down the liquid a little.

5. When the rice begins to crackle and crisp, try to flip it like a pancake ... crisping the other side. Then pour in the spinach, cabbage, zucchini with sauce, mushrooms with sauce, daikon and sauce. Put lid on and let simmer for 5-10 minutes.
 6. Add the rest of the rice a splash of srirachi sauce and chop up, stirring in the enoki.  Serve with a side of kimchi and more hot sauce to add to taste.

 Nutrition Facts

Home Made Bibimbap

Serving Size: 1 Serving (533g) (3 servings)

Amount Per Serving		% Daily Value*
Calories	349	17%
Total Fat	4g	6%
Saturated Fat	1g	3%
Trans Fat
Cholesterol		0%
Sodium	880mg	37%
Total Carbohydrate	72g	24%
Dietary Fiber	8g	32%
Sugars	5g	0%
Protein	11g	22%

Vitamin A	5%	•	Vitamin C	59%
Calcium	9%	•	Iron	17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs. courtesy of cronometer.com using my data

Our side salad was beets, jicama, artichoke hearts, pea shoots, pomegranate seeds with a squeeze of lemon.