A feast for the eyes (if i do say so myself)

Red Lentil-Chickpea Burgers + Peanut Sauce

From the Healthy Hedonist.

3/4 up red lentils, rinsed
1 3/4 cups water
salt
15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
olive oil
1/2 cup minced shallots
3/4 lb carrots, cut into a small dice (1 cup worth)
1 t ground cumin ***
1 t ground coriander
1 cup peas, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 t fresh lemon juice
cayenne pepper to taste***
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Cook lentils in water (we had to add a ton more water than 2 cups!)--bring to a boil, then simmer. Add a teaspoon of salt, stir occasionally, until lentils are tender and lose their individual shape (20-40 minutes). Add water as needed, but the goal is to cook them as dry as they can go without sticking to your pot. Stir cooked lentils to break them up, then add and stir in the chickpeas.
Now saute shallots, carrots, and 1/4 t salt until tender, a few minutes, then add the spices.***add more than she states, these burgers are quite bland.*** add peas. a few more minues, then add this mix to the lentil/pea mash, along with the parsley, lemon, and cayenne (***). stir in bread crumbs, salt to taste (you will need to!). Let the mixture sit until it's cool enough to handle.
With your hands, make tight patties. She says six, but we got around 10 out of this sized batch. Put them on a plate, cover, and throw in the fridge for 30 minutes. (we did the freezer for less time, but ours didn't stay together than well, i mean, they did, but they were fragile, so maybe don't skimp on the cooling).
Now saute the burgers! You're not deep frying, so just coat the pan with oil and leave 'em on each side until they are golden brown. she says two minutes, i'd say five, just depends on your heat level.

"Spicy Peanut Sauce"

yea, it's a peanut sauce, not sure if i'd call it spicy. it was nice with the tomatoes and kale we had, though. almost a mustard.

1/3 C smooth peanut butter
1 t curry powder
1/2 t salt
1 T maple syrup
1 T chopped fresh ginger
1/3 cup water
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1 T thinly sliced scallions or chives

combine all but scallions, mix by hand (or blend, i s'pose) until smooth. add scallions.

Yes, this is what i do at 6 am.

Baked Thai Tempeh Triangles

from The Healthy Hedonist.

1 lb of tempeh (2 8 oz packages)
1/4 cup apple juice or cider
1/2 cup water
2 T maple syrup
1/4 cup shoyu (we used tamari)
2 T fresh lemon juice (meh, abouts 1/2 a lemon)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 T red Thai curry paste
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilanto (whoops, we didn't have this)
3 garlic cloves (we minced 'em)

Preheat oven to 350. Cut the tempeh into 12 triangles (each pack into 12, so 24 triangles). Give it a quick steam (it will help it absorb the marinade), maybe 5 mins or so. While that's going, hit up the marinade: whisk the juice, water, syrup, shoyu, lemon juice, and oil in a medium bowl. Stir in the curry paste, cilantro, and garlic cloves. Lay out the tempeh in a single layer in some sort of baking dish, pour the marinade over it. Bake, turning once halfway through, until golden brown and it seems like it's taken in most of the marinade. Probably 40-45 minutes.

She recommends a 9 x 11 pan, but i think we fit it tightly into an 8 x8, which upped the marinade level. A good thing, since the second side soaks up less, so the more you can get in the first go...If anyone tries it with the tempeh completely covered (maybe doubling the marinade amount?) lemme know.

Verdict: very yummy, and i like the texture of tempeh! Would (and will) definitely make this recipe again.

Jess Special

I feel pretty bad about this recipe, since i use a bunch o' canned stuff. But whatevs, here it is:

1 large (28 oz?) can of diced tomatoes
1 small (16 oz?) can of kidney beans or black beans (both if you're feeling crazy)
1 small can of corn, if you happen to have one
1 onion, diced
some garlic cloves, minced
two carrots, sliced or creatively cubed
a handful of kale
cumin
black pepper
paprika
cayenne
salt

(note: if serving over b. rice, start it now, since the rest is pretty quick)

heat oil in a medium pot, saute onion, add garlic. dump on spices as you like 'em. i usually do 3 parts cumin to 2 paprika, 1 cayenne, with the black pepper around 1.5? stir those in, then add your carrots, let them soften a bit. Then drain and rinse your beans and corn. add in all the canned stuff. simmer this for a bit, until it's warmed through and the carrots are at the desired crunchiness, throw in the kale for a few minutes at the end, and voila! i usually just dump the brown rice into the pot at the end, or most of it, and let it heat and soak up the flavor a bit before serving. but who am i kidding--serving? guess i just meant eating.

Asparagus, Leek, and Barley Risotto

1 T olive oil
2 cups thinly slices leeks, both white and green parts (takes about 2 medium leeks)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup thinly sliced scalions, white and green parts
salt
1 cup barley, hulled or semi-pearled, washed
1/2 cup dry white wine
3.5 cups veggie stock
1/2 pound of asparagus
1 cup green peas (we used frozen)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 T butter, optional (we used about half)
1 t fresh lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
fresh parsley

Preheat to 350. heat oil in a medium/big oven-proof pot. add leeks, scallions, and a sprinkling of salt, saute until soft, maybe 5 minutes. Add barley, stir to combine. Add the wine and simmer uncovered until the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Then add the stock and 1/4 t salt, bring to a boil. cover the pot (lid or aluminum foil), and stick it in the oven. Bake for about an hour, until the barley is tender and liquid is absorbed. While that's cooking, cut up your asparagus (remove the hard ends) into 1-inch pieces and steam it with the peas. We have a bootleg steaming set-up where you are basically boiling it with very little water, but hey, that worked, and we just added the little bit of liquid that was left to capture all those escaping nutrients.
After you're satisfied with the tenderness of your barley, transfer the pot to the stovetop and simmer it over low heat to a) get rid of remaining liquid and b) give that barley a little extra heat so it moves towards translucence. yay! now stir in the parm, some butter, lemon juice, the veggies, and a sprinkling of black pepper. salt to taste.