I have learned a lot on this meat-free journey, and one of the best things that has happened is that I am now fully confident about making my own veggie burgers. Chickpea burgers to be exact. I owe the wonderful recipe to Chouny and the Food.com website. When I started blogging, the site was known as Genius Kitchen, which, in my opinion, sounds more engaging.
I make the patties according to the recipe, but substitute ½ cup cooked chickpeas for the canned chickpeas. This makes two good-sized burgers.
Frying them is easy. They don’t fall apart and don’t stick to the pan. I probably cook them longer on each side than the recipe calls for. Just watch your oil. Start medium-high, add burgers cook until set, then flip and decrease heat a touch. We serve on skinny buns with lettuce or greens and mayo.
It’s the little things that can be so self-affirming.
At our house, we embrace the seasonal foods as they come. A special challenge is Zucchini Week! That’s the time of year when you have so much zucchini that you have to eat it everyday! Everyday!!! I love Zucchini Week, which arrives a little bit before Tomato Week!
This year, I was fortunate when the Go-Grocery Outlet had Pillsbury Pizza Crusts in stock. That’s not normally something I would buy, but it was zucchini week and I had an idea.
I do believe that there is a recipe on this blog for one of my favorites, zucchini pie. I prepared the squash the same way. Try to determine how much squash you will need. Wash and slice into rounds about a quarter inch slices. If they are large, cut in half-moons. Dice some onion. One medium or half a large. If you have spring onions, use those. Once a couple of cloves of garlic if you’d like. Or, you can do like I do, and buy dried garlic in the grinder mill. SO much easier.
Saute the zucchini, onions and garlic in a couple of tablespoons of butter until tender. Add some oregano and maybe some salt and pepper while cooking. Drain in a colander. Put mixture into a large bowl. Mix with two beaten eggs, and 1/2 to 1 cup grated cheese.
Read instructions on pizza crust. Pre-bake as directed on baking sheet. Remove from oven. Spread two tablespoons dijon mustard over crust. Place the zucchini and cheese mixture in the center of the crust and fold the sides over. Finish baking according to instructions.
Start with an 8 x 8 pan. Spray it with non-stick spray. Take 4 corn tortillas and place them, overlapping in the bottom of the pan. Mix squash puree and sauteed onions. Spread a layer of squash over tortillas. Add another layer of tortillas. Spread another layer of squash. Add another layer of tortillas. Top with salsa and crumbled queso fresco. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until cheese is golden and the lagasne is set.
Try not to eat too much. Serious comfort food. Como se dice comfort food en espanol?
Our house during the fall is Beta Carotene Central. According to WebMD, from whose website I am copying and pasting:
Beta Carotene is a compound that gives vivid yellow, orange, and red coloring to vegetables. The body converts Beta Carotene into vitamin A (retinol). Vitamin A, known as a vital nutrient for vision, plays a critical role in cell growth and in maintaining healthy organs like the heart, lungs, and kidneys.
Sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and pumpkins congregate and bide their time until they end up as tasty fiber-filled meals. Soups, lasagnas, waffles, etc.
We do pizza frequently on prepared store-bought crusts.
Caramelize onions by cooking them in oil or butter for a time. Start the fire medium hot, but then reduce.
Spread some squash or pumpkin puree on your store-bought, prepared crust. top with onions and parmesan or shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake according to crust instructions.
Well, dang. I just can’t believe that Six Weeks Meat-Free is heading into its fifth year. You know, there are a LOT of food blogs. I know. I look for recipes and I find them. Personally, I think blogging is hard! When I first started, I thought I had a lot to say. But I pretty much said it all. Well….I’m not sure, but……
When I was a child, we had a wonderful woman at school who would come and read poetry to us. There was a particular poem I am trying to track down. It was about a young man who was sort of headstrong but lacking in follow up skills. As I recall (which could be off) a line was “starts a lot of big projects, but finishes none.”
I am determined not to be that fellow from a poem from my elementary school days that I can’t track down.
So, this season, I hope to blog six times. One time for each week in Lent. I’m choosing salads as a theme this year. But don’t be surprised if i switch it up. This feels good. Blogging. Be well readers and thank you!
This recipe comes from The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas (EVERYONE SHOULD GET A COPY OF THIS BOOK!!) It’s an easy prepare the day before salad that has become a favorite. I switch up vinegars and have never added the pimento. I use mixed salad greens for the lettuce.
Raw Mushroom Salad
1 pound very fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup wine vinegar
2 tablespoons capers
1/2 small fresh pimento pepper, coarsely grated
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 large, crisp head butter or Boston lettuce, or Romaine
Hard-cooked egg (optional)
Additional fresh sliced pimento (optional)
Wash the mushrooms carefully and slice them. Make a marinade of the oil and vinegar, cayenne, pimento, and capers, seasoning it with salt and pepper. Pour the marinade over the mushrooms and toss them lightly. Set them aside for an hour or two at least, and chill. Wash the lettuce and tear the leaves into medium-sized pieces. Arrange equal amounts of the lettuce on six or eight plates depending on how large you want the serving to be. (If this is to be a last course, I suggest rather small servings; in the first course they should be slightly larger.) Place a mound of the marinated mushrooms on top of each plate of lettuce. Garnish with additional pepper slices and chopped or sliced hard-cooked eggs, if you like.
Six Weeks Meat-free 