Chickpea Burgers

  • 3 cups chickpeas (drained, 1 large can)
  • 1/2 cup quick oats
  • 1/2 cup dill pickles (chopped)
  • 1 small carrot (blanched, diced)
  • 2 tablespoons scallions (thinly sliced)
  • 1 tablespoon white mild miso
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
  • 2 teaspoons mustard
  • 2 teaspoons maple syrup
  • cornmeal (for dredging)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (for dredging)
  • 3 tablespoons safflower oil
  • In a large bowl, mash chickpeas with a potato masher. Mix in oats, olives or pickles, diced carrot, and scallions. In a separate bowl, blend together miso, soy sauce (or tamari), mustard, and maple syrup and add the blend to the chickpea mixture. Form the mixture into palm-sized patties and dredge them in cornmeal and salt.
  • Heat 3 tablespoons of safflower oil over medium heat. Fry each patty on both sides for 5 minutes. When oil is gone, re-oil the pan for the next round of patties. On the bottom bun place the lettuce, then top with the patty, pickle slices, tomato and onion. Spread tahini on top bun and place bun on top of burger. You can also serve the burger without a bun.
  • Tip: This burger mixture freezes well for later use.

Creamy Cashew Veggie Pot Pie from lunchboxbunch.com

pot-pie-creamy-veggie 23sqsqsqVeggie Filling:

*note that the amounts of the veggies are easy to modify and switch out as needed. You just want about enough veggies to fill up your pot pie serving dish
3/4 cup petite peas, organic (frozen)
1 large carrot, diced
1 small potato, peeled/diced (I used a sweet white yam, but you could use a plain white Russett potato or even a sweet potato) – about 1 1/4 cups when chopped
1/2 cup chickpeas, drained/rinsed (canned)
1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, diced

spices/oil for veggie saute:
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
a few dashes of black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
a few pinches of cayenne (optional)
(Any other dry spices/seasonings you would like to add)

Cashew Base:
1 cup vegetable broth
2 cups soaked raw cashews
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
2 Tbsp white miso paste (adds saltiness and subtle flavor)
additional salt if needed (if you do not use miso paste, you should add some salt)
a few pinches of cayenne (optional)

Crust:
1 cup white flour, organic
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil (use refined if you do not want any coconut flavor at all, unrefined will have some coconut flavor)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp lemon juice
4-6 Tbsp warm water
a squeeze of orange juice (brush top of pastry with it, or squeeze over top)

*note: if you use a casserole dish or something with a larger opening space than my dish, you will need more crust to cover, so you may need to double my recipe

My dish: measures 9½ inches in diameter; holds 3.88 quarts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (Yes! At the start because this goes so fast!)

2. Add you cashews (about 1 1/2 cups before the are soaked) to a large bowl and cover with very hot water. The hottest setting on your tap. Add a pinch of salt and allow to sit while you do the veggie prep. (note: If you have time and plan ahead, soak the cashews for even longer – 4+ hours is great. This will help ease the blending process just a bit. This is advised if you are not using a high speed blender.)

3. Prep all your veggies. Set aside.

4. Add you potatoes to a deep skillet and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cover with lid. Reduce heat a bit and allow to cook until a tested potato is tender, but not mushy. Drain the water and set potatoes aside with other veggies.

5. Drain your cashews and add 2 cups of the soaked cashews to your blender. If you have any extra cashews you can thrown them in as well or toss them in whole with your veggie mix. Add the veggie broth, miso, sauce spices and acid. Blend from low to high until smooth and creamy. This may take a minute or so. Set aside. (Adjust salt and seasonings if desired.)

6. In that same skillet, add your oil and when the oil is hot add in the carrots, beans and mushrooms. Saute for a few minutes until cooked down. Then add in the peas and potatoes and saute until peas thaw a bit. Over medium heat.

7. Pour the base sauce over top the veggie saute and toss until all the veggies are well coated. Turn heat to high and saute for another 1-2 minutes so that the flavor of the nutty sauce develops a bit.

8. Pour the heated veggie filling into your pot pie serving/baking dish. Set aside.

9. Quickly mix up your dry ingredients for your crust. Then using your hands, mash in the coconut oil. Then one tablespoon at a time, add in the water. Mixing with every new spoonful. Keep adding until your dough in kneadable yet still moist. When this occurs, knead a bit then roll out on a floured surface. This does not to be perfect at all! I very quickly pressed and rolled out my dough (as you can tell by the crumbly state after baking). Add to top of your serving dish and slice a few vent lines in top. Lastly, squeeze a bit or orange juice over top – or brush pastry lightly with it. It gives a subtle orange tint that beats an “egg wash” any day!

10. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve after about 20 minutes of cooling. Store in fridge and reheat as needed. Eat within 3 days. This dish probably freezes quite well, but I have not tested freezing yet.

Nutrition estimate based on 6 servings per recipe (per serving below)

Miso Black Cod from food52.com

2014-0610_WC_miso-black-cod-015

1/2 cup Asian pear juice (or apple juice)
3 tablespoons red miso
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon umeboshi (preserved plum) or mirin (rice cooking wine)
3 cloves garlic
1/2 inch peeled ginger, chopped
3/4 pounds black cod

Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a blender. Marinate the fish — I used a boneless filet — for at least 12 hours and no more than 36 hours. I served it with Chinese broccoli (you could use broccoli rabe), stir-fried in tamari, ginger, and garlic. I also made a purée of parsnips and sunchokes, with a little bit of cream, and a tiny bit of salt and sugar. Serves 2