Quinoa Carrot 'Meatballs' in Tamarind Sauce

I share with you another very autumnal looking dish - Carrot Quinoa 'Meatballs' in Tamarind Sauce.

I know I have already shared a blog post for VeganMofo featuring mock 'meatballs', but this one is not made with TVP or 'meat' substitutes.  These are made from scratch with quinoa, carrots and chickpea flour, then rolled into bite sized balls and pan fried before being added to the tangy sauce. 

D is not that keen on tamarind, which surprises me as he likes citrussy things, but I guess tamarind offers a different kind of twang, rather than a zing.  I love tamarind.  I grew up eating and drinking it, especially when my taste buds need waking up or when I am feeling a little poorly. 

Back to this Tamarind Sauce based dish.  I must add that this is not a soupy sauce, its a little on the thick side as it is rich in flavour, but feel free to water it down with either a bit of water of vegetable stock if you so wish. 

Mixed Peppers. Chickpea and Quinoa Soup

 I'm feeling a little under the weather, hence the lack of blogging over the past few days.  I have also picked up D's sniffles that is not making me feel a happy bunny.  

Other than a visit to the doctors this afternoon, I've been stuck indoors with the cat for company, and reading a fictional novel for a change, instead of my usual flicking through cookbooks, but my eyes have been a bit cloudy and hazy so the reading has been on and off.  Then I hide my head under the blankets feeling a little sorry for myself.  Oh I know it will pass, time of the year, we are all going to feel a little rough.

Sweet Potato - Black Bean Quinoa Burger

Its been a few good months now, since I made a veggie burger from scratch, so when I picked up some sweet potatoes it was with veggie burgers in mind. 

There are so many versions of 'Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burgers' on blogosphere. This particular 'Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burger' recipe is adapted from The Bold Vegetarian Chef by Ken Charney (2002). In fact Ken Charney proudly exclaims in his book, that 'this burger stands out as his signature dish'. The original recipe also has caraway seeds, hot sauce and dried mushrooms. This was the first recipe I had ever come across that utilised the little known grain then - Quinoa, since then I have seen it lots, including in other veggie burger recipes.  I had made this original recipe way back in 2004.  It was accompanied with a roasted yellow pepper sauce, a sauce that was time consuming to make and one that I was not willing to make this time. This time, I put my own little twist to it - namely ease and it was still Dee-Licious!

These burgers are packed with flavour: sweet and spicy with crunch from the quinoa.  The light coating of cornmeal also gives it additional texture, to what otherwise could be deemed as a soft burger.  The only drawback about the cornmeal coating is that is hides the beauty of the mashed vegetables beneath (see below).  These burgers hold well when being cooked in the pan, but once stuffed between a burger bun or pitta bread, they squish up - Yum.

Well there are about six of these tasty red and black burgers left in the fridge for D to consume during the course of this week; as I will be away from my home and blog land for a week. My mother is not very well, so I am off to see her in Wales.  I should be back in October. Oh I have also made D a big 'Apple Cider Cake' to enjoy in my absence.  I will share that recipe with you when I get back.

Sweet Potato - Black Bean Quinoa Burger
Makes 8 -10
Ingredients
1 medium onion, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 - 4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 carrot, peeled and grated
320g cooked black beans
2 tablespoons (sun dried) tomato paste
Salt and Pepper to taste
140g mashed cooked sweet potato
150g fairtrade cooked quinoa (about 60g raw)
1 tablespoon chilli flakes
2 tablespoon fresh coriander, minced
1 tablespoon of Sri Racha sauce or other spicy hot sauce or to taste
40g - 50g fresh breadcrumbs
125g coarse ground cornmeal for coating
Sunflower or vegetable oil for shallow frying
Method
In a wide pan, cook the onion in the olive oil until soft, then add the garlic, carrot and black beans.  Cook and stir occasionally until the garlic is soft and fragrant. 
Remove front the heat.  With a potato masher, mash until the beans are about half crushed (see above).  Stir int he tomato paste and season to taste.
Place the bean mixture in a large bowl.  Add the sweet potato, quinoa, chilli flakes and coriander.  Mix thoroughly.  Season with the hot sauce.  Gradually add enough breadcrumbs to produce a firm enough mixture to hold together.  Let it cool. 

Form the bean mixture into 8 - 10 burgers.  Spread the cornmeal out on a clean plate. One at a time, dredge the burgers in the cornmeal, using your hands to carefully coat both sides.  Put on another plate.  Allow to chill in fridge before cooking.

In a wide pan, heat a little oil.  When hot, fry the burgers, turning once, cook until crispy and brown on the outside and heated through, about 2 minutes per side.  Do this until all the burgers are cooked.

Serve Warm.  Here they are tucked in some pitta bread with homegrown salad leaves, slices of red onion and served with homemade Sri Racha Mayonnaise.

Parsnip and Quinoa Burger

Well I hope you have enjoyed my spotlight on the Parsnip this week, as these 'Parsnip and Quinoa Burgers' are the last of my parsnip recipes for now. 

I've actually enjoyed eating vegetables in burgers. For me its been a nice change from soya mince, beans, pulses and legumes. Veggie burgers such as this one also allows overlooked and under-rated vegetables play a starring role. I am willing to bet that if you were chomping on this veggie burger, you would be talking quite loudly about the inclusion of parsnips, hence its starring role. The natural sweetness of the parsnips in this burger is not particularly overwhelming, but is balanced well with the light spices and the speckled goodness of Quinoa. This is not a sloppy burger either, it holds very well on cooking and more importantly on eating. Overall, I think you will be impressed at the versatility of the humble parsnip.

The recipe for these are loosely based on the 'Beetroot and Quinoa Burgers' I made last month.  I was thinking of omitting the spelt flour, but without it the mixture was too loose, so its essential for a firm burger.  The spelt flour also adds a little nutty flavour to the burgers.

Parsnip and Quinoa Burgers
Makes 6 – 8 burgers
Ingredients
100g Fairtrade whole Quinoa
175ml vegetable stock or water
1 - 2 medium parsnips, steamed and mashed
1 medium onion, grated
80g - 100g spelt flour, chickpea flour (or wholemeal flour)
1 generous teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, minced
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil to shallow fry
Method
Rinse the Quinoa in cold water. Boil in 175ml water for 10 minutes covered with a lid. Remove the saucepan from the heat, mix in a little salt and level on side for 10 minutes covered. In large bowl, add the mashed parsnips and grated onion, stir in the flour, spices, parsley and salt to taste. When the Quinoa has cooled down add to the bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Divide the mixture into 6 – 8 burger shapes and place on a tray. Leave to rest for a while to firm up. When ready to eat, heat oil in a wide frying pan and cook them gently, flip over and press them gently whilst cooking. Cook for about 4 – 5 minutes on each side until brown and crisp. Serve immediately

Beetroot and Quinoa Burgers

These Beetroot and Quinoa burgers were good. Ticked the three boxes for me: Looks, texture and flavour.  The taste of these burgers reminded me somewhat of onion rings, but enhanced further with earthy beetroot and the surprise crisp pop of quinoa bursting in your mouth.

The last time I cooked Quinoa for D he disliked it, this time he had a completely different attitude.  He actually praised this deep maroon burger and declared it Delicious - high praise indeed.

Quinoa Cabbage Rolls

The past two months or so, I have been relying on public transport to get me to and fro work as D has had the car driving back and fro to Essex to be with his mother. The past two weeks he has been home with me in Snowy Scotland, so I have had access to the car. However, due to the amount of snow - weather forecasters described the roads in the Central Belt of Scotland as treacherous and dangerous to drive on, so driving in these conditions was best avoided. I continued with public transport (both train and bus).

On Monday, I got into work, looking almost like the abominable snow-woman, my purple coat turned white by the sudden flurry of falling snow. I stepped into the foyer and shook like a dog shaking off excess rain water from its fur. Getting home on Monday was such a nuisance, unlike some of my colleagues who got stuck on roads described in the local and national news as 'gridlocked’ (where no vehicles, including buses were moving). I managed to walk to the city centre. It took me about an hour treading slowly through the snow. When I got to the train station, the train was cancelled. It was 2 hours later when one came and I was back in the warmth of my home. (I was one of the fortunate ones who got home that evening, many were stuck on the snowbound roads). The past three days have been similar..transport links cancelled, or heavily delayed and me with many others trudging in the snow to get to work then home. This morning with the roads slightly clear from snow, D decided he was going to drive me into work, but when we got into the car the battery was flat. We have no friends living near by, so no one could help us with jump leads to start the car. We don’t have home start on the car insurance, so we will have to pay a vehicle repair centre to get us moving again. Anyway, I left the car worries to D and walked down to the train station again…to play ground hog day with the bleak travelling conditions.

The ice and snowy weather looks like it here to stay for a while. Right now though, I just want to say Thank goodness for the weekend.
This dish looks much better served on the plate than it appears here. Tucked beneath the deep red tomato vegetable sauce are bundles of green. A bit like a treasure chest covered green in moss and seaweed, once open it inside you will find edible beads that will delight and surprise your taste buds. I am not a devotee of quinoa, but even I have to put my hands up and say that the quinoa chickpea filling in these cabbage parcels was surprisingly tasty, elevated by the salty-stringiness of the melting Gruyere cheese.
I don’t usually have problems wrapping lettuce, cabbage or Swiss chard leaves around vegetable or grain fillings, but for some reason I was feeling rather incompetent at this task. I seemed to have cut off more of the stalk than necessary, as the filling was not well contained and easing out a little. My attitude was a little non fussed and forgiving really. I thought what the heck, I was only feeding D. Funny how once upon a time you do your utmost to win the heart of the person you want through ‘the aesthetics of good food’ but then when you've trapped them under your spell (and won their heart so to speak), its not so much about presentation, but about sustenance and taste. Quinoa Cabbage Rolls
Serves 4

Ingredients

4 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely sliced
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
100g chestnut mushrooms, finely sliced
100g quinoa
400ml vegetable stock
100g cooked chickpeas
1 large Savoy cabbage
1 x 400g tinned tomatoes, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
(Optional) 100g Gruyere cheese, grated

Method
Heat the oil in a pan. Add onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Cook over a medium heat until softened. Set aside half of the mix in a bowl. Then add the chestnut mushrooms to the pan and cook for a few minutes. Add the quinoa and cook for a minute, stirring all the time. Pour in the stock and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender. Once cooked, adjust seasoning if necessary and stir in the chickpeas.
Fill a large pan of water, add a pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Using a small knife, carefully remove the core from the cabbage, peel away 8 – 12 leaves and cook in boiling water for 5 minutes or until softened. Drain.
Remove the tough centre stalks for each leaf, and lay the leaves on a work surface, vein side down. Place approximately 2 heaped tablespoons of quinoa mix on one half and the leaf, and roll up, folding the sides in as you form a parcel. The size of the leaves will differ so fill and wrap accordingly. Place in a large ovenproof (casserole) dish, seam side down.
Return the softened vegetables that were set aside to a clean pan and add the chopped tomatoes and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until reduced by half. Pour over the stuffed cabbage leaves, cover with lid or foil and cook in the oven Gas Mark 4 until tender, about 40 minutes. Serve hot, sprinkled with Gruyere cheese. Adapted slightly from Maria Elia The Modern Vegetarian.

Spiced Quinoa salad with chickpeas and mango chutney

D has been travelling (driving) back and fro from the West of Scotland to Essex the past few weeks. He is away again to be with his mother. I have found that I have become rather lazy just cooking for myself, in fact early in the week I came home only to make myself some oven baked chips with beans, the day before that I re-heated a couple of autumnal fritters and slapped them in between a crusty bread roll and on one evening, I even had a bowl of muesli. He will be mift with me if he finds out about my eating habits. So I picked up a bag of bag of baby spinach, silly really as I still have some Swiss chard growing in the garden. I picked them as I knew they would wilt quickly and turn to mush if not used. This would motivate me, if not encourage me to make something with them, as I totally dislike wasting fresh veg. Well, it worked. After coming in from work yesterday, I made a rather healthy looking 'Spiced Quinoa salad with chickpeas and mango chutney' to redeem myself from the past few days of eating 'on the hoof'.

I've eaten and cooked with quinoa before and I found it just okay, whereas D was no keen on it at all. So its not an ingredient I cook with often, but with D being away, I though this would be a good opportunity to be re-introduced to it again. It would also be a good challenge to come up with a recipe that would appeal to me. This Spiced Quinoa salad wasn't too time-consuming to put together either. Once the quinoa was cooked it was about adding all the other simple ingredients. It was pretty effortless, even the baby spinach wilted with the gentle heat and there it was - a light bright nutty flavoured meal.

This is my entry for this month's No Croutons Required (NCR). NCR is a monthly food blogging event where readers are challenged to create either a soup of salad using a particular ingredient that is suitable for vegetarians. NCR is alternately hosted between the lovely Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes and Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen, who is this months host. The theme for November is create either a salad or a soup featuring Quinoa.

Spiced Quinoa with chickpeas and mango chutney
Serves 2
Ingredients
100ml whole quinoa
175ml water
Salt to taste
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
60g baby spinach, washed and rinsed
100g - 200g cooked chickpeas
2 – 4 tablespoons mango chutney
Method
Measure out the quinoa in a measuring jug. Rinse it in cold water in a sieve. Boil the quinoa in water in a saucepan under a lid at low heat for 10 minutes, remove from the heat, add salt and chilli flakes. Leave the saucepan with the lid on for 10 minutes or a little longer until all the water has been absorbed and the grain is soft and loose. Gently stir in the chickpeas, mango chutney and baby spinach.