Chickpea Cutlets w/ Gravy

Maybe I should call this the "Brown Meal." It sure doesn't photograph well! There was some greens on the side, I promise! This is the second time I've made this recipe and I'm not sure if I like it. The cutlets offer a nice contrast to the (usually) mushy chickpea burgers, but I really don't like the wheat gluten taste.

When I used to eat meat, I always dipped it in applesauce. Why not continue the tradition? The original recipe says to forgo the gravy and try some Agave on the side. I agree, the agave is great. Applesauce, in my opinion, is just a wee bit better:)



Chickpea Cutlets

Recipe copied from: Yeah, That "Vegan" Sh*t

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. chickpeas
2 T. olive oil
1/2 c. vital wheat gluten
1/2 c. plain breadcrumbs
1/4 c. vegetable broth or water
2 T. soy sauce
2 garlic cloves , pressed or grated
1/2 t. lemon zest
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. Hungarian paprika
1/4 t. dried rubbed sage

to taste olive oil , for pan frying or baking

DIRECTIONS

Mash the chickpeas and oil together until no whole chickpeas remain. Add remaining ingredients and knead for 3 minutes until strings of gluten have formed. Preheat large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Divide dough into four equal pieces. Flatten each piece and stretch to roughly 4" x 6"

PAN-FRYING: Add a thin layer of olive oil to to the pan. Place cutlets in the pan and cook on each side for 6 to 7 minute They are ready when lightly brown and firm to the touch.

BAKING: Preheat oven to 375°F, and lightly oil baking sheet. Brush both sides of each patty with olive oil, place on baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes. Flip patties and bake another 8 to 10 minutes until firm and golden brown.

(Recipe from Veganomicon, posted at RECIPEZAAR)



Gravy

Recipe copied from: Vegweb
I Can't Believe It's Vegan Gravy!

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

1 vegetable bullion cube
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
few good dashes garlic powder
2 heaped tablespoon nutritional yeast
few good dashes of soy sauce or tamari (add more or less for your tastes)
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1/4 - 1/2 cup flour (start with less until it's as thick as you would like it. I use brown rice flour in mine.)
1 tablespoon vegan butter (this adds to the richness)
sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in pot, and bring to boil. Cook on medium low heat until done.

Serves: Enough for a dinner with several people

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Baked tofu/Brussels/Potatoes

I have come to the conclusion that I do not like to eat tofu all by itself. I don't mind it in stir-fry, or scrambled tofu, or things like that, but by itself as a main course, I just don't dig it. I made VeganYumYum's Sweet n Sour tofu recipe using pre-baked garlic/herb tofu and coated it with her sauce. It was good, and everyone else cleaned their plates (which I find funny since I forced tofu on everyone, and I'm the only one not digging it!)

The Brussels sprouts were quite good, although I don't like to roast veggies too often. These were lightly coated with an olive oil/salt/pepper mixture and baked at 400 for about 1/2 hour.

The potatoes were something I sort of remember from when I was a kid. Cubed white potatoes, melted Earth Balance and fresh parsley. I used a little dried parsley too since my parsley plant isn't growing much right now.

The 14 vegetable dinner...

Inspired by this post at Eat'n Veg'n, we had probably the BEST dinner we have had in a really long time. It was a vegan feast that hit its mark! The picture sucks and doesn't do the dinner justice, but it was very good.

First up are the enchiladas. Finely diced zucchini, cauliflower, red bell pepper, onions, corn and potatoes wrapped in a tortilla. Drizzled with some enchilada sauce, baked for 35 minutes at 350, then topped with a blend of lettuce, radishes, carrots and green onions. Mmm, so good.





Next, the Mexican rice. The recipe is a mix of about 4 different recipes, so I guess I get to call it my own :)

Ingredients

2 cups long grain brown rice
3 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup green bell pepper, diced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Directions

Put everything in rice cooker and cook! Your rice cooker might have different water-to-rice ratios, so modify as necessary. When finished, add some peas for an extra veggie kick!



Third on the menu - guacamole with chips. The guacamole is Alton Brown's recipe. I made it as written, except I forgot the garlic and I let it sit in the refrigerator for an hour. Very good recipe.

Ingredients

3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
1 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced

Directions

In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.



And finally, we had some black beans with spinach and a mix of steamed broccoli and cauliflower. I didn't get a picture of these, but it rounded out the meal nicely.

All around it was a great meal, and if you want better pictures of what this feast looks like, check out the Eat'n Veg'n blog!

Oh, and the 14 veggies:
1. zucchini
2. cauliflower
3. potatoes
4. red bell pepper
5. corn
6. lettuce
7. radishes
8. carrots
9. tomatoes
10. green bell pepper
11. peas
12. avocado (technically a fruit, but hey, who's counting)
13. spinach
14. broccoli

Don't forget the onions and garlic too!