Crumbs from Heaven

Vegan Burger Fit for a King!

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 01:21:00 +0000

I've been craving some traditional comfort foods since I've been detoxing. I've really enjoyed all my cooking experiments over the past week, but my craving for cheese has been fierce! I thought that maybe if I add some more diversity to my diet I could curb my cravings. I cooked a lentil burger several years ago and it was very dry and crumbly, I definitely didn't want to repeat that experience. So today I decided I was on a mission to create a moist burger that wouldn't crumble when I bit into it! I have to say...mission accomplished! Parker loved this burger (he did add a little feta cheese to his) so I think it's fit for a king, my king :)

1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp pimenton de la vera (Spanish Smoked Paprika)
1/4 cup red bell pepper
1/4 cup onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
2 tsp black bean sauce (Asian Condiment)
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tablespoon minced preserved lemon*
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup cooked red kidney beans
1 tablespoon of ground chia seeds + 3 tablespoons water**
1/4 cup oat bran (or substitute rolled oats, but the texture might not be as smooth)
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten (or substitute all-purpose flour)
handful of cilantro chopped

Heat cumin and pimenton de la vera in a dry skillet until fragrant. Add a little olive oil, diced peppers and onions. Cook for several minutes, then add minced garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add this mixture to the food processor along with: nutritional yeast, black bean sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, preserved lemon, white balsamic, quinoa, kidney beans, chia seed mixture, and oat bran. Pulse until all ingredients are coarsely chopped. I like to have some chunks of beans rather than all pureed. Remove from food processor and place in large bowl. Add salt to taste. Add vital wheat gluten and the chopped cilantro. Combine ingredients. Divide into 4 patties. Place in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes (I left mine in for about an hour just because I started earlier than we wanted to eat.) Heat a non-stick skillet with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. I only cooked 2 patties at a time to ensure there was enough room in the pan. Cook for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through. We served our burgers on a homemade bun with hummus, fresh pea shoots, and cilantro. We also had baked sweet potato fries on the side.

*I realize that everyone probably doesn't have preserved lemons hanging out in their fridge, but you should!!! It's super easy to make and adds a beautiful bright flavor to your dishes. Omit if you don't have this on hand.

** One important component of this recipe is the chia seed egg substitute, it is an amazing little seed and I believe it is what held the burger together so nicely. I found my chia seeds at Whole Foods in the bulk bins. I then used a clean coffee grinder to grind the seeds into a powder. Add one tablespoon of the powder to 3 tablespoons of water. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes until it becomes gelatinous. You could also follow the same steps with ground flax seeds, or you could just use an egg if you aren't vegan, ha!

Tex-Mex Quinoa

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:32:00 +0000

I started a detox yesterday which has lead to some creativity in the kitchen! My refrigerator is crammed full of veggies, quinoa, and several types of cooked beans. I am attempting to detox for 21 days and cut out: meat, dairy, sugar, coffee, alcohol, all processed foods, and gluten. I felt like my body was mad at me after the holidays so I am trying to restore the balance and cut out bad habits. I made this dish yesterday for lunch and it was quite tasty! Parker couldn't believe how tasty it was, and he noted since it is so flavorful he doesn't even miss meat in the dish. I think that is key, if you are going to go vegan you need lots of fresh ingredients like lime, cilantro, and avocado to round things out. I only made enough for 2 servings, but this dish could easily be doubled. Thanks to those of you who commented on my post of facebook and asked for the recipe, thanks to you guys I'm blogging again :)

1/4 of a red bell pepper
1/4 of an onion
1/4 of a small jalapeno
1 stalk of Swiss Chard with leaves
1 T of Mexican Seasoning (I make my own, you can substitute Chili Powder)
1/2 of a lime juiced
1/4 cup salsa
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup cooked red kidney beans
1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
salt to taste
handful of cilantro
1/2 avocado diced

Dice and saute veggies in olive oil over medium heat. Dice the stalk and leaves of the Swiss Chard but reserve the leaves to add in towards the end of the cooking process. Add Mexican Seasoning, lime juice, and salsa cook for about 5 minutes. Add in the quinoa, kidney beans, and leaves of the Swiss Chard until everything is heated throughout. Served with nutritional yeast, cilantro and avocado on top.

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:30:00 +0000

Today we have a guest post by someone who is near and dear to the Crumbs from Heaven kitchen, Parker. He is the official test-taster, the one who makes last minute trips to the store, the one who adds the finishing touches to my recipes...and my wonderful boyfriend!

The Perfect Gin & Tonic

Last weekend Allison and I , along with some of her friends, went to Corsair Distillery. Corsair is located in the former Yazoo building in Marathon Village. I was expecting to have the opportunity to taste some of their fine spirits but, due to arcane Tennessee liquor laws, we could only taste various beers on tap.

Allison surprised me on Friday with a bottle of Corsair Gin, which can be purchased at a few locations around town, including Midtown Spirits. We have been on a Gin and Tonic kick as of late, using Tangueray. My attempts to create the perfect cocktail have included various combinations of cucumber, mint, basil and lime.

Tonight we decided to kick it old school with a simple combination of Gin, Tonic, Lime and Cucumber. I cut up the cucumber two different ways. First, I diced up about ½ cup of cucumber and added it to a cocktail shaker. I also sliced 10 paper thin pieces of cucumber as garnish.

I added several ounces’ of gin and 5 pieces of ice to the cocktail shaker and shook. The vigorous shaking action breaks down the cucumber and adds a nice viscosity to the drink. You should shake it until frost begins to form on the cocktail shaker.

Next I lined the glass with the paper thin cucumber slices, filled with ice and added the gin, tonic and a squeeze of fresh lime.

The Gin and Tonic was very light and refreshing, with the cucumber adding freshness and body to the drink. I especially liked the Corsair Gin because it had nice citrus and floral undertones.

This is the perfect summertime beverage... crisp, light and refreshing.

Ingredients (makes two servings):

* 1/2 cup of diced cucumbers
* 10 paper thin cucumber slices
* 2 lime wedges
* 3 oz Corsair Gin
* 8 oz tonic water

Chickpea Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Wow, it has been a long time since I have posted anything on here! Hopefully I will be able to post more frequently as I make some adjustments to my blog. It is difficult for me to post some culinary creations because I don’t follow recipes (for the most part) and I don’t measure so it is difficult to give exact calculations. Measurements are not needed for this salad and I am going to post more “recipes” that are conceptual; ingredients can be substituted for items you have on hand, or to fit your personal taste. People don’t ever measure out ingredients for a salad do they?!? I didn’t think so! This is a Chickpea Salad that I have been eating almost daily this summer, I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do!

In previous years I have eaten variations of this salad throughout the summer months, but this year it has been especially important because I detoxed during the month of June. I eliminated:

Coffee (yikes, that was the worst part)
Meat
Wheat
Processed foods
Alcohol
Sodas
Sugar

It was an interesting time for me. I only intended to detox for 2 weeks, but when the two weeks were up I didn’t want to stop. I decided to slowly start adding things back into my diet like coffee (yes!) and seafood, but I continued to eat a lot of fresh veggies. This detox made me very intentional about the foods I ate. It took some forethought and preparation, but it more than paid off in the end. I felt great, and it made me realize that my body NEEDS and WANTS vegetables. Even though I am not detoxing now, you will still find me eating a salad like this on most days for lunch.

This particular salad that I have pictured includes:

Kale
Cooked quinoa
Chickpeas
Shredded purple cabbage
Shredded broccoli stems (in the bag from Trader Joe’s)
Pea shoots
Cherry tomatoes
Avocado

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and top with fresh lemon juice (or white balsamic vinegar), olive oil, and sea salt. I often add cucumbers, feta, olives, or cilantro to my salads also. These are ingredients that I happened to have on hand that day from the farmer’s market or Trader Joe’s, my salads are constantly changing depending upon what is in season at the time.

Mediterranean Wheat Berry Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 18:38:00 +0000

Have you tried wheat berries yet?!?! I guess I have been living under a rock because I have been missing out on this amazing food! I bought several cups of the wheat berries at Whole Foods back in the fall and they stayed in my cabinet because I was a little confused/intimidated by them. Then last month I stumbled across a vegetarian soup recipe with wheat berries. I tried out the recipe and from that moment on I was hooked! These magnificent little wheat berries swell up when they are cooked, but they retain their shape and have a nice meaty feel. I immediately started thinking about the different dishes I could make with wheat berries. I love a good Mediterranean salad in the spring and summer months, so I thought I would give it a try with wheat berries. I wanted to make something light and fresh for our Community Potluck in March and this dish proved to be perfect! I make variations of this recipe with chickpeas or quinoa.

This is a very easy dish but you want to get the best ingredients possible and allow them to shine through. I get the kalamata olives from the olive bar at Whole Foods and the feta is from a local Eastern European market, they have the best feta and it is reasonably priced.

1 1/2 cups hard red winter wheat berries
3 lemons (zested and juiced)
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar*
1 small shallot Microplaned**
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/3 cup olive oil

1 English cucumber
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/2 kalamata olives
1-2 ounces feta cheese

Soak wheat berries in water for 8 hours (make sure you have plenty of water in the pot, they will swell up a lot). Drain water and fill pot with fresh water until the wheat berries are covered. Bring water to a boil; turn down heat and allow to simmer for 1-1 1/2 hours. I left mine on while I went to the gym and they cooked a little longer than I would've liked, they were starting to split open a little. While they are cooking make a vinaigrette. In a small bowl combine the next four ingredients; slowly whisk in olive oil. Reserve 3 tablespoons of vinaigrette in another container (this will be used on the vegetables later).

Drain wheat berries and pour the vinaigrette over them while they are still warm, this will allow them to soak up the flavor. I let mine stay in the fridge overnight. Right before serving chop cucumber, tomatoes, and olives. Drizzle reserved vinaigrette vegetables. Mix vegetables in with the wheat berries and top with crumbles feta. I also like to add a touch of cilantro to garnish.

*I picked up an inexpensive bottle of white balsamic vinegar at Trader Joe's. I had been wanting to try this out since it seems to be trendy in the food world currently. At first I assumed it was just a marketing ploy; but after using it I have been made a believer! It has a great taste, a slight sweetness, and of course doesn't color the dish like traditional balsamic. If you don't have white balsamic you could try substituting more lemon juice or another type of vinegar.

**Microplane the shallot, it helps the flavor to evenly distribute throughout the dressing. If you do not have a Microplane make the dressing in a food processor.

Roasted Beet Quinoa

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:26:00 +0000

I wanted to create something seasonal and beautiful for our monthly Third-Thursday Community Potluck in January. The focus at these events is always on fresh, local, seasonal, and organic ingredients. A quick look in the fridge revealed several beets from a recent trip to the farmer's market. I knew that this would make a great base for a dish for our Third-Thursday Community Potluck, as well as a vibrant dish for my first blog post! I intended to make this a savory dish and I had anticipated adding several other ingredients, but once I tasted the beets with quinoa I didn't want to add anything to it! This dish really displays the hearty, earthy flavor of the beets and I didn't want to add too many other flavors into the dish. The beets are roasted and marinated in a simple fall/winter dressing. Marinating them draws the vibrant beet juice into the dressing, making the quinoa a deep magenta color.

The inspiration came to me the week prior when my friend Laura cooked dinner and she decided to throw some beet juice it into the dish to brighten things up, and the result was...incredible! While her dish was savory, the vibrant color form the beet juice stuck in my mind. This dish has a delicate flavor and it allows the natural sweetness from the beets to come through without competing for the spotlight.

4 small beets
4 tablespoons of Boiled Cider*
juice of one medium orange
2 tablespoons of citrus zest (I used grapefruit)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cardamom
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups quinoa**

Wash each beet thoroughly; individually wrap in aluminum foil. Place beets in 400°F oven for 1 hour.

Add together remaining ingredients (except for the quinoa) into a small bowl, whisking in the olive oil at the end.

Remove the beets from the oven and allow to cool for several minutes. The skin will slide right off while they are still hot. I julienned my beets (sort of, the pieces were a a little thicker than I had planned) but you can julienne or dice the beets. Add the beets into the dressing and allow to marinate overnight.

The next day cook the quinoa (see notes below) and drain any extra water from cooking. Add the beet mixture to the warm quinoa for the best results. The quinoa will soak up all of the dressing and distribute the color throughout.

I feel like anything that has a color this bright HAS to be healthy for you!!! I have been enjoying this "salad" over a bed of fresh arugula, and the peppery greens balance out the beets nicely. I even added a little bit of blue cheese with it to give it a little bit of a savory flavor profile.

*This Boiled Cider is made in Springfiled, VT at Wood's Cider Mill. They take the fresh Apple Cider and boil it down until it is extremely concentrated, and oh so tasty! They do not add anything to the Apple Cider and the taste is truly unique. They do ship so check out their website (I recommend buying the jelly if you are placing an order).

**To make quinoa measure out the amount needed and allow to sit for about 20 minutes in warm water. Drain through a fine mesh sieve and wash until water runs clear and doesn't look "soapy" anymore, this will get rid of any bitterness. Use a 2:1 ratio (liquid:quinoa). Boil water and quinoa, reduce heat to a simmer and cook about 20 minutes. Drain any remaining water.