Category Archives: BBQ

Vegan Maple Baked Beans

Posted on July 3, 2016 | Leave a comment

My grandma used to make baked beans that my dad would go gaga over. I personally thought they were disgusting. That may have been because they were probably born out of bacon fat renderings. So, you probably understand what I’m talking about. Of course, like most great family recipes they aren’t exactly written down. If someone doesn’t honor the family secret by being taught the family recipe, then it dies with the great inventor. Now, I didn’t like those beans particularly, but I am a fan of baked beans. I mean, what holiday would survive a lack of a delicious baked bean? Certainly not July 4th. While most baked beans have an animal fat as the star of the show, Oh She Glows took out the animal and added an extra dose of Canada via Maple Syrup (who doesn’t love a dose of Canadian PM Justin Trudeau?). I give you fresh from the Crockpot, Maple Baked Beans.

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  • 4.5 cups cooked navy or northern beans (approx. 3 (15-ounce) small cans -without liquid). In this picture I used 5C northern beans from the glass jars in the grocery.
  • 1 large sweet onion, diced
  • 3-4 tbsp blackstrap molasses
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons regular mustard
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 8 oz/1 cup canned diced tomatoes without liquid
  • 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • Handful of dried cranberries or cherries

I dumped all of these items into the Crockpot. If you want a little sweeter onion flavor, brown the onions and let them reduce on the stove then add to the Crockpot. Don’t forget to rinse and drain your beans or good luck to you as you eat baked bean soup. I cooked these overnight on low and then for another 6 hours on high the following day to get a richer, thicker liquid. It didn’t burn or impact the bean texture much. I love how this recipe doesn’t call for ketchup or brown sugar. These flavors are so much more earthy and smoked.

Directions from original author – Slow-cooker method: Add cooked and drained beans into the slow cooker. Chop the onion and place the onion, molasses, maple syrup, mustard, vinegar, salt, tomatoes, and cranberries (optional) into the slow cooker and stir well. (Alternatively you can also cook these on the stove top or baked in the oven!). Cook over high heat for about 4-5 hours (however they can be eaten after just a couple hours of cooking), or cook them on the lowest heat setting for 7-8 hours. Make sure to check the beans frequently as I am not sure if this mixture will burn. After scooping into bowls, scoop on a bit of maple butter or drizzle pure maple syrup on top. Serves 3-4.

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The things you can BBQ include pasta salad.

Posted on June 2, 2016 | Leave a comment

salad in green stoneware bowlWhile I was curating content at work last week  for a fitness client, I stumbled upon this blogger in Texas that LOVES BBQ. She had BBQ’d or had BBQ sauce on things I didn’t even know you should or could BBQ, including this pasta salad. So I made a few subs to this recipe to trim some sugar, but overall it was one of the most satisfying sides at our Memorial Day getaway. It could easily be a main dish if you add another protein or double the beans. This makes a shit ton of pasta salad, so if you think you are working with a big bowl, you should just size up. You can thank me later.

 

INGREDIENTS
16 ounces macaroni (I subbed orzo to avoid a trip to the store)
1 cup mayonnaise (I subbed vegan just mayo)
½ cup Stubbs Original Barbecue Sauce (I subbed for Sweet Baby Ray’s regular)
¾ cup Stubbs Spicy Barbecue Sauce (I subbed for Sweet Baby Ray’s spicy)
1½ teaspoons cider vinegar (I subbed white balsamic vinegar)
½ teaspoon cumin (I doubled)
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika (I doubled)
¼ cup sugar (I eliminated altogether – if you wanna add sweetness, try something like maple syrup – yum!)
2 cups corn (I blackened it over the stove quick from frozen)
2 cups black beans (if canned, be sure to drain them)
¾ cup diced onion (I eliminated for onion flavor, I subbed for 1/2 teaspoon onion powder)
½ cup diced green bell pepper (I eliminated)
½ cup diced yellow bell pepper
½ cup diced orange bell pepper
½ cup diced celery (I doubled)
¼ cup diced, roasted poblano pepper, optional (we subbed ancho chili powder 1/2 teaspoon)

The directions are simple. Cook the pasta, rinse, rinse, rinse. Add sauce ingredients to a bowl and whisk (bbq sauce, mayo, vinegar, all spices), then add all the components to the sauce. Pop in the fridge. The Restless Chipotle says store in fridge over night and eat the next day. I shoved it right in my pie hole as soon as I assembled, but noticed it did get better with age.

Original from: http://www.restlesschipotle.com/bbq-macaroni-salad/

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VeganGR Blog Take Over Part 2: Quick Sauerkraut

Posted on September 2, 2013 | 1 comment

You know you have good friends when they take a veggie gift and your smartass comment about blogging for you and actually do it. So Jon and Kolene over at VeganGR have been the recipient of some ridiculous veggies from my summer surplus…Jon, the resident chef, and Kolene, the photographer came up with Sauerkraut when faced with a do or die cabbage situation a few weeks ago. Here’s what happened, according to Jon:

Faced with an exorbitant amount of cabbage (I mean, A TON of cabbage. See previous post about Adrienne’s gift of 40lbs of veggies), there was only one choice.

Sauerkraut.

Now, let’s be clear about this. I am lazy, and I hate waiting. I also have a mild fear of home fermentation.  Recent attempts at rejuvelac based cheese turned into a science experiment into mold than a delicious vegan chèvre. I am determined to plod on, but until I become the king of producing lactic acid, I needed another solution.

A Google search for “quick sauerkraut” turned up far fewer hits than you’d think. This recipe looked promising, so I went with that.

I didn’t have apple cider on hand, ‘cause like, who does? So I doubled the water. To balance and bring in the sugar I think the cider was intended to, I added a little sweetness. The result was really nice, and the hit of a recent summer barbecue!

Ingredients:

  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 onion, sliced very thin
  • 1 medium green cabbage, sliced thin
  • 1 ¼ C apple cider vinegar
  • 1 C water
  • 1 T salt
  • 1 tsp caraway seed
  • 2 T sugar

Directions:

  1. Heat oil in pan, and add onion. Cook over medium heat until onion turns translucent.
  2. Add rest of ingredients and bring to a boil. Cook covered over low heat for 30-45 minutes. You want the cabbage nice and tender. Keep an eye on it, you may need to add a little more water.

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Posted in BBQ, CSA, Dinner, Fridge Finds, Gluten Free, Less is more, Make Ahead, Meatless Monday, Michigan, Quick Cooking, Recipes, Salad, Seasonal Ingredients, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Fakin’ CheeseBurger (Vegan)

Posted on June 3, 2013 | 2 comments

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It’s summer. Flame broiled burger smells are in the air, and you are still eating burgers off a grill from the frozen food section of the local IGA? I’m sorry to break this to you, but you’re doing it all wrong. Take a few minutes, whip up your own burger and revel in the excitement that is all of the ordinary and none of the animal. Veggies, you know what I mean.

This recipe comes to you courtesy of The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet (so far this book has proven to be true to the title).

Ingredients:

  • 1 C TVP granules
  • 1 scant C veggie broth
  • 1/4 C imitation bacon bits, store-bought or homemade
  • 1 C vital wheat gluten flour
  • 1/4 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1/2 C nutritional yeast
  • 1 T garlic powder
  • 1 T onion powder
  • 1/4 C peanut butter
  • 1/4 C pure maple syrup
  • 1/4 C vegetable oil (I got away with 1/8 C)
  • 1/4 C bbq sauce
  • salt and pepper
  • oil for frying/grilling

Directions:

In a large micro-safe bowl, mix together the TVP granules and the broth, cover tightly with plastic wrap or a lid and microwave for 5-6 minutes. Alternatively, bring the broth to a boil, pour over the TVP, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes.

Add the bacon bits, flour, liquid smoke, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, peanut butter, maple syrup, oil, bbq sauce, salt and pepper to the bowl. Knead together for 5 minutes or so, then let sit a few minutes to thicken up.

Form into 4-6 patties. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

Cook as desired. Panfry, grill or bake in a 350 oven until cooked through with a crisp-ish outer coating. They freeze well.

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Posted in BBQ, Dinner, Fridge Finds, Make Ahead, Meat Substitutes, Meatless Monday, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Butternut Coconut Rice

Posted on November 19, 2012 | Leave a comment

Good use of leftovers here.  Had brown rice, marinated tofu, and roasted butternut squash in the freezer, so just had to chop up some ginger, garlic and shallots.  Had this dish on the dinner table in under 20 minutes.  YUM!  This rice dish freezes well after you put it together too-add some more veg broth and coconut milk, maybe a little curry powder and you have soup.  So many possibilities.

Ingredients:

  • 1 c brown basmati rice (I used pink rice)
  • 2 c water
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 lbs butternut squash
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 c sliced shallot
  • 1 tbl minced fresh ginger
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tsp lime zest
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 c light coconut milk
  • 1/4-1/2 c veg broth (I just used water)
  • 1 tbl freshly squeezed lime juice

Directions:

  1. Cook rice (add rice, water and pinch of salt)-I pulled this pre-made from the freezer
  2. Preheat oven to 400, bake squash for about 45 minutes-you could microwave this too if you are in a big hurry
  3. When squash is cool to handle, preheat a large skillet over med-high heat. Sauté shallot in the oil for about 7 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, lime zest, red pepper flakes and salt, saute for 2 minutes, turn heat to low
  4. Scoop the flesh out of the squash into the pan, add the coconut milk. Mash into a creamy consistency. Add rice and stir well. Add 1/4 c veg broth (or water) and mix well. You can add up to another 1/4 c of brother to get a creamier consistency if you want. Add lime juice, salt if needed and enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Appetite for Reduction, my most used and abused vegan cookbook.  Go get it.

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Posted in BBQ, Dinner, Fridge Finds, Less is more, Meat Substitutes, Quick Cooking, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Tamarind Tempeh BBQ with Sweet Potatoes

Posted on November 12, 2012 | Leave a comment

If you haven’t already been ruined by the appearance of sweet potatoes in just about everything except for your toothpaste, do give this recipe a try.  It’s bbq like all vegans truthfully do miss when no longer eating meat.  Isa delivers another recipe that kicks total ass, it’s all things bbq should be…sticky, tangy and satisfying.  Track down tamarind paste at an ethnic grocery or just stop working do damn hard and order it from Amazon.com already.  It will be on your doorstep in two days which is actually less time then it would take you to drive around until you found it anyway.  Happy lip-smacking.

  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
  • 3/4 cup vegetable broth
  • 2 tsp arrowroot dissolved in 1/4 cup of water
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp tamarind concentrate (Indian spice)
  • 3 tbsp of agave or maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne (optional)
  • 12 oz Tempeh cut into 3/4 inch chunks
  • 1.5 pounds sweet potatoes also cut into 3/4 chunks

Spray a 9X13 inch glass casserole pan with non-stick cooking spray. Avoid glass. In medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together all the sauce ingredients. Make sure the tamarind is dissolved. Place the sweet potatoes and tempeh in the prepared pan. Pour the sauce over them and use your hand to coat well. Let marinade for an hour at least. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cove the pan with foil and bake for about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and toss out the foil. Flip the tempeh and sweet potatoes, making sure to scrape the bottom with a spatula in case anything is sticking. Bake for another 30 minutes, flipping everything once. The sweet potato should be tender but not mushy, the sauce should be thickened and coating everything. Serve.

Number of Servings: 4

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Posted in BBQ, Dinner, Fall Food, Fridge Finds, Less is more, Meat Substitutes, Meatless Monday, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Lentil Sloppy Joes

Posted on October 22, 2012 | Leave a comment

It’s tailgating season that means…Sloppy Joes.  Last year I posted a recipe using TVP which fooled the meat-eaters for sure, this year I’ll be taking Lentil Sloppy Joes.  Very similar recipe, as I finally got the flavor right, so now, moving on to lentils.  These have a bit of a kick to them, so easy on the chipotle en adobo if you like things a little more mild.  I think dijon, brown, or whole grain mustard would be a great sub for the peppers if you want a kick but no heat.  We shall see how this goes.

Filling:

  • 2 C dried lentils, your choice of lentil
  • 6 C water
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 head garlic

So this part cooks itself.  Take your lentils, give them a hearty rinse under cool water until the water runs clear.  Dump them into your slow cooker with the water, bay leaves and head of garlic with top cut off (keep it intact, so you can drag it out later).  Depending on your lentil, your water will absorb completely, or you will have to strain them before combining with other items below.  Either way, you want to cook your lentils until they are al dente (like pasta), not mush.  For me, in a slow cooker cranked up to high, it was just 3 hours.  I cleaned the house while they cooked.  When they are done, drain the excess liquid from the lentils, toss the bay leaves and garlic, then return the lentils to the slow cooker pot, you will finish cooking this dish in the slow cooker after you assemble the items below.   Next…

  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1/2 C coarsely chopped onion
  • 1/2 C coarsely chopped bell pepper (your choice of color)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 4-oz can tomato sauce
  • 1/4 C water
  • 2 T tomato paste
  • 1 T packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp Sriracha
  • 2 whole chipotle en adobo, chopped finely
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 4-6 large hamburger buns or rolls or 10-12 slider buns

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet (I used a wok) over medium-high heat.  Cook the onion, bell pepper and garlic through until the bell pepper is tender (8-10 minutes).

Stir the remaining sandwich filling ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Add this mix to the cooked and DRAINED lentils in the slow cooker, stir until the mixture is well combined.  Set the slow cooker to high for faster results or low if you have all day and let the mixture thicken.

To serve, spread filling onto a bun and enjoy.

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Posted in BBQ, Bread, Dinner, Fall Food, Fridge Finds, Leftovers, Less is more, Make Ahead, Meat Substitutes, Meatless Monday, Quick Cooking, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

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It’s true…

Posted on September 13, 2012 | 4 comments

I was reading “A vegetarian or vegan may show up at your cookout.  Do not be alarmed” and it got me thinking about the perils of parties for vegans/vegetarians as well as the stresses of having someone show up at your house and you don’t know exactly what to cook for them.

Let me tell you what stresses me out.  People who have parties that are worried about cooking for me.  I know, you are already freaking out about me visiting your house and how it affects your menu.  So I’m telling you to not worry, at all, about me.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the fact that a handful of hosts have thought about my dietary choices, but let me let you in on a little secret about vegans:  we are already full OR are bringing our own dinner.  No matter what you do.

I’ve been putting fear in the hearts of many hosts for many years.  I’ve been a vegetarian for a long while but only recently, in the last 1-2 years have I made an effort to cook vegan at home.  I tell my friends at VeganGR, that I’m vegan-ish.  I try to eat vegan all of the time, but I am not always successful.  So, I will say that as a rookie veg, I have shown up to a few BBQ’s with a humble side dish and hope for the best, but that is just silly.  Why should you go out of your way as a host to make a veg main dish materialize?  That’s a lot of effort to learn a new style of cooking, and frankly, I mean this in the nicest way possible, you probably won’t get it right anyway.  There are so many people with varying dietary needs out there:  Gluten Free, Gluten Free Vegan,HFC S Free, Vegan, Organic, Vegetarian, Pescetarian, Dairy-Free Omnivores, Raw, people with food allergies that you are never going to get it right dead on without far more effort than any of us “weirdos” actually expect.  We are used to fending for ourselves.  Really.

So while I really appreciate the effort.  Focus on having a stress-free time as a host-worry about the guy who will complain about his burger being overdone or steak underdone and by all means, the chicken…please cook that through and don’t let the juices contaminate the whole party.  You have enough to worry about.    You are already providing us with beer (I hope) and a venue in which to gather with our friends.  Vegans are typically very, very skilled at ferreting out scraps and bites to eat here and there…also, you can rest assured we will have brought something delish to share that your meat-eating friends will also like.  Plus, you have always wanted to try that Seitan/Tofu/Tempeh thing anyway…so I’ll treat it like an educational project if you are willing to try something new.  I’ll craft something delicious to share, have already eaten in preparation for limited noms, or I’ll just drink the night away with these here potato chips and rolls.

Thanks for thinking of us.  We know it’s a pain in the ass that we are different, but we won’t make you also be different just to hang out with us.  I’m just hoping I brought enough of my good stuff to share, as it is usually met with equal parts “I must try this to see if I like it” and “I must try this to mock them about only eating tree leaves and shoots, [only to find out] wait- it’s friggin  delicious.”

So, my dear friend, thank you for hosting, chill out and please be sure to buy some craft beer.  While I won’t complain about the food…I will certainly complain about there only being Bud Light in the cooler.

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Posted in BBQ, Fall Food, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Barley Burgers

Posted on August 30, 2012 | Leave a comment

Tree Huggers is one of those happy places.  So.  Much.  Happy.  I basically stalked the owner and demanded that she be my friend.  Hey, whatever works. Angela Topp is a lover of vegan eats, IPA and dogs, she’s lovely and skilled at creating partnerships in the Earth-friendly community.   This recipe share is the result of Tree Huggers partnership with Bartertown Diner.  Once a week (in the evening) a chef from Bartertown works at Tree Huggers prepping recipes straight from ingredients available from the cooler (yes, RIGHT IN THE STORE) and then shares a tasty animal-free dish with you.  You can walk out with everything you need to make it from the help of the Bartertown chef as your personal shopper.  How cool is that?!

Enjoy a burger on the grill that didn’t come from a the screaming death of a helpless animal.  Yeah, I just said that.

Black Bean Barley Burger

  • 2 C cooked black beans
  • 2 C cooked barley
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, diced
  • 2 T nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 2 T Braggs liquid aminos
  • 1 T oil
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • Little rooster vegan buns
  • Ham Family Farm Tomato

1. Cook barley, set aside and allow to cool to a handleable temperature.
2. Cook black beans until soft, mash using a fork or food processor, set aside.
3. Finely chop onions and garlic, Sautée until translucent.
4. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, mix well.
5. Preheat your oven to 350
6. Form mixture into sizable patties on a greased baking pan.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping once halfway through.
8. Allow patties to cool, this helps with binding.
9. Now you have patties for dinner and leftovers for the week!

Feel free to experiment with your own blend on spices.

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Posted in BBQ, CSA, Dinner, Fall Food, Quick Cooking, Recipes, Vegan

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Quick Grilled Bok Choy

Posted on June 21, 2012 | 4 comments

I haven’t posted in two weeks!!!!!  Eek!  I have so many backlogged I must remedy this situation immediately.  I’ll start with one of my fave items from our first CSA jackpot from Blandford Nature Center.  Bok choy.

There are about a thousand ways to spell this little veggie wonder.  I’m going with ‘bok choy’ for purposes of this post.  High in vitamin C, antioxidants, folic acid, and potassium yet low in cals and carbs makes bok choy an eat-until-you-are-stuffed candidate for low guilt and high yum.

Ingredients:

  • 3 baby bok choy, cut in half length wise
  • 1 T roasted sesame oil (garlic oil, chili oil, walnut oil, anything would be great here)
  • 1 tsp hot pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste

This is a no-brainer.  Heat grill to let’s say, hot…I just turned it all the way to high and waited like 5 minutes.  I know, scientific eh?

Drizzle bok choy halves with oil, sprinkle hot pepper flakes, salt and pepper on top.  Toss on HOT grill until charred.  Mr. Wonderful said, “if more people could experience charred greens, they would LOVE them.”  I would have to agree.

I served this next to brown rice, mandarin orange chick’n and a few crushed up cashew bits I had lying around.  Quick meal, as the rice was in the freezer just waiting for a chance to shine.

Baby Bok Choi Recipe

Recipe adapted from: Simply Recipes.

Here is another recipe that I’ve wanted to try for a while now too:  Sesame Coconut Bok Choy.  If you make it let me know how it turns out.

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Posted in BBQ, CSA, Quick Cooking, Seasonal Ingredients, Vegan, Vegetarian

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A win for used cookbooks and TVP

Posted on September 15, 2011 | 3 comments

I’ve had this bag of Bob’s Red Mill TVP (textured veg protein) in my freezer for about 4 months.  Sometimes things seem like a good idea when you purchase them only to get a product home and be at a total loss for usage.  I had this relationship with TVP until I stumbled upon a used cookbook that sparked my interest at Schuler’s Books:  Vegetarian Sandwiches from Chronical Books.  In it a recipe for Vegetarian Sloppy Joes.  I basically bought the book because 1) it has really great pictures in it and 2) it has 3 recipes for TVP inside, also with pictures.  Turns out, I had all of the other necessary ingredients at home in my pantry and from my most recent Doorganics delivery to make this magic happen.  I was both shocked and delighted by the authenticity of the texture that this recipe recreated.  It tastes very, very similar to sloppy joes with ground beef, but doesn’t have that super dense and filling aftermarket feeling.  The recipe as it was written was a little too sweet for my sloppy joe needs so I spiced it up a little, the adjustments are worked into the recipe below.  I’m so glad I made a double batch with the intent of taking some along to the next GVSU tailgate to share.  I’m anxious to see meat-eaters try ’em.

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Vegan Sloppy Joes

Filling:

  • 1 C Texturized Vegetable Protein (TVP)
  • 3/4 C boiling water
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1/2 C coarsely chopped onion
  • 1/2 C coarsely chopped bell pepper (your choice of color)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 4-oz can tomato sauce
  • 1/4 C water
  • 2 T tomato paste
  • 1 T packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp Sriracha
  • 2 whole chipotle en adobo, chopped finely
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 4-6 large hamburger buns or rolls or 10-12 slider buns

Directions:  To make the filling, stir the TVP and boiling water together in a medium bowl, let this stand for 5 or more minutes until the water is absorbed and the TVP is softened.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet (I used a wok) over medium-high heat.  Cook the onion, bell pepper and garlic through until the bell pepper is tender (8-10 minutes).

Stir the remaining sandwich filling ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Add this mix and the soft TVP to the skillet; stir until the mixture is bubbly.  Reduce the heat and cook, stirring for about 5 additional minutes.

To serve, spread filling onto a bun and enjoy.

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Posted in BBQ, Dinner, Fall Food, Fridge Finds, Make Ahead, Meat Substitutes, Quick Cooking, Recipes, Seasonal Ingredients, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Not Labor Intensive, Labor Day Chickpea Burgers

Posted on September 8, 2011 | Leave a comment

I get sick of always eating frozen veg burgers, while they are convenient, sometimes you just need something fresh.  This recipe gives you all the satisfaction of prepping burgers for the grill without the icky hamburger stuck under your nails at the end of the day.  I baked mine in the oven but you could just as easily grill these on a very hot grill…don’t mess with them too much or they will crumble apart.  Served on slider rolls, the kids didn’t miss the moo.  These would freeze nicely as well.

Chickpea Burgs

  • 2 1/2 cups canned garbanzos, drained and rinsed
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • Grated zest of one large lemon
  • 1 cup micro sprouts, chopped (try broccoli, onion, or alfalfa sprouts – optional)
  • 1 cup toasted (whole-grain) bread crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (or clarified butter)

Combine the garbanzos, eggs, and salt in a food processor. Puree until the mixture is the consistency of a very thick, slightly chunky hummus. Pour into a mixing bowl and stir in the cilantro, onion, zest, and sprouts. Add the breadcrumbs, stir, and let sit for a couple of minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture (this part is CRITICAL to your success). At this point, you should have a wet mixture that you can easily form into twelve 1 1/2-inch-thick patties.  Err on the side of moist here, you can always add more bread crumbs a bit at a time to firm up the dough if need be. Conversely, a bit of water or more egg can be used to moisten the batter.

What Adrienne did:  preheat oven to 375, put burgers onto a lightly greased, foil lined baking sheet, bake until firm turning once during cooking time so as to brown both sides of the burger.  Top with your fave burger accessories.  I ate mine with a squeeze of lemon, sprouts, tomato, and a dollop of ranch dressing.

Heidi Swanson’s directions: heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium low, add 4 patties, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown. Turn up the heat if there is no browning after 10 minutes. Flip the patties and cook the second side for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties. Carefully cut each patty in half, insert your favorite fillings, and enjoy immediately.

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Makes 12 mini burgers.

Inspired by 101cookbooks Heidi Swanson

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Posted in BBQ, Dinner, Fall Food, Fridge Finds, Less is more, Make Ahead, Meat Substitutes, Recipes, Vegetarian

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Radish Sammich

Posted on July 21, 2011 | 2 comments

My previous post discussed the ever important Village of Manchester Chicken Broil in all of its glory.  Something I remember more than the chicken dinner, were the leftovers from the dinners and what my Grandma Helen used to make from them (we always ate Chicken Broil at Grandma’s house).  In case you neglected to read the links provided in that post, let me briefly recap:  the dinner is comprised of a half chicken, roll with butter, fresh made cole slaw with secret local recipe, radishes, chips and beverage.  What was always leftover besides chicken (which was made into chicken salad)?  Rolls and radishes.  No one EVER ate the radishes until my Grandma made them into ‘sammiches’ with the neglected butter pat.

So just what in the hell am I getting at here, talking about chicken for the last 2 posts?  Well my point is….in my CSA  share bag for the last few weeks, I’ve had radish overload, so I grabbed some slider buns and made a delish lunch of radish sammich and Parmesan cheese, pictured below.  Don’t knock it ’till you’ve tried it.  Besides, what the heck else are you going to do with those radishes?  You can thank me later.

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Posted in BBQ, Bread, Fridge Finds, Leftovers, Less is more, Lunch, Michigan, Seasonal Ingredients, Vegetarian

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Secret Slaw Dressing Recipe

Posted on July 18, 2011 | 18 comments

I grew up in the Village of Manchester, just outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan.  We take great honor in being the home of the FAMOUS (yes, really) Chicken Broil, a 600+ volunteer driven event that raises funds for community projects and organizations from band uniforms to Boy Scout equipment and just about anything in between.  Chances are if you were a kid and grew up in Manchester, or have kids and currently live in Manchester, you have received some benefit from the cash raised by this mostly-male driven event which serves this amount of food in 4 hours:

  • 19,000 lbs chicken
  • 9,600 lbs charcoal
  • 256 lbs butter plus 14,000 butter pats
  • 48 22-oz containers of salt for chicken and dressing
  • 1,100 lbs radishes
  • 14,000 dinner rolls
  • 40 gallons of vegetable oil for dressing
  • 84 crates of cabbage
  • 14,000 1-oz. potato chip bags
  • 500 aprons and gloves

In honor of the 58th Manchester Chicken Broil  serving over 12,000 meals this Thursday, I give you…. the secret recipe for the only vegetarian component of the meal, besides the roll. Which, let’s be honest, that’s not really part of the meal, it’s the afterthought/filler.

MANCHESTER CHICKEN BROIL FAMOUS COLE SLAW DRESSING

  • 10 T sugar (or sugar substitute, I’ve used as little as 3 T sugar with great results)
  • 1/2 C vinegar (white preferred, but I usually use rice vinegar)
  • 1 C canola or veg oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp Coleman’s dry mustard (no subs here)
  • 1 T dried minced onions (I’ve used onion powder before, no probs)
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 T celery seeds

Add ingredients to a glass canning jar, shake well until all sweetener dissolves and serve over shredded cabbage.

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Posted in BBQ, Fridge Finds, Make Ahead, Recipes, Salad, Vegetarian

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Faux Chicken BBQ Pizza

Posted on May 19, 2011 | 1 comment

I’m not a huge faux meat fan.  I don’t eat meat because, I don’t want to, not because I want to eat something that tastes like it, but isn’t it.  Did that make sense?  At any rate, there are a few things I do miss about being vegetarian:

1.  Bacon

2.  Chicken Hot Wings

3.  Tuna Steak

4.  Barbecued Turkey

I discovered this product at Whole Foods on my last jaunt to Ann Arbor, and thought I’d give it a try.  That trip was about 5 months ago, so it keeps well in the freezer although I think it was sold in the fresh case, by the lunch meat etc.

Mostly, gardein bbq pulled shreds tasted like, well bbq sauce.  The “meat” didn’t have flavor, in fact, after I ate it, THEN I went back to see what it actually was, you know like any responsible consumer-vital wheat gluten, or Seitan in the veg world, which I can make at home.  All-in-all, not an offensive product.  I think it gave Mr. Wonderful his bbq pork/chicken fix for a little while and it was a quick dinner after a long day.  I love this idea of “pulled pork” or whatever and think next time, I will try my own homemade bbq sauce which is much lower in sugar and “pull” my own Seitan.  I’ll let you know how that goes.

Faux Chicken BBQ Pizza

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat up bbq shreds according to package directions, from frozen it took just 3 minutes on high.

Put naan directly on oven grate for 1-2 minutes until a little crisp.

Add bbq shreds, onion, grated cheese onto the naan then pop back into the oven until cheese is melty and naan is crispy.

Don’t forget your napkin.

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Posted in BBQ, Dinner, Meat Substitutes, Product Review, Vegetarian

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