I’ve been taking it easy the past few weeks - pracastinating actually. So I’m actually making an effort to sit down and write this post. Can you imagine life for a month without cable/tv? 6 months? 1 year? We completed a year without one successfully. And I’m pushing to make it two! It’s not that I dont watch any show - I do! But it’s mostly whatever comes on hulu or youtube. I used to be addicted to netflix and had to literally use nicotine patches to get rid of that addiction and finally have been clean for 6 months now. *YAY*
Also my laptop is more like a desktop these days - can’t move it around too much which means my bathroom and bedroom are free from its clutches. I’m diverting my energy into other avenues - knitting, stitching, reading to name a few.
Also there’s a small get-together 3 weeks from now and I wanted to get something for the people I wanna meet. I’m just not sure what to get them - nothing too fancy and definitely handmade and not buttery either. Pinterest has some great DIY ideas but I’m still looking for something more feasible.
I’ve also not been cooking much of late - nothing blog worthy atleast. This weekend as a therapy I decided to make something healthy, tasty and involving hard labour(read more prep time). (R)oomie loves BK Veggie Burgers(no cheese) - it’s been his quickfix for many years now. Since I decided to go healthy for a bit - I decided on veggie patties. They are what I like to call “Veggie Energy Bars”…
Combine with with some more fresh veggies and whole grain bread and you have a complete meal. We had this for brunch and kept snacking on the patties whenever hunger struck. I tried to click a decent picture of the assembled product and royally failed.
Breakfast as they say is a very important meal of the day which is supposed to keep you on your feet most of the day. We end up eating heavy lunches and dinners(pretty late too) which again causes us to skip our breakfast (catch22? vicious circle?) and we are trying to change all of that.
I’m done with the niceties and will now get into the recipe details. For a change I put up text on my photos with the ingredient details. But being the nice person I am, I will repeat it here for you :D
What you will need:
For the Pattie:
Black beans - I soaked 1/2 cup overnight and pressure cooked it. You may want to use canned ones instead to make the job easier. I like doing the overnight thingie.
Olive oil - 1/2 Tbsp and some more for frying the patties(you can alsobake them but I didn’t this time)
Onion - Medium sized finely sliced
Green pepper - Medium sized finely chopped (as much as the onion)
Ginger - 1/2” minced/chopped finely
Garlic - 3 pods (Same as above)
Baby carrots - 5(boiled and drained and cut to 1” pieces)
Cauliflower - 1/2 cup(same as above)
Breadcrumbs - 1/2 Cup and some extra for coating
Cumin - 1/2 Tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 Tsp
Chili powder - 1/2 Tsp
Pepper - 1/4 Tsp (avoid if you prefer less spicy)
*Teriyaki Sauce - 1 Tbsp
*Soy sauce - 1/2 Tbsp
*Ketchup - 1 Tbsp
*Pesto - 1 Tbsp (I used the kirkland brand pesto that I got from Costco)
*Mix the above 4 ingredients and keep aside.
Mash the black-beans in a large mixing bowl.
Heat olive oil in a heavy bottom vessel and add the cumin. Add onion, ginger, garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes on high. Once the onion turns translucent add the green pepper, turmeric and chili powder and saute for 3-4 min. Add the *sauce to the mixture and mix for about a minute and turn off the heat. Add this mixture to the mashed black-beans and mix well. Now add the carrots and cauliflower and mash slightly and mix well. Lastly add in the breadcrumbs. Drain off as much liquid as possible while using the black-beans to avoid a runny mixture.
Prepare the patties by making them into 3/4” sized balls and flatten gently to make a disc shape. Have some of the breadcrumbs ready on a plate and gently place the flattened pattie to coat one side and then the other. Use your hands to dust a bit on the sides too. Once all the patties are ready, heat some oil on a non stick pan and slide the patties giving enough space to maneuver. Each side takes about 3-4 minutes on medium high. The breadcrumbs give the patties a crumbly exterior while being super soft as you bite into it. Serve hot or as desired.
We had some really healthy whole grain bread from Costco that was crying to be used and so I toasted it and layered some readymade coriander chutney, fresh cucumber and tomatoes with the pattie and served it for brunch.
**Surprisingly I didn’t feel the need to add any salt but if you think you need some, please make sure you add it to the pattie mix.
Do you feel the need for something sweet after all of that? Drop in at my neighbour’s for some yummy strawberry(picked fresh off the farms) cake and preserve!
Sending this off to MLLA 36, hosted by Served with Love, originally Susan’s brainchild.
