i really need a theme song for these meals. maybe the final countdown? it is pretty epic!
it was my late night at work, tending to the ever fabulous karen k. and before i left the house this morning, the hubby took a few requests for the grocery list this week. all i could mutter, while half drunk on this sinus infection was “delicata.kale.chickpea cutlet.soup.bean-vegetable-pasta-thing” thankfully, the hubby can decipher my foggy musings, and when i came home from work this evening he was halfway through preparing some of my favorites! delicata squash roasted with pecans and cranberries, chickpea cutlets with mushroom gravy, and a pile of kale sauteed in a little white wine. heaven. you can find the recipe for chickpea cutlets all over the web, but i suppose i will just have to copy it down for you, and hope that in the wake of this festive mo-fo season, ms.romero and ms.moskowitz won;t mind my reproduction. i highly suggest doubling the recipe and forming 6 larger cutlets, but hey, i can eat.
chickpea cutlets-from the veganomicon
makes 4 cutlets
1 cup cooked chickpeas
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 c vital wheat gluten
1/2 c bread crumbs
1/4 c vegetable broth
2 tbs soy sauce ( i used braggs)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp hungarian paprika
1/4 tsp rubbed sage
Delicata Squash with Pecans and Cranberries
serves 4
2 large delicata squash, unpeeled, quartered, scooped of seeds, and sliced
1 handful dried unsweetened cranberries
2 big hand-fulls raw pecans, coarsely chopped
2tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
kale
2 large bundles kale
1/4 c wine
salt and pepper
Mushroom Gravy
2 cups vegetable stock
1/4 c white wine
2 tbs grainy/spicy mustard
1 1/2 c sliced cremini mushrooms
1/2 c diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbs flour
4 tbs oil
preheat your oven to 375, and start with the cutlets. the veganomicon says to mash the chickpeas, but i prefer to puree them in a food processor with the other liquids needed in the recipe, so just do it my way if you aren’t going to buy the book, okay? hahaha. after you’ve pureed the chickpeas and the other liquids, dump it into a medium sized bowl. now, mix together all of the dry ingredients and spices in a second bowl. add the wet to the dry, and knead until strings of gluten appear. divide into 4 pieces, or 6 if you doubled it, and place them on a lightly oiled baking sheet. bake for 20, flip, and bake for another 10. while these are cooking, start on your squash.
since you’ve already prepped your squash, toss it into a baking pan with the oil, salt and pepper. cover and put in the oven with your cutlets. i’d suggest starting the squash on the bottom rack on one side, and the cutlets on the top rack, opposite side, ad rotate them when halfway done. the cutlets may finish first, but you ca re-heat them on the stove later. once the squash is soft, uncover it and stir in the pecans and the cranberries, and bake for an additional 15 minutes to brown. start the kale and the gravy in the last 15.
place the kale and 1 tbs water in a large wok over medium high heat. pop a lid on top (doesnt have to cover everything), and steam until reduced in size by half. uncover, season with salt and pepper, and pour in the wine. continue to sautee until extremely tender and wilted.
while the kale is wilting, combine 2 tbs of olive oil with the onions over a medium flame. cook until softened, about 5 minutes. add the garlic and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms have released their liquid and begun to brown. add the additional oil, and the flour and mix to form a paste. cook for about 2 minutes to remove the raw taste from the flour. slowly whisk in the stock, and add the mustard and the wine. bring to a boil stirring often, and cook until thick.
the perfect bite
<3
drool
banana oatmeal pancakes from vegan planet, i didn’t have all purpose flour so i used 1 cup whole wheat and whatever the other half was (lol) i substituted oat flour. i also skipped the naner slices (warm mushy banana= ick) and added a generous amount of fresh ground nutmeg and cinnamon!
this is how i feel some days:)
easy west african peanut soup from vegweb.com
Deconstructed Pasta aka Lasagna for lazy people
add in the vinegar to deglaze, and continue to cook for a minute or so until the vinegar gets thick and clings to the onions. pour into a crock pot and add everything else. set on high (6 hours) or put on low if you wont be home for 8 hours. serve as you’d like! i used mine for my hubbys 30th birthday dinner: classic spaghetti and veggie balls! it’s his yearly tradition.
i suppose the sauce got drowned out in this pic, but i swear it delicious!!!!
its a pretty good thing i’m so damn diligent about working out, its already into the 60′s and i’m hoarding bananas and zuchini for bread and plotting pies and cookies!
