Vegetarian Honey Mustard Pretzel-Crusted "Chicken"

Recipe is adapted from: http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/honey-mustard-pretzel-chicken/

Note: I changed the sauce recipe a bit - added half the amount of vinegar and also reduced the amount of bread crumbs and pretzels. Adjust the sauce to your tastes.

Shown here served with garlic mashed cauliflower.

Ingredients:

1 package Gardein chikn scallopini (freezer section)

1 cup panko crumbs

1 cup pretzel crumbs (about 2 cups of whole pretzels)

1/2 cup flour, plus more if needed

1/2 cup neutral tasting olive oil

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1/3 cup honey (Iike clover or orange blossom)

1/4 cup water

1.5 Tbsp red wine vinegar

coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Grease a baking pan, or line with tin foil.

In a food processor pulse the pretzels until they are coarsely ground (some small pieces left). Add them to a shallow, wide bowl and mix with the panko crumbs. 

Add the oil, mustard, honey, water and vinegar to a food processor and blend a few seconds until smooth.

Season with salt and pepper.

Set up one bowl with flour and another bowl with half of the dressing - so you have 3 bowls including the one with the bread crumbs and pretzels. Take the (frozen) gardein cutlets one by one. First, coat with flour shaking off any excess. Then, fully coat with the dressing. Place in the third bowl and cover fully with the bread crumb mixture, pressing it on if necessary.

Add the cutlets to the baking pan and bake for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway. Serve with the remainder of the dressing.

Chickpea Cutlets with Mustard Sauce

Chickpea cutlets recipe is from Veganomicon.
Mustard sauce recipe is from: http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/2013/02/06/holy-yum-chicken/

shown served with mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus

CHICKPEA CUTLETS:

1 cup cooked chickpeas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, pressed or grated with a Microplane grater
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
Olive oil for pan frying

instructions:

In a mixing bowl, mash the chickpeas together with the oil until no whole chickpeas are left. Add the remaining ingredients and knead for about 3 minutes until strings of gluten have formed.

Preheat a large heavy-bottomed nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, divide the cutlet dough into four equal pieces. To form the cutlets, knead each piece in your hand for a few moments and then flatten and stretch each one into a roughly 6 x 4-inch rectangular cutlet shape. The easiest way to do this is to first form a rectangular shape in your hands and them place the cutlets on a clean surface to flatten and stretch them.

Add a moderately thin layer of olive oil to the bottom of the pan. Place the cutlets in the pan and cook on each side for 6 to 7 minutes. Add more oil, if needed, when you flip the cutlets. They're ready when lightly browned and firm to the touch.

Just in case you were wondering, you can also bake these too! Baking these patties gives them a toothsome chewy texture and firm bite. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, lightly oil baking sheet. Brush each side of pattey with olive oil, place on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Flip patties and bake another 8-10 minutes till firm and golden-brown.

MUSTARD SAUCE:

1/2 cup Dijon mustard (must be Dijon mustard, no substitutes)
1/4 cup PURE maple syrup (again, no substitutes)
1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsp. fresh rosemary for garnish (optional, can also use dried rosemary)

instructions:

combine all ingredients in a small saucepan, whisk, and heat until warm. 

Summer Couscous Salad with Halloumi and Chickpea Cutlets

adapted from http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2394/summer-couscous-salad
Chickpea cutlet recipe here: (TBD)

INGREDIENTS:

1 package far east plain couscous plus water or vegetable broth for cooking
1 recipe chickpea cutlets:(TBD)
chickpeas left over from chickpea cutlet recipe, drained and rinsed
1-2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
2 small zucchini, sliced
1 package cherry-sized tomatoes,  sliced in half
1 small red onion
250g pack halloumi cheese , sliced

dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil
3 tbsp fresh lime juice (2 small limes)
2 large garlic cloves , finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
½ tsp sugar

Instructions:

Cook the couscous according to package directions (does not take very long, so you do not HAVE to do this first).
Make the chickpea cutlets according to the instructions linked above.
Meanwhile, add all the dressing ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Fluff up the couscous with a fork, stir in the chickpeas and follow with half the dressing. Mix well.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion and zucchini slices over a high heat for 2-3 minutes. Now put the tomatoes cut-side down into the pan, and cook for another couple of minutes until tinged brown on the underside. Top the couscous with the veggies.
If the pan is dry, pour in a little more oil and heat it up, then add the halloumi strips and fry for 2-3 minutes, turning them over from time to time, until crisp and sizzled brown. Cut the chickpea cutlets into strips. Pile the halloumi and chickpea cutlets on top of the couscous and veggies, and drizzle with the remaining dressing. Serve as soon as possible.

Healthy Banana "Ice Cream"

The idea is that you can freeze bananas, throw them in a food processor until the consistency is creamy, and it will be similar in texture to soft serve ice cream. The frozen banana will be crumbly at first but you have to keep blending it and it will become smooth - you do not have to add any liquid other that some vanilla extract which is optional.

BASE RECIPE:

2 ripe bananas

splash of vanilla extract

instructions:

Slice the bananas and freeze. Once frozen, add to a food processor (I used a Ninja) with the vanilla and blend until smooth.

CHOCOLATE:

add 1 to 2 Tbsp cocoa powder (you can use unsweetened) to the recipe above before blending.

PEANUT BUTTER:

Add 1 Tbsp peanut butter to the recipe above before blending.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER:

Add 1 Tbsp of peanut butter plus 1 to 2 Tbsp cocoa powder (you can used unsweeted) to the base recipe above before blending.

Healthy Vegan Chili

Recipe is from: http://86lemons.com/fat-melting-veggie-chili/

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2½ cups diced red onions
1 cup diced carrots
2 bell peppers, diced
1 medium sweet potato, diced

1 (10 oz) bag frozen corn

2 Tbsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. chili powder
4 Tbsp. chopped garlic
2 Tbsp. chopped jalapeños
2 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 (14.5 oz) cans diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans
1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans
1 (15 oz) black beans
1 (15 oz) can Adzuki beans (I used white northern beans instead)
2 Tbsp. chopped chipotle in adobo sauce
3 Tbsp. tomato paste

optional:
1 to 2 cups vegetable  broth or vegetable juice (You can also just use water.)


Directions:
STEP 1
In a large, heavy-bottom pot, warm the oil and sauté the onions, carrots, peppers, and sweet potatoes, stirring occasionally until vegetables start to soften, about 10 minutes.

STEP 2
Stir in the cumin, crushed red pepper flakes, chili powder, garlic and jalapeño and cook a few more minutes until fragrant.

STEP 3
Add the tomatoes, beans, oregano, chipotle in adobo, tomato paste and cinnamon. At this point, you can add a little vegetable broth, vegetable juice or water if you like your chili a bit thinner.

STEP 4
Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stir in the corn; cook 5 more minutes, until corn is heated through. Serve with your favorite toppings.

Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese

Recipe idea is from: http://www.closetcooking.com/2011/04/jalapeno-popper-grilled-cheese-sandwich.html

I omitted the tortilla chips.

Ingredients (Makes 4 large sandwiches):
1 loaf of sourdough bread
cream cheese
8 jalapenos
shredded cheddar jack cheese
margarine or butter

Directions:
Cut the jalapenos in half lengthwise and de-seed them. Place them upside down on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast them under the broiler until the skin begins to blacken. When they are done, put them in a paper lunch bag and fold the top over. Let them sit while you gather the other ingredients.

Spread thin layer of cream cheese on both slices of bread. Add the shredded cheese and four jalapeno halfs. Assemble the sandwich and butter the outer sides of the bread. Cook over medium heat until golden brown.

We ate the sandwich with tomato soup.

Vegetarian Beef-less Stew

I followed this recipe almost exactly: http://www.gardein.com/recipe_detail.php?r=84

Ingredients:
1 package Gardein beefless tips

3 Tbsp vegetable oil
10 oz pearl onions, peeled
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, ½ inch diced
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried rosemary
3 tbsp flour
3 cups vegan "beef" broth (try better than bouillon brand) or roasted vegetable stock
1 cup dry red wine such as cabernet sauvignon
2 medium potatoes, ½ inch diced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium high heat, add beefless tips and brown on all sides. Remove from saucepan and set aside. I recommend chopping the beef tips in half so the chunks aren't as large in the stew.

Peel the pearl onions. I found this link helpful: http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/02/knife-skills-how-to-peel-pearl-onions.html . Basically, cut the top and bottom off of each onion. Score the top of the onion (see the video) so the skin will be easier to remove. Add them to boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes and remove. The skins should come off easily.

Add pearl onions, garlic and celery to saucepan and cook for 3 minutes. Add carrots, thyme, and rosemary and continue to cook for 3 minutes. Sprinkle in flour, then slowly add broth and wine while stirring.Add potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add beefless tips back in and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.