We recently received our first issue of VegNews, which yes, I subscribed to because I want to submit our wedding later to get in their vegan weddings issue...but anyhow, they had a recipe, thankfully, which did not involve avocados and chocolate (you know those raw pudding recipes), or bananas - because Jon hates bananas and I recently had a bad avocado/chocolate pudding experience. Basically we had an extra avocado (I always get more in case I cut one open that's not really ripe), so I thought "why not take it to work, I have cocoa powder at my desk, and can use the sugar packets to make a pudding!". So yes, I ate an entire avocado with cocoa powder and sugar one day, and although it was good at first, I felt pretty sick by the end and I can't mentally handle the idea of a chocolate avocado pudding, possibly forever. Just like I can't ever eat a vegan sausage/cranberry stuffing ever again.
Where was I? Oh yeah, they had a Korean fusion taco with tofu, korean-esque flavors, and a pear cilantro slaw. We didn't have any tofu, but I thought - why not make Korean flavored chickpea cutlets (based on the V-con ones). We didn't have an asian pear or napa cabbage, or cilantro, but we did have purple cabbage, and apple, and mustard greens.
After gathering my ingredients, I realized we were out of gluten flour. I was pretty shocked, its like how do two food-obsessed vegans run out of a basic staple like gluten flour...its like when you run out of nutritional yeast or something. So here's where it gets wierd (um, its already wierd if you're an omni reading this). Instead of gluten flour/chickpea cutlets, they became quinoa chickpea cutlets with additional chickpea flour and bread crumbs, and Korean add ins like garlic, scallions, red pepper flakes, etc.
We really enjoyed this and Jon insisted I write down how it was made so we could replicate it again. Someday he will learn that there are pretty much only 2-3 things I ever want to make more than once. One of those is mushu vegetables, another is gardein & mushrooms stroganoff.
For the future, I would like to add more flavor to the cutlets so I could bake them instead (yes, you can cheat and have less flavor when you fry things), because quinoa absorbs a lot of oil while frying and so its not as healthy as you would hope. And they fall apart fairly easily. But lots a protein!
Quinoa Chickpea Cutlets (lets be real, they're patties)
1 1/4 Cups Chickpeas, mashed (a can of chickpeas will do)
1 TBS toasted sesame seeds
4 cloves garlic
3/4 cup dry quinoa, cooked
1/4-1/2 cup chickpea (besan) flour
1/2 - 3/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup scallions
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2-1 tsp garlic powder
2 1/2 TBS Low sodium tamari (less if using normal tamari - to taste)
1 TBS Brown Sugar
1.5 tsp dark sesame oil
1/8-1/4 cayenne pepper
Drain & rinse chickpeas, mash, then mix in quinoa and most everything else except for your chickpea flour and bread crumbs. They go in last because you add as much of them as will make your patties dry enough. I'm not sure why your patties need to be on the drier side, but probably there's a reason why most cookbooks don't have you throwing wet batter-style patties into oil. Maybe they absorb even more oil, who knows. Then heat peanut oil up on medium high, and fry your patties about 4-6 minutes per side.
Asian-Esque Slaw
This slaw is super awesome, and I love it. I didn't actually make as much as I'd wished I had, and so I will make more tomorrow, because yum!
1.5-2 cups Thinly Sliced Purple Cabbage (cut into 2 inch strips)
2 cups minced mustard greens
1/4 cup scallions
1 apple, shredded
2 TBS Rice Vinegar
salt to taste
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Sriracha Chili Sauce, to taste (1/4 tsp to start in case you're not sure)
Just peel your apple, shred it, chop your mustard greens & purple cabbage, and chop the scallions, mix everything together except Sriracha - add a teeny bit at a time because if you add too much it'll ruin it. Perfect to eat right then. If you leave it sit overnight, you'll have to re-Sriracha it, because the salt makes the veggies lose some moisture, and this will drain to the bottom along with the Sriracha flavor.
In conclusion, while Jon loved the patties and the slaw, I think the slaw was the real winner. In addition to having fantastic flavor, I always feel extra proud of myself when I eat raw veggies and they are super tasty like this, I feel healthy and not in a "brown rice and steamed brocolli torturing myself" way. More like an embracing life and flavor, and health too, as a bonus way. :) Enjoy!
