Month: May 2023

Black Bean Beet Walnut Burgers

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

Due to the unprovoked, and seemingly endless brutal war of annihilation against Ukrainian civilians by Vladimir Putin and his army and the worsening humanitarian crisis, please consider helping by following the link below. There are a number of reputable aid agencies from which to choose. Many of these agencies will also help victims suffering the devastating effects of natural disasters.

Support Humanitarian Efforts in Ukraine

If you follow my blog, you know that we eat a lot of vegan and vegetarian meals. Never a huge meat eater, I like that these options are healthier for us and the planet. But, I’m no purist and if something doesn’t taste great, I don’t care how healthy it is. So for some time now, I’ve been on a quest for a really great veggie burger. And I’ve made a few good ones, which I will link to below.

However, none of them quite is “THE ONE.” And this isn’t either, although that is not a reason not to make it. The flavor profile is great! Spicy and just the right amount of natural sweetness. The burgers just didn’t have enough bite for me. Perhaps I should have left more texture to the black beans. (I’m thinking out loud here.) And perhaps if I had made thinner burgers (think smash-burgers) and browned them more giving a crispier edge, it would have been closer to being “THE ONE.” I’m going to keep working on it. But in the meantime, these did make a delicious dinner with all of the trimmings added.

While I do use some meat substitutes, I am very selective. And with the exception of a few sausages (Field Roast brand are the best I’ve eaten so far and “NO, I am not compensated for saying that), I simply don’t like the taste of the substitutes when they are the main focus of the dish.

Veggie Burgers are tricky. If you are looking for this to taste “just like meat” you will be sorely disappointed. On the other hand, if you are looking for a delicious veggie burger, taken in its own context, then these are for you. And no animal had to die to make them. Serve on a perfectly toasted bun with your condiments of choice, and I think you will be a happy, healthier camper. We accompanied our burgers with Vidalia onion, Sir Kensington Chipotle Mayo, homemade pickled veggies, corn on the cob and sweet potato chips. Come on – what more do you need?!

These Black Bean Beet Walnut Burgers are a riff on a recipe that I saw in a flyer put out by my grocer store. They are pretty easy to make, but do require fridge time to hold their shape when cooking. And if you don’t happen to have left-over rice on hand, then you also need to cook up some rice.

The Black Bean Beet Walnut Burgers can be cooked on a grill outside or on the stove. We don’t have a grill. I used canned beets, which I always have in my pantry, but you can also use the fresh, prepared beets in the vacuum sealed pouches. The liquid in the canned beets is always a very vibrant purple and I saved it to use in some tandoori chicken later this week.

These burgers are an easy place to go if you are starting to try out some vegan recipes. And if you aren’t ready for the full vegan experience, I won’t tell if you melt a slice of your favorite cheese on top before serving!

Other vegan burger recipes:

Chickpea Quinoa Burgers

SD* Chickpea Burger

Indian Spiced Lentil Burgers

Recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

2 cans (15 0z. each) of black beans, drained and rinsed well

15 Oz. can or 1 pound of fresh prepared beets, drained and cut into quarters

1.25 cups of cooked rice (any kind will work, but I used short-grain brown rice)

Generous 1/2 cup of coarsely chopped walnuts, pan-toasted

1 Tablespoon of chili powder

1 teaspoon of ground cumin

1 teaspoon of dried mustard (I like Colman’s)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon fresh, cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Neutral vegetable oil for cooking (I am using Avocado Oil these days when pan frying because of its high smoke point and health benefits.)

Directions

In a bowl of a food processor fitted with the “S” blade, pulse the black beans and beets until well mixed. Leave some texture to the beans – unlike the photo below.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add all of the remaining ingredients EXCEPT for the oil.

Form the mixture into 6 patties and place on a rimmed baking pan lined with parchment paper. I used a quarter sheet pan but a glass dish is fine if that is what you have. Place another sheet of parchment lightly over the top and place in a plastic bag. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but overnight is best.

When you are ready to cook, preheat your grill to medium high heat. If you are using a pan or griddle on the stovetop, brush the pan with the oil and heat on medium high heat until the oil begins to shimmer. Cook the patties for about 6 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly browned. Then using a spatula, carefully flip the patties over. Continue cooking for about another 5 to 6 minutes. One of the beauties of vegan burgers is that everything is safe to eat BEFORE they are cooked. So unlike meat burgers, you don’t have to worry about undercooking the patties.

Now have fun and garnish at will. I toasted some buns, used arugula, Vidalia onion, with sliced heirloom tomatoes on top. A squirt of some chipotle mayo (and there are vegan versions) or your condiment of choice and yummmmmm! We had homemade pickled veggies, corn on the cob and some sweet potato chips. Come on – what more do you need?

Roasted Strawberry Cheesecake

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

Due to the unprovoked, and seemingly endless brutal war of annihilation against Ukrainian civilians by Vladimir Putin and his army and the worsening humanitarian crisis, please consider helping by following the link below. There are a number of reputable aid agencies from which to choose. Many of these agencies will also help victims suffering the devastating effects of natural disasters.

Support Humanitarian Efforts in Ukraine

It is traditional for Jews to eat dairy foods on the holiday of Shavuot (The Feast of Weeks). This Jewish holiday commemorates the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai and occurs seven weeks after Passover. It also celebrates the Summer grain harvest and is one of three “Pilgrimage” holidays observed in Judaism. There a number of theories as to how the dairy tradition started, but cheesecake and blintzes are very popular at this time of year. However, you don’t have to be Jewish to make (and love) this Roasted Strawberry Cheesecake which is liberally flecked and perfumed with orange zest.

While I did not make my cheesecake in time to post ahead of the holiday, you can (and should) make this delicious, creamy, berry intense cheesecake anytime. And there is always next year to celebrate the holiday! So keep this Roasted Strawberry Cheesecake at the ready!

In 1973/1974 I lived and worked on Kibbutz Kissufim in the Negev. Yep, that’s me in the photos below. I was in charge of the calves.

When it came time to celebrate the Festival of Shavuot, everyone on the kibbutz went out to the field where children with flower wreaths on their heads, danced among the rows of golden wheat ready to be harvested. It really brought home this holiday to me in a way that was impossible to see living in a city.

Growing up in New York, wonderful cheesecakes were ubiquitous. My mother made a fabulous mocha cheesecake. But the problem with most of these is that they generally are geared to feeding at least 12 people! And while I LOVE a good cheesecake, it is just for me and my husband these days. So this recipe uses a 6-inch springform pan and makes 6 generous portions – enough for us or a small group of family or friends to enjoy without more left-overs than we want.

The recipe may seem long, but it is actually quite simple to make. And as for the Roasted Strawberry topping, I make a big batch of this ahead of time and store the unused portion in my fridge for weeks. It will turn any simple cake or ice cream into a special dessert. It can even be spread on toast in place of jam.

A note about the photos this time. They simply don’t do justice to the finished cheesecake. I was rushing, doing several other things at once, and as a consequence made a couple of esthetic mistakes. The taste was fabulous but my cake looked a little raggedy. If you follow the instructions, yours should turn out beautifully.

For other cheesecake options, I have created three additional variations on this recipe and they are all wonderful. You can’t go wrong with any one of these. And as an extra bonus, these cheesecakes do not require any eggs! Given the price of eggs these days, that’s a plus.

Blueberry Cheesecake

Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake

Coconut Macadamia Cheesecake

Recipe

Yield: About 6 servings

Ingredients

Crust (This is the amount in the original recipe which makes a delicious but fairly thick crust)

200 g of crushed biscuits (Digestive, Oreos, Biscoff or graham crackers)

5 Tablespoons melted butter (salted or unsalted) (You might need 1 Tablespoon more if using a plain biscuit rather than an Oreo cookie.)

Filling

8 oz. (225 g) full-fat cream cheese in a block, softened

1/2 cup (120 g) heavy or double cream

1/4 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup (10g) freeze-dried strawberries, pulverized into a powder

Zest of one large orange

14 oz. can (396 g) of Sweetened Condensed Milk

Directions

NOTE: If you want to serve the cake completely off of the springform pan, lightly oil the bottom of the pan and line it with parchment paper. Once the cake has cooled and you break the suction with the bottom of the springform, the cake should release easily. This time, I was rushing and chose to serve it directly on the bottom section of the pan.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F or 160 C.

Blitz the biscuits in a food processor or with a rolling pin until you have fine crumbs. Pour the melted butter over the crumbs and mix through so that all of the crumbs are moistened. If you use a plain biscuit, the crumbs should resemble wet sand. If you are using Oreos, which have a cream filling, the mixture will be wetter than if you use a plain biscuit. I liked that it made for a lighter, less compacted base, but a traditional Graham Cracker or Digestive Biscuit are also great. Press the mixture into the bottom and slightly up the sides of the 6-inch springform pan. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Using a hand beater or the food processor beat the cream cheese and salt until light and fluffy.

In a smallish bowl or measuring glass, whisk the heavy cream and corn starch until smooth. Add this to the cream cheese. Add the vanilla, sweetened condensed milk, freeze-dried strawberry powder and citrus zest. Blitz until the batter is completely smooth and a lovely pale shade of pink. Pour the batter into the pan over the crumb base.

Wrap the bottom of the pan in two layers of aluminum foil to prevent any leakage. Set the pan in a baking dish large enough to hold it. I used a 9-inch square pan. Carefully add hot tap water to the pan until it comes up about half-way up the sides of the springform mold.

Place in the oven and bake for about 1 hour or until the center just slightly jiggles. Turn off the oven and leave the door ajar with the cheesecake inside. Keep the pan in there until your oven fan turns off or the cheesecake cools down. This prevents the cheesecake from cracking and will finish off the baking. If it does crack, don’t worry. The topping will cover it and it will taste just as great!

Completely cool the cheesecake on a wire rack. Then add the cooled slow-roasted strawberry mixture to the top of the cheesecake while still in the mold. Allow the cake to be refrigerated for at least 4 to 6 hours. but longer is even better if you have the time.

When you are ready to serve, run a thin sharp knife around the inner rim of the mold. Carefully unlock the springform and remove the ring. I leave the cake on the bottom and place the whole thing on a serving platter. Now enjoy!

Michelle Polzine’s Slow-Roasted Strawberries

Yield: About 1.5 cups (450 gr.)

Ingredients

2 pounds (900 gr.) of fresh, ripe strawberries (I double the recipe because it is THAT good)

1/2 cup (100 gr.) of granulated sugar (You can add 2 additional Tablespoons if the strawberries are not especially sweet on their own.)

Directions

  1. Heat the oven to 250 degrees F. Rinse and hull the berries. Leave any tiny ones whole and either quarter or halve the rest so the pieces are all about the same size.
  2. In a non-reactive pan (I used a stoneware baking dish) that will hold all of the berries closely packed in a single layer, gently toss the strawberries with the sugar.
  3. Roast slowly in the oven, uncovered for 3 to 6 hours, gently moving them around occasionally with a wide spatula. Mine took 5 hours. They are done when the juices have reduced to a syrup but not darkened into caramel and the berries are jammy. They can be stored in the fridge in an airtight jar or container for at least two weeks.

Spring Greens Soup

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 1 Comment

Due to the unprovoked, and seemingly endless brutal war of annihilation against Ukrainian civilians by Vladimir Putin and his army and the worsening humanitarian crisis, please consider helping by following the link below. There are a number of reputable aid agencies from which to choose. Many of these agencies will also help victims suffering the devastating effects of natural disasters.

Support Humanitarian Efforts in Ukraine

During the pandemic, when we were all stuck inside, afraid to venture out, I became obsessed with YouTube vlogs. As an armchair traveler, I chose vlogs where I could “wander” in the open air, listening to the sounds of nature, while watching the seasons change. I was especially drawn to three vlogs that showed life in the mountains of Ukraine as well as one in Azerbaijan. In each of these, people live small but rich lives largely off of land they farm.

My husband could always tell where I was wandering by the sounds emanating from my computer. Roosters crowing meant Azerbaijan. Rushing water was a particular place in Ukraine. The call of the muezzin was Turkey.

Unlike in much of the US, their food was seasonal and often foraged – wild berries, mushrooms, edible flowers etc. or grown by them. Recently, I have watched soups being made from foraged spring greens. My grandmothers would have recognized these soups as a version of green borscht that we called schav. Served without meat – not because they were vegetarians, but because they were poor. It was usually made from sorrel and served cold, perhaps with a dollop of sour cream on top. But the versions I watched here were served hot. While they contained meat – usually pork – they can be made vegetarian, which is what I have done here.

There is no one recipe for this soup and I didn’t use one. But Spring Greens Soup is a fresh, simple soup that is a hopeful harbinger of spring. Depending on where you live in the world, you will have access to different greens so your version will be slightly different than mine. I have yet to find sorrel in any of my markets. However, I was able to find beautiful dandelion greens which will give me that slight almost acidic bitterness that I crave. I have mixed them with collard greens and lacinato (dino) kale, fresh leeks and lots of dill. And because I eat in color and wanted to round out the flavors of the soup and to add a bit of bulk, I have also added carrots and potatoes.

This is not a recipe to slavishly follow. It is a guide. You almost certainly have different greens available or may wish for more carrots or potatoes. Perhaps you don’t have any nice leeks, but beautiful onions instead. Whatever ingredients that you use, though, don’t make Spring Greens Soup to be more than it is – a delicious sign of hope in a rather dismal time. That is more than enough for me.

While I eat very little meat, I do prefer chicken stock as a base for my soups. However, vegetable stock would be delicious as well. This type of soup is frequently garnished with chopped hard boiled egg and fresh herbs, which is how I have served it. But some cooked vegan apple sage sausage would be a delicious alternative. No rules – just suggestions.

And did I mention how healthy this Spring Greens Soup is? However, if it were only healthy but didn’t taste great as well, I would not be making it and sharing it with all of you. No matter how you choose to serve this lovely soup, do not forget the bread! And if you are not vegan, some nice cheese to enjoy with the bread.

Recipe

Yield: About 10 servings

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons of any: unsalted butter, EVOO, avocado, Canola or other healthy neutral oil

2 leeks, trimmed, washed well and thinly sliced, including the light green part

1 bunch collard greens, stemmed and coarsely chopped

1 bunch dandelion greens, coarsely chopped, including tender stems

1 bunch lacinato (dino) kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped

About 6 smallish potatoes or their equivalent, peeled and cut into medium dice (I used red potatoes because that is what I had. But golden, russet or other variety works well too.)

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced or diced

1 large bunch of fresh dill with thinner stems included

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley with thinner stems included

About 10 to 12 cups of liquid (Stock (preferably unsalted), broth, water with added bouillon)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat oil of choice in a large pot on medium high heat. Add the leeks, 1 teaspoon of salt and sauté until softened – about 8 to ten minutes.

Add the carrots and potatoes and mix through. Cook for another 5 minutes. Then add all of the greens, and enough of the liquid to cover the greens. Add in the pepper (I like white pepper here but black is fine if that is all you have.) You can add more salt, but how much will depend on whether you used stock, bouillon or broth with salt as well as personal taste. It is a big pot of soup so can take a fair amount. However, remember that you can always add salt, but reducing the amount once added is difficult.

Give a good stir and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 90 minutes.

Add half of the chopped fresh herbs, reserving the remainder to use when serving. Mix through and simmer covered for another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust your seasonings. When ready to serve, garnish with chopped hard boil egg and the remaining fresh herbs or with a browned vegan or other sausage, if desired.