The Flax Connection Patty

Summer time just says 'burger' time for Grasshopper and kids, so kitchen experiments are taking place, to discover a variety of ways to make easy, delicious, protein-rich vegan burgers.
This is grasshopper's burger recipe #2. View the first recipe with this link: http://grasshopperkitchen.blogspot.ca/2012_07_01_archive.html
                  One definition of the 'patty' is:
      a small rounded, flattened cake of food, made from ingredients that have been previously          ground, chopped, or minced
      A 'cake of food' could be made out of any leftover grain, veg, or legume depending on your diet restrictions or what is available in your home. But what is that perfect ingredient in commercial veggie burgers that binds it all together?-meat eaters would give a shudder! Egg eaters just toss one in, problem solved. Aha!! the vegan substitute for an egg, flax seed!! This wonder seed in its soaked gel metamorphosis turns mashed yellow peas and kamut grains into a fluffy, yet chewy cake-like texture when simply fried in a stove-top pan.
     Grasshopper regularly soaks a combination of 3 tbs each of flax and chia seeds in 3/4 cups of water, and stores it in the fridge for daily use of 1 tbs/day. It is ready in 24 hours. Creative use of your own ingredients in vegan burger making is easy with the help of this wonderful vegan burger binder!! Use this guideline to what could be the perfect burger for your family's palette.

The Flax Connection Patty
makes 4 small patties
     1 tbs flax seed, or combination of flax and chia seed
     2 tbs water
    1/2 cup cooked legumes (yellow pea is great)
    1/2 cup cooked grain (kamut is easy to chew when ground)
     cooked veg (optional-chopped or minced)
     spices - (yellow pea tastes great with lemon, fresh minced ginger or parsley, cumin, ground   fennel, salt)

     Prep:make the seed gel the day before
Presoak an equal portion of flax and chia seeds in water for 24 hours in the fridge.   
     Grind all ingredients except the gel, together in a food processor, until you are pleased with the texture. A dry mixture is fine at this point.
     Stir in the seed gel. The mixture should be able to stick together. Add water if too dry to form into patties. Shape into 4 small, or 2 large patties.
      Heat 1 tbs of oil in a fying pan on medium heat. Fry patties, turning till golden brown.

Love Grasshopper

Vegan Seed Burgers

It's BBQ season! When my hosts ask me how I'd like my steak, I reply, 'on the cow please.' However the quest to find a good tasting recipe for a vegan burger has been solved. Here is a high protein patty that is easy to digest and prepare, and won't fall through the cracks of the grill, although I prefer to precook the burger and warm it on the BBQ using tinfoil to avoid prior meat juices. In the spirit of Grasshopper's Kitchen, you may substitute the grains and seeds with ones you prefer or have available. This recipe makes enough for 2-3 people.

Vegan Seed Burgers 

one handful each of pumpkin and sunflower seeds, soaked in water for 4-6 hours and drained
1 cup cooked kamut
1 tbs lemon juice
add your own spice or leave that for the condiments

Grind all ingredients in a food processor. Add more water if it isn't slightly sticky. Form into a ball and refridgerate for later use, or form into patties. At this point you may want to press the patty into sesame seeds or hemp seeds for extra protein. Also you may precook the burger by pan frying in a small bit of oil.
Love Grasshopper

Kale Chips

(for Laura)
     Kale is plentiful and fresh this time of year. It is well-known that some people find this vegetable difficult to digest when prepared in certain ways, but grasshopper is crazy over these!! Finding this recipe in the news after giving kale chips a try at home, was a delight. These chips are guaranteed to surprise and delight you with their crispness and delicate texture. There are many alternative ways to spice these up, depending on your palette, from nutritional yeast to cajun spice, and recipes abound all over the internet. Raw foodists keep the oven temperature below 160*F to retain 'raw food' nutrients, but aren't as crispy. Grasshopper compromised and set the oven at 250*F.  At this temp, the kale retains a fresh green colour, as opposed to other recipes where 350* left a charred kale. Other recipes suggest using coconut oil instead of olive oil for fat stability. Grasshopper knows olive oil is wonderful, and hasn't tried coconut. However endless the choices are with spices also, it is clear that this superfood/snack is unbeatable for taste, nutrition and easy preparation.
   Grasshopper simply tears the heavy ribs away (save for later use in soups or juices), tears the leaves into bitesize pieces, shakes about a Tbs of oil and a shake of salt over the leaves, then spreads the mix thinly (do not layer) onto a shallow baking pan into a preheated 250*F oven. Stir very  occassionally till all leaves are crispy, about 30-35 minutes.
Love grasshopper

Hearty Roasted Squash, Greens and Shrooms

   Growing squash in a climate that doesn't rain for 6 weeks, is a feat. However when the vine finally reached the sun, and the september rains came, so did this larger than store-bought, beautiful butternut squash. Sliced in thick slabs of half-moons, and roasted in the oven created the most flavourful bites ever, with nothing else added but the drizzle of olive oil! Grasshopper started planning next years crop immediately, then came up with this great blend.

   For calcium, a fabulous bunch of greens like collards or dandelion add bonus nutrition. Remember to avoid spinach, chard and beet greens if it's calcium you want. Onions have been known to give some people digestion difficulties, so dark green celery stalks are flavouring this vegetable medley.

   This dish is so tasty, it's going on the christmas dinner menu with it's lovely flecks of red pepper.

 Hearty Roasted Squash, Greens and Shrooms      
Serves 6 as a side dish
   1 large butternut squash
   1  bunch of collards (or dandelion greens)
   4 portabella mushrooms
   5 stalks of celery
   1/4 c thinly sliced roasted red peppers

   olive oil

  Wash, peel, and slice squash into one inch thick halfmoons. place in roast pan with a drizzle of olive oil just to coat. Roast in 350* oven, turning, till done. Wash celery, then slice with a long diagonal cut so that you create celery strips. Saute slowly in large skillet with olive oil till soft, set aside. Wash, remove thick veins and rollup greens into a tubelike form. Thinly slice greens across the tube, vertically. Steam for moments, till limp and keeping bright green colour, set aside. Prepare portabella mushrooms, slice in half, then in 1/2 inch slices. Add to celery and saute till done. Cut squash wedges into cubes. Add roasted red peppers to skillet, then greens and squash. Cook on low for 5 minutes, just to blend flavours.

Enjoy!
Love Grasshopper
 

Vegan Protein Fruit Bars

After a vegetable laden lunch, grasshopper loves a filling protein snack mid-afternoon. This wheat-free recipe creates a vegan, calcium/protein rich snack that travels well. You can choose your fruit combo, but always include dried fruits so the filling thickens up nicely. Figs, buckwheat, pumpkin seeds and molasses are high in calcium, dates are easy to digest but may be too sweet for some. Gojis, coconut? Crushed pineapple over apple? You decide what your body needs, craves, or simply start rummaging through your cupboards.
     Vegan Protein Fruit Bars
 Crust
1 1/2 c oatmeal or rolled oats
 1/2 c flour (oat or buckwheat)
1/2c ground pumpkin or sunflower seeds
1 tbs molasses
2 tbs oil
1/2c fortified rice milk or any vegan milk
Filling
2 1/2c grated apple or crushed strained pineapple
2 c dried fruit (figs and dates are lovely)
2tbs dried fruit soaking water or pineapple juice
   
  Cook filling ingredients in a slow pan until thick. Set aside. Mix together the wet ingredients of the crust, then add the dry ingredients till a workable dough is achieved. Press dough into a greased (use coconut oil) 9"x12" pan. Spread filling on top of crust. Bake at 350 for 30- 40 minutes.
Love Grasshopper

Yesterday's Oatmeal and Rapini Pie-Something from Nothing

       Yesterday's pot of leftover cooked oatmeal becomes the crust of this simple to make, easy to brownbag vegan pie. Vegans generally have 'let go' of the flaky perfect pie crusts of the Betty Crocker kitchen, and opt for an oil-based high protein crust. Grasshopper's love of buckwheat, calcium-rich and gluten-free, added to pre-cooked oatmeal in a fortified vegan milk of choice creates an easy high protein nutty base. Whole toasted buckwheat and can be ground on a fine grind in the blender to make a flour. Getting hungry now, and imagining the endless possibilies here with nut butters, tahini or inexpensive ground nut or seed additions...  sunflower or hemp seeds, peanut, Mmmmm,......
     You decide how to 'stiff up' the cooked oatmeal with oil and dry ingredients. Use tahini or nut butters for their oils, or grind a dry mix of seeds. Plain and simply, grasshopper uses the oil:dry ratio of 1:3 for a crunchy crust.  Decide: what's available in my kitchen, AND how much of this ingredient do I want for taste pleasure and protein.  Just count the servings you are creating. Experiment! It'll never taste the same again!
                                                                                                                  
   Yesterday's Oatmeal and Rapini Pie
       1c yesterday's cooked oatmeal    
      1/3-1/2 c of dry mix combo: buckwheat flour, ground nut or seed ..sunflower, hemp or sesame
      3tbs or more olive oil or tahini or nut butter
      dash salt
  one large bunch rapini, cleaned, washed and chopped
  2 garlic cloves crushed
  1 tsp olive oil
  dash salt

Mix enough dry ingredients/oil with oatmeal until you have a workable dough. Oil a pie plate as well as your fingers, then shape dough along the edges of the plate. Pre-bake at 350* for 10 minutes or until slightly brown. Meanwhile, oil a large covered skillet, add garlic and slowly simmer for 2 minutes. Add chopped rapini, cover, steam, and 'stir down' for 10 -12 minutes, or until soft and creamy. 
   Spread on prebaked crust.  Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Enjoy hot or cold.
Love Grasshopper

Ginger Adzuki Bean Spread

  Ah, the comfort of ginger... taste sublime, and digestive heaven for our organs. Grasshopper simply loves adzuki beans for their ease in digestibility, size and colour, and ease in cooking. Use pre-cooked beans or soak dry beans the night before, drain old water and use new water, then cook gently for 30-60 min over med-low heat. This spread/dip was a delightful surprise accident in the kitchen, as spinach curry was the start, then came the adzucs. Any bean will do!! Any soft veg will do! Consistency and flavour are the true essentials to this taste experience, so use organic whenever possible. Use this great spread on your favourite whole grain cracker, chip, chapati, taco, tortilla etc. for a complete protein.

Ginger Adzuki Bean Spread
   1 c pre-cooked drained adzuki beans
   1c washed drained spinach
   2 tbs olive oil
   2 tbs  fresh ginger slivered lengthwise
   2 garlic cloves, slivered lengthwise
   1 1/2 tsp garam masala
   7 whole cloves
   salt to taste
    juice of 1 lemon
    3 tsp coconut oil
      In a large covered skillet heat oil on low with garlic, ginger, garam masala, salt and cloves. Simmer slowly until flavours have 'softened', about 3 minutes. Add lemon juice, stir, then slowly simmer for 2 more minutes. Remove whole cloves, add cooked adzukis, and simmer for one minute. Maintaining a low, covered skillet will retain moisture in this recipe.
  Place spinach on top of this mixture, then cover to steam on low for one minute. Turn off heat.
  Melt 3 tsp of coconut oil onto spinach. Slightly mash with a potato masher. Spread warm or cold onto your favourite bread, cracker etc. Add a bit of water if mixture gets too dry.
Love Grasshopper