Bombay Burgers

Re-gifting.  Some people try to justify it by calling it charity or recycling.   C’mon, let’s be honest.  Re-gifting is when your inner-thrifty-shifty self gives a gift that is actually just something from the dregs of your closet or attic.  In the context of thrift stores, this is awesome.  But it’s worth it.  Someone has already paid all the overhead charges, and you buy the product simply for what it’s worth.  I don’t expect to get re-gifted by my grocery store.  Curry powder is your local grocer’s re-gifting scheme.   

 Curry is not an individual spice.  It’s a more generic term for a blend of spices, most often a combination of turmeric, coriander, and cumin.  I am not too distraught about it though – the burgers ended up delicious.  Hopefully, the curry powder creation was intended to make things easier (of course, at a price). 

Now for the real kicker: the Bombay Burger is entirely meatless.  Before your arteries unclog and your “vegetarian alert” comes on, let me tell you – a “burger” made from kidney beans, bread crumbs, sauces and spices still packs a hefty taste.   Initially, the burger has a savory Indian spiciness.  Halfway through, you realize that every bite requires its own exclusive spot in your stomach.  If you eat a ½ pound Bombay Burger, you will feel like you ate a solid ½ pound of food.  The aftertaste left my tongue blanketed with curry.  If only the heavy pounding of a tablespoon of cumin had not left such an unpleasant spiciness…  Bottom line: less cumin, and do not eat or serve the burger entirely plain. 

  My meager toppings the first burger were only a fresh slice of tomato and some sliced onions.  A cream-based sauce was what was missing.  Originally, I had thought some tzatziki sauce would do the trick.  I have not yet had the opportunity to experiment with that one, but I did create a Tomato Dill Sauce to go with my leftovers (rough recipe below).  

 NOM! With the sauce, the burger was bangin’.  You tasted peppery spiciness, without having it knock out your taste buds.  On my second Bombay Burger go-round, I found the burger to be warm and ‘meaty’, and the chilled sauce and fresh tomatoes to be light and relieving.  Appropriate year-round, these ethnic burgers show off how filling and satisfying non-meat burgers can be.   

Bombay Burgers (Adapted from the blog: Voracious)

1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained

2 T olive oil

¼ cup water

3 T A1 Steak Sauce

2 T soy sauce

2 tsp cumin

1 T curry

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp Cayenne pepper

2 tsp Sriracha (or Asian Hot Sauce)

½ cup bread crumbs

(About) ½ cup all-purpose flour

3 tsp cornmeal

Instructions:

1.       In a food processor or blender, combine beans, olive oil and water.  Blend until beans are well mashed and smooth.  Scoop into large mixing bowl.

2.       Add steak sauce, soy sauce, cumin, curry, garlic, and black pepper.  Mix thoroughly. 

3.       Season with paprika, cayenne and sriracha (this is where you can make it more or less spicy).

4.       Add in bread crumbs and ¼ cup flour, mix.  (If you need more flour, add it). 

5.       Knead with your hands for about 3-5 minutes.

6.       Roll burgers in cornmeal to help from sticking to hands.  Form bean mixture into 4 patties.

7.       In a 9 inch skillet, heat about 2 T olive oil over medium high heat.  

8.       When oil is hot, place patties on skillet.  Cook for about 7 minutes, or until the outside is firm and compact.  

Serve with a Creamy Sauce, no bun needed.                                                              Makes 4 patties

Tomato Dill Sauce

Ingredients:

2 heaping T sour cream

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp dried dill weed

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1.       Combine all ingredients and serve chilled over burger. 

Makes enough for about one burger.

Vegetable Lasagna Even Guys Enjoy

“Vegetable Lasagna” is like false advertising…or so some of my friends told me.  Delicious lasagna, by definition they say, must include greasy sausage or ground beef.  But when Italian sausage is $5 a pound, meat isn’t making the menu.   

**For all those already mourning the loss of flavor, I promise that it returns by the time you take your first bite. **

Meat consistently makes a dish tasty.  To make up for lost meat, I had to be elitist with my vegetable recruits.  I carefully chose the finest, firmest zucchini; went for the $2 splurge on brown Cremini mushrooms; got my money’s worth on frozen spinach and canned olives; and took on my trusted pantry standbys, onion and garlic. Other recipes might recommend red pepper, broccoli, or tomatoes, which are all excellent additions.  But alas, they are additions.  If you are looking to maximize the quality of your lasagna and not the quantity of your bill, this recipe is what you need.  Also, this recipe has the added health benefit of less cheese – notice that you don’t even need mozzarella!

The plate was a kaleidoscope of colors and flavors.  This meatless lasagna retained all the hearty taste, without leaving you bulging at the belt.  Even the carnivorous skeptics at the table were silent, mouths full of delight.  It was the type of dinner where you heard only the scraping of utensils.  It was the type of night where you redefine “delicious lasagna”.  

Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients:

½ box of lasagna noodles

2 T olive oil

½ cup onions, finely chopped

1 cup mushrooms, finely chopped

1 cup zucchini, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

¼ cup sliced black olives (from the can)

1 10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed  

Basil

Oregano

Salt and Pepper

1 can pasta/marinara sauce

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 egg

Pinch of nutmeg

Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1.       Preheat oven to 350˚.

2.       Prepare the vegetables; meanwhile heat pasta sauce in small pot over medium. 

3.       In a large pot, boil water for the pasta.

4.       In large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat.

5.       Add onions, mushrooms, zucchini – cook for about 3-5 min, then add garlic and cook for until vegetables are fork tender (less than 5 min).

6.       Reduce heat to medium.  Add olives and spinach, toss until warm.

7.       Meanwhile, mix together ricotta cheese, egg, and nutmeg.

8.       Season with basil, oregano, salt and pepper until achieve desired taste.

9.       In a deep dish – at least 4 in (i.e. Corning Ware) – layer lasagna noodles, vegetables, pasta sauce, and ricotta cheese mixture.  Repeat as needed.  Sprinkle top with parmesan cheese.

10.   Bake for about 45 min.  Consume!

Pasta Primaver-y-good

Tonight on my plate sat a medley of vegetables over pasta to accompany my medley of homework over the weekend. Let you in on a secret though – the dinner was better than the homework. Showcasing vegetables is what pasta primavera does best. Fresh and crisp, this dish left me feeling full, but not bloated with carbs. It was wildly colorful with an assortment of peppers, carrots, squash and onions – any fresh produce you can find and if not, try the frozen section. Without a heavy sauce covering up the flavor, it felt clean. With the bite of freshly grated parmesan and voluptuous taste of herbs de provence, it was just what the college student wants on a Sunday night.

Start to finish, this meal took about 25 minutes. Time can be a deal breaker in college between getting off a shift at work and catching up on that pile of reading in the corner. This dinner gives full enjoyment without requiring a full commitment. Plus, this makes just enough for a lunch tomorrow. Perfect, in my case, because my creative cooking juices haven’t started flowing at 8 AM when I wake up for class. Ideally, I’d love to make something fresh every day for lunch. Realistically, I don’t have that kind of time. Therefore, having the ability to reheat something great for lunch that I had for dinner is a perk in itself.

[And this pepper was telling me to eat. NOW!]

Pasta Primavera

Ingredients:

Handful or so of pasta [traditionally use farfalle, but I used angel hair]

2 T olive oil

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 small zucchini, chopped

½ onion, chopped

½ green pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small tomato, chopped

Salt and pepper

Herbs de provence

Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. In medium sized pot, cook pasta.

2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in frying pan over medium high heat.

3. Once hot, add carrots, zucchini, onion, and green pepper. Cook for about 3-5 min – once onions start to turn translucent.

4. Add garlic and spices, cook for 2 min.

5. Drain pasta, add to fry pan.

6. Mix in tomato and grated parmesan.

7. Eat!

Hungry-Girl-Empty-Wallet Vegetable Soup

Living on your own, independently is chalk full of everything; like this vegetable soup I was making yesterday. In the end both are ‘good for you’, but can you guess which one is tastier right off the bat? When hunger is inversely proportionate to your bank account it can be a very bleak dinner outlook indeed. With empty pockets, I attempted to make an empty pantry a bountiful boon for soup. I put to use some dusty mason jars of canned summer vegetables and some cheap staples like potatoes and onions. The best part was that for all the money saved, I didn’t have to skimp on flavor.

Popping the lid of some miscellaneous Campbell’s soup may have been easier, but this homemade soup was healthier, chunkier and above all, more satisfying. The light, pleasant juiciness of the fresh canned vegetables reminded me of sitting in the middle of a garden, and sopping up the last traces of the soup with a slice of French bread kept my belly full. I emboldened the soup with chicken broth and contemplated adding pasta for a minestrone twist. It could even go nice with a bowl of rice or couscous. Basically, what you have here is a great basis from which to grow.

Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

3 small potatoes, diced, not peeled

2 T olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

6 button mushrooms, chopped

1 small can fresh canned green beans, aged

1 small can fresh canned tomatoes, aged

About 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Instructions:

1. In medium sized pot, boil water. Add potatoes; boil for about 7-10 min. Drain.

2. Heat oil in large pot over medium high heat. Add onions, celery, carrots. Cook for 5-7 min.

3. Add garlic and mushrooms; continue cooking for about 3 more min.

4. Add in the canned vegetables and chicken broth, bring to a boil.

5. Cover and cook for about 30 min, or until liquid has reduced.

6. Eat!