For several years I was a vegetarian*.  Because those years were very formative years for me as a cook I have continued to prepare mostly vegetarian meals since my return to occasionally eating meat.  In my view veggie burgers do not replace meat burgers.  They are simply a different food, probably owing more to falafel for their origin than any burger made with meat.   The beauty of a veggie burger is how easy it is to modify and adapt recipes to make them unique and new.

This recipe by Emma at From Scratch Club is a great one and we had an easy time making it and an even easier time finishing off the final product at the dinner table.  Served on top of fresh English Muffins and accompanied by skillet-roasted radishes with scallions and peanuts it was a  very satisfying summer meal, all cooked over the grill (which in my mind makes a meal feel like summer).

Spelt English Muffins

Modified from Joy of Cooking (Aka, my most indispensable cookbook!)

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs. warm water
• 2 ¼ tsp. active dry yeast
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup warm milk (or soy milk)
• 2 tsp. honey (or maple syrup or sugar)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cups whole spelt flour (or whole wheat flour)
• 3 Tbs. butter or margarine
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Stir together in a large bowl the warm water with the yeast and let stand for 3-5 minutes.  Add the 1 cup of water, warm milk, honey and salt and mix together.  Gradually add the spelt flour and stir for 1-2 minutes.  Cover the bowl and let the sponge rise for about 1 ½ hours, until it is very bubbly.

Mix in the butter and then gradually add the all-purpose flour.  When you can no longer stir the dough it’s time to knead.  Knead until the dough is smooth but still somewhat sticky (you may need to use slightly more or less flour than called for).  Generously flour a surface and roll the dough out to a thickness of ½ inch.  Using a round cookie cutter or a glass cup (I prefer to use a pint glass) cut out the muffins and transfer them to a floured baking sheet or large plate and cover with cloth.  Allow the dough to rise until doubled in volume, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

English Muffins are cooked in a skillet rather than an oven.  If you make them on a grill you can get the best of both worlds plus a nice smoky flavor.  If using a charcoal grill push the coals to one side of the grill for an indirect heat, otherwise you may scorch the muffins without actually cooking them evenly.  If using your stove heat the skillet over medium heat.  When the skillet is hot melt 1-2 table spoons of butter or margarine.  When the butter is bubbling add as many risen muffins as will fit in the skillet.  Cover the skillet or grill and wait 2 minutes, then check to see if they are lightly browned and flip the muffins.  Cover for 1 more minute then remove to a cooling rack or a plate covered with a towel.  If the muffins turn out undercooked in the center allow them to cook a little bit longer at a lower heat.

Black Bean Mushroom Burgers

Adapted from Elle M’s recipe on From Scratch Club

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked black beans (or a large 14oz can)
• 4 Tbs. reserved bean liquid
• 1 cup onions, chopped
• 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 2 cups greens (chard/spinach/mustard/kale)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup oats
• 2 Tbs. flax seeds

Fry the onions and greens over medium low heat for 3-4 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and spices and continue frying for 5-7  more minutes, until the mushrooms are soft.  Mash the black beans and add the other ingredients to them.   Add the reserved bean liquid (or 4 Tbs. water), oats, and flax seeds and mix everything together.

Use an ice cream scoop (or large spoon) to measure out each burger and transfer to a hot frying pan (or a cast iron skillet on the grill).  Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes, then flip and cook another 4-5 minutes. Serve on top of those delicious English Muffins with your favorite burger/sandwich condiments!

Roasted Radishes with Scallions and Peanuts

Thank you to Well Preserved for the Radish-Peanut combination idea!  (This is a very easy side and tasted great alongside the sandwiches.)

Ingredients:

• 4-6 radishes, cut into quarters
• 2-3 scallions, chopped
• ½ cup peanuts
• 2 Tbs. oil or butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a skillet over the grill (or stove) and when hot add all the ingredients.  Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the radishes and scallions are beginning to brown.  Try one radish and when it has softened to your liking the dish is ready.

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*I was a vegetarian and continue to eat a mostly plant-based diet out of concern for the planet and the people and animals that live here (and will hopefully continue to live and thrive here!).  In fact, this meal can easily be prepared vegan by using dairy alternatives.

• Spinach (1/4lb)
• Kale (1/4lb)
• Pea shoots
• Potatoes
• Asparagus
• Carrots

(left from previous shopping)

• Mushrooms
• Sweet potatoes
• Parsnips
• 8 eggs

(in Garden)

• Lots of greens – mustard, lettuce, spinach, kale

The meal plan is as follows (note that we will be gone this weekend):

Having a scale makes life easy when dealing with odd shapes…

This recipe is a simplified version of Linda Frazer’s, from her The Best-Ever Vegetarian Cookbook (the “best-ever” designation is one that at least three different books on Amazon are claiming to be).  There are many great recipes in this book and as long as you don’t feel bound to follow them exactly they are (mostly) easy to prepare.  In the case of this dish, the recipe called for “wild mushrooms” and also claimed that this was a low-cost dish.  When I was at the market and asked about wild mushrooms I was told they cost around $20 a pound.  I went with the mushrooms that were not wild and the dish was quite good.  I can only imagine how amazing it would have been if they were wild.  (Also, the cookbook regularly calls for cheeses I have never heard of.  In many cases it seems fine to just substitute local options and not stress about finding cheeses like Edam or Emmanthal.)

We accompanied this tasty casserole with a very simple cucumber salad that consisted of sliced cucumber and homemade “thousand island” dressing (which was really just mayo and ketchup since we had forgotten to make the salad until right before eating).  In spite of its simplicity the salad was great and made a very nice side to the casserole.

Beet, Mushroom, and Potato Casserole

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used sunflower oil since it was my only local option on hand)
• 1 medium onion, chopped (I used a Spanish onion, but any yellow onion should be fine)
• 3 Tb. all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat since I was out of all-purpose)
• 1 ¼ c. vegetable stock (I used bullion and water)
• 1 ½ lb. beets, peeled and chopped
• 5 Tb. light cream (I didn’t have enough so I topped up with milk)
• 2 Tb. creamed horseradish
• 1 tsp. spicy mustard
• 1 Tb. wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. caraway seed
• 2 Tb. butter (1/4 stick)
• 8 oz. (½ lb) (assorted) mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
• 3 Tb. fresh parsley, chopped (I omitted this because I didn’t have any)

Golden beets are great too! Although when cooked with the reds they get dyed…

This was a mix of mostly button mushrooms.

I only peel the ugly parts of the potatoes. Saves time and adds texture.

For the potato border:

• 2 lb. potatoes, peeled
• 2/3 c. milk
• 1 Tb. fresh dill, chopped (I just used a tsp of dried dill)
• salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Enjoy a homebrew while preparing this meal, or with it! What beer is more local? Well, what beer is brewed with more local water?

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a 9-inch round baking dish (I didn’t remember to oil it and had no troubles, however I did use two Corningware-type dishes because the recipe seemed so large) . Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook until soft. Stir in the flour, remove from the heat and gradually add the stock, stirring until well blended.
Return to the heat, stir and simmer to thicken, then add the beets, cream, creamed horseradish, mustard, vinegar, and caraway seeds. Stir to mix.  Simmer on low for about 30 minutes, until the beets are fairly soft.
Bring the potatoes to a boil in salted water and cook for 20 minutes, until soft.  Drain and mash with the milk. Add the dill and season with salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan and cook the mushrooms over moderate heat until their juices begin to run. Increase the heat and boil off the moisture. When quite dry, season with the salt and pepper and stir in most of the chopped parsley (if you have it).

I made two and froze the one in the ugly re-used aluminum pan.

Spoon the potatoes into the prepared dish and make a well in the center. Spoon the beet mixture into the well and then spread the mushrooms over the beet mixture, cover the dish and bake for about 30 minutes. Serve immediately, garnished with the reserved parsley (if you have it!).

Simple Cucumber Salad:

• 1 cucumber, sliced (and skinned if you want)
• 2 Tb. mayonnaise
• 2 Tb. Ketchup

Slice the cukes, mix the mayo and ketchup, toss the cukes with the “dressing” and serve.  Get more fancy if you have time, but then don’t refer to it as “simple” because it wouldn’t really be true and you don’t want to lie about dinner.

The Kale Slaw made a great addition to this meal and was very easy to make.  Our recipe is inspired by one from Farmburger in Atlanta.  We never did ask them how they made theirs, but we like ours lots!

Finally, finish out the meal with some fresh-baked bread and a side of hummus if you like.  I’ve been baking 100% whole grain breads lately, with lots of help from Peter Reinhart’s Whole Grain Breads which is a wonderful book.  It’s easy to make a 100% local bread with his recipes too which I’ve been very happy about (well, I guess it’s more like 98% local since the yeast and salt are not local… accept for the sourdoughs).

Mushroom-Leek Frittata

• 1 Tb. oil
• 3-4 leeks, chopped
• ½ lb. mushrooms, sliced
• 5-6 eggs, whisked with a splash of milk
• ½ c. cheese, shredded
• Pepper

Begin by heating the oil and frying the chopped leeks and sliced mushrooms in a cast iron pan for about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, mix the eggs, splash of milk, ground pepper, and shredded cheese.

When the leeks and mushrooms seem to have softened, add  the egg and milk mixture and cover the pan with a lid.  Let the frittata cook until it has set, or firmed up.

Then transfer it to the oven and broil it until it is nicely golden.  Serve as soon as you like the color!  (I enjoyed topping my leftovers the next day with a good spicy salsa, but that’s just me).

Kale Slaw

• 5-10 medium kale leaves, chopped
• 1 carrot, shredded
• ¼ c. cranberries (these aren’t local but at least are from Ontario!!)  
• ¼ c. (candied) pecans/walnuts/almonds or sunflower seeds (optional)

• 2 Tb. olive oil
• 1 Tb. balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tb. mayonnaise (this is what holds everything together – an emulsifier)
• 1 Tb. lemon juice
• 1 Tb. honey
• Salt and Pepper

Begin by preparing a steamer—I use a bamboo steamer set over a frying pan with a half-inch of water in it.  Heat over medium heat.  Chop the kale into ribbons, about 2 inches long and ½ inch wide.  Steam them for about 5 minutes, long enough for them to turn a wonderful green color and soften without becoming limp and dead looking.  If your kale is really young and you like the taste fresh then you can do without steaming, I use an early Red Russian Kale from my garden this way.  While steaming the kale, shred the carrots.  If you like to sweeten this dish which I sometimes do then candy the nuts.  To do this add the nuts to a frying pan with 1 Tb. butter, 1 Tb. sugar (or honey, but it makes it stickier), a splash of water, and a dash of salt.  Fry, stirring occasionally, until the nuts darken.  It’s a fine line between getting them crispy and burning them so this takes a few tries maybe to get it just the way you like. 

Mix the kale and carrots together and toss with the dressing, reserving some if you like your salad a bit lighter.  Top with the cranberries and nuts or sunflower seeds (which in the version pictured I didn’t do).

100% Whole Wheat Bread

And the bread…. Well, long story short, I would recommend getting Peter Reinhart’s Whole Grain Breads.  But in the meantime you could also just try this recipe from the book.  On that blog the bread is cooked in a bread loaf pan while mine is baked more free-form.  Either way, it’s the same recipe with different shapes.

*Update: You can also try our 2:2:2 simple whole grain bread recipe or our go-to sourdough recipe.