Appetite for Reduction (22 page)

OPTIONS TO TO SERVE:
Arugula or other salad greens
Chopped or sliced tomato
Diced or sliced cucumber
Sliced red onion
Lemon wedges
Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Pulse the chickpeas and garlic in a food processor. Add the onion, parley, olive oil, and hot sauce, and blend until relatively smooth, scraping down the sides if necessary to make sure you get everything.

Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. Mix in the 3 tablespoons of chickpea flour, cumin, coriander, paprika, baking powder, salt, and pepper. The mixture should be mushy but firm enough to shape into balls. If it doesn’t seem firm enough, add a tablespoon of chickpea flour.

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Form the mixture into walnut-size balls, then flatten a bit into patties. Place on the baking sheet. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes; they should be browned on the underside. Remove the falafel from the oven, spray them with a little cooking spray, then flip the falafel and bake for 8 to 10 more minutes.

They’re now ready to serve; try some of the suggestions above.

MAKES 6 BURGERS • ACTIVE TIME: 30 MINUTES • TOTAL TIME: 30 MINUTES

B
urgers with a smoky, spicy kick! Serve these topped with your favorite salsa alongside some
OMG
Oven-Baked Onion Rings
(page 59). Or, if you want some added heat, smash up a chipotle in ¼ cup of ketchup. These have a firm, bready exterior and a softer interior; they’re not trying to replicate meat, they’re veggie burgers! Lots of recipes in this book aren’t finicky, but this one you need to follow to the letter. To get the texture right you have to use store-bought bread crumbs and canned lentils; otherwise you’ll be messing with the dry and wet ingredient ratio too much.

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small red onion, cut into medium dice
½ pound zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced ½ inch thick
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, chopped (stems and leaves)
1 (15-ounce) can cooked lentils, drained and rinsed (1¼ cups)
1 cup bread crumbs
¼ cup chipotles, seeds removed, with adobe sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons smoked paprika

First, we’re going to sauté some veggies. Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed nonstick pan, preferably cast iron, over medium-high heat. Saute the onion for about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, garlic, cilantro, and a pinch of salt, and sauté for 7 to 10 minutes, until the zucchini is soft.

Transfer the zucchini mixture to a food processor. Add all the other ingredients except for ½ cup of the bread crumbs. Did you hear me? Reserve ½ cup of the bread crumbs! Pulse until mostly smooth, but there should still be a little texture. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Preheat the pan (the same one you already used to sauté in is fine) over medium heat. Add the remaining ½ cup of bread crumbs to the burger mixture and use a fork to thoroughly
combine.

Divide the burger mixture into six equal pieces. An easy way to do this is divide it in half, then divide each half into three basically equal portions. You can do that right in the mixing bowl if it’s large
enough.

Spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray. Form the burger portions into patties (see tip) and cook for about 12 minutes, flipping the burgers often, until they are nicely browned on both sides. Use cooking spray as necessary. Do three at a time for best results.

They taste great served immediately but they’re also excellent at room temperature, so don’t be afraid to stuff one into a sandwich and take it for lunch.

SERVES 4 • ACTIVE TIME: 15 MINUTES • TOTAL TIME: 50 MINUTES

O
kay, there aren’t really forty cloves of garlic here, I just always liked how 40-Clove Chicken sounded. But there
are
ten and that’s still a lot! The idea of this recipe is to chop up your brocs and have everything in the oven within 15 minutes and then go start your
Trapper John,
MD marathon, paint your toenails, and check on the food every once in a while. When it does come out of the oven, you’ll have a scrumptious garlicky meal, complete with tender (but not mushy) roasted broccoli and chickpeas that turn deliciously creamy (but not mushy!). The garlic should turn tender and creamy as well, and its flavor will mellow and sweeten.

It’s nothing fancy, don’t serve it to your in-laws, but when I’m just hanging out and desperately need something healthy with hardly any effort, then many a night I’ve thrown this together.

1 pound broccoli, cut into large spears, stems chopped
in ½-inch pieces
10 cloves garlic, smashed (see tip)
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 teaspoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 cup vegetable broth

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the broccoli, garlic, and chickpeas in a 9 by 13-inch baking pan. Drizzle them with oil, spray with a little nonstick cooking spray, and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the salt, several pinches of pepper, and the lemon zest and oregano. Once again, toss to coat. Spray a bit more for good measure, then pop it in the oven.

Bake for about 30 minutes, flipping once. Remove from the oven, flip again, and add the vegetable broth. Use a spatula to scrape up any crisp bits of flavor from the bottom on the pan. Return the pan to the oven for another 15 minutes, or until the garlic cloves are nice and tender and the broccoli is browned in some places.

SERVES 4 • ACTIVE TIME: 20 MINUTES • TOTAL TIME: 30 MINUTES

(CAN BE MADE GLUTEN FREE IF SERVED ON ITS OWN OR WITH CAULlPOTS)

W
hen I think of a dish that’s traditionally meaty and I don’t want to use the holy trinity (tempeh, tofu, and seitan), I usually reach for mushrooms. This dish is a perfect example. Mushrooms, wine, and garlic will have you reliving your Hungarian childhood. Make sure to get the smoked variety of paprika for that added depth of flavor. Serve over
Scarlet Barley
(page 69) or
Caulipots
(page 54).

1½ teaspoons olive oil
Small red onion, sliced thinly (about 1 cup)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
Several pinches of freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup dry red cooking wine
¼ cup vegetable broth
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme
1 (16-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
1 recipe Scarlet Barley or Caulipots (to serve)

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions in the oil until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, pepper, and salt; cook until lots of the moisture has been released, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.

Add the wine, broth, smoked paprika, and thyme. Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to a low boil. Boil for about 3 minutes. Lower the
heat and add the beans. Cook to heat through, about 5 more minutes. Use a strong fork to lightly mash some of the beans, to thicken the sauce. Just mash a few against the side of the pot and then mix ’em back in. Taste for salt and serve.

Serve over Scarlet Barley or Caulipots and litter with plenty of fresh dill.