None of the Right Materials

I’m pretty sure this recipe originates somewhere on the web, but the recipe was given to me by a friend. They are my favorite homemade “meat substitutes.” Bellow is the recipe Cindy gave me with a few changes. Wheat gluten can be a bit tricky to find. If you’re in Florida, if a the branch carries it, Publix stocks it in the health food section, right next to the gluten-free products… Whole Food also sells it in bulk, probably for less money, as one of the two things more reasonable at Publix, the other being tofu.

1 cup chickpeas

1/3~ish cup wheat gluten

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup veg stock (or water)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp minced garlic

a pinch of lemon zest or 2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp paprika

1/8 cup fresh parsley or 2 tsp dry parsley

some sprinkles of cayenne

The wheat gluten kinda varies depending on how chewy or crumbly you want the cutlets to be. I like a third of a cup, but you could use up to half a cup.

1. Mash or blend the chickpeas with the oil.
2. Add the other ingredients and knead until you just start to see the strings of gluten. This should be 2 or 3 minutes. The more you knead the more gluten forms, which tends to make it denser.
3. Then you just divide the dough up into whatever size you want the cutlets to be. Roll them out on a floured surface. You sometimes have to alternate mashing and rolling because the gluten is stubborn. (I just tend to mush them into patties.)
4. They should be about 1/4 in thick. Then just pan-fry them until they’re golden brown!

Tips

You can change around the seasonings. I’ve made them with ginger, garlic, and soy sauce before.

This is the first and only meal my original roommates and I cooked from the random ingredients we all have. The living situation might not have worked out, but the recipe is relatively cheap and delicious. It’s also good for potlucks. Coconut milk gives the rice a great flavor.

1 cup white rice

1coconut milk

1 can black beans

1 can corn

½ cup green onions

1 lemon

Chili Powder to taste

1. Cook rice in coconut milk. Double check the rice’s cooking instructions. For American white rice the ratio of liquid to rice is 2:1. Typically a can of coconut milk is 2 cups, though its good to double check. If you want to cook more rice you can add extra water instead of  extra coconut rice.
2. Bring coconut milk (and water) to boil in a saucepan.
3. Add rice, turn down to simmer (medium low heat), and cover pan.
4. Cook for 20 minutes, or per rice packet’s instructions.
5. While rice is cooking, drain the beans and corn and heat in a saucepan. Add chili powder to taste.
6. Chop up green onions
7. When rice is done, squeeze lemon juice into the rice.
8. Serve rice with beans and corns and green onions.

This is my favorite simple Indian recipe from Food & Wine. It is relatively cheap if you have all the spices. If you enjoy Indian food, it might be worth purchasing some from an Indian grocer. My dad gave me my spices as a gift, but he said that they were relatively reasonable. The spices in this recipe seem to be  common in many recipes . I edited the recipe to my taste- I don’t like cilantro.

Paste

1 tsp finely grated ginger

1 garlic clove, mashed to a paste

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

3 tbs canola oil

¼ tsp cumin seeds

1 small shallot, minced

1 tbs tomato paste mixed with 1 tbs of water

Lentils

1 ¼ cups dried lentils

¼ tsp ground turmeric

4 ounces of green beans, cut into ¾ lengths

4 ounces of kale, stemmed and leaved finely chopped

1 medium carrot, thinly sliced

½ tsp cayenne pepper

Salt

Paste

1. In a small bowl, combine the ginger, garlic, coriander, and ground cumin and ¼ cup of water to make a paste.
2. In a small skillet, heat the oil until shimmering.
3. Add the cumin seeds and cook over moderately high heat for 5 seconds, just until sizzling.
4. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
5. Add the spice paste and let cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until think, about a minute longer

Lentils

1. In a saucepan, combine lentils with the turmeric and 5 cups of water; bring to a boil.
2. Cover partially and simmer over low heat for 20 minute, until the lentils are barely tender.
3. Add the green beans, kale, carrot,  and the cayenne and season with salt. Cook until the vegetables are tender, 15 minutes.
4. Scrape in the paste. Simmer for 5 minutes, then serve.

Tips

To cut down costs, you can use any vegetables that would taste good boiled, depending on the prices at the grocery store. Frozen spinach works well. I personally don’t like carrots and kale much.

I’ve always used onions instead of shallots because that’s what I have around. Either would work well.

I might try to make the paste while cooking the lentils to cut back on time.