Sweet Potato Burgers

This is another recipe that Tessa found. It's a nice, moist, vegan burger with a slightly sweet flavor and a delightful after-burn if you're heavy-handed with the seasonings. Granted, it'll fall apart as you eat it, but it's tasty. It's also quite healthy, packed with protein from the beans and nutrients from both the sweet potato and the beans. 

We ate them on Seeduction rolls from Whole Foods. (If you've never had Seeduction bread, you should go buy a loaf immediately.) I also left the skins on my sweet potatoes because they're organic and the most nutritious part of the vegetable. I tweaked the recipe and the seasonings, as well. Original recipe here.

2 cans cannellini white beans, drained
1 large sweet potato (or two small)
1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp seasoned salt

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or more, to taste)

fresh black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup wheat flour
plentiful whole wheat Panko crumbs
extra virgin olive oil for pan
Add-ons: avocado, whole wheat buns or rolls, lettuce/greens, olive oil, pepper

1. Bake the sweet potato (400 for about 45 minutes). Peel and place in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the drained beans to the mixing bowl. Mash the beans and potato together.
3. Mix in the seasoning and flour. Your mixture will be quite soft and moist, but you should be able to form a patty. Add more flour or a scoop of breadcrumbs to thicken the mixture if needed. (I ended up adding 1/4 cup breadcrumbs.)
4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan over high heat.
5. Form a patty from the mixture and coat in Panko crumbs. Then drop the patty into the pan. Repeat until the pan is filled. Cook until browned on both sides. (Baking also works-- 350 for about 40 minutes or until browned and crispy on the outside.)
6. Transfer the cooked patties to a paper towel to cool for a few minutes.
7. Serve on a toasted bun or roll with fresh avocado slices.

Serves seven to eight.

Tastes like chicken... burgers...

Chicken Marsala

Tessa thinks I'm crazy, and you may agree, but I love a good chicken marsala even though I don't like mushrooms. I'll order it at a restaurant, give Tessa all the mushrooms, and then eat the rest. Lately I've been craving it a lot, and trolling for new things to cook, so I figured, why not?

I borrowed my recipe from Emeril, and tweaked it to my liking, swapping out white flour in favor of whole wheat, and using more olive oil (and less butter). I also switched up the seasonings a little, and used less mushrooms than what you see below, since only one of us was eating them. The result satisfied my craving beautifully, especially when paired with some roasted potatoes and carrots.

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/8 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

cayenne pepper, to taste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in halves and pounded thin
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp butter, divided
3 cups sliced mushrooms
3/4 cup dry Marsala wine
1 cup chicken stock
Chopped chives or parsley, for garnish

1. In a shallow bowl or plate combine the flour, spices, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine thoroughly. Quickly dredge the chicken breast halves in the seasoned flour mixture, shaking to remove any excess flour.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Cook the chicken breasts until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside. 

3. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter to the pan and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are golden brown around the edges and have given off their liquid. 

4. Add the Marsala wine and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock and cook for 3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly. 

5. Lower the heat to medium and return the chicken breasts to the pan. Continue to cook until they are cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Swirl in the remaining tablespoon of butter, and add salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with chopped chives or parsley and serve hot.

Serves four.

Noooooooooooooooo!

Vegetable Pancakes

I love potato pancakes. Maybe it's my German blood, or maybe it's because they're so darn tasty and crispy and lovely. But last Hanukkah, my family decided to make two versions: traditional potato latkes, and one with carrots and parsnips mixed in, for a healthier take. Everyone except my dad found the mixed veggie potatoes tastier, and so I resolved to make them this way from now on.

Enter the following recipe, originally published here. I whipped it out a few days ago, since recently we've had more sweet potatoes than we know what to do with. I shredded a sweet potato and a zucchini in my food processor, which made about four cups, so I decided not to add any regular potatoes at all. They came out really tasty, and even a little nutty since I was short an egg and used a flax seed mixture instead. This dish is vegetarian, but could be made vegan by swapping out all of the eggs this way.

2 cups shredded veggies
2 eggs
1 Tbsp whole-wheat flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/6 tsp onion powder
dash of nutmeg and/or cayenne pepper (optional)
fresh black pepper, to taste
Olive oil for cooking
Applesauce (garnish)

1. Combine the shredded veggies with the eggs, flour, and spices. Mix thoroughly.
2. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. It is important that the heat is the right temperature because you want the pancakes to cook all the way through the middle by the time they are brown on the outside.
3. Once the oil has heated up, add dollops of the veggie mixture into the pan. Cook for several minutes, until the bottom starts to brown. Then flip and repeat.
4. Transfer cooked pancakes to a plate lined with paper towels.
5. Garnish with applesauce and serve warm.

Serves 2–3 as a side (double the recipe to make enough for two as an entree).

Hey! Where's our panca-- ooh, dreidel!