I'll be making a Panko-crusted lentil and bulgar wheat patty, halved avocadoes with agave and lime, and garlic-salted crescent rolls. Yes, crescent rolls are vegan! For dessert, I was originally going to go the lazy route and serve Oreos, which also happen to be vegan, but then changed my mind...I'll have sliced bananas and be showing how to whip up a quick and easy and, most importantly, DELICIOUS chocolate sauce.
Recipes are below! All of the ingredients can be found at a "regular" grocery store, promise! Additionally, all of my recipes are very flexible! This makes them easy for the beginning chef ;)
Panko-Crusted Lentil and Bulgar Wheat Patty
It's easy to prep this mixture on the weekend, and eat it throughout the week! You can serve it as a dip, a filling for pita bread (along with some squash and onions or other veggies) or this patty!
a couple/few cups red lentils
a half-ish cup of bulgar wheat
a few cloves minced garlic
half of a diced onion
a few tablespoons olive oil
salt
pepper
white pepper
paprika
turmeric
cumin
coriander
chili powder
optional: firm or silken tofu (break it up into very small pieces), shredded carrot, shredded squash.
Feel free to sub in other spices or not use all of them if you like a different sort of flavor! If you don't have bulgar wheat, don't worry about it - the patties will be fine without it.
First, rinse the lentils in a colander in cold water until they stop foaming - that's the starch rinsing off.
Optional: saute the garlic and onion in a separate pan in olive oil to release their tasty, tasty juices
Then, throw them in a pot with enough water to cover them by about half an inch. Bring to a slow boil. After they've been gently boiling a couple minutes, add in all the other ingredients except for the dried spices. Add more water as needed - you want them to be a mush, but not so dry that they start burning on the bottom of the pot. If you're including any tofu, carrot, or squash, throw that in about now.
Once the lentils really start breaking down (it'll start resembling thick mashed potatoes), add in the spices. Keep tasting and adding more spices as necessary. Add salt last!
When it is sufficiently mushy, you're all done! If you're using this to make patties, refrigerate it until it is cool - this'll help the patty stay together.
To make patties, take a spoonful of the lentil mix, flatten it into some Panko crumbs, mash some more Panko on top, and fry in a pan with a little olive oil.
Halved Avocado with Agave and Lime
This quick and easy (and health!) side dish is easy to throw together while your lentil patties are frying!
Simply halve an avocado and remove the pit. Squeeze some lime over it, give a quirt of agave nectar in the center, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a Mrs. Dash spice blend of your choice. Garnish with green onion....and you're done!
Garlic-Salted Crescent Rolls
Yes, Pillsbury Crescent Rolls are vegan! Simply bake as directed - I like to sprinkle mine with a little garlic salt before throwing them in the oven. Who knew being vegan was this easy??
Vegan Homemade Chocolate Sauce
This is much cheaper than Hershey's, and probably healthier, too...as healthy as chocolate sauce can be, anyway! No preservatives or high fructose corn sugar!
Whisk together 1/2 cup cocoa powder and 1 cup coconut milk, then heat over a low/medium heat. Keep whisking or stirring to make sure they completely combine. Once it gets near a boil, whisk in 5 tablespoons of turbinado sugar, 1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla, a dash of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt...and that's it! Let it cool before sticking it in the fridge - it'll stay good for a month!
Serve this over soy or coconut ice cream, fresh fruit, or use it to make chocolate milk!
