11/2/11 - Beet Burgers today from the Red section. I have been looking forward to these all week. Because we love a veggie burger in this house and have many recipes for them. But it's always exciting to find a new one. So, keenly we bought our beetroots and I was all set to make these splendid looking burgers. It wasn't a hard recipe to follow. Throw all the ingredients into a large bowl and stir together. And that is exactly what I did. Beetroots, bulgar wheat, flour, parsley, cayenne pepper, breadcrumbs, toasted sesame and sunflower seeds, onion, oil. garlic and tamari all in the bowl and I mixed. And I mixed and try as I might I couldn't get the mix to stay together. And I added more flour and then some more bulgar as instructed in the recipe but in the end I had neither left to add in. I was covered in purple and frustrated and very disappointed. What a shame. I set about with a 1/3 cup measure and tried to make the best of a bad job. The patties were falling apart as I sat them on the baking sheet so I knew I was doomed before they even hit the oven. I made 15 patties from the mix. They were just too fragile to 'flip' half way through the cooking time. So 25 minutes later I was left with a sheet of pattie crumbs and some partially formed burgers.
The Result:
The taste of the patties crumbs was delicious. And I managed to keep one pattie together long enough to make up a 'completed burger' for the photos. However this is not how we ate our burgers. I had made some Garlic Aioli the day before to go with the burgers so in the end I heated up the burger bits and then mixed with the Aioli and ate them 'Sloppy Joe' styley! lol And the combination was really very good. I think when I try these again, and I will, I'll maybe add some silken tofu as a glue. And I will reduce the amount of seeds but that is just my personal preference. The burger bits residing in my freezer shall be used as salad sprinklings and Sloppy Joe filling. I will update this review when I've tried them with a better (in my opinion) binder. Tasty and beautiful coloured burgers...
12/2/11 - I'm cooking the Roasted Garlic Soup today. I chose this recipe to test because we both love a good garlic soup. However I've never made a roasted garlic soup before. So I currently have 4 large bulbs of garlic roasting in the oven. The smell is divine. Its hard to not give in to the urge to smear the soft roasted cloves on some bread when they are baked. lol.
But that is an indulgence best saved for another day. The ingredients for this soup are garlic obviously, olive oil, leeks, onion, potato, veggie stock, dry white wine, soya milk and lemon juice. As a recipe its a little heavy on the starches, compared to what I make for everyday consumption but today is a testing day so I happily put this together. And after the 35 mins it took to roast my garlic (not the hour recommended) its a very simple soup to make.
The Result:
On the whole this is a good soup. Its mellow and creamy. For me, the only thing that stops this from being a '10' is the milk. But I don't tend to favour soups that have milk or cream added to them. But with the list of ingredients and the roasted garlic I wanted to give this a try. I would happily eat it again. And if My Love requests it, I shall make it, maybe without the milk next time.
13/2/11 - This afternoon I made two of the salads from Color Me Vegan
. First I made the Minted Chickpea Salad. I adore Chickpeas and they are eaten frequently, well anytime I can find an excuse I will eat them. I love them in things, on things, roasted for a snack....OK I admit it...I'm a chickpea-oholic! And I am at one with my addiction. Thank you very much! lol The ingredients for this salad were simple and I always have bagged chopped fresh herbs in my freezer for the winter months. Chickpeas, red cabbage, white cabbage, red onion, garlic, lemon juice, fresh mint, tomatoes and olive oil and seasonings. What is not to like?? 
The Result:
A vibrant and delicious salad indeed. The textures mix well and the chickpeas hold it all together. I erred on the side of caution this time by putting the minimum amount of mint in but next I will try the maximum as the mint is greatly shadowed by the red onion and cabbages. But I will definitely be making this salad again...and again. lol
The only down side to this salad was the aroma. When I opened the container to take some out I was hit by the cabbage and onion whiff! But otherwise a great salad.
The second Salad of the day was the Black Beluga Lentil Salad. Thankfully we love lentils in this house because we eat a lot of them. In all their glorious and varying forms. And I do like a good lentil salad. My Love isn't quite as keen but always willingly tries them. This salad is very simple to throw together once you have cooked the Lentils. Black Beluga Lentils, carrots, toasted almonds, spring onions, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh oregano and parsley make up this salad. I waited patiently to try it.
The result:
This is heaven on a plate for me. The depth of flavours are just beautiful. The textures are sublime. The fresh herbs come through and almost soothe. This is comfort food in the form of a salad. If you like lentils I urge you strongly, to make this yourself.
14/2/11 - Irish Mashed Potatoes with Kale (Colcannon) is on the menu today. I have a tricky relationship with Kale. If its well cooked I like it particularly steamed with fennel. If it's not..then I really struggle. But My Love likes the green leafy very much so I do try and find new ways of serving it. So with My Love in mind I decided this recipe would be excellent for the testing. Onion is sauted and then joined by Kale and Garlic. The potatoes are boiled and mashed with a little vegan marg and some black pepper and nutmeg. I have to confess I didn't stick to the complete recipe. I omited the milk and extra marg on the top of the potatoes. I also made it earlier in the day and opted for the bake off in the oven method. I'm also experimenting with baked Tofu at the moment and this is what I plan to serve with it.
The result:
Part Three on its way!!
