Tag Archives: beans

Eggs, Food, pulses, scratch cooking

Quick post about egg replacements…

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Well, the price of eggs is currently rocketing up, and it doesn’t look like they are going to come down for a while.

Now, eggs are marvelous things and it’s nearly impossible to replace them (over easy is my favorite way, and you can’t easily fake those), but for some things, you can use something else.

If you know me, you know I love my pulses. So I will let you know there is something lurking in a can of chick peas/ceci/garbanzo beans/ chana dal (I will never for the life of me know why the shortest names isn’t the one we settled on).

So get your can of ceci. Open it and strain it, SAVING THE LIQUID. That liquid is called ‘aquafaba’ or ‘bean water’. And 3 T of it will replace an egg in baking or cooking. Can you fry it over easy? No. Can you use it as a binder in your meatloaf? Yes. Can you use it in place of your egg bath when breading something? Yes. Can you use it in baking? Yes. Can you use it as an egg wash? Yes- but it will only brown, not get glossy.

Can you make angel food cake with it? Yes- but it will take a LOT of beating. But yes, meringues can be made out of it.

So, for scrambling and frying and dipping toast into, you’d have to splurge on real eggs. But for cornbread or brownies or breaded pork chops, you can use a little bean juice instead. And ceci just has no real color or flavor, so it works very well. It also freezes, so you can just pop a serving out when you need it.

And what to do with those beans (peas) that are leftover? Well, other than making hummus (who doesn’t love hummus?) I’m going to share with you a ceci salad and a ceci ‘scramble’— both good ways to eat them that are slightly eggy in their own way.

So get a medium sized fry pan and cook

      1/8 of an onion, diced

            1T oil

For about 3-5 minutes. Add

            2 cloves garlic minced

Cook about 1 minute. Add

1 cup ceci

            ¼ tsp turmeric

            Salt and black pepper

Mash and heat through. Add

            Pinch cayenne

            1 tsp lemon juice

1 ½ tsp parsley, minced

Serve it up. A bowl of that is a large breakfast and a great way to get your pulses in.

And a ceci salad that is decent on crackers or as a sandwich filling:

2 cups ceci (about 1 can), slightly mashed

1 dill pickle, minced (or pickle of your choice)

¼ cup red onion, diced

Mix those in a bowl. Dress with a mixture of these, and serve.

            2T mayo (use vegan if you are)

            2 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp prepared mustard

            ¼ tsp each salt and pepper

1/8 tsp turmeric

That’s that. Of course, trade out ingredients you hate or don’t have, but the turmeric does help the color and flavor. I made the salad the other day, so I have a photo of that.  

And here is hoping the prices go back down…

Buffalo, Food, health, pulses, whole grain

Ceci ‘wing’ bowl

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This is a relatively fast, moderately healthy, and delicious meal that has a ton of fiber and taste.

If you are craving Wings, this may help hit the spot.

This quantity will serve about 4 people.

4 cups prepared bulgur*

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Toss these together.

2 carrots, cleaned and diced

3 scallions, diced

2 large celery stalks, diced

Mix all of these together in a bowl and remove about 1/3 of a cup for an end garnish.

Cook the rest in about 2 1/2T of butter, with salt and pepper for about 3 minutes. You want these lightly cooked, not soggy.

Toss the cooked veg with the bulgur and portion into 4 bowls

3T butter

2 cups (a bit more than 1 can) ceci/chickpeas/garbanzos/chana
1/4 tsp salt


In the same pan you did the veg in, melt the butter and add the ceci. Stir it up.

3 Tablespoons Frank’s (or other good hot sauce you like to taste)
1T white vinegar

Add to the ceci

Top the bulgur with the ceci. Then add the reserved veg.

3T blue cheese crumbles

Add to the bowls. Serve with blue cheese dressing.

* bulgur is amazing. Think of it as a whole grain minute rice- it’s cracked and steamed wheat that you basically just have to either pour water over in the morning and let it soak while you go about your day, or bring it to a boil and let it sit for about 15 minutes while you get the rest of your meal on. And it’s delicious- creamy and nutty and a whole grain that is just perfect for getting your fiber up!

Food, pulses, Uncategorized

Bean burgers

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Back to my plan of cooking through my clipped recipe file! I have been cooking, just not updating. So anyway, I remembered about the idea when looking through the old posts, and although a bit late today, I will jump right in. With tonight’s dinner, bean burgers.

These were printed off the internet, with no quantities to the ingredients. And I just changed what I did see to round it out more. They smell great, and I can’t wait to cook them and eat them! Trying to serve with polenta and a green salad and some sauteed cauliflower (it’s in the fridge).

Polenta is in the Instant Pot. I have been making a lot of polenta lately because I accidentally bought an extra package of cornmeal and am trying to eat through it. The Instant Pot makes polenta simple and hands off, so now I am making polenta all the time. 🙂

Here’s the recipe for the polenta, barley, and salt potatoes. 🙂

And an IP is here. I recommend it, if you like beans. [amazon_link asins=’B00FLYWNYQ’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’002′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’227c125e-ad77-11e8-81ea-b56f006ec6a3′]

I chopped up some celery, cauliflower and tomato to cook fast in some butter. The lemon and scallion is to finish it off the heat.

So tasty! I made these a few hours ago, and put them in the fridge as is. They held together well and flipped nicely. There is an egg in them so it’s not vegan. I bet aquafaba would work, but I went with the egg.

Oil is ready to cook in when it thinks out and shimmers. You want to leave space for the burgers to cook and not steam.

Those will go for 5min and then be flipped. Five more and then dressed on the plate.

That’s the spiced mayonnaise, and pickled cukes that go on top. It was a hit, although DH suggested the cucumber be chopped like a relish to make it easier to eat with the burgers. Or croquettes— coquettes are breaded and have a crispy outside nad a creamy inside. That’s way more what these are like than a ‘burger’.

And the recipe:

3 cloves garlic

1 cup cilantro leaves whir in processor (or chop?)

I used 3 cups of leftover beans from the Make Your Own Beans I posted earlier.

1 T soy sauce

1 T rice vinegar

1T dark sesame oil

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp siracha

pinch salt

whir together until mixed but still chunky. add

1 egg (or 3 T bean juice) and whir until mixed. You do NOT want a paste.

put into a bowl and mix in ~ 3/4 cups of bread crumbs (until it holds together) Let sit while making the condiments. Then make into patties (I made 7), and bread with a mix of

1/3 cup breadcrumbs

3 T sesame seeds

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne powder

Refrigerate several hours. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat, add burgers, and fry on each side about 5 minutes, turning once until golden brown.

Serve topped with a dollop of mayo and spoonful of relish.

Relish:
1/2 diced cucumber (1/2 a medium sized one) with seeds removed

1 T rice vinegar

1/2 tsp brown sugar

a bit of lemon zest

pinch salt

let sit to cure

Mayonnaise

1/3 cup mayonaise

3 T cilantro, minced

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1/3 tsp siracha

mix well.

And for lunch today, a cold crumbled burger on green salad. Still good!