It's probably a good sign when your husband walks in the door, and the first thing he says is
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“Oh my God, the house smells fantastic! Please tell me it's lunch.”
Hah
If you've read the-little-veggies-blog-that-could for any amount of time, you'll know of my great love for Bittman
Simple, delicious recipes, with lots of variations
Not just pat variations, but those that are truly interesting and make you think. A few come to mind
“If you'd like to add flavor to this dish, choose an herb-infused oil, or smoked tofu instead of regular for a hint of complexity.”
This week as we feature all things vegetarian, I couldn't help but reach for his Food Matters cookbook.
My thought process for building a meal
Start with protein first, and build from there. What are the best quality choices available at the moment?
As a carnivore, I've got the list down pat, but this vegetarian business? Ok, let's see ..
Edamame, I'm positive is a choice.
Pancakes and I have had an ongoing love affair as long as I can remember. I really liked the idea that the veggies themselves create the cake, instead of making sort of batter first and adding green things to it
I could make them big (dinner size) or small (snacks) If I needed a few more carbs to complete the meal, I could easily chop veggies and add them to either to the cakes themselves or have them on the side
Healthy oils for a fat source
Asian flavored sauces are always welcome
We had some for lunch. The rest didn't last until sundown because they're that good!
Enjoy
xoxo
ps: If your cakes end up on the crumbly side. When this happens to me, adding more of the reserved edamame cooking liquid (probably more than I'd have thought I needed) has remedied the problem.
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~ Adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook
Edamame Cakes
Ingredients
Dipping/Drizzling sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp fresh minced garlic
- 1 tsp fresh ginger
Edamame Cakes
- 2 cup edamame (fresh or frozen)
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- ½ cup sliced scallions
- 1 egg (large or XL)
- salt and pepper
- whole wheat flour, as needed to thicken
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil.
- Add the edamame and boil for 5 - 10 minutes, until tender. Drain, reserving a cup or so of the cooking water.
- In the meantime, make the sauce by combining the soy sauce, rice vinegar, half of the 1 Tbsp sesame oil, garlic, and ginger in a small bowl.
- Transfer the beans to a food processor and pulse a couple of times to break them down. Add the remaining edamame, egg, scallions, 1 Tbsp sesame oil, salt, and pepper. Process until combined but not finely pureed; you'll want a thick batter with some texture that drops from a spoon. (Do not puree)
- If the mix is too stiff, stir in a little of the reserved cooking water; if to wet, add a little flour.
- Cook as you would a pancake, in a bit of olive oil in a skillet or on your griddle
- Keep the finished cakes in a warm oven (200° F) while you finish the others
- Serve hot or at room temp with the soy drizzling sauce.
1 Comment
Insanely good. I may say that a lot, but this time I really, really mean it. More.