This is a nice hearty dinner all from scratch that took me less than an hour to make, chopping included. It had been a long time since I made an “American style” dinner – entree, potatoes, veggie. The main difference between this and the typical US American meat and potatoes meal is the nutritional value. The recipes below are packed with nutrition and very low on fat and salt.
These Falafel patties are a great flexible option. You can make them work with a variety of sides just by adjusting the side dishes.
Baked Falafel Patties
INGREDIENTS
– 1 16 oz jar chickpeas/garbanzo beans (same thing)*
– 1 medium onion
– 2 tbsp teff flour (or any flour of your choice)
– Oil appropriate for cooking (high heat) like grapeseed
– Spices**:
– 2 cloves garlic
– 1 tbsp cumin
– 1 tbsp cilantro
– 1 tsp tumeric
– 1 tsp fenugeek
OR whatever spices you prefer/have handy
*I find that it’s a big money saver to buy dried beans in bulk and reconstitute a whole bunch in the pressure cooker (or slow cooker) then can and/or freeze them. Also saves us from worrying about BPA lined cans, but canned chickpeas will work just as well.
** Since I knew I was making gravy, I went with more “American” spices, to a degree. For a traditional mediteranean flavor use lots of cilantro and parsley, preferrably fresh, numeric, and coriander.
DIRECTIONS
1 Dice up the onions and mince the garlic. Let both sit for at least 5 minutes to maximize nutritional value.
2. Preheat the oven to 450 (or save a little power and don’t preheat).
3. Blend everything but the flour and oil in a food processor. It should be a rough paste.
4. Stir in the flour.
5. Coat the bottom of a baking dish with a thin layer of the oil.
6. Form the paste into patties roughly the size of small hamburgers and place them in the dish.
7. Mist, sprinkle, or brush the tops of the patties with oil.
8. Bake until the patties are just starting to brown on top. Flip them over (they should be browned on the bottom). Bake 10 more minutes.
9. Enjoy!
This recipe calls for boiling the potatoes because of the way things played out when I made it, but making it with roasted potatoes and a little rosemary takes it up to an unbelievable flavor – perfect for Thanksgiving.
Garlic Smashed Red Potatoes
INGREDIENTS
All amounts are flexible based on amount you want to make/have on hand
– small red potatoes (the smaller the better)
– garlic powder
– 1/4 c (or less) almond milk (unsweetened)
– 1/4 c (or more) Nutritional Yeast
DIRECTIONS
1 Wash your potatoes, but don’t peel them – there are tons of vitamins and minerals in the skin. Chop the potatoes into 11 inch chunks (or whatever, the smaller the chunks, the faster the boiling time).
2. Boil the potatoes until they are fork tender (no need to bring the water to a boil before adding the potatoes).
3. Drain the soft potatoes, sprinkle generously with garlic powder and nutritional yeast.
4. Mash with a potato masher (or your chosen mashing instrument), adding almond milk as needed to reach desired consistency.
5. Serve!
Sauteed Kale
INGREDIENTS
Amounts are flexible based on taste and how much you want to serve.
– 1 bunch fresh Kale (collards, mustard, turnip, or similar greens work, too), chopped to bites size.
– 1/2 a medium onion, diced and allowed to sit at room temp 5 minutes
– 2/3 cup roughly chopped mushrooms (I prefer shitake, but almost any mushrooms will do).
– garlic powder to taste
– 1 or 2 tbsp grapeseed or other high heat oil OR vegetable broth for sauteeing
DIRECTIONS
1 Sautee the onions and mushrooms in only as much oil* or vegetable broth* as is necessary to keep them from sticking until the onions begin to grow translucent.
2. When the onions start to become translucent, add the Kale to the pan.
3. Stir everything together in the pan, adding a few drops of oil* or broth* as necessary. I also like to add a splash of water to help wilt the kale.
4. Sprinkle garlic powder and pepper to taste.
5. As soon as all of the kale has wilted, the dish is ready to serve! Don’t overcook, this is a fast dish!
* For lower fat, sautee in vegetable broth instead!