Crispy Cutlets

So here is my recipe for Crispy Cutlets.  It is adapted from a recipe for chickpea cutlets from Veganomicon, one of my favorite vegan cookbooks.  I changed a few of the ingredients to make it more to my liking and I made the preparation significantly easier.  The original recipe calls for mashing the chickpeas by hand, which, imho, is very tedious.  So I decided to try to put all the ingredients into a food processor and the end result was really great!  A delicious, crispy cutlet full of protein and flavor.  This recipe makes 12 large cutlets because I like to have them for sandwiches for the kids’ lunches the next day and also just to have as leftovers in the fridge.  They seem to always be there when someone wants a snack.  They also freeze well.  And the best thing is you can prepare them differently every time.  They are shown here with mushroom gravy (and quinoa risotto and lima beans), but just last week I topped them with marinara and some daiya cheese and they made a perfect “chicken” parmesan.  Try them in any recipe that you used to make with chicken – you won’t be disappointed!

•  3 c cooked chickpeas (or 2 boxes of Fig Food Co chickpeas)
• 6 T olive oil
• 1 1/2 c vital wheat gluten (found in health food stores and in the healthy section of many supermarkets
• 1 1/2 c plain bread crumbs
• 3/4 vegetable stock
• 6 T soy sauce
• 6 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 t dried thyme

Process chickpeas and olive oil in food processor.  Add all other ingredients, except bread crumbs and vital wheat gluten.  Process well.  Pour into a large bowl.  Stir in the bread crumbs.  Then using your hands, knead the vital wheat gluten in until it is all incorporated.

Divide into 12 equal pieces.  Flatten each piece with your palm to make a nice, large cutlet shape.  Saute in a nonstick skillet in a small amount of olive oil, until nicely browned on each side.

Neatloaf and caesar salad

Okay – so meatloaf is not really anyone’s favorite food, right?  Yet it is easy to make and full of protein.  And with mashed potatoes and a salad, it’s a perfect weeknight meal.  So, I set out to make a vegan loaf with lots of flavor and I think this one’s pretty neat – hence the name “neatloaf”.  It’s also really delicious the next day, cold, in a sandwich.  This recipe can also be made into “burgers” instead, which are great on whole wheat rolls with lettuce, tomato, onion, daiya cheese and anything else you want to add!  And here’s a tip – Whole Foods sells bags of organic, frozen white and brown rice so you can just scoop out one cup, pop it in the microwave for 3 minutes, and then have that ingredient ready.  Or why not use some leftover rice from a recent Asian takeout order?

Neatloaf

1/2 cup walnuts
1 onion, chopped
1 T ground flax meal
3 T nutritional yeast
2 T ketchup
dash vegan worcestershire
1 t salt
2 cans (or better yet, cartons) pinto, black, navy, or any other bean, drained*
11/2 c (plus more) plain or seasoned breadcrumbs (may need to add another 1/2 c to get consistency of a thick cookie batter)
for the glaze: combine 1/2 c ketchup, 2 T brown sugar, and 1 t spike seasoning
 
Preheat oven to 350.  Spray an 8×8 pan with cooking spray.
In a food processor, process walnuts until ground.  Add the onion, flax, yeast, ketchup, worcestershire and salt.
Add beans and process to combine.
Add breadcrumbs and process until all incorporated.
Spread into prepared pan.
Bake for 40 minutes, then spread glaze on top and return to oven for 10 minutes more.
Let cool 10 minutes before slicing.  
 
for “burgers” – shape into round patties and bake for 30 minutes covered and then 10 more minutes with the glaze.  
 
* I love the new, small cartons of beans from Fig Food Co.  They are BPA-free cartons, not cans.  No lead, no toxic glue – and all from an organic and environmentally responsible company!  And –  no need to use that annoying can opener.