15 Bean Soup with Herb and Garlic Focaccia Bread

15 Bean Soup

(click link above for recipe)

My husband made this soup yesterday and it was delicious! Here are some changes that he made:

1. Soaked beans over night
2.Green onions were only onions used
3. No dried parsley, rosemary, or flavor packet from beans
4. Add  additional can of diced tomatoes, 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 package of chopped fresh mushrooms, and 1 TBS of season salt

Served with toasted herb and garlic Focaccia bread!

Lentil burgers

We (my son and I) loved these! My son said they were really good and I needed to make a lot! My husband said if he was a vegetarian and stranded on a deserted island, he might eat them, but he'd rather have a hamburger. Here is the recipe as written. Then, I'll tell you how I did it - I didn't use all these ingredients.

This recipe is from "365 Ways to Cook Vegetarian" by Kitty Morse.

1 1/4 cups dried lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 egg
3 Tablespoons wheat germ
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
2 Tablespoons sliced black olives, drained
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 small onion, chopped finely
1 small carrot, shredded
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
3 Tablespoons butter

Coconut Relish
3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 teaspoon sugar

1. In a large saucepan, combine lentils with 4 cups of water.  Cook, covered, over medium heat, until lentils are tender, 25-30 minutes; drain.

2. In a blender or food processor, combine cooked lentils and egg.  Pulse, turning machine quickly on and off 5 or 6 times, until lentils are coarsely mashed.  Transfer to a large bowl.

3. Add wheat germ, Worcestershire, hot sauce, olives, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, onion, and carrot. Mix well to blend.

4. Spread bread crumbs on a large plate.  With hands, fashion lentil patties. Dredge in bread crumbs to coat both sides. In a large frying pan, melt butter over medium heat. With a wide spatula, carefully set lentil patties inside frying pan. Cook, turning once, until golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes on each side. Place on a paper towel covered plate.

5. Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, combine cilantro leaves with lemon juice, coconut, ginger, 2 Tablespoons water, and sugar. Process until cilantro is chopped. Transfer to a small serving bowl.

6. Serve lentil patties hot, with coconut relish on the side.

First of all, I did not make the coconut relish (skipped number 5). I did not use a blender or food processor to mash the lentils with egg. I just mashed by hand with a pastry blender. I omitted olives and instead of bread crumbs, I ground oatmeal into a flour consistency. Instead of dredging patties into the bread crumbs, I just mixed the oatmeal flour into the mixture to give it a thicker consistency. I used way more hot sauce than 1/8 teaspoon and LOTS of salt and pepper. I used salt and pepper in the bowl, then again while I was frying, than sprinkled with season salt on the plate. I used olive oil instead of butter to fry them. I also added a generous amount of cayenne pepper and we still didn't taste the heat from the hot sauce or cayenne. Next time I'll add some more. My son ate his with pickles and ketchup and I ate mine with Heinz 57 sauce. Dijon mustard would be good too. Some recipes suggest letting the mixture chill for several hours to help keep them together. I did not and didn't have trouble with them staying together. I also used almost a WHOLE bag of lentils rather than the 1 1/4 cups it called for. The lentils, wheat germ, egg, and ground oatmeal provided an abundant source of protein and other valuable nutrients and fiber.

Vegetarian Breakfast Burritos To Go

I needed something healthy, fast, and easy to eat on the go for breakfast. It needed lots of protein for my vegetarian son and able to be made ahead of time that would keep either in the fridge or freezer. I got this idea from my friend, Barb Barsch. I made a large batch for the week(s) ahead.

Protein-packed Vegetarian Breakfast Burritos To Go

4-5 cups frozen hash browns
2 cans black beans, drained
10 eggs
2 cups shredded cheese
salsa
9 large tortillas (I used sun-dried tomato and jalapeno and cheddar)
2 cups yellow and green peppers, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
minced garlic
olive oil
ground mustard (optional)
ground cumin (optional)
ground sage (optional)
seasoned salt
garlic powder
cayenne pepper
cholulu sauce

All measurements are estimates for proportion purposes. I had leftover hash brown/egg mixture.

Saute peppers, onions, and garlic (or any other vegetables you desire) with some olive oil. Add all seasoning; ground mustard, cumin, sage, seasoned salt, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, cholula hot sauce. Mix vegetable mixture, beaten eggs, cheese, black beans, and frozen hash browns in a very large baking dish. Bake covered for an hour or until hash browns and eggs are cooked. Taste. Add more seasonings, if necessary. Warm tortillas in microwave. Spoon mixture in the middle of tortillas. Add salsa on top. Make a burrito. If you want to cut in half, fold BOTH sides in. Wrap in saran wrap. Store in refrigerator or freezer. Warm up in microwave for 30 seconds (thawed) or 1-2 minutes if frozen on busy mornings and eat on the GO!