Lentil Fritters with Cucumber Sauce

Often times I'll decide to make something from a magazine or a cookbook but months later, I'm wondering why I have these ingredients in my cupboard.  It usually happens with new oils or vinegars and then I have to page through all of my food sources to find what it is I meant to cook.  I try really hard to menu plan, but I'm easily swayed by my food moods and all plans fly out the window.  After taking inventory of my cupboards and finding two cans of lentils, I decided that it was time to make the lentil fritters I read about months ago.  I made a few changes to the original Food Network recipe and instead of serving the fritters in pita pockets with a cabbage slaw, I paired them with a delightfully flavorful and simple cucumber yogurt sauce.  This was an easy and satisfying dish, perfect for lunch or dinner.  Or both in the same day! 

Lentil Fritters with Cucumber Sauce

adapted from Food Network Magazine

serves 4

Ingredients

for fritters

2 15-ounce cans cooked lentils

1/2 tsp cumin

1 garlic clove

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

olive oil for cooking

for sauce

1 8-ounce container (personal size) plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced

1/2-1 cup chopped cilantro

juice from half of a lemon

1/4 tsp cumin

salt & pepper to taste

Directions

In a food processor, combine one can of lentils, the garlic clove, and cumin.  Place the mixture in a bowl and add the other can of lentils, bread crumbs, cilantro, and salt & pepper.  Stir to combine. 

In a large skillet, drizzle some olive oil and heat over medium heat.  Form small patties with the lentil mixture.  When the oil has heated, place 4-5 lentil fritters into the pan and cook until a deep brown.  Flip and cook the other sides.  Continue until you've made as many fritters as you like (think 4 small fritters per person per serving).

In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the yogurt sauce.  Taste to adjust seasonings.  Serve the lentil fritters with the cucumber yogurt sauce on the side. 

Friends on Food

I love garlic.  I feel as though I use garlic in everything, even when the recipe doesn't call for it.  I usually double the amount of garlic called for in a recipe, and 98% of the time, my hands smell like garlic.  I'm like walking vampire repellent.  But instead of cooking with garlic today, I'm going to indulge my love for garlic with a Friends on Food.  Love it!

Also, I'd totally try a garlic martini.  Could be delicious. 

Season 9 - The One with Rachel's Dream

Phoebe: Well at least all my songs don't taste like garlic. Yeah, there are other ingredients Monica.
Monica: Okay, so that's what we're doing. You know, when I'm in the coffee house bopping along to one of your songs, I'm wearing ear plugs.
Phoebe: Ear plugs, or cloves of garlic?!
Monica: You know what? I take back what I said before. You keep playing at the restaurant, because with your music driving people inside, my bar sales are going up like crazy.
Phoebe: What are people having, the garlic Martini?!

Sweet & Sour Vegetables

It seems like winter has finally caught up with us Minnesotans.  By late January, we're usually accustomed to bundling up, wearing arctic-approved boots and mittens, and having our eyelashes freeze during the brief walk from car to work.  But we've been spoiled this year, lured into a false sense of prolonged mild weather.  Then BAM!  Sub-zero temperatures and blistering windchills snap everyone back into reality.  I know it's truly winter when my car is reluctant to start in the mornings. 

Brrrr...that's chilly.  When it's this cold, I like to eat heavier, saucier, meatier (mushrooms!) dishes that will stick to my bones and keep me and my kitchen warm.  But after a few days of indulgence, I begin to crave healthier versions of these decadent meals.  I turned to a favorite cookbook of mine for some inspiration: Global Vegetarian Cooking. 

The cover doesn't lie -- this book is filled with recipes that are both quick and easy.  And as I learned this week, the recipes also lead to excellent food.  It features appetizers, salads, soups, main courses, and desserts from around the world.  I bought my copy at Ten Thousand Villages in St. Paul.  A sound investment on my part.

I decided to cook up some sweet-and-sour vegetables.  I wanted the fresh, healthy snap of veggies, but the soothing comfort of sweet-and-sour sauce.  I used the recipe in the cookbook as a jumping off point, and added a multitude of fresh, colorful vegetables that I found at Whole Foods.  The carrots added a crunch, the cucumbers added a surprising sweetness, and the kale wilted perfectly to round off the dish with some vitamin-packed greenery.  Look at all of those beautiful colors!  You can add any combination of fresh or frozen vegetables you have on hand to create this dish.

I was also excited to break out my wok for the first time.  Turns out, cooking in a wok is pretty great!  A wok allows you greater cooking surface at higher temperature, perfect for stir frying vegetables before drenching them in a sweet-and-sour sauce.  Speaking of which, the sauce was delightfully easy to prepare and had a perfect balance of sweet and sour.  I added a touch more soy sauce than the recipe called for originally, mostly because I have a love for all things salty.  All of this served over a serving of hearty brown rice and you have a great cure for these new, winter blues.

Sweet and Sour Vegetables

adapted from Global Vegetarian Cooking

serves 2

Ingredients

for the rice

1 cup long-grain brown rice

2 cups of vegetable stock

for the stir-fry

1 small white onion, sliced thin

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup of English cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced (it's about 1/3 of a medium-sized cucumber)

Large handful of cremini mushrooms, wiped clean, stemmed, and sliced

1 cup kale, washed, stemmed, and chopped into bite-sized pieces

1/4 cup frozen corn

1/4 cup frozen green beans

1/3 cup diced pineapple

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

*optional: 1 cup of a protein of choice

for the sweet-and-sour sauce

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons pineapple juice
3 tablespoons tomato sauce

Directions 

In a small pan or rice cooker, cook the rice in the stock according to the package directions.

In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the sweet-and-sour sauce.  Use a fork or small whisk to incorporate everything.  Set aside.

Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large sauce pan or wok.  Once hot, add the sliced onions and stir-fry until the onions are soft.  Add the minced garlic and saute for another minute.  Then begin to add the vegetables.  Start with the veggies that will take longer to cook, such as carrots or bell peppers.  Once those have begun to soften, add your remaining vegetables and pineapple.  Stir fry for a minute, then add the red pepper flakes.  Continue to cook until the vegetables are softened. 

Pour the sweet-and-sour sauce over the vegetables and saute until the sauce has completely coated the vegetables. 

Spoon a serving of rice onto your plate and top with the saucy veggies.  Breathe in the delicious aroma.  Then dig in.