Burgers... of the veggie sort

I love a good burger. It is an occasional essential to me. So we saw the recipe that started this, er... experiment on "Good Eats." It seemed delicious and nutritious! What a mix.

Personally, I don't eat veggie burgers because I have some thing against meat. In fact, I'm a pretty big fan of it. However, I like to try new and different things and this recipe just happened to fit into that. As we are trying to eat leaner and more nutritiously dense foods, trading in the greasy cheeseburger for a turkey burger sounded like a good coice. But why not an occasional heaping serving of vegetables on a whole wheat bun? So we gave this recipe a try. It took two attempts to get it to where I was very happy with it. And I'll discuss some other changes I might try in the future after I give you the recipe. Start to finish does take a bit of time, but they refrigerate well for a few days so we made it early in the week and then had a quick option for throwing together lunch or dinner for quite a few meals

2 tbsp olive oil, split

1/2 chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
kosher salt and black pepper
2 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped carrots
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
3 cups broth*
1 cup dry split peas, picked and rinsed
1/2 cup dry brown rice
2 tsp coriander
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp hot sauce
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

Heat 1 TBSP of olive oil in 4-6 quart saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion and bell pepper along with a generous pinch of salt. Carmelize for about 5 minutes. Turn down to medium heat, add the garlic, mushrooms and carrots and cook for another 5 (ish) minutes.

Add the broth, peas, rice, coriander, cumin, hot sauce, and worcestershire sauce. Increase heat to high and bring to boil. Decrease heat to low, cover and cook at a simmer for 1 hour or until the rice and peas are tender.

Remove from heat and gently pour the mixture into the bowl of a food processor (a stick blender would also be a convenient way to do this). Process until combined (about 5-10 pulses). Pour this mixture into a bowl and add 3/4 cup bread crumbs. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Shape this mixture into patties and dredge each side in the remaining 1/4 cup of bread crumbs**. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add 2 burgers at a time and saute until brown on each side (3-4 minutes per side depending on your stovetop). Serve immediately.

* I recommend low fat low salt broth. It will still give you great flavor without nearly doubling the sodium content of this recipe, the way that traditional broth does. Also, use you favorite flavor of broth. If you are interested in this recipe for the vegan / vegetarian aspect, clearly you want vegetable broth. As I said earlier, we have nothing against meat. I wanted to give the burgers a little bit of a "beefy / meaty" flavor so I used beef broth.

** You can also put a little parmesan cheese in the crumbs, or extra spices and herbs. The point of the bread crumbs is to give your burgers that crispy carmelized texture you get when you heat up a burger.

The recipe also mentions you can grill these burgers. I see no problem in that as they do have a pretty solid texture, however I have not tested it myself. You may want to have a skillet heat on backup...

Now, for what I'm going to try differently next time: Defintely will be getting experimental with adding more spices and maybe some fresh herbs. While these were the most flavorful veggie burgers I've ever made, it did take a good bit of salt. I think you could cut some of this out with the addition of maybe some celery seed, fresh parsley and cilantro....  Also, I want to try putting in black beans instead of brown rice as this gives a serving a little bit more of a protien punch, and you get plenty of carbs from the vegetables and bun. And as far as vegetables: go crazy! You can add anything your little heart desires. Things that have tougher dispositions (celery, green beans, parsnips...) should be sauteed early whereas veggies that cook quicker or are frozen can be added pretty late in the game (broccoli, corn...) And lastly, garnish this the same way you would with your favorite burger: lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, mushrooms, onions...

Nutritional content:
calories 128
calories from fat: 26
total fat: 2.9g
saturated fat: .5g
trans fat: 0.0g
cholesterol: 0mg
sodium: 388mg
total carbohydrates: 19.8g
dietary fiber: 4.3g
sugars: 2.4g
protein: 6g
vitamin a: 15%
vitamin c: 9%
calcium: 3% 
iron: 8%

So go out into the world and enjoy a vegetable every once in a while. It can be a rather tasty experience...
Cheers! LiA

References:
caloriecount.about.com
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/split-pea-burgers-recipe/index.html

Brunch is beautiful

So, last Sunday was mother's day. And as such, we packed up a few trusty kitchen staples and headed over to mom's to make her breakfast. On the menu, apple barley waffles and homemade hashbrowns.

The deliciousness that is the waffle got me to thinking.... just how long has the waffle been about? Its been a known breakfast staple for as far back as I can think of, but it turns out, that almost every human in history has enjoyed a waffle (or its ancestor, the griddle cake).

It all started back just a few years ago during the neolithic age... sometime between 6000 and 2000 BCE. Here there is evidence of griddle cake beginnings when flat cakes are cooked on hot stones. These cakes are made out of the pulp of cereal grains.

As history strolls into the iron age, we start to see iron tools for cooking as well as hunting. So, sometime between 1200 and 500 BCE, iron plates or griddles contribute to the cooking process of pancakes. AND THEN! a genius comes into the picture and realizes that if you have TWO heated plates (one for the bottom and one for the top), the cooking process is shortened.

As always, the ancient Greeks come into the picture, and just make things better: they serve "oubleios" which is a griddle cake that is cooked between two hot metal plates. This is usually a savory dish. This dish starts to evolve during the middle ages (400-1000CE) as they are served either flat with toppings, or rolled into coronets and filled. Still, the batter is made with the most common cereal grains (at the time, barley and oats).

It isn't until the 13th century that the oublie becomes the waffle as the irons that cook them are forged to reproduce a honeycomb pattern. Also around this time, the Old French word Gaufre (translated to english as "wafla") appears in print for the first time. These words translate to mean, "Piece of honeybee hive." Waffles begin to be sold by street vendors. There is continued fighting over vending locations (particularly on religious holidays when EVERYONE wants to sell immediately outside places of worship) The constants squabbles over vending locations prompt King Charles IX (of France) to regulate the industry: vendors must stay 6 feet away from each other.

At this point in time, the evolution and popularity of the waffle is noticed by pretty specific dates. In 1620, Dutch waffles come to America with the Pilgrims.

The English word, "Waffle," appears in print for the first time in 1735.

In 1789, Jefferson brought the waffle iron back from France when he returns to America from his Ambassadorship. This occasion brings the waffle to the height of society and the upper class begins holding,"Waffle frolics." These are parties where the guests can have waffles served either sweet or savory. Sweet waffles are topped with either molasses or maple syrup. Savory waffles are topped with a liver stew. The hosts slaves are given the leftovers. According to one website, these leftover savory waffles are the begining of the Southern tradition of "chicken and Waffles."

In the 1800's, street vendors begin to sell sweetly topped waffles and in 1869, Cornelius Swarthart patents the 1st waffle iron. To this day, the anniversary is celebrated with "national waffle day."

General Electric produces the first electric waffle iron patented by Thomas J Stackbeck. This model includes a thermostat that keeps the unit from getting too hot and burning the waffle. You may be thinking that such a model sounds exactly like the one in your kitchen cabinet: it it. The main difference between waffle irons 100 years later is the plastic "keep cool" outer coating and sometimes you can find "designer" waffle irons with different patterns on the griddle surface or a character on the outer coating. (Ours is the grinch on the outside with a swirly pattern on the inside. It was $3 at the thrift store)

The Wells Restaurant in Harlem serves starts serving chicken and waffles to their late night dining crowd in 1938. To this day, they claim to be the "home of chicken and waffles" and state that the combination evolved from late night diners coming from the clubs and being unable to decide whether they wanted breakfast or dinner.

All this history and you are probably left wondering, but what about eggos? If you want to discuss a significant portion of waffle life in the 20th century, you have to bring up Eggo. Eggos were first produced by the Dorsa brothers in 1953. They were known as "froffles" (for Frozen waffles) until 1955 when buyer feedback indicated that many people were referring to them as Eggos because of their "eggy" taste. The kellogg company bought the product in 1970.

At the 1964 World's fair in New York, Belgium waffles are introduced. The difference of a belgium waffle is the use of yeast as the leavening (as opposed to baking powder or baking soda). The creator was going to call them Brussels waffles but realized the average person did not know where Brussels was.

So we made apple barley waffles last sunday. The idea came from a variety of sources including a bit of early morning confusion in trying to assemble the recipe. #1: a webpage we bookmarked a few weeks ago included a recipe for pumpkin barley waffes. YUM! Upon looking at this recipe to make them for my mom, I realized this was a Belgium waffle recipe with yeast. Seeing as how I was already running late, I knew a yeast based recipe (and the time needed to rise) was not an option. So I googled, "Pumpkin barley waffles" and came up with another recipe for them using baking soda and baking powder. I assmebled the dry ingredients (including lots of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice) and stopped by the store for canned pumpkin. At my local grocer, I learned to my dismay, that canned pumkin is a seasonal ingredient (blasphemy considering they carry cranberry sauce year round).

So there I was, in the grocery store, with cinnamon pumkin pie spiced waffle mix and no pumpkin. It was at that second, that I decided that apple would be equally delicious. There is a pancake house in San Diego that serves delicious apple waffles, so with that as my hope: I grabbed a can of cooked sliced apples (not apple pie filling) and headed to check out.

Here is the recipe that we made that day:

Apple Waffles: Yield 10-12 waffles
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup barley flour
2 1/4 tsp baking bowder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp  pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Whisk all these ingredients together, set aside.

1/3 cup packed brown sugar
4 eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup canned apples, minced plus 2 tbsp of the canning liquid
6 tbsp butter, melted
Whisk all of these ingredients together. Add to dry ingredients and stir JUST TO COMBINE. Let sit ten minutes.

Cook in hot waffle iron sprayed with nonstick cooking spray every 3-4 waffles. Would also make a good pancake batter as well.

I guess I should mention: the technical difference between waffles and pancakes is that with waffles: you whip your egg whites and fold them in last. (add the egg yolks when you whisk the wet ingredients together) Frankly, I'm just too lazy to do it this way. I find the the crumb of the waffle to be better by using the muffin method (whisk dry ingredients, whisk wet ingredients, add together stir just to combine.) then by using the muffin method and folding egg whites. But thats me, try it out, make your own decision. 

And as always, Cheers! LiA

references:
thenibble.com
whatscookingamerica.net

Creamed tuna on toast

So for today, a blog with food you can make when you are down to your last five dollars.... That may be the focus of the next couple. I think its important to highlight all aspects of food, even the things we eat because we have to make rent...

One of our regular "broke this week" recipes is creamed tuna on toast. When I started looking for information on where this recipe originated, I found... well, I didn't find where it came from, just that it has been just the way it is now for a LOOOOONG time.

A trusty google search of the term pulled up a timeline of the usage. The earliest result: May 25, 1913. An archive of the LA Times has an advertisement for, "Avalon tuna" After saying of this specific brand of tuna, "is even better than chicken... always tender and sweet-the flavor is ever so delicate-so white and attractive looking it makes a dainty dish to serve an any..." the archive goes on the quote, "It is splendid creamed on toast."

In the "What to Eat Next Week" column by Biddy Bye in the Miami News, dated August 15, 1919 Friday's lunch suggestion was creamed tuna with Rice. Alright, a little bit of a tangent, but I would like to quote the beginning of this article. It is still advice being given today by experts of both nutrition and economy and it is interesting to see it in a 1919 paper.
"Now, if ever, come the days when it is most important to follow the advice of the best domestic economists and buy "only foods in season." And now the market affords its richest plenty in fruits and vegetables. We may happily dispense with meat altogether- except for the occasional sandwich- thus taking a satisfying little personal prod at the profiteering meat merchants and at the same time saving our health and purses...."

Anyhow, back to creamed tuna. So with a start at least as early as 1913, you may wonder what we are doing still eating it. Well, it is still tasty! and economical! Those reasons are probably why even more recently, such as in the Orlando Sentinel March 15, 2001, there are still quotes of, "What would we do without canned tuna to get us over a grocery budget crisis? Creamed tuna on toast comes to the cook's rescue once again."

So lets get down to giving you a recipe. You will easily find hundreds of versions of this recipe online. Some use canned vegetables, some used canned soup, some use... well, there really is a little of everything. But that is to be expected with a beloved recipe that has been used by millions of families throughout history's various budget crises. Below is the way we make it around here. I like to keep it simple because I think it is tasty without a bunch of... accessories. And I like my vegetables separate from the other stuff...

Creamed Tuna on Toast, appropriately nicknamed, "Shit on a Shingle"
serves: 2-4
2 tbsp unsalted sweet cream butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 cups skim milk
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 can tuna packed in water, drained
4-8 slices of whole wheat bread, toasted

in a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add in flour, whisking to combine. While whisking continually, add in milk. Stir continually while allowing the sauce to come to a simmer. (This is the same as making a bechamel sauce if you are familiar) The sauce will thicken. Add tuna, seasonings and serve over toast.

Sometimes, a drizzle of hot sauce is a nice addition. Now, I mentioned that some recipes use cream of mushroom soup in place of the bechamel sauce. This may sound wonderful to you. If you are looking for that kind of flavor for your creamed tuna here is what you should do: add sliced mushrooms to the above recipe. Canned soup is insanely high in sodium and usually fat. We will not even get started on the preservatives involved... Any recipe I find with cream of anything soup as an ingredient I avoid or try to change in order to exclude that element. As far as the vegetables go, add whatever you want. Using minimal butter and skim milk, some people find the sauce to be a nice addition to often bland canned vegetables. I have seen suggestions for canned green beans, peas, corn, etc...

Lastly, nutritional content. Assuming a full 8 slices of toast and 4 servings, things come out to look like this:

calories: 306
fat: 8.7g
saturated fat: 4.4g
trans fat: .5g
cholesterol: 30mg
sodium: 622mg
carbs: 37.3g
protein: 19.2g
Vitamin A: 9%
Calcium: 22%
Iron: 12%

So there you have, tasty, economical, and once you have a taste, you will probably remember your grandma serving it to you as a kid as she remembers her grandma serving it to her...

CHEERS! LiA

references:
http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php?

"Display Ad 145." LA Times. III5; May 25, 1913 Quote found via: http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com

"Quick, Healthful meals for Budget Minded Families." Susan Nicholson, Orlando Sentinel. H2; Mar 15, 2001 Quote found via http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com

"What to Eat Next Week," Biddy Bye. The Miami Metropolis. 7; Aug 15, 1919. Quote found via: news.google.com