Buckwheat and Black Bean Veggie Patty

Happy New Year, readers!We’d like to start the new year by renewing the resolution to live well - that means working out more, sleeping better, and of course eating healthier! So, it’s only apt to start 2017 with a delicious and healthy recipe - something that you can make ahead and freeze, so you always have a nutritious option on hand whenever hungry. A veggie patty with buckwheat and black beans as a base has excellent texture and can be paired with any vegetables and seasoned with your favorite spices. I added most veggies that I had on hand - carrots, beets and mushrooms. I also added some boiled potatoes for extra binding instead of breadcrumbs/oats.

I’m sure you are aware of the amazing nutritional benefits of most of these ingredients, but in case you’re not into buckwheat yet, I’d strongly recommend trying it. The roasted buckwheat groats work best as they don’t get sticky when cooked (boiled, just like rice). They are hardy and have somewhat of a nutty flavor, they’re rich in minerals and a good source of fiber. More information can be found here.

Ingredients: (Makes ~20 patties)

1½ cups cooked buckwheat groats

2 Tbsp chopped pecans/walnuts

1½ cups cooked black beans (or one 15 oz can), mashed

2 medium red potatoes, boiled and chopped

2 medium beets, boiled/roasted, peeled and finely chopped

4 oz mushrooms (any variety), finely chopped

1-2 medium carrots, finely chopped

1” ginger, grated

2 cloves of garlic, minced

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp paprika

Salt to taste

½ tsp coconut oil + more for pan frying the patties

Heat ½ tsp of coconut oil over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic and stir for a few seconds until fragrant. Add mushrooms and carrots, add turmeric powder and season with salt. Cover and cook stirring occasionally until all the liquid released by the mushrooms has evaporated.

In a large bowl mix the cooked buckwheat, black beans, potatoes, beets, pecans and the carrot & mushroom mixture. Season with salt and paprika. Mix well until everything comes together. I find it best to mix by hand, mashing the ingredients as you go.

Make small patties about ½” thick by rolling the mixture between your palms, or roll out the mixture on a parchment covered cookie sheet and cut circles using a cookie cutter or a glass. Keep re-rolling the mixture and making patties until all of it is used.

The patties are now ready to be pan fried or frozen to be used later. To freeze the patties, arrange them in a single layer on a plate/cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Freeze them covered for an hour, and then transfer to an airtight container. The patties don’t need to be defrosted before cooking.

To cook the patties, add a couple drops of coconut oil to a nonstick pan over medium heat. Gently transfer a couple patties to the pan, cover and cook until browned on the bottom. Flip the patties (adding more oil if needed), and cook covered until the other side is browned. Although I haven't done this yet, if you're cooking a big batch, you could bake them on a greased baking pan at 375 F until browned, flipping them as necessary.

While these make excellent burgers, you can add them to any vegetarian dish such as pasta or salads as a delicious source of protein.

~Gayatri

Find us on Facebook:

Frozen Oatmeal Cups

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day - well, at least that’s what we’re told. Personally, I do feel a lot more energetic throughout the day if I start with some exercise and a good breakfast. Weekday mornings, however, don’t make it too easy to accomplish all that. In the past I would often throw together all the ingredients for instant oatmeal in a microwaveable container and bring it to work. That hardly took any time in the morning to prep, but I got tired of eating instant oatmeal. It is mushier and lacks the hardy texture and taste of old fashioned oats. Determined to still be able to have oatmeal as an option for weekday breakfast, I decided to cook a large batch of old fashioned oats over the weekend, freeze it and enjoy it through the week. The toppings are frozen right into the oatmeal, making it very convenient to grab some from the freezer before heading to work in the morning. This has been working really well for me and its so versatile that I look forward to making new flavors each week!

Ingredients (makes ~10 muffin cups):

1.5 cups old fashioned oats

2 cups water

1-1.5 cups milk

The water-milk ratio is up to you - you can completely eliminate one or the other as well. The package instructions typically ask for 1 part oats, 2 parts liquid. I generally add a little more liquid since it gets absorbed as the oatmeal cools down and then reheating it in the microwave can make it even drier.

Optional toppings: (pretty much anything you put in your regular oatmeal)

Sweeteners:

White sugar, brown sugar, honey, agave nectar, maple syrup, chocolate chips

Fruits:

Dried fruits - cranberries, raisins, chopped apricots

Berries (fresh or frozen)

Any other chopped fruit (preferably non citrus if using milk)

Nuts and seeds:

Chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, soaked chia seeds, poppy seeds

Granola for extra crunch (I generally avoid this and just use nuts)

Spices and flavoring:

Cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, vanilla essence, cocoa powder

Extra nutrition:

Flaxseed/chia seed powder

vanilla/chocolate protein powder (eliminate sweetener if powder is sweet)

Bring the water-milk mixture to a boil on medium heat. Add the oats and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add any spices/flavorings that you plan to use. You may also add sweetener while cooking - I typically add a drizzle of honey/agave as a topping. Take off the heat and let the oatmeal cool down a little.

Divide the cooked oatmeal into muffin cups leaving a little room on top for the add-ins (silicone moulds work wonderfully for this - but you should be able to pop the frozen oatmeal out even without the moulds). Add your favorite toppings. Make sure everything touches the oatmeal so that it sticks. You can push the fruit in a little to make room on top if needed. Put it in the freezer for a couple hours. Once frozen, you can pop them out from the pan and store in an airtight plastic bag or container.

Here are a few flavor combinations that I’ve made so far (and remembered to take pictures of). I'll keep updating this space whenever I make something new/interesting.

The possibilities are endless and it is a lot of fun experimenting! When you’re ready to eat, heat as many oatmeal cups as you like in the microwave. I generally heat up two for my breakfast and it takes about 1-1.5 minutes on high setting to heat up. Add a little water/milk if desired and enjoy a hot bowl of hearty oatmeal.

~ Gayatri