Red lentil, Bulgur and Kale Patties

Later today I’m delivering a new talk called, The Facts and Fallacies of Fats at the New York Vegetarian Festival. 

So today’s post is short and sweet. 

This is a great new recipe I developed recently. Not only is it packed with nutrients and bursting with flavor, but it’s also great to pack and take along for a long day. I know I’ll have a few on me today at the Veg Fest!

This recipe calls for Bulgur wheat, but if you are following a gluten-free diet, it can easily be substituted with either quinoa or amaranth.

Red Lentil, Bulgur Wheat and Kale Patties

Makes 7-9 patties

1.5 cups of red lentils

1/2 cup of bulgur wheat (or quinoa or amaranth for gluten free)

1/3 cup of oats (either quick cooking or old fashioned)*

1 cup of kale, swiss chard or spinach - chopped

4 tbsps of canned diced tomato or tomato paste

1 clove garlic - minced

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp onion powder

Small handful of fresh or 1 tsp of dried basil

1 tsp of dried tarragon or oregano

Lemon juice, ginger powder and black pepper to taste

5 cups of water or veggie broth

* get gluten-free oats if needed.

Start by boiling the red lentils in the water or broth for about 10 to 15 minutes. As the lentils begin to soften and break down, add the bulgur wheat, garlic, and spices and cook for another 10 minutes (if you are using fresh basil, save it until the end). The water in the pan should be almost completely absorbed.

Turn the heat to low and add the oats, diced tomatoes, and chopped greens. Stir until well combined. Add the lemon juice and fresh basil if you’re using it.

Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes or until the greens have softened and turned bright green.

Now pre-heat the oven to 375. Let the mixture sit while the oven pre-heats. This is important because you want to give the oats a chance to absorb any remaining liquid in the mixture. This will make the mixture start to stick together.

I recommend letting the mixture sit for at least 10 minutes.

Now line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon scoop out two tablespoons of the mixture and form into patties on the pan. If the mixture is too watery, they will not stick together, try adding more oats if this is an issue.

Once the patties are formed place in the oven and let cook for 15-18 minutes or until the patties start to brown on top. If you’d like you can flip the patties over at 12 minutes, but this isn’t necessary and increases the chance of the patties breaking apart.

I like to toss these on top of a large salad with lots of veggies, or just stick a few in a bag and take them with me for an easy on-the-go meal. They also make great burger replacements. Also try putting a tahini sauce on top.

As always the information presented in this blog is for educational purposes only. It should not be considered as specific medical, nutritional, lifestyle, or other health-related advice.

Maple-Mustard Lentils

First off, a big Congratulations to Janet who won BYOL's BRAVO! giveaway! Thanks to everyone who entered. Second, BYOL is now on Facebook, be sure to like us for recipes, updates and more. 

I’ve got a great one to share with you! Its a BYOL original, but the idea was inspired by a long-standing favorite dish of mine, the maple-mustard temphe sandwich from the Cinnamon Snail.

Don’t be fooled by how easy it is to make; this dish has some serious flavor and packed full of nutrients as well!

2-3 servings

What you’ll need:

1 cup dried green lentils

1 sweet potato –peeled and cubed

½ cup brown or wild rice

½ head lacinato kale- chopped

1 small red onion - chopped

3 cloves garlic -minced

1 handful of golden raisins

14 oz can of no-salt added diced tomatoes

3 tbsp maple syrup (use a high quality syrup it makes a big difference in the taste)

3 tbsp mustard

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp veggie broth or water

dash of mustard powder

dash of cinnamon

Prepare the lentils (soak in water for 8 hours, if possible) and rice as normal (I prepare both in the same pot). While the lentils and rice are cooking, peel the sweet potato, and start preparing the other ingredients. Once the lentils and rice are done cooking transfer them into a dutch oven or oven-safe container. Add the other ingredients including the ingredients for the sauce (keep the kale and raisins to the side for now). Mix the continents well, cover and put into the oven at 375° for 25 minutes. 

After 25 minutes, take the mixture out and remix it. Now, add the kale and rasins and put the dish back into the oven uncovered for another 12-15 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the sweet potatoes are soft. 

Serve hot and top with chia seeds and sunflower seeds for Omega-3s and some added crunch.

In total, the dish takes around 50 minutes to prepare and cook. If you precook the sweet potato for about 10 or 15 minutes while the lentils are cooking, you can reduce the overall time this dish needs. 

As an added benefit the maple-mustard lentils keep well up to one week in the refrigerator or it can be frozen for future meals.

enjoy and happy President's Day

Easy-Peasy Veggie Broth

I feel a little guilty for not posting this a while back. Since the summer, this recipe has become the basis of all of my cooking and has played a major role in my transition to an oil-free diet. It’s packed with nutrients, is super easy and quick to make, and best of all, costs nothing! I use this broth to sauté with, cook beans, rice, and grains in, for the base of salad dressings, and even for homemade-dips like hummus. 

As you cook during the week, keep any clean scraps, peels, and trimmings from all the veggies that you would normally toss out or compost. Save these in the freezer until you have a large Ziploc baggie worth. Once you have done this, put all the scraps into a large pot. Fill the pot with water (making sure to cover the scraps with at least 2 or 3 inches of water.) Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, reduce to a simmer for another 10 minutes. By this time a delightful smell will have spread throughout the kitchen. Turn off the flame keeping the pot covered for another 30 minutes.

After the vegetable scraps have “steeped” for about 30 or 40 minutes, remove the lid and let the broth cool. After its sufficiently cooled, strain the liquid from the pot into a glass tupperware container. I typically make between 10 and 12 cups of broth at a time. When refrigerated the broth will last up to 10 days. I’ve been told it can also be frozen for several months.

Suggestions for what to use

A typical batch of my broth is made from the cores, peels, skins, stems, tops and bottoms of various veggies.

Cores include: bell peppers, cabbages, and tomatoes

Peels include: carrots, onion, and ginger, squashes,

Stems include: kale, collards, and other greens as well as broccoli and mushrooms

Tops and Bottoms include: carrots, celery, green beans, onions, and garlic. 

Tips and Notes:

Not all of the above ingredients are edible but they are all perfectly fine for making broth with.

For an additional boost of flavor, try adding your favorite spices. I often add turmeric, black pepper, and chili flakes. Bay leafs are also great.

Adding a whole clove of garlic is also a great way to boost the flavor.

Try tossing in one apple core to help sweeten the broth just a little bit.

Another great thing about this broth is that it is salt-free unlike most found in stores and literally costs nothing to make.

Every week's broth will be just slight different. Experiment with different combinations and have fun.