If I don’t post this recipe now, it might very well never be posted. So here we go. In between work trips, chickenpox, writing and photographing a new book (that we will tell you more about really soon!) and living a regular two-kids family life, these little patties happened. We made them for an impromptu lunch and they turned out really tasty so we snapped a few photos and planned to test them again (like we normally do) before posting the recipe. But after more than a week of postponing, I’m realising that the recipe will prove itself more useful in your kitchens than at the desktop of our computer.
When Luise made these patties, she called them “a classical vegetarian dish”. I suspect she referred to the fact that all vegetarians always seem to be on the lookout for new takes on veggie patties. Our Spinach & Quinoa Patties have been on frequent rotation in our house, but I quite like the richness that the lentils and brown rice added to these. Exactly what we need during the winter.
These patties also have some important nutritional aspects, so Luise is taking over the computer now to explain them: Lentils and rice are always a good combination as they make a complete protein source, which is important for vegetarians. Most plant sources of protein are in fact, incomplete, with the exception of soybeans and quinoa. Therefore, grains such as rice, oats, wheat, rye and corn, can act as complementary proteins for legumes such as lentils. Choose whole grains and if you have time I highly recommend to soak grains and legumes (lentils, peas, beans, nuts and seeds) before cooking. It helps to break down enzyme inhibitors (among many other benefits) and optimise the nutritional value, for example will the minerals be way easier absorbed in your body. /Luise
While the patties are quite mildly flavoured, we went a bit bolder with the presentation. We served them in lettuce leaves with dates, pistachios, herbs and pomegranate on top. Apart from looking stunning, those flavours are truly awesome together. Sweet dates, salty pistachios and creamy yogurt together with the fresh juices that splashes on your tongue as you bite into the pomegranate seeds. Divine!
Lentil & Rice Patties with Dates, Pomegranate & Feta Makes 15 patties
We have only made this recipe once so we haven’t had time to try a vegan version, but the mushy lentils should make it quite possible. Non-vegans could also choose to incorporate a piece of feta cheese in the patties for extra flavour. We cooked lentils and rice from scratch, but fridge leftovers are ideal in this recipe.
1 cup red split lentils (preferable pre-soaked, but not necessary) 2 cups water a pinch of sea salt
1 cup whole grain rice (preferable pre-soaked, but not necessary) 2 cups water a pinch of sea salt
1 small red onion, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 5 tbsp finely chopped mixed parsley, cilantro and mint (save some for serving) 1 carrot, grated 1 tsp sea salt and pepper 1/2 tsp paprika 1/2 tsp cumin 2 eggs 3 tsp potato starch zest from 1/2 lemon
coconut oil, ghee, butter or olive oil for frying
for serving roman lettuce pomegranate seeds chopped herbs pistachios, finely chopped dates, pitted yogurt feta cheese
Place the washed and rinsed rice, water and salt in a saucepan, bring to boil, lower the heat and cook for about 30-40 minutes. Check the package for the exact cooking time. Meanwhile, place the washed and rinsed lentils, water and salt in a saucepan and bring to boil, lower the heat and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, until well cooked and a bit mushy. Pour the cooked lentils in a large mixing bowl. Prepare the other ingredients and place everything in the mixing bowl together with the cooked lentils. Stir to combine. Drain the cooked rice, if necessary and then add it to the mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients and stir again. Heat coconut oil in a skillet and form 15 patties with a spoon. Fry for just a couple of minutes on each side, until golden and crispy on the outside.
Serve the patties warm or chilled in lettuce leaves with feta cheese, pomegranate, dates, yogurt, herbs and pistachios.
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PS! A couple of weeks ago, Food52 came by for lunch, an interview and to shoot a few photos of our kitchen. And it’s now up on their site, if you want to have a peek.
Recipe originally posted on November 23rd, 2012. Last updated on October 18th, 2015.
I am always amazed at what inspiration come from the food blog community. There are wise words of wisdom, quirky anecdotes, and most of all, tons of amazing food. Every day I check out my favorite blogs, I find myself make notes on things I wants to try or ideas I may have.
When I saw Shanna’s Thai Chicken Curry, I knew I wanted to make something spicy and fragrant. I wanted a big dish of comfort and that’s exactly what I got. I did a bunch of searching and finally settled on adapting this Tikka Masala (obviously without the tikka!)
Eating out is a grand seduction. From the moment I step into a restaurant, I am totally open and utterly surrendered to the experience. The first thing I notice when I enter is the smell – I actually like it to hit me with an assertive thwack – like someone proudly shouting a rainbow of aromas to my face that something amazing is happening in the kitchen. I love sitting down at the table, gently touching the cutlery, unfolding the napkin and placing it in my lap, the first exchange with the server, opening the menu. It’s all very weighty, very important, very ritualistic for me.
While I was on my cookbook tour, you can imagine that I ate out a lot. Mostly out of the necessity of not having a kitchen, but also because going to restaurants is a rare privilege for me and I’ll take any excuse. During my few harried days in New York City I went to dine at a new, hip joint in the west village that came highly recommended (although I’ll refrain from naming names). The place was packed with an intimidating blend of gorgeous locals and well-dressed, in-the-know tourists. The menu looked incredibly promising with Sarah B. favourites and buzz ingredients like chia seeds, cashew cheese, baby kale, and turmeric oil. I was explosive with anticipation. I immediately committed myself to the ivory lentil risotto with peas. I’d seen ivory lentils at the market before but never bought them, and had never had the revelation to try making “risotto” with them. I could feel my expectations soar and the desire pulsing between us. Hold me back!
The dish arrived, its scent wafting up from the pristine white bowl and pools of amber oil intermingling with green globes of seasonal spring perfection. I looked at my friends with great eagerness, dipped my spoon in and took the first bite.
The lentils were raw.
No, not al dente. Raw. Crunchy. Hard. Uncooked.
I rarely, rarely send something back to the kitchen, but because I was so seduced by the idea of this dish and it completely fell flat, I just had to. The lentils had obviously been cooked, but so far from properly cooked that it baffled me – what kind of chef would send a dish out like this unless by mistake? It must have been a mistake. I could feel myself loosing trust in this impeccably designed, obviously happening restaurant, but how could all of these hipsters be wrong?
The waiter returned and said that there was nothing wrong with the dish. The chef meant it to be that way. He placed the plate of cold food back on the table in front of me, smiled, turned, and left. I was crushed. After all we’d been through.
Although it has been months since this experience, I can’t shake it – the lunch bag letdown of a genius concept failing to meet its true potential, the fact that I was served undercooked legumes, and that I paid $ 30 for them. In order to right all of these wrongs, I headed to my local Indian grocer, bought some white lentils and made a date with my stove. What manifested was not just a better meal, but a new favourite one.
It’s pretty clear that I’m into making “risotto” out of anything besides rice, such as the Miraculous Riceless Risotto and the Inspirational Sunflower Seed Risotto, but I’m digging this new recipe for a lot of reasons. First, it’s grain-free and in my rice-loving life it’s nice to have an alternative. It’s very high in protein, something that I’m always mindful of as it is so important to balanced health. It cooks quickly so it’s perfect for a weeknight, and it’s endlessly customizable to the season simply by changing up the veggies on top. It’s divinely creamy, rich and velvety and so much like risotto (by far the closest I’ve come so far!). If you are looking for me this fall, you can find me tucked into a big bowl of this stuff. It’s like eating hugs.
Yum, Yum, Molybdenum Chances are you haven’t heard of molybdenum, but I will wager that you had to sound it out a couple times (let me help you: “muh-LIB-duh-num”). Moylbdenum is an essential trace mineral and happens to be wildly abundant in our pal, the lentil. It is found first in the soil where we grow our food and water, so healthy soil and groundwater is essential for healthy plants that contain good amounts of this stuff. In our bodies it is stored in the liver, kidneys, adrenal glands bones, and skin, but it is present in some amount in all of our tissues.
Molybdenum is important because it is part of several enzyme systems, the most notable being that of xanthine oxidase. Xanthine oxidase (XO) helps the liver mobilize iron for use in the body and aid uric acid metabolism. Molybdenum also helps us digest and assimilate carbohydrates and detoxify the body from exposure to sulfites.
Besides lentils, other sources of molybdenum include dried peas and beans, oats, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, cucumber, celery and eggs.
A few notes on the recipe. First, white lentils are available at Indian grocery stores, but I’ve also seen them at Middle Eastern markets and online. If you can’t find white lentils, it’s good to know that they are also called urad daal or urid daal. To confuse you a little, the unhulled lentils themselves are called black lentils or black gram since their skins are completely black. It should be obvious, but I’ll advise against buying the unhulled kind or you will have a very different result – a black one to be precise. Because someone will inevitably ask if they can make this with any other colour of lentil, I will say a half-hearted yes, but I wouldn’t recommend anything other than red lentils due to their properties.
Second, you can definitely make this a vegan recipe by leaving out the cheese rind, but good golly, it really makes for some delicious eating. I also like a grate a bunch of pecorino over the top right before serving, but I’m pretty wild like that. Oh baby.
Third, I got pretty fancy and bought (not foraged – the shame!) wild mushrooms for this because I just love them so, but when I originally tested the recipe I used good ol’ brown button mushrooms and portobellos. Whatever mushrooms you choose the biggest secret to cooking them is not moving them too much. Like pancakes, grilled cheese, and I would imagine, a steak, don’t stir them for crying out loud. Get the pan pretty screeching hot, melt some ghee (or coconut oil), throw in the mushrooms, toss to coat, then just back away. Sure, you can watch them sizzle, talk to them, Instagram them, but do not touch them. The secret to really great mushrooms is a caramelized crust and that only happens with high heat and no mucking about. You are allowed to check the bottom of one (one!) after 3-4 minutes, but if there is no colour yet, flip it back until you have some serious golden going on. Also, don’t crowd the pan too much – this causes the mushrooms to steam instead of fry – an important distinction.
White Lentil Risotto Serves 4
Ingredients: 1 ½ cups / 325g white lentils, soaked for 8-12 hours if possible 2 Tbsp. ghee or coconut oil 2 medium / 200g onions, finely diced ½ tsp. fine grain sea salt 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 rind Pecorino Romano, optional but delicious (a parmesan rind also works) a generous grating of Pecorino Romano to garnish (optional but delicious) 4-5 cups / 1-1 ¼ liters vegetable broth
1lb. / 500g mixed mushrooms, cleaned of all dirt and debris, and roughly chopped (I chose golden and trumpet chanterelles, and oyster mushrooms, but any type work) a few sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed, plus a few for garnish 2-3 Tbsp. ghee, butter, or coconut oil a couple pinches sea salt freshly ground black pepper 2 cloves garlic 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar, optional
Directions: 1. Wash lentils well, drain and rinse until water runs clear. Set aside.
2. Melt ghee in a large stock pot. Add onions, salt and stir to coat. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the onions are softened and just starting to caramelize – don’t brown them too much or they will colour the dish! Add garlic, the lentils, 3 cups / 700ml vegetable broth and the cheese rind, if using. Stir well and make sure that the broth is covering the lentils by at least a few centimeters / half an inch. If not, add more. Bring to a simmer, stir and cover.
3. Over the next 30 minutes or so (cook time depends on whether or not you soaked the lentils), stir the pot every few minutes (this helps release the starch and add creaminess) and check the broth level, adding more as needed to just cover the lentils.
4. After about 20 minutes, start to prepare the mushrooms. Melt the ghee in a large skillet and add the mushrooms. Stir to coat and let them cook over high heat without touching them (!!!) for at least three or four minutes. Flip and repeat until golden on all sides. Add a touch more ghee, garlic, thyme leaves and to the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, season with salt and pepper and a splash of balsamic vinegar, if desired.
5. The lentils are done when they are tender but not mushy. The consistency of the dish should be very much like a classic risotto: creamy but a little loose, so make sure that there is enough stock in the pot. You’re looking for something more solid than a soup, but a tad thinner than a stew. Divide between plates, garnish with cheese and black pepper, place mushrooms on top and garnish with a sprig of thyme and more black pepper.
Show me your risotto on Instagram! #MNRwhitelentilrisotto
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Hey Danes! I’m doing three events this month and I would love to see you there.
First, I will be the guest chef at the organic and hyper-local food restaurant Mad Mad Mad Bodega cooking and serving a total pumpkin orgy, giving a talk and signing books as well. Click the flyer for a link to learn more.
Secondly, I am giving two lectures on Nutrition Fundamentals (way more rad than it sounds!) with a Q&A at Books & Company. You can come to one of the talks or both. Click the flyer for a link to learn more.
Asking for help isn’t something that comes to me naturally as I’ve always been a fiercely independent worker. My previous supervisors always commented on this trait almost immediately whether it was in an academic or business setting, and I often took a lot of pride in the fact that I could do things on my own. I never considered that this trait could potentially hold me back from growth. I guess I feared that asking for help would be a sign that I was incompetent, so I avoided it as much as possible. And I often thought that if I could just figure out how to manage my time better, I could do it all on my own. Case in point: In the 7 years that I’ve grown this blog, I’ve yet to hire a team member.
However, this past year has helped me realize otherwise, at least in some areas of my life (I still have a long way to go). Working with Ashley on the photography for the next book has allowed me to focus more on my biggest passions – the writing and recipe creation – not to mention finish on time! Our working relationship has really opened my eyes to what I could achieve if I just asked for a bit more help. It has been a total light bulb moment. You know what else I realized? Collaboration is so darn fun. So much more fun than trying to do it on my own!
One of my many goals for this blog is to post at regular intervals once again. An idea I’ve had is to step back from food photography, so I can streamline my workflow and focus on recipe development and writing. I often have recipes in cue waiting to be shared with you all, but the one thing that holds me back is often the fact that I haven’t shot the photography for the post. I adore photography and really grappled with this idea, but in the end I also know that something needs to change if I’m going to be able to grow. So in spirit of collaborating with other talented people, I’m excited to tell you that Ashley will be shooting the food photography for my upcoming blog recipes! It kicked off last week with my Pumpkin Spice Latte with Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup post, as some of you already noticed. This doesn’t mean that I won’t do food photography in the future, but it’s definitely working for this stage in my life. For the first time in a very long time, I have the next 2 blog posts already in the works and scheduled in my calendar. It feels awesome to be getting into a groove again and I know this is only the beginning. I will be sure to keep you posted with my other plans!
Golden Red Lentil Dal with Cilantro-Speckled Basmati
This easy, flavorful curry is a great one to whip up during the workweek, and leftovers only get better the next day. Light coconut milk makes this curry so luxuriously rich and decadent-tasting, while still feeling quite light and energizing. It definitely won’t weigh you down, but I can promise it’ll warm and comfort you on a chilly day. While it’s lovely all on its own (enjoyed like a rich, thick stew), I love it even more spooned overtop my cilantro-speckled basmati rice with toasted pepita seeds, sliced green onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice. The amount of broth called for yields for a very thick consistency; if you’d like it thinner and more “soup-like” feel free to thin it out with a bit more broth (if so, you might need to also increase the spices and seasonings as the extra broth will dilute the flavours). This comforting curry recipe is adapted from Super Fresh: Super Natural, Super Vibrant Vegan Recipes by Jennifer Houston and Ruth Tal (2015, Penguin Canada) which is a new cookbook featuring the recipes from Fresh (!), one of my favourite vegan restaurants here in Toronto.
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, plus more if desired to thin the broth
1/2-3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
1 (5-oz) package baby spinach
For the rice:
1 cup dry basmati rice
1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil or vegan butter
1 3/4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, or as needed
1 cup unpacked fresh cilantro, large stems removed and finely chopped***
Fine sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Squeeze of fresh lime juice, to taste
Suggested toppings:
Green onions, thinly sliced
Fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Toasted pepita seeds (shelled pumpkin seeds)
Squeeze of lime juice, optional
Directions:
For the curry: Add the oil in a large pot and increase heat to medium. Add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine. Saute over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
Stir in the ginger and carrots, and continue sauteing for another few minutes over medium heat.
Add the curry powder, cumin, and turmeric. Stir well. Cook for a minute, until fragrant.
Pick over and rinse the lentils in a fine mesh sieve. Stir in the entire can of coconut milk, red lentils, broth, and salt. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, covered with the lid ajar, for about 15-20 minutes, or until the lentils and carrots are tender. Stir occasionally to prevent the lentils from sticking to the bottom. Stir in a touch more broth if you’d like a slightly thinner consistency. After cooking, stir in all of the spinach until wilted.
Meanwhile, prepare the rice. Add the rice into a medium pot along with the oil and broth. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium, cover with a lid, and cook for 12-16 minutes, until the rice is soft and tender. Fluff with a fork and stir in the cilantro. Season to taste with salt and lime juice. Keep the lid on until ready to serve.
Add a generous scoop of rice on a plate or bowl and top with a couple ladlefuls of curry. Add your desired toppings and serve immediately. Leftovers will keep in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4-6 days. The curry can also be frozen for up to 4 weeks, possibly longer. For easy freezer-storage, add the cooled curry into a freezer-safe bag, press out the air, and freeze on a flat surface. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or simply leave on the counter until mostly thawed.
*The smaller you dice the carrots, the faster they cook! I opt for thinly sliced carrots here to hasten cook time. You don’t have to dice quite as small as in the recipe photos though.
**Be sure to use a good-quality curry powder (one you enjoy the taste of) as a poor-tasting one can throw the flavors off. I am quite fond of Simply Organic curry powder.
***Not a cilantro fan? Simply leave it out and prepare the rice without it. No biggie!
Last but not least, I want to wish all my fellow Canadians a very Happy Thanksgiving! We’ve been blessed with gorgeous, warm weather this weekend, and I hope you are too. Thank YOU for coming back to this blog time and time again, and for making this career so personally rewarding.
