Black Bean Sweet Potato & Quinoa Vege Patties

Just came across this old post that I never actually put up!  So here's a tasty vege pattie recipe for your Spring/Summer enjoyment :)

When I was making these just the other night, I thought to myself "I should tke some photos!"  But did I? Alas no... so next time ;)  You'll just have to trust me for now!!

1 1/2 cups dried Black Beans
1 1/2 cups tricoloured Quinoa
1 medium Sweet Potato, peeled and chopped.
1/3 cup (approximate) of Rosé
1 large brown or red Onion, finely chopped.
3-4 cloves of Garlic, crushed.
1/2 tsp Tumeric
1/2 tsp Sweet Paprika
Handfull (or more!) of Rocket leaves, finely minced.
Black pepper to preference.
Rolled Oats

THE DAY BEFORE:
Soak beans in 3 cups of cold filtered water at room temperature for 12-24hours.

AT TIME OF PREPARATION:
Drain and rinse soaked black beans.
Cook beans in fresh filtered water (enough to cover the beans by at least 2cm) on the stove top for 1-2 hrs.
Drain and rinse again.
Leave standing in fresh water if necessary while other ingredients are prepared.

Cook 1/2 cups of tricolour quinoa in 3 cups of water.
Utilise a steamer over the quinoa to steam the sweet potato until soft.

In a fry pan place Rosé, onion, garlic, tumeric, paprika and black pepper.
Cook until onion begins to clear, then add rocket, finely chopped, and cook until well wilted.

Take 3/4 of the beans, 1/2 of the sweet potato, and 1/2 of the onion mix and place into a blender or food processor. Blend until relatively well combined but not totally liquefied.

Tip the quinoa into a mixing bowl.  Add everything else and mix through.
Make balls of mixture and roll them in rolled oats, then squash onto cooking surface.
I cook my patties in a sandwich press.  This means I don't need to add any oil to the cooking process, and cooking is fast and even.  A non stick fry pan would do the trick too.

Serve with a side of salad or veges, or make up burgers :)  Enjoy!!

Spaghetti and "Meatballs"

Well, I came across a FB post the other day/week/month where someone had tested out a Vegan Meatballs recipe and really enjoyed it.  I kinda thought... really?? Because meatballs would never have been on my menu even during my meat-eating years, and I kinda didn't see the appeal... 

Well then a week or so later the same post popped up again, and this time I followed the link and had a quick flick over the recipe, just out of curiosity, and I guess that curiosity stuck!  So!  Today was the day to give it a try, and here's my interpretation of an old school classic :)

Meatballs:

Preheat oven to 220C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Gather together:

1 cup raw Almonds, ground to a meal

1 cup (ish, maybe slightly more) cooked Brown Rice

1 tin Red Kidney Beans, mashed

1 clove of Garlic, crushed

1 handfull each of Chives, Oregano and Thyme, fresh form the garden, finely chopped

1 tsp ground Cumin

1 tsp Sweet Paprika

1/2 tsp Turmeric

1 Carrot, grated

Place all ingredients into a mixing bowl and combine thoroughly.

Roll into approximately 1 inch balls and place on the baking tray, I got 23 balls.

(Optional: I gave mine a once over with a spray rice bran oil, to help them crisp up nicely.)

Bake balls in hot oven approximately 25 minutes.

Sauce:

I wanted to keep this meal fairly simple and classic, so avoided my usual temptation of "how many veges can I cram in here"...

In a saucepan saute:

3/4 cup Rose

4 cloves of Garlic

1 tsp Vege Stock Powder

1 tsp Sweet Paprika

1/2 tsp Turmeric

3 Bay Leaves

2 twists of the Pepper grinder (you could add more or add later to your tastes)

Afer a few minutes simmering, add:

1 bottle of Passatta

1kg fresh diced (or 800g tinned) Tomatoes

Another good handfull each of fresh herbs, Chives, Oregano and Thyme

Bring to the boil and then let simmer, stirring occasionally, while it reduces.

Cook up your spaghetti according to the packet instructions, preferably a wholemeal variety.

Optional garnish:  Cashew Parmesan

1 cup of raw Cashews

1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast

1 tsp Herbamere salt

Ground together into a fine powder (I use my Vitamix dry jug for this).

Served with a big green leafy salad, topped with lemon juice and balsamic glaze!!