Asherah's Gourmet Gluten-free Vegan Burger

Even though I advocate eating fresh whole foods, there are times when this busy chef is in a hurry and doesn't feel like cooking an entire meal, so I'm always on the lookout for new convenience foods that are vegan and gluten-free.  I had heard about a frozen burger made by Asherah's Gourmet that was both, and when I saw it at Whole Foods after a soul-sucking day of running errands in the rain, I decided to pick up a package and give it a try.  

This was an expensive endeavor.  At $9.99, that came to $2.50 for each of the four frozen patties, so I was expecting greatness for the investment.  The burgers are made with all organic ingredients, with quinoa, sweet potato and coconut flour being at the top.  This sounded like a perfect savory-sweet combination, with a little bit of richness thrown in to make it feel substantial.  The box promised "A taste good enough to live for," which convinced me to take the pricey plunge.

So I microwaved a patty.  And then I tasted it after it heated for 3 minutes.  In retrospect, I should've taken a photo, because what came out of the microwave was pretty much a circular pile of quinoa mush. It seems the only thing holding it together were the ice crystals.  As for taste, it was pretty much like mushy quinoa.  Not what I wanted for dinner.

Somewhat disappointed and frustrated yet nonetheless undeterred, I set out to augment this lackluster patty into something edible.  I had a big bunch of basil in my fridge which made for a quick pesto.  And I had some mushrooms that I decided to saute.  I made a bed of a slice of gluten-free bread and dressed some fresh garden greens with a simple Dijon vinaigrette on the side.  This managed to come together into something quite elegant, and the final detail of a squeeze of Sriracha sauce actually transformed the meal from mundane to mmmm... good.

For future reference, I'd recommend saving your money and spending 15 minutes or so to cook some quinoa, then dress it with the accoutrements as I have done here.  All in all, it took about 30 minutes to pull this together, which was about 27 minutes longer than I had intended to take preparing dinner.  But as a challenge to spark my creativity, it was worth it.  

Snap Pea and Penne Pasta with Fresh Pesto

Garden fresh is the theme at Well on Wheels this week.  I have a bunch of peas vining up a trellis in my garden and I picked a handful the other day, so I decided they'd be the feature item on my lunch menu.  It also helped that my basil plant is bushy and ready to be trimmed and transformed into pesto.

Any time you're looking for a quick alternative to ubiquitous marinara on your pasta, pesto can't be beat.  It's light, bright, garlicky and good.  How can you possibly go wrong with that combination on a warm summer afternoon?

Bavarian Spiced Portobello Mushroom Pasta

It was a dark and stormy night... and there wasn't much in my fridge except a lonely portobello cap and half a can of diced tomatoes.  So, I settled in to accepting the likelihood that there would be another pasta dinner on the horizon.  But tonight I decided to try something a little different.

I poked around my pantry for a box of spices a friend had gotten me for New Year's Day (thanks, Jessica!) and discovered this one marked "Bavarian Style Seasoning" which had me intrigued.  The label stated that this was a hand-mixed blend of crushed brown mustard, rosemary, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and sage. It sounded sausage-y to me, so I figured it would work well with the portobello.

I started by dicing the mushroom and sauteing it in olive oil until soft and lightly browned.  Then I threw in some sliced garlic and fresh basil. Once the garlic was golden and fragrant, I added about a teaspoon of the spice mix and some salt and pepper.  Instant aroma!  I deglazed with the tomatoes and let the sauce simmer until it thickened, about 10 minutes.

I tossed the penne pasta with the sauce, then topped it with some fresh thyme sprigs from my garden.  For a twist on the standard pasta sauce, this hearty, savory, and slightly tangy topping was a success.

Rawsomely Garden Fresh

I'm so excited to see green stuff growing in my garden... and it's not just weeds!  Yesterday I trimmed my first batch of Mesclun Greens and made a big salad for lunch and a little side salad for tonight's dinner.

Nothing you buy in the grocery store, not even organic, comes close to how delicious and delicate these leaves are.  They're loaded with water and the sun's energy, and they're sweet, too.  Without sounding all new agey and mystical, they really do feel like a life force is entering your body.  In a good way.

I also made a creamy cashew dill dressing to drizzle on top.  The dill was also fresh from my garden, and the flavor was light and refreshing, unlike the dill you get at the grocery store which I often think has a flavor reminiscent of gasoline.  This was pure dill, and heavenly, too.

Yesterday's lunch was topped with an avocado.  There's nothing better than sitting outside on the deck in the sunshine, eating a meal made from produce that you pick with your own hands right out of your garden that you planted.  And as I sat munching away, I thanked the sun, the rain, the compost, the seeds, and the alchemy that brought it all together in the form of lettuce on my plate.

Tonight's salad had the same dressing, a few remaining greens, a handful of snap peas also from my garden, and some grilled tofu leftover from Father's Day.  Pretty nice way to start the summer.

Chillin' and Grillin'

It's the middle of June, which normally is the time of year for grilling.  But with the weather we've been having, it's become a challenge to fire up the grill between raindrops.  I was in luck this weekend when some friends managed to squeeze in a cookout just as the clouds broke.

While there isn't much local produce ready, we did enjoy some cute baby zucchini, radishes, orange bell pepper, red onion, oyster mushrooms, and bok choy marinated in teriyaki sauce.  This made for a tangy  sweet and spicy combo perfect with a little bit of charring.  I think my favorite was the bok choy with its green ends all crispy and sweet as a contrast to the slight bitterness of the stalk.  Plus, it made for a lovely presentation.

Because there was a slight chill to the evening air, I brought along some lemon lentil and jasmine rice soup to warm us up.  All in all, a perfect pre-summer dinner out on the deck.

Chickpea and Sundried Tomato Pate with Field Greens

The other day I was in a hurry for lunch (what else is new?), so I was thinking a quick sandwich would be the easiest solution for my hunger.  But then I looked in the fridge and didn't find any Daiya cheese, and I didn't feel like having peanut butter and jelly.  Again.  So I poked around my pantry and found some garbanzo beans which I thought I'd whip up into some hummus really quick and be out the door in 15 minutes.  Alas, I had no lemon, and you really need lemon when you make hummus.

What to do... what to do...  I set my mind to thinking what else might work well blended with garbanzo beans and had an epiphany:  sundried tomatoes!  Yes, definitely... they'd add a nice savory undertone and take the spread to a whole other level.  Since I still wanted a little lemony hint, I added some coriander to the puree.  I must say, this could easily become a regular sandwich filling in the Well on Wheels "quick and easy" repertoire.

I served mine all pretty as an open-faced sandwich on top of field greens fresh from my garden along with sliced cucumber topped with micro dill (also from my garden), and a few twists of Hawaiian Red Sea Salt and Grains of Paradise.

"Better Than Hummus" Chickpea and Sundried Tomato Pate

1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbl tahini
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 tsp dried coriander
1-2 Tbl olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
squeeze of Sriracha sauce (optional... though I do think it added just the right kick)
enough water to get smooth consistency (a couple tablespoons should suffice)

Puree all of the above ingredients in a food processor.  Gradually add enough water at the end to get a smooth consistency.  I wanted mine thick and fairly dry for the sandwich filling, but if you were using this as a dip you could add more water to make it smooth and creamy like hummus.  Sooooo.... good!