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You are here: Home / Weekend / Gardening is Hard, Cooking is Fun

March 22, 2008

Gardening is Hard, Cooking is Fun

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I weeded for an hour and half! My body is worn out from all the squatting, bending, and leaning on my arms. It was fun though – I listened to Pandora Contemporary Country and heard lots of my favorite songs. And it helps that the weather is just gorgeous. The husband cut the grass and is working on bulb planting. Surprisingly, I’d rather weed than plant. I guess because you can be more careless and move quicker with weeding. Check out my handiwork and our tulips that opened TODAY while I was out there!

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We have quite a few “animals” in our garden – here’s a lion and a frog next to the jasmine and lavender. One day after we first got him (he was my grandmothers!) the lion scared me to death because I had no idea what was hiding behind the pole.

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On to Cooking…

Since I have a bunch of leftover chickpeas I decided to give Veganomicon’s Chickpea Cutlets a try. I’m sorry that I can’t share this recipe with you all since it came from a cookbook and I followed it exactly. But you could go to a bookstore to check it out!

The recipe called for vital wheat gluten. I was not happy about going to buy it and asked the husband about it – he said we had some already!! Apparently my mom gave it to us a while back. Perfect!

I really liked the texture of these and they were pretty big, although 235 kcal per cutlet is kind of a lot if you’re going to make a sandwich with it and have sides. Next time I might make them a tad smaller and more portion friendly. And while I loved the texture, I wasn’t crazy about the flavor. The mixture had soy sauce in it and I’m not the biggest fan of soy sauce flavorings so I think that’s what I didn’t love about them. The husband thought they tasted JUST like chicken – I think he liked it more than I did! I WILL make them again though and leave the soy out, make them a little smaller, and add some more of my own flavors. The wheat gluten was awesome to knead and they were nice and chewy – my style! I also used cooking spray instead of oil to cook them in and they turned out fine for me.

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Sandwich! On the husband’s new Wheaty Sprouted Grain Bread.

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I ate it with ketchup and mustard.

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On the side – a spinach salad with carrots, a dallop of whipped cottage cheese and raspberry blush vinegar:

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And kiwi –

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From above –

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This lunch was about 550 kcal, 12 grams fiber and 30 grams protein. I’m not that full, so I hope it’s one of those slow-release kind of lunches!

Tonight we’re going to dinner with some friends!! Yippee! Until then, I’m off to see how this Stats final project goes. It could take me 2 hours, or it could take me 2 days – I have absolutely no idea if I’ll know how to do the requirements!

More posts from Kath:

Filed Under: Weekend Tagged With: Chickpeas

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Comments

  1. Romina says

    March 22, 2008 at 1:53 pm

    Kath – The recipe is online (Isa graciously allowed Chow.com to post it) for anyone who wants to try.

    Reply
  2. Romina says

    March 22, 2008 at 1:54 pm

    Hmm, I posted the link but it didn’t work, here it is:

    Reply
  3. Romina says

    March 22, 2008 at 1:30 pm

    I made these for lunch today because I was craving some. I don’t use bread crumbs, olive oil or soy sauce and mine come to be about 115 calories each and about 14.5 grams of protein. I bake them too, which makes them super crisp.

    Reply
  4. Lisa says

    March 22, 2008 at 1:44 pm

    Romina, if you don’t use bread crumbs how do they hold? Also, how do you bake them without them sticking?

    Reply
  5. Greta says

    March 22, 2008 at 1:44 pm

    I have a cooking/chemistry question. Last night I tried to make a variation of your pumpkin pasta. I used stock and fage 0% yogurt as well as the canned pumpkin to make the sauce. I had some frozen chicken sausage that was already cooked so after I had the base together, I threw the cold sausage into the mixture to defrost and heat through. I think the yogurt seized or something because all of a sudden there were little white flecks in the sauce and they never cooked out. The sauce tasted fine but looked funny. Any thoughts about what I did wrong? Does the milk in the yogurt curdle if you add something cold after it is warm?

    Reply
  6. Lisa says

    March 22, 2008 at 1:45 pm

    Romina, since you are vegan are these the book’s most popular recipe? Why does everyone seem to make them?

    Reply
  7. Laura says

    March 22, 2008 at 1:50 pm

    Husband,

    What is vital wheat gluten? It sounds kinda weird. Is that to replace the eggs that would be used in a vegetarian version? I’m not sure what it does. I am wondering since I don’t have gluten if I could use egg. I have no idea how to use gluten!

    Reply
  8. Romina says

    March 22, 2008 at 1:52 pm

    Lisa – They hold together because of the vital wheat gluten, when you add the liquids and knead it together it becomes a dough. It seems stringy and everything holds well together. It was an accident the first time since I forgot to put them in, and I’ve enjoyed them ever since. To keep them from sticking in the oven I use parchment paper.

    These might just be the most popular recipe. I think because they’re a great meat substitute and so easy to make. They’re great to make in a huge batch and freeze. They have such a nice texture and you can do almost anything with them… eat them as a burger, in a sandwich, alone. Sometimes I cut mine up and put them in stirfries. They’re also very customizable. if you don’t like the spices you can switch it up and add your own person flavors. =) Hope that helps.

    Reply
  9. Kiala says

    March 22, 2008 at 1:53 pm

    Oooh…I’m goung to make those. They look like an excellent vehicle for sriracha.

    But what isn’t really?

    Reply
  10. Romina says

    March 22, 2008 at 1:55 pm

    I’ll just post the URL. The HTML doesn’t seem to work.

    http://www.chow.com/recipes/11364

    Reply
  11. Laura says

    March 22, 2008 at 1:56 pm

    Romina, what spices other than soy would work. Like Kath, I’m not a big soy fan.

    Reply
  12. Marcy says

    March 22, 2008 at 1:59 pm

    Kath two questions.

    What is swiss yogurt versus normal yogurt?

    Also, in your hummus you used yogurt. I’ve never heard of that- where did you get your recipe idea from? Did it make it more creamy? Lastly, did you have to buy a whole container of tahini? I would like to try making hummus, but don’t want the whole container with it!

    Reply
  13. Romina says

    March 22, 2008 at 2:00 pm

    Laura – I just subbed soy for about 1/4 tsp. of salt. I found the soy sauce just made it far too salty and overpowering.

    Reply
  14. Ally says

    March 22, 2008 at 2:04 pm

    Your chickpea cutlets look great 😉

    The weather is beautiful today, I DVRed the Duke vs WVU game just so we could go running!

    Reply
  15. BethT says

    March 22, 2008 at 2:25 pm

    Kath, do you own Veganomicon? I’m making food from that today as well – the Samosa Baked Potatoes. They are so good, I want to cry! If you like Indian food give ’em a try…

    Reply
  16. Robin says

    March 22, 2008 at 2:50 pm

    Kath- Your yard looks so nice! Have you ever thought about planting your own fresh herbs or veggies? Once I’m not renting anymore, it’s the first thing I’m going to do!

    Reply
  17. Betsy says

    March 22, 2008 at 2:52 pm

    that weather looks wonderful! we got 6 inches of snow last night here, so I’m a long way from real spring.

    I can’t wait to see your testing with the chickpea cutlets. I’m planning on making them this week after hearing all the buzz.

    Reply
  18. Susa says

    March 22, 2008 at 4:09 pm

    I made those too-with black beans though. The first time I used wheat gluten…the second time I used an egg white and some garbanzo bean flour to glue it together.
    At Costco they had roasted garlic chips which were good in them too.
    1st try was not bad, 2nd attempt even better (and had lesser kcals -> I was able to use more beans). Also, the second time I baked them in the oven-like someone else already suggested :).

    The bread-keep a good eye on that husband of yours…every woman wants a dude who bakes things like that 🙂

    Reply
  19. jenna says

    March 22, 2008 at 4:13 pm

    Mmmmm…I LOVE those! I did the math one time though and mine came out to 170 calories each, which I thought was more than fair. I’m wondering if yours were bigger than mine or something? Strange. Looks like a nice day! I hate gardening too but really want to step up to the plate because I would LOVE to have a vegetable garden in my future house!!!

    Reply
  20. Katie says

    March 22, 2008 at 4:27 pm

    Okay, I am SO jealous of your nice weather. It’s not only overcast here, but super cold. 🙁

    Reply
  21. Kath says

    March 22, 2008 at 4:41 pm

    Romina,
    I’d also like to know how well they hold together without the bread crumbs. Maybe I’ll just use less next time because I couldn’t even taste them.

    Greta ,
    Sounds like your yogurt curdled. That’s happened to me before. I’m not sure what causes it other than high heat – perhaps heating too fast? I don’t heat yogurt anymore after one too many mishaps!

    Laura,
    Here’s some info on vital wheat gluten. I think it just makes things stretchy so if you used egg it would help hold it together but it wouldn’t have the chewiness that the gluten provides. It wasn’t scary at all – just a powder/flour that got stretchy like play-dough when I added water. You can probably find it in most stores near the flour and stuff.

    Marcy,
    The swiss yogurt is processed differently – I’m not sure how though.

    I thought of the yogurt myself to thin and bulk up the hummus, but turns out there are lots of yogurt hummus recipes out there.

    I did have to buy a whole container of tahini. I’d just leave it out if you don’t want to buy it. Since I didn’t add much, I doubt you’d notice it’s missing unless you made classic hummus.

    BethT,
    I don’t own it – wish I did! I flipped through it at Barnes and Noble 🙂

    Robin ,
    That’s why we’re weeding!! We have rosemary, thyme, lavender, oregano and lemon thyme already – we’re planting basil, dill, jalapeño, tomatoes, and summer squash and zucchini this year and hoping the deer STAY AWAY!

    Jenna,
    I wonder what the difference was?? Maybe I should re-check my calculations. I made 4 cutlets and pretty much followed the recipe – I even used a bit less oil.

    Kath

    Reply
  22. Ally says

    March 22, 2008 at 4:43 pm

    Jenna and Kath

    My cutlets came out to 165 calories each… maybe your math was a little off Kath? I’m not sure!

    Reply
  23. Kath says

    March 22, 2008 at 5:00 pm

    Weird!!

    Here’s my breakdown:

    1/2 cup wheat gluten – 240 (I double-checked this)
    1/2 cup breadcrumbs – 220 (did you guys leave these out?)
    1.5 tbsp olive oil – 180
    1 cup cooked chickpeas – 269
    (other ingredients are negligible)
    = 950 kcal
    Divided by 4 cutlets = 237 each??

    Kath

    Reply
  24. Marcy says

    March 22, 2008 at 5:28 pm

    Jenna,

    Since you can’t hear my voice through typing, this is not being asked in an attacking way, just curious way, I thought you didn’t count calories. What made you decide to count the chickpea calories?

    Reply
  25. Marcy says

    March 22, 2008 at 5:29 pm

    Kath,

    Could you show us your calorie break down for the hummus lunch? It seems high since a good portion came from veggies.

    Reply
  26. BethT says

    March 22, 2008 at 7:27 pm

    I got Veganomicon from the library and darn it, I think I HAVE to buy it! I made some vegan cookies today, too – and they were so good. There are at least 15 other recipes I want to try…

    Reply
  27. Kelly T says

    March 22, 2008 at 8:22 pm

    gardening is such a great workout, and also my favorite way to get a tan. My weather was great, too, I love being outside.

    I bought Panko today and am exciteds to use it. Do you have any tips? I’ve never used it before.

    Reply
  28. Leslie says

    March 22, 2008 at 9:10 pm

    Kath,

    I am not sure if you soaked and cooked the chickpeas, but I know you have done so for other beans. Two questions 1. do you know if you can freeze leftover beans or do they get too icy?
    2. since you have to leave them on the stove cooking for awhile, do you stay in the room? Or just let the stove go? I am always afraid of a fire.

    Reply
  29. Leslie says

    March 22, 2008 at 9:38 pm

    to clarify, I mean freeze leftover cooked beans.

    Reply
  30. Dinah Soar says

    March 22, 2008 at 10:02 pm

    The recipe is all over the Internet…you can find it here:

    http://www.chow.com/recipes/11364

    and here:

    http://www.recipezaar.com/283551

    I made them and thought they didn’t have much flavor…maybe they needed more salt or different spices…also a little too chewy for me so next time I will use less vital wheat gluten…I like the black bean burgers from Veganomicon better…but I think the best veggie burger is a recipe I have that contains brown rice, lots of veggies and an egg as a binder….

    Reply
  31. Kelly T says

    March 22, 2008 at 10:07 pm

    I love recipezaar!! You can find anything on that site. I didnt know anyone else knew about it.

    Reply
  32. Ally says

    March 22, 2008 at 10:29 pm

    Kath, I see where we differ!

    I did a slice of Ezekiel VERY toasted and chopped up- the chopped bread was about .5 cup so I used just one slice.

    I may have used less gluten as well?

    Your calculations were dead on, sorry I forgot I changed mine up a bit!

    Reply
  33. Leslie says

    March 22, 2008 at 10:30 pm

    Kath,

    Last hummus question! What type of yogurt did you use for the hummus- greek or dannon?

    Reply
  34. kay says

    March 23, 2008 at 12:25 am

    I baked the cutlets when I made them and they turned out really good too. Although I like soy sauce, I wasn’t crazy about it in these cutlets for some reason. Some hot sauce may taste good instead! I liked how they were hearty and chewy 🙂 Your backyard is so pretty!

    Reply
  35. Kath says

    March 23, 2008 at 1:02 pm

    Leslie ,
    I have no idea about freezing the beans, but I think if you pat them dry with a paper towel well it would probably work. I might just have to try that because I always make too many!

    I leave my stove unattended, but our house is pretty small and my computer is in the next room. I wouldn’t leave things that burn quickly, but things on medium temp and lower I do.

    Dinah Soar,
    Cute name!! And thanks for sharing the recipe for me 🙂

    Leslie ,
    Stonyfield low-fat plain yogurt for the hummus.

    Kath

    Reply

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    hi! Im Kath.

    I'm a Registered Dietitian, healthy eater, and mom of two from Charlottesville, Virginia. Here you’ll find a healthy mix of real-life meals made from whole ingredients balanced with the pleasures of life, including buttercream frosting and good wine. Plus a sprinkle of nutrition, home life, beauty, parenting, and travel.
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