Posts

In My Kitchen: Aduki Bean and Quinoa Burgers

20150625_195501

Veronika’s aduki bean and quinoa burgers

 

 

“What’s for dinner, Mum?” my teenage daughter asked me when I picked her up from her after-school job.

I looked at her blankly. “You expected me to make dinner?” I replied when I was in my chauffeur hat.

It was a bit mean, I suppose, but I did smile pretty quickly to let her know I was joking. Of course there’d be dinner on the table when she got home!

When I relayed the story to her elder sister, the response was “We don’t expect you to make dinner, but we’re so grateful that you do!”

And dinner? I had made Aduki Bean and Quinoa Burgers.

I’d had the beans soaking in water overnight, and wasn’t sure what I’d do with them. Soup? Bake? Stew? And then my fridge reminded me I had a load of cooked quinoa which needed using up! Two birds. One stone.

Okay, so I had a lot of beans soaking, and a lot of quinoa to use up…
This recipe made about 30 good-sized burgers. My plan is to freeze a bunch of them (if the house mice don’t gobble them overnight!) Obviously if you don’t want to make this many, cut the recipe in half!

Scrummy. Satisfying. Filling.

Oh, and dairy free. Egg free. Gluten free.

A friend gifted me with some dulse flakes that I wanted to use in the recipe. Feel free to omit.

5 cups of cooked aduki beans
5 cups cooked quinoa (cold)
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 small onions, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 sticks celery, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
4 T brown rice miso
1 T dried mixed herbs
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 T dulse flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 – 2 teaspoons Celtic sea salt
Generous grindings of course-ground black pepper
200 g tomato paste
Olive oil (optional)

A cup or so of brown rice flour for rolling

Sauté the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and pepper until soft. Add all the seasonings and mix well. Add a cup or so of water once the tomato paste is in. Mix well.

Mix everything together with the mashed beans and quinoa until the seasonings are well combined with the mixture.

Roll into burgers, and then coat with brown rice flour. Place on a baking sheet (drizzle with olive oil if you want crunchy burgers) and baked at 200C for 40 minutes. If using olive oil, turn the burgers over half way through cooking.

Serve with a green salad.

/0 Comments/by

In My Kitchen: Banana and Cherry Cupcakes (Gluten Free)

20150526_164318“I wonder what these would taste like when they’ve cooled down,” my husband Paul said.

“I guess we’ll never know.”

20150526_164440

No, I guess we won’t. These delightful gluten-free cupcakes are easy to whip up, and take very little time to bake.

 

20150526_164101

Banana and Cherry Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan oven) /400°F/Gas 6

150g raw organic coconut oil (I use Lucy Bee’s) or organic butter, if preferred
150g coconut sugar or caster sugar
3 eggs or egg replacer if vegan
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
150 g Doves Farm Gluten-free white self-raising flour
1 banana
1/3 cup frozen cherries (and a handful more, to put on the cupcake if desired)

Melt the coconut oil and place in a food processor with the sugar and whiz for a minute. Add in the eggs, vanilla and then the flour and fruit.
When mixed well, divide evenly into 12 cupcake cases.
Bake for 11 minutes. Can be served with or without frosting.

I told you it was easy!

 

20150526_164554

/0 Comments/by
,

Veronika’s Gluten-Free Lemon Cookies

Yesterday a friend mentioned she baked the lemon cookies from my recipe book The Mystic Cookfire. (Available from www.veronikarobinson.com, www.starflowerpress.com, Amazon and other online retailers, good bookshops and libraries)

Here’s my updated gluten-free version.  They’re quick and easy to make, and taste fabulous!

 

lemon

Veronika’s gluten-free lemon cookies

½ cup softened organic coconut oil or organic sunflower oil
2 large spoons of egg replacer or two organic free range eggs
Zest of one large fresh lemon (organic)
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon quality lemon or orange essence
½ teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
1 cup quinoa flour
1 cup rice flour
½ cup coconut flour
1½ cups coconut blossom sugar or soft brown sugar

Cream oil and sugar with a whisk, then add the egg replacer/eggs, followed by the zest, essence and juice. Keep mixing. Add the baking powder and flour. Put the dough into the fridge to chill for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180C. Use baking paper on your baking tray. Place a spoonful of dough for each cookie. Bake for fifteen minutes.
Cool for a few minutes before putting onto a cooling rack.

These cookies are delightfully chewy and perfect at any time of year, whether for a garden party, picnic or lazy afternoon reading a book by the fire.

/0 Comments/by