Vegan quinoa black bean patties on lettuce buns with chili lemon baked french fries

I recently ate at The Mission in Scottsdale. It is not a vegan restaurant, but they were able to tell us which items were vegan. One of those items was their Mission Fries, which are sweet potato and potato fries + lemon + chile + cumin. They were tangy and super delicious! I always love it when the ingredients are listed on the menu because I am a diehard recipe copycat! So, I grabbed a bag of potatoes earlier this week to test my copycat recipe. My fries (which are baked, not fried) were a perfect compliment to my quinoa black bean patties, which I sandwiched between 2 leaves of romaine lettuce. I have also come to realize that my quinoa black bean mixture would make a wonderful vegan bean dip! I could even layer it with vegan sour cream, salsa and some teese cheese....I gotta try that for my next party! My sister who is not vegan always hates when I ask her to try the food I make, but when she does, she usually likes it. So, I ended up making her a patty and fries, as well.

Chili Lemon Baked French Fries (HibbardKitchen original recipe)
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
3 large potatoes (slice how you like-we make long thin french fries, as they bake quicker)
2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice (adding zest would increase the lemon factor....gonna try this next time)
2 tbsp of olive oil
1/2 tsp chili powder (or to taste)
1/2 tsp cumin (or to taste)
salt to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Mix the lemon juice, olive oil, chili powder, cumin and salt in a small bowl
3. Remove skin from potatoes and slice into french fries
4. Place sliced potatoes in large bowl

5. Pour the oil mixture over the potatoes and toss to coat
6. Lightly spray your cookie sheets with oil (we used 2 cookie sheets)
7. Place coated potatoes onto the cookie sheets
8. Bake in oven for 15 minutes, then switch the upper cookie sheet to the bottom rack and the bottom cookie sheet to the top rack. Bake another 15 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy

I presented the fries to my sister like this...I knew she couldn't resist!

The next time I make these, I am going to experiment with ingredients that might help create a firmer patty. I am also going to experiment with making this recipe into a layered bean dip...
Quinoa Black Bean Patties
Makes 6 patties
Ingredients

• 2 garlic cloves, minced .
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & sliced .
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin .
• 1 c quinoa . (you can use inca red variety or regular quinoa)
• 1 (14 oz) can black beans, rinsed & drained .
• 1/2 tsp chili powder .
• 1/2 c red onions, grated & squeezed dry .
• 1/4 c fresh cilantro, sliced .
• 1/3 c dry breadcrumbs .
• 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil . (1 for the patty mixture and 2 for the cooking...we just spray the pan, so we only use 1 tbsp of oil to make this recipe)
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper .
• 3/4 tsp salt

Directions

• Step #1 Rinse quinoa under cool water for couple of mins in fine sieve to remove bitterness. (we never do this)
• Step #2 Put in rice cooker with just over 1 & 1/3 c water & set to cook. (or follow quinoa stove top cooking instructions on your quinoa package)
  
  
  
• Step #3 Transfer to food processor/blender fitted with metal blade.
• Step #4 Add beans, garlic, salt, jalapeno, 1 tbsp of oil, onion, cilantro, chili powder, cumin & pepper.
  
  
• Step #5 Puree until smooth. (if the mixture is really soft, you can put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour to make it easier to handle)
  
  
• Step #6 Form into six 1/2-inch thick patties.
• Step #7 Place bread crumbs in shallow bowl. (The bread crumbs help the patties hold together while cooking)
  
  
  
• Step #8 Press patties into crumbs, turning to coat both sides.
• Step #9 In non-stick skillet, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat. (I use my oil spritzer, so that I am not using the 2 tbsp oil the recipe calls for cooking in)
• Step #10 Cook patties in batches, turning once, for 8 mins or until browned.
  
  
• Serve with buns or lettuce leaves
  
  

Vegan philly seitan sandwiches and sweet potato fries

Can you tell that I am obsessed with my mandoline? I am finding recipes that call for sliced stuff. My normal sweet potato fries are more like steak fries, but this time, they were just like the ones you get at Delux or Stax (except baked, not fried)!

My grandma got me a vegan cookbook for my birthday called You Won't Believe It's Not Vegan. And, let me tell you, I can't believe it! Tonight we made philly seitan sandwiches from the book. Next time around, I think I'll swap the nutro cheese for Teese Cheese...then it will be WOW! The sweet potato fries are my old stand-by recipe, but I decided to sprinkle some oregano into the mix for a new taste.

Sweet Potato Fries
1 sweet potato (sliced into straight fries)
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
oregano, salt and pepper to taste

1. Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees
2. Toss the fries in the oil with the oregano, salt and pepper
3. Line up on a non-stick cookie sheet
4.  Bake for 15 minutes, then flip the fries
5. Bake the 2nd side for 10 minutes and watch closely to ensure they don't burn

Nutro Cheese (for topping on the philly seitan sandwich):
Yield 1 pint
2 tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Pinch of turmeric
Pinch cayenne
1/4 tsp dry mustard
3/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 tbsp tamari
3/4 cup nutritional yeast
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Warm the oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, turmeric, cayenne and mustard until smooth, then whisk in the soy milk.

2. Add the water and tamari and let cook for 5-8 minutes, whisking constantly. Add the nutritional yeast and let cook, whisking, for another 5 minutes or until the mixture is thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Will keep for 4-5 days refrigerated.

Carmelized onions
1 large yellow onion (thinly-sliced)
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp sea salt

1. Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and salt and cook, stirring often, until they begin to carmelize and turn golden brown, 10-15 minutes.

Philly Seitan Sandwich
4 pieces of an italian baguette or 4 pieces of thick loaf bread
2 cups thinly-sliced seitan
1/8 cup tamari
1 1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1. pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment

2. Warm the bread in the oven for a minute or two

3. Toss the sliced seitan with the tamari and olive oil. Spread out on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes, or until golden

4. Mix the seitan and carmelized onions together and spread out on the bread

5. Smother with nutro cheese and serve

We took some funny pictures of ourselves tonight, we were both wearing green:

My yellow nails and yellow straw...

We are now watching the remake of Grey Gardens. OMG. The original was jaw-dropping. This one is amazing, too.