Diet, Dessert and Dogs

[Seen here on romaine leaves with a side of homemade cultured vegetables.]

I can hardly believe it, but today is the HH and my thirteenth anniversary!  And to think they said it would never last!  Of course, when we met, we were just love-struck kids  a one-night stand  riding the subway two jaded divorcés who thought they’d never again find love.

And yet, here we are.  And get a load of our conversation earlier this morning:

Ricki and the HH marvel at 13 years together (which is about 11 more years than Ellen and Portia). The HH gets ready to shave for work while Ricki brushes her teeth.

HH: You know, I had to buy this new razor yesterday.  I had a two-blader, and now they only come with three blades or more.

Ricki [mouth full of confiscated toothpaste suds]: Rrrbrrry?

HH: Yes, really.  I think I had that razor longer than we’ve been together. 

Ricki [rinsing mouth]: That would be more than thirteen years. Wow.

HH: Yeah. Hey–that means that all of the cells in our bodies have already been replaced since we got together! So we’re not even the same two people we were when we first met.

Ricki: You’re such a romantic. 

Okay, I suppose there is something a little bit special about walking around with a cellular makeup that developed entirely while I’ve been living with the HH (and the same for him). And if cells renew themselves every seven years in dogs, too, that means Elsie really is “our” dog now (though Chaser still has a ways to go).

“Mum, that is ageism, don’t you think?  I mean, it’s not my fault I’m only three years old tomorrow.  And what’s up with an April 7th birthday, anyway? It’s always overshadowed by your darn anniversary.” 

Well, if red is the color of passion, then perhaps these beet burgers can inject an extra shot of romance into our relationship on this special day. Not only that, they’re also the perfect recipe to introduce a new blog event hosted by Kim of Affairs of Living and me–the Sweet or Savory (SOS) Kitchen Challenge!

Following a special diet–whether because of allergies or other conditions–can sometimes feel like an insurmountable challenge. As two people who’ve both been following a special diet for some time, Kim and I understand how important it is to find delicious, appealing recipes to keep you motivated and committed when you’ve cut out certain ingredients from your diet, whether because of allergies or other conditions.

That’s why we’ve teamed up to offer the SOS Kitchen Challenge blog event! The SOS Kitchen Challenge invites you to create delicious dishes based on one key ingredient each time. You can choose either sweet or savory dishes (or both) for the event.  At the end of the month, Kim and I will gather all the submissions and post them in a roundup on both our blogs—so your recipe will get double the exposure! The resulting roundup will offer a single stop where health-conscious readers can find a collection of yummy dishes to try.

Help us showcase how tantalizing and delectable healthy foods can be! 

For our first challenge, our star ingredient is. . . . BEETS!

You may have noticed how much I adore beets, from salads to faux pepperoni and even a dessert. A much-loved vegetable in both our kitchens, beets are a star in the veggie universe as well: besides tasting great, they’re packed with minerals like manganese, potassium, magnesium and iron, are a great source of the B Vitamin folate, and actually help boost liver function.  They contain cancer-fighting antioxidants, help prevent heart disease and reduce inflammation in the body. They’re a great source of fiber and can promote regularity. And they might just introduce a little extra passion to your mealtime.

To participate in the challenge, simply cook up a recipe using beets (beetroots, beet greens, yellow beets, red beets, or any kind of beet you like); the beets can be raw or cooked in either a sweet or savory recipe. There are loads of possibilities—salads, soups, main dishes, baked goods, even a beet-and-bean chili or a mousse!

Then, post the recipe to your blog.  Of course, you can still participate even if you don’t have a blog! (For full guidelines and how to participate, see the main SOS Kitchen Challenge page). Be sure to mention the event on your post and link to this SOS page.  Also, feel free to use the SOS logo in your post to help promote the event, though this is not required. Deadline is April 20th–after which we’ll both be posting the roundup on our blogs. Full details here.  You can also find all the information on Kim’s SOS page.

We look forward to sharing yummy beet-based recipes with you!  To start us off, I thought I’d submit this savory, yet slightly sweet, beet burger. 

I got the idea for these burgers when Kim mentioned “beetloaf” one day on twitter. I do enjoy savory loaves (such as nutroasts), but wanted something that would cook up a bit faster and perhaps go well in a sandwich (since I seem to be on a sandwich kick these days).  After a couple of false starts (I guess there is such a thing as “too much beet”), I came up with this version: browned and barely crispy on the outside, still moist on the inside, with a naturally smoky flavor and sweet undertones.  These patties make a great main dish served alongside your favorite vegetable or even a creamy pasta.

To see my co-host, Kim’s, recipe using beets this month, check the recipe for Caramelized Onion, Beet and Rhubarb Compote on her blog!

Beet Burgers

I imagined a burger that tasted hearty without being too heavy or too earthy because of the beets.  The pairing of buckwheat and beets accomplishes this goal admirably; these are a mild burger, yet one that is–dare I say it–meaty enough to really satisfy. 

1/2 cup (120 ml) buckwheat, dry

1-1/3 cups (320 ml) vegetable broth of stock

1-1/2 cups (235 g) brazil nuts (or use walnuts or pecans, or a mix)

1/2 cup (50 g) whole old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant or quick cook)

1/4 cup (30 g) finely ground flax seeds

5-1/2 ounces (150 g) cooked*, peeled beets (3-4 small beets)

1/2 medium red pepper, chopped

1/4 cup (60 ml) parsley, chopped

3/4 tsp (3.5 ml) fennel

1 tsp (5 ml) ground mustard

1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) fine sea salt

up to 1/2 cup (120 ml) additional vegetable broth or stock, as needed

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment, or spray with nonstick spray.

In a small pot, bring the 1-1/3 cups (320 ml) vegetable stock to a boil; add the buckwheat, cover, lower heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed.  Remove the cover, fluff with a fork, and allow to cool.

In the bowl of a food processor, process the nuts, flax and oats to the texture of a coarse meal.  Add the beets, pepper, parsley, fennel, mustard and salt and process until almost smooth, yet still grainy. 

Using a large ice cream scoop or 1/3 cup (80 ml) measuring cup, scoop out the mixture and flatten to patties about 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick.  Bake in preheated oven 25 minutes, then gently turn over and return to oven for another 15-25 minutes, until the burgers are crisp on the edges.  Serve plain or in buns.  These go well with avocado mayonnaise or fresh and spicy cilantro sauce (both of these condiments will create a cool red-and-green Christmas vibe with the burgers, too).  Makes 8-10 burgers.  May be frozen.

* I bake the beets because I prefer the flavor and find they are a bit dryer that way, so the burgers will hold together better.  If you boil the beets instead, you might like to reduce the vegetable broth by 2-4 Tbsp (30-60 ml).

Last Year at this Time: Dr. Ornish, You Stole My Heart: Seven Grain Dirty Rice and Beans

Two Years Ago: Lucky Comestible II (3): Quinoa Oatmeal Croquettes

© 2010 Diet, Dessert and Dogs 

Just like Anna Karenina’s unhappy families, everyone deals with illness in her or his own way.

The HH, for instance, when struck with a cold or flu, takes to his (ie, our) bed for two days or so.  He doesn’t talk; he doesn’t watch TV; he doesn’t eat; he barely uses the bathroom. Then, after the magical 48-hour interval, he emerges from the room like someone who’s just attended a premiere screening of Star Wars: still a little dazed, eyes not quite yet adjusted to the light, but somehow energized and ready to get back into the regular world.

I, on the other hand, rarely if ever spend time in bed during the day (no, no, I didn’t mean it that way, silly!  I’m talking about when I’m sick).  Instead, I stumble about and manage to function at sub-optimal levels for as many days as it takes to recover. . . usually the better part of two weeks. Then, one day, I realize that the symptoms are gone–no more pile of soggy tissues beside the bed, no more abandoned cups of tea all over the house, no more tickle at the back of the throat, no more raw, throbbing red proboscis.

Similarly, I think that people who recuperate from illness crave unique foods as well.

When I was 16, I caught chicken pox from the CFO. (Believe me, chicken pox is intended as a childhood disease for a reason; what is usually mild and short-term discomfort for a ten year-old can progress to a full blown health crisis for a teen or adult).  Besides the initial alarm and teenaged angst I felt during the first two days (when I assumed those little pustules were zits rather than pox), I also became incredibly enervated and developed a high (104F or 40C) fever before an insanity-inducing itch enveloped my entire body for about ten days.  I recall spending hours hunched in the bathtub, attempting to submerge myself (face included) under the lukewarm water into which was dumped an entire box of baking soda.  If it hadn’t been a drowning risk, I probably would have slept in that tub.

When I finally began to regain some strength, my mom asked what I wanted to eat.

“I think I’d like some. .  . cottage cheese and canned pears.”

Cottage cheese?  And canned pears?? Neither of these was a favored food; I almost never ate canned anything. Still, my body must have known what it needed. Perhaps there was sodium in the pears to replenish what I’d lost in bodily fluids by sweating so much.  Or maybe my adolescent self still required some protein and calcium. Whatever the reason, it did the trick, and I began to get better.

This past week, as I finally emerged from the quagmire of a heinous virus (not swine flu, according to my doctor), I began to yearn for real food, something other than tea, or broth, or a healing smoothie. 

“Ess goo suh-er” I said to the HH.  (I lost my voice after the first few days, and it still hasn’t quite come back, unfortunately.)

“Huh?” the HH replied. 

“Let’s cook supper,” I whispered. “How about lentil rissoles?”

“Huh?” the HH replied. (Oh, he had heard me this time; but he had no idea what a “rissole” was).

Like so many food bloggers, my favorite reading material when I have a few minutes of downtime is a good cookbook.  In general, I flip through any new recipe book as soon as I get it home, marking favored recipes with tabs made from torn Post-It notes.  Some books end up with just a few tabs, lonely markers like flags left behind on the surface of the moon, while others are graced with tabs on almost every page, leaving a fringe of sticky notes across the book’s edge.

This recipe for lentil rissoles is one I picked out over a year ago, when I first flipped through Homestyle Vegetarian, a great find at a bookstore remainder bin. Basically, a rissole is a patty or burger that’s been coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried.  I decided to nix the coating/frying and cook these up as a simple yet flavorful burger.  Besides being delicious, these lovelies boast a full 24 grams of protein per serving (2 rissoles).

In about 30 minutes (by then I was too hungry to refrigerate them as directed before cooking–but I think it would have helped), we had a satisfying meal of rissoles and a simple green salad on the table. The end result was slightly disappointing in texture (probably my fault for not refrigerating them first), with a soft and moist interior much like refried beans.  As a result, the patties tended to break up as I transferred them from pan to plate.  (I’m guessing that a Tbsp/15 ml finely ground flax added to the raw mixture would help considerably, or substituting a glutenous rather than gluten-free bread for the crumbs).  But the taste was outstanding.

Not at all spicy, with just a whisper of cumin, the burgers were toothsome and even meaty. While my habitual method with burgers is to blend everything to a homogenous smoothness, in this case I followed the original recipe and made patties with distinct chunks of carrot and whole peas, which provided bursts of slightly sweet, intense flavor in each bite.  Beauty!

The HH proclaimed these a huge success and happily ate two.  We had ours plain, but because of their mild flavor, I bet these would be stellar with a chutney or even a few slices of avocado and a dollop of salsa.  Still, that’s just how I’d eat them.  I imagine everyone else will deal with the burger in her or his own way, of course. 

Lentil Rissoles

adapted from Homestyle Vegetarian

These patties are perfect for an everyday dinner, and would be wonderful jazzed up with an array of toppings and served in a toasted bun.

1 Tbsp (15 ml) extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp (10 ml) ground cumin

1 tsp (5 ml) ground coriander

2 cups (480 ml) vegetable broth or stock

1 medium carrot, finely diced

1 cup (250 g) red lentils, picked over and washed

1-1/2 cups (120 g) fresh whole grain breadcrumbs (I used millet-quinoa bread, but I think a spelt or whole wheat would actually work better here)

2/3 cup (60 g) walnuts, finely chopped (I ground mine in the food processor)

1/2 cup (90 g) frozen peas

3 Tbsp (45 ml) chopped flat leaf parsley or cilantro

Heat the oil in a large pot or dutch oven.  Cook the onion, garlic, cumin and coriander over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until the onion has softened.  Stir in the carrot, lentils and broth. Slowly bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked and pulpy, stirring frequently to stop them from sticking and scorching. Remove the lid during the last 10 minutes to evaporate any remaining liquid.  The mixture should be fairly mushy and there should be no liquid visible on the bottom of the pot after you run a spatula across it.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and cool for 10 minutes. Stir in the breadcrumbs,  walnuts, peas, and parsley. Form into eight 3-1/2 inch (8 cm) round rissoles. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until they are firm (this is the step I skipped–I would advise doing it).

Spray a nonstick frypan with olive oil spray and heat over medium heat. Cook the rissoles about 4 minutes on each side, until the outsides are browned and crispy and they are heated through.  Makes 8 rissoles.  May be frozen.

Last Year at this Time: Barley and Hazelnut Salad

© 2009 Diet, Dessert and Dogs