Hearty Bean and grain patties

I was flipping through my old copy of Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and I never realized how many vegetarian recipes were in there! So I found this one and altered it a bit to my liking.


Makes 5 patties
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups cooked lentils
1 can garbanzo beans
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
1/3 cups brown rice (or a healthy rice mix with barley, quinoa, etc.)
1 tbsp dried basil
Olive oil

1. In a small bowl, mix the flaxseed with 6 tbsp water. Let sit until coagulated. Add basil.
2. Mix lentils and beans together in a food processor, or mash thoroughly with a fork.
3. Add flaxseed mix, oats, and rice to the bean mix and combine.
4. Heat oil in a large pan. Form mix into patties and cook on each side until browned. Serve on toasted bread and enjoy!

See my recipe for the tomato relish in the pic next week!

Wine of the Week - Saarloos & Sons "Mother" 2009 Grenache Blanc

I had a tough time pinning this one down, taste-wise. What I can say for certain is that it's good. There's green apple and pine needle on the nose, which carries over into the taste a little bit - but just a little bit. Generally sweet, with a semi-dry tinge. This is a nice, affordable entry into the Saarloos line.
14.5% alcohol

Sloppy Joe's

Found this recipe awhile ago in my copy of the Veganomicon but I finally decided it was time to try it out. Made a few edits to the recipe, and it turned out mighty tasty!



Ingredients
1 cup cooked lentils
1 green pepper, diced
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
2 tbsp maple syrup
Olive/veggie/grapeseed/etc oil

1. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a medium pot. Heat pepper and onion for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
2. Add lentils and sauce and mix. Let heat for 10 minutes.
3. Add maple syrup and stir.
4. Serve on top of your favorite hoagie roll. I added shredded lettuce for a bit of a crunch.

Wine of the Week - STO 2008 Gambler Cabernet Sauvignon

This limited edition wine has maple syrup on the nose.  Sweet berries on the tongue, with a little bit of something burnt underneath - I'd describe the overall effect as toast with blackberry jam.  A little hot, which tends to be characteristic of Sort This Out... but they like to make party wines, and I like to drink their party wines, so there you go.
13.5% alcohol

Summer Sangria

A fantastic way to cool down this summer...and get a bit buzzed.




Ingredients
1 bottle Cabernet sauvignon (see Joe's wine series for a recommendation)
1/2 orange, thinly sliced
1 lime, thinly sliced
1/2 Granny smith apple, thinly sliced
1/2 cup red grapes
1 cup of a carbonated lemon soda (I used Trader Joe's French Market lemonade)

Pour wine in a large pitcher and add the fruit. Refrigerate for about an hour. Add the soda and enjoy!

Wine of the Week - Royal Oaks 2006 Pinot Noir

We've got some tough business to deal with here.
While there's the slightest hint of strawberry on the nose, that's completely overwhelmed by the scent of alcohol.  Nail polish.  This wine smells like nail polish.
Super tart on the tongue.  This is easily the driest red wine I've ever tasted.  Acid so high, you'll feel it scraping the back of your throat.
So am I crazy for liking it?  This nearly-unidentifiable pinot noir is strong medicine that fits a very particular taste.  There are few people I would recommend it to.  But it's certainly a one-of-a-kind and, if it's what you're in the mood for, can't be beat.

Banana poppers

I recently found this recipe on Epicurious. But I'm not a huge fan of bananas so a whole banana is a bit too much. So I came up with the idea for smaller bite-sized pieces.



1. Take 2 bananas and chop them into 1" pieces. Stick a toothpick into each piece. Freeze until solid.
2. Pull bananas out of the freezer while you melt your chocolate.
*Here are some tips on melting chocolate: Melting Chocolate
3. Dip your bananas into the chocolate and place on parchment paper. Refrigerate for 5-10 minutes until chocolate hardens.
4. Eat! And eat quick b/c once the bananas thaw, they get mushy.

A great summer treat!

Wine of the Week - STO 2008 Viva Las Vegas Merlot

Another good party wine from Sort This Out Cellars. Boldly aromatic and full of red fruit flavors. A little hot. A definite attention-getter that stands out from the crowd.
13.5% alcohol

Spicy side of beans

A quick and easy sidedish (but hard to photograph apparently. Sorry for the bad pic!)



Ingredients
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
1 chopped tomato, or 1 cup pico de gallo
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
1-2 tbsp lime juice

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Let sit in the fridge for up to an hour so the veggies absorb all the juicy goodness. If you prefer a super spicy/hot side, add some jalapeños and red pepper.