Vegan Nut Rissoles

Yes, it has been a while! I have been busy travelling in the United States and doing other such exciting things.  

What can I share about my observations of the cuisine in the U.S.?  It is like the country, very varied and very BIG. Every serving we received was just huge. Why you need ten slices of ham in a roll is anyone's guess. And when you ordered a salad it often came as a serving for four people, not one. In fact we ended up just sharing many of our lunches and dinners! We also found food was often quite inexpensive, especially the take-away -  'all you can eat' for $8.00 variety.

I did enjoy my lovely fresh lobster in Maine (very much) and in Denver tried what they call 'gravy and biscuits' - once -  not so much enjoyed - in fact I thought it was really yuck!! 

You would consider this vegan recipe at the other end of the cuisine spectrum. It came from one of my 'cutting folders'. (They are not getting any smaller either). I was trying to have a bit of a clean out when I came across it filed away. It must be quite old, as it came from the Christchurch Press in my old home town where I moved from 14 years ago.

Everyone loves them, but as with most vegan or vegetarian cooking you need to be prepared well ahead of time! And they would have to be pretty good for you.

Just a note, I found it quite hard to mash the tofu so 'pulsed' it in my Kitchen whizz instead.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Natty Patty ( Judith Sutton)  a cutting from the Christchurch Press – date unknown

Vegan Nut Rissoles

Makes 12 generous-sized rissoles

440g tofu

1 cup rolled oats

1 c fresh vegetables – grated carrot, pepper, cabbage etc

2 cups cooked brown rice

1/3 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1tsp each of salt and hing*

¼ cup peanut butter

2 tbsp tomato paste

¾ cup mixed nuts and seeds – toasted and ground

Black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

2 tbsp Tamari or good quality soya sauce

Oil for cooking

Place tofu into a large mixing bowl, then mash with a potato masher.

Add remaining ingredients, then combine.

Oil hands and shape into rissoles.

Fry in a lightly oiled pan over a medium-low heat allowing 5 minutes each side.

Good with tomato relish.

*Hing, also known as Asafetida, is a substitute for onion and garlic. It can be purchased from a wholefood shop or Asian store. 

I added a slice of eggplant and tomato for a nice garnish.

 

Kedgeree - the quick one!

This is how you can use up some of those left overs in the fridge, and a recipe especially good if you are short on time!
I just happened to have some cooked brown rice, cooked left-over fish, lots of organic eggs, some fresh coriander and some tasty curry paste in the fridge. It all screamed a Kedgeree. It has been quite a few years since I last made one but I had a vague idea what ingredients to use and just went from there. I have to say it was extremely tasty and so easy to make, a child could do it.
I have since checked my books and while mine isn't exactly the same, it was pretty close. I used coriander instead of parsley and pan fried fish instead of smoked fish.
This is my 'thrown together' recipe, perfect for a quick lunch or light dinner.
Fish Kedgeree - depending on your appetite, this quantity will feed about 2-4 people
Ingredients
1 large onion - finely diced
1 large carrot  - finely diced
Some fish - preferably smoked but I used non-smoked - in any amount, to your taste
2 hard boiled eggs - chopped
1-2 cups cooked rice (I like brown but it will work well with white rice too)
Fresh coriander or parsley - about 1/4 cup finely chopped,
Curry Paste (I used about a heaped teaspoon of mild, but add to your taste) 
Method
Heat a little oil or ghee in a pan,
fry an onion until soft, add a finely chopped carrot and cook until just done ( you want to leave a bit of firmness in the carrot).
Add curry paste and cook for a few minutes - stirring all the time.
Add rice and stir lightly until warmed through. Add the roughly chopped egg, gently stir through.
Stir in chopped coriander or parsley with a little garnish on top and serve.