Sweet Potato, Chickpea, and Quinoa Burger for One

Makes 2 soft patties. I eat one right away and use the other broken up onto salads ‘n’ things.

**The bun shown in this image is not in any way gluten-free. The recipe for this tasty addition will come soon. 

½ a small sweet potato

1/8 cup dry quinoa (2 TBLSP)

1/8 cup dry barley (2 TBLSP)

½ 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (about ¾ cup, if you’re making them yourself)

1 TBLSP fresh parsley

¾ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 TBLSP quinoa flour (use whole wheat if you don’t have quinoa flour handy)

1 ½ TBLSP olive oil

1.      Preheat oven Bake the sweet potato half at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-60 minutes, or until soft.

2. While the sweet potato is baking, cook the quinoa and barley in separate pots until soft, about 30-60 minutes (barley takes a little longer).

3.      Once the sweet potato is baked and cooled a little, combine it with the garbanzo beans, parsley, cumin, salt and pepper, garlic powder, flour, and ½ TBLSP of the olive oil in a food processor or blender. You don’t have to make complete mush of it, but it should be heading toward smooth. There shouldn’t be any obviously identifiable lumps in there.

4. Mix the bean mixture with the quinoa and barley in a small bowl.
5. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large pan on medium heat. Place two heaping spoonfuls of the bean mixture onto the hot pan, and use the back of the spoon to pat them flat and form four-inch diameter patties. Brown both sides of each burger. This may require several flips.

Serve on a bun with accoutrements, if you’d like, or broken up into salads, etc.

It’s not really suitable for grilling, as it stays super soft.

Black Bean Burger for One (with Cherry Compote)

It’s cherry season, and after you’ve had your fill of pies and other sweets, you might be looking for a way to use this luscious fruit in a more savory way. Try making a compote and putting it over a very earthy-tasting bean burger to shake up your palate a bit!

If making the cherry compote as a topping, make it first.

Black Bean Burger

·         ¼  cup plus 2 TBLSP cooked black beans

·         1 TBLSP Dijon-style mustard

·         1 chopped green onion

·         3 black olives, chopped

·         1 small clove garlic, smashed

·         1 TBSLP fresh coriander

·         Pinch ground cumin

·         Pinch salt

·         3 TBSLP rolled oats (you can use a gluten-free product, like almond flour, too)

If baking the burger, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. If frying, oil the pan ever so slightly.

1.    In a food processor, blend the beans, mustard, green onion, olives, garlic, coriander, cumin, and salt until you have a chunky purée. Pulse in the oats (or flour). Form the resulting paste into a patty shape.

2.    Heat a small non-stick frying pan over medium heat and cook the patty SLOWLY for approximately 6-8 minutes on each side, or until brown. (If you can cover it, all the better.) Alternatively, place the patty on the prepared baking sheet and bake for approximately 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.

3.    Serve burgers topped with sliced avocado and your favorite burger toppings, such as vegan sour cream, red onion, vegan cheese, etc. and your favorite sides.

Note: This burger is too soft to work on a grill.

Cherry-Thyme Compote

·         1 TBLSP extra-virgin olive oil

·         3 slices of a small shallot, minced

·         Pinch kosher salt

·         Pinch freshly ground pepper

·         1 cup fresh Bing cherries, pitted and coarsely chopped

·         1 ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar

·         1 ½ teaspoon firmly packed brown sugar’

·         Pinch of minced fresh thyme (or dried)

1.  Put the olive oil into a small saucepan. Set the pan on the stovetop over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until the shallot is softened, about one minute. Add in the salt and pepper.
2. Add the cherries and cook, stirring often, until they are warm and begin to give off their juices, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the vinegar, sugar, and the thyme and stir to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and adjust the seasonings, if necessary. Transfer the compote to a serving bowl. 


I like this sauce over savory things, like seitan, mushroom burgers, and rice, but it also adds an interesting touch to vegan vanilla ice cream!

Pad Thai for One

There are many versions of Pad Thai, and most involve peanuts. I went a different way with it--you try it and let me know what you think! 

 juice of ¼ lemon or ½ lime

1 clove garlic

1/2 inch piece ginger, chopped

1 TBLSP maple syrup or agave

1 TBLSP tamari

1 TBLSP melted coconut oil

¼  cup almond butter

1/3 cup water

Pepper to taste

Noodles for a single serving (I like flat rice noodles, but use what you like.)

¾ cup chopped veggies (pictured are carrots, fennel, green beans, and mushroom)

Chopped almonds to decorate.

1. Put the water on to boil your noodles and veggies. I put ‘em all into the same pot, putting the noodles in first and dropping the veggies in that take longer earlier than the mushroom and fennel frond-types of veg. While it’s coming to a boil, you can chop the veggies and prepare the sauce. 
2. In a blender or food processor, chop the garlic and ginger with the lemon juice. Once it’s finely chopped, blend all the rest of the sauce ingredients (maple syrup, tamari, coconut oil, almond butter, water, and pepper) in there with it. The sauce will thicken if you pop it into the refrigerator before serving, which is nice. You can add a little water to thin it, if necessary, before adding it to the noodles.
3. Drain the noodles and veggies and put them into your bowl. Pour the sauce over it all and toss to combine well. Sprinkle chopped almonds on top.

Fig Tartlet for One

I really like figs. No really. Not just they're my favorite, but I'm OBSESSED with them. They have a short season, and I make a complete glutton of myself.

But figs are pretty sweet, and you can't just eat sweets all the time, so here's my recipe for a savory little personal tart.

Dough

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 pinch salt

2 TBLSP shortening or vegan butter

1 ½ TBLSP ice water (or half vodka)

Topping

            1 TBLSP olive oil

3 slices of red onion, cut in half or thirds

            1 clove garlic, diced finely

            3 TBLSP balsamic vinegar

            Pinch of sugar (optional)

            4 Kalamata olives, sliced into circles

            2 Mission figs, quartered or cut into eighths

Make the Dough

• In a small bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Then add the water/vodka and mix until it holds together in a very soft dough. (Vodka is a pie-maker’s trick. If you use it the crust will be a little lighter. In such small quantities, though, you may not notice the difference. The alcohol burns off, so you don’t taste it, but, like the water, it evaporates and leaves little fluffy openings in the dough.)
•  Form the dough into a ball. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Just squish it together until it holds.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 7- or 8-inch circle or square, or just a rough shape. Fold the edges up and over to make a little ridge to hold the toppings in. It doesn’t have to be pretty, or round; in fact the more organic the shape of the crust, the more pleasing the appearance.
• Put the crust onto the parchment paper on which you’ll bake it, and then onto a plate. Stick it in the refrigerator for an hour or two (overnight is fine). You might want to cover it with plastic wrap if you have a lot of stinky things in your fridge or you plan to leave it for longer

Make the Topping

•  Place the olive oil and onion slices in a small saucepan, and on a medium or low heat, sauté them until they’re fairly soft but not quite translucent. Perhaps 7 or 8 minutes.
• Add the garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent.
• Carefully (it will splatter) add the balsamic vinegar and continue to sauté until the liquid is mostly gone. You can sprinkle in a pinch of sugar if you like, or if your figs aren’t particularly sweet.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Assemble the Tartlet

• Put the dough and its parchment paper onto a baking sheet and slip it into the hot oven for 5 or 6 minutes while you cut up the olives and figs.
•  On the now-warm crust, spread the caramelized onions evenly on the bottom. Scrape in as much of the yummy juice as you can.
• Arrange the figs on top of the onions in an artful way and then sprinkle the olives on top.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the edges of the crust are golden brown, the onions bubbly, and the figs all squishy.
• Let it cool on a rack for five minutes before devouring.

Pizza for One

Sometimes, you just want pizza, am I right? With this little recipe, there's no reason to wait for delivery or a party--you can just do it yourself!

I am allergic to tomatoes, so I used a pesto sauce (recipe included), and the pizza in the picture has pesto sauce, red onions, artichoke quarters, black olives, sunflower seeds, and Daiyu faux Mozzaralla on it. The crust is thin and crispy; I'm working on a deep dish version. Explore all your own favorite toppings and let me know how it goes!

Dough

Grease the pan/aluminum foil/parchment paper VERY HEAVILY. It sticks. Sprinkle the pan with corn meal.

1/2 cup whole wheat bread flour, plus a little more for shaping (you can also use all purpose)

Pinch of sugar

Generous pinch of salt

1 teaspoon active dried yeast (Bread-Machine Yeast works fine, too)

3 to 4 TBLSP warm water

·         In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Stir in 3 TBSP of water. If the dough is SUPER dry, then add a little more water and mix again. Go easy. 

·         Dump the contents of the bowl out onto a lightly floured work surface and sprinkle with flour. You may need to add more flour to make the dough kneadable if it’s too wet or sticky. 

·         Knead gently until the dough comes together into a ball. It'll be sticky and very soft. This should take 1 or 2 minutes. It kind of changes to have a delicate sheen when the gluten and the yeast have begun to do their thing. That's when you stop kneading. 

·         Shape and stretch the dough as thinly as you can, into a large circle. It should be about 7 inches in diameter.

·         Leave it in a nice warm place to rise while you preheat the oven to 425 degrees F for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the pesto and prepare the toppings. 

Pesto

¾ cup fresh basil leaves

1 TBLSP fresh cilantro leaves (you can use parsley if you’re anti-cilantro)

1 clove of garlic

1 TBLSP raw cashew nuts

1 TBLSP rice vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

·         Place all of the ingredients in a blender and whirl until it’s a soft mash.

Topping Options (Don’t use ALL of these—they won’t fit!)

·         3 TBLSP pesto (or tomato sauce)

·         3 black olives (Kalamata if you’ve got ‘em)

·         1 mushroom, sliced thinly

·         ½ slice of red onion, diced

·         1 green onion, sliced

·         Artichoke hearts, chopped

·         1 teaspoon capers

·         Spinach, fresh or steamed

·         Arugula, fresh or steamed

·         1 teaspoon sunflower seeds

·         Daiyu mozzarella faux cheese shreds

•            Spread pesto (or other sauce) until near the edges of the pizza. I like to bend the edges of the dough up a bit to help hold the sauce on top. That makes 'em crunchy, too. 
•       Spread the toppings on the sauce and then, if you’re using it, sprinkle the cheese on top of that.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the crust edges are darkly golden and the toppings are melty and shiny.

Spinach and Mushroom Turnover for One

 Filling

½ TBLSP olive oil

1 slice of yellow onion, diced finely

1 green onion, sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 mushroom, diced

2 olives, diced (I used green olives , but you could use kalamata)

1 TBLSP minced parsley or cilantro

2 cups fresh spinach

1 heaping teaspoon nutritional yeast

1 TBLSP firm tofu, mashed

Salt and pepper to taste

Crust

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 pinch salt

1 ½ TBLSP shortening or vegan butter

2 teaspoons ice water

2 ½ teaspoons of vodka or gin (you can skip the alcohol and use all water, if you like)

1 teaspoon almond milk

Filling

•       Put the olive oil, yellow onion, and green union in a shallow sauce pan or frying pan, and sauté for a few minutes, until the onions begin to soften. Add in the garlic and mushrooms, and continue to sauté until the mushrooms relax and the onions are really soft.
•       Add in the olives, parsley (or cilantro), and spinach, and continue to sauté until the spinach is wilted and soft.
•      Add in the nutritional yeast and tofu, and salt and pepper to taste, and continue to sauté about a minute more. Get it as dry as you can without burning it. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper

Crust

•       In a small bowl, combine the flour and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs
•       Sprinkle with ice water and vodka) and toss with a fork. (Vodka is a pie-maker’s trick. If you use it, the crust will be a little lighter. In such small quantities, though, you may not notice the difference. The alcohol burns off, so you don’t taste it, but, like the water, it evaporates and leaves little fluffy openings in the dough.)
•       Form the dough into a ball.
•       On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 7- or 8-inch circle.

Assembly

•       Place the filling on half of the crust circle. If it’s wet, put a leaf or two of fresh spinach under it to keep the crust from getting soggy.
•       Fold the other half of the circle of dough over the filling and press the edges together. I like to flip it over and tuck any loose edges right onto the parchment sheet. Be sure the edges are well sealed.
•       Brush the top with the almond milk. I just use my fingers.
•       Prick the top with a fork. You can make a pretty pattern, if you like, or just go in lines, about an inch apart.
•        Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Fig Linguini for One

I admit it. I'm a figophile. Even thought this recipe easily makes enough for two, I usually gobble the whole thing up myself. I mean, it's figs! 

     ½ small onion, chopped smallish

     1-4 ounces of linguini noodles

     ½ TBLSP of vegan butter or olive oil

     8 large figs, cut into bite-sized chunks (quartered and then cut in half cross-wise)

     1/2 cup or so of dry white wine

     1/2 cup of nondairy milk (I use almond milk)

     Grated cheese, for topping (asiago would be good, but I use nondairy mozzarella)

     Freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

1. Put the water on to boil linguini noodles. Toss the noodles into the boiling water when the onions are ready.

2. In a large skillet, add onion and the butter or oil and sauté until the onions are about half-way finished. They should be starting to soften but not actually limp yet

3. Add figs. Sauté until the figs are thinking about losing their shape but haven’t actually begun to relax.

4. Add the wine and reduce until the alcohol smell fades and there is only a little liquid in the pan.

5. Add the nondairy milk and reduce until saucy.

6. Add the cooked linguini to the pan when both are ready.

7. Top serving with grated cheese, if desired, and a little cracked pepper.

This makes a huge portion. I eat it all, but you might want to share or save some for tomorrow. 

Garlic Noodles for One

1 serving of linguini noodles (you be the judge of how many that is)

1.5 TBLSP olive oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 TBLSP flour (all purpose)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup vermouth, vodka, or gin

1 TBLSP fresh parsley, finely minced

1.5 TBLSP vegan butter

 

1.      Boil water for noodles. When the noodles are in and about half-way cooked, begin the sauce.

2.      In a saucepan, heat olive oil and crushed garlic on medium heat. (If you go too fast, the garlic will burn while you’re trying to fish it out.) When the oil begins to smell garlicky but before the garlic begins to brown, take it off the heat and pull out the garlic. You now have garlic-infused oil.

3.      Put it back on the heat and add flour and minced garlic to make a roux. Don’t let it brown.

4.      Add vermouth (or vodka or gin) and parsley, and heat through, until garlic just begins to soften, perhaps a minute. The alcohol should evaporate in this time, if your heat is low enough that you can boil it off without overcooking the garlic.

5.      Take it off the heat and add the butter in small chunks, and stir until well blended. Toss the noodles in with a small amount of the noodle water, and stir until the sauce is completely blended.