Thyme & Sun-Dried Tomato Chickpea Patties

Let me start off by saying, these are delicious & fantastic. But not only that, they are easy & simple! I loved every single one, and ate almost every single one...day after day. I found this recipe on Vanilla & Lace originally as a curry chickpea burger, which I am sure is just as tasty. But that particular evening, curry wasn't really on my mind. Rather, I had been trying to come up with an excuse for my package of sun-dried tomatoes and a flourishing thyme plant in the backyard. So this is my "Mediterranean" take on an easy chickpea burger.  

Thyme & Sun-Dried Tomato Chickpea Patties

Adapted from Vanilla & Lace

Serves 6-8 

1 1/2 cups canned/cooked chickpeas

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

2 carrots

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh thyme

1/4 tsp cumin

1 tsp capers 

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1/2 tsp sea salt to taste

1/4 tsp pepper

2 heaping tablespoons pine nuts

2 heaping tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

 Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside

 In a food processor, place the oats, carrots  and spices/seasonings (sea salt, pepper, thyme, cumin). Process for 30 seconds or until somewhat smooth. 

Add lemon juice and capers. Pulse to combined. 

Add chickpeas in half cup increments. Add olive oil and scrape the sides as necessary.

Once the chickpea mixture is processed and smooth, place it in a bowl and stir in the pine nuts and sun-dried tomatoes.

Wet your hands to shape the mixture into mid-size patties. Forming around six to eight depending on size. (optional idea: roll in a lightly seasoned bread crumb mixture!)

Bake for 20-25 minutes. When ready to use, pop em' on grill or cast iron for lovely marks and delicious crunch to finish em' off!

 We found this little fella, also known as a baby tarantula, underneath our sink. He was quite the morning surprise before heading off to school. Now don't get me wrong I can handle a full-grown, mother tarantula. But this baby is just plain, well, freaky! I say that because rather than having furry legs which seem to give the mother a gentler appeal, this guy is slick and hairless. He resembles a giant brown house spider, but sturdier... with sharp fangs and goodly eyes. 

Beautiful white flower from farmers market. I'll give you a happy shot after staring at the spider.  :)

 I ate this delicious burger two ways. 

1.) As a hamburger. Served on whole wheat ezekiel bun with, spring lettuce, tomato, cucumber and basil mayonnaise. 

Basil Mayonnaise

2 tbl spoon vegannaise 

1 tbl spoon fresh chopped basil

1/2 tsp-1 tsp balsamic vinegar

salt & pepper to taste

2.) As a falafel. Served in a whole wheat pita with, spring lettuce, tomato, cucumber, tabbouleh, tahini dressing, hummus (optional)

Tahini Dressing

tahini

lemon juice

water

agave (optional)

salt & pepper

Neon Carrot Orzo Salad

     A couple weeks back my Mom and I decided to try a new restaurant in SLO (San Luis Obispo) called "Neon Carrot". The name already had me hooked. My Mom was a bit hesitant to go, fearing the worst of not enjoying her lunch, but we were both quite pleasantly surprised! We decided to split a vegetable pita with a nice squash puree and a lemon caper topping, then on the side she got their potatoe salad and I ordered the Orzo salad. The Orzo was light and vibrant with flavor and color, purely fresh for our taste buds sliding into winter weather. So i decided to attempt the salad myself and this is what i came up with...

 

Fresh Orzo Salad

Ingredients:

~1 Package of Orzo Pasta

~5 Mini bell

~1 Can of artichoke hearts

~1 Handful of asparagus spears

~10-12 Kalamata olives

~2 Tbsp Olive Oil

~Juice of 1/2 a Lemon

~Salt-n-Pepper

~Fresh Basil

Steps to Follow:

~Roast the bell peppers over an open flame. They will be ready when they begin to char and blacken. From there you can remove the skins (rinsing may help) and cut open to remove seeds. 

~Boil a handful of asparagus spears and blanch. I personally just heated up some frozen spears to make things a tad easier.

~Cook the Orzo Pasta according to the Package directions

~While the pasta is cooking, go ahead and chop up the bell peppers, artichokes, asparagus, and kalamata olives. 

~When pasta is done toss with olive oil and vegetables. Then        

season with lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. 

~I recommend refrigerating the pasta so that all the flavors begin to mingle with one another. Before serving toss in some freshly torn basil and enjoy!

     

                     Rice shaped pasta is just lovely

                     

Garden Pita

THE most AMAZING vegan pizza that has yet to come.  

(well it's not even necessarily a pizza, it deserves it's own appreciation)

  Crust:  ~1 whole wheat pita

  Sauce: ~1 Large tomato chopped

             ~3 fresh basil and 3 parsley leaves

             ~1 Clove of Garlic minced

             ~a dash of dried oregano, salt, and pepper

             ~about a half to a whole tablespoon of olive oil for the cookin'

  Topping: ~ 1 small zucchini sliced thinly 

                 ~ 1 cup of fresh spinach chopped

                 ~ 2 large leaves of swiss chard chopped

                 ~ 3 or 4 spears of asparagus chopped

                 ~ 1 clove of garlic minced

                 ~  about half to a whole tablespoon of olive oil for the cookin' 

Finale: ~1-2 kalamata olives minced

            ~Juice of about 1/2 a small lemon

            ~Sprinkle of Balsamic Vinaigrette 

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

 Heat olive oil in a pan, toss in garlic till diffuse flavor, add tomatoes. once tomatoes soften break them up with spoon, add herbs and cook on low till complete soft.

 In a second pan, heat olive oil, add zucchini and cook for a couple minutes till the color becomes a bit vibrant. Toss in spinach, swiss chard and garlic. cook until the greens are "al-dente" 

Turn off the heat on both pans and throw the pita in a cast iron skillet to heat in the oven just for a minute. take out and top with sauce and then vegetables. Place back in the oven for about 5 minutes, possibly less...

Once it is taken out top with 1-2 chopped kalamata olives, a squeeze of half a lemon, and a sprinkle of balsamic. 

Lastly, Enjoy It's Majesty.

To finish it off, 

Vegan Hot Cocoa

I mug of Almond milk

About three teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder or to your liking

About a tablespoon of raw sugar or agave to your liking

Sip and enjoy : )

I'm sorry to say i have no pictures to show since i happened to eat it too quickly. But I am quite sure I'll be making it once again in the future and I'll make sure to set aside my drooling taste buds to snap a photo.