Caribbean soy (veggie) burgers for Meatless Mondays

You know, it's not easy being a vegetarian.  According to one research 84% will sooner or later return to meat-eating and according to another one third will fall off the wagon drunk (!!!) 

Having myself returned to the carnivore existence after a 1,5-year-hiatus I can totally understand that. I mean, no-one's going to get a craving for a carrot at 3am. No-one's going to wake up to desperate need for kale, right?

These burgers, made with soy fillets and I can tell you the (very sceptic) test audience fell quiet (for all the right reasons, mind). "So damn good!" uttered the El Mercados. "So bloody good I actually forgot I was eating vegetarian food!" said the Tzatziki Champion (right before reaching for more...)

The secret's in the marinade. That's the way to get flavour into those things. Feel fee to dump them into marinade already the night before, if you need to. As far as breading and deep-frying goes, these babies are actually soooo much more grateful than, say, chicken.  With these you'll never have to worry about overdoing the deep-frying as these won't get dry the way chicken would - instead they stay crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

And should you want to make your own brioche burger buns, just see over here for the recipe!

Serves four

Caribbean veggie burgers:

4 soy fillets (or 8 in case you're using bigger buns)

1 l vegetable stock

Marinade:

1 dl soy sauce

0,5 dl honey

the finely grated zest and juice of a lime

1,5 tbsp minced fresh ginger

1 red chilli

1,5 rkl oil

For breading:

1 dl flour (ca be substituted with coconut or soy flour)

2 egg, whisked

a couple of dl coconut flakes

Oil, to fry

Cook the soy fillets in the stock for 10 minutes, steam drier and place in the marinade - from anywhere to 4 hours until the next day. Drain on a kitchen towel.

Wipe the fillets dry, drench in flour, then dip in the egg and cover with coconut flakes. Deep-fry until golden, 6-8 minutes.

Mango,chili and ginger dressing:

1,5 dl mayonnaise

3 generous tbsp mango purée (baby food works fine!)

1/2 - 1 red chilli (depending on your size)

1/2 - 1 tsp minced ginger

A pinch (about 1/2 tsp curry powder

Combine the ingredients and hey, ho, let's go!

Coriande, garlic and lime dressing:

1 large bunch coriander
1 jalapeño
the juice of a lime
1,5 tbsp oil
(salt, pepper, if needed sugar)

Blizz the ingredients and helloo, Bob - your uncle!!!

To serve: 

salad leaves, tomato slices, thinly sliced red onion, fresh coriander

Steam the buns, stuff, accessorize as you please and serve.

With polenta fries or sweet potato fries.

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Stroganoff with beetroot and soy chunks and dill oil

I can't remember when it all started as it just slowly snuck up on me. 

I went travelling and never once even thought about going to a bar. Instead I filled the evenings with opera and fine dining.

Then I found myself wanting to read all the literary classics. Never managed to get beyond Gabriel Garcia Marquez, but that's beside the point. 

I bought Talbot's dry clean-only wool trousers with tartan check as I though they'd look lovely with a  twinset. Ok, I did get them on eBay and without any intention to schlep all the way to dry-cleaners but still.

I also noticed how my visits to my hair dresser started to take longer and longer as we debated how blonde is too blonde (surely that's a trick question?) I want Real Housewives of Orange County blonde, she uses words like "subtle" and "appropriate". 

Then it hit me. After my latest birthday my age was officially closer to 40 than 30. I'm pre-middle aged (and apparently that means too old to be a chav). 

I've even discovered taste for sherry. And dishes I've not even thought about since school canteen fill me with nostalgia. Such as stroganoff. So, I surprised myself making it the other day. Though, because of this meat-free October regime, I made mine using beets and soy chunks. 

You know, I'm going to have to share this with you. Though a refined lady acting her age probably wouldn't (on the other hand - isn't vigilance about bowel movements all the rage? Or is that something for a couple of more decades down the line?)

While I do love beets as much as the next person, that trip to the loo the morning after never fails to shock me. Every single time I just find myself fretting over what it is that I have, well, broken. So, for those of you who keep saying life only starts after 40, this is not the kind of life I was looking forward to. 

But off we go and onto the recipe! Instead of dill you can throw in thyme (half a bunch) or rosemary (4-5 sprigs), too, as beet is BFFs with both of them. In case you're after a vegan (a.k.a. dairy-free) treat, substitute sour cream with soy cream or cashew cream (for how-to see here).

Serves 6-8

Beet root and soy chunk Stroganoff:

400 g beets, peeled and cut into roughly 1 cm cubes 

175 g uncooked soy chunks

1,5 l vegetable stock

3 rkl oil

2 red onions, cut into four and then roughly sliced

4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 tbsp fennel seeds, toasted on a dry pan and crushed with pestle and mortar

1 dl red wine (can be omitted, then just add more vegetable stock and Balsamic vinegar)

1/4 dl Balsamic vinegar

140 g tomato concentrate

4 dl vegetable stock

2 bunches of dill

240 g sour cream

salt, black pepper

2 gherkins, cut into 1/2 cm cubes

Dill oil:

the stalks from dill

6 -8 tbsp oil

pinch of salt

To save time (and nerves) parboil the beets. Either steam them or cook in a little water for 20 minutes. Drain. 

Cook the soy cubes in vegetable stock for 10 minutes. Drain and reserve the stock for later.

Sauté onion and garlic in oil until onion is soft. Add crushed fennel seeds, red wine, Basamic and, after a couple of minutes, soy chunks. Let them soak the flavours for a couple of minutes and then add beets, tomato concentrate, vegetable stock and finely chopped dill tops (reserve the stalks). Season.

Simmer, covered for about an hour until the beets are done to your liking. Then add sour cream and gherkins. Bring to boil check the taste and season as needed.

Serve with boiled rice, mashed potatos or yellow lentil puré.

I went all frugal yet fancy and drizzled the Stroganoff with dill oil. It gives the dish lovely fresh finish and you something to do with something you'd normally just discard.

Place the stalks in a small blender, heat the oil in a pan, pour into the blender as needed and blizz into a smooth oil. Season with a pinch of salt.

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Middle Eastern stuffed aubergines with soy crumbles (vegan)

In the first soy recipe of my meatless October I sought inspiration from Far East, now it's time for my beloved Middle East. Soy-based meat substitutes have a neutral taste, so they love spices and marinades - especially Asian flavours.

This time I had a go with dark soy crumbles which substitutes ground meat so well I challenge you to tell the difference!

Middle Eastern stuffed aubergines with soy crumbles:

Serves 4

2 smallish aubergines (á 300 g)

1 onion, finely chopped

4 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

3/4 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

pinch of cinnamon

2 dl dark soy crumbles

2 dl vegetable stock

3/4 dl raisins

1/2 dl pine nuts

bunch of parsley, leaves finely chopped

salt, black pepper (to taste)

To serve:

Greek yogurt, the seeds of about 1/2 pomegranate

Cut the aubergines lengthwise in half, score the flesh (careful not to slice all the way through), season with pepper and wrap in foil. Bake at 200° until the flesh is done - depending on the size 30-40 minutes. In the meanwhile prepare the stuffing.

Sauté onion and spices in oil. When onion is translucent, add soy crumbles. Toast it for a couple of minutes in oil and let it absorb the spices. Then add vegetable stock, raisins and pine nuts. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Once the aubergines are done, scoop out the flesh leaving about 1 cm edge intact. Mash using a fork and combine with the soy mixture. Fold in parsley, check the taste and season.

Spoon the stuffing into eggplants and roast at 225° for 10 minutes. 

Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt and scatter pomegranate seeds on top.

PS. You could also grate some cheese on top of the stuffed aubergines before baking them. 

And should you really want to spoil someone and serve wine with these, you know which way to go, don't you? Yes, a (New World) Pinot Noir. Try this New Zealand favourite of mine or this recent find (which, by the way, is vegan, too!)

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Meatless monday (all month long): red thai soy strip curry (vegan)

Aaaah... October. The month of challenges. There's Stoptober encouraging people to quit smoking and then there's Sober October, willing people to spend 31 days without alcohol. Since I seem to have this inexplicable need to do everything in life the hard way, I felt compelled to challenge myself, too. No, I'm not even going to attempt the latter as October is also the month of Oktoberfest (surely those two cancel each other out?) . Instead I, the insatiable carnivore, am joining the meat-free October. Not that my life has seen any kind of carnal delights of late, anyway...

I love everything about meat, starting from the texture. It's just so immensely satisfying to sink one's hungry teeth into it! But no, not for the next 30 days. Instead I'll be sinking my teeth into... wait for it... soy. There's a wide array of soy-based meat substitutes out there which are more ecologic than meat, wildly high in protein, cholesterol-free, loaded with calcium and rich in fiber, too. So, we'll stay how this pans out...

I started my exploration into the vegetarian world with soy strips (also called textured vegetable protein strips or chicken-free strips), which I turned into this comforting vegan dish: red Thai curry. Just what these cold autumn days call for.

Not only is this suitable for just about any special diet out there, it's also quick and easy. You'll have dinner on the table in half an hour! 

PS. If you insist on making your own curry paste, you'll find the recipe on the blog here.

Serves 2-3

Red thai curry with soy strips:

125 g soy strips 

1,5 l vegetable stock

1 onion

3 cloves of garlic

4 cm piece of fresh ginger

1,5 red chilli (reserve the rest for serving)

the stalks from a bunch of coriander

1 tsp soy sauce

the juice of 1,5 lime (reserve the remaining half for serving)

3 tbsp red curry paste

1 tbsp ketchup

400 g coconut milk (rich, creamy kind)

To serve:

finely chopped leaves of a bunch of coriander
handful of toasted coconut flakes (or crispy, roasted onion flakes)
remaining half of the lime, cut into chunks
remaining chilli, thinly sliced

Cook the soy strips in vegetable stock for 10 minutes. Drain and steam drier. 

Measure the remaining ingredients into a small food processor (or pound into a paste using pestle and mortar) and blizz into a smooth paste. If needed, add a tbsp or two of coconut milk. 

Pour the paste into a pan and add soy strips. Stir to make sure they're covered in paste for a couple of minutes and then add coconut milk. Let simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes. Add coriander leaves, drizzle freshly squeezed lime juice on top and sprinkle with coconut flakes (dry roast them in a hot pan until golden and fragrant). Serve with rice.

I was ridiculously skeptic somewhat curious as to what the taste would be like (yes, I pushed and shoved the pieces around with the tip of my fork like a petulant 3-year-old). But you know what? Damn. Goddamn, this was yummy. So. Bloody. Yummy. And that texture? Juicier than chicken. 

Carnivore's verdict? Soy strips, you're going to Hollywooooood!

PS. If Asian flavours are your thing, try using soy strips for substituting chicken in this divine mango and chilli chicken recipe or instead of beef with this delicious peanut sauce!

(125 g of uncooked soy strips equal roughly 400 g chicken/ beef strips.)

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