It's always awesome when you love what you do and to be surrounded by people whose company you enjoy, even during the most stressful times. On my first day, at Fair Trade USA, I was, somehow, (and thankfully so!) signed up for the vegan/vegetarian lunch club, which has challenged my culinary prowess, creativity and even my budget. Cooking for 7-9 people isn't the easiest task, especially if you have a hard time cooking for ONE...needless to say, I spent a good week and half pondering what to make for lunch club because I was so damn excited. What with the warmer weather and sunshine, I thought, a picnic was in order, a grown up picnic to be exact! A vegan take on some picnic staples and some DIY enthusiasm, and I'd say that this lunch club was a home run!
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| AMAZING hot "sauces", well chutneys really! They are ridiculously spicy and I can't stop putting this on everything I eat! |
I love getting detailed and complicated when it comes to planning "catering" event, or lunch club event like these; but I showed restraint and kept it real, simple. I'm glad I did, because was completely STUFFED after lunch and I barely had any leftovers to take home. A vegan meal has made ME full... I think hell just froze over?!?
I kid...
To be honest, the entire main course was vegan, I cheated on dessert and did a DIY frozen yogurt bar, which, to my defense, was the best idea ever! There was plenty of fresh fruit to satisfy the fewvegan lunch clubbers with a sweet tooth. I had a few dairy sides, such as Havarti cheese and feta Greek yogurt spread , made an appearance, but again, as sides, they were totally optional and meant for those dairy-fiends who just cannot eat any kind of burger without cheese (ahem, ME!)
Here's what was featured on the menu:
Quarter Pounder Beet Burgers
Portobello “Steak” Sandwiches
Lemony Arugula Almond and Dried Cranberry Salad
Homemade Roasted Garlic and Jalapeno Aioli
Frozen Yogurt + lots of yummy toppings!
A vegan feast indeed! Check out some of the recipes below. You may have noticed I modified my beet burger; this second recipe holds its shape way better, because I froze them, and tastes more like it's straight from the grill! Make these ahead of time and freeze them to eat any day!
Quarter Pounder Beet Burgers
Ingredients:
- 2 packages of Trader Joe's Peeled and Cooked Beets, shredded
- 1 1/4 cups of Trader Joes' Cooked Brown Lentils
- 1 cup brown rice, cooked and cooled to room temperature
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp red chili powder or paprika
- 1/2 dried thyme
- 1/2 cup white onion, minced finely
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (optional, and without these this meal is gluten-free!)
- Salt and pepper to taste ( I added lots of pepper)
- Vegetable oil
Directions:
1. I recommend cooking brown rice ahead of time or using old rice works great here! Meanwhile with a grater, grate beets and then add beets to your food processor.
2. Add cooked lentils to food processor, along with cooled rice. Pulse about 15-20 times, until the texture is still a little course, but beets, lentils and rice are well combined. It will really look like raw meat here, AMAZING!
3. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add cumin, salt, pepper, chili powder and thyme. Mix minced garlic and onion in well. I did NOT use breadcrumbs because we had some gluten-free folks, needless to say, if you can handle a bit of breadcrumb, do it! They help hold these semi-fragile burgers together better.
4 . Form patties using a tablespoon or with a 3-inch cookie cutter round (to make them uniform!) I used a tablespoon; I took one heaping tablespoon of the mixture, rolled wit my hands into a ball and slightly flattened them. I layered the bottom of my tupperware with parchment paper, fitting 3-4 patties per layer. I separated each layer with parchment paper as well. Cover tupperware with lid and freeze for at least 30 mins. (I froze mine for about an hour)
5. In a large skillet (or griddle), heat 1 tbl. vegetable oil at medium heat. Place 3-4 patties on skillet and cooked for about 5-7, on each side.
5. In a large skillet (or griddle), heat 1 tbl. vegetable oil at medium heat. Place 3-4 patties on skillet and cooked for about 5-7, on each side.
6. I served my patties in a toasted pita pocket with some arugula salad, cucumber slices, feta Greek yogurt spread and avocado slices.
Portobello "Steak" Sandwiches with Roasted Garlic Jalapeno Aioli
Ingredients:
For Sandwiches:
- 9 portobello mushrooms, sliced
- 1 large red bell pepper, sliced thinly
- 1 large white onion, sliced thinly
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Lots of black pepper
- Olive oil
- Sourdough bread (or any bread you love) to serve as an open-face sandwich
For Aioli:
- 1 head of garlic, roasted and peeled
- 2 jalapenos, halved, roasted and seeded
- 1 cup mayonnaise
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 and roast an entire head of garlic, pods separated on a cookie sheet, with the peel still intact. Add halve jalapenos to cookie sheet.
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| Post roast! |
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| Don't forget to scrape out those seeds! |
2. Roasted for 20-30 minutes, pods will start to pop out of the peel and jalapenos will begin to soften.
3. Once garlic is roasted, remove from pods and place in a food processor with mayo and jalapenos. Blend until completely smooth. Store in airtight tupperware for about 5-6 days. This stuff tastes even better, the days after, because all the flavors infuse into the mayo, making it taste less like mayo and more like heaven.
3. Once garlic is roasted, remove from pods and place in a food processor with mayo and jalapenos. Blend until completely smooth. Store in airtight tupperware for about 5-6 days. This stuff tastes even better, the days after, because all the flavors infuse into the mayo, making it taste less like mayo and more like heaven.
4. Coat bottom of a large skillet with olive oil. On medium heat, add mushrooms and cook until just softened. Set aside and use the same pan to cook veggies.
5. Add red pepper and onion, cook for 5-6 minutes. Add in oregano, basil, garlic salt, pepper and thyme. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
6. Finally, add in cooked mushrooms and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
6. Finally, add in cooked mushrooms and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
7. Serve on toasted sourdough bread, slathered with homemade aioli and a slice of havarti cheese!
