I try to plan my meals so that nothing goes to waste; there’s nothing I hate more than throwing out food. But every now and then, I find myself with leftover veggies from previous recipes that need to be used before they go bad. That was the case with this meal. Now, mind you, that doesn’t mean the meal was short on flavor; I’d gladly serve this meal to guests.
I adapted the Chickpea Cutlets recipe from Veganomicon. The cutlets are extremely easy and cheap to make. They are perfect if you’re in need of a “meaty” main dish.
For the roasted vegetables, you can use any variety of vegetables, but I just happened to have some Yukon Gold potatoes and carrots on-hand. I also had half a head of cabbage, so I sliced it and sautéed it in some olive oil, salt, and pepper. The dipping sauce was a mixture of Dijon mustard and Vegenaise (a mayonnaise substitute).
Chickpea Cutlets With Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients:
Chickpea Cutlets
1 15-ounce can cooked chickpeas
2 tbsp olive oil
½ cup vital wheat gluten (it’s cheaper if you can buy it in bulk)
½ cup panko or plain bread crumbs
¼ cup vegetable broth or water
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves of garlic (I cheated here and used a dash of garlic salt—I was lazy, what can I say?)
½ tsp lemon zest
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp Hungarian paprika
¼ tsp dried rubbed sage
olive oil for panfrying
Roasted Vegetables
4 large carrots cut into large, even chunks
5 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into large, even chunks
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
Dipping Sauce
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp Vegenaise
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice the vegetables into even, uniform chunks so that they’ll cook evenly. Place them on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Toss and put the pan into the oven for about 40 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, mash the chickpeas together with the oil until no whole chickpeas are left. Add the rest of the ingredients and knead in the bowl for about 3 minutes, until strings of gluten have formed.
(Sorry for the lack of pictures here. I got a little too caught up in making the cutlets and forgot to take pictures.)
Preheat a heavy-bottomed nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Divide the cutlet mixture into four equal pieces. Knead each piece in your hand, and then flatten and stretch the dough to form the cutlet.
Add a thin layer of olive oil to the pan and cook the cutlets for about 6 to 7 minutes on each side. Add more oil if needed between flips. The cutlets should be fairly firm and lightly browned. Place on a paper towel to soak up any oil.
Serve with the roasted potatoes and carrots, cabbage (if using), and a dollop of the mustard dipping sauce.
Enjoy!
