Our friends Adrianne and Prakash came over for dinner last night and since Adrianne is a vegan I was on a quest to find a few good recipes we would all enjoy. Our main course was a Mushroom Pecan Burger and we served this with a Curried Mango Quinoa Salad. I did a very simple table setting since we were having a casual dinner.
Mushroom Pecan Burger
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds (685 g) cremini mushrooms (I used baby bella and shitake)
- 1/2 cup (30 g) fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil, divided
- 2 large-size yellow onions, finely chopped
- 3 large-size garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups (165 to 220 g) bread crumbs or cracker meal
- 3 tablespoons (45 g) tahini
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) hoisin sauce
- 3/4 cup (85 g) toasted pecans or walnuts, chopped
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) tamari soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
- salt and ground pepper, to taste
Directions
In a food processor, mince mushrooms and parsley. Remove and set aside.
In a sauté pan over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil and cook onions and garlic for 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to a large-size bowl, and combine with minced mushrooms and parsley, bread crumbs, tahini, hoisin sauce, chopped nuts, tamari, oregano, sage, salt, and pepper.
Place mixture in refrigerator for at least half an hour. Mixture will be soft, but you should be able to form patties. Add additional bread crumbs or tahini, if needed.
Create patties using your hands. In a sauté pan, warm remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) oil, and fry patties over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until lightly browned and crispy. Be careful to keep patties intact.
Curried Quinoa Salad with Mango
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa (about 6 ounces)
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon mango chutney, chopped if chunky
- 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 cup chopped peeled mango plus mango spears for garnish
- 1 cup chopped unpeeled English hothouse cucumber
- 5 tablespoons chopped green onions, divided
- 2 cups (packed) baby spinach
Directions
Cook quinoa in medium pot of boiling salted water over medium heat until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Drain well; cool. Transfer to medium bowl.
Meanwhile, whisk oil and next 4 ingredients in small bowl to blend. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
Add chopped mango, cucumber, 4 tablespoons green onions, and 1/4 cup dressing to quinoa; toss to coat. Divide spinach between 2 plates. Spoon quinoa salad over spinach. Garnish with mango spears and 1 tablespoon green onions. Drizzle with remaining dressing; serve.
We had a great time at dinner and I loved talking about interesting foods we have tried throughout travels and unique foods to our culture and childhood. Texture is a big thing for Americans while many people from other countries do not understand our love of peanut butter.
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