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Monday, September 2, 2013

Vegan MoFo Day 2 - MoFo Mondays - Spicy Cajun Lentil Patties and Homemade Spicy Mustard

Welcome to MoFo Monday! Today I'm digging out a couple of bookmarked recipes from Vegan MoFo 2011 which was the first time I participated in this fun filled month of blogging. I limited myself to making two recipes due to time constraints and found it incredibly difficult to choose from the inspiring list of bookmarks I had gathered.


First up were Spicy Cajun Lentil Patties from Heathen Vegan. I don't have a regular veggie burger recipe that I rely on and enjoy trying out different concoctions from cookbooks, blogs and my head when the mood suits. Burgers aren't always served in buns at my abode either - I'm rather fond of a few protein packed patties alongside a plate of roasted vegetables in colder months. Jeni Treehugger's recipe appealed to me due to the inclusion of a Cajun spice mix as well as the combination of vegetables and other herbs and spices she had used. Her perfectly assembled patties also looked sensational.


Now, I'm going to be totally honest and let you know that I had two attempts with Jeni's recipe due to an ingredient mishap the first time around. The patties were supposed to be made with red lentils but I used brown lentils without thinking twice as they have been my default lentil recently. When the burgers didn't hold together cohesively and their appearance looked entirely different I read through the comments in the post and realised my mistake - oops. The patties tasted great so I had to give them another shot to do the recipe justice - and I'm glad that I did! Both times I doubled the quantity of Cajun spice to give them a little more kick and didn't regret this minor alteration. As I was already roasting vegetables in the oven, the burgers were whacked onto a separate tray and baked for 15 minutes on each side as I find this much easier than frying in batches on the stovetop.


Next cab off the rank was a Homemade Spicy Mustard from The Vegan Ronin. This really is a cinch to make - sterilise a jar, place mustard seeds, apple cider vinegar and water in the jar, shake it up and allow it to sit for a couple of days. After this time blend the mixture with a bit of sugar and turmeric and you're done! I only made half a batch as I didn't have enough mustard seeds for the full recipe but it was enough to fill a small jar. I kept the mustard on the chunkier side as I don't have a mini food processor and my full size blender doesn't do the best job with small quantities. The man is as a huge mustard fan and likened this to a hot English mustard in seeded form.

As it's so easy to make I'm sure I'll be making another batch when this jar runs out. I'm going to keep quiet about how we have enjoyed the mustard so far as it's going to feature in an upcoming MoFo post.


17 comments:

  1. I'd never even considered making my own mustard, so awesome!

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    1. Thanks Jojo, I hadn't thought of making my own mustard until seeing this post and can't believe it took 2 years for me to get around to it!

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  2. That's so cool that you made your own mustard! I'm a big mustard fan, and so the idea of tweaking it to my particular preferences is very appealing. It's great that it was so easy to make!

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    1. Thanks Cadry, there are a few pointers in the post on The Vegan Ronin about how the mustard can be customised which is very handy. And such a bonus that it was so easy to make.

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  3. Mmm, those burgers look great! I also don't have a regular burger recipe, so I will try these and make sure to double the spice, too!

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    1. Thanks Mandee, I'm sure that chickpea flour or another GF flour would do the trick instead of the gluteny flour. The cajun spice I used (Masterfoods brand) doesn't seem to have that much kick, I could have upped it even more!

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  4. I've had some disasters cooking lentil burgers in the past!
    Jasmine x

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    1. I'm sure most of us have had a few burger failures Jasmine, hope you have enjoyed some good lentil burgers too!

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  5. I like burgers that can be oven roasted too, and like you, ours often get served next to baked potatoes rather than in a burger (I find burger buns are good for disguising bland veggie patties and I want to enjoy the good ones!). I like the sound of the spicy lentil mix and also your mustard - well chosen bookmarks to feature!

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    1. Thanks Kari, I'm right into the ease of oven roasting burgers in winter and find there is less angst about them holding together when they are being flipped. I do love them served in a bun with heaps of salad when the weather is warm though.

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  6. Wow those burgers look really nummy. And I have to try making that mustard recipe soon.

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    1. Thanks Veganosaurus, the mustard recipe is definitely worth the *minimal* effort.

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  7. Oh, Mel, those look delish. I do have a couple regular burger recipes (though I don't make them that often). But, I wont to try these soon. I too usually serve my burgers with no bun.

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    1. Thanks Dawn, the burgers you have posted look fab and are next on my burger list to try!

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  8. Oh, Mel, those look delish. I do have a couple regular burger recipes (though I don't make them that often). But, I wont to try these soon. I too usually serve my burgers with no bun.

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