Monday, December 29, 2008

Christmas Leftovers


The TeddyBear and I had a wonderful Christmas and hopefully all of you did as well. He had a great two weeks off work, but I am so happy to not be cooking for him on a regular basis. It wouldn’t be so bad if was willing to try more things and wasn’t so picky about what he will eat. But enough of that and onto dinner tonight.

The theme tonight is leftovers, again. I did the fried stuffing patty topped by a Chickpea Cutlet (VCON) and some leftover gravy (Road's End Golden Gravy from the packet). The last of the mashed potatoes was also turned into a fried patty, just to make it easy to eat. On the side are the last of the Harvard Beets and some steamed green beans. Just a simple little dinner, but very filling.

And I have a suggestion for those of you that like the Chickpea Cutlets. I think I have found the way to pan fry them and still get them to have a crispy coating and also get done in the middle. First you have to make sure the cutlets are evenly flattened and the best way to do that is to roll them out with a small narrow glass or a very small rolling pin. This will ensure that each cutlet has a similar thickness from top to bottom and side to side. It will also mean that the top and bottom will be smooth and no indentions will be left from your fingertips. Then when you fry them, do it on a lower heat than you might think is needed. On my stove I use setting 3, which is basically medium-low heat. And when you put the cutlet in the skillet, the skillet needs to have a bit of oil in the bottom and the cutlet needs to be pressed against the pan. This will allow them to be heated evenly from the pan surface. Then you just let each one sit, till they seem crispy on the bottom, from 5-10 minutes, then you turn them over, press them against the pan and let them sit again, till they seem done. This is what I have been doing lately and they almost look like Isa’s picture in the book. If this doesn’t make sense, let me know and I will take pictures the next time.

That is all for tonight. As for this week, it looks like will be posting tomorrow and on Friday, but not on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day.

4 comments:

  1. Great tip on the chickpea cutlet. I fried one only once and the texture inside freaked me out too much, kind of squidgy yet squishy at the same time. I've really wanted to try them fried again though so armed with your tips hopefully it will be yummy this time :)

    Christmas leftovers look yummy too!

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  2. I still haven't gotten around to making those cutlets. Do you think I'm the last vegan alive who hasn't tried 'em? And the gravy is on my to-make list as well.

    Hope you have a wonderful New Year's!

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  3. CCV I hate to disappoint you, but the gravy is just Roads End Golden Gravy from a packet. Nothing fancy for me, since need small servings.

    And you are probably not the last to try these, since I bet some people haven’t even discovered them yet.

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  4. I thought I was the last vegan on the planet to try the chickpea cutlets but I appear to have competition! You make them look very tempting....
    It's only since I went vegan (and started cooking everything from scratch) that I began to enjoy leftovers! They mean a day off from cooking~ what's not to love?
    Happy New Year to you and TeddyBear xx

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