Here are two fabulous recipes for high protein vegetarian dishes that make excellent snacks, school lunches or easy meals at home. I really appreciate these recipes because they are easy to make and packed with powerful nutrients and easy for little hands to hold!
The first one is a red lentil pancake, similar in texture to a latka, but even easier to make.
RED LENTIL PANCAKES
1 cup red lentils
2 tsp salt
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons coconut oil for frying
Rinse the lentils well
Place the lentils in a large mixing bowl, pour over 2 cups warm water and soak for at
least 8 hours or over night.
Drain off the soaking water. Place the lentils in a food processor and blend until
smooth. Blend in a tablespoon at a time of water to make a smooth batter.
Stir the salt, turmeric, pepper and fresh cilantro into the batter. Heat a heavy frying pan over a medium heat for a few minutes until hot. Smear with coconut oil.
Using a spoon, drop spoonfuls of the batter into the frying pan, about 3-4 inches wide and 1 inch thick.
Cook for 1½ – 2 minutes until set. Drizzle a little oil over the pancake and around the edges. Turn over and cook for about 1 minute more, or until golden.
Keep the cooked pancakes warm in a low oven or on a heatproof plate placed over a pan of simmering water and cook the remaining pancake batter in the same way.
Serve with creme fraiche, sour cream, chutney or applesauce. These also make an excellent breakfast!
These baked Quiona Patties are also wonderful. They are baked which is nice because there is less hands on time cooking them.
Baked Quinoa Patties
Recipe from 101cookbooks.com
2 1/2 cups / 12 oz /340 g cooked quinoa, at room temperature*
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/3 cup/ .5 oz /15 g finely chopped fresh chives
1/3 cup /.5 oz /15 g finely chopped fresh dill
1 cup / 1.5 oz /45 g finely chopped kale
1 yellow or white onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon (toasted) cumin
1 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup / 3.5 oz /100 g whole grain bread crumbs, plus more if needed
water or a bit of flour, if needed
1/3 cup / .5 oz / 15 g crumbled feta
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or clarified butter
Preheat oven to 400F / 200C.
Combine the quinoa, eggs, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the chives, dill, kale, onion, garlic, and cumin. Stir well.
Add the baking powder and bread crumbs, stir, and let sit for a few minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture.
Gently stir in the feta.
At this point, you should have a mixture you can easily form into twelve 1-inch / 2.5cm thick patties. Err on the very moist side because it makes for a not-overly-dry patty, but you can add more bread crumbs, a bit at a time, to firm up the mixture, if need be. Conversely, a bit more beaten egg or water can be used to moisten the mixture. If you’re still having trouble getting the mixture to hold – mix in flour, a couple tablespoons at a time.
Oil a baking sheet, and arrange the patties with a bit of space between each. Bake for ~20 minutes, or until the bottoms are brown. Flip and bake for another 5 minutes.
Enjoy hot, or allow to cool to room temperature on a cooling rack.
Makes about a dozen patties.