I am loving all of the new vegan cookbooks that have been coming out. What a great time to be a vegan and to be inspired. I have spent a long time honing my own recipes but I love finding a book like this. The Plantiful Table by Andrea Duclos of the blog OhDearDrea is a sweet book that is what the subtitle says: easy, from the earth recipes for the whole family.
Andrea Duclos is all about a natural, plant-based lifestyle. Her approach is simple – to make hearty meals, for the whole family, packed with from the earth ingredients and make them delicious. The book is approachable, helpful and fun. And by including kid friendly recipes that range from comfort food to family focused dishes to easy snacks and meals it really proves that vegan food is just food and if prepared well can be enjoyed by everyone.
I love that Andrea says, “There are no magic vegan spells in here…in no way do I expect you to pretend that beans are meat – they’re not, though they are wonderful in and of themselves.” Exactly.
This book is packed with creative, lively meals that are inspired by typical American dishes as well as Latin America cooking and flavors. There are breakfast dishes like tofu scramble and potatoes, toasts and sandwiches, snacks, salads, soups, pizza, pasta and sweets. There is a whole section on Latin American favorites – I can’t wait to try the black beans and empanadas – and a whole section on Asian cuisine.
I have a long list of recipes to try but these chickpea patties stood right out to me. I have my own chickpea burger recipe but I never thought to add corn and peas, two ingredients I always have in my freezer. I got permission to reprint the recipe below. Enjoy!
Photo Credit: Andrea Duclos
Chickpea Patties
Makes 6 large patties
Every time we eat these at my house, we all look around at each other and ask, “Why don’t we have these more often?!” This was the first veggie burger I made from scratch, and over the years I’ve tweaked the recipe slightly here and there to make it even better. They’re absolutely perfect on a bun, but we love them most served on a nice bed of mixed greens and fresh veggies, with Sherry Vinaigrette drizzled on top. Add a glass of lemonade, and you have an ideal meal for a warm, breezy day.
- One 15-ounce (425 g) can chickpeas, drained
- 2 garlic cloves
- ⅓ cup (53 g) fresh or frozen corn
- ½ cup (70 g) fresh or frozen and thawed peas
- Large handful of fresh herbs (I like to use basil, oregano, and/or thyme)
- One to two large handfuls of spinach (optional)
- 2 medium carrots, shredded
- 1 small onion, small diced
- ½ teaspoon spicy smoked Spanish paprika (optional)
- ½ teaspoon cumin (optional)
- 3 tablespoons dried bread crumbs
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Olive oil for cooking
- In a food processor, blend together the chickpeas, garlic, corn, peas, herbs, and spinach (if using) for a few minutes, until smooth.
- Add the carrots, onion, spices, bread crumbs, and flour to the food processor and blend together. Turn out the mixture into a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Form the mixture into patties (we like to make 3½-inch [9 cm] patties) and fry until golden, 3 to 5 minutes per side. You can cook a few at a time, but keep in mind that they’re much easier to flip when you have more space! Do not fuss with the burgers while they’re cooking; flip them just once, very carefully.
TIP: These are great for freezing—you’ll never need to buy a processed veggie burger again! Once the patties have fully cooled, individually wrap each one and place in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for later. When you’re ready to enjoy them again, reheat on the stove in an oiled pan or in the oven on low heat until heated through.
Recipe from The Plantiful Table: Easy, From-the-Earth Recipes for the Whole Family, copyright © Andrea Duclos, 2015. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available wherever books are sold. theexperimentpublishing.com
Waiting to pick it ths book from the store, looks fantastic!