Infusing these burgers with creamy goat cheese and adorning them with a lively pesto solves the concern that lentil burgers are always too, well, earthy. In lieu of zucchini, other good vegetable topping options include tomato, cucumber, and/or grilled eggplant slices.
1 1/4 cup (310 mL) dried green lentils
3 cups (750 mL) spinach
1/2 cup (125 mL) flat-leaf parsley
3 Tbsp (45 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced, divided
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt, divided
1/2 cup (125 mL) wheat germ
4 oz (114 g) soft goat cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup (80 mL) chopped walnuts
2 Tbsp (30 mL) balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp (15 mL) Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp (4 mL) ground cumin
1/4 tsp (1 mL) black pepper
2 medium-sized zucchinis
Grapeseed oil for grilling
6 whole grain buns (optional)
Sprouts or microgreens (optional)
Place lentils in medium-sized saucepan with 4 cups (1 L) water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until lentils are tender, about 25 minutes. Drain lentils and set aside to cool.
As lentils are cooling, place spinach and parsley in food processor container and pulse until well chopped. Add olive oil, lemon juice, 1 garlic clove, and 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt to container and blend until well combined, wiping down sides as needed. Set aside.
Add lentils to food processor container and pulse until most of the lentils have broken down but are not completely smooth. Add remaining garlic, remaining salt, wheat germ, goat cheese, walnuts, balsamic vinegar, mustard, cumin, and black pepper; pulse until well combined. Form mixture into 6 equal-sized patties.
Slice zucchini in half along their width. Stand the 4 halves upright and slice each into 4 or 5 thin slices.
Preheat grill to medium. Brush burgers and zucchini slices with oil. Grill burgers for 4 minutes per side, or until they have developed a crispy crust. Grill zucchini slices until tender, flipping once, about 5 minutes.
If using buns, heat them on the grill for 1 minute, or until toasted. Serve lentil burgers topped with spinach pesto, zucchini slices, and sprouts or microgreens, if using.
Serves 6.
Each serving contains: 350 calories; 18 g protein; 16 g total fat (4 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 35 g total carbohydrates (3 g sugars, 15 g fibre); 289 mg sodium
source: "Veggie Burgers", alive #370, August 2013
Tourtière is, for me, the dish that best represents Québec. It can be traced back to the 1600s, and there’s no master recipe; every family has their own twist. Originally, it was made with game birds or game meat, like rabbit, pheasant, or moose; that’s one of the reasons why I prefer it with venison instead of beef or pork. Variation: If you prefer to make single servings, follow our lead at the restaurant, where we make individual tourtières in the form of a dome (pithivier) and fill them with 5 ounces (160 g) of the ground venison mixture. Variation: You can also use a food processor to make the dough. Place the flour, salt, and butter in the food processor and pulse about ten times, until the butter is incorporated—don’t overmix. It should look like wet sand, and a few little pieces of butter here and there is okay. With the motor running, through the feed tube, slowly add ice water until the dough forms a ball—again don’t overmix. Wrap, chill, and roll out as directed above.
My love of artichokes continues with this classic recipe, one of the best ways to eat this interesting, underrated, and strange vegetable. Frozen artichoke hearts are a time-saving substitute, though the flavour and texture of fresh artichokes are, by far, much superior and definitely preferred.
Cervelle de canut is basically the Boursin of France, an herbed fresh farmer’s cheese spread that’s a speciality of Lyon. The name is kind of weird, as it literally means “silk worker’s brain,” named after nineteenth-century Lyonnaise silk workers, who were called canuts. Sadly, the name reflects the low opinion of the people towards these workers. Happily for us, though, it’s delicious—creamy, fragrant, and fresh at the same time. Cervelle de canut is one of my family’s favourite dishes. It’s a great make-ahead appetizer that you can pop out of the fridge once your guests arrive. Use a full-fat cream cheese for the dish, or it will be too runny and less delicious.