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Ramen and Veg

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The ramen experience! Everyone has had ramen. You can always tell when school is starting because grocery stores, particularly in college towns, have cases of ramen on an end cap! An inexpensive, satisfying, and easy to prepare meal for young people living on their own. Years ago when I was still working, a friend and coworker brought a ramen salad to a potluck we were having. The ramen in that salad is just crumbled, not cooked. The dressing hydrates it, but it still has a little crunch. After visiting the Chicago Botanic Garden Christmas light show our daughter and son-in-law took us to a restaurant that specializes in Ramen dishes (and served wonderful sushi and cocktails). After a cold, rainy walk the hot ramen was especially delicious. This doesn’t replicate the dish we had at the Torino Ramen in Wilmette, and it’s nothing like my friend’s salad recipe, or the ramen of your college days, but it is a tasty version of a ramen dish. We had this as a meal in itself, but it would also be a good side dish with a protein. This is a modified version of a recipe I saw online and, like most savory recipes, it can be further modified based on personal preferences.

Ingredients:

2 blocks of ramen

2 carrots matchsticked

2 cups of broccoli florets

1/2 red bell pepper sliced

1 cup snap peas

1 cup edamame

1 generous tsp each of ginger, paprika, Korean chili flakes, cumin and garlic

3/4 cup coconut milk

1 1/2 cups broth (I used chicken broth from Better than Bouillon)

1 T soy sauce

This is prepared stovetop in a large pot with a lid. Wash and prep your vegetables and add them to the pot along with the noodles. If you’re using the individual ramen packets discard the flavor packets.

In a bowl or large measuring cup whisk together the coconut milk, broth, and spices and pour it over the noodles and vegetables. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover the pot, and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stopping halfway through to stir. You don’t want to overcook the noodles or the vegetables.

Plate, garnish with sesame seeds, and enjoy.

NOTE: Another recipe that can be modified based on ingredients you have on hand. The spice level is moderate. The next time I make this I will add some yellow miso paste. Miso is fermented soybean paste, and it adds great umami flavor.

Chocolate Beet Cake

/ featherheadlady / 1 Comment

We used to regularly go out for breakfast on Sunday mornings, but since we adopted Leo, our rescue pup, I’ve been making our bacon and eggs at home. After breakfast and clean up I enjoy watching a couple of shows on the food network…Mary Makes it Easy, The Kitchen, and, most recently, Girl Meets Farm with Molly Yeh. Molly lives on a farm on the North Dakota-Minnesota border, and is a Juilliard music major turned food blogger. Her blog became very popular, and Saveur named her Food Blogger of the Year in 2015. This is a recipe from a recent episode of Girl Meets Farm that sounded very interesting, and I had to try it. We have a group of friends that we regularly get together with on Saturday nights, and we were celebrating three birthdays. It was a perfect time to try Molly’s Chocolate Beet Cake recipe. When I served it I left out the part about the beets because we have anti-veg folks as well as people who just plain old don’t like beets. I have made a chocolate sauerkraut cake and a chocolate zucchini cake before, but using beets never occurred to me. Save for a couple of slices the cake was devoured. Chocolate meets beets for a delicious smash up! Full credit for this recipe goes to Molly Yeh! Thank you for sharing your food Molly.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup (100 grams) Dutch process cocoa powder

1 cup boiling water

8 oz beets (1 1/2 cups) raw, peeled, and coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups heavy cream at room temperature

3/4 cup full-fat sour cream at room temperature

4 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups (390 grams) all purpose flour

1 T baking powder

1 tsp instant espresso powder

1 3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil, soft but not melted

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar

zest of one orange

4 large eggs at room temperature

Preheat your oven to 350° and grease three 8” round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper. In a high-speed blender whiz together the cocoa powder and boiling water. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes to bloom the cocoa and allow the mixture to cool a bit.

Add the beets and blend to a smooth purée.

Add the heavy cream, sour cream, and vanilla and blend until just combined. Do not over blend.

In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour and baking powder and lightly stir in the espresso powder and salt. Set aside. In a stand mixer cream together the butter, coconut oil, sugar, and orange zest on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Reduce the speed to low and add the dry mixture and heavy cream mixture in 2 or 3 alternating additions, mixing until mostly combined. Turn off the mixer and use a rubber spatula to finish up the mixing, making sure to evenly mix without over mixing.

Distribute the batter among the 3 pans, spreading it out evenly with the bottom of a spoon or offset spatula.

Bake until the centers are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Begin checking for doneness at 40 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes in the pans, then loosen the edges with a butter knife, and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. If necessary level the tops of the cakes with a serrated knife. Once the cakes have cooled you’re ready to ice and assemble.

I used my standard cream cheese icing. Molly Yeh used a similar icing as well. If you prefer chocolate on chocolate that would be great too. Slice and enjoy.

NOTE: A great way to get vegetables into your kids, and even into non-veg adults.

I used melting chocolate and a piping bag to write the celebrants names, Patti, Chuck, and Chellie. I piped the names onto wax paper and kept them in the freezer until I was ready to serve the cake.

Mango and Black Bean Salsa

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Twenty five or more years ago we ate dinner at a lovely bistro in Chelsea, Michigan called the Common Grill. I enjoyed a fish dish that was served with a side of mango salsa. As I recall the fish was excellent, but to me the salsa was the star. This recipe is my attempt to replicate those beautiful bright flavors. I have made this countless times and it’s great served with pork, fish of course including fish tacos, or all by itself with some crispy, salty corn chips. Mangos not only taste delicious, but they are high in Vitamins A and C, contain potassium, and they’re a good source of fiber. Black beans are a good source of protein, fiber, and they are one of my favorite beans. It’s always a bonus when you can enjoy something so tasty that’s actually good for you. And it’s so pretty!

Ingredients:

2 ripe mangos diced

1 can black beans drained and rinsed

1/4 cup red onion diced

juice of 2 limes

1 cup cilantro rough chopped

drizzle of olive oil

salt to taste

Prep all of your ingredients. To me, the most challenging part is peeling and chopping the mangos. You want the dice to be similar in size to the beans.

Once everything has been prepped combine the mango, beans, onion, and cilantro in a medium size bowl. Juice the limes and stir to combine. Add a little drizzle of olive oil and salt to taste.

Enjoy!!

NOTE: If you want the flavors kicked up a bit you can add some fresh diced jalapeños or habaneros. Best made up at least an hour or two before serving to allow the flavors to marry. Keep refrigerated.

Pork and Ramen

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I haven’t blogged anything in months, largely because we adopted a rescue pup just prior to Thanksgiving, and he’s turned our lives a little upside down. His name is Leo, and I tell people all the time that Leo is A LOT, but that really is an understatement. Hopefully with these few months under our belts as Leo’s new parents things will calm down. Hopefully. And I have missed working on my blog. In addition to sharing recipes with people, blogging keeps recipes I enjoy making and we enjoy eating where I can actually find them. Sometimes I find ideas and inspiration from instagram reels and other online sites, make notation on little slips of paper, and then waste time searching for those pieces of inspiration. This pork and ramen recipe is my interpretation of something I saw on Instagram. It comes together quickly, can be modified based on ingredients you have on hand, and is a simple yet delicious meal.

Ingredients:

2 packages of ramen (w/o seasoning)

1 cup of broth

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 T toasted sesame oil

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 T ginger grated

1 cup green onions chopped

1 cup bell pepper sliced

1 T cornstarch with 2 T water

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sesame Seeds for serving

Anyone who cooks on a regular basis knows that whatever you’re cooking comes together much faster when the ingredients have been prepped before you get started. Now that everything is ready, cook the ground meat in a large skillet over medium high heat until browned.

Once the meat has browned add the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. Stir until combined. Stir in the broth and bring to a simmer.

Once it’s simmering add the ramen, peppers, and green onions. Simmer for about five minutes until the noodles are tender.

Stir in the cornstarch slurry. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I did a quick stir fry of pea pods and served the meat and ramen over the pea pods. Super easy and super tasty! A quick stir fry of broccoli, bok choy, or cabbage would also all be good additions.

NOTE: Ground beef or chicken could be substituted for ground pork. I used Better than Bouillon Chicken broth but you could substitute vegetable or beef broth.

I usually buy a large knob of ginger, cut and peel it, and store it in the freezer. Recently I discovered tubes of ginger which are so convenient and easy to use.

Corn Chowder

/ featherheadlady / 4 Comments

It’s prime sweet corn season in Michigan and, this year, the corn seems to taste especially sweet and good. Yesterday I picked up a couple dozen ears from a local farmer and decided to make a big pot of corn chowder. I also blanched and froze the kernels from a dozen ears. Corn has been around forever, apparently first domesticated 10,000 years ago by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico. I didn’t know, until I looked it up, that corn kernels are technically a fruit. When corn is dried it is considered a grain. Whole corn that you eat off the cob is considered a vegetable. And corn made into alcohol is bourbon whiskey, as long as it’s made from at least 51% corn. (One of my favorite corn products). And lets not forget corn oil, polenta, tortillas, and popcorn. What an amazingly versatile plant!

Soups are one of my favorites. They tend to taste good the first day and excellent the second. This week temperatures in Michigan have been a little cooler than usual for August so a nice pot of soup was just perfect.

Ingredients:

4 cups of chicken broth plus 1 cup water

5-6 cups of fresh corn (I used 7 ears)

1 large onion diced

2-3 medium carrots diced

3-4 stalks of celery diced

1 sweet red pepper diced

2 cups new potatoes diced

10 oz bacon

1 1/2 cups of whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

Soup always involves a lot of chopping. Remove the kernels from the cobs and set aside. I use a sharp knife and my angel food cake pan which works just great and, in my opinion, is the best use for an angel food cake pan.

Put the cobs in a stock pot along with 4 cups of chicken broth and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes while you’re preparing the other components. The cobs enhance the corn flavor you’re looking for in the chowder.

While the cobs are simmering cook the bacon in a Dutch oven until it is crisp. Remove the crisped bacon to a plate lined with paper towels.

Reserve 2 T of the bacon dripping and add the diced carrot, onion, celery, and pepper to the dutch oven. Cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes.

Add the potatoes and the corn.

I leave the skins on the new potatoes but, if you prefer, you can peel them. Russets or Yukons both work great as well.

Remove the cobs from the broth, and pour the broth over the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat, cooking until the potatoes are tender.

Once the potatoes are tender stir in the milk and heavy cream. Add the thyme and cayenne.

Bring the soup back to a simmer. If you prefer the soup to be creamer remove a few cups to a heat proof bowl and, using an immersion blender, purée. Add the purée back to the pot. A friend told me she uses her mother’s recipe which calls for the addition of 1 can of creamed corn. Potato flakes can also be used to thicken the soup.

Have your soup toppers ready. I used shrimp, green onions, cilantro, the crispy bacon bits, and cheese.

Ladle into bowls and enjoy.

NOTE: As with most recipes this one is very versatile. It’s all a matter of personal taste. You could add smoked sausage or andouille sausage, seafood, or cheddar, jack, or pepper jack cheese while the soup is simmering. A dollop of pesto or sour cream or some of the delicious smoked trout I brought back from northern michigan would also be good toppers.

If corn is not in season, frozen corn is an excellent substitute. I blanched a dozen ears of corn, removed the kernels, and froze it in 8 oz portions. The corn is so good I think I will freeze some more to use this winter.

Iced Lemon Loaf

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Is it a cake or is it a bread? Last weekend I made this lovely lemon loaf and a blueberry walnut loaf in celebration of a friend’s birthday. This is another of Tieghan Gerard’s recipes from Half Baked Harvest. I’ve made several of her recipes, both sweet and savory, and have enjoyed all of them. This was no exception. It’s very moist and not overly sweet. Since it is made with almond flour it is perfect for anyone looking for a gluten free, low carb dessert. Almond flour can be substituted for AP flour in most recipes and, because it is made from finely ground blanched almonds, it has a higher fat content resulting in slightly moister baked goods.

Ingredients:

8 T salted butter at room temperature

1/2 cup honey

2 T lemon zest

3 T lemon juice

3 large eggs at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream

1 1/2 cups almond flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

4-6 oz cream cheese melted

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

3-4 T lemon juice

2 tsp honey

Preheat your oven to 350. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan. I lined mine with parchment paper leaving an overhang to make the loaf easier to remove.

In a large mixing bowl beat together the butter, honey, and 1 T lemon zest until combined. Beat the eggs in, one at a time, until combined.

Add the lemon juice, vanilla, and yogurt or sour cream. The combination of dairy and lemon juice makes the batter look curdled, so don’t worry that something went wrong.
Add the almond flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat just until combined. In a smaller bowl mix together the cream cheese and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest.
Spoon half of your batter into your prepared pan. Dollop teaspoon amounts of the cream cheese mixture over the batter using about 1/3 of the cream cheese. Gently swirl the cream cheese using an offset spatula.

Repeat with the remaining batter and cream cheese. Bake for 45 minutes or until the center is just set. Remove from the oven to a wire rack and allow to cool.

While the loaf is cooling make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and the honey. Pour over the loaf and let set for an hour or so.

Slice and enjoy!

NOTE: You can substitute AP flour for almond flour 1 to 1, but I have not tried it with this recipe.

I used 6 oz of cream cheese because how can you possibly have too much cream cheese??

Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup

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I haven’t blogged much lately. I’ve become obsessed with Tieghan Gerard’s recipes that she publishes under Half Baked Harvest. My daughter introduced me to her site. I’ve ordered a couple of her cookbooks and I am regularly printing off recipes that she publishes on her site. My friend Jane and I have made her appetizers, salads, soups, entrees and desserts. We have loved them all. Her recipes are not overly complicated and the ingredients, for the most part, are readily available even where I live. This soup is based on one of her recipes. It is now a favorite that I’ve made several times. Using my electric pressure cooker (or your instant pot) you can have this prepped and ready to eat in about 45 minutes and it has so much wonderful flavor. This soup would be great as originally published, but my husband especially likes soup with lots of stuff in it so I have added the black beans, corn, and red bell pepper.

Ingredients:

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion chopped

4 cloves of garlic minced

2 poblano peppers seeded and chopped

1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped

2-4 chipotle peppers in adobo finely chopped

1 T smoked paprika

2 tsp ground cumin

Kosher salt and pepper

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast

2 cans (14 oz) fire roasted tomatoes (I used my home canned)

4 cups low sodium chicken broth

Juice of 2 limes

1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped plus more for serving

1 cup frozen corn

1 can black beans drained

Set your pressure cooker/instant pot to sauté. Add the olive oil, onion, garlic, peppers, chipotle peppers in adobo, paprika, cumin, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook 5-10 minutes until very fragrant.

Turn the pressure cooker/instant pot off. Add the whole chicken breast. Stir in the tomatoes and the broth. Season with a little salt and pepper. Cover and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.

Once it’s done cooking use the quick release and release the steam. Open the pot carefully and remove the chicken. Using two forks shred the chicken and return it to the pot.
Stir in the black beans, corn, cilantro and lime juice.

Stir and keep the pot set to warm.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish as desired with cheese, additional cilantro, sour cream, and green onions. Serve with tortilla chips.
Enjoy.

If you’re interested in more wonderful Half Baked Harvest recipes put it in your search engine and check her out!

NOTE: This recipe can also be made in a crock pot. Add all of the ingredients except the cilantro and lime, and cook on low for 6-7 hours. Shred the chicken and stir in the lime juice, cilantro.

I almost always use Better than Bouillon rather than boxed or canned chicken broth. I like the depth of flavor much better.

I purchase larger cans of chipotle in adobo and process them in my mini ninja. I freeze the puree in an ice cube tray and keep the cubes in my freezer to use in recipes.

Cream of Asparagus Soup

/ featherheadlady / 2 Comments
Asparagus is one of our favorite vegetables. It’s great wrapped in prosciutto and grilled, in a quiche or frittata, pickled and added to your bloody mary, roasted, or just steamed with a little butter and lemon. It’s definitely not asparagus season in Michigan, but when I was shopping and saw this nice big bag of asparagus I immediately thought about making soup. I like brothy soups and creamed soups and my husband typically prefers soups that you could almost eat with a fork, but we both like the creamy asparagus a lot. It comes together quickly and, with the exception of the asparagus, the other ingredients are pantry staples.

Ingredients:

2 pounds of asparagus

1 medium onion diced

3-4 cloves of garlic minced

4 T butter

1/4 cup AP flour

6 cups of chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream or whole milk

1/2 cup fresh grated parmigiana cheese

Heat your dutch oven over medium heat and add 2 T of butter. Add the diced onion and cook until tender but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add in the minced garlic and and cook for another minute.
While your onion is cooking wash the asparagus spears and remove the woody ends. Cut the spears into approximately 1 inch pieces. If you’d like, set a few tips aside to blanch and use as garnish when serving.
Add 2 more tablespoons of butter to the pot and stir in the asparagus pieces. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the 1/4 cup of flour and stir until combined with the vegetables.
Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the asparagus is tender. Use an immersion blender until you have a smooth consistency. Stir in the heavy cream and cheese and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes or so.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Blanch the tips that you set aside, and garnish the soup with a little shredded cheese and the asparagus tips.
Enjoy!

NOTE: I like to make my broth from Better Than Bouillon but canned or boxed broth are also fine. I used heavy cream but half and half or whole milk could be substituted.

Roasted Veggie Crepes

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One of my latest pandemic shop-a-thon purchases was a cordless electric crepe maker, the direct result of watching too many Instagram reels and having an Amazon Prime account. Last night I decided to see if it worked just like it did in the video I watched. I thought about making blintzes but didn’t have the right cheeses so I opted for roasted vegetable crepes. I made my crepe batter, and while that was resting in the fridge, I prepped all of my veggies and got them ready for roasting. I used broccoli, asparagus, onion, peppers, mushrooms, butternut squash, and brussel sprouts. I added fresh herbs and salt and olive oil and let them roast until tender. They smelled so good roasting. While the vegetables were in the oven I fired up this crepe maker. I poured my batter into the shallow (plastic) dish that came with the CucinaPro.

This post exists only because of this crepe maker. The first time I dipped the crepe maker into the batter one area came up bare. There is some wrist action required to get nice even coverage. After a couple tries I had pretty much perfected the dip, even though this one appears to have a frowny face.

The crepes slide right off the surface and no oil or butter is required. The crepes are paper thin as advertised on the box. My recipe made 20 crepes. I tore sheets of wax paper and layered them as they came off the iron. The crepes themselves were very easy to work with once I started filling and rolling. All in all, I am very satisfied with my purchase and this will not be a ”one use wonder.” I do have a very nice blue carbon steel crepe pan that I will still use on occasion, particularly for making things like blintzes. Since I brush that pan with a little melted butter between crepes the crepe has a little different consistency, and obviously a more buttery flavor. I think the crepe maker will be my go-to for savory crepe dishes. Whether you have a CucinaPro Cordless Crepe Maker or a favorite non-stick skillet, the basic crepe recipe I use will work fine.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups AP flour

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups whole milk

2 T melted butter

1/2 tsp salt

Combine all the crepe ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate the batter for at least 30 minutes. Heat your skillet over medium heat, brush with butter, and add about 1/3 cup of batter. Swirl the pan to spread the batter out and, when the edges turn golden, flip the crepe. Stack them between layers of wax paper until you’re ready to use them.
Crepes can be filled with just about anything. This was dinner so I filled mine with some grated Gruyere and all of the veggies that I roasted.
You can use any combination of vegetables and herbs. I added fresh rosemary, oregano, and salt to my medley and tossed them with a generous amount of olive oil. I roasted them at 425 on a jelly roll pan lined with parchment for easy clean up.
I gave them a stir after about 30 minutes and let them roast for another 30 minutes until they were tender.
Once the veggies are done let them cool a bit before you start stuffing and rolling your crepes.
One of my favorite bits are the crispy brussel sprout leaves. I munched a few of those while I was waiting for them to cool a bit. I roasted a whole garlic in the foil and squeezed that delicious garlic out to stir into the vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste. When you’re ready to fill your crepes grate some cheese because, lets face it, everything is better with cheese. I used Gruyere but any cheese will work.
Lay down some of the cheese and then top with your vegetables. Roll the crepes and put them on a parchment lined sheet pan.
Bake them in an oven preheated to 350 for 15-20 minutes until heated through.

I made a Bechamel sauce to serve over the crepes. When I learned to make this sauce in my high school home economics class it wasn’t called Bechamel, it was simply called white sauce. You make a roux from butter and flour and add milk. Today I whisked in a little nutmeg and fresh grated parmesan cheese. Served up with a chiffonade of fresh basil.

I had a lot of extra crepes so I cooked up some apples with apple pie spices and a little sugar, and made a dessert crepe topped off with a little caramel sauce.

Fun to make and delicious to eat.

NOTE: Crepes have no end of potential. You could use a combination of meat and cheese like ham and swiss or chicken with roasted peppers and jack cheese. If you have extra crepes, as I did, you can refrigerate them in a ziplock bag leaving the wax paper sheets in between the crepes. Make them up for breakfast filled with scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, and bacon. You can top them with salsa, marinara, or a cheese sauce. You’re only limited by your imagination.

Veggie Burgers

/ featherheadlady / 3 Comments

For quite awhile I’ve been talking about trying to replicate the ”Impossible” burgers without all of the added ingredients like methylcellulose, yeast extract, gums, and an ingredient high in iron called ”heme,” the red ingredient that appears to make the impossible burger bleed. While there is heme in humans and animals, and it is in the meat products that we eat, the heme in the impossible burgers is genetically modified from soybean roots. If you’re interested in reading more about heme, and how and why it is incorporated into the impossible burger, I suggest you google it. But there are none of those ingredients in this recipe which I found in Food and Wine’s August issue. I mean, where would I find heme?? I must admit it was quite a process, and it is decidedly easier to take a package of ground beef out of your freezer. But, if you want a plant based burger without a lot of additives, that is healthy, and good for the environment, try this recipe. It made eight burgers. My husband and I each enjoyed a burger for lunch and I froze the other six in packages of two. My husband said they were alright. I really liked mine. And I would definitely make these again.

Ingredients:

4 cups of water

1 T plus 1/4 tsp kosher salt, divided

1/3 cup uncooked pearl barley, rinsed

1 dried bay leaf

1 pound of fresh button mushrooms stemmed and quartered

2 T tamari or soy sauce

6 T plus 1 tsp olive oil, divided

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 head of garlic halved crosswise

2 medium carrots peeled and shredded (about 3/4 cup)

2 small beets peeled and shredded (about 3/4 cup)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 can chickpeas (15 1/2 oz can), drained and rinsed

2/3 cup gluten-free or regular panko

1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

1 T whole grain or dijon mustard

It expedites things to get all of your ingredients prepped and measured.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a medium saucepan bring 4 cups of water and 1 T of salt to a boil. Rinse the barley and add it to the water along with a bay leaf. Return to a boil. Simmer undisturbed for about 25 minutes until the barley is al dente. Drain, remove and discard the bayleaf, and allow the barley to cool for about 15 minutes.

While your barley is cooking toss together the mushrooms, tamari, 2 T of olive oil, pepper, and 1/4 tsp salt.

Spread the mushrooms in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Place the garlic head halves on a sheet of aluminum foil, drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil, wrap tightly and place on the baking sheet with the mushrooms.

Roast the mushrooms and garlic in the preheated oven until the mushrooms are browned and beginning to dry out, about 40 minutes. Stir twice during cook time. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
Unwrap the garlic and squeeze garlic cloves from the skins. Set the roasted garlic aside.

Transfer the cooled barley to a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped, about 15 pulses. Transfer the barley to a large bowl and add the beets, carrots, cumin, and paprika.

Transfer the roasted mushrooms to the food processor and pulse until finally chopped, about 10 pulses. Transfer mushrooms to barley mixture.

Add chickpeas to the food processor and pulse until roughly chopped, about 10 pulses. Measure out 1 cup of chopped chickpeas and transfer to the barley mixture.
Add the roasted garlic to the remaining chickpeas and process until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of the bowl as needed. Transfer the chickpea and garlic mixture to the barley mixture.

Add the panko, walnuts, and mustard to the barley mixture and stir well.

Shape the mixture into eight patties, about 1/2 cup each. I used my ice cream scoop.
Heat two T of olive oil in a heavy, oven safe skillet. Add 4 patties and cook until golden brown and crispy on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.
Transfer the seared patties to the oven. Bake patties at 400 until the tops and sides are crispy, about 10 minutes. If you want a cheese burger, add cheese during the last couple of minutes. Serve the patty on a bun with toppings of your choice.
I served our burgers up with mayo, lettuce, and red onion. I was wishing for a nice, thick slice of tomato. That would have made these just perfect.

NOTE: If you’re preparing two to four burgers at one time sear them in an oven safe skillet and transfer the skillet to the oven. If you are doing all eight burgers, bake them on a rimmed baking sheet. Remember there will be very little if any shrinkage as the patties cook.

I put six of the patties in packages of two and froze them. The recipe says they can e frozen for up to one month. Thaw frozen patties overnight in the refrigerator before cooking.