Meatless Monday | Dinner Menu
It's taken me a awhile to get this post up as we just moved into our new place, had to unpack and then had Christmas festivities! I've got a meatless Monday dairy-free dinner menu for you guys. It's quick and easy. It was the last dinner I made my sister-in-law and brother back in Winnipeg. I made falafel patties served with a side of sweet potato wedges and beet brownies for dessert. It's a quick and easy dinner but so delicious!
Falafel Patties
I used a recipe I found on Healthy Girls Kitchen for Falafel Burgers. I especially loved the addition of turmeric in these - such an amazing anti-inflammatory spice and gives them a beautiful yellow hue! I made only a few small changes, and opted for no bun and just served it over a bed of spinach with cucumber and tomatoes. I personally find falafel to be a bit dense and soft, so the addition of the bun seemed necessary.
Makes: 10 patties
Prep Time: 40 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Ingredients:
2 large garlic cloves, diced
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup scallions, chopped
2 15oz cans of chickpeas
1 cup traditional oats
1/4 cup rice flour
3 tbs lemon juice
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 tbs water
Tahini Sauce:
1/4 cup tahini
2 tbs lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs water
dash of salt
Serve with:
Spinach
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Feta Cheese (if not doing dairy free)
Avocado, alfalfa sprouts or any other veggie would work great too!
Instructions:
Place garlic cloves, parsley and scallions in a blender until well combined.
2. Add the remaining ingredients up to red pepper flakes and blend until well combined, but not a paste. Leave a few chunks for texture in the patty. I had to scrape down the sides of the blender as I went as to not over blend. Once everything is incorporated transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. While the mixture is chilling, combine all of the tahini sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Store in fridge until ready to serve.
Remove falafel mixture from fridge and form into patties. Place a large non-stick skillet on the stove on med-high heat. Put 3-4 patties on the skillet at a time, depending on the size of your skillet. Cook on each side for 3-4 minutes or until browned and a bit crispy.
5. Serve over a bed of spinach topped with cucumbers and tomatoes. Top patty with tahini sauce.
Sweet Potato Wedges
These literally melt in your mouth. If you're looking for a crispy sweet potato fry, these are not it. The inspiration for these comes from my brother-in-law Steve who is a chef. He made these at the cottage this summer and I fell in love!
Serves: 6 people
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 25 min
Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean
3 tbs olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt & pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp fresh Italian parsley
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Cut the sweet potato into wedges and place in a bowl.
3. In a small bowl combine the olive oil and spices.
4. Pour 3/4 of the mixture over the sweet potato wedges, toss to coat and spread evenly on a baking sheet.
5. Bake for 25 minutes or until edges are browned.
6. Remove from the oven and toss with remaining olive oil mixture.
Beet Brownies
The original recipe I found called for sweet potato, but since I was already serving sweet potatoes with dinner and I had some beets in the fridge, I decided to improvise! Well it turned out to be an amazing substitution. I LOVED these, and so did everyone else. The beets almost made them taste like cherry and I could not stop eating them.
Makes: 24 squares
Prep Time: 50 min
Cook Time: 17 min
Ingredients
2 medium sized beets
3 eggs
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (or almond extract)
3/4 cup rice flour (any flour will work here, I have also used spelt)
2/3 cup dark cocoa powder (I use this brand)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup almond milk
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Peel beets with a potato peeler (if you don't want your hands to get pink, wear gloves). Slice into 1" rounds.
Put a piece of tinfoil on a baking sheet and put the sliced beets in the middle. Drizzle with olive oil and tent the tinfoil over the beets and pinch shut. Bake for 25-30 min or until beets are tender.
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 inch pan (I have also used an 8x8 pan, which gives you a thicker gooey brownie!).
Place beets, eggs, coconut oil, honey and vanilla in a blender and process until smooth.
Combine the flour, cocoa powder, sea salt and baking powder in a separate bowl and mix to combine.
Add to the blender and process until fully combined. Pour the mixture into your 9x13 pan. It will seem very thin, but they rise a little bit and they actually taste really great as a thin brownies.
Bake for 15 minutes (bake for ~20 in an 8x8 pan).