Tag: Kale

Baked Vegetable Pancakes with Tangy Sauce

Grain-free    &&    Low-fat    &&    Pancakes

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In this edition of Pancakes Today… er, I mean, Robot Recipes…

More savory pancakes! Have them for dinner! Pack them for lunch! Have them for breakfast to get a jump start on your veggie quota for the day!

These pancakes are mostly vegetables, with some protein to help them stick together, but not enough protein (in my humble opinion) to be really filling, particularly if you’re super hungry. If you have these for a meal, I recommend serving them alongside something else that will help satisfy a hearty appetite. To make a more filling meal, you could have some spiced/garlic cauliflower rice on the side and serve the pancakes topped with an over-easy egg (or egg whites). There’s also time to rummage through the fridge and throw something together that suits your fancy while these are baking.

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There is a bit of vegetable prep involved, but it’s definitely worth it. These pancakes are tastier than a stack of vegetables has any right to be.

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Baked Vegetable Pancakes with Tangy Sauce

This recipe is an adaptation (a more flavorful one, if I may be so bold) of Smitten Kitchen’s Japanese Cabbage and Vegetable Pancakes.

Bits:

For the Pancakes:

  • About 7 large lacinato kale (cavalo nero) leaves, de-stemmed and chopped (about 90g after de-stemming, about 3 cups chopped)
  • 4 medium carrots, peeled and grated (about 250g, or 2 ¼ cups grated)
  • 1 medium beet, peeled and grated (about 80g, or about 1 cup grated)
  • ½ head green or red cabbage, shredded (about 330g, or 4 cups after shredding)
  • 5-6 scallions (50 g after slicing)
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp rasam powder (or substitute your favorite curry powder)
  • 1 cup (120 g) chickpea flour
  • 1 cup egg whites (equivalent of 5 large eggs)

For the sauce:

Algorithm:

Adjust oven racks to upper and lower thirds of your oven. Preheat oven to 450ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In your largest mixing bowl, toss together the prepared vegetables. Add the salt, cumin, coriander, rasam (or curry) powder, and chickpea flour. Toss again to evenly coat the vegetables. Pour the egg whites into the bowl and stir with a big wooden spoon until everything is evenly coated.

Scoop a scant 1 cup of the vegetable mixture and place it on one of the parchment-lined baking sheets. Flatten into a disk about 5 inches / 13 cm in diameter. Repeat 10 or 11 more times until you run out of batter. Bake pancakes for 25 to 30 minutes until the edges start to brown and the vegetables look fairly roasty. When the pancakes are done, remove baking sheets from oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes.

While the vegetable pancakes are baking, make the sauce. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine all the sauce ingredients, stir together and bring to a boil. Lower heat and keep at a gentle simmer for at least five minute. I usually leave the sauce on the stove on low after that until the pancakes are ready.

Now make any optional sides or garnishes (cauliflower rice, over easy egg, etc). Serve the pancakes alongside the sauce for dipping or spreading over as desired.

Fennel, Kale, and Chickpea Skillet with Citrus Baked Polenta

Vegan    &&    Grain-free    &&    Very low fat

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This is a harmonious mish-mash of two great recipes I came across recently, along with some changes of my own, of course. My partner always tells me to make a new recipe as written the first time, and then make whatever changes I want the next time around; it makes sense to experience the recipe as intended and go from there. Out loud I usually respond with a “Yeahhhhh, you’re right”, but then quietly I make my changes anyway. I have no regrets. I won’t judge if you want to take your own spin on any of my recipes the first time you make them either.

No regrets!

Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Oven-Baked Creamy Polenta (my go-to polenta recipe!), and the Kitchn’s Couscous with Chickpeas, Fennel and Citrus

35 Minutes

4 Servings

Bits:

– Polenta

  • 3/4 cup medium grind polenta
  • zest and juice (~1/4 cup) of 1 navel orange
  • zest and 1 Tbsp juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 3/4 cups water
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1-2 Tbsp milk of choice, depending on preferred consistency

– Skillet

  • 1 large fennel bulb, fronds removed and reserved
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp rasam powder, or curry powder
  • 1 tsp salt, or to taste
  • 1 small bunch kale
  • 3 cups chickpeas, canned or cooked from dried
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice, plus more to taste
  • Small handful of parsley leaves, roughly chopped

Algorithm:

  • First make the polenta. Preheat the oven to 425F. In big flat baking dish (mine is 10″x10″) with a lid, combine all the polenta ingredients except for the milk. Give everything a quick stir, and put in the oven with the lid on. Bake 15 minutes, stir, and bake 15 more minutes. At the end of the 30 minutes stir in the milk, using more or less depending on the consistency you like.
  • While the polenta is baking, make the skillet.
    • Quarter the fennel bulb from top to bottom, and cut out the dense core from the bottom. Slice cross-wise into ~1/2-inch slices. Place into a large (10-12″) non-stick skillet and dry-fry for 7 to 9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it starts to turn a caramel-y golden color; add a tablespoon at a time of water as needed if it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan.
    • Add the ground coriander, rasam powder (or curry powder if you don’t have a good rasam), and salt. Stir and cook for about a minute until fragrant.
    • Slice the kale greens off of the central stems, and slice cross-wise into 1-inch strips. Add these to the skillet; stir and cook about 3-4 minutes until they start to wilt.
    • Add the chickpeas to the skillet and cook a couple minutes until warmed through. Take a taste and add more spices as desired.
    • Add the lemon juice to the skillet, give everything a final couple stirs to mix through, and remove from heat.
  • Spoon cooked polenta onto serving plates or into bowls and top with the skillet mixture. Generously garnish with chopped parsley leaves (normally I’d say parsley is an optional garnish, but it really adds something to the finished dish here!).