Conscious Cuisine

Charity sent me a beautiful book called Conscious Cuisine by Chef Cary Neff. This is a great book that proves once again that healthy does not mean boring. Here are a couple of recipes that I've tried already...

Black Bean Griddle Cakes

1/4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 3/4 cup cooked black beans,drained
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup fresh corn kernels
2 large egg whites
2 tsp minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp minced fresh oregano
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup cornmeal for coating

Heat a saute pan over medium high heat and add the olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add 3/4 cup beans, onion, garlic, and corn. Cook until the onion has softened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a food processor, process the remaining 1 cup of beans until smooth. Add the egg whites, cilantro, oregano, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. Mix the pureed beans with the sauteed beans. Using 1/4 cup at a time, form into patties and coat with cornmeal. Heat griddle over medium high heat and coat with olive oil spray. Brown cakes on both sides about 2 minutes per side.

Baked Falafel

1 3/4 cup cooked chickpeas, drained
1/4 cup chopped green onion
2 small garlic cloves
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp water
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp unbleached all purpose flour

cucumer sauce
1 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup finely chopped cucumber
3/4 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup seeded and finely chopped tomato
3/4 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat baking pan with cooking spray. In a food processor, combine all ingredients except parsley and flour and process until a smooth dough is formed. Add parsley and flour and pulse a few times to mix.

Scoop out by tbsp's and form 20 small cakes. Place on baking sheet and coat top with cooking spray. Bake 10 minutes. Turn over and bake 5 minutes.

For sauce, combine all ingredients and refrigerate at least 1/2 hour before serving with the falafel.