Photos: Passport & Plate - Spinach Lentil Patties with Plum Date Sauce

earthmagic — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 02:01:00 GMT

Ingredients
For the Patties:
1 ½ c cooked lentils
3 tbsp water
10 oz chopped frozen spinach
2 tbsp sliced green onion (eyeball it)
1 tbsp chopped cilantro (eyeball it)
2 tsp all purpose flour
¾ tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking powder
1 clove minced garlic
1-3 tbsp oil

For the Sauce:
½ c water
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 ½ tsp sugar
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
6 ea. prunes and dates

How to prepare this recipe
Patties:
Place lentils in a blender or food processor with the water and puree. Add more water if needed, 1 tbsp at a time.
In a large bowl, add all ingredients except oil. Mix until well incorporated and able to mold into patties.
Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add patties to the pan and cook 2 minutes each side or until lightly browned. Be careful when flipping so patties don’t fall apart.
Sauce:
Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth.
Top patties with sauce and serve immediately.

The story behind this recipe
I was raised in a family that values food as merely a substance to gorge yourself upon - not nourish your body, inspire your pallet, or expand your sense of creativity. The wide waist-lines and narrow culinary education and food philosophy of my household disturbed me. I fought to break the habits I was reared with; and on the path to a healthier, more fulfilling lifestyle, I began to experiment in the kitchen – a place with which I had little experience. The more I cooked, the more developed my appreciation for the art of food became; and I wished to share this with my family – to feed and inspire them the way I had begun to feed and inspire myself.

Christmas 2013 was coming, and I vowed to serve at least one dish alternative to our traditional meal. While searching through recipes online, I came across “Lentil and Spinach Puffs with Plum-Date Dip” from myrecipes.com. Not only did the photograph and ingredients arouse my culinary curiosity, but the website also informed me that the dish is a specialty in parts of India, which appealed to my pre-existing desire to experience other cultures. It was decided: this would be the dish to serve at Christmas dinner. I made a small batch in case my puffs were unpopular; but, to my amazement and satisfaction (indeed, the amazement and satisfaction of everyone), my family inhaled them!

I have prepared the dish (with slight variations – I like to experiment) at least 5 times since last December. The success of this dish encouraged me to cook nearly every recipe within my reach (Sirloin Sage Gorgonzola Burgers; Chicken with Scallion Lime Sauce; Butternut Squash Pizza; Mexicali Sliders; Eggplant Pasta; Mediterranean Salmon, etc), and has been the impetus to my newly discovered passion not only for cooking with fresh and diverse ingredients, but for feeding the people I love.

Discovering the Art of Food

Photos: Passport & Plate - Spinach Lentil Patties with Plum Date Sauce