Beet Lentil Feta Burger Patties

It is comforting to recognize that I've always liked leftovers. Many fond memories surround the "new" foods I tried as a kid-- foods, as it turns out, that were reconstituted and repackaged leftovers, thanks to my mom who is quite adept at making dishes even more attractive each time she "recycled" them. No wastage in her kitchen.

And, no wastage in mine either. Although I tend to primarily serve portioned plated meals most of the time, there are some weekends that call for family-style meals to be savored over a couple of days.

The recent Injera bash with five sides certainly guaranteed some leftovers, which thrilled me to bits as I can find ways to repackage them.

Leftover Mesir wat (lentils), Zelbo gomen (kale), Yeqey Sir Qiqqil (beets) were perfect starting point.

Add in some leftover brown rice, some feta, and already it screams "Veggie Burger".

Since the leftover mesir wat and gomen can be a bit watery, best to strain out the liquids first, then add the brown rice and feta, minced garlic, and a generous sprinkling of berbere spice mix. Gently pulse to a coarse mass.

It still might need a binding agent to hold it all together. While eggs seem like the standard, I don't typically use it in my patties and cutlets.

So, I went with my favorite Coconut Flour.

Mix in just enough coconut flour to be able to shape the patties. Just for fun, some Panko breadcrumbs got pressed in till the patties were happy to hold their shape.

Pan-cooking them first to seal both sides and then baking them till firmly set seems to work well for me, but, if preferred, can grill it or pan cook it all the way through.

Who needs buns? Patties are perfect by themselves.

I can't seem to ignore the kale flowers from my garden, they sneak into every food photo I've clicked since they bloomed. They are short-lived, of course, so, soon there won't be any, but at least I'll have these pictures to make me smile when I miss them.

Cous-cous Loaf, Sliced and Pan-fried

Reconstituting leftovers was one of my mom's specialties. In those days, she believed in cooking a huge meal often because we'd usually have family and friends drop in, and depending on the meal time my mom always insisted on feeding everyone, forcibly if needed. Hospitality culture that I grew up in is simply wonderful. And, as a guest, it is an affront to refuse refreshments/meals offered by the host.

Anyway, so, there were days when a pot full of upma, or a dozen idlees sat around, uneaten. Spoilt brats that we were, we refused to eat leftovers in the same form. So, my mom used to get creative about rehashing the leftovers and making something "new" for us. I am glad I picked up a few pointers from her even if inadvertently.

Cous-cous, plain white rice, noodles, upma - they all lend themselves well to reconstitute for the next day. Rice, of course, is rather easy - they can become coconut rice or lemon rice or mango rice or vangi baath or mint and spinach rice or peas-and-cumin rice... endless possibilities.

Noodle pancake is a great way to use up the extra noodles, not to mention the various noodle salads, casseroles, and noodle soups that they can become.

While not the traditional way, sometimes I make leftover upma into upma kozhakattai.




While Cous-cous patties and vada are a popular choice at home, these pan-fried slices of cous-cous loaf are enjoyed as well.

Not very different in concept from cous-cous patties, the cous-cous loaf is rather easy to make. Simply sauté any veggies we'd like to add to the plain cooked leftover cous-cous, toss them all together, allow to cool a bit; then, line a bread loaf pan with cling wrap, pack the cous-cous down in there tight, cover with the cling wrap, and leave in the fridge to set for an hour or two up to overnight. Then, slice up the loaf and pan fry them till crisp on the outside. Serve with favorite tomato sauce.

Ingredients
4 to 6 cups of leftover cooked cous cous
vegetables: onions, ginger, garlic, peas, carrots, bell peppers
spices: cumin powder, coriander powder, paprika
canola oil
cling wrap, small loaf pan or any container that could make a roughly rectangular shaped loaf

Preparation

1. Sauté the vegetables in a tablespoon of canola oil, add the cous-cous and a ¼ cup of water if needed, cover, and allow to cook on low heat for a few minutes till they come together in harmony
2. Allow to cool a bit and pack it down in a cling wrap lined loaf pan, and let it set in the fridge for a few hours
3. Unwrap carefully, cut into about 1-inch slices and pan-fry till the outsides are crisp and brown
4. Serve warm with tomato sauce, with a side of carrot salad

Carrot Salad
grated carrots
finely chopped spring onions
dried cranberries, raisins, walnuts or almond slivers

Combine the salad ingredients and toss with Blue Agave Nectar & Aka Miso Dressing.

Vegetables Stuffed Bread Loaf

There seems to be a theme developing here - of loafs - in my kitchen. This Vegetable Stuffed Bread Loaf recipe is easy to throw together on a weeknight, especially if there is leftover veggies.

My kids are offered steamed corn, peas, broccoli, carrots, green beans, potatoes and so on as sides for most dinners, but, they rarely finish it... and, hoping that today is the day they'll eat it all up and ask for more, I always end up steaming a bunch. After a few days, the saved uneaten veggies start to look boring, so, I throw them together with some spices and herbs, stir in some thick cream of broccoli or cream of celery soup (ready-made, canned) and make a sort of filling and keep it handy to make pot-pie, or casserole of some sort with some pasta, or this stuffed bread loaf.

This is nice towards the end of the week as a clearance item :) I simply use the store-bought sliced bread (flaxseed, wholegrain, the good kind), soaked in a bit of milk, for the encasing and follow the recipe much like the Eggplant Loaf -i.e., layer a greased loaf pan with overlapping bread slices at the bottom and sides, fill with the leftover-veggies filling, cover with more bread slices on top and bake in a 350°F oven for about 25 minutes or so till bread is lightly crisp and done.