Mendolonium

Source: Gina Mendolo

Ingredients:

• 1 small red onion
• 2 ribs celery
• 1.5 c cooked black beans or 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 c panko bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 T chickpea flour (Alternate: substitute all purpose flour for chickpea flour)
• 1 t ground oregano
• 3/4 t ground cumin
• 3/4 t ground coriander
• 1/8 t cayenne pepper
• 1/4 t salt
• 3/4 t baking powder

Directions:

1. Place onion and celery in a food processor and dice coarsely.
2. Place remaining ingredients in food processor with the onion and celery and pulse until well combined, but still textured.
3. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
4. Form into “hamburger” patties.
5. Grill on a sheet of aluminum foil for 10 minutes on each side. (Alternate: bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes on each side)

Note: Makes four patties.

Source: Gina Mendolo

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c vegetable stock
• 3 T soy sauce
• 1 T honey
• 1 T rice vinegar
• 1 T cornstarch
• 4 t minced shallots (You could also use garlic instead)
• 3/4 t Tabasco sauce
• 1/2 crushed ginger

Directions:

1. Whisk together all ingredients in a bowl, set aside.
2. Lightly stir fry 4 cups of vegetables, tofu, nuts, and/or meat.
3. Pour sauce over stir fried-items and continue to stir-fry until sauce thickens to desired consistency (less than 5 minutes).
4. Serve over rice, rice noodles, or soba noodles.

Source: Gina Mendolo

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash, roasted
• 1/4 cup bulger, uncooked
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup leeks, diced
• 170 g (6 ounces) feta cheese crumbled
• 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 teaspoon tarragon, dried
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 package phyllo dough, thawed
• cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; cover and chill 30 minutes.
3. Heat olive oil then add leeks and saute for 3 minutes.
4. Add leeks, feta and Parmesan cheeses, tarragon, and black pepper to squash mixture, stirring to combine.
5. Working with 1 phyllo sheet at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying), fold sheet into thirds lengthwise. Spray with cooking spray.
6. Place about 2 T of the squash mixture in the corner of the folded sheet and fold sheet over into triangles until all of the sheet is used up. Alternate Method: Place 1 sheet phyllo into a deep-dish pie plate coated with cooking spray. Gently press sheet into pie plate, allowing ends to extend over edges of pan; lightly coat with cooking spray. Place another phyllo sheet across first sheet to form a crisscross design; lightly coat phyllo with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with 2 phyllo sheets and cooking spray. Spoon squash mixture over phyllo. Place another phyllo sheet over squash, repeating crisscross design with remaining phyllo and cooking spray. Fold in edges of phyllo to fit dish and form a rim.
7. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Note: you can make everything up until the baking stage and freeze for up to a couple of months. Then you can bake it directly from its frozen state – just allow a little more time.

Source: Gina Mendolo

Ingredients:

* 2 T butter or ghee
* 2 sanam chili peppers, seeds removed, finely minced (Alternative: use one or two Anaheim chili peppers)
* 3/4 cup onion, finely minced
* 28 ounces tomatoes (canned is fine), pureed (use a food mill or a food processor)
* 3/4 cashews, ground (use a food processor)
* 3/4 t garam masala
* 1/2 t ground cumin
* 1/4 t turmeric
* 1/8 t hing
* 1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped
* 3/4 c heavy cream
* 2 cups paneer, crumbled or cut into blocks (Paneer is a traditional Indian cheese made from cows milk. I make my own or you can buy it at an Indian grocery store.)

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat.
2. Saute the onion and peppers in the butter until just tender, about 3 – 5 minutes.
3. Add in the tomatoes, cashews, and spices.
4. Mix well and reduce heat to a simmer.
5. Simmer for 20 minutes without stirring.
6. Turn off heat and stir in cilantro, cream, and paneer.
7. Serve with rice and/or nann.