More Beans With Eric and Shari

It was a cold, rainy night and we started with soup.

Simple zucchini soup.

I put several coarsely chopped zucchini and a few leeks I found in the drawer into a pot, seasoned with S&P and just about covered them with chicken broth. When the liquid came up to a boil I covered the pot and allowed the vegetables to simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. I puréed the mixture (holding back some of the liquid so I could adjust the thickness) along with a good handful of fresh basil and about 1/3 as much fresh mint. Soup course done.

For the main dish I tried two different types of veggie burgers -- attempt 3 of garbanzo bean falafel burgers (same recipe as before with a little oatmeal added to the food processor as a binder, much better) and, believe it or not, flavorful tofu burgers, adapted from a recipe I found online.

Into the food processor went one drained package firm tofu, about 8 ounces chopped mushrooms, a handful of lightly roasted cashews, a handful of shelled pumpkin seeds, 1 TB of soy sauce, 1 TB of mustard, 1 tsp of cumin, a pinch of cayenne, salt, and about 1/2 cup of oatmeal. I pulsed all that together to a chunky paste, formed burgers, and baked -- along with the garbanzo bean burgers, at 350º for about 15 minutes on a side.

As both a salad garnish and a side a chopped salad of red onion, cucumber, parsley, and homegrown tomatoes tossed in a tangy tahini dressing (tahini, water, lemon juice, garlic, and salt). Bean diet with friends.