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Beans and Legumes

French Canadian Yellow Split Pea Soup – A Historical Perspective

By Denise Pare-Watson

Soupe de Pois Cassés Jaune

This year marks the 350th anniversary of the founding of Sault St. Marie. The Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor reached out to me regarding French Food Ways of the St. Lawrence and Great Lakes. French Canadian cuisine played a significant role in the history and development of Sault Ste. Marie and given my French Canadian heritage and culinary interests, I welcomed the opportunity to write this article on my version of traditional French Canadian Yellow Split Pea Soup.French Canadian Pea Soup with Pancetta Garnish | urbnspice.com

French Canadian Yellow Split Pea Soup was a staple food and has its Sault Ste. Marie roots established in the voyageur trading routes, which extended from Montreal through the Great Lakes all the way through to the Grande Portage. Peas were a crop easily grown at trading posts such as Sault Ste. Marie and this made restocking of supplies possible. During the fur-trading era, the waterways were the roads and canoes were the means of transport. The Voyageurs (the French word for travellers) made the difficult 12 to 16-week journey to deliver their trading goods. One needs to understand the physical characteristics and demands on these men, and why their diet was so important. Voyageurs were required to be short in stature (approximately 5’, 4”) because the space in the canoe was needed for cargo. They had to be young, strong and healthy to endure the very fast-paced paddling, harsh conditions related to the weather or the terrain and their dawn-to-dusk workday….

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Filed Under: Beans and Legumes, Cooking Techniques, My Recipes, Soups and Chowders, Vintage Recipes Tagged With: Culinary Historians, Soups, Vintage Recipes, Yellow split peas

Blenditarian Hamburger Soup

By Denise Pare-Watson

Blenditarian Challenge Series

Everyone has their own favourite soup recipe, whether brothy or thick and chunky. My favourite at this time of year is the thick, wholesome variety. This Blenditarian Hamburger Soup is all of that and more. My version is chock-a-block full of mushrooms, aromatic vegetables and also includes lentils and barley for a hearty bowlful of comfort food – a complete meal in a bowl.Blenditarian Logo | urbnspice.com

To backtrack a bit: Blenditarian.Com has initiated a monthly challenge for anyone to incorporate their Blenditarian approach into interesting and fun themed dishes.  Just to clarify for my readers, a Blenditarian is “one who believes the mighty, meaty mushroom makes meals more delicious, nutritious and sustainable.”  This approach stretches ground meat with finely chopped mushrooms to create a flavourful and more nutritious dish. The theme for the March Blenditarian Challenge is to cook up a “family favourite” dish and include ‘The Blend’. For this reason, I am sharing my recipe for Blenditarian Hamburger Soup, which is our family favourite.

Skip to Soup Recipe

Skip to Print Recipe

Skip to Savoury Meat, Mushroom and Vegetable Blend

Blenditarian Hamburger Soup | urbnspice.com…

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Filed Under: Beans and Legumes, Blenditarian Challenge, Blenditarian Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, My Recipes, Preservative Free, Soups and Chowders Tagged With: Blenditarian Recipes, Family Favourites, Gluten Free, Soups, Vegetables

Crispy Roasted Chick Peas – Kid Friendly

By Denise Pare-Watson

It is time for the new school year and thoughts of healthy lunch box treats dance through every parent’s head.  I was talking to my daughter today as she was pulling hot spiced chickpeas from the oven.  Roasted chickpeas are a family favourite, especially for her little boys.  I decided that this would be a great idea for a school make-ahead snack.  Roasted chickpeas are something that I have made many times using various blends of spices and seasonings, but it was my creative husband who asked, ‘can you make them like those roasted bar nuts?’  Why not?  The result is my recipe for Crispy Roasted Chick Peas.  For this particular recipe, I opted for kid-friendly seasonings and spices, unrefined sugar, and an optional dusting of maple sugar for extra crunchiness.

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Crispy Roasted Chick Peas | urbnspice.com

Crispy Roasted Chick Peas ready to snack on

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Filed Under: Beans and Legumes, Dairy Free Recipes, Egg Free Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Nut Free Recipes, Quick and Easy Dishes, Refined Sugar Free Recipes, School Lunch or After School Snacks, Vegetarian Dishes Tagged With: Chick Peas, Dairy Free Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Healthy Snacks, Kid Friendly, Lunch Dishes, Nut Free Recipes, Refined Sugar Free, School Lunch

Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burgers

By Denise Pare-Watson

Here is the story behind these Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burgers:  one of my daughters recently discovered that she had to temporarily adopt a gluten-free lifestyle due to some serious digestive and blood sugar issues. That can be quite challenging for some people to deal with. My work as a chef often touches on developing gluten-free recipes; however, concentrating on adapting familiar recipes that our family frequently made together became paramount to help our girl. She was getting tired of eating salads.

Rock Star Veggie Burgers | urbnspice.com

Rock Star Veggie Burgers made for Kid of a Chef – Gluten Free Rock Star

One of the first recipes she wanted to adapt was Dad’s famous hamburger into a vegetarian version that would provide the protein and vegetables she required yet still give her the same satisfying feeling of satiety that his burgers gave her. And so, our family came up with these Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burgers.

I have to say that this is by far the best vegetarian burger I have ever had. They are a delicious and flavourful burger. I needed something that would hold the burgers together as a binding agent. Moistened gluten-free bread is always an option; however, why not step up the flavour component if you can?

In this gluten-free version of veggie burgers, I used rehydrated dried vegetable flakes.  After rehydrating the vegetable flakes, I pureed them to make a paste and folded them into the vegetable burger mixture. As a flavour booster, it was amazing! So much so that we have used this technique in other gluten-free dishes. After trying them in the vegetarian version we now used them in regular hamburger mixture, meatloaf and meatball mixtures.

Dehydrated Vegetable Flakes | urbnspice.com

Vegetable Flakes: dried and reconstituted

NOTE: Dried vegetable flakes can be found in your grocer’s bulk food section.  They usually contain a mixture of carrots, onions, celery, leeks and garlic, and occasionally bell peppers, potatoes, and cabbage.  They are useful for many recipes, such as soups, stews, and these veggie burgers.

Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burgers

CHEF TALK:  The combination of beans in this recipe is a favourite of mine due to the firmness of the chickpeas and the creaminess of the white beans, making a great texture for the burger mixture. Try making them slider size for a light meal with salad greens.  For small plate sharing,  or for an appetizer, make them Toonie size.  The veggie burgers are gluten free, grain free, sugar-free, nut-free and dairy free.  Note:  for egg-free veggie burgers (if you cannot tolerate eggs or do not want to use the egg), substitute for 3 tablespoons of aquafaba liquid.  

Yield: Approximately 24 slider-sized burgers, or 10 to 12 large burger sized portion.

INGREDIENTS:

Dried Vegetable Flakes ½ cup
White beans (white kidney, Cannellini bean) 1 can (19 oz., rinsed and drained)
Chick Peas (Garbanzo beans) 1 can (19 oz., rinsed and drained)
Vegetable Oil 1 – 2 Tbsp.
Green pepper 1 medium, diced fine
Onion, cooking 1 medium, diced fine
Mushrooms ½ cup, chopped fine
Garlic cloves 6 cloves, peeled, mashed finely
Tomato paste 1 Tbsp.
Chili Powder 1 Tbsp.
Ground Cumin 1 teaspoon
Coriander 1 teaspoon
Garlic salt 1 Tbsp.
Sea salt, fine To taste
Pepper, ground To Taste
Eggs (optional, if required) 1
Hot sauce (Tabasco or similar) 1 teaspoon
Lemon juice 1 Tbsp.
Lemon zest 1 teaspoon
Parsley, flat leaf 1/3 cup, chopped

Optional:  Gluten Free Panko Crumbs to coat the burgers

METHOD:

  1. Rehydrate vegetable flakes in 1 cup boiling water. Let steep for 10 minutes. The vegetable flakes will soften and absorb the water. Drain and mash or puree the vegetable flakes to a paste.
  2. Mash the beans in a large bowl with a fork (or food processor) until thick and pasty. Set aside.
  3. In a large frying pan, sauté the diced vegetables (pepper, onion, mushrooms, garlic) in vegetable oil. (Alternatively, place all of the vegetables in a food processor and process until finely chopped).
  4. Cook the vegetables over medium-low heat until caramelized. Add the rehydrated vegetable paste.
  5. Add seasonings and tomato paste and cook for a few more minutes.
  6. Add this mixture to the mashed beans.
  7. Combine together hot sauce, lemon juice, lemon zest, and parsley. Stir into the bean-vegetable mixture. If required for binding purposes, you may use an egg, beaten, if desired to achieve the texture you want for shaping the burgers – not too moist or too dry.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  8. Using an ice cream scoop or another measuring tool, portion the mixture into large patties, or smaller slider burger portions, and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. I used gluten-free panko crumbs to coat the burgers. CHEF TIP:  The burgers benefit from a quick chill of 30 minutes or so in the refrigerator.  You can also make them ahead and refrigerate until you are ready to complete the recipe.
Vegetable Flakes: dried and reconstituted | urbnspice.com

Vegetable Flakes: dried and reconstituted

Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burger Mix | urbnspice.com

Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burger Mix

Rock Star Veggie Burgers are scooped and coated with gluten free panko crumbs | urbnspice.com

Rock Star Veggie Burgers are scooped and coated with gluten-free panko crumbs

To cook the Rock Star Veggie Burgers:

  1. Fry the burgers in a frying pan with a little vegetable oil until golden, or.
  2. Alternatively, in a preheated 350oF oven, bake the prepared veggie burgers on a baking tray until golden, or.
  3. Freeze the uncooked or cooked burgers until firm and store in an airtight container in between layers of parchment paper.

Serve in lettuce cups with slices of avocado and tomato, and cheese (if it is not a dietary restriction).  The photo of the burger uses tiny gluten-free buns.

LEARNING TIPS:  

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

  • Gluten-Free Flour Blends
  • Folding
  • Tweaking
    __________

You Might Also Enjoy These Gluten Free Posts:

Gluten Free Rock Star (written by “Kid of a Chef”)

My Inspiration of the Day – Stuffed Whole Cabbage

Gluten-Free Tips and Techniques

Going Gluten Free

Gluten for Punishment

Gluten for Punishment, Too! 

“It’s easy to impress me.

I don’t need a fancy party to be happy.

Just good friends, good food, and good laughs.

I’m happy.

I’m satisfied.

I’m content.”

Maria Sharapova

Happy Veggie Burger Making, Rock Stars!

If you give this recipe for Gluten Free Veggie Burgers a try, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback.

You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy! 

Denise Pare-Watson - The Urb'n'Spice Chef | urbnspice.com

 

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urbnspice Chef

Follow me on Social Media

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And lastly, my cookbook called, Chocolate Desserts Made Easy and Delicious

Volume Four:  Gluten Free Chocolate Desserts,

recipes created using some of my favourite and cherished recipes from my pastry chef career

and transformed them into gluten-free recipes just for you!

Thanks for your support!

This post is linked to Gluten Free and DIY Tuesday

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Filed Under: Beans and Legumes, Dairy Free Recipes, Dietary Restrictions, Egg Free Recipes, Experiments, Gluten Free Recipes, Grain Free Recipes, Inspiration of Urbnspice Series, Making Sense Series, Nut Free Recipes, Refined Sugar Free Recipes, Vegetables Tagged With: Beans & Legumes, Dietary Restrictions, Gluten Free Recipes, Gluten Free Techniques

The Ultimate French Canadian Yellow Split Pea Soup with Smoked Sea Salt

By Denise Pare-Watson

Urbnspice Ultimate Recipe Series

While spring is fast approaching, the evenings are cool and comfort food is still very much a part of the daily menu. This recipe for Ultimate French Canadian Yellow Split Pea Soup is one of my childhood favourites. Every Friday night was pea soup night.  Mom and Dad would typically do their weekly grocery shopping on the way home from work and always buy a fresh loaf of unsliced bread to go with our soup.  Hot bowls of fragrant soup with thick slices of fresh bread slathered with butter – yum! Oh, how I looked forward to that meal every week.

French Canadian Pea Soup | urbnspice.com

French Canadian Pea Soup 

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Filed Under: Beans and Legumes, Dairy Free Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Soups and Chowders, Urbnspice Ultimate Recipe Series Tagged With: Beans & Legumes, Canadian, French Canadian, Gluten Free, Soups

Good Old Fashioned Baked Beans

By Denise Pare-Watson

I am a lucky, lucky chef to have my Mom’s Vintage Family Bean Pot handed down to me.  The beans just taste better made in this good old bean pot!  The recipe that I am sharing with you for Good Old Fashioned Baked Beans is an easy dish to throw together.   It can slow cook all day on a Sunday afternoon and you will be rewarded with a rich and fragrant comfort dish.  Good Old Fashioned Baked Beans | urbnspice.com

I feel very fortunate to have the vintage family bean pot. It has been in our family for at least four generations.

It has a worn and rustic patina on the outer surface and is wonderfully seasoned from decades of use.  The fragrance filling my kitchen was so inviting that we could hardly wait to dig in.

The recipe that I have the best results with starts with dried beans.   Although most of the recipes I have made in the past use navy beans, I prefer a medley of beans.
Good Old Fashioned Baked Beans using a Medley of Beans | urbnspice.com

Good Old Fashioned Baked Beans using a Medley of Beans

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Filed Under: Beans and Legumes, Gluten Free Recipes, Sides, Vintage Recipes Tagged With: Baked Beans, Beans & Legumes, Family Recipes, Sides, Vintage Recipes

The Vintage Family Bean Pot

By Denise Pare-Watson


I feel very fortunate to have the Vintage Family Bean Pot. It has been in our family for at least four generations – it was a gift to my parents on their wedding day.  This pot has made endless pots of beans for our family.  I love making beans in this pot! The beans just taste better!
It has a worn and rustic patina on the outer surface and is wonderfully seasoned from decades of use.  The fragrance filling my kitchen was so inviting that we could hardly wait to dig in.
The recipe that I have the best results with starts with dried beans.   Although most of the recipes I have made in the past use navy beans, I prefer a medley of beans.
Medley of Beans | urbnspice.com

Medley of Beans

You can find the recipe for Good Old Fashioned Baked Beans here.  I used the convenience of a pantry staple; (canned bean medley) to simplify the recipe and significantly decrease preparation and cooking times with an excellent result.  It makes a complete meal served with a hearty whole grain bread.  I hope you try this vintage family recipe.  Do you have vintage family recipes that you like to share?  Tell me about them.

Vintage Family Bean Pot | urbnspice.com

 

Good Old Fashioned Baked Beans (the simple way)
You Might Also Enjoy:
Vintage Vinarterta – An Icelandic Cake
Home Welcoming Black Bean Soup

You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy! 

Denise Pare-Watson - The Urb'n'Spice Chef | urbnspice.com

 

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urb’n’Spice Chef

Follow me on Social Media

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2017 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
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Filed Under: Beans and Legumes, Gluten Free Recipes, Sides, Vintage Recipes, WTF Series - Wonderfully Tasty Foods Tagged With: Baked Beans, Beans & Legumes, Family Recipes, Family Stories

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Meet Denise – The Urbnspice Chef

Welcome to Urbnspice - A Taste of Heart and Home. Inspiration in my kitchen is often a trip to the market or an experimental coincidence! Come and join me on this culinary journey where I share my passion for the creative, technical and teaching components of the profession and unravel culinary quandaries for you with fun and easy to follow user-friendly recipes, tips & techniques.
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