Lately I have been thinking this a lot: “A tzadziki would go great with this dish.” But I hadn’t found a great, vegan plain yogurt. Although some will argue that dairy yogurt is good for you, if you are avoiding dairy, or keeping vegan, a dairy yogurt just won’t do. Then the other day I was headed to one of my local grocery stores, but coming from a completely different direction than usual. Surprise! I rode my bicycle right into the South Pasadena Farmer’s Market. I couldn’t get from one end of the market to the other without completely spending all of my cash. Then I found a vegan nut cheese maker called Blode Kuh. And there before my eyes was a sample cup filled with cashew yogurt. Yum and yay, because not only was the yogurt fantastic, the cheese maker accepted my credit card on his “square” thing. Gotta love technology! This recipe is devoted to the people at Blode Kuh! Thank you for your awesome yogurt!!
(scroll down for interactive, printable recipe card, grocery list and more!)
chickpea & wild mushroom cakes with basil-mint tzadziki
For the cakes 1 medium onion, chopped 1 cup chopped celery 3 cloves chopped garlic 2 cups shiitake, crimini, or other flavorful mushroom, roughly chopped 1/4 cup sun dried tomato, julienned 1 tsp. ground coriander 1 tsp. ground cumin 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast 1/2 cup rolled oats 1/4 cup chickpea flour 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, well drained 1 tbsp. tamari or liquid aminos For the tzadziki 1 decent sized cucumber, cut into chunks 1-2 garlic cloves, depending on how much you like garlic, minced 1 tbsp. olive oil 1/2 fresh lemon juiced 8 oz. cashew yogurt 1 tbsp. fresh basil, julienned 1 tbsp. fresh mint, julienned Salt & pepper to taste
To make the cakes, sauté the onion, celery, and garlic in a tiny bit of oil until they become tender. Add the mushrooms and dried tomatoes, and continue cooking until the mushrooms brown but don’t cook them down too much. Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl add all the dry ingredients and mix together. Add the cooked onion mixture, chickpeas, and tamari and smash together with your hands or a potato masher. It will start to stick together like a dough. You want it to hold into a patty but with some of the chickpeas still slightly intact. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes to bind with the oats. For the tsadziki, before you start making the cakes, slice the cucumbers, toss in a little salt, and place in a colander. Put something heavy on the cucumbers so that they start to drain through the colander. I used a small plate with a sprouting jar full of water for the weight.
Place the colander with the cucumbers in a sink or on a ridged plate to catch the liquid, and let drain for about 30 minutes. Pulse the cucumber, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice in a food processor until it is blended but still chunky. Add the yogurt and continue to pulse just enough to blend it well without over blending. Add the herbs and pulse a couple more times. Taste for salt and pepper. NOTE: If you don’t drain your cucumbers, and or over process the yogurt, it may come out too watery. When I do it as instructed here it comes out perfect and even stores well in the refrigerator. When you are ready to finish everything, take the garbanzo mixture from the refrigerator and shape into hamburger sized patties. Cook on a griddle, in a teflon pan, or in a fry pan with a little oil. Cook just long enough to brown on both sides, about 5-10 minutes on each side. If you want some extra sizzle, finish them off in a 400º oven for about 10 more minutes. Serve the cakes with the tsadziki on top or on the side. Try serving them over baby greens with some steamed asparagus on the side, as pictured.
chickpea & wild mushroom cakes with basil-mint tzadziki
Ingredients
- For the cakes
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 3 cloves chopped garlic
- 2 cups shiitake mushrooms substitue with crimini or other flavorful mushroom, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup sun dried tomato julienned
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup chickpea flour
- 1 15- oz canned chickpeas well drained
- 1 tbsp. tamari or liquid aminos
- For the tzadziki
- 1 medium sized cucumber cut into chunks
- 2 cloves garlic use more or less depending on how much you like garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 fresh lemon juiced
- 8 oz. cashew yogurt
- 1 tbsp. fresh basil julienned
- 1 tbsp. fresh mint julienned
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- To make the cakes, sauté the onion, celery, and garlic in a tiny bit of oil until they become tender. Add the mushrooms and dried tomatoes, and continue cooking until the mushrooms brown but don't cook them down too much.
- Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl add all the dry ingredients and mix together. Add the cooked onion mixture, chickpeas, and tamari and smash together with your hands or a potato masher. It will start to stick together like a dough. You want it to hold into a patty but with some of the chickpeas still slightly intact.
- Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes to bind with the oats.
- For the tsadziki, before you start making the cakes, slice the cucumbers, toss in a little salt, and place in a colander. Put something heavy on the cucumbers so that they start to drain through the colander. I used a small plate with a sprouting jar full of water for the weight. Place the colander with the cucumbers in a sink or on a ridged plate to catch the liquid, and let drain for about 30 minutes.
- Pulse the cucumber, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice in a food processor until it is blended but still chunky. Add the yogurt and continue to pulse just enough to blend it well without over blending. Add the herbs and pulse a couple more times. Taste for salt and pepper.
- NOTE: If you don't drain your cucumbers, and or over process the yogurt, it may come out too watery. When I do it as instructed here it comes out perfect and even stores well in the refrigerator.
- When you are ready to finish everything, take the garbanzo mixture from the refrigerator and shape into hamburger sized patties. Cook on a griddle, in a teflon pan, or in a fry pan with a little oil. Cook just long enough to brown on both sides, about 5-10 minutes on each side. If you want some extra sizzle, finish them off in a 400º oven for about 10 more minutes.
- Serve the cakes with the tsadziki on top or on the side. Try serving them over baby greens with some steamed asparagus on the side, as pictured.
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