Thursday, October 8, 2015

Struggles!

I like to think I'm a pretty good cook. I am no chef, but I have come up with some pretty tasty dishes all on my own. There are certain things I struggle with, to the point that I've almost given up. Some examples are quinoa, no matter what method I try it's never light and fluffy. Like never. And quinoa is expensive, even in bulk so it's just not in my budget. Another example is sushi. I am the worlds worst wrapper/roller. I hear practice makes perfect, but I have tried soooo many times, and I show no signs of improvement! Another food I struggle with is vegan burgers. I make burgers that taste amazing, but they fall apart, or the texture is just off. Or I make burgers that have perfect texture, but are bland and boring. I feel like I have tried every recipe out there, every bean, every grain, tofu, seitan, tempeh, combos of all of the above and so on. Out of the five million attempts I've made, maybe two or three times I have actually had success and it's always such a beautiful, rare occurrence, like a rainbow when it's raining! One attempt that really worked I actually blogged about, which is good because I wrote down the recipe! Some type of vegan burger is almost always in my freezer, even when I'm trying to eat nothing processed, I will bend for a vegan burger.
Every now and again I throw caution to the wind and attempt another vegan burger. Yesterday was one of those days. I had two potatoes that needed to be used and a can of garbanzo beans begging to be used. I steamed and mashed the potatoes, and mashed the garbanzo beans to about the texture you would use for chickpea no tuna salad. I mixed them together with some spices, and salt and pepper and let chill in the fridge for a few hours. One thing I have learned about making perfect vegan burgers is no matter what ingredients you use, they all improve after a good chill. It makes everything stick together so much better!
These were just okay.
I cooked them in a pan on the stove top first, then finished in the oven. They tasted pretty good, I used red curry powder as one of my spices, but they didn't hold together. They were like a mashed potato patty. Maybe I should have only used one potato. At any rate, I didn't bother putting a patty on an English muffin as planned, because it just wasn't anything like a burger. But luckily taste-wise it was pretty dang tasty. In the end, I'm okay with kitchen fails as long as it's still edible!
Do you have anything you struggle with in the kitchen?

11 comments:

  1. Yeah, home made burgers can be tricky. I've had them fall apart too. My favourite recipe is the mushroom olive ones from Isa Does it. My kitchen fail for years was pancakes. I finally read a 'how to' post that helped and I can manage them now. Mine are all breakfast related I think! I even gave a waffle maker away because I just couldn't master them. I've been away from the computer for a week so just catching up. Good to see you're ok and still blogging. Sending good vibes for the job hunting.

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    1. Thank you so much! I have issues with breakfast foods too! I think that's one of the reasons I eat non traditional breakfasts!
      I have a good feeling about my job search, and I definitely need all the good vibes I can get!

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  2. I can never seem to prepare quinoa right either. And I haven't even bothered to try making my own sushi or burgers yet, haha!

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    1. Quinoa is a nightmare! And when I see people prepare it on other blogs, it always looks so fluffy and appetizing! Mine is always heavy, and wet, or I go the opposite and burn it! I'm glad I'm not alone!

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    2. I never knew that quinoa was a hard thing to make, maybe I am just not picky? I find that it is best to cook it like a sticky rice, put a little less water to quinoa ratio, cook for a slightly smaller amount of time, and let steam.

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  3. BAKING. I struggle at baking! I'm horrible at it! LOL
    I have the same issue with veggie burgers you mentioned...I found if I dehydrate some of mine the stay together better. So I guess my not-so-bad attempts have been with raw veggie burgers that I have put in my Excalibur! With Quinoa...have you tried Red Quinoa? I really like that ever more than regular white. I usually cook on high for about 18 minutes and just keep adding water when it gets low. I'm not a Quinoa pro but I manage most of the time to make it edible! teehee.

    Sushi is another one - I agree! It would be a trainwreck if I were to do it myself that is for sure! I haven't had much luck with Seitan at home either.

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  4. I'll have to try the red quinoa, I've eaten it in pre-made salads, but I've never attempted to make it myself! I forgot about seitan, that's another one I really struggle with.

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    1. I had some pretty bad experiences with Seitan years ago and never thought about it much UNTIL I had a great experience at Strong Hearts Cafe!!!! Now I want more! LOL

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    2. I know, it's always great when someone else makes it, but when I make it it never tastes as good, not to mention the texture! I just don't know what I'm doing wrong!

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  5. I grew up in a house that cooked, so sometimes I feel like cooking is in my blood... except pancakes. I stink at making pancakes. I had a moment of triumph that last time I made them, but most of the time the get burnt and horribly misshapen during the flipping process.

    Oh and frying tofu. I just can't. It always sticks to the pan and the yummy crispy part just peels off. I try a lot of different tips, but haven't figured it out just yet. That's fine, I mean I loves me some baked tofu!

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  6. I love baked tofu too! I gave up trying to fry tofu a loooong time ago!

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