Pumpkin Seed Croquettes

Oh my, yummy goodness! When I first laid eyes on this recipe, I knew I had a keeper. My oldest stepdaughter and her husband are vegans. Even tho we are in the midst of COVID-19, should they be able to make visit this summer (socially distanced), this would be an excellent meal to offer. If you are not vegan, don't dismiss this recipe in search of something meaty. This is really delicious and will appeal to many different palates. The person submitting the recipe mentions that it is the dish she makes for Thanksgiving, with vegan gravy and cranberry sauce. I think it is great any time of year!

Having a food processor is a must for this recipe. I had one in a former life, but have gotten by without one for years now.  Since a number of recipes in this cookbook require a food processor, I purchased one last week. What a difference! At the push of a button, grated carrots. Pulse, and you've got pumpkin seeds pummeled to a powder.

I thought it would be hard to find pumpkin seeds this time of year, but the local grocer carries them in July! Hurray! Add fresh carrots, delicious tamari sauce, sweet brown rice, sauteed onions, a bit of evoo for the saute, a dash of sesame oil, and a variety of herbs. Mix it all together, place on oiled cookie sheet, baste midway through bake time, and you've got yummy croquettes. Of course, the basting thing requires opening a 400 degree oven, and I did choose to cook this recipe on one of the hottest days of July. But what's a recipe worth, if it doesn't produce a little sweat?!

The picture of the croquettes plated is somewhat obscured by the Shiitake Mushroom Gravy, (which I've devoted a separate blog to, as it is such a fine gravy it needed stand-alone attention). They will be a crusty on the outside and moist on the inside. Be sure to oil the pan well before placing the croquettes.
Allow plenty of time to prepare this meal, as you've got the 40 minutes for cooking the rice, and the bake time is about 45 minutes. Plus there is the food processor prep of various foods. And don't forget the gravy, which is an absolute must so that the delicious flavors of both the croquettes and the gravy meet in your mouth at the same time.


Comments

Post a Comment

I welcome your comments. Please be kind and considerate. Thanks for stopping by!

Popular posts from this blog

Lunchtime Gloop

Image
Remember the first recipe I tried? Submitted by the mother of Astronaut Jessica Meir? Well, the cook behind today's lunch menu is famous, but don't wear yourself out trying to think up names of famous Maine cooks. Easiest recipe in this cookbook? Yes. No-fail? Yes. Going to win culinary awards around the globe? No. But when it comes to comfort food, I'm guessing this might be one of author Stephen King's favorites. I followed Mr. King's recipe exactly. Except where he says to use Franco American Spaghetti. Could not for the life of me find that brand name, so finally bought Campbell's Spaghettios. Got home, looked up Franco American and found that, yes, you guessed it, Campbell's bought out Franco American and kept the Spaghettios. Spaghettios were introduced in 1965. What kid doesn't love those little circular bits of pasta soaking in a tomato and cheese bath? And somehow, according to the writing on the can, they manage to pack 20% of your daily vegeta
Read more

Maine Party Chicken

Image
 As I read the ingredients for this recipe, I had a flashback to my childhood. My parents enjoyed having friends over, and my mother was not a chef by any means, but she would look for recipes that were easy to prepare for a crowd. This is one of the recipes she used to make.  I used to be a can-of-soup cook, like my mom, when a white sauce was called for. But since I learned how to do a bechamel, oh my, there is no going back. Not that there is anything wrong with an easy pop-top cream of mushroom soup once in awhile. It does the trick, and you just tuck this dish in the fridge overnight and do a three-hour bake the next day, which gives you time to focus on putting up party banners, or whatever, for your company. I'm not sure I care for the dried beef in this dish. Awfully salty. But the bacon, when you do a slow bake, smells fantastic for three solid hours. Can you say Anticipation?! I say, when you go big, go easy. Try this recipe for a crowd. You'll be glad you did!
Read more

Dad's Bean Hole Beans

Image
This recipe presented two distinct challenges. Firstly, I live in a parsonage and I'm not likely to receive permission to dig up the lawn just to try my hand at cooking bean hole beans. Secondly, we are now solidly in winter, and even if I had opportunity to dig a hole, it's not the right time of year. So I allowed as how baking the beans in the oven would have to do for now, and we'll see what summer brings. Who knows, maybe the church will want to offer a bean hole bean "suppah" as a fundraiser. The picture shows off pea beans, and yet the recipe calls for yellow-eye beans. I must say, were I pressed to pick a favorite bean recipe, I did so love the Baked Yellow-Eye Beans (see blog). But when it came time to try this recipe, there were no yellow-eye beans in the pantry. So I used pea beans. I do like pea beans, but I have to wonder if these beans were getting a little old. They seemed to take longer to cook. I checked the difference between the Yellow-Eye Bean r
Read more