Because of the snowy weather outside here in Colorado, I am forced to play on my tile floor with my kitchen garden. Kitchen gardening and sprouting are great, don't get me wrong. I enjoy it. Below are some lentils I eventually sprouted. They were super easy. Soak in water overnight, drain in the morning. Rinse and drain until you get tails. For more details visit here.
But, alas, kitchen gardening doesn't replace getting down and dirty in the soil.
The feel of the earth between my fingers, smiling as my son plays with the worms, the anticipation of what's to come. It's very grounding.
Spring please come.
Maybe, just maybe if I share one of my favorite spicy dishes, I can bribe Spring's warm arrival.
Maybe.
Lentil Patties with Coconut Peanut Sauce
LENTIL PATTIES
1 cup almonds, soaked
1½ cups sprouted lentils
¼ cup water
4 tablespoons Nama Shoyu
1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
Juice of one lime
lime zest
¼ cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup finely chopped cilantro 1 Combine almonds, lentils and water in a food processor. Process until almonds and lentils are a chunky consistency. Add Nama Shoyu, cayenne pepper, lime juice, zest, olive oil, garlic clove and cilantro. Briefly pulse until well combined.
2 Shape the mixture into ping-pong size balls. Flatten into patties.
3 Place on Teflex sheets. Dehydrate at 100 degrees for 4 hours or until top is completely dry. Flip patties over. Dehydrate an additional 4-6 hours or until the patties are dry on the outside and moist on the inside.
COCONUT PEANUT SAUCE
1 cup almonds, unsoaked
½ cup cashews
1 cup water, or more as needed
1 teaspoon ginger powder
2 tablespoons Coconut butter
¼ cup agave nectar
¼ cup Nama Shoyu
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon Red Pepper Flakes
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon Turmeric
1 To make the Coconut Peanut Sauce, mix almonds and cashews in a blender to make a powder. Add ginger, water, coconut butter, agave nectar, Nama Shoyu and lime juice. Blend until you achieve a creamy sauce.
2 Pour into a bowl and sprinkle in sea salt, red pepper flakes and turmeric. Stir well.
3 Serve Lentil Patties and Coconut Peanut Sauce on a bed of Carrot and Zucchini pasta.
(un) Cooking Tip:
If your sauce comes out to watery, place the sauce into a glass container and put in the dehydrator for a couple of hours.