CORN CHIP CRUMB LADY PEA LENTIL CAKES

This recipe is genius. Vegetable “burgers” are always delicate, often falling apart when you saute and turn them. Rochon has eliminated the problem by baking these cakes. They firm up perfectly in the oven. Make no mistake, they’re still a little delicate, but you won’t end up with a plate of lentil cake crumbs instead of cakes.

These gluten-free cakes work for breakfast (with a side of eggs), lunch (in a wrap) or dinner (with a beautiful salad). They take well to garnishes and are delicious served with chutney, tzatziki, pesto or sweet chili-garlic sauce. Rochon’s favorite is either the tzatziki or an arugulamint pesto.

Leaving your corn chip crumbs a little chunky makes sure you really get the wonderful corn flavor. It’s a natural with the lentils and these generally Indian seasonings. You can double the amount of crumbs called for here and really beef up the crust on your cakes.

Not only can you be flexible with the crumbs in this recipe, you can be flexible with the beans as well. If fresh lady peas or black-eyed peas are available, they are wonderful in these little cakes. Cook them in lightly salted water until tender. No fresh peas? Substitute a 12-ounce can of drained and rinsed chick peas or cannellini beans.

Prepared lentils are becoming more widely available. Trader Joe’s sells a 17.6-ounce package of steamed lentils, or you can find 15-ounce cans of cooked lentils at Earth Fare. Either works fine here, or substitute 2 cups of your own cooked lentils.

If you want to prepare these ahead, form the cakes, arrange on a baking sheet and freeze. Then carefully move them to a freezer container, keeping them flat. When ready to serve, no need to thaw. Just arrange the frozen cakes on a baking sheet and add a little more baking time to what’s called for below. About 2 cups precooked

lentils, divided

1 1/2 cups cooked lady peas or black-eyed peas, divided

1 carrot, cut into 1/4-inch

dice

1 medium onion, cut into

1/4-inch dice

1 rib celery, cut into 1/4inch dice

2 minced cloves garlic 2 tablespoons finely

chopped parsley 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin 1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon turmeric 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon black

pepper

1 egg, beaten

1 1/2 cups corn chip

crumbs

Spray olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine 1/4 of the lentils and 1/4 of the lady peas and puree until very smooth. Move to a large bowl. Stir in remaining lentils and lady peas, carrot, onion, celery, garlic, parsley, olive oil, cumin, salt, turmeric, nutmeg and pepper. Taste for seasoning. Stir in egg and mix until wellcombined.

Arrange corn chip crumbs in a pie plate. Using a ⅓-cup dry measure, scoop out lentil mixture and drop onto crumbs. Sprinkle crumbs on top of cake and lightly pat to form a 3/4-inch cake. Carefully remove from pie plate and arrange on prepared baking sheet. Continue until all cakes are formed. If there are extra crumbs, sprinkle them on top of cakes and press lightly to adhere. Spray cakes with spray olive oil and bake 15 minutes. Carefully turn cakes, spray with spray olive oil again and bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and serve hot, warm or at room temperature. Makes: 10 cakes.

— Adapted from a recipe provided by Lisa Rochon.

146 calories (percent of calories from fat, 40), 6 grams protein, 17 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 6 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 21 milligrams cholesterol, 266 milligrams sodium.