Thursday, September 10, 2009

Almond-Battered Veggies


The concept for this batter came from Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Cafe. Katzen only uses mushrooms, but guess what we added? That's right: okra! The batter doesn't stick to the okra as easily, but it's worth the trouble. Phoebe's sister substitutes nutritional yeast for the parmesan -- a tasty option for the lactose-intolerant among you.

3 cups vegetables:
portabello mushrooms, caps sliced into 1/2 inch strips and stems sliced into 1/4 inch strips
okra, sliced in half lengthwise
gypsy peppers, sliced into long strips
zucchini, sliced into 3/8 inch strips
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, chopped roughly
dash of salt
1 egg
oil (something that can withstand heat, like canola)

Grind the almonds, cheese and salt in a food processor until the consistency is a little thicker than cornmeal, then pour onto a plate. Beat the egg into a pie pan. Dip the vegetable slices into the egg, then press them into the batter -- you'll want a nice, thick crust. Heat a skillet on medium-high with just enough oil to keep the pan greased. Cook until golden brown, about five minutes on each side, and serve immediately, preferably with ketchup.

5 comments:

Jen (Modern Beet) said...

This sounds delicious! There's a recipe in The Herbfarm Cookbook that does a similar thing with boneless chicken pieces -- the coating is ground almonds, breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt, and a whole lot of herbs (rosemary, sage, and thyme). The chicken is then baked in the oven until done. I have made this many times, but never thought to use a coating like this for vegetables. Thanks for the idea

I Heart Kale said...

Thanks Jen--it is, indeed, delicious!

Tanya said...

Oooof! That looks delicious. I've made similar mushroom but sans-okra topping for chicken, but this is just beautiful! I love okra!

Diane @ Balanced Bites said...

Oooh! I was JUST looking for something to do with my almond meal I had leftover from making almond milk! This recipe looks fantastic!

Happy to have found you so I can follow your blog now too! :)

Diane
http://balancedbites.blogspot.com

trexni said...

ouh look nice