A condiment should never derail a diet, but many of us don’t know when to stop dipping, because serving sizes are never that clean cut. That’s why I’ve put together this simple homemade ketchup that you can whip up without laboring over the stove, risking your fries going frigid.
Have you ever made a flax egg? Sounds kind of strange, but many vegan recipes call for a flax egg to replace a real egg. I’ve never made one until very recently and it had always sounded weird and complicated to do, but it takes a mere minutes and the process comes in handy whenever I want to up the glow of any dish I’m making. Like quinoa cakes with homemade ketchup!
Before we get to the quinoa cakes, let’s get the glow down:
Flax seeds: fight diabetes, has a high amount of cancer-protective compounds lignans (up to 800 times the amount as in any tested plant food) and alpha linolenic acid, fights constipation with its soluble and insoluble fiber content (one ounce of flax provides 32% of the US daily allowance of fiber), combats inflammation with its Omega-3 essential fatty acids, prevents menopausal symptoms with its estrogen-like phyoestrogens, fights heart disease by reducing LDL (bad) cholesterol, boosts the immune system, improved Alzheimer’s symptoms, and helps brain function and overall mood.
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Quinoa Cakes
Before preparing the quinoa cakes, make yesterday’s recipe. For the quinoa cakes, all you have to do is add 2 more ingredients to the Rainbow Quinoa Salad: 1 flax egg and 3 tbsp of oat flour.
For the flax egg:
Take one tablespoon of flax seeds, grind them up, put them into a bowl with 3 tablespoons of water. Let sit for about 5-10 minutes.
You will notice that the water congeals and becomes jelly-like. Almost like an egg white.
That was easier to do than I thought!
For the quinoa cakes:
Add the flax egg to the Rainbow Quinoa Salad.
Fold in the oat flour. If you have oats, simple food process the oats until they are fine like flour.
Mix the quinoa thoroughly with the other ingredients. Shake into little palm cup-sized patties. Place delicately on a baking sheet, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, or until the patties hold together and are crispy on the outside.
When they are finished cooking, they should look like this:
Serve on a plate with some homemade ketchup to dip. Enjoy!
Grab and dip!
Bon Appetit!
xo Aylin
This simplified homemade ketchup, though an accompaniment, deserves a post of its own, only because it replaces an otherwise sugar and salt-intense alternative, which we could all do without. But, truth be told, many of us can’t – ketchup is a side piece to many of our favorite grub. What’s a burger without it? Subpar. Hotdog? Meh. While living in Germany, I remember dousing everything I ate for the first 2 or 3 months in an ocean of ketchup, because I felt like there wasn’t enough oomph to anything I ate. Once I got used to the simpler palette, I no longer needed the ketchup overdose to be satisfied, but I still love the taste and have always wanted to recreate a healthier version of it. However, if I’m going to make ketchup myself, it sure as hell better be easy as 1,2,3. And it is!
So here it goes. And, for the sake of all that glows, this is the dish on ketchup’s most salient component.
Tomatoes: are an abundant source of antioxidants (especially lycopene, which is enhanced by slight heating) protecting against prostate, cervical, stomach, pharynx, oesophageal, breast and mouth cancers, reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol and tryglycerides in the blood, are a rich source of vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, potassium and iron, counter the effects of cigarette smoke with its coumaric acid and chlorogenic acid content, improve vision, keep the gut healthy, lower hypertension, alleviate diabetes, contribute to healthy sin, prevent urinary tract infections, and prevent gallstones.
So, yeah. Tomatoes are no joke. Keep dipping…
Homemade Vegan Ketchup
Ingredients
Instructions
Combine all ingredients and mix until smooth. Easy as 1,2,3.
Serve in a small dipping bowl or cup.
And serve with just about anything, but most notably – fries.
No proper recipe needed here. Simply cut 1-2 sweet potatoes into sticks, season with salt and pepper, coat with olive oil, and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for approximately 25 minutes, or until they are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. Before cooking, you can also season them with garlic powder, cinnamon, cumin, or any other spice that tickles your fancy.
And voila!
Enjoy!
Bon Appetit!
xo Aylin