Mixed vegetable cutlets;Vegan; Meatless Monday.

This weekend was our wedding anniversary. With Valentine's day around the corner, I decided to make something special, romantic! 

After all, it is rightly said, " the road to a man's heart is through his stomach"!

As usual, everything with me has to be healthy, quick and easy but delicious! This is one of my original recipes, which means that I came up with this recipe and that it was not adapted from anyplace. I am happy to state that this was a successful experiment as everyone who ate it was all praises. You could pair it with cilantro chutney or you could pair it with the good old tomato ketchup. I liked both. 

This recipe could be gluten free if you substitute sooji ( cream of wheat) with cornmeal. Instead of rolling the cutlet in rawa, I added the sooji rawa in the batter to make it crispy. Notice that I also did not use starchy potatoes in this recipe.
Do give this recipe a try, I bet that you will like it!

Servings: makes 10-12 medium sized cutlets

Ingredients:

Beetroot: 1, medium-sized, cooked until tender.
Mixed vegetables: 2 cups ( I used the frozen mix of peas, carrots, green beans and corn)
Cauliflower florets: 1 & 1/2 cups
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tsp
Green chilli: 1-2, finely chopped ( adjust as per individual spice level).
Coriander leaves: 1 tbsp, chopped
Garam masala: 1/2 tsp ( optional)
Cornflour: 1 tbsp
Sooji rawa ( cream of wheat/farina):  1/4 cup ( for gluten free option, use cornmeal).
Salt to taste
Water to boil the vegetables.
Olive oil to grease the skillet/griddle.

Method:

Boil the whole beetroot with the peel on, until tender ( around 30 mins on stovetop, faster in the pressure cooker). Keep aside.

Cook the mixed vegetables and the washed cauliflower florets with water and a pinch of salt, on the stovetop until tender ( about 15 mins). Drain and keep aside.

Peel the cooled beetroot. Grate it. Squeeze the excess water out and add it to a mixing bowl.

To this, add the cooked & drained cauliflower and mixed vegetables. Using a potato masher, mash the mixture as much as possible.

Add ginger garlic paste, chopped green chillies, garam masala powder, chopped coriander leaves, cornflour, sooji ( cream of wheat or cornmeal) , salt and mix well.

Take 2 heaped tbsp of the prepared batter and using wet hands make a patty. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out the  "heart" shape from the patty. Do this to all available batter.

Heat a griddle/skillet on medium until hot. Grease it using olive oil. Place the prepared heart shaped cutlets on the griddle/skillet. 

Cook for 5-7 minutes on low flame. Flip and cook for another 5-7 minutes or until the outside is lightly golden.

Serve hot with ketchup or cilantro chutney/dip.

Enjoy! 

I am bringing these hearts to my friends at Throwback Thursday #25, Fiesta Friday #106 and Saucy Saturdays.Angie's Fiesta Friday co-hosts this week are Steffi @ Ginger & Bread and Andrea @ Cooking With a Wallflower.

This recipe is perfect for the lunch-box for the kids too..

Cooking made easy:

My batter was slightly runny and therefore not firm enough to shape into "hearts". I therefore placed the cookie-cutter on the griddle and added the batter inside the cookie-cutter, thus creating the " heart" shapes.  You can follow this technique if you face a similar issue.

Tip for healthy living:

Beets are extremely nutrient-rich.They are purported to increase blood flow in the body, reduce blood pressure and increase endurance.
It contains potassium,magnesium, iron, vitamins A, B6 and C, folic acid, carbohydrates, protein,antioxidants and soluble fibre. Include beets regularly in your diet.

References:

http://www.webmd.boots.com/healthy-eating/guide/beetroot-benefits
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/ingredient-focus-beetroot
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/277432.php

Food for thought:

Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier. Mother Theresa

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!