Chickpea Cutlets with Mustard Sauce, Quinoa and Broccoli

So the moral of this meal is; if you mess up, keep going. That's what I'm learning in life right now, big time, and it certainly applies in the kitchen. It's easy to get all anal and finicky when cooking, wanting everything to turn out perfectly... but if in the end you can eat, then it's a job well done. And,that is true with life too.... you can't expect every step of your life to be perfect, and in the end, if your still living, then you are doing fine. I'm telling this mostly to myself, but if it encourages any of you then, GREAT!
So in this recipe, I accidently used brown rice flour instead of wheat gluten. Um, big difference! I didn't label the bags and they were both floating around in my pantry... anyway, I ended up figuring it out and adding the gluten later, so it still worked, although it did taste a little too flour-y. But, really, truth be told, who cares. I ate it, Jesse loved it and it tasted fine. These are recipes from "Veganomicon". BUY IT!

Chickpea Cutlets:

2 cups cooked chickpeas
3 tbl olive oil
3/4 cup vital wheat gluten (I find this in the bulk section of a health food store, but check the baking section of any store too)
3/4 cup bread crumbs (I keep the heels in my freezer and then throw them in the food processor)
1/2 veg broth
3 tbl soy sauce or tamari
5 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garam masala (I didn't have the sage the recipe called for, so I used this instead.... I think any spices you want would work)
Olive Oil for pan frying

In a mixing bowl mash the chick peas together until with the olive oil until no whole peas are left. I didn't cook mine long enough, so I ended up using the food processor to do this step. Add the remaining ingredients and knead for 3 minutes or until strings of gluten have formed (this is the point I realized that brown rice flour will NOT make strings)

Preheat a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Divide the cutlet dough into 8 pieces and knead each piece in your hand for a minute. Then stretch into a 6"x4" rectangle. You can do this in your hand first and then place on a clean dry surface to stretch it a little more.

Add a thin layer of olive oil to the pan, place the cutlets in the pan (as many as you can fit at once) and cook for 6-7 minutes. Flip, add a little more olive oil and cook for another 6-7 minutes. The cutlets are done when golden brown and firm to the touch.

You can also bake these at 375 for 30 minutes, flipping once. Brush each side with olive oil first. Eat it with a fork and knife! How often can you do that in the vegan world?

Mustard Sauce:

2 tbl cornstarch (I used brown rice flour. This is an example of when that substitution will work)
3/4 cup veg broth
4 cloves garlic minced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbl olive oil
1/2 cup cooking wine (I used some chardonnay)
1 tbl soy sauce or tamari
1 tbl lemon juice
1/4 dijon mustard

Mix the cornstarch or brown rice flour with the veggie broth and set aside. In small saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive oil, garlic and thyme for about a minute. Add the wine and soy sauce, raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Then turn the heat to medium and simmer to reduce for about 4 minutes. Add the veggie broth, mustard and lemon juice. Stir often with a whisk and simmer for another 2-3 minutes. It should be on the thick side. Let cool, this is best just above room temperature.

Quinoa (start this first):

1/2 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tbl Olive oil
pepper, cumin, salt and any other spices you like
2 cups quinoa (I used half red and half regular)
4 cups water or veggie broth

Heat the olive oil, onions and garlic over medium low, covered, until soft. Add the spices and quinoa and continue to heat for 3-5 more minutes. Add the water, bring to a boil and then simmer over very low for 18-20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

Steam a little broccoli and you've got yourself a meal!
Enjoy

PS- This is a lot of quinoa, but I am planning on making my next recipe with the left over quinoa. You should try it too, it's going to be fabulous. So, use only 1 cup if you are just making one meal.