I have been married to a chef for just over 10 years. I spent many of those years feeling intimidated about cooking because he was so good at it. Finally, I realized that rather than trying to emulate his cooking style, I simply needed to follow my own. While he tends to cook food in the classic French or American Bistro styles, I tend to like ethnic cuisine and vegan fare. One of the most exciting cultures that I have discovered through cooking is the Cajun culture.
Cajun cuisine is unique and spicy just like their culture. The Cajuns live primarily in the south of Louisiana, and they descend from several cultures. Their largest influence is from their French ancestors who came to Louisiana from the Atlantic region of Canada. Their recipes typically involve a lot of seafood, and two of their most iconic dishes are their Crawfish Etoufee and their Maque Choux.
However, as I live in an inland state where it is not always easy to get the kind of fresh seafood that one could find in New Orleans, I like to focus on their vegan dishes. My favorite vegan Cajun dishes are all really easy to make, and they never put a strain on my budget. Dishes like Cajun red beans and rice, spicy black bean chili, and vegan gumbo are great staples in my kitchen.
My current favorite dish is Cajun lentil patties. This Cajun twist on patties rivals’ dishes like crab cakes or tofu burgers, and it is so tasty that even my kids and chef husband will eat it. Best of all, it only takes ten minutes to prepare, and it takes another thirty minutes to cook. I usually use that time to set the table and clean up the dishes that I used while preparing this dish.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups of soaked and cooked lentils
- 1 cup of tofu
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 carrot, grated
- Six mushrooms, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- One teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- Half teaspoon Italian herbs
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan
- fry the mushrooms in that for about five minutes.
- When that is finished, you can add the carrots, the diced onion, and the garlic to the pan.
- You should gently fry these for an additional five minutes.
- Finally, you can add your lentils and tofu as well as the seasoning to the pan.
- When it is ready, the mixture should start to make clumps.
- Then, you should add the salt and pepper.
- Finally, you should let the mixture cool.
- When it is cool to the touch, you can shape it into patties or balls.
- Those patties can be fired in the oil for about five minutes on each side.
- Dinner is served!
About the Guest Author
Kari Ann is a freelance writer who enjoys exploring various vegan cuisines. Though she’s not purely vegan, she still considers herself as one. She’s currently guest blogging in behalf of DailyBread.com wherein she shops for some of her favorite freeze dried veggies.
We don’t eat soy unless it is fermented. Can you recommend a way to make these without tofu? Thanks, I’d really appreciate it. The lentil patties look very yummy!!!
While these may be very tasty, there is nothing Cajun about them. I am born and raised in southern Louisiana and know that vegan and Cajun just don’t mix. Also, anyone from Louisiana knows that New Orleans is not Cajun- it’s creole.
Hi Cristy! I was born and raised in New Orleans and I am full blooded Cajun and grew up eating Cajun not Creole food prepared by my Grandparents that came over from France. There is a huge Cajun influence in New Orleans and it is a different style of Cajun cooking throughout Louisiana.
what type of tofu (silken, firm, etc)
What type of lentils, red , green, brown
Is it one cup lentils dry or cooked?
Do these freeze well? If so how to reheat
How long do they last in the refrigerator
Sorry to be so picky with the questions
I would also like to know the answers to these questions-I think the kind of tofu you need is pretty important to know, as well as the kind of lentils. If it doesn’t matter, please tell us what kind you use.
I am currently working on getting Kari Ann the guest post author to answer all of your questions about this recipe.
Thanks, they look good, but I have the same questions – red lentils vs. green/brown; Traditional (medium-soft) tofu vs. firm or extra-firm.
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p.s. Thinking about it a bit more, I’m guessing green-brown lentils, since you say to soak them before cooking; and traditional tofu, since the other is so dry. Anyhow, I’ll try that until I see a reply. Thanks again.
I am working on getting Kari Ann who is the author of this guest post to help you guys out about more in regards to this.
This looks really delicious! I was just wondering whether the balls would still stick together well if baked at the end rather than fried? I’ve tried to do balls from other recipes in the oven and sometimes they just flatten or mush out. Thanks for sharing this one. It’s a nice snack to make and have refrigerated for when your feeling picky.
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Being married to a chef would indeed feel intimidating. You’ve dealt with it quite well by just doing your own thing. Lentils and cajun seasoning sounds interesting and these patties do look delicious!
mjskit recently posted..Black Bean and Shiitake Enchiladas and Giveaway
This is a great meal or snack! I would eat it any time. I would tend to be intimidated too if I was married to a chef. So good that you could break away from that and come out on your own with this lovely dish! Well done!
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