Please welcome our new Indian Masala / Indian Aloo Tikki Burgers!

Introducing our new Indian Masala / Indian Aloo Tikki Burger, made without soy, gluten-free and Non-GMO Project Verified!

We are pleased to announce the availability of our latest burger: the Indian Masala Burger, also known as the Indian Aloo Tikki Burger in the States! Whatever you call it, our latest creation takes its inspiration from Aloo Tikki, a popular street food in Northern India. Aloo Tikki is made from potatoes, peas, and Indian spices like green chili and ginger, and can be served grilled as part of a sandwich, with chutney as an appetizer, or atop rice or greens as a full meal. Our product developer, Jaspreet, also suggests trying it instead of hash browns for breakfast!

When we asked her to describe her memories of the dish, she said:

I used to have it almost every day during my exams in winters, standing on the roadside next to a meal on wheels, waiting for the Aloo Tikki to get right off the big burning stove onto my plate full of chutney and red onions. Sometimes the person serving Aloo Tikki used to put it in a bun and then grill it: nothing tasted better than that the crispy Aloo Tikki on a crispy bun. The plate was topped with curd, onion, tomato, coriander, tamarind chutney, coriander chutney and spices.

Our Aloo Tikki is quicker to whip up than the patties Jaspreet enjoyed in her home town of Khanna, in the Punjab Region of India, but just as delicious.

Jaspreet wanted to get this wonderful dish – potatoes infused with peas and spices – in a form that everybody could enjoy; a healthier version of Aloo Tikki that sits well in everyone’s stomach. Chock-full of Masala spices like turmeric, curry, cardamom and coriander that have measurable health benefits, Sol Cuisine’s version can be cooked any number of ways but our favourite (GASP!) is deep fried.

But how should you eat it? How should you top it? What should you serve it with? We asked Jaspreet, and here are her suggestions:

First, follow the grill/BBQ, stovetop or deep-fryer cooking instructions on the package.

Then…

• Enjoy cooked patties “straight-up” with some ketchup. We like Organicville’s Organic Ketchup.
• Top cooked patties with chopped tomatoes and cucumbers. Add some green chutney (made of coriander and mint with a bit of lemon) and tamarind paste (a traditional sweet and sour paste made from tamarind, jaggery, cumin, salt and red chili). Add a spoonful of yogurt if you want to mellow down the spices.
• Sauté a red onion, greens and carrots with garlic and ginger in a tablespoon of olive oil. Add chopped tomatoes and continue cooking. Cut the cooked patties into quarters and toss them in the pan with the veggies. Add some salt and pepper and continue cooking for 5-7 minutes. You’ll have an Indian veggie dish that’s ready to eat! Garnish with coriander, and serve with roti or pita bread.

We’d love to know how you cook your Aloo Tikki! If you pick up a pack of SoL Cuisine’s Indian Masala / Indian Aloo Tikki Burger, available in Canada at your local health food store and in the US at Sprouts Farmers Market as of July 1st, send us a photo of your spin on this popular North Indian snack!

Can’t find the product at a store near you?

Print out an info sheet for either Canada or USA, bring it to the store and ask them to carry the product. Don’t forget to let us know that you did so we can work with that store to bring the item in and thank you with coupons!

Store of the Week: Garden Basket

Our Store of the Week today is…. Garden Basket! They have been committed to quality and personal service which has helped them grow since the 1970’s and these standards have been their basis of their business since then.

Garden Basket Food Markets business began earlier in the 1929 which was known at the time as Sunkist Food Market. Sunkist Food Market was founded and owned by Sam Comella and Sam Badali. It wasn’t until 1972 when their nephew, Jack Comella, purchased their business and named it Garden Basket Food Markets. Since then, they have expanded greatly in Markham and these new expansions allowed them to provide new products such as meats, deli, bakery, groceries, salad bars and even a flower shop to their community.

Let’s not forget about them carrying SoL products such as our: Original Burger,  Original Sliders, Spicy Black Bean Burger, Sprouted Quinoa Chia Burger, Veggie Breakfast Patties, Almond Grain Burger, Indian Masala Burger, Sweet Curry Vegetable Burger and Organic BBQ Tofu Ribs!

Make some Scrumptious Tamale Pie with SoL Cuisine and Veggie Kitchen!

Thinking of going veggie – or just trying to eat less meat – but have no idea where to start? Looking for ideas about new vegetarian meals to try? Have a CSA box full of unfamiliar vegetables and need inspiration? Check out Veggie Kitchen!

Veggie Kitchen is one of our favourite online cooking shows – we watch it whenever we need inspiration for our own veggie dinners. Host Ed Cervantes has been a passionate vegetarian and veggie chef for 35 years; he teaches cooking classes about how to make the most of your vegetables and now he’s brought his inspiring recipes online for a global audience.

And the coolest thing? Veggie Kitchen recently created a recipe for a luscious Tamale Pie, using Sol Cuisine’s own Spicy Black Bean Burgers (Canadian SoL fans | US SoL fans) and a whole load of veggie goodness!

Store of the Week: Middlebury Natural Foods

We welcome Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op (MNFC) as this week’s Store of the week! Middle Natural Foods is a member-owned cooperative business. They are committed to providing healthy, competitive price foods and encouraging healthy patterns of production and consumption of foods to their customers and community.

MNFC’s business began in the early 1970’s and its purpose was to provide members with natural foods that were not available elsewhere. Located inside their store is a prepared foods section and a deli where customers can enjoy readily prepared food in the indoor or outdoor seating areas or on to go.

Throughout their 30 years of business, they have expanded several of times and are opened seven days of the week to provide its food and services to the community. They have been dedicated in providing natural foods and environmentally friendly household products at the best price possible to their customers.

Let not forget that they carry our: Original Burger, Spicy Black Bean Burger, Mushroom Rice Burger, Veggie Breakfast Patties and Almond Grain Burgers!

Sol Cuisine Original Sliders with Spicy Mushroom Ragout

Our SoL Cuisine Original Burgers are now available as Sliders! These teeny little burgers are perfect as lunch, dinner, or even hors d’oeuvres for a summer BBQ party. As you know, good things come in small packages.

We’ve developed this recipe to take advantage of the first fresh late-spring tomatoes that are now arriving in shops all over the US and Canada! If you want a sweeter ragout, substitute a handful of cherry tomatoes for each medium tomato – ideally, fresh off the vine.

To serve 3, you’ll need:

• 3 Sol Cuisine Original Sliders
• 3 slider buns of choice
• 2 jalepiño peppers, seeds removed and diced
• 2 onions, diced
• 2 cups of sliced mushrooms, we used a blend of button and mixed forest mushrooms (porcini, oyster and shiitake).
• 2 medium sized tomatos, seeds removed and diced
• 2 basil leaves, chopped finely
• 3.5 tbsp. of grapeseed oil
• 1 tbsp. of dried chili flakes

Directions:

1. Begin by sautéing your onion in 1.5 tbsp. of grapeseed oil until translucent.
2. Add all remaining ingredients, cover, reduce to medium-low, and cook for about 20 minutes.
3. Ensure mushrooms are cooked thoroughly and ragout has thickened.
4. Cook Sol Cuisine Original Sliders in 2 tbsp. of grapeseed oil for about 3 minutes per side, following package directions.
5. Top each slider bun with 1 Sol Cuisine Original Slider and a generous helping of the spicy mushroom ragout.
6. Enjoy!