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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

Our Store of the Week is French Broad Food Co-op located in Asheville, North Carolina, where it’s all about food for people, not profit! Owned by the very same individuals who work there, co-ops have a distinct connection with their communities, supporting their local farmers and economy. Did you know co-ops donate up to 13% of their revenue to a wide variety of charities and causes?

French Broad Food Co-op values healthful, organic, local, socially responsible food for their members, a dream come true for vegans as the co-op has banned meat, fish, dairy and eggs.  French Broad strives to empower its members through education and offers access to a movement centre. Community members are able to attend arts, dance, and fitness classes or rent out the space for their own events.

Over 22 local farmers have joined French Broad every Wednesday for the last 12 years for a weekly tailgate farmers’ market, showing off all that they can grow! Can’t get much better than that! Drop by!

French Broad Co-op carries our Almond Grain Burger, Mushroom Rice Burger and Veggie Breakfast Patties!

Step into some spicy summer flavour with our veggie-packed tacos! These are a perfect, easy seasonal entree – and they’ll be popular with the kids, too. We’ve used vegan cheddar cheese shred from our friends at Daiya to give the tacos an authentic flavour. You can also use gluten-free taco shells if you’re sensitive to gluten.

To serve 4, you’ll need:

• 1 package of Sol Cuisine Organic Veggie Crumbles
• 1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
• 1 19 oz. can of black beans, rinsed
• 1 19 oz. can of kidney beans, rinsed
• 1 7 oz. can of sweet corn
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 12 taco shells
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 2 jalepiño peppers, seed removed and diced
• 1/3 cup of red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup of orange pepper
• 2 cups of lettuce shreds
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Cilantro to garnish
• 1/4 lime wedge
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. of grapeseed oil
• Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds

Directions:

1. In a large stovetop pan, begin by sautéing white onion until translucent.
2. Add in 1 defrosted package of Sol Cuisine Organic Veggie Crumbles, canned tomatoes and beans.
3. Stir occasionally on low until crumbles are heated throughout, following package directions.
4. While chili is cooking, bake taco shells, following package directions.
5. To make the salsa, mix fresh diced tomatoes, red onion, orange pepper, jalepiño peppers, garlic and cilantro in one bowl. Squeeze 1/4 lime wedge over mixture.
6. Place corn, avocado, shredded lettuce, salsa and Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds in small serving bowls.
7. Once chili and taco shells are ready, fill your tacos and enjoy!

To serve 3, you’ll need:

• 3 Sol Cuisine Veggie Breakfast Patties
• 3 slider buns of choice (optional)
• 2 large onions, sliced in half rings
• 3 small Yukon Gold potatoes, wahsed thoroughly and cubed
• 1 large red pepper, sliced
• 5 button mushrooms, sliced
• Fruit side of choice (optional)
• A handful of parsley, chopped
• 8-9 tbsp. of grapseed oil
• A pinch of pepper and sea salt
• 1.5 tbsp. of Spanish paprika

Directions:

1. Begin by slicing your onions and heating 3 tbsp. of grapeseed oil in a nonstick pan. Once oil is hot, add onions, a pinch of sea salt and pepper, then stir.
2. Reduce heat to low, cover, and allow onions to slowly caramelize. Stir occasionally for about 30-45 minutes. You’ll notice the onions turning a medium brown colour and softening.
3. When onions have about 25 minutes to go, begin cooking your homefries: In a separate (large) pan, heat 3 tbsp. of grapeseed oil then add potatoes.
4. Cook potatoes for about 25 minutes, until they begin to brown and soften.
5. With about 10 minutes until both the onions and homefries are ready, begin sautéing your red pepper and mushrooms in 1-2 tbsp. of grapeseed oil. (You can use the same pan as the one with the homefries).
6. Lastly, cook Sol Cuisine Veggie Breakfast Patties in 1 tbsp. of grapeseed oil for about 3 minutes per side, following package directions.
7. Once homefries are cooked throughout, add paprika and chopped parsley.
8. Top each breakfast slider with 1 Sol Cuisine Veggie Breakfast Patty, a generous amount of caramlized onions and sautéed veggies, a side of homefries and fruit of choice.
9. Dig in!

May is a special time for those of us in the gluten-free community: Celiac Awareness Month, a whole month dedicated to Celiac Disease awareness and advocacy.

What is Celiac Disease?

From the Celiac Foundation website:

Celiac Disease is a lifelong inherited autoimmune condition affecting children and adults. When people with Celiac Disease eat foods that contain gluten, it creates an immune-mediated toxic reaction that causes damage to the small intestine and does not allow food to be properly absorbed. Even small amounts of gluten in foods can affect those with Celiac Disease and cause health problems. Damage can occur to the small bowel even when there are no symptoms present.

Gluten is the common name for the proteins in specific grains that are harmful to persons with celiac disease. These proteins are found in ALL forms of wheat (including durum, semolina, spelt, Kamut®, einkorn and faro) and related grains rye, barley and triticale and MUST be eliminated.

Celiac Disease is increasingly common: 1 in 41 Americans, or over 2%, are thought to be living with Celiac, and many more have other types of gluten sensitivity. Chances are, someone you know has Celiac.

Sol Cuisine and Celiac Disease

With the single exception of our Almond Grain Burger, which is made with organic spelt, everything on the Sol Cuisine menu is 100% certified gluten-free by the Celiac Sprue Association. Unlike many other veggie burgers that use gluten as a binding agent, Sol Cuisine’s are safe and healthy for those with Celiac Disease or gluten sensitivities. We’re passionate about making food that’s not just nutritious and delicious, but also accessible to those living with Celiac Disease.

To find out more about Celiac Disease, you can visit the Celiac Foundation website. To find out more about Sol Cuisine’s products in your area, head to our Canadian products or American products pages and then use our store finder to find your nearest store and what they carry!

To serve 3, you’ll need:

• 3 Sol Cuisine Sprouted Quinoa Chia Sliders
• 1 large sweet potato, washed and cut on a slight angle into 1/2 inch slices
• 3 small Portobello mushrooms, stems removed
• 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
• 1 Italian eggplant, washed and cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 1 large red pepper, cut into three equal pieces
• 1 large onion, cut into half rings
• 3 tbsp. of pesto
• 3 fresh basic leaves
• Oregano to season
• 2 tbsp. of grapeseed oil
• Olive oil

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Place sweet potato and eggplant on a lightly oiled baking tray. Prick eggplant with a fork a few times in the center, then drizzle olive oil all over the sweet potato and eggplant.
2. Sprinkle oregano overtop and place in oven for about 20-25 minutes. Midway through, turn veggies over.
3. When sweet potato and eggplant are 10 minutes from ready, place Portobello mushrooms, red pepper and tomatoes on a lightly oiled baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and dash with oregano. Place in oven.
4. In a stovetop pan, sauté onion for about 1 minute in 2 tbsp. of grapeseed oil then cook Sol Cuisine Sprouted Quinoa Chia Sliders for about 3 minutes per side, following package directions.
5. When all veggies are cooked throughout, stack your plate! Red pepper, eggplant, sweet potato, Portobello mushroom, tbsp. of pesto sauce, 1 Sol Cuisine Sprouted Quinoa Chia Slider, onion, basil and tomatoes.
6. Bon appétit!