Picata-Style Cashew Chickpea Medallions

If you want to put a spin on an ordinary veggie burger, try the "Piccata-Style Cashew Chickpea Medallions" (page 266). I wasn't sure what a piccata style dish was, so I looked it up. According to Wikipedia, piccata is a method of preparing food where meat of some sort is sliced, coated, sautéed and served in a sauce. Thankfully there are many alternatives to animal products at our disposal and in this recipe the medallions, or simply, rounded patties, are made from a mixture of cashews, chickpeas, and gluten, seasoned with soy sauce and smoked paprika (a nice touch). But the crowning glory is the sauce these patties are topped off with. The lemony sauce consists of white wine, lemon juice, capers, and parsley, and if following the recipe, a swirl or margarine stirred in at the end. I omitted the margarine and instead of reducing the sauce by cooking it down, I thickened it with a mixture of 1 teaspoon of cornstarch blended in 2 tablespoons of water. The recipe notes suggest serving these with roasted asparagus and rice pilaf for an elegant dinner.

 

Keeping it "McDougall Friendly" checklist:

ü Omit the oil when pan "frying" the prepared medallions, using a non-stick skillet instead.

ü Omit the margarine from the sauce. Thicken the sauce with a water-cornstarch mixture if you desire.