The heat is on and so is Meatless Monday. What better way to take advantage of the bounty of seasonal fruits and vegetables than by making your own veggie burger condiments? The choice of ingredients depends on what’s available and you can get creative with the seasonings and add-ins.
Ketchup
Commonly made with tomatoes today, ketchup was formerly made with other ingredients such as mushrooms and nuts. Find whatever tomato type is on sale. Wash then chop into bite-size pieces. Mix with some olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Roast in a preheated oven (300ºF) for about 30 minutes. In a pot, cook chopped onions and garlic in some oil and salt. Add tomatoes along with some vinegar (red wine, balsamic or apple cider etc), a little sugar (brown, coconut or maple syrup etc.) and a little bit of any, all or some of the following: curry powder, clove, basil, celery seed, chili powder. Let simmer about 15 minutes then purée in blender. Let cool then refrigerate.
*Cooking tomatoes helps release the antioxidant lycopene making its health benefits bioavailable.
Use on veggie burgers or serve with fries.
Relish
Relish is most popularly made with cucumbers but can be made with other types of fruit or vegetables (e.g. zucchini, corn, kiwifruit). The following was inspired by my recent trip to New Brunswick: blueberry relish.
I didn’t have enough room in my suitcase for another jar of blueberry condiment so I decided to make my own instead.
In a pot bring to a boil 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup of maple sugar and ½ teaspoon each of mustard seed and celery seed. Add 1 small cucumber, chopped into bits, ¼ cup of finely chopped red pepper and 1 cup of fresh organic blueberries. Let boil a few minutes then add a sprinkle of tapioca starch. Stir in then turn temperature to medium for a few minutes. Then turn heat to low and let simmer 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Put into glass container and place in fridge to cool.
