Spinach and White Bean Fritters + A Cookbook Giveaway!

Yes, it’s that time again — another weekly cookbook giveaway to celebrate Vegan Mofo!  This week, the prize is a copy of Vegan Unplugged: A Pantry Cuisine Cookbook and Emergency Guide.  My husband Jon wrote this book primarily as a way to eat well when the power goes out, but it's also great for camping or when the fridge is bare or you don't feel like cooking. 

I developed the recipes for the book using only nonperishable pantry ingredients.  Among them are: Almost-Instant Black Bean Chili, Samosadillas, Fire-Roasted Blueberry Cobbler, and one of my favorites, Ginger-Walnut Rum Balls.  All the recipes can be ready in 15 minutes.  Best of all, they are easily adapted for using fresh ingredients when you have them on hand. 

A case in point are the Spinach and White Bean Fritters (shown above with agave carrots and dried blueberries).  You can make the fritters with fresh or frozen spinach, but — get this — you can also make them with a jar of baby food spinach (!) which you’ve prudently stowed in your pantry for an emergency.  I made the fritters in today’s photo using frozen spinach, but I’ve also made them using the other options, and they all taste great.  The recipe is at the end of this post, but first —

Here are the contest details:

For your chance to win a copy of Vegan Unplugged, just leave a comment at the end of this post and tell me what your favorite non-perishable pantry ingredient is. That’s it!

The contest ends Monday 11/15 at midnight when a winner will be chosen at random and announced on 11/16. Good luck in the contest and happy MoFo-ing!

Spinach and White Bean Fritters
With no additives and a rich spinach flavor, a jar of spinach baby food is the secret ingredient to these tasty protein-rich fritters. Fresh, frozen, or rehydrated spinach can also be used in this recipe. For more recipes and info about Vegan Unplugged, check out Jon’s blog.
1 (15.5-ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 (4-ounce) jar spinach baby food (or 1/2 cup cooked chopped spinach, tightly packed)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup ground walnuts
3 tablespoons dried bread crumbs, plus more if needed
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
1. In a bowl, mash the white beans. Add the remaining ingredients, stirring until well mixed.
2. Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Shape the mixture into small patties (you can dredge in extra bread crumbs, if you like) and cook in the hot skillet, in batches if needed. Flatten with a metal spatula and cook until browned on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Flip the fritters and cook until the other side is golden brown. Serve hot.
Makes 4 servings