Completely OUT of vegetables on Sunday I played Supermarket Sweep in the produce section last night and spent about an hour prepping vegetables today. I see… I see… a GIANT salad in my future… yes, yes, a salad for sure.
First my gorgeous watermelon:
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That should be enough to last a few days, wouldn’t you say? And that wasn’t even all of it, Ava and I each had a serving that I didn’t put away!
Then I attacked the produce drawer.
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Memorial Day, 8 years ago, Zak and I were newly married and on our way to Aruba!
Memorial Day 2009? We cleaned the garage. 8 years. Sounds about right.
On tonight’s dinner menu: black bean burgers with a side of kale chips. McDonald’s ain’t got nothing on this version of burger and fries.
I first heard about Kale Chips on Fat Free Vegan, but she didn’t have much luck with them, so it wasn’t until I read Kath’s post about them that I finally tried them. If you’ve yet to discover kale chips, it’s about time you did!
Like most omnivores turned herbivore – we’ve eaten tons of veggie burgers in our day. It’s been years since I’ve eaten a “real” burger and I don’t even miss them, but veggie burgers? I admit it. I’m an herbivore and I love them.
For a long time I bought them frozen. Morning Star, Sunshine Burgers, Gardenburger. These are all great and especially handy when we need to make something quick – but these days I prefer to make my own burgers when it comes to having them for dinner. Inspired by Kath’s bean burger post I fine tuned my technique and we are reaping the bean burger rewards over here.
Inspired by Fat Free Vegan’s Smoky Refried Bean Soup
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 – 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can refried beans
1 can black beans
1 cup frozen corn (pre-cooked, thawed or canned work too)
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 c +/- water or veggie broth (add more liquid as needed)
dash of hot sauce
1 tsp cilantro
salt and pepper
(all spices to taste)
(Adapted from Feb 2009 Vegetarian Times) Serves 4.
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
1 clove minced garlic
5 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 15oz can diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
7 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 + cup quinoa, rinsed
2 medium carrots, grate
1 c vegetable broth
3/4 c pepper jack cheese, grated, divided
2 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs and seeds removed
1 Tbsp Dry Active Yeast
1 c warm water, 110 – 115 F
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c white flour
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp Canola or Olive Oil
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Allow mixture to rest for 5 minutes. Stir in (all but a 1/2 c of the) flour, sugar, salt and oil. Knead in remaining 1/2 c of flour by hand (maybe a Tbsp or two more, if needed) for about 5 minutes. Dough will be smooth and elastic.
More Mama’s Weeds
