Homemade Veggie Burgers

May 14th, 2009 | Posted by Alison in Dinner Time - (60 Comments)

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.

These are easy and cheap – two of my most two favorite adjectives ever.

Homemade Veggie Burgers

Print this recipe!

1 cup of black beans (if canned, rinsed and drained)
1/4 cup flour and/or rolled oats
2 to 3 Tbsp any of your favorite HFCS free bbq sauce (or ketchup, mustard, some sort of sauce to help bind it together)
Optional 1/2 to 3/4 cup other veggies – consider pre-cooked diced onions, chopped mushrooms, corn, minched garlic, bell pepper, finely chopped steamed broccoli
salt, pepper (and maybe a little garlic powder) to taste

Veggie Burger Ingredients

Mash beans in a bowl with fork or potato masher. Once sufficiently smashed – add sauce, flour or oats and optional veggies.

Veggie Burger Ingredients in the Bowl Veggie Burger Ingredients Mixed

Made today with chopped raw mushrooms and flour.

Stir together until ingredients are well mixed. Add a little more sauce or flour as needed. Should be thick so that you can make patties in your hand. Will be slightly sticky.

Place burgers in a lightly oiled (I love my Misto!) pan on medium heat.

Veggie Burger Ready to Flip

Let cook on one side 4 – 5 minutes. It’s ready to flip when you can easily free it from the pan with a spatula.

Veggie Burger in Frying Pan

Once flipped, you can flatten your burger a bit more with your spatula now that this side is cooked and won’t stick to your spatula.   Cook an additional 4 – 5 minutes, flip again and cook another 2 – 3 minutes on each side.   Your burger should be slightly crispy on the outside and heated well through.

Makes 3 – 4 burgers, depending largely on the size of your patties and what other ingredients you add.  You can store these in the fridge uncooked or cooked.

Served here on an Ezekiel roll and topped with lettuce, tomato, dill pickle and mustard – I hope your mouth is as big as mine.

Homemade Veggie Burger

A burger even an omnivore can love.


Please know that links to Amazon are affiliate links. It doesn’t change the price you pay, but if you buy something from Amazon after following one of the links in my posts, I earn a percentage based commission from Amazon as a part of their affiliate program. This is one of the ways I generate revenue from the posts that I write here. I promise that I only link to items that I truly endorse. You don’t ever have to buy anything, but if you do, thank you for supporting the site and the work I do here.


Make Your Own Granola

May 11th, 2009 | Posted by Alison Spath in Short or Sweet - (2 Comments)

I first saw this recipe for Maple Pecan Granola at Kath Eats Real Food. I’ve made my own tweaks and love this so much it must be shared.

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 c oat bran
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp Grade A REAL maple syrup
1/2 cup chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds
dash of salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Melt butter in a bowl, stir in canola oil, maple syrup and salt. Stir in oats, oat bran and nuts until well coated. Spread mixture on a cookie sheet and bake at 300 for 20 minutes. Toss granola around a bit with a spatula and then put back in the oven for an additional 5 – 10 minutes.

granola

Pictured here with walnuts and without oat bran.

There are so many different ways you could do this… dried fruits, different nuts, different sweeteners like agave nectar, brown sugar… I love that it’s cheaper than buying packaged granola and is also without added preservatives, flavors, etc. I love to add granola to cereal, a fun crunchy topping for greek yogurt with fruit, sprinkle some on top of a smoothie… good stuff! This is calorie dense so use in moderation. Store in an air tight container at room temp.


Please know that links to Amazon are affiliate links. It doesn’t change the price you pay, but if you buy something from Amazon after following one of the links in my posts, I earn a percentage based commission from Amazon as a part of their affiliate program. This is one of the ways I generate revenue from the posts that I write here. I promise that I only link to items that I truly endorse. You don’t ever have to buy anything, but if you do, thank you for supporting the site and the work I do here.


As the Fitnessista’s Breakfast Cookie took blog world by storm, I was skeptical. I love oatmeal for breakfast… whether it’s cooked on the stove or soaked over night in milk and yogurt, oats are pure breakfast bliss.

I’d read my share of posts where people raved about the breakfast cookie. I was turned off because everyone was putting protein powder in theirs and protein powder ain’t my thing. I thought protein powder was a key ingredient in getting it work so I never tried it.

Fortunately, I saw Meghann’s version sans protein powder, and suddenly the clouds began to part, angels started to sing and I saw the light.

Here’s my version, a chocolate breakfast cookie!

1/2 c rolled oats
1 Tbsp ground flax seed (optional)
1 Tbsp sliced almonds (optional)
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (optional, cocoa powder for a chocolate cookie, but it’s just as good without it)
1 banana, 1/2 mashed, 1/2 set aside.
1 Tbsp almond butter (or any nut butter)
A splash chocolate unsweetened almond milk (1 – 2 Tbps? And any kind of milk will do)

Throw oats, flax, and sliced almonds into a bowl.

cookie_bowl

Mash your banana!

mashed_banana

Add banana, almond butter and cocoa powder to bowl and stir.

with_cocoa_powder_and_banana

Add almond milk (or milk of your choice) until it’s wet and a little soupy. I like mine more moist but others seem to like their more dry. Personal preference.

Once well combined, put onto a plate and flatten into your “cookie”

ready_for_fridge

I use to cover mine with wax paper but now I just throw it in the fridge as-is overnight. The oats will soften as they soak up the milk and the banana and almond butter firm it up and hold it together. I also found that I had to tweak this recipe to my own liking before I was hooked. You might want to use less liquid, different nut butters, nuts, raisins, chocolate chips. The combos are endless. Believe me, it’s worth experimenting with until you find your own personal breakfast cookie perfection.

In the morning, top with slices of the other half of the banana. Zak said this looked like a cow pie. Cow Pie Surprise, to be exact. Well then let me eat cow pie.

this_complete_breakfast

Totally yummy and different, I can’t believe I waited so long to try it! A big thanks to Gina for your fabulous breakfast creation, and thanks to Meghann for showing me it’s possible to make it without protein powder!

Go on now, what are you waiting for?


Please know that links to Amazon are affiliate links. It doesn’t change the price you pay, but if you buy something from Amazon after following one of the links in my posts, I earn a percentage based commission from Amazon as a part of their affiliate program. This is one of the ways I generate revenue from the posts that I write here. I promise that I only link to items that I truly endorse. You don’t ever have to buy anything, but if you do, thank you for supporting the site and the work I do here.


Sun Dried Tomato Hummus

May 5th, 2009 | Posted by Alison in Short or Sweet - (4 Comments)

Hummus is something that is almost always in our fridge. I use to buy it pre-made but then I realized I could save buckets of money by making it myself. I’ve made a bunch of different flavors…. garlic, jalapeno, horse radish, mustard, red pepper, spicy red pepper and sun dried tomato are a few I’ve tried. Sun dried tomato is the one featured here.

You can make hummus with canned chick peas (garbanzo beans), or cook your own from the bagged, dried chick peas. I do both, depending on how much time I have to invest. Canned chick peas are much faster but more expensive, and then you have the whole BPA issue with canned foods. Eden Foods makes organic beans in BPA free cans, but of course that comes at a price. They are more expensive, but worth the extra money in my opinion when it comes to your health. Another way around that is to cook your own from the bag! A past article from Vegetarian Times (that unfortunately I can’t locate now) once listed dried beans under the category of safe to buy conventionally grown, because any pesticides will be rinsed away during the preparation and drying processes. I feel comfortable buying conventional dried beans until I read or hear otherwise.

Chick Peas

It’s also worth noting that chick peas/garbonzo beans are an excellent source of protein, fiber, iron and calcium too.

If you choose to cook your own beans, I start by rinsing the beans in cold water and looking them over to pick out an foreign substances like small stones, as it suggests on the bag. Then I let beans soak in cold water over night (or at least 8 hours).

Once beans are done soaking, I dump the water and rinse again, the move the beans to a cooking pot and add fresh water, enough to cover the beans and then some. Here I used half of the 16 oz and it made 3 cups of cooked beans.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover to simmer beans for about an hour.

Cooking Beans

Once beans are ready, rinse in cold water and then throw them into the food processor. I usually eye ball the amount of ingredients but the purposes of this post I measured things out today.

Sun Dried Tomato Hummus

3 cups of cooked chick peas (Note: this makes A LOT of hummus!)
1/4 c canola oil
1/4 c sundried tomatoes packed in a blend of canola and extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp tahini
1 clove of garlic (I used Wegmans jarred minced garlic packed in water)
Dash of salt

start_hummus

Load all ingredients into the food processor and fire away! If it seems to be too thick, I add water and/or a little more oil. The more oil you add the creamier it is.

I am NOT afraid of healthy, monounsaturated dietary fats like canola or olive oil. Our bodies NEED fat for hormone production. Fats also help you go longer without feeling hungry because it slows digestion. My girlfriend Jillian talks about this more in her book Master Your Metabolism. Another good reference is Dr. Andrew Weil’s book, Eating Well for Optimal Health.

Now back to your regularly scheduled recipe.

So add more oil if you like, just do so in moderation.

Once blended, should be creamy and smooth. And yummy!

hummus_ready

We love hummus on Kashi crackers, with raw veggies, warmed in the toaster over on a whole wheat mini bagel topped with a little melted cheese and salsa… or my newest favorite way to eat hummus, a crack wrap!


Please know that links to Amazon are affiliate links. It doesn’t change the price you pay, but if you buy something from Amazon after following one of the links in my posts, I earn a percentage based commission from Amazon as a part of their affiliate program. This is one of the ways I generate revenue from the posts that I write here. I promise that I only link to items that I truly endorse. You don’t ever have to buy anything, but if you do, thank you for supporting the site and the work I do here.


Spicy Refried Bean Soup

May 3rd, 2009 | Posted by Alison in Dinner Time - (2 Comments)

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)

Spicy Refried Bean Soup

Saute pepper, onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add tomatoes, refried beans and broth/water. Once refried beans have “dissolved” into the liquid, add beans, corn and spices. (Cooked rice is also a nice option here.) Cover and let simmer for 20 – 30 minutes until flavors have blended, stirring occassionally.

Fun to serve with Greek yogurt, salsa or tortilla chips!


Please know that links to Amazon are affiliate links. It doesn’t change the price you pay, but if you buy something from Amazon after following one of the links in my posts, I earn a percentage based commission from Amazon as a part of their affiliate program. This is one of the ways I generate revenue from the posts that I write here. I promise that I only link to items that I truly endorse. You don’t ever have to buy anything, but if you do, thank you for supporting the site and the work I do here.


Broccamoli

April 5th, 2009 | Posted by Alison Spath in Short or Sweet - (2 Comments)

Inspired by Kath’s Fiesta Broccoli Dip

2 c steamed, cooled broccoli
1/2 of an avocado
1 Tbsp (+/-) lemon juice
1/4 c cilantro (fresh or dried)
salt to taste
1 c corn, cooked, cooled
1 medium tomato, diced
1 medium onion, diced

Put broccoli, avocado, lemon juice, cilanto and salt into food processor. Blend until forms a creamy paste. Transfer mixture from food processor into another bowl, stir in corn, onion and tomato.

Broccoli Avocado Spread

Broccoli Avocado Spread

Great served with crackers, bread, tortilla chips or pita chips.


Please know that links to Amazon are affiliate links. It doesn’t change the price you pay, but if you buy something from Amazon after following one of the links in my posts, I earn a percentage based commission from Amazon as a part of their affiliate program. This is one of the ways I generate revenue from the posts that I write here. I promise that I only link to items that I truly endorse. You don’t ever have to buy anything, but if you do, thank you for supporting the site and the work I do here.


Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

March 30th, 2009 | Posted by Alison in Dinner Time - (6 Comments)

(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

Saute onion in olive oil until soft.  Add cumin and garlic, saute about 1 min.  Stir in spinach and drained tomatoes.  Cook about 5 minutes or until all the liquid has cooked off.  Stir in black beans, quinoa, carrots and vegetable broth.

Veggies and Quinoa for Stuffed Red Peppers

Cover, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, simmer 20 minutes or until quinoa is tender.  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350.  Pour reserved liquid from tomatoes into bottom of baking dish.  When quinoa mixture is done, stir in 1/2 c cheese.  Fill each pepper half with a quarter of the quinoa mixture and place in baking dish.

Vegetarian Stuffed Red Peppers

Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.  Uncover, sprinkle each pepper with remaining cheese and bake 15 minutes more, until tops are browned.  Let stand 5 minutes, drizzle each with pan juices before serving.

Vegetarian Stuffed Red Peppers

Time to chow!


Please know that links to Amazon are affiliate links. It doesn’t change the price you pay, but if you buy something from Amazon after following one of the links in my posts, I earn a percentage based commission from Amazon as a part of their affiliate program. This is one of the ways I generate revenue from the posts that I write here. I promise that I only link to items that I truly endorse. You don’t ever have to buy anything, but if you do, thank you for supporting the site and the work I do here.


Whole Wheat* Pizza Crust

March 23rd, 2009 | Posted by Alison Spath in Dinner Time - (5 Comments)

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.

Coat dough with oil, put in a bowl, cover bowl with plastic wrap and a hot, wet towel.  Allow dough to rise about 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425F.  Grease a 13″ inch pizza pan with a little oil (or dust a pizza stone with corn meal) stretch dough to fit pan.  Top as desired, bake 12 – 15 minutes, until cheese is melted and crust is browned.

*Use any proportion of whole wheat and white flour, totaling 3 cups.  Be warned though that anything more than 1 1/2 c of whole wheat flour and the dough turns too tough.  The more white flour (and therefore less ww flour) the softer the dough will be.

Veggie Pizza

Veggie Pizza

Cheese Pizza for the Girls

Cheese Pizza for the Girls


Please know that links to Amazon are affiliate links. It doesn’t change the price you pay, but if you buy something from Amazon after following one of the links in my posts, I earn a percentage based commission from Amazon as a part of their affiliate program. This is one of the ways I generate revenue from the posts that I write here. I promise that I only link to items that I truly endorse. You don’t ever have to buy anything, but if you do, thank you for supporting the site and the work I do here.