Vegan Lentil Burgers

This recipe is a little more time consuming than I normally would put in, but when you serve it up to three kids under 12 and not only do they eat it, but they love it, (and when you know that burger is made up of healthy lentils and vegetables) it's well worth the effort.

I often think that the reason so many people eat the food they do is because they've not been exposed to other ideas. For instance, parents always comment on all the kinds of different foods my kids will eat, from Thai food to Japanese food, to vegan and vegetarian food.

 Sure, they love "kid" food too. But the trick is to keep offering and tweaking and offering again. Over time, something that seemed "weird" will become normal, and maybe even loved.

I also think it's best if you tell your children what they are eating.  Lentil burgers are never going to pass for meat. It's never going to be the same consistency or flavor. Instead you're taking a classic meal and offering a different version that is equally as tasty but healthier.


Vegan Lentil Burgers:

2/3 cup dried brown lentils
2 cups water

3/4 cup of large pearl couscous (you can substitute prepared rice or dry oats)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup water

1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped finely
2 ribs of celery, chopped finely
2 green onions, chopped
1 small handful of parsley, chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
4 heaping Tbsp. masa flour
Braggs Liquid Aminos or soysauce
olive oil

In a small pan, combine the lentils and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered until the lentils are soft and the water is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

 (A note here: I usually find I need to add more water at some point. If the water is gone, but the lentils are still hard, add more water)

At the same time, toast the couscous in 1 Tbsp olive oil until browned.

Add in the 1 cup of water, cover and simmer for 12 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.  Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, saute the onion, celery, carrot and spices in a large skillet until soft. This step also helps to release any moisture in the vegetables. Let cool.

Once everything is cool enough that you can handle it with, well, your hands, combine the cooked vegetables with the green onion and parsley, lentils and couscous. Mix thoroughly with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle your masa flour over the top of it, and give a few good shakes of Braggs  over everything.

Mash with your hands until everything resembles thick refried beans. Form patties with your hands. You should get about 8 of them.

 

Oil an large baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes on each side in a 375 degree oven. Serve with your favorite fixin's and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 Kelly certainly did!

 



Grilled Brie and Tomato Sandwiches

What could make a food blogger not cook for, oh, about 2 months you ask? Well a 3 hour commute (each way) to San Francisco, not once but twice a week, for 7 weeks. (My work with UCSF has finally wrapped up and we're in the data-collection stage. Fingers crossed that we all continue to find out how amazing yoga is!)

 And just when I thought it was over, I was hit by 3 long weeks of illness.

Hi. I'm Candice and I've been living on god-knows-what while I crawl out of the deep dark pit that is influenza. But now that particular baddy has made its way through all five members of my family, we're all happy and healthy again, and I finally, finally,  got back in my kitchen.

For the kids, I dished up brie and apple grilled sandwiches, but for us, we got the good stuff. It's not particularly fancy, but like yoga, when you've been out of practice for a while, the simpler things are the best things.

You'll need:

I loaf of ciabatta bread, halved lengthwise
1 tomato, sliced
spinach
sliced double-cream brie
spicy mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Spray a cast-iron skillet with oil, and get it nice and hot. Then reduce heat to medium.

Meanwhile, assemble your sammies by spreading on the mustard, then topping with tomato, brie and spinach. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Grill on each side until the cheese is melty and enjoy with a nice fresh salad!

Spinach Patties

I've been using our new chalkboard table to begin teaching my children about yoga philosophy. Each day I use one simple lesson. I figure the 8 limbs of yoga is an age-appropriate place to start.

Today's lesson on Satya seemed well-timed, as Cole came home from camp with complaints from his counselors of not following directions. We talked about how being thoughtful of others might come to play in his behavior at school and how he could be more respectful.

You may have noticed that I don't have many, if any, homemade burger recipes here. True, I have made a few batches over the years, but I haven't really found the perfect burger recipe. So many times they are too dry and crumbly, or they stick and fall apart when cooking, or they stay too mushy on the inside. Until today.

The secret ingredient? Masa flour. Masa is the cornmeal flour used to make tamales and unlike flour, it expands when cooked and stays dense. The result is a burger that is hearty and dense, not crumbly and not soggy. I may just use masa in all my burgers from here on out!

This recipe was adapted from http://thevillagecook.com/spinach-burgers/

Ingredients:
1 large bag of fresh spinach, chopped (about 6 cups)
2 eggs
1/2 cup masa flour
1 tsp each salt and pepper
1 jalapeno, minced
1 green onion, minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 of a diced onion
1 cup of shredded cheese

Bring to boil a large pot of clear water. Pour the fresh spinach into the pot and cook for one minute. Then drain in a large strainer and rinse with cold water. When cool enough to touch, press and squeeze as much water out of the spinach as you can. Transfer the spinach to a large bowl.

Add to the spinach the rest of the ingredients, mixing well with a spoon, and/or your hands. Form into four patties and cook over medium heat about 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through. (I like using a seasoned cast iron skillet, as it uses less oil than our stainless steel skillet).

Serve with your favorite sauce and burger fixings. We used a vegetarian Caesar dressing that paired nicely. The next day we had the leftovers with mayo, a stoneground mustard, shredded cabbage and pepperoncinis. Even better.

Finally, I leave you with a happy picture of Kelly, a big smile and an even bigger ear of corn.

Go-To Veggie Sandwich

When I first became a vegetarian, some 10 years ago, I used to eat these all the time. Not sure why I got out of the habit, maybe because I'm not a huge sandwich eater to start with, but having one today brought back all kinds of memories.

The only thing I wish I had added (but didn't have on hand) was maybe some red onion or peppercinis.

Ingredients:

2 slices of whole grain bread

handful each of pea shoots and fresh spinach

1/2 of an avocado, sliced

1 small tomato, sliced

1 block of marinated, baked tofu, sliced (you can buy pre-packaged or make your own)

3-4 slices of cucumber

honey mustard dressing

Slather each slice of bread generously (trust me on this, be generous!) Top one slice with pea shoots, spinach and cucumber. Top the other slice with marinated tofu, tomato and avocado. Season with salt and pepper if desired and gracefully bring the two slices together. Be careful, those avocado slices are slippery little suckers and will try to escape!

Kale and Red Pepper Tartine

Tartine is a just a fancy way of saying "open faced sandwich." I was so excited about this dish, and it really stood up to my expectations. I'm already thinking of a thousand ways to vary it: with roasted eggplant, or fresh tomato, or maybe artichoke hearts. Goat cheese gives it a tangy bite and the better the bread, the better the taste of this little sandwich.

These little sandwiches are served on toasted bread, best paired with the hearty, seedy type (of bread, not person).

Ingredients:

6 slices of toasted whole-grain baguette
herbed goat cheese
roasted red bell pepper, drained and sliced
3 cups kale
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp salt

Saute the kale, garlic and red pepper flakes in 1 Tbsp. of olive oil until wilted.

Top the toasts with a layer of goat cheese, followed by bell pepper and then finally top it all of with the kale mixture.

The Grownup Grilled Cheese

One of the challenges of being a vegetarian, and a mom, is that half of my cooking is done for little ones with picky palates. Most of my culinary accomplishments happen around dinner time and lunch tends to be a fend-for-yourself ordeal.  But today, while making grilled cheese for the kiddos, I realized I could
grown-up-atize this a little bit, and very easily.

I don't use butter in my grilled cheese sandwiches, if you have a cast iron skillet, it will provide enough non-stickiness that you can cut out all the unneeded fat and calories from the traditional, butter-slathered sammie.

Ingredients:

Cheese of your choice: pepperjack is a favorite of mine!
tomato, sliced
fresh spinach
bread
Italian dressing

Put 2 slices of cheese between 2 slices of bread and toast, covered,  in a cast iron skillet.  Turn when the bottom is browned and repeat on the other side.

When done, remove from heat, peel apart the sandwich and add in 2 slices of tomato, a layer of fresh spinach and a tsp of Italian dressing. Put sandwich back together and cut in half. Serve immediately.

Marinated Tofu - Great Sandwich Filling!

This post is for my friend, who has been encouraged to limit the animal protein in his diet, due to a medical condition. It can be difficult, at first, to know what to do with tofu. But this recipe makes great sandwich filling. Just layer slices with your favorite toppings like lettuce, tomato, sprouts and avocado, and enjoy!

Marinated Tofu

1 block extra firm tofu, drained and sliced

Your favorite teriyaki sauce

Green onion

Layer slices in a shallow pan with sides and top generously with teriyaki sauce and sliced green onion. Let marinate for 30 minutes then turn each slice over. Marinate for another 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees until the slices are browned (20-30 minutes) turning once halfway through. Cool thoroughly and then store in the refrigerator, in a covered dish, until ready to use.

Veggie Burger Lettuce Wraps

Here at the good ol' Garrett house, we're trying to minimize our useless carbohydrate intake (in order to maybe lose a pound or two in the process). Living without tortilla chips and home-popped popcorn? It's been quite the challenge!

Veggie Lettuce Wraps

1 veggie burger

Sliced Tomato

2 big leaves of Red Leaf or Romaine lettuce

condiments of your choosing (we used relish and spicy mustard)

Cook veggie patty according to package instructions. Cut in half and top with tomato and condiments.

Then lay your burger and condiments on a piece of lettuce, wrapping the sides up and over the contents. Lay another piece of lettuce over top, tucking sides around the bottom. Stabilize the wrap with a toothpick. Eat, messily, with plenty of napkins! It's so good!

Greenie Beannie Machinie

Texture makes the difference between a "good" sandwich and a "great" sandwich. No one likes to eat moosh. While you wouldn't think to find green beans in a wrap, to me this seems like a natural addition. You get protein and good fats from the hummus (we used "white bean pesto" hummus) and lots of vitamins, fiber and texture from the veggies.

Greenie Beanie Machinie

Lavash bread (or tortillas)
hummus
spinach
tomato
black olives
fresh, uncooked green beans

Spread hummus on lavash bread in a thin layer. Top with generous amount of spinach and follow with sliced tomato, sliced black olives and a handful of green beans. Roll carefully to form a wrap.

Curried Tofu Salad

Curried Tofu Salad

1 (12 oz) package of extra firm tofu, drained and cubed

1 large carrot, grated

1 chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped peanuts (or other nut)

1/4 cup chopped dates (or other dried fruit. Raisins work well too)

1 glove garlic, minced

1 green onion, chopped

Sauce:

1 tsp curry powder

1 Tbsp mayonnaise (or vegannaise)

1Tbsp white vinegar

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1Tbsp soy sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place tofu on lightly greased cookie sheet. Cook tofu, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes. Then remove and cool.

In the meantime, mix the sauce ingredients with a fork until smooth. Set aside.

Combine salad ingredients: carrot, tofu, green onion, fruit and nuts. Top with sauce and stir thoroughly. Chill in the fridge for an hour before serving.

You can use this as a sandwhich or wrap filling, or simply enjoy with crackers!

This recipe was added, by me, to allrecipes.com and you can find it there too!