Cannellini Bean Veggie Burgers

Happy Memorial Day! I hope everyday had an awesome day celebrating with your friends and loved ones. I had a little quiet lunch with my boyfriend and kitty. We just bought a new gazebo yesterday and the weather was just perfect for taking our lunch outside. These burgers were a nice change from the Boca burgers I occasionally buy. They are also loaded in protein, I calculated 18 gram from each patty alone. Serve with the side of your choice.

Printer Friendly Recipe Here

Yield: 4 veggie burgers

Ingredients:
* 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
* 1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper
* 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
* 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
* 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
* 1 15 oz can of Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
* 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
* 1/4 cup water
* 1/2 cup dry unseasoned breadcrumbs
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* Hamburger buns, for serving
* Sliced tomatoes, onions, lettuce leaves, pickles, avocado, etc., for garnishing, as desired
* Condiments for serving, such as ketchup or salsa, mayonnaise, mustard, as desired


Directions
1. In a nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and saute the onion, bell pepper, celery, carrot, and garlic until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside to cool.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, mash the beans with the back of a fork. Stir in the cooled vegetables, vital wheat gluten, water, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper and mix well.

3. Proceed to knead with your hands, until the mixture is firm and uniformly mixed ( about a minute ).

4. Divide the burger mixture into four equal pieces. Roll each piece into a firm ball. Use your palm to press the ball down on a clean surface to form a patty that is about 1 1/2 inch thick. Press so that the patty is flat on both sides. Make four patties.

5. Preheat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Pour a thin layer of olive oil into the pan. Cook the patties two or three at a time for 5 minutes on each side, gently but firmly pressing down on them with a spatula. Spray with olive oil before turning over, for uniform browning. Once cooked, the patties should be very firm when you press down on them.

Serve warm, on lightly toasted buns, garnished with desired condiments.

Chickpea "Tuna" Sandwich

I'm sure everyone knows how to make a mock tuna sandwich but just in case you don't here's the recipe I use. I tend to make this on lazy Sunday afternoons when I don't know what to eat and I want to make something fast. When it comes to taste, I'd say that this has a less fishy taste than how I remembered a tuna sandwich to taste. But to me, this is a plus because I was never a big seafood fan to begin with. Serve this with a bowl of soup or alone for a comforting, filling meal.

Printer Friendly Recipe Here

Ingredients
1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained or 1 1/2 cups of cooked chickpeas
3 Tb vegan mayo
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/2 carrot, julienned
2.5 Tb minced dill pickle
1 green onion, chopped
1 avocado, sliced
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp kelp powder
pepper to taste

Directions
1. In a medium bowl, mash the chickpeas with a fork ( I also found that adding them in little quantities in the blender, also gets them to the right consistency without all the extra work of mashing by hand).
2. Pour out to a medium sized bowl and add remaining ingredients. Mix well and serve on your choice of bread.

Spring Green Risotto

Spring has to be my favorite season. I love seeing the first leaves start to sprout on an empty tree and how my backyard transforms into this sea of green. Spring also brings on cravings for Risotto. There has to be at least fifty different ways to prepare Risotto..so far I've made three versions but this one has stayed my favorite.

I got the idea for this recipe from a Barefoot Contessa episode. Yes, I watch a lot of Food Network and other non-vegan cooking shows. Seeing a recipe that isn't vegan doesn't make me feel like it isn't possible to make. It's very easy to take any recipe and turn it vegan. I did just that with this by changing the butter to Earth Balance, Parmesan to Soy Parmesan and omitting the mascarpone cheese. I hope no one feels limited on what they can eat as a vegan. It is still possible to eat almost everything you ate before you made the change.

Printer Friendly Recipe Here

Serves 4

Ingredients
* 1 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
* 1 1/2 tablespoons Earth Balance Butter
* 3 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
* 1 cup chopped fennel
* 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
* 2/3 cup dry white wine ( or veggie stock )
* 4 to 5 cups simmering veggie stock ( or Better than Bouillon Chicken Stock )
* 10 ounces frozen peas, defrosted, or 1 1/2 cups shelled fresh peas
* 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
* 1/2 cup freshly grated Soy Parmesan, plus extra for serving
* 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives, plus extra for serving


Directions
1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and fennel and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Add the rice and stir for a minute to coat with the vegetables, oil, and butter. Add the white wine and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until most of the wine has been absorbed. Add the veggie stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring almost constantly and waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding more. This process should take 25 to 30 minutes.

2. When the risotto has been cooking for 15 minutes, add the peas, lemon zest, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Continue cooking and adding stock, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is tender but still firm.

3. When the risotto is done, turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice plus the soy Parmesan cheese and chives. Set aside, off the heat, for a few minutes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve hot with a sprinkling of chives and more soy Parmesan cheese.

Lime Chik-n with Cilantro-Lime Rice and Refried Beans

Finally perfected my refried beans! I've tried making it several times and it would never come out right. I recently purchased Terry Romero's "Viva Vegan" cookbook hoping that she could help me, and she did! : ]
Been testing out some of her recipes the past few days and I haven't been disappointed yet. If anyone out there is looking for a good Latin food cookbook, this one is it! The recipe for the rice and the beans are both from this book.

Printer Friendly Recipe Here

Cilantro-Lime Rice - Serves 4
Ingredients
* 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
* 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
* 1 Tb olive oil
* 2 Tb lime juice
* 2 tsp lime zest
* 1/2 tsp salt ( only if you're using water )
* Freshly ground pepper
* 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, lightly packed
* 1 green onion, green part only, sliced very thinly

Directions
1. In a heavy pot, combine the rice, vegetable stock, olive oil, lime juice and zest, salt ( if using ), and pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and cover the pot. Cook for 20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice grains are tender.
2. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the rice with the cilantro and green onion. Fluff the rice, working in the chopping herbs. Serve immediately.


Home-Style Refried Beans - Makes 4 Cups
Ingredients
* 2 Tb corn, peanut, or olive oil
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 small onion ( about 1/4 lb ) diced small
* 1 to 2 jalapeno or serrano chilies, seeded and minced
* 1 tsp ground cumin
* 1/2 tsp dried oregano
* 1/2 tsp ground chile powder, such as ancho or a blend
* 2 ( 15 ounce ) cans pinto or black or pink beans, drained and rinsed, or 3 1/2 to * 4 cups of cooked beans
* 1 bay leaf
* 2 cups water
* Salt and fresh pepper

Directions
1. In a large, heavy cast-iron skillet, combine the oil and garlic and cook over medium heat. Allow the garlic to sizzle for 30 seconds, then add the onion and jalapeno. Using a wooden spoon to stir occasionally, fry until the onion turns translucent, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle in the cumin, oregano, and chile powder, and fry for another 30 seconds.
2. Stir in the beans, bay leaf, and water and increase the heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium again and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, or until more than half the liquid has been absorbed but about an inch of liquid remains.
3. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Use a potato masher to mash the beans smooth, then stir to form a thick, moist paste, anywhere from 5 to 8 minutes. If refried beans appear to dry out, add a little water a few tablespoons at a time, until your desired consistency is reached. Serve immediately.


Lime Chik-n - Serves 4
Ingredients
* 1 package Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chik'n Strips ( defrosted )
* Juice of 1 lime
* Dash of pepper

Directions
1. In a medium sized skillet, pour in 1 Tb olive oil and allow to heat for 30 seconds on medium heat.
2. Add the chik'n stripes and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add the lime juice and the dash of pepper and stir to season all the strips.
4. Cook for 3 more minutes and serve immediately.

Serve with corn or flour tortilla if desired.

Chile Cornmeal-Crusted Tofu Po' Boy

This recipe is from Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero's "Veganomicon." If you're having trouble picking which cookbook you should purchase next, this one should definitely be it! This was my first vegan cookbook and probably still my favorite. I changed up the original recipe a little and omitted the coleslaw and replaced it with guacamole.

Printer Friendly Recipe Here

Ingredients - For Chile Cornmeal-Crusted Tofu
Corn or vegetable oil for frying
* 1 pound extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
* 1 cup soy or rice milk
* 2 Tb cornstarch
* 1 cup cornmeal
* 2 Tb chili powder
* 1 tsp ground cumin
* 1/4 tsp cayenne
* 1 Tb grated lime zest
* 1 1/2 tsp salt

Directions
1. Slice the tofu width wise into eight slices, then cut each of those slices in half diagonally - from the upper left corner to the lower right corner - so that you have 16 long triangles. Set aside.
2. Combine the soy milk and cornstarch in a wide, shallow bowl. Mix vigorously with a fork until the cornstarch is mostly dissolved.
3. In another shallow bowl, toss together the cornmeal, spices, lime zest and salt.

Frying Directions
1. Heat about 1/4" of oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat. ( To test if the oil is ready, sprinkle in a pinch of batter. When the batter sizzles and bubbles form rapidly around it, you're good to go. )
2. Dip each individual tofu slice in the soy milk mixture. Drop it into the cornmeal with your dry hand and use your other hand to dredge it in the mixture, so that it's coasted on all sides.
3. Transfer the tofu to the skillet in two batches so as not to crowd the pan. Fry tofu for 3 minutes on one side, use tongs to flip over each piece, and fry for 2 more minutes.
4. Drain the fried tofu on a clean paper bag or paper towels.

Baking Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Place the coated tofu on the baking sheet in a single layer.
2. Spray with oil until lightly coated. Flip over and spray the other side.
3. Bake for 12 minutes on each side.


Ingredients - Chile Cornmeal-Crusted Tofu Po'Boy
* 1 recipe Chile Cornmeal-Crusted Tofu
* Vegan Mayo ( I use Vegenaise )
* Store bought or homemade guacamole
* 2 slices of vegan mozzarella cheese
* Sandwich pickles
* Lettuce and sliced tomatoes
* 2 ( 12 inch ) loaves of French bread, sliced in half and split open ( I didn't have any French bread, so I went with whole wheat hamburger buns. Just as good! )

Directions - Assembling the Sandwiches
1. Spread mayo on the bottom halves of the bread and place the tofu, guacamole, cheese, pickle, lettuce and tomatoes.
2. Spread some mayo onto the top half of the bread, close the sandwich, slice in half if desired, and serve.

Taco Salad

I always enjoyed ordering taco salads, feeling like I was making a smart choice by getting a salad. But when you really stop and think about it, taco salads can be high in calories and low in nutrition. For the times I crave taco salads but I don't want to feel guilty, I created this recipe.

Printer Friendly Recipe Here

Ingredients - For the Salad
* 2 cups of romaine lettuce, chopped
* 2 cups of baby arugula
* 2 cups of baby spinach
* 1 package of Boca Ground Crumbles
* 1 bag of tortilla chips

Ingredients - Taco Seasoning
* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
* 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon paprika
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon sea salt
* 1 teaspoon black pepper
( In a small bowl combine all the ingredients )

Ingredients - Pico de Gallo Salsa
* 1 1/2 cups seeded, diced tomatoes
* 1/4 cup diced red onion
* 1 tablespoon diced jalapenos
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* Juice of 2 limes
* 2 tablespoons cilantro
* Salt and pepper
( In a bowl combine all the ingredients )

Ingredients - French Dressing
* 2/3 of a cup olive oil
* 1/3 cup ketchup ( preferably organic )
* 2 Tb beet sugar or agave nectar
* 3 Tb vinegar
* 1/2 tsp lemon juice
* 1/2 tsp paprika
* 1/4 tsp salt
( In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients together )


Directions

1. Add 1 Tb of olive oil to a medium sized pan and allow to heat for 20 seconds.

2. Add the ground crumbles and the taco seasoning. Mix well and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Serve in a medium sized bowl. Combine a equal amounts of romaine, baby arugula and baby spinach. Topped with ground crumbles, pico de gallo salsa, vegan cheddar cheese, and french dressing. Place tortilla chips around the bowl or serve in a separate plate.