Lentil and Walnut Burger Patties

This recipe is adapted and inspired by the Ultimate Veggie Burger. The first time I made these around we ate them so fast I couldn't get any pictures in but this week we were under the weather and hubbys sat around for a few before he ate so I took a few shots of his. We love these patties and I am adding them to the kids favorite list!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp braggs
1 tbsp tamarai
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup raw walnuts
3/4 cup cooked brown drained lentils
White pepper
Sea salt
Olive oil


Directions:
In a blender combine the chia seeds, braggs, soy sauce and walnuts pulse until kind of chunky. Next add the lentils, wheat gluten, salt and pepper to taste. Process until combined.

Shape the mixture into 4 - 6 patties and put the patties in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry patties until brown on both sides.

Serve on whole wheat bun and your favorite burger accompaniments!

Some things were eating this week....

This week I am planning on making:

LEFTOVERS! I'm sick, the kids are sick so I'm taking stuff out of the freezer and feeding us what we didn't eat earlier in the month! I will let you know how it turned out!

Everything I re-heated turned out great! I am pleased my family ate well while we were all sick!

Asparagus and Mushroom Quiche

 So if you know our story we don't eat eggs since my youngest is highly allergic. In my attempt to make wholesome dishes that everyone will enjoy for breakfast I came across this recipe at FatFree Vegan Kitchen. I have made some changes and you can view the orginal recipe in the link above. 

Everyone liked this dish! It was hearty and flavorful leaving everyone satisfied! One thing I would suggest is to use the thicker asparagus rather than the long skinny ones like I did which ended up in crunchy asparagus!  

 

Ingredients:

14 ounces firm or extra-firm tofu
1/4 cup plain non-dairy milk
2 tsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp turmeric
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp white pepper

2 cups cooked brown rice or wild rice

freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 bunch asparagus (about 12 ounces)
1/4 cup shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz mushrooms
olive oil for oiling casserole dish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Put ingredients tofu - pepper into blender. Blend until completely pureed making sure everything on the sides is blended in and not clumped on the sides.

Mix rice with 4 tablespoons of the tofu mixture. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray and press the rice into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.

Bake for 10 minutes.

In the meantime remove tough ends off the asparagus and discard keeping only the best part of the asparagus.

Spray pan with olive oil once heated to medium add the shallots and garlic with two tablespoons water. Cover and cook for a few minutes. Next add the mushrooms and 1 tablespoon water. Cook without cover for a few minutes until most liquid has evaporated.

Remove rice crust from oven.

Spread the vegetables (except the asparagus) on top of the crust. Pour the remaining tofu mixture over the vegetables spreading it the best you can over the the veggies. Place your asparagus on top of the your quiche and cover.

Bake for 50 minutes at 350F.  Let cool before cutting and serve!

Vegan Baked Ziti

This is a family favorite recipe. The texture of the tofu mix really resembles a ricotta cheese and with everything baked together it tastes wonderful! This is at the top of my kids favorite recipes and we never have left overs!

Ingredients:

12 ounces whole grain tube shaped pasta
8 ounces firm or extra-firm regular tofu
4 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp agave nectar syrup
3 fresh leaves basil
1 cup chopped spinach
4 tbsp minced fresh parsley
½ tsp sea salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 tsp garlic powder
1½ tsp onion powder
5 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 cup shredded vegan montery jack cheese
2 cups marinara sauce

Directions:

Cook pasta according to the the package directions or until tender.

While you pasta is cooking get a large bowl and put the tofu, nutritional yeast flakes, lemon juice, agave nectar, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, salt and pepper than mash with a fork until the mixture is as smooth as you can get it!

Preheat the oven to 375F. Lightly oil a 9x9 casserole dish. Drain the pasta and combine with the chopped spinach, parsley and tofu mix. Make sure it is really mixed well.

Place half of the pasta/tofu mixture into the casserole dish, top with half of the marinara sauce and half of the shredded cheese. Repeat the layering with the remaining pasta/tofu, marinara sauce, and cheese. Sprinkle additional cheese and nutritional yeast over the top.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Serve hot with a fresh salad!

Some things were eating this week....

This week I am planning on making:

Chili Mac, Marinated Mushrooms with Pasta, Cajun tofu and noodles, Baked Ziti, Artichoke Spinach and Basil Pasta, Black Bean Burritos, Mushroom Quiche with a Brown Rice Crust.

Anything I make that is actually worth eating again I will post the recipe!

Butternut Squash Pizza

This recipe was really easy especially since I planned ahead and made my pizza dough early! You could always buy the canned pizza dough but fresh is best! 

I actually really enjoyed eating this pizza! I felt like I went to CPK, ordered a specialty pizza and brought it home! The flavors were natural and herby and without any actual pizza sauce all the flavors really went together well!

Ingredients:


4 individual sized homemade pizza dough or 1 store bought can
1/2 thinly sliced red or sweet onion
1/2 butternut squash - peeled, seeds removed and sliced thin
2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dry
green onions, as many as you like
salt and black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
cornmeal, as needed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Place sliced onion and squash in a roasting pan. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and toss to coat.
(If using dry rosemary I suggest dehydrating the herbs for a few hours in the oil prior to baking)

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until onions are lightly browned and squash is tender set aside.

Change the oven temp to bake your dough according to the directions.

On a floured surface, roll each ball of dough into an 8 - 10 inch round. Place the rounds on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal.

Distribute squash/onion mixture over the rounds and sprinkle with green onions. Bake for 10 minutes, checking occasionally, or until the crust is firm.

Drizzle remaining olive oil onto the pizza and serve.

Serve with a fresh salad and enjoy! 

Some things were eating this week....

This week I am planning on making:

Veggie Wraps

Chicken, veggies and whole wheat rolls ( I will eat frozen left overs since I don't eat any meat)

Portobello and Leek Lasagna

Sweet Potato Burritos

Quinoa with Sweet Potatoes and Mushrooms

Homemade Veggie Burgers with Homemade Pita Bread

Butternut Squash Pizzas

Anything I make that is actually worth eating again I will post the recipe!

Artichoke and Root Vegetable Gratin Review

So over the least few years I have been slowly working my way through Vegan Planet and decided to make the Artichoke and Root Vegetable Gratin last night.  I must say Robin Robertson talks about how amazing and nurturing his home smells while cooking dishes such as these and I agree my house smelled so amazing I could have hugged my walls! While this dish was baking in the oven I went outside to enjoy the evening with my children and when I heard the timer going of and came inside I felt like I was walking into a restaurant, I felt proud to have made a dish so inviting! I loved everything about this dish, it was hearty yet creamy and since its still the evenings are still a little chilly this spring it went perfect with the weather! My children ate it, willingly, even my son who "doesn't" like potatoes! I was happy that everyone including myself was full and happy! The following day I had the leftovers for lunch since well that is the ultimate test if the recipe is a keeper! And, I must say it was better then when I first made it! It was like eating a hearty artichoke bruschetta without the guilty chips or crackers! I was only going to eat some of it and yeah, I ate it all! It was so satisfying I could have laid down for a nap!

This recipe is exactly as shown in Robin Robertson's

Vegan Planet: 400 Irresistible Recipes with Fantastic Flavors from Home and Around the World

Any change I made are in green.

Ingredients:

1 lb all purpose potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 large carrot thinly slice (baby carrots)

1 medium parsnip, peeled and thinly slice

1 leek (white part only) thinly sliced

9 oz pack frozen artichoke hearts, cooked, drained and chopped (I doubled this)

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1 cup fresh bread crumbs (I used 2 cups plus the extra EVOO)

1/4 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 cup vegetable stock

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Parboil the potato, carrots and parsnip slices in boiling, salted water for 5 minutes. Drain well set aside.

Heat 2 T of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leek, garlic and artichokes, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leek is tender, about 5 minutes. stir in the stock and thyme and set aside.

Lightly oil a 2 quart gratin dish. Layer half of the potato, carrot and parsnip slices in the bottom of the dish. Top with half of the artichoke mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with the remaining potato, carrot and parsnip slices, the remaining artichoke mixture and salt and pepper to taste.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, the remaining olive oil and the paprika. Blend gently with a fork and sprinkle on top of the gratin.

Bake until the vegetables are tender and the top is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Please go check out these site I have linked up to!

The Romantic Home
A Few Of My Favorite Things
Designs by Gollum
The Shabby Nest
It's A Hodgepodge Life
Simple Sweets Home
Trendy Treehouse
 It's Fun To Craft
The Girl Creative
One2try
A Vision to Remember
Happy To Design
Tatertots and Jello
My Sweet and Savory
Hey Mom Whats For Dinner Mom?
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Between Naps on the Porch
Skip To My Lou
It's So Cheri
 Keeping it Simple
11th Heaven's Homemaker Haven
Trendy Treehouse
The Gypsy's Corner
Blessed With Grace
Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Today's Creative Blog
Crazy Daisy
Mother of Pearl It Is
We Are That Family
Me and My Bucket
Bobbypins Boardwalk
Women Who Do It All
My Backyard Eden
Somewhat Simple
Life as Lori
Fireflies and Jellybeans
Good, True and Beautiful

Cake Balls

If you have ever visited the Bakerella website you know what I am talking about when I say that her site is amazing! Bakerella makes the best and most amazing looking cake balls I have ever seen! These are my pictures at my first attempt making cake balls!

After I baked my cake instead of waiting til it cooled (I have no patience sometimes) I went for it and mixed my hot cake with my frosting which resulted in uh, fudge balls! They were too tacky to handle so I used my melon scooper and these are the best I could get them to look like balls!

Once I melted my chocolate I dipped them in and this is the best I could get them to look uh, funky shaped balls! 

 

So next time I will for sure wait until the cake cools before mixing unless you like fudgey odd looking cake balls!

Here is a picture from Bakerellas site...

 Practice, practice, practice

For the recipe and how to make her fantastic cake balls check out her site at Bakerella

The Honest Scrap Award

I am so pleased to announce my little blog has received an award! The award is called The Honest Scrap which is awarded to people who tell it like it is and I am very honored to have received mine from Angie over at Angie's Healthy Living Blog! Thank you ANGIE!

Now that I have received this neat award, I get to participate! The Honest Scrap award rules are simple:

1. Thank the person who “awarded” you and link back to that blog post.
2. Tell 10 honest things about yourself—and make them interesting, even if you have to dig deep!
3. Pass the award on to ten blogger’s who you feel embody the spirit of the Honest Scrap, and whose blog’s you find brilliant in design and/or content.

So here you go, 10 random things about me:

I love the Beatles Band

I have 11 hermit crabs (6 of which are molting right now)

I remind myself constantly to slow down and enjoy my kids

I make most our lotions

I eat mostly vegan meals

I haven't had a babysitter in years

I love getting free stuff

I still enjoy my birthday

Dinner is my favorite meal of the day

I am the keeper of my 2nd son's epi-pen

  

Now that you know me a little better, I would like to give this award to some of my favorite blogs.

The Moms over at Gen X Moms

Jennifer over at Princess is the Name

Lucinda over at The Wonderful World of The Whiteheads

Jen over at 11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven
Rachel over at A Southern Fairytale
Aubree Cherie over at Living Free
http://www.edibleperspective.com/
Lindsay over at Happy Herbivore
Diane at The W.H.O.L.E Gang
Kelly at The Spunky Coconut

Congrats! Looking forward to hearing some honest scrap from you Mama's!

Sweet Potato and Green Pea Samosas

It's Mother's Day weekend WOOHOO! To me this means I get to cook what I want! Indian food is my favorite but we can't just hop over to the local restaurant since my youngest will be totally left out. So I brought the Indian food home for me!

Ingredients:

1 cup unbleached white flour

1/4 cup water or salt free veggie stock

1 tbsp olive oil (use peanut if you are not allergic)

1/2 cup organic peas

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 red onion

1 large sweet potato, baked until soft and skin peels off easy

2 tsp curry powder

cayenne and salt to taste

Directions:

In a small - medium bowl mix together water, flour and olive oil and knead until a blended dough forms. Cover and set aside approximately 30 minutes.

Heat olive oil in large pan and saute onions until they are soft. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until soft which will be about 10 minutes. Once soft, set aside and let cool.

Preheat oven to 375F while your filling is cooling. On a floured surface roll out dough into large sections and cut out approximately 15 4x4 squares that should be 1/8 inch thick. Not concerning yourself with the shape spoon a small amount of the filling inside and seal edges with water. Set your appetizers on a lightly oiled baking pan and brush with olive oil. Bake in oven until the tops are golden brown, 15-20 minutes.

Lentil Sloppy Joes

So I have been reading that processed soy is unhealthy! Is it true? I'm not sure but if it is maybe I should shake up my TVP recipes a bit, huh? We love our sloppy joes around here! They are so rich and filling served on homemade whole wheat rolls that you can't not have 2nds! This recipe was adapted from the Vegan Dad which is amazing if you like a little spice but, my kids like rich and sweet so here is my adapted recipe!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped and seeds removed
1/2 tsp oregano
1 cup red lentils, rinse
1 1/4 cup ketchup
1 1/2 cups water (more if needed)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
salt to taste
ground white pepper

Directions:

Heat oil in a frying pan over med-hi heat. Saute onion, celery, green pepper, and oregano for 5-7 minutes, until onion is translucent and peppers have softened. Add lentils and mix well.

Add ketchup, 1 1/2 cups water, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.

Bring to bubbling, then reduce heat, and cover. Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring often, adding more water if needed until lentils are cooked and hold their round shape.

Serve on fresh whole wheat rolls, served smothered in Vegenaise and ketchup!

I am linking this to so please check them out!

Happy Designs

A Southern Fairytale

Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Support Blog for Mom's of Boys

Keeping it Simple

11th Heaven's Homemaker Haven

Trendy Treehouse

A Silly Little Sparrow

Lucky Star Lane

Blessed With Grace

Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Mother of Pearl It Is 

Tip Junkie
My Sweet and Savory
Hey Mom Whats For Dinner Mom?
It's So Cheri
We Are That Family
The Thrifty Home
Room to Inspire
Me & My Bucket
Fireflies and Jellybeans
Life as Lori
Somewhat Simple
Fireflies and Jellybeans
Crazy Daisy  

Some things were eating this week....

This week I am planning on making:

Artichoke and Vegetable Gratin

Curried Cauliflower Pakoras and Portobello Steaks

Pot-stickers

Chickpea and Veggie Vermicelli

Veggie Burgers

Veggie Wraps

Sweet Potato Samosas

Slow N Low Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potato fries are like a staple here in my home! My kids can eat those little things up before the plates are on the table, period! I decided to mix it up a bit with this easy peasy recipe. These of course were a huge hit! The outside is kinda crunchy but the inside is soft and gooey. So good!

 

Ingrediants:

1 sweet potato

Olive Oil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F and brush both sides of the sweet potato with olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes.

Turn oven up to 425F and flip your sweet potatoes. Cook 10-15 more minutes keeping an eye on them to ensure they don't burn.

Next, your done!

Serve warm.

Veggie Wraps

Do you ever grill or bake your veggies? Do you ever end up with left overs? I always go on the heavy side when I cut up my veggies because left over veggie wraps for lunch are amazing!

 

There is no recipe for these healthy snacks, all you need is about 1/2 - 1 cup left over veggies per person. Next warm up your tortilla and place condiment such as Vegenaise in the tortilla and fill with left over veggies. I added two romaine lettuce leaves and one green onion. That's it, yeah I know it's so simple but when I tell people about how to make this, most people have never tried it. 

So enjoy!

Quick Style Sandwich

So, have you ever made a recipe that called for 3/4 block of firm tofu but didnt kknow what to do with the rest? Well, I have dozens of times saying oh I will use it for something but never did and it would be wasted. One day after I made my Yummy Bread Salad I saved some spinach, tofu and tomato to make a sandwich for lunch the next day. At the time I was sick and needed easy meals. All I did was pan fry my tofu and assemble my sandwich as you see below and lunch was done!

 

If you have a unseasoned piece of tofu season well and pan fry with some oil, fry a few minutes on each side, seasoning again before you flip the tofu over.

Homemade Almond Butter Cups

My 2nd son is allergic to peanuts and dairy so eating candy like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups is out of the question plus, who wants to really eat fake chocolate anyways? Well, I'm not going to lie, I do but he is always with me and I could never eat something like that in front of him! Oh and its been years since I have had a Reese's, why start now? I came across this amazing idea at Green and Crunchy where you make your out chocolate butter cups! This is right up my alley, I had everything I need to make them so I wasted no time and made them immediately! 

Ingrediants:

7 oz organic 70% dark chocolate

1/2 cup raw almond butter

3 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tbsp olive oil

Cupcake Liners

Directions:

Over low heat melt the chocolate down.

Pour just enough chocolate in your cupcake liners to cover the bottom of them. Place in freezer to harden up while you make you almond butter filling.

In a separate small pan slowly heat up your almond butter and oil. Add more oil is needed (I make our own almond butter which is pretty thick so I needed a tad more) Mix in nutritional yeast.

Next, remove liners from freezer and place a teaspoon amount of almond butter mix than cover with chocolate. 

Place in fridge or freezer for faster results and enjoy! 

My son was in messy chocolate bliss! Yum!

Un-Taco Salad

I don't buy many canned things and when I do it's mainly because I'm sick and want to make an easy meal. With that in mind came a chili salad. I used vegan cheese from whole foods for this recipe but you use the cheese of you choice.

Ingredients:

Romaine lettuce or spinach

1/3 cup Vegenaise

3/4 fresh salsa

shredded cheese to taste

olives

organic corn

2 cans vegetarian chili

Directions:

Chop up lettuce or spinach and place in bowl. Next, place chili on top of the lettuce. Mix together Vegenaise and salsa and poor on top of the chili topping with cheese, corn and olives! This recipe serves my hubby, me and my 3 kids for a quick meal!

Homemade Taco Sauce

This sauce goes great on tacos, burritos, taquitos, scrambles tofu or anything you want a fresh sauce for! This recipe is great since its is versatile and if you use a little cajun spice its kinda sweet or if you use more its sweet and spicy!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup salsa
1/4 cup water water
2 tbsp Vegenaise
1/4 teaspoon
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon organic agave syrup
1/2 teaspoon lime juice

Directions:

Place all ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth.

Serve cold!

Seitan Roast

The last few years we have had a Tofuky Roast for Thanksgiving and well, I know it isn't the holiday season but the heart of the holidays lives on here at our place!

I think just because it's spring we shouldn't celebrate family and friends! So, I made a roast for my kids to remember the holidays and no not what they got as presents but what we ate, what we talked about and what we did together as a family.

This time of year it is really hard to find a grocer who has a Tofurky in stock, so what did I do? Wait til thanksgiving? Nope, I Googled it and it turns out making your own Tofurky is simple, easy and was done quick!

After looking though a few sites I found The Vegan Dad and felt his recipe was the best! Though his recipe called for a more classic stuffing recipe, I went for fast-n-easy and just made a simple wild rice stuffing!
 

Stuffing Ingredients:

3/4 cup wild rice, cooked

1 tbsp margarine

1/4 cup water

1 tsp salt

freshly ground white pepper

1 tbsp flour

you may want to add a some bread cubes to help hold it all together (I added 1/2 cup)

Directions:

Cook wild rice as usual. Once cooked, add the remaining ingredients, mix well and set aside to cool.

Seitan Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 tsp poultry spice

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup almond milk

2 tbsp oil

1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk together wet ingredients in a separate bowl and add

to dry. Mix with a spoon into a tacky dough. If it seems too wet, add a bit more gluten flour. It should be soft and pliable, but still hold together.

Transfer dough to counter top or board. With your hands, flatten into a rectangle, about 1/2" thick. The width will depend on how wide your steamer is. Make sure it will fit.

Put stuffing in a line straight across the center of the dough. Compress the stuffing in your hands so the center of the roast will be firm. Gently but firmly roll the seitan with the stuffing in the middle Seal the ends and seam as best you can.

Transfer the roll to a piece of extra wide, extra strength aluminum foil, and tightly roll up twisting the ends like a tootsie roll.

Steam for 30 mins, turning over after 15 mins. Preheat oven to 350 degrees during the last 10 muintes of steaming.

Next, place roast in a loaf pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Let roast stand for 15 minutes before unwrapping and slicing with a cutting knife.

Serve with your favorite gravy or Veganiese and ketchup which is my kids favorite!