When we first started this vegan diet, I used to stress out about what I would be eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Now, I don't even think about breakfast or lunch. I am in love with Oatmeal these days. I have been adding wheat germ and nutty nuggets to it to get more protein, plus my standard raisins, almonds, and almond milk. I honestly can't get enough of it. Maybe it's because it's still chilly in the mornings here. I'll have to find a new breakfast when it gets hot. Lunches are also easy. I eat leftovers or make a veggie sandwich. I love having that flexibility! I have always planned dinners.
I've been wanting to make veggie burgers since we started this diet but all the recipes look like they have a million ingredients. I found one in Cooking Light that didn't look that long and the picture made the patty look very, very tasty. I got the list of ingredients and went to the grocery store. It called for red potatoes, carrots, cilantro and chickpeas, plus other spices. I was ready to start it when I decided to read the recipe through before starting to cut up stuff. Mind you, this was at 5pm yesterday. Everything looked good until I got to the part where I am supposed to "chill the mixture for 8 hours to overnight." What?!! Ah, man. I guess I can't make that recipe on the spur of the moment.
Thankfully, the Engine 2 book has two recipes for veggie burgers, one with lentils and one with black beans. Since I've never been a fan of lentils, I went with the black beans. Wow. Before I add the oatmeal, it's basically a black bean salsa (black beans, carrots, cilantro, onion, garlic, and tomatoes). I ate it by the spoonful and with chips. It is SO good. I think I might use it as a dip next time. Once I added the oatmeal, it didn't look as appetizing and once I actully baked them, the flavors were more subdued but still very good.
I serve them in pita pockets with spinach and red onion, but these can be served on buns with all the fixins' just like a regular burger. My husband added jalapenos, mustard, and ketchup to his burger. Mine was just fine with the spinach and red onion.
I also had those red potatoes called for in the other Cooking Light veggie burger recipe so I used them to make rosemary oven fries. Yum! I made the potatoes first since they both use the same oven temperature but you have to broil the burgers for the last two minutes. See both recipes below.
New York Times Veggie Burgers
Makes about 8 patties
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can tomatoes with zesty mild chilies, drained (I didn't have this so I used 1 can of diced tomatoes and 1 jalapeno pepper, but I forgot to drain it. It still worked!)
1 garlic clove, minced and pressed
1 teaspoon onion powder (I used 1 tablespoon of chopped onion)
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup cilantro
2 cups quick rolled oats
8 whole grain buns (I used pita pockets)
Fresh veggie toppings and healthy condiments
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Process the first seven ingredients in a food processor or blender. Remove contents into a large bowl and stir in the oats. Form into patties, place on sprayed baking sheet, and bake for 8 minutes. Turn oven to broil and cook for 2 more minutes or until tops are nicely browned. Toast the buns and pile on your favorite toppings.
Variation: Saute the burgers on medium heat in a sprayed nonstick skillet for 5 mnutes on each side, until both sides are browned.
Rosemary Oven Fries
1 lb. red potatoes
1 teaspoon olive oil
garlic salt
pepper
2 sprigs of rosemary
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash, dry, and cut potatoes in quarters or halfs depending on size. Toss with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Place in glass pan. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Top with two sprigs of rosemary. Cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip them and discard the rosemary. Cover again and bake for another 20 minutes. Some people like to toss these with dijon mustard and garlic, but they are so good just like this!
No comments:
Post a Comment