Sweet Potato, Lentil and Kale Burgers

For me, 2014 is the Year of Change. I'm in the midst of moving from the shores of Washington's Puget Sound, where fresh seafood is abundant and shellfish is easily harvested, back to a place in Oregon that is beautifully situated between the Cascade Mountain Range and a city where a river runs through it.

I'm also starting off this new year transitioning towards more of a plant-based diet, eliminating the fish and shellfish that have been a part of my pescetarian diet for the past number of years.

I've tried this before and failed, but now I have the support and encouragement of family who are also discovering and enjoying the benefits of vegetarian and vegan cuisine, which makes it easier for me to stick with my resolution to eliminate seafood and more. I haven't entirely eliminated eggs and the occasional sheep and goat cheeses, yet.

Ever wondered what to call yourself while you are transitioning to a plant-based diet?

• A vegan is one who does not eat meat, eggs or dairy of any kind. Some vegans avoid such foods as gelatin, honey... or eating or buying anything that has some form of animal-based ingredient used in the process of making the product.
• A flexitarian is one who has a mostly vegetarian diet, but sometimes eats meat. 
• One who is a vegetarian but also eats eggs is called an ovo-vegetarian. 
• One who is a vegetarian but also eats dairy is a lacto-vegetarian. 
• One who is a vegetarian but also eats dairy and eggs is called a lacto-ovo vegetarian. 

This past weekend,  I attended a vegetarian/vegan potluck. Everyone brought something for the "Burrito Bar" - tortillas, beans, corn, tempeh, tofu, homegrown sprouts, salsa, spices and condiments. One brought black bean brownies and another black bean pudding for dessert.

The theme of our discussion was beans. I tossed out the idea of having a bean burger "bake-off" with a prize for the best bean burger recipe. I am not posting my bean burger "bake-off" entry recipe until after this event happens, IF it happens.

Although this is not a bean burger, here is one our family's favorite ovo-vegetarian burgers. There are only a few changes to the original recipe, which is on page 79 of Luke Volger's cookbook "Veggie Burgers Every Which Way."

 This recipe will make six 4-inch burgers, so we recommend doubling or tripling the recipe, cooking and freezing what you don't eat right away to reheat for later meals. Remember to never double or triple the salt when making more than one batch of anything with salt as an ingredient; increase salt to taste.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup French Lentils (small, green)
1 bunch Kale (remove tough stems)
1 medium Sweet Potato (approx. 8 ounces), peeled and chopped into 1" pieces
4 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 medium Onion, diced
1-1/2 teaspoons Garam Masala
1-1/2 teaspoons Curry Powder
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
3 cloves Garlic, minced
2 Eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon ground Coriander
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Squeeze of fresh Lemon Juice

3/4 cup Oatmeal (gluten-free), lightly ground

1/4 cup Almonds, ground to a meal-like consistency (using spice grinder with slivered Almonds)

Sort through the lentils and rinse. Bring lentils to a boil in a small sauce pan in 3 cups water. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. When tender, drain and transfer to a large bowl. Coarsely mash lentils with a potato masher.

Steam the kale, by what ever method you prefer, for 5-8 minutes. Remove and cool, then wrap in a clean kitchen cloth towel and squeeze out any excess liquid. Finely chop and set aside.

Steam the sweet potato for 8-10 minutes, or bake until tender. Add the sweet potato to the lentils, mashing and blending with a potato masher or fork.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a saute pan on medium heat. Add the onion, garam masala, curry powder and cayenne pepper. Cook until the onion is translucent, 8-10 minutes. Then add the chopped kale and minced garlic. Cook and toss to combine for 2 minutes. Note: If a crust forms on the base of the pan, add 2 tablespoons water and scrape up the browned mixture with a wooden spoon.

Combine the kale-onion and lentil mixtures together. Stir in the eggs, coriander, salt and lemon juice. Blend in the ground oatmeal and almonds. Adjust seasoning according to your taste. Shape into 6 burger patties.

In an oven-safe skillet or non-stick saute pan, heat another 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat. Once hot, add the patties and cook until browned on both sides, 3-5 minutes per side. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until firm to the touch and cooked through.

Serve hot on a toasted bun, or room temperature in a lettuce wrap, with your favorite condiments. Freeze and reheat leftovers.

Recipe adaptation, meal preparations, and photos by Effie.

Savory Vegan Stuffed Bell Peppers

I love stuffed peppers, and didn't think it was possible to serve up a vegan version as good as the meat-filled and cheese-topped peppers my mother served up when I was a kid, or those I served my family in years past. I've since changed my tune and share my recipe with you here.

Ingredients

4 medium green Bell Peppers
1 single package of unflavored Tempeh
1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/4 cup fresh Onion, minced
1/4 cup organic Catsup
1 cup soft gluten-free Bread Crumbs
1/2 teaspoon dried Basil Leaves
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Herbamare (vegetable salt)
1/4 teaspoon rubbed Sage
1/4 cup Water

_____

1/4 cup hot Water
1/2 teaspoon Better than Bouillon Vegetable Stock Paste
 _____
Shredded Diaya brand Mozerella Cheese (non-dairy)
Paprika

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Wash peppers. Leave them whole, but cut off the tops, and removed the pulp and seeds, and rinse seeds from cavity.
3. Steam the peppers upside down in a steamer or on the stove in a covered pot with a small amount of water to steam for five minutes.
4. Brown the crumbled tempeh on medium heat in hot oil, adding onions, catsup, water, bread crumbs, basil leaves, salts, herbs and seasonings. Adjust salt, herbs and seasonings to taste.
5. Fill the peppers with the tempeh mixture and place in a square or round glass baking dish. 
6. Dissolve vegetable stock base in 1/4 cup hot water and add to the bottom of the baking dish.
7. Cover the baking dish with foil, then bake the peppers at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
8. Uncover the peppers, top with shredded cheese and paprika for another 10 minutes. If you want the cheese to bubble and brown a bit, you can broil for a few minutes.

Serves 4

Vegan, Gluten-Free Finnish Pancakes

Thanks to our sweet friend Sarah, from Edmonds (WA), we enjoyed a Sunday breakfast of Finnish pancakes. Sarah shared her recipe with friends on Facebook, and being one of her friends, I jumped at the opportunity to give her recipe a try to compare with the Dutch Babies (pancakes) I make. I found the Finnish pancake to be just as delicious, but slightly thicker with a bit of a custard texture (more on that later).

While baking, rather than the batter raising up on the sides to form a bowl like the Dutch Babies, the  vegan, gluten-free version of Sarah's Finnish pancakes I made domed in the center. Both types of pancakes settle down and flatten once out of the oven, as the start to cool.

I served our Finnish pancakes with a choice of real maple syrup or agave nectar, and slices of fresh mango and lichee on the side. If I had an assortment of fresh fruit in the house, I would have served a medley atop the pancakes with a dollop of coconut yogurt.

I'm sharing with you Sarah's original recipe, then give your my vegan, gluten-free version.

Sarah's Finnish Pancakes

Ingredients

4 Eggs

2 cups Milk

1 cup Flour

2 Tbsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Salt

4 Tbsp Butter

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 
2. Whisk eggs with the milk, flour, sugar and salt, until well blended.
3. Melt the butter in an 9x12 baking pan.
4. Pour in pancake mixture.
5. Bake for 20-23 minutes.

Lee's Vegan, Gluten-Free Finnish Pancakes

Ingredients

4 large Eggs
2 cups Rice Milk (try using Almond, Coconut or Hemp)
1 cup Gluten-Free Flour Mix
2 Tbsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 tsp Dried Lemon Peel (or fresh lemon zest)
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
4 TBSP Butter Substitute (I suggest Earth Balance or Smart Balance)


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Put two glass pie dishes in the oven to heat.
2. Whisk eggs with the rice milk, gluten-free flour, sugar, salt, vanilla and lemon peel, until well blended.
3. Carefully open the oven door, slide the rack out a bit and place 2 Tbsp of the butter substitute into each pie plate. The plates are so hot, the butter substitute melts very fast.
4. Carefully remove the pie plates with melted butter substitute from the oven, and pour half of the pancake mixture into pie dish.
5. Return the glass pie plates to the oven and bake the Finnish Pancakes for 22-24 minutes.

Note: I cooked our Finnish Pancakes for 21 minutes. The very center had a custard-like texture, but yummy! Next time, I will bake them one to two minutes longer. I might suggest reducing the milk just a bit, as I did add a little vanilla extract.

Black Olive and Roasted Potato Salad

Central Market in Poulsbo is a wonderful one-stop-shop grocer on the Quimper Peninsula. Last time I was there I bought my family in Eugene a terrific cookbook chalked full of fantastic vegetarian and vegan recipes for burgers and delicious, nutritious side dish accompaniments. Everything we've tried from Luke Volger's Veggie Burgers Every Which Way thus far has been exceptional, including Black Olive and Roasted Potato Salad with Arugula, on page 135.

The roasted potatoes just came out of the oven to cool before tossing with the vinaigrette.

In the meantime, I'll give you this gluten-free recipe, so you can whip up this dish for you and your guests tonight.

In the original, the potatoes are tossed with arugula. I'm serving the potato salad atop mixed greens and only using the only potatoes we had on hand, red. I also substitute cracked black pepper with cayenne, as I have a black pepper allergy. Although the recipes says it serves 4, it can be stretched to serve 6 if not the main course.

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato or 1 large large Yukon (8 ounces)

1 red potato (8 ounces)

4 tablespoons black olive tapenade (finely process 1 cup + of black pitted olives with 2 tablespoons olive oil)

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced into half-rings

3 cups baby arugula, baby spinach or mixed greens loosely packed

Fresh ground pepper to taste.

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400-degrees
2. Wash, dry and cut potatoes into 1-inch pieces. Peeling not necessary.
3. Toss potatoes with 3 tablespoons of the tapenade and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
4. Spread potatoes onto a baking sheet and roast for 35 minutes or until cooked through.
5. Completely cool the potatoes.
6. In a large mixing bowl, whisk 1 tablespoon of tapenade, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar and salt.
7. Add the slices of red onion and let the mixture stand for 10 minutes before adding the potatoes and greens before serving.
8. Season with black pepper to taste.

We served our warm black olive and potato salad on a bed of mixed greens with blanched asparagus and sautéed mushrooms.

Gorilla Bars

My 20-month old grandson, Leif, misunderstood "granola" calling his family's latest version of GF granola bars, Gorilla Bars. And yes, Leif, these Gorilla Bars are "yummy!"

Dry Ingredients

2-1/2 cups organic rolled oats
1/4 cup GF flour mix: 2 cups white rice flour, 2/3 cup potato flour/starch, 1/3 cup tapioca flour
3/4 cup ground flaxseed (automatic coffee bean grinder works great)
1/2 dry protein powder
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sliced almonds*
1 cup craisins*

* alternative ingredients to consider are: dried apples or apricots chopped fine, raisins....

Wet Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup creamy almond butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven 325-degrees. Lightly oil a 9"x13" baking pan with olive or canola oil.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Wait to add the dry fruit until the wet ingredients are ready to mix in.
3. In a small saucepan, stir together all the wet ingredients over medium-low heat until warm and well-blended.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, adding the craisins, mixing quickly until well-combined.
5. With lightly oiled hands, pat the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan.
6. Bake at 325-degrees for 20 minutes.
7. Let the bars cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting. A pizza cutter works best.
8. After the bars are cut, let them continue to cool before removing from the pan. You can cover them with plastic wrap overnight to keep the bars moist.
9. Store in an air-tight container up to a week, if they last that long!

Makes 24 bars

My daughter, Effie, is now contributing their family recipes to Cook Around the Block - experimenting, discovering and creating new recipes they are enjoying, having made a radical change to their lifestyle and eating habits to address food allergies, gluten and lactose intolerance, and to improve their health and fitness for their very active lives.

Best-Ever Vegan Chili and Best-Ever Rainbow

Best-Ever Chili

One of my latest "unpacks" from our recent move to the Olympic Peninsula is our moveable dry goods pantry - - beans begging to be cooked, since temperatures have dropped into the low 40's and 30's. I made yesterday an At-Home day, primarily so I could cook a large batch of homemade vegan chili based on "Big Paul's Chili" award-winning recipe with the follow additions, as follows :

I cooked up my own red beans, added V-8 juice for additional liquid, my own dried tomatoes (chopped), as well as crumbling three vegan Sunshine falafel patties (gluten /soy free) into the chili during the last stage of simmering all the ingredients.

It's savory sweetness and chunky texture make for an especially tasty, hearty, nutritious meal to stave off the fall and winter chill!

Ingredients:

3 Bell Peppers (green, red, yellow or orange combo), chopped

2 medium Onions, finely chopped

2 Carrots, chopped

3 Celery ribs, chopped

6 Garlic cloves, minced

2 T Lemon juice

1 small can Jalapeño peppers (mild), chopped

1 (15 oz) can organic Tomato Sauce

1 (28 oz) can organic crushed Tomatoes

1 cup dried Tomatoes, chopped

V-8 Juice for additional liquid

1 (15 oz) can of pitted Black Olives, chopped

6-8 cups Red Beans, cooked or canned (15 oz)

2-4 cups Black Beans, cooked or canned (15 oz)

2-4 vegan meatless patties or soy crumbles (optional)

¼ cup Maple Syrup (or Brown Sugar)

1 T Molasses

2 (heaping) T Chili Powder

¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper

Salt to taste

Olive Oil for sautéing vegetables

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot over medium heat sauté in olive oil the onions, carrots, celery, bell peppers and garlic until soft.
2. Add the tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, dried tomatoes, lemon juice, chili powder, cayenne pepper, maple syrup, molasses or brown sugar. Stir to mix well and heat up.
3. Reduce heat to medium, and then add in the red and black beans, black olives and optional meatless crumbles.
4. Simmer for 30-minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally. Salt to taste.
5. Garnish options: green onions, sour cream, crumbled saltine crackers
6. Serve with Spoon Bread (see my recipe)

Serves 8-10

Best-Ever Rainbow

After the chili was made and simmering, I made a quick trip over to the Wooden Boat School to deliver a new assortment of teas for the students to enjoy. It was a cold and rainy day. As I came down the hill, I saw the most beautiful, spectacular, breath-taking rainbow I've ever seen, which spanned the entire bay, seeming to rise out of the water at Port Hadlock and arch across the sky to Port Townsend. Here are the images I quickly captured before it faded away:

Gone Vegan, Be Back Soon!

Yep. I've gone vegan! About a week and a half ago, I started juicing with lots and lots of fabulous, mineral and vitamin rich veggies and fruits every day. I'm drinking at least 32-ounces of juice daily. I snack on raw fruits and veggies and have eaten a couple of meals out at a new vegan restaurant in town, the Cornbread Cafe.

I've eliminated all remaining animal products from my diet: seafood, eggs and dairy. I have easily adjusted to a plant-based diet. Satiated by an abundance of nutritious raw and vegan foods, I have increased energy and am dropping not only weight, but reducing my blood pressure too.

This all came about as a result of watching two documentaries: Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (instant play on Netflix). Joe Cross has a website as a follow-up to his film: Reboot Your Life. Forks Over Knives is a must see, which is now available on DVD. I just ordered a copy, as I plan to show it to everyone I love. I highly recommend them both!

It's been months and months since I've blogged, but I will get back to it soon. From now on, all my posts will focus on vegan cuisine and related topics. I will continue to enjoy the vegan recipes I've already prepared and shared here with you. For the time being, if you are reading this post and interested in juicing, I invite you to try my "The Beet Goes On" juice recipe featured on Healthy Juicing.

To Your Heatlh!

Sweet & Sour Citrus Salad

What! The last time I blogged was March 2nd! Where did the time go... let me tell you.

I haven't spent much time in the kitchen coming up with new, tasty and exciting delectable dishes, because we've been doing some traveling about the west coast, flew to the east coast, and once home we were off again to Central Oregon to visit family.

While visiting Bristol and Newport, Rhode Island, I enjoyed some of their freshest and finest seafood I've ever tasted - lobster at DeWolf Tavern, the best ever fish & chips at Via Blue Ocean, and scallops at Scales and Shells (also at Ray's Boathouse in Seattle, Wa). Clam poppers were new to me. Crab cocktail and grilled oysters in Port Townsend and The 3 Crabs in Sequim, Wa.

Here's just a taste...


Since I've been back, I've been bogged down with the cares of life, getting ready for a garage sale and putting our house back on the market.... all this seems to have sucked away any drops of culinary inspiration these past few weeks.

I must say though that watching episodes of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution is lighting sparks under my damp fire. And today, I mustered up enough enthusiasm to vote for my favorite dish in Oliver's Virtual Recipe Club- 20 Minute Meals/Cookbook Contest.

So, I'll begin again with a quick meal/side salad, something vegan, basic and sour, then sweeten it up to refresh and cleanse our palate!

I'm going to kick the blocks out from under my lethargy in the kitchen to kick-start an new wave of culinary enthusiasm, by sharing a healthy, zesty citrus salad with you!


Ingredients

1 large pink grapefruit, peeled and sectioned
1 large navel orange, peeled and sectioned
1 tablespoon sugar
1 large red pepper, julienned
1 small red onion, sliced and separated into rings
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, or to taste
2 teaspoons grated onion
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
4 cups torn salad greens
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the citrus sections and sprinkle with the sugar.
2. Add the red pepper, red onion and toss lightly.
3. In a blender, combine the honey, vinegar, poppy seeds, grated onion, lemon juice, salt, mustard and lemon peel. Cover and process until blended.
4. Pour over fruit mixture and toss to coat.
5. In a large serving bowl, toss the salad greens, mushrooms and fruit mixture.
6. Option - top with some slivered almonds or tasty candied pecans!
   

Yields 6 servings

Raw Vegan Pasta Primavera

It's been some time since I've cooked or enjoyed a classic Italian pasta entree at home or at a restaurant. This raw version not only satiated my craving for rich, delicious Italian flavors and texture, but my appetite was completely satisfied sans the heavy, overly-full feeling that often accompanies a traditional pasta meal.

Ingredients:

2 yellow squash
1/2 cup dried tomatoes, hydrated in water for 2 hours
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 sun-cured pitted olives
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 fresh parsley
1/4 cup pine nuts
optional: for making pasta puttanesca: red pepper flakes to taste, 1/2 teaspoon capers (rinsed)
sea salt to taste*

Directions:

1. Slice the squash into long, thin noodles. Set aside in a medium bowl.
2. In a food processor, combine the remaining ingredients and pulse until well-blended, but still chunky.
3. Toss the sauce with the noodles and serve.

*Avoid over-salting. Be aware that the olives (and capers) may be very salty, therefore additional salt will not be necessary.

Serves 2-4

Adapted from the cookbook Rawsome! Page 203.

Vinaigrette for Vegan Caesar Salad

I much prefer a zesty vinaigrette bursting with the flavor of seasonings and herbs over a thick, creamy dairy-based salad dressing any day. A good vinaigrette not only enhances the enjoyment of eating fresh greens, assorted vegetables and fruits, but it aids digestion, as well. Read more about making perfect vinegar dressings.

Vinaigrette for Vegan Caesar Salad

Ingredients:

1 head romaine lettuce, washed and dried
1/4 cup lemon juice or 4 tbsps apple cider vinegar (1/4 cup = 4 tbsps)
1 cup water
1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons shredded kelp (if you don't have kelp, don't let it stop you from making this!)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper or 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric (one of nature's anti-inflammatory spices)
1-2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup macadamia nuts or pine nuts, soaked for 4 hours, then rinsed (without the nuts, the dressing is watery, but still delicious and refreshing)
1/2 cup walnuts, soaked for 4 hours, then dehydrated until crunchy (6-12 hours)

Directions:

1. Tear bit-sized pieces of romaine and place it in a large serving bowl.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a blender and blend well.
3. Pour the vinaigrette over the romaine lettuce.
4. Top with crunchy walnuts. Croutons optional.

Learn how to make your own freezeable, gluten-free croutons.

Recipe adapted from the Rawsome! cookbook. Page 156.