Garden Burgers with Spiced Scalloped Potatoes

Garden Burgers

1/2 cup cooked Adzuki beans
1/2 cup cooked black eyed peas
1/2 cup zucchini, grated
1/4 cup green onion, very thinly sliced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, minced
1/4 cup baby bella mushrooms, finely diced
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 tbsp garlic minced
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup water

Directions: In a medium sized bowl mash up the beans until they resemble a paste. Add all other ingredients and mix together. With your hands mold into patties, If to dry add a tbsp of water. Cook in a skillet on the stove with a bit of oil. I grilled up some onion and mushrooms to top the burgers, These are very versatile, Change up the veggies, add different spices, use different beans, try a different type of flour if you can't have gluten. Adjust to your preferences.  Top with anything you want. Makes approximately 8 patties

Spiced Scalloped Potatoes

4-5 potatoes, thinly sliced. (I used red, but any will work)
3/4 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup almond milk
2-3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp gram masala
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp sesame seeds
2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast.

Directions:Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place your potatoes in a baking dish slightly overlapping. Pour over the vegetable broth, then drizzle on the milk. I used a spray bottle of oil to mist the tops of the potatoes. Sprinkle on the garlic and spices. Then spray or drizzle again with the olive oil. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Review on Hazelnut-Crusted Sweet Chili Tofu

Thanks to a recipe post on Veg Portland I have found a new and awesome go to vegan cooking blog. Although I have never made anything other than the hazelnut crusted sweet chili tofu from Como Water, after browsing through the recipes it is sure to be a contender for my favorite cooking blog. This very quick and simple tofu recipe is packed full of a sweet, spicy, and nutty flavors...go figure the name says it all. I will be using this again and again on the nights I don't feel like cooking a big dinner.

This was the sweet chili sauce I used which I believe is a different sauce than the one featured in the recipe. Also In case you were wondering here is the recipe for the side I prepared to go with it. It paired quite nicely.



Steamed Collards and Kale


3 cups fresh collards roughly chopped (Or use your hands to tear)
3 cups fresh kale roughly chopped
1/4 cup water for steaming
1/3 cup nutrional yeast
1/3 cup almond slivers
2 tablespoons minced garlic
salt to taste

In a stock pot on medium low heat add the 1/4 cup water and the freshly washed greens. With toss occasionally until wilted. Add the nutritional yeast, almonds, garlic, and salt. Toss well and serve.

Salad with Orange Sesame Dressing and Pizza Dough Bread Sticks

 I try to make all my sauces and dressings from scratch myself, in an attempt to eat less processed food. Often what I come up with taste better than anything you can buy on a store shelf. So to me it's worth the extra time and effort. Here is a pretty good dressing I like to use. It is really more of a summer dressing but I was craving it.


For the Dressing:

1 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon grated garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tea spoons cornstarch
1/2 cup soft tofu
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Directions: In a sauce pan, combine all ingredients except the tofu and sesame seeds. Bring mixture to a simmer or medium-high heat, stirring often until it thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, stirring every so often to keep from getting gelatinous. In a small mixing bowl,beat the tofu with a whisk until creamy. Once the orange mixture is cool add to the tofu and whisk until blended well, then add the sesame seeds. I save all my jars and reuse them for dressing and sauces.


Pizza Dough Bread Sticks:

1 package of pizza dough. I usually use Trader Joe's or Pepe's
1 tablespoon olive oil
Garlic powder
nutritional yeast

Directions: Tear small pieces off  and roll them between your palms while pressing. Lay them out on a baking sheet. Lightly brush with olive oil and sprinkle with the garlic powder and nutritional yeast. Bake according to package temperature until they are puffed up and golden.

For the salad I used and organic herb mix and tossed in whatever veggies I had at the time. I topped it with some grilled vegan chickn' cutlets that I cut in to strips. I'm not sure of the brand they were given to us from our friends who took a trip to New York and came back stocked up on vegan goodies. They were pretty tasty though