Meatless Monday: Loaded Veggie Burgers

We tend to fall off the Meatless Monday wagon, but we make up for it other days of the week.  My friend referred me to this recipe for Veggie Burgers - she said they were amazing, but honestly, she had me at "throw it all in the processor." 

...And you do!

Shall we? OK, here goes:

Loaded Veggie Burgers

adapted from here

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 carrot, diced
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 red bell pepper
• 15 ounces cooked black beans, drained
• 1/4 cup Italian seasoned dried breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

 Directions

1. Cook quinoa according to directions - set aside.
2. In a food processor, pulse carrot until finely chopped. Add cooked quinoa, onions, garlic, bell pepper, beans, breadcrumbs, egg, cumin, salt, and pepper; pulse until combined but still slightly chunky.
3. Form mixture into patties - mine made about six. 
4. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium; cook burgers until browned, about 8 minutes per side.

Meatless Monday: Stuffed Zucchini

I almost skipped Meatless Monday last week, as Ben was out of town, and the girls couldn't care less whether we go meatless or not. However, I remembered seeing an image of stuffed zucchini on Pinterest that looked promising (you should follow my food board, here). Most importantly for me, it was easily adaptable, so I went for it. There was also a *kid-pleasing* presentation option I was hopeful about. *Be sure to read my Recipe Tips at the end of the post!*

recipe heavily adapted from here

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
To make the stuffed zucchini "boats," you first need to carve out the hull of the zucchini. To do that, cut the squash lengthwise...

Then, using a spoon or melon baller, scoop out the flesh. Don't toss it, though! It goes into the filling later. Place the squash in a lightly buttered for oiled baking dish.

What you fill the zucchini with is entirely up to you, and this is where I did my own variation using Texturized Soy Protein ("TSP")

TSP is a soy product made to resemble meat in texture. It's what soy burgers are made of, but also comes in a dried version that is easily reconstituted to a spongy protein source. It also acts like its sister product, tofu, in that it takes on the flavor of whatever it is cooked with, so it's very versatile.

For the remainder of the filling I used:

• the scooped zucchini flesh - chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tomato, seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Cheese, shredded to taste for topping
  

While the TSP soaks, cook the onion and carrot with olive oil until they begin to soften - about 10-15 minutes.

Next, add the garlic, tomato, red pepper and drained TSP (Be sure to follow package directions) Let the veggies and soy cook on med-low for about 10 more minutes, stirring to blend flavors.

Spoon the mixture into the zucchini boats, and sprinkle the top with parsley for added color and flavor.

Place in the oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle tops with shredded cheese, then return to oven, and turn on broiler to melt the cheese - about 5-7 minutes.

I played up the "boat" aspect of the zucchini for Avery, complete with sail and "water" salad. She was mildly amused. :/

Nutrition Round-Up

• This recipe is low calorie and low fat
• If you use TSP, it is a good source of a low-fat, complete protein
• Using Carrots, Onions, Bell Pepper and Tomato (as well as the zucchinis themselves!) makes this recipe a good source of dietary fiber and nutrients such as Beta Carotene and Vitamin C.
  

*Recipe Tips for the next time I make this*

1. The zucchini was a little too raw/crisp for me. If you're trying to eat at least a percentage of raw food, I think this version will suffice, but for my family, next time I'll either steam or parboil the zucchini before filling it.
2. The recipe I went by called for the mixture to include sour cream. Sour cream doesn't exist in Brazil, so I skipped it, but the mixture definitely could've used some kind of binder and/or richener. Next time, I'll use either a soft cheese or plain yogurt to add a bit more richness.
3. Going back to the hearty-ness factor, this recipe was lacking. I'm pretty sure I was hungry again within an hour or so, and likely had a bowl of cereal as my nightcap! It might be better served as a side dish....

Meatless Monday: Bulgar Taco Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing

It's been really amazing to me that Meatless Monday has become something my family (well, OK, maybe just Ben) looks forward to. I can count on him asking, "So, what's for Meatless Monday?" when he walks in the door. Keeps me on my toes to find appealing recipes!

I've had a bag of dry bulgar wheat in the pantry, and have been wanting to work with it, so I looked up recipes, and found one for Bulgar Taco Salad. I happened to have the other ingredients on hand as well, so it was an easy decision.

recipe adapted from Get Natured

If you've not tried Bulgar, you really should add it to your grain repertoire. When cooked, it is a chewy, dense grain that actually works very well in a meat-substitute dish.

To make the salad, you'll need:

• 1/2 cup dry bulgar wheat
• 1 15 oz can black or pinto beans, rinsed well **I used dark red kidney beans
• 1/2 cup corn
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1 avocado, diced
• 4 cups lettuce **I used Boston/Butter lettuce, but it's really just a personal preference, just don't use Iceberg, please! ;)

1. Place 1 cup of water and the dried bulgar in saucepan, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the water has been absorbed, and grain is tender (about 12-15 minutes). Uncover and let cool. *I boiled my bulgar in vegetable broth to up the flavor.
   
2. Combine bulgar, beans, corn, green onions, and tomato.
   

Cast of Characters for the dressing

Cilantro-Lime Dressing

• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup cilantro, packed
• 1 tsp agave nectar or honey
• 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder (adjust to desired level of spice)
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tso Mexican oregano
  
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Mix well, and add to the bulgar/veggie mix. Stir well to coat all the veggies.
Serve bulgar mix atop a bed of the lettuce, and top with diced avocado.

Nutrition Round-Up
* The bulgar wheat and kidney beans are great sources of protein, iron and fiber
* Tomatoes pack an antioxidant punch
* Avocados are good sources of fiber, folate, and Vitamin K, as well as Monounsaturated fat
info via here

Meatless Monday: Hearty Veggie Soup

This is a quick post featuring a real-quick answer to dinner when you can't devote much thought or time to what to prepare (that was the case for me today). Still sticking with a Meatless Monday theme, though...

Do you remember the (now seems ancient) Cabbage Soup Diet? The theory was that if you spent a week eating the prescribed Cabbage Soup, you could lose up to ten pounds. I hope none of us (ahem) ever subscribed to such nonsense! However short-term the weight-loss benefits, some people found they actually liked the Cabbage Soup!

In a nutshell, you dump a lot of vegetables into a soup pot, along with cabbage, obviously, and let it simmer away. The variations on the theme can be endless, but the basic recipe served as my inspiration for today's Veggie Soup.

My Hearty Veggie Soup

• 2-3 cans Diced Tomatoes with juice *
• 1/2 head of Cabbage, cut into small chunks
• 1 bag frozen soup veggies: carrots, peas, green beans, corn, potatoes*
• 2-3 stalks & leaves celery, chopped
• 1/4 onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh garlic
• Salt and Pepper to taste
  

Put all ingredients into a soup pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. I imagine this recipe would work great in a crock pot as well.
To bulk up the recipe, but keep it veggie, add a can of beans, or some cooked brown rice.

* I only had one can of diced tomatoes on hand, so I pureed three fresh tomatoes for the soup base, and added some vegetable broth for volume and flavor.
*If you can use fresh chopped veggies - awesome!

Nutrition Round Up

• All of the veggies add up to a good amount of dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals
  
• Tomatoes are a good source of lycopene - an antioxidant