Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burgers

I can't get enough black beans and sweet potatoes.  They just blend together so perfectly.  I came across a black bean burger recipe online, added to it, and came up with the one I'm sharing today.  These burgers are really easy to make, and do best if you make them in advance and let them sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour before cooking.  I like mine on a whole wheat bun with yellow mustard and sliced onion.

What You Will Need:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet potato, cubed
1+ tablespoon water
2/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, minced
5 basil leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan.  Saute the sweet potato cubes until they pick up some color and begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to keep them from drying out and let simmer in the pan until the potatoes are soft and most of the water has been absorbed.
2. Add the beans to the pan.  Let heat about a minute and then using a potato masher, mash up the beans and potatoes, until all of the beans and most of the potatoes are mashed, leaving a few potatoes cubed.
3. Add all of the other ingredients to the pan and mix well.  Remove from heat.
4. Divide the mixture into patties (this recipe makes 6).  Place them in the fridge for at least an hour, so they become firmer.
5. When ready to cook, add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan.  Saute them for about 4 minutes on each side, or until they begin to brown.  

5 minute meal- Seitan Stir Fry

So lately I've been cooking a lot with Westsoy brand Seitan.  It's SO good, very "meaty," and low in calories and sugar. It's a great substitute for beef or chicken.  I've used it in tacos, beef stew, and the other night I made stir fry veggies with it.  Stir fry is a super quick, healthy, and delicious meal.  It's great for those nights you want something good but either don't have the time, or just don't feel like cooking.  Make the brown rice ahead of time and this seriously takes about 5 minutes.

What You Will Need:
1 box seitan, I cut it into strips
1 bag frozen stir fry veggies, you could go fresh but Birds Eye sells a great stir fry blend- sugar snap peas, carrots, mushrooms, and onions.
2 cups brown rice, cooked
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (good source of calcium)
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder

1. If you haven't already, cook the brown rice and set aside.
2. In a big wok pan, heat the oil and then toss in the stir fry veggies and seitan.  Add the sesame seeds and garlic powder.  Cook until heated throughout.
3. Serve over the brown rice, and drizzle the soy sauce on top.

So easy, quick, and delicious.

Simply Delicious Butternut Squash and Kale Soup

With Thanksgiving around the corner, I've been craving butternut squash.  (For Thanksgiving I make a cranberry almond squash bake (so good!) which I'll be sharing later.)  Anyways, I had planned to make roasted butternut squash and sauteed kale over brown rice.  But I wanted the rice to be creamy.  So in the end I decided to make a soup and I am so glad I did!  This soup turned out to be so good with a very comforting, simple, delicious flavor.  And with the kale it adds an added boost of those vitamins and nutrients everyone needs, especially during cold and flu season- just 1 cup has 200% of Vitamin C, along with Vitamin K, and calcium! Eating healthy is just so easy and delicious!

What You Will Need:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon sage
6 cups vegetable broth
1 cup brown rice, uncooked
3 cups butternut squash, cubed
3 cups kale, washed and chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large pot and saute the onion, garlic, thyme, and sage for about 3 minutes, or until the onions become translucent.  
2. Add the vegetable broth, rice, squash, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Then add the kale, cover, and continue simmering an addition 25 minutes.

"Beef" Stew

With the cold weather I just love to curl up at night with a hot bowl of soup.  I've been craving a vegan version of beef stew.  I've never made it before, and it was actually really easy.  I based mine on the delicious beef stew my mom used to make.  The aroma alone will make your mouth water.

For the beef, I used Westsoy brand seitan cubes, but Gardein brand Beefless tips would work really great as well.

What You Will Need:
2 potatoes, cubed
1 cup carrots, diced
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups green peas
1 tablespoon vegan worcestershire
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 box seitan, or 1 bag beefless tips
salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a large pot, add the potatoes, carrots, onion, thyme, rosemary, and olive oil.  Saute on medium high heat for about 5 minutes, to cook the onions. Give it a stir every minute so the potatoes don't stick.
2. Then add the flour, vegetable broth, peas, worcestershire, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Bring everything to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. While the stew is simmering, in a separate pan, brown the "beef."
4. After the stew has simmered for 30 minutes, add the "beef" and let it simmer, uncovered, an additional 5 minutes.  

So easy biscuits and gravy

Growing up my dad used to make us homemade biscuits on the weekends.  Biscuits are just a staple of breakfast in the southern kitchen.  I don't cook these often, but every now and then I like to indulge in this delicious, homestyle, comforting meal.  These biscuits are so quick and easy to make, much healthier than those you can pick up at a fast food joint, and in my opinion, much tastier.

Makes 12 biscuits.  If you aren't serving all the biscuits at once, I'd recommend cutting the gravy recipe in half for a smaller serving.

What You Will Need:


Biscuits:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup Earth Balance vegan butter, melted
1 cup almond or soy milk
1 teaspoon sweetener (optional)
pinch of salt

Gravy:
4 tablespoons Earth Balance vegan butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups almond or soy milk
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper


To make the biscuits:

1. Preheat oven to 450.  
2. In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and optional sweetener.  
3. Then stir in the melted butter and milk.  Knead dough, and add flour as needed if the dough is too sticky. 
4. Roll out until about 1/4 inch thick and use a glass to cut biscuit rounds.  Continue re-rolling out the dough and cutting biscuits rounds until all the dough is used.  Place the biscuits on a lightly greased baking sheet, and bake 18 minutes or until the biscuits begin to brown.

 To make the gravy:

1. Over low heat, melt the butter in a small saucepan. 
2. Blend in the flour, salt, and pepper, and cook until it becomes smooth and bubbly.  
3. Stir in the milk. 
4. Heat to boiling on medium-high heat, stirring constantly.  Stir and boil about 1 minute, or until you've reached the desired thickness.

With Lightlife Gimme Lean vegan sausage

*The gravy also goes great with chicken fingers.  I prefer Gardein brand chipotle lime crispy fingers

Veggie Pot Pie

Growing up, one of my favorite meals was my mom's chicken pot pie.  The sweet doughy crust with the delicious creamy vegetables inside, just the smells alone made my mouth water.  It was absolutely delicious.  Last week I was in the new Fairway and picked up an Amy's brand non-dairy vegetable pot pie.  It was good, but not as delicious as the ones I'd had homemade.  So I decided to make my own and I'm glad I did.  My pot pie turned out absolutely delicious!  I've even been sneaking bites of it this morning.  

*I opted for homemade biscuits baked on top instead of pie crust.

What You Will Need:

1 cup carrots, chopped

5 red potatoes, cubed with skins on

1 and 1/2 cups peas 

1 and 1/2 cups corn

1 vegetable bullion cube

3 cups water

Salt and pepper

1/2 large onion, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon cumin

2 cups + 3 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

3 tablespoons + 1/4 cup Earth Balance butter

1 and 3/4 cups soymilk

1 tablespoon Splenda

1. In a large pot with a lid, bring the carrots, potatoes, peas, corn, bullion, water, and a pinch of salt and pepper to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.
2. While the vegetables are simmering, in a small pan, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until the onions become translucent and start to brown.  Add the cumin and 3 tablespoons of flour and stir until the flour is light brown and the mixture is thick.  Add 3/4 cup soymilk and 3 tablespoons of Earth Balance, bring to a boil and stir constantly for about a minute, until the mixture thickens. Pour the onion mixture into the pot of vegetables and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, allowing the mixture to thicken.
3. As the vegetables and onion mixture are simmering, in a large bowl combine 2 cups of flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, pinch of salt, and 1 tablespoon of Splenda.  Then add 1/4 cup Earth Balance melted and 1 cup of soymilk.  Add flour if the dough is too sticky.
4. Pour the vegetable mixture into a lightly oiled baking dish.  Place spoonfuls of the biscuit dough on top.  Bake at 450 for 20 minutes, or until the biscuits begin to brown.

 

Hearty Vegetable Soup

I love vegetable soup.  You can pretty much put all of your favorite veggies in a pot, and it's going to turn into something delicious.  In this recipe I put in all of the vegetables I love, but it can easily be modified and made into a meal full of your favorites.  You can use sweet potatoes instead of regular, spinach instead of collard greens... well, you get it. I try to make mine colorful- red pepper, yellow corn, collard greens- that way I know it's packed full of vitamins and all the good things your body needs.  I also use frozen vegetables.  Not only are they cheaper and you get more, but frozen vegetables are frozen at their freshest and retain their nutrients better than fresh vegetables, which have usually endured multiple days of transit.  Whichever type of vegetables you choose, this soup is so easy and delicious.  It's way better than that canned stuff!

Hearty Vegetable Soup


What You Will Need:

1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup carrots, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 potatoes, cubed
1 red pepper, diced
3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 cup corn
1 cup okra
1 cup peas
2 cups collard greens, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, plus the juice
pinch of cayenne
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

1. Saute the onion, garlic, carrots, and pepper on medium-high heat until the onions become translucent.
2. Then add all the other ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.