Quinoa, Garbanzo Bean Burgers

I'm still working on figuring out how to make the patties hold together better... I've almost got it! 

• 1 egg, beaten 
• 2 cups cooked Garbanzo Beans
• 3 tbs olive oil ( I used rosemary infused oil)
• 1 cup cooked Quinoa
• 1/2 cup Shredded Carrot
• 1/2 Onion, chopped in food processor
• 2 Garlic Cloves,  chopped in food processor
• 10-20 Parsley Leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup Bread Crumbs
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Oregano 
• S&P

In a large mixing bowl add the quinoa, shredded carrot, onions, garlic, bread crumbs, parsley and seasonings. Season to taste. Next place the garbanzo beans in the food processor with the egg and olive oil. Pulse until smooth then add to the mixing bowl. Stir well and add some olive oil as needed until you can form patties. Make 6-8 patties out of the mixture, place on a non-stick backing sheet and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 375. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes, then broil on high for 2 minutes on each side.

Fixins:

Toasted Whole Wheat Everything Buns with Feta Cheese, Whole Grain Mustard, Tomatoes, Spinach & Avocado, 

Easy Orecchiette Pasta

This was a pretty tasty pasta but I added a little too much pasta and not enough fixins. The recipe below calls for less pasta than I used so it should turn out just right. I wanted to add asparagus but the store was out but I kept it in the recipe below. I really love the Orecchiette pasta texture and look forward to making it again!

• 2 tbs capers
• 1 bulb of roasted garlic 
• 4-5 asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 can artichoke hearts, quartered
• 1 can diced tomatoes, drained (do not use the juice) or use 4 very ripe tomatoes
• 2 cups of Orecchiette pasta (or whatever you have laying around)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 basil leaves, chopped
• Seasonings - S & P & Oregano 

Heat 1 tbs of olive oil in a large skillet and capers and asparagus, saute for 2-3 minutes. Next add the roasted garlic, artichoke hearts and diced tomatoes and seasonings. Cook covered on medium/low heat for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to directions. Once the pasta is done add it to the vegetable mixture and stir in the olive oil and basil leaves. Taste and season as needed. Enjoy!! 

Black Bean Portobello Quesadilla

These are my favorite quesadillas! They are super easy to make and delicious!! 

• 1-2 tbs olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, diced
• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2-3 large portobello mushrooms, diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Fixins:

Shredded jack or pepper jack cheese

Guacamole

Diced Tomatoes

Tortillas - plain, wheat, spinach or whatever you like

In a pot or large pan heat 1 tbs of olive oil and saute the garlic for 3-5 minutes. Add the portobello and zucchini and cook for another 2-3 minutes then add the black beans and balsamic vinegar, mix well. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes or until most of the liquid is dissolved.

Heat a cast iron skillet on med/high heat with a touch of olive oil. Place one tortilla on the skillet at a time with cheese on one half. Place a heap of the bean mixture on the quesadilla and top with a little more cheese. Fold the quesadilla over, cook for a minute or two then flip. 

Serve with the fixins above and enjoy!! 

Asian Salad with Baked Tofu or Chicken

This is a super yummy salad! I was craving chicken but since the b/f is a vegetarian I decided to try and make baked tofu. It turned out amazing!! The marinade and the dressing are pretty much the same ingredients so it's a user friendly salad. I had some sesame Asian dressing in the fridge so I mixed a little in my dressing recipe for fun and it was delish! 

Baked Tofu or Chicken Marinade

• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 2 tbs rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbs soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 tbs agave nectar (optional)

Mix the above ingredients in a shallow dish.

Baked Tofu -Slice the tofu into cubes, dry on paper towels then marinate in the mixture for an hour, flipping the tofu to make sure it is coated. Preheat the oven to 375. Place the tofu in a non-stick pan and bake for 35 minutes. Turn the tofu after 15 minutes. After 35 minutes broil the   tofu one each side until it starts to brown.

Chicken -Cut the chicken into cubes, place in a bowl or zip lock bag with the mixture and marinate for an hour.  Preheat the oven to 375. Place in a non-stick pan and bake for around 20 minutes. 

Salad Fixins
* I usually chop everything up and put it in tupperware so what ever I don't eat I can have ready for the next day. 

• 1 can  mandarin oranges, halved (reserve the juice for the dressing)
• 1 can water chestnuts, halved
• 1 sliced cucumber
• 1 shredded carrots
• 1/2 cabbage, sliced
• chopped romaine lettuce
• chopped cashews or peanuts

Dressing 

• 2 tbs sesame oil
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• juice from the mandarin (taste as you add)

Soba Noodles with Kale and Portobello

• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tbs chopped ginger
• 1/4 cup chopped red onions
• 2 kale leaves, remove the stem and chop
• 2 portobello mushrooms, chopped
• 1 cup shelled edamame
• 2 tbs rice wine vinegar
• 3 tbs soy sauce
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 1 package of soba noodles

Place the portobello mushrooms in a bowl and marinate in 2 tbs of soy sauce. While the mushrooms are marinating, heat a large pan on medium heat with the sesame oil and saute the garlic for 2-3 minutes. Next add the ginger and onions and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the mushrooms with soy sauce and kale cook for 3-5 minutes or until mushrooms start to soften then add in the rice wine vinegar, the rest of the soy sauce and edamame. Cover and cook on low heat. Cook the soba noodles then add to the shroom, kale mixture.

Makes 2-4 servings. 

Tomato Curry Soup

• 1 14 oz can of coconut milk
• 1 28 oz can of roma tomatoes, chopped
• 8 large basil leaves, chopped
• 2 1/2 to 3 tbs red curry paste
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 2 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 tbs coconut oil

Heat the oil in a large pot and saute the garlic for for 2-3 minutes, reduce heat to low and add the basil. Place the curry paste and 1/2 cup of coconut milk in a small bowl and whisk until all clumps are out. Pour all of the coconut milk and the curry powder in the pot and cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Add the can of tomatoes with the juice and keep the heat on med/low and cook for another 10 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy! 

Makes 3-4 servings

Farmer's Market Gazpacho

One of the best parts about summer is all of the fresh produce at the farmer's markets. I make a stop every Tuesday at the market to stock up on local fruits and veggies. The past few weeks there has been some good looking heirloom tomatoes and pretty bell peppers so I decided I should make some gazpacho. Gazpacho is one of those cold dishes for everyone since it's easy to make, vegan friendly, raw and good for you. This tasty soup is a great entree or appetizer and the best part is it makes great leftovers. The longer you let the soup sit in the fridge the better it tastes. If you want to spice it up just add red pepper flakes and it you want to make it a little fancier top it with lump crab meat. Make it your own and enjoy!!! 

Ingredients
1 large or 2 small, cucumbers, ends cut off and deseeded
3 bell peppers- 2 red and 1 green or yellow, seeds removed
4 garlic cloves
1 small red onion
1/2 cup loosely packed Italian flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro
3-4  large heirloom tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs), core removed

Pulse all of the above ingredients in a food processor one vegetable at a time then place into a large bowl.

Season the gazpacho with S&P and 2 tbs of good quality olive oil and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight for maximum flavor.

* It is up to you how chunky you want your soup to be but I like to pulse half the peppers & cucumbers to where they are kinda chunky then pulse the rest down as small as they can get. 

* Add red pepper flakes to spice it up.

My Flavor of the Month Salads

Beet & Orange Salad w/Avocado Creamy Dressing

(Makes 3-4 Servings)

Salad Fixins:

2 to 3 Large Beets - boiled, peeled & sliced
1 Navel Orange - peeled & cubed

Macadamia Nuts 

2-4 cups of Mixed Greens or Spinach

Place all salad fixins on a plate then top with dressing.

Dressing: 

1 Avocado, peeled and remove seed

3 tbs of Orange Juice 

1/2 Lime Squeezed

Dash of Olive Oil

Place all of the dressing ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. 

*If you dont have orange juice use  (save the peels with little pieces of orange left to juice for dressing)

Orange, Carrot & Pepper Salad

(Makes 3-4 Servings)

Salad Fixins:

2 Bell Peppers (1 Orange, 1 Yellow), cut in thick strips

5-6 Carrots Peeled

1 Navel Orange - peeled & cubed

2- 4 cups of Mixed Greens or Spinach 

Goat Cheese

Toasted Almonds

Dressing:

Red wine vinegar & touch of walnut, sunflower or olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350. Place the carrots and bell peppers in a baking dish and toss with a little sunflower, walnut or olive oil and bake for 15+ minutes or until carrots are tender. Remove and let cool.

Place the lettuce and orange on a plate, top with carrots and peppers and top with crumbled goat cheese and almonds.

*This tastes great even without the lettuce

Both recipes adapted from http://www.wholeliving.com/173430/eat-rainbow 

Lentil Wraps

This is my rendition of the Trader Joe's Spicy Lentil Wrap! Soooo delicious!!

Lentil Mixture
1 cup bulgar wheat, rinsed
1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed
1/2 cup green lentils, rinsed
1/2 tbs cumin
S & P
1 tbs olive oil
Red Pepper Tahini Sauce
1 lemon
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup chopped parsely
red pepper flakes, S&P
2 roasted red bell peppers


Other fixins
Cabbage, sliced thin or Chard
Lavash or tortillas

Lentil Mixture
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil with a touch of salt a drop of sunflower or olive oil. Add the lentils and stir, reduce to a simmer and cover for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes add the bulgar and cover for another 20-30 minutes until the mixture is soft. Remove from heat, season and mix well. You may have to add more oil if it seems to dry and more salt and cumin than you think so keep taste testing as you add it in. Set aside and let it cool.

Red Pepper Tahini Sauce
In a small bowl squeeze the juice from the lemon and mix it with the tahini, parsley and seasonings. Take the bell peppers (if you make at home cool them first, if you bought the jar just pour out the liquid) then place in the food processor with a touch of sunflower or olive oil then process until smooth. If the peppers are runny strain through a mesh strainer and reserve the liquid for the lentil mixture. Stir the red pepper mixture in the tahini mixture and place in the fridge.

Take the liquid from the strained peppers and pour into the lentil mixture.

Once the lentils have cooled  warm the lavash or tortilla for just a few seconds so it wraps more easily. Spoon on the Red Pepper Tahini Sauce on the tortilla or lavash then add the Lentil Mixture and cabbage. Roll, slice and serve!

Tomato, Kale & Garbanzo Bean Salad

2 cans of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 vine ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3-4 large kale leaves, washed and chopped
1 lemon, squeezed
3 garlic cloves
S&P
1 tbs olive oil

Saute the garlic in the olive oil on low for 2-3 minutes, then add the kale. Cover the saute pan and cook for just a few minutes to soften. Be sure not to over cook it so it stays a little crunchy. Once it is ready set aside to cool. Place the garbanzo beans in a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice and a little more olive oil. Next add the cooled kale mixture making sure to scrape out all of the garlic and olive oil from the pan. Stir well then toss in the tomatoes, S&P. Place in the fridge to cool and serve cold.