Sweet Potato Lentil Burgers

I had an extra sweet potato, and, while I was tempted to make another pot of soup with it and some peanut butter, I opted for something new. I did some Googling and found someone else who's done some Googling and came up with something similar to what I wanted. These red bean, sweet potato, and quinoa patties seemed great, so I took a crack at it and made a few substitutions.

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

1/2 cup uncooked lentils

1 medium (fist-sized) sweet potato

1 medium red onion

4-5 cloves garlic

6-7 baby carrots

1-2 TB chopped fresh basil

1-2 tsp dried basil

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 TB red wine vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/4 cup uncooked couscous in lieu of breadcrumbs

This used up a lot of pots, so I inititally cooked the lentils until tender but not quite mushy. Then at the same time in different pots, I:

1. Boiled the sweet potato that I'd cut into small chunks
   
2. Cooked the quinoa


3. Cooked the onion in a little olive oil until clear, then added garlic and carrots for another few minutes.

Once done, I added them all to a bowl that could have been slightly bigger, along with the basil, vinegar, salt and pepper. I smushed the sweet potatoes on the side of the bowl and mixed everything together. I added the couscous at the end and gave it a few more stirs. Then I let it sit in the fridge for a few hours until I was ready for it.

I'm not a big fan of frying, whether it's deep or pan. After shaping into patties, I sprayed some olive oil (my mom gave me a great pump thing so it sprays just a little pure oil) on both sides and put on a baking sheet at 350 for 20-30 minutes, flipping mid-way through the cooking time. I cranked it up to 400 for the last 10 or so minutes to get it crispier. It made 7 large patties, though I ate one before I cooked it. You can easily stretch it to 8, and I calculated there are about 1000 calories in the whole batch.

I didn't have any bread, and didn't want to make roti since the patties were slightly labor intensive. So I steamed a head of cauliflower and made a cheezy cauliflower sauce for the patties. I put about 1/2 cup of the cooked cauliflower in my immersion blender attachment (a blender is fine) and added some salt, pepper, fresh cilantro, soy milk, tahini, and nutritional yeast.

Purple Basil Tomato Soup

This isn't really different from my last attempt at tomato soup. I sauteed 1 medium red onion in a little olive oil and added water, 1TB tomato paste, 2 large tomatoes, and 6 roma tomatoes. I brought to the boil and added a few leaves of purple basil since I think the regular basil in my aerogarden killed it. (The purple basil had fallen over last night when I got home. I suspect the regular basil was blocking light or otherwise bullying it.)

Once it boiled for about 15 I added 8 or 10 white mushrooms that I'd chopped up. I let these cook for just a few minutes and then scooped out half of the chunky parts so I could use my immersion blender on the rest. I also added in about .5 cup of soy milk just to make it a little creamier and a few more basil leaves for flavor.

The real best part of everything was the lentil couscous salad I made to go in the soup. First I cut up 3 cloves of garlic, added some salt, a few chopped basil leaves, and 1TB olive oil. I let it sit as long as I could so the garlic and basil would infuse into the oil. Meanwhile, I cooked 3/4 cup lentils until just done so they weren't yet mushy, and I made 3/4 of couscous. Once all the cooking was done, I mixed the oil mixture, lentils, and couscous together and put about 3/4 cup into each of the 4 servings I made. Then I garnished with a gigantic purple basil leaf.

It was great- the raw garlic added extra zing to the soup. I promise I'll get more creative with tomato soup in the spring.

Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squashes are delicious but laborious. And sometimes I OD on them a little. But I got my first one this season and saved it for just the right moment.

It was really pretty easy and is the best tasting thing I've ever put in my mouth. I can't describe how amazing it is- beautiful, creamy, and flavorful. Wow.

I roasted a whole butternut squash (which was a little on the small side) in the oven on 350 until the inside was soft (45 minutes?). I also had 6-8 cloves of garlic (whole cloves with some paper still on them) and 2 cut sliced red onions roasting at the same time. I added just a touch of cooking spray and stirred them 3 or 4 times as they got delicious.

I made a special trip to the organic store today because I needed some nutritional yeast and wanted to get some Better than Cream Cheese because, well, it's like crack. While I was there I saw some vegan bullion (flavored with sea salt and herbs) and spontaneously threw it into my little basket. So, I dissolved 2 cubes in a couple cups of water (2ish cups, maybe 3cups) and added 3 TB of Better Than Cream Cheese. Pureed with the immersion blender and voila, amazingness. So what about the onions? I added them to couscous to add to the middle of the soup, which makes me feel a little fancy.

Tofu, I'm Not Scared of You!

My camera has no batteries because it evidently takes a LOT of power to take 30 pictures.

Since I'm going to the beach this weekend and Iowa for the Livestrong Presidential Cancer Forum, I wanted to use up my produce. I purchased some portabellas on a whim this week, and I had some green beans. I needed some protein, though, so I decided to throw in some tofu, too.

I pan-fried the firm tofu I'd cubed in a light layer of olive oil spray. I actually didn't touch it, so it got nice and brown. But I didn't feel like browning all four sides so I browned 2 sides and threw in the green beans with some red wine vinegar. When those were almost done, I added strips of the shroom. Meanwhile, I cooked some couscous and topped it with the veggies. A pretty easy and tasty dish. I had no onions so next time I'll make it like I usually do my caramalizing some onions first. Yum.

My Tastiest Creation Yet

I love sweet potatoes. They are a great lunch- I often just pop one in the microwave at work for 9 minutes and eat it plain for lunch. When I went to California, I cooked some sweet poatatoes and cut them up to take with me on the plane. Sweet potato fries are also a delight.

So for brunch today I decided to use up my last sweet potato. I put it in a 400 degree oven and let that baby bake for what seemed like forever. While it was baking, I cooked 2 very tiny onions and 3 cloves of garlic in some leftover sauvignon blanc from Friday night that sadly did not get consumed. I cooked them until they were pretty brown, deglzing the pan with the wine a few times. While I was waiting for the potato to be done, I also made .25cup of whole wheat couscous with a generous amount of dried Italian herbs.

When the sweet potato was done, I (amazingly) scooped out all the potato and mixed with the wined onions/garlic and mashed it up. I also added 1TB Earth Balance Soy Butter to the couscous and let it melt a little bit from the general kitchen heat. I topped the potato with the couscous, applying with a spoon and using my hand to smush it down. I then put it back in the oven to broil and get the top nice and toasty.

It was heavenly! And it looked pretty! The sweet onions/garlic went so well with the caramalized sugars from the sweet potato, and the herbed topping was so good. The best part was getting a little of the couscous, some sweet potato, and the crispy skin. It might have been a smidge better with some salt, but that's not really an option until I go to the grocery later. Simply amazing.

Shepherd's Pie...sort of

I needed to use up a few things in the fridge, one item being cauliflower. Since I'm now obsessed with "mashed cauliflower," I thought I'd have to incorporate that into a meal somehow. Well, when I think of mashed potatoes, I think of Shepherd's Pie, even though I've only had it once. In undergrad, the ex made one with a meatloaf type of bottom, corn, and mashed potatoes on top. So that's what I think of when I think of Shepherd's Pie. However, I wasn't 100% sure that my definition of SP was acccurate, so I wikipedia'd it and apparently the version I had is the American version, the real version being some sort of meat and veggies in gravy with mashed potatoes on top. This is where I began.

This meal was a real multi-tasker, especially since I had 2 loads of laundry going downstairs, too. I started with about .8 cups of lentils (400 calories) since the bag was empty. Once those were boiling, I got out the frying pan, sprayed it with olive oil cooking spray, and added one giant onion. On yet another burner, I steamed 1/2 med-large head of cauliflower (100 cal.). Meanwhile I got 2/3cup whole grain couscous going on the side.

When the onion started to brown, I added garlic. Then I thought it might burn so I deglazed (my new favorite thing) the pan with some white wine...twice. Fine.

I put about half the onions/garlic in the blender with the cauliflower, salt and pepper, a splash of soy milk, and some dried rosemary (which I love).

To the rest of the onions/garlic I added some red wine vinegar. Then I quasi drained the lentils to get most of the water out and added them to the pan and added the couscous. I used couscous because, first and foremost, I needed more grains for the day and that was an easy way to sneak them in. I also used them to give it a little more volume.

So, once all that was mixed with a little salt, I mushed it down into a round Pyrex pie dish, topped with steamed Brussels sprouts, and covered in a nice, creamy layer of mashed cauliflower. Popped that baby in a 350 degree oven while I took the dog out (15 minutes?) and then cranked up the broiler to get the top a little brown.

It came out beautifully! Each layer on its own tasted amazing, and together it tasted even better! I have 3 giant servings (400 calories each), which means lunch tomorrow and maybe one slice for the freezer. The laundry, however, wasn't as much fun since the dryer door somehow opened so my clothes probably sat there for 30 minutes not actually drying.

Next time I'll use less couscous, add a lot mushrooms, use some type of broth, and make an entire head of cauliflower.

I'm Quitting My Job

If I didn't love fighting cancer so much, I'd quit. Because I enjoy sitting around my apartment cooking all day just as much. I didn't have to be at work today so I did my favorite thing in the world. And wore my awesome "Vegan Cowgirl" t-shirt while doing it! (Thanks jennilicious!)

For breakfast I cooked 1/4 barley (100 calories) and added 1 TB peanut butter (100 calories), .5TB unsweened cocoa (10 calories) , and a splash of 8th continent light vanilla soy milk (20 calories). It was a tasty breakfast, although I sort of felt like a 5 year old. This might be a new weekend staple, probably with a mushy banana added to it.

Lunch was even more fun. I decided I had to have mashed cauliflower and it had to look just like mashed potatoes. So I steamed a head of cauliflower (I once read that cooking veggies in water destroys a lot of the good stuff in them, but steaming is ok) and simultaneously cooked 2 very tiny onions (40 calories) and 4 cloves of garlic (20 calories) in 1 TB of Earth Balance margarine (100 calories). When the cauliflower was done, I added it and 1/2 the onion/garlic to the blender with a splash of unsweetened soy milk (30 calories) and blended until it was nice and creamy. If you were looking at it (if I would buy new batteries or a new camera), you'd think it was mashed potatoes. I also threw in some salt and pepper. I added the rest of the onion/garlic mixture to them so there's be a few lumps.

I swear I couldn't tell it was cauliflower. And I love cauliflower...I generally roast it in some olive oil and add some red pepper flakes, or lately I've been putting it in my lentils with some curry. Sometimes I just eat it plain steamed. Anyway, this dish was amazing. For people who claim they don't like veggies, they've just never had them cooked the right way, and this is a great way to do it. I cannot wait to have leftovers for dinner. Yum!

Oh, and I also decided I needed a couscous dish to go with my mashed cauliflower. So I put in 1/3 cup whole wheat couscous with .25 cup golden raisins (because they didn't have sultanas when I needed them and these were a last minute replacement for another dish awhile ago), some hazelnuts (I wanted walnuts, but I was too lazy to reach farther into the cupboard to find them), and some now dried mint that was once fresh but I stashed into the freezer in it's regular package without protecting it in a fit of panic because I didn't want it to go bad when I used it in the dish I needed the sultanas for, and 1/3 cup hot water. I covered the bowl and 5 minutes later mixed it up and threw it in the fridge. Then I decided it might be too dry and it needed some liquid. For whatever reason I chose unsweeneted soy milk instead of something like olive oil that might have been a better choice. But it came out delicious- a good breakfast dish. Now I can't wait to keep using the mint...

My Favorite Meal

I recently came up with a recipe that is my absolute favorite thing ever. Chop up a large onion and sautee it in olive oil until the onion gets very clear and looks like you are about to burn it. Add some chopped garlic and brussels sprouts (greatest veggie ever) or green beans. When green beans are almost done, deglaze the pan with some red wine vinegar. Why did I have red wine vinegar? A friend willed it to me when she moved. I'd never used it before the first time I made this, and it was also my first time to deglaze a pan.

I made it last week and took it to work for lunch where no less than 3 people asked me what I'd made that smelled so good. My response, "Brussels sprouts!" Then I got a few weird looks. Just because your parents overcooked gross frozen sprouts so they tasted like crap doesn't mean they aren't absolutely delicious. You can roast them with olive oil, steam them and mash them with a little vegan butter, pan fry with onions/garlic, shred them, blend them into a soup...oh my god I have to stop.

Lately I've been trying to mix food groups instead of eating, oh, a giant plate of roasted brussels sprouts. So I made some whole wheat couscous that I had planned to add to the pan, but it was too full so I just threw it on the plate with the veggies on top. And ever since lunch a few weeks ago at Java Green, I've been obsessed with tempeh. I bought some awhile ago but let it sit in my fridge as I debated how to use it. Cubed it and tossed that right in a few minutes before the green beans.

It makes about 4 good-sized servings that are less than 400 calories a piece. (2 large onions, 9 cloves garlic, 1TB olive oil, 4 cups green beans, 8oz tempeh, 1 cup couscous)

Tofu Saturday

Jennilicious inspired me to buy tofu a few weeks ago and I was so pleased with the quiches that I decided to branch out. This morning I made scrambled silken tofu (1/2 the box) with green onions, cilantro, chilli powder, and turmeric. After a small mishap with 1/2 the bottle of chilli powder ending up in the pan, I plopped the mixture atop a nice warm piece of toast with Trader Jose's (Trader Joe's) habenero and lime salsa. Yum and only about 250 calories.

Since I still had a half a block of tofu and 2 tomatoes I needed to use today, I thought a creamy tomato basil soup would hit the spot on this freezing (well, below freezing) day. I blended the tomatoes and tofu, put it in a pot, and added salt, pepper, and dried basil. When I have soups, I like to dip bread into it, but today I decided to be a little different and use whole grain couscous. Instead of making the couscous first and then adding the soup, I put 1/3cup couscous in the bowl and topped with the soup and covered. Five long minutes later, I returned to the bowl slightly disappointed. I was hoping for a soupy mixture with couscous sitting on the bottom of the bowl. But, it all sort of mixed together. And the water from the tomato separated a little bit from the rest of the soup so I had to stir it all together again. Which is fine, it all tastes the same!

The soup came out a beautiful pink, and when topped with raw green onions, it looked amazing (if only my camera worked). It tastes even better than it looks. Next time I make it, I might thin it out some with unsweetened soy milk. And I meant to add some roasted garlic (6 cloves) to the blender, but I was famished and couldn't wait for the garlic to roast so I left it out. Only about 400 calories for a giant bowl.

Unrelated to tofu, I decided to make some pear chips. So I used my fancy slicer (otherwise known as a knife) to create somewhat even slices. But since I'm dumb, some of them ended up quite a bit thicker than the others. Oh well. I popped them in a 275ish degree oven and let them cook for an hour, maybe a little longer. I flipped them twice and moved the pan around when I put them back in. The last time I flipped them, I sprinkled cinnamon over them and added a total of .5TB of dark brown sugar to the tops. I let them cook until the brown sugar looked bubbley, then I put them on the rack to cool.

Amazingly I haven't scarfed them down yet, but that's because they were cooling while I was making my soup. I sampled one, though, and they are delightful.