Beet and Bean Burgers

 

I'm not really sure why, but lately I have been having pretty intense cravings for burgers. 

Now I'm not really the kind of person who gets many food cravings, though if I physically see and smell something delicious you'd better believe it is taking all of my willpower to not take down who ever is in possession of said delicious item and cram it into my face hole. But the feeling usually passes pretty quickly and I am free to continue on with life.

Not so lately. For whatever reason my mind has become clouded with dreams of chunky patties, crisp lettuce and creamy sauce. I have been dreaming of rolling on the floor making burger angels as I laugh like a demented person. Whenever I enter a restaurant I quickly flick to the burgers/sandwiches section and by god there had better be a veggie burger on there or a whole storm of negative yelp reviews are going to be raining on that poor, unsuspecting establishment. 

Whatever the cause (hakuna your tatas Mum! it is most definitely not one of THOSE sorts of cravings!), when I found my self thinking "Oh, that Krabby Pattie looks pretty good..." I knew something had to be done.

Enter the Beet and Bean Burger.

If you look up vegan burger recipes you will find that many of these feature beetroots and some variety of beans and for good reason. Beans provide the perfect burger base, giving body and protein to the pattie which would usually be played by the role of Mr. meat. As well as giving it a kick-ass colour, beetroots provide a huge amount of moisture to keep that pattie succulent even while the outside is being crisped and just seems to add an earthiness and enhance all the other flavours you are adding in. 

I happened to stumble across this recipe from The Minimalist Baker  which sounded (and looked) ammmmazing so I decided to create my own version, changing up the flavours and adding a few extra bits and pieces. 

Let me tell you: my burger cravings = 100% satisfied!

So tasty and full of veggies, I served my pattie with the usual burger accompaniments - think wholegrain bun, fresh salad, creamy avocado and crispy potato chips! 

I would 100% recommend you give it a go and let me know what you think and if you have ever considered turning tricks to Mr. Krabs for a burger bite. 

Beet and Bean Burgers

(Makes about 6 patties)

1/2 zucchini, grated

1/2 raw beetroot, grated

1/4 cup corn

1 cup cooked quinoa

425g black beans, crushed with a masher or fork

1/2 brown onion, very finely chopped

1/2 cup kale, finely chopped

 1/4 cup almond meal (may need more or less depending on moisture)

 1 tsp ground cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Thrown everything into a large mixing bowl and use your hands to mix and bring together until well combined. 

If you feel the mix is to wet to hold together add a little extra almond meal to soak up some of that excess liquid. 

Take large handfuls of the mixture and form into patties. Spread them over baking trays lined with non-stick paper and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes or until crispy on the outside, very gently flipping at about the halfway mark (they are fragile and will break if you try an aggressive, pancake style flip so COOL YOUR JETS and be gentle!). 

Eat are they are, served with a salad or sitting atop a burger buns crammed with salad and topped with some creamy mashed avocado (plus crispy baked potato chips/fries because CARBS).

  

  

Vegan Coconut Curry

THEY SAY VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE...

Well they are wrong. 

Spices. Spices are the spice of life.

I mean come on, its in the name dude! 

Spices are literally (or figuratively...depending on which side of the Bible belt you sit) God's gift to vegans and anyone who wants to keep their bodily temples in tip top shape! 

They come from all corners of the world in a variety of forms and have been known for centuries to carry numerous medicinal qualities: from turmeric's anti-inflammatory and arthritis-fighting properties to the digestive benefits of cumin. Pretty cool right? Whenever you hear people say food can be the greatest medicine or the worst poison you'd better believe it! 

But what's even cooler is the fact while many cooks will load up a dish with extra fats and oils (often animal derived) due to the flavours they provide, simply adding ground or whole spices to your meals can provide that flavour hit you're after without the added calories and other nasties. Look up the definition of a win-win situation and you will find a picture of a cinnamon stick giving you the thumbs up and smiling wisely. Possibly with a rosemary stem doing some chin-ups in the background.  Awesome. 

*Enter the seamless segue* 

Spices are good. Curries use lots of spices. Here is a spicy coconut curry recipe.

Nailed it.

Vegan Coconut Curry

1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1/2 tbsp ground garam marsala
2 tbsp curry powder
Pinch of salt

Olive oil (or coconut or whatever cooking oil you prefer)
1 brown onion, thinly sliced
2cm piece ginger, peeled and grated
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 long red chilli (more or less depending on the level of heat you like!)
2 small carrots, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 medium sweet potato, chopped
500ml coconut milk
500ml vegetable stock
Large handful of long green beans, halved or left whole
Small head of broccoli.cut into florets
300g tempeh, thinly sliced cut into bite sized pieces (*optional*)



In a small fry pan dry roast the cumin, coriander and garam marsala until lightly toasted and aromatic. Allow to cool  and blend in a spice grinder until powdered and set aside.

In a large saucepan heat a drizzle/spray of oil and saute the onion, garlic and ginger until the onion is soft and translucent. Add in 2 teaspoons of the the ground spice mix (or more if you like more of a flavour kick!), salt and curry powder and stir to coat the onions. Add in the chopped carrots, zucchini and sweet potato and cook for around 5-10 minutes so that the vegetables begin to soften slightly. Add the coconut milk and stock to the pan, bring to the boil and simmer for around 20 to 30 minutes with the lid off until the vegetables are fully softened and the sauce has reduced and thickened. Add in the tempeh (if using), beans and broccoli and cook until the broccoli and beans are tender. 

Serve as is or accompanied with rice, quinoa or rice noodles and topped with fresh coriander, crispy shallots and extra sliced chili.  

Potatoes: Is there anything they can't do?

Seriously, I am a girl who loves her vegetables in all their shapes and sizes, from artichokes and asparagus to zucchini and ... zucchini flowers. But the humble spud may just be my king in the kitchen. You can have them mashed, roasted, steamed, pureed in a soup, made into vegetable patties and even wrapped in foil and baked over a campfire! 

One of my go to snacks (and sometimes dinner when just can't be bothered 'adulting') is a quick and easy batch of baked potato wedges. Sometimes I get fancy and throw a sweet potato in there too but only when I'm feeling super pretentious and watching home reno shows while agreeing with the neutral colour palette of that wealthy couples new open plan lounge. But I digress.

So, I am sharing with you all today my favourite quick and easy recipe for oven baked potato wedges which you can be shovelling into your face holes in less than 1/2 an hour! Flavoured with simple salt and pepper and sprigs of fresh rosemary, the crispy potato goodness gets to shine through with just enough flavour to give it a delightful kick! Obviously you could douse your cut wedges in whatever spice and herb blends you want but generally I like the stick with the old 'less is more' principle.  

You're welcome fellow potato-fiends! You're welcome. 

Baked Potato and Rosemary Wedges

~5 medium/large potatoes
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
4 sprigs fresh rosemary



Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

Cut your potatoes into wedges as thick or thin as you like (if you're hungry and want them to cook faster then go the thin option!) and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper then toss your rosemary sprigs into the mix and toss to make sure each wedge is covered in the spiced oil.

Bake for ~20 to 30 minutes (depending on your oven and how thick or thin your wedges are), turning and tossing occasionally until the potato is cooked all the way through and the outside has browned and crisped up.

Enjoy!

Vegan Mac and Cheese

Ok, let's be real for a second here. This 'Mac and Cheese' contains some mac but no cheese. 

 BUT, it will give you the same fuzzy, warm feeling the folks at Kraft have always promised minus the bloating, bubbling layer of grease and the gnawing sense of regret that will follow you to the gym for the entire week as you try to 'exorcise' (*BADDUM TCH!*) those cheesy demons! 

Or maybe that's just little old self-loathing me... I should really work on that... 

Either way though, this dish is legitimately the bomb dot com! Its not only VEGAN but also GLUTEN-FREE and pretty low in fat, especially when compared with its traditional counterpart. Rather than a cheesy, floury sauce it uses fresh pumpkin roasted with garlic and spices, almond milk and nutritional yeast for that familiar cheddar' flavour. Plus I served it in an edible pumpkin bowl so you know... its got that cute yet practical factor going on.