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).

  

  

Confession time.

I love nuts almost as much as a terrible pun.

Delicious, earthy flavours. Great pre-workout snack. Technically a fruit. What's not to love?!

If, like me, you have a perchant for these nutritious nibbles, there is a fair chance you will also be head over heels for its entree offspring: Dukkah

Not familiar with it? Essentially dukkah is a mix of ground nuts and spices which can be served with bread, balsamic vinegar and olive oil as part of a dipping platter. Dunking the bread in the oils first and then the dukkah means the nut mix sticks to the bread and provides you additional flavours and crunch with every mouthful. Yum!

Or you can buck convention like my Nanna and use the mix as a crusting for roast meats or simply sprinkled over roasted vegetables. Each to their own!

 

Everybody seems to have their own version of dukkah, with the type of nuts and spices used varying across rationality and depending on availability. This recipe happens to be one that I have used over the last couple of years and I could still eat it by the bucket load!

Give it a shot and you won't regret it!


Unless your allergic to nuts...
Then there may be a mild dissatisfaction accompanied by anaphylactic shock...   

Basic Spicy Dukkah

3 cups hazelnuts
2 cups sesame seeds
5 tbsp coriander seeds
5 tbsp cumin seeds
4 tsp ground black pepper
3 tsp sea salt flakes



Preheat oven to 180 degrees (C) and spread the hazelnuts evenly over a baking tray. Bake in the hot oven for 5-6 minutes or until lightly roasted  (you should be able to smell them when they're ready!)

Remove the nuts from the oven and allow to cool slightly before placing in a tea towel and rubbing the nuts to remove their skins. Set the nuts aside and throw away the skins.

Place the sesame, cumin and coriander seeds in a fry pan along with the black pepper and cook over a low heat for 2-3 minutes or until lightly toasted and aromatic.

Combine the nuts, seed mix and salt in a food processor and blitz until it reaches the desired texture. I like to keep a couple of chunkier nut pieces in mine but you don't want them so big they won't stick to your dipping bread!

You could kick it old school and use a mortar and pestle for this step but in all honesty I am generally too lazy for such shenanigans...

And that's all there is to it!

Bottle your mixture up and give it to friends and family to earn their undying admiration or whip it out the next time your having some nibbles and wine... or sneak into the cupboard and eat a few spoons of it by itself....

No judgement!




And just for the heck of it, since we are talking about nuts, have a squirrel to brighten up your day!

xxoo

The Pasta Paradox

 
I think I should start with a small warning:

Any Italian Mamas be aware that the following post contains content which you may find sacrilegious and disturbing. I assume no liability for any mild heart attacks suffered or broken computer screens resulting from an angry whack with a rolling pin. Read at your own risk.

Phew. OK, the law student in me (or ex-student actually, had my graduation earlier this week! Yay!) is feeling satisfied enough to proceed.

This particular post is in response to a request from a friends of mine (* I'm waving at you Dayna!*) who, after seeing some of my recent recipes for healthy raw snacks (see them here and here), was after some savoury meal ideas.


A couple of years ago when the raw food craze was once again becoming trendy the number of bloggers posting adventurous and creative natural recipes seemed to explode! Along with the subsequent emergence of Raw cafes featuring staff with slightly tousled hair, progressive Uni degrees and pants made entirely from hemp ( not to stereotype or anything...) one of the best things to come out of this craze for me has been raw pasta. 






I enjoy the authentic pasta experience as much as the next person, but as someone who wears skinny jeans I also like to be able to enjoy my everyday meals without any nagging guilt souring the taste. Raw pasta provides a great compromise! Essentially it is made by cutting raw vegetables such as zucchini, pumpkin or carrot into thin "noodles" and smothering it in any assortment of delicious sauces.


I know many people are immediately turned off by the thought of using raw veggies in the place of traditional carby-pasta, but I promise you it really is a delicious alternative and in most cases the subtle taste of the noodle is covered by the sauce. Plus, for those of us in the warmed climates, when you grow sick of the traditional summer salads and BBQ you need look no further than these noodle wannabes for a light and refreshing meal.  

My Raw Pasta tasting plate

 Here are three recipes I came up with which are totally raw, healthy and delicious! Please excuse the terrible photography, they actually taste 100 x better than my crappy iPhone made them look!



Each serves one LARGE portion or a couple of smaller plates.

Raw Pasta With Salsa Verde

2 zucchinis
1/4 cup cashews



1/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup basil, shredded
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp capers
1 tsp fresh lemon juice 
1 clove of garlic
1/4 cup sliced black olives
Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved 
Salt and pepper to season 


Using a veggie peeler, cut the zucchinis into thin ribbons and place in a large bowl.

In a food processor blend the nuts, basil, parsley, capers, lemon and garlic into a paste and slowly add enough oil to forms a loose sauce

Add the sauce to the zucchini along with the olives and cherry tomatoes and season to taste.

Stir well to ensure all the zucchini noodles are covered 

Enjoy!

Raw Pasta With Creamy Avocado

2 zucchinis
2 tsp diced red onion
1/2 an avocado
1 cucumber, peeled and deseeded 
1 cup cashews 
1 tsp lemon juice 
1 tbsp almond milk
5 small red radishes, sliced 
1 tsp of fresh thyme leaves 

Salt and Pepper 






Using a veggie peeler, cut the zucchinis into thin ribbons and place in a large bowl.

In a food processor blend the red onion, avocado, cucumber, cashews, lemon juice and almond milk until smooth and creamy.

Combine the sauce with the zucchini and add the sliced radishes and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Sprinkle with the fresh thyme and enjoy!  

Raw Pasta With Punchy Tomato 

2 zucchinis
1/3 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (reserve 1 tsp of its marinating oil)
1/2 cup cashews 
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp red onion, diced
1/3 cup sliced black olives '
Salt and Pepper 





Using a veggie peeler, cut the zucchinis into thin ribbons and place in a large bowl.

In a food processor blend the sun dried tomatoes and reserved oil, red onion, cashews and lemon juice until you have a mostly smooth paste (a couple of small chunks are ok).

Add the paste to the zucchini along with the olives and season to taste with salt and pepper.