Category Archives: Cooking & Recipes

Quinoa Burgers

Quinoa Burger on skinny bun and tater-rounds.

Quinoa Burger on skinny bun and tater-rounds.

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked quinoa
2 flax eggs (2 tbsp of ground flaxseed with 6 tbsp of hot water)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 green onions sliced thinly
1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp Liquid Smoke
1 TBSP Tamari
Oil for cooking

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir well to combine.
Form the mixture in to balls and then flatten in to patties.
Cook quinoa burgers in a medium heat skillet about 4-5 minutes per side.

Italian Style Quinoa Cakes

Notes: We both thought these were really good. Pictured served with Spaghetti Squash.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked quinoa
1 flax egg (1 tbsp of ground flaxseed with 3 tbsp of hot water)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 green onions sliced thinly
2 Tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup mozzarella Cheese-Style Shreds
1/2 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp olive oil, for cooking

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir well to combine. Form compact cakes with about 1/2 cup of the mix per cake. Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 1 tsp olive oil. Place quinoa cakes in the pan and cook about 4-5 minutes per side, until golden brown.

Mexican-Lime Soup

Notes: Makes 4 or 5 servings. Nova likes it and I thought it was ok for soup.

Ingredients:
1/2 large onion, chopped
4 ounces mushrooms, quartered
2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed
2 poblano chili peppers, toasted, seeded, and skinned (see Cooking Tips), and cut into strips
2 32 ounce cartons vegetable stock
2 cups of corn
2 large cooked red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 bunch cilantro, rinsed and chopped
Juice of 3 limes
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
Corn tortillas strips – baked

Directions:
Sauté onion, mushrooms, and bay leaves on medium heat with a little water or low sodium vegetable broth in a large soup pot for 5 minutes, until onions brown.
Add garlic, chilies, and 1 cup of stock. Stir intermittently for 5 minutes, until peppers begin to soften.
Add remaining stock, corn, and potatoes. Cover and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
Remove from heat and let sit covered for 5 minutes.
Stir cilantro & lime juice into soup immediately before serving.

To Serve:
Place a handful each of tomatoes, avocados, and tortillas strips into large bowls.
Pour hot soup directly over vegetables and corn tortillas strips and serve.

Dining Out – 5 Guys Burgers And Fries

Attempting to stick with our way of eating while dining out locally in the Wichita, Kansas area.

Was pleasantly surprised to find 5 Guys Burgers And Fries offered a veggie sandwich. It’s not a veggie burger but just vegetables on a bun. Lettuce, onions, mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes I believe. I wouldn’t go here again just to get this sandwich but it’s nice to know they have it if I ever find myself eating here again at a friends choice as was the case.

Chickpea Avocado Sandwich Spread

Notes: I made this for myself and like it.

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas
1 avocado
2 garlic cloves minced
2 green onions chopped
1 celery stalk chopped
1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
Squirt of lemon juice
Black pepper

Directions:
In a bowl mash the chickpeas slightly with a fork. Add the avocado and do the same. Then add in the other ingredients and mix.

Pumpkin Bars

Notes: These were just ok. Not “bar” like in my opinion though. They were soft and I ate with a fork. More like a pie. Maybe I used to much pumpkin? Nova wouldn’t try them.

Ingredients:

• 15 ounces white beans (any)
• ½ cup canned pure pumpkin
• 2 whole bananas
• 3½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• ½ cup instant oats (If you only have rolled oats, send them through your food processor first to chop them up so they are smaller and more granulated like instant oats.)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Drain and rinse beans. Combine all ingredients except oats (and cocoa if using) in a food processor, blending until smooth and creamy. Stir in oats (and cocoa if using) then transfer to a square baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the center is firm to the touch. Allow to completely cool before slicing or eating (the bars firm as they cool). The pumpkin flavor also intensifies the next day (make in advanced if possible).

Basic Vegan Chocolate Cake

Notes: Pictured the cake is iced with a simple vanilla, powdered sugar and rice milk frosting.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened coca powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup pure maple syrup
6 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup cold water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa and baking soda and mix well.
Add in the maple syrup, applesauce, vinegar, vanilla and water. Mix well to combine.
Pour the batter into a 9×9 inch nonstick cake pan.
Bake for 30 minutes.

Biscuits & Gravy

Notes: I’ve used both white and whole wheat flour in the biscuits and the gravy. Not a big noticeable difference once I top with salsa.

Biscuits…
Notes: Makes 4 biscuits.

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 – 3/4 cup applesauce
Rice Milk as needed

Directions:
Mix flour and baking powder in bowl.
Stir in applesauce until a nice doughy consistency. Add rice milk if needed to reach constancy.
Bake in preheated oven at400 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes.

Gravy…

Ingredients:

Cooked sausage
2 cups milk
6 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
S&P

Directions:

In a saucepan whisk all other ingredients together and cook over medium heat.
Continue to whisk until the gravy has just started to boil and thickens up.
Stir in sausage.