hemp heart patties

last night we tried the hemp veggie burgers and they were delicious. and johnny boy agreed. yay!=)

as mentioned previously, the original recipe from delightfully raw calls for irish moss paste to bind the patty all together. since i was out of irish moss, i thought that psyllium powder mixed in water would do the job, and it worked, phew! i also used flax in place of chia seeds because i am out of them too, and i changed the seasonings, having recently discovered the joy of cumin + coriander.

these burger patties may seem like a lot of work, and i'm going to be honest and say they kind of are, because of some extra steps. but these steps keep the patties easy to digest, so you put in a little extra kitchen effort to give your body a boost and your tummy a rest. not a bad payoff, eh?

hemp heart patties
adapted from carmella's hemp veggie burgers

makes 6 burgers

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds, soaked
1/2 cup raw walnuts, soaked
1 T psyllium powder
1/4 cup water
1 T flax, ground
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped carrot
1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper
1/3 cup chopped button mushroom
1/2 cup hemp seeds
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp coriander
3/4 tsp salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp chipotle powder


1. soak sunflower seeds and walnuts in cool water for at least four hours, or overnight.

2. mix psyllium powder and ground flax in water. this will form a gel to bind the patty.

3. process the soaked sunflower seeds, walnuts, gel mixture, garlic and lemon juice in a food processor until smooth. you will need to stop and scrape down the sides a few times. transfer the mixture to a bowl.

4. add the rest of the ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined.

5. drop a little less than 1/2 cup of batter onto a teflex sheet and form into patties (or drop into cookie cutter for shapes). dehydrate at 110 degrees for 2 hours. flip onto mesh and continue dehydrating until patty is firm but moist in the center (at least five hours).

these burgers are raw, so they're not the kind of veggie burger you'd want on a bun. that's why i called them patties and placed them on a bed of mixed greens with a creamy chiptole dressing. they would also be nice in a green bun like collard or romaine.

creamy chipotle dressing

1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup water
1 T lemon juice
few pinches chipotle powder, to taste

blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth.

tonight i came home to the smell of dinner cooking in the crock-pot. that magnificant chili made my whole day. it had the perfect amount of heat with one large jalapeno, but i have to say it was pretty spicy! i modified the recipe to include the heat factor, and i also added carrot.

john loved the chili too! woohoo! two for two.=)

i hope you're having a great week! stay warm, my fellow freezing cold friends!

xoxoxo

raw hemp burger with mashed avocado over garden greens

it had been way too long since i last made carmella's hemp veggie burgers. though they're lacking some ingredients (celery and onion), they still turned out great.

with some greens from the garden (kale, spinach and arugula), i threw together a salad with lemon, olive oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper. an avocado was mashed with garlic, pepper and lemon.

since the burgers were made ahead of time, this dish took only minutes to prepare. my kind of meal! (thank you to my mom for the perfectly ripe avocados!=)

scrummy yummy

we're back to shopping at the local produce outlet. this has its pros and cons.

pros + it's so close + it's very inexpensive + i bought the most delicious pineapple there

cons - most of the produce is non-organic - it's an outlet so you're getting the bruised and battered - i bought the most horrific avocados there

yesterday we got some great deals on fresh broccoli, lettuce and raspberries, which has motivated us to get a bit more creative with our meals. (oh, dinners were sad here for a while, my friends. too shameful to divulge here. comfort food delivered to the front door. let's just leave it there.)

this week things are better. we're eating lots of fruit and veggies. our broccoli dish above was steamed in one of those neat baskets then tossed with truly raw almonds and a simple marinade: equal parts coconut oil, tamari and grated ginger. the steamed broccoli would have also been good with just olive oil and salt.

the veggie patty below (topped with hummus and raspberry vinaigrette) is a variation of the delicious "beet this burger" and black bean burger. (i have a horrible habit of tweaking recipes without noting my changes.) the patty had an incredible taste and texture, despite being almost six months old! (god bless my mini food saver and my mother for buying it for me.)

john of all people was raving over this salad. he said it was the combination of the veggie burger and the raspberry vinaigrette that made it. i'm wondering, was his enthusiasm really for the deliciousness of this dish, or was he just excited to be the one who created the scrummy yummy raspberry dressing? hmm...

(ps - i'd like to say thank you to my dad for my new nikon coolpix. i'd been in need of a new camera for quite some time, and this one is the much updated version of the camera i have now. i'm excited to see how it performs in natural light!)

happy friday, everyone!

my green buns

raw collard and other leafy greens make a nutritiously yummy veggie patty bun... 

zucchini crab cake

 mock chicken patty

carmella's hemp burger

leaving lots more room for summer desserts!=)

csa week two

muth family farm's organic csa week 2: swiss chard, fennel, curled kale, purslane, savoy cabbage, bok choy, lettuce, scallions, eight-ball squash and zucchini

for lunch i made a smoothie with purslane. purslane contains more omega-3's than any other leafy vegetable plant. i like the flavor it adds to my smoothies and it's something different from the usual greens. 

with the savoy cabbage, or curly cabbage as i like to call it, i whipped up philip mccluskey's simple herb cole slaw. usually i make it with basil and cilantro but this time i tried my homegrown garlic, dill and caraway seeds.

i'm about ankle-deep in zucchini - not quite knee-deep or up-to-my-elbows -  yet!  last week i made fried "zucchini parmesan-less' and pizza with zucchini sliced length-wise as the base. both were scrumptious. 

 zucchini pizza with walnut "sausage"

following a suggestion from my blogging buddy kt, i tried raw squash blossoms stuffed with my cashew cheese. though they were very tasty, i don't think i'll be making them again. there were too many ants and ladybugs living in the blossoms that had to be relocated, so i'll stick to just eating the fruit.=)

for dinner i decided to make a veggie burger with zucchini, similar to "beet this burger". zucchini took the place of the cooked oats. it was very good, though there was quite a bit of chopping and shredding. the recipe was doubled to make eight patties, and six were frozen for three other meals, which made the labor worth it.=)

pre-cooked patty

looks a little like raw meat, doesn't it?!

raw hemp burgers, pizza crackers and nori snacks

some of my most joyful days are those spent in the kitchen chopping, mixing and dehydrating. on one recent d-day, carmella soleil's uncookbook, delightfully raw was my muse. as mentioned here about a jillion times, carmella introduced me to living foods through her blog, the sunny raw kitchen. then, as if i were dreaming, carmella was showing me the raw ropes in my very own kitchen! (you can read about our kitchen bonanza here: I, II, III)

carmella is a true raw alchemist - everything she touches turns to pure delicious. not only do her hemp veggie burgers taste incredible, they're packed with superfood nutrition (irish moss, hemp and chia seeds, walnuts). paired with fermented kraut and bubbie's pickles, the burger actually took on a cheesy flavor. eureka! a healthy raw cheeseburger, minus meat and dairy!=)

first i enjoyed my hemp burger on lisa's onion bread. next, i used organic collard greens as the "bun" and topped my patty with a slice of onion bread, homemade sauerkraut, bubbie's pickles and sprouts. both were out of this world!

onto some snackage...

delightfully raw has a recipe for italian flax crackers, which i tweaked a bit to create pizza crackers (added tomato and more nutritional yeast). they were really tasty, but a bit too chewy. next time i'll see if less flax meal and more whole flax crisps them up a bit.

these crunchy, garlic nori snacks and other sea vegetables are naturally high in potassium iodide and may make a good alternative to potassium iodide pills, which have been hard to get a hold of since news of the radiation leak in japan.

as you may know, potassium iodide (KI) can protect your thyroid gland against radiation damage. it seems that a little less than three sheets of nori contains the recommended dose for thyroid protection in a case of potential radiation exposure. (however, i recommend you do your own research and do what feels best for you!)

coming soon... i can't believe it's not tuna!=)

just peachy

my little sister crystal and i picked 23 pounds of peaches last week.

she'd only eaten canned peaches, so it was exciting to see crystal try her first fresh jersey peach!

we also picked a few pounds of gala apples. what i wouldn't do to have a peach and apple tree growing in my own backyard...my dad grew up with both!

neighborhood fruit is a site that shows where you can find public fruit trees in your area. there are a few apple trees listed in philadelphia i plan to check out. how nice it would be to get free, local apples! i've read apples can be stored up to four months wrapped in newspaper and placed in a cool, dark spot.

the apples were a little bland, but the peaches were out of this world! perfectly sweet and juicy. i planned to make crepes and cobblers, but as my sista' krista said, they're too good and should be eaten just is.=)

fyi - i have one younger sister, krista (pictured below with her fur baby, bear) and a "little" through big brothers big sisters, crystal (seen above). i named krista when i was 3 and have been crystal's "big" since march '09. i also have a brother craig (below with his daughter, alaina) who is just 13 months younger than me. god bless my mother!=)

back to the peaches - some made it into a salsa in our raw tacos with yummy raw ranch dip...

and i set lots aside for our second annual jam fest. this is just half of the peach and peach and pepper jam jars missy and i filled. peach heaven!

and this year we were joined by little miss marlie! (you can see more photos of marlie here.)

missy and i have been the best of friends since middle school. i'm truly blessed to know such sweeties! speaking of...i've still been reading your blogs, just not commenting as often because of my key issues. (i think biggles is trying to put an end to my computer habit!=)

 "stop blogging and play with me!"

i leave you with a tasty "burger" recipe you may want to enjoy on the grill before summer ends, and wishes for a safe and happy labor/labour day weekend!=)

spicy black bean patties
(serves 2)

the black bean burger recipe at can you stay for dinner? was my guide for creating the following recipe:

1 C. cooked black beans, divided
1/2 C. walnuts, divided
1/4 C. panko bread crumbs
1/4 C. carrot, chopped
1/4 C. any color sweet bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
chipotle powder, to taste (a few pinches goes a long way!)
few sprigs of cilantro (optional)
diced jalapeno (optional, for extra spicy patties)
salt, to taste

in a mixing bowl, mash half of the black beans with a fork or potato masher. add bread crumbs and the remaining beans, then stir to combine.

add half of the walnuts, coarsely crushed (you can do this with a fork). ground the remaining walnuts in a food processor until fine. stir into mixture.

heat olive oil in a skillet. add garlic, heat for one minute, then add carrots and green peppers. heat veggies over medium heat a few minutes, stirring often.

add sauteed veggies to mixing bowl. mix well.

form batter into two patties. spicy black bean patties can be served uncooked, grilled, baked at 400° for 20-30 minutes, or fried in a little olive oil, a few minutes on each side. be sure to handle the patties carefully as they crumble easily.

(you can refer to the black bean burger recipe for a picture tutorial on how to create these delicious mommajommas.)

enjoy!

=)

"beet" this burger

*the stars of the show*

hope to grow ones like this beautiful bunch someday!

when the idea to make my own veggie burger first struck, i searched online for weeks and painstakingly poured through hundreds of different recipes. (ok, i exaggerate just a little). but really, i did come across A LOT of 'em, and i had no idea which one to choose. then this recipe caught my eye, for two reasons - 1) it was a grand prize winner in a contest, and 2) the grated raw beet and almonds in the recipe intrigued me.

i love almonds and all things crunchy; i also imagined the beets would give the burgers a pleasing color - and i was right. (and when you're cooking to interest meat-eaters, you're very concerned with color and texture resembling the meat version, as i'm sure many herbivores already know!)

with a side of sauteed beet greens (yes, you can eat the tops, and they're scrumptious - like spinach!)

grilled

the winning recipe was developed by a Mayan woman named Olinda Cho-Forsythe. she developed her burger recipe in the kitchens of the Gran Fraternidad Universal, an organization dedicated to world peace and to promoting a vegetarian diet through centers and restaurants throughout Latin America. a very big thank you to Olinda! =)

"Beet" this Burger
makes 4-5 patties

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp grated raw beet
1/2 C. cooked quick rolled oats*
1 C. uncooked oats
1/2 C. coarsely ground walnuts
1/4 C. coarsely ground almonds
1/4 C. mashed chick peas (optional)
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp veg broth or water
1/4 C. green pepper, minced (optional)
1/4 C. celery (or fennel)
1/4 C. onion, minced
1 tsp basil (dried or fresh)
1/4 tsp sage
1/4 tsp mustard powder, or mustard (spicy brown or dijon)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes (optional)

* Bring 1/2 C water to a boil in small saucepan. Add 1/4 C oats and a dash of salt. Return to boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook 7 minutes.

Directions~
Get the oaks cooking while you chop the veggies. Throw everything into a big bowl and mix well. Form into patties. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium high. Cook patties until golden on each side.

i like to top these burgers with veggie burger or bbq sauce, avocado, tomato, and something crunchy, like onions, lettuce, or even sliced fennel. it's your burger...put whatever you want on it! =)

Veggie Burger Sauce

1 tbsp mustard
2 green onions
1 tsp wasabi
1 tsp soy sauce
juice from 1 lemon
few dashes hot sauce
2 tbsp olive oil

blend until smooth. use with ketchup, onions, pickle, and a sesame seed bun to get that fast food flavor, minus the cruelty and grease.

for the love of portobello mushrooms

have you discovered the joy of portobello mushrooms? i've truly gotten to know their splendor only recently, and i'm still wondering where they've been all my life!

grilled, oven-roasted or sauteed, their size and meaty texture make portobellos a great transition food for moving toward a whole, plant-based diet. they can be used in place of meat in many meals as a healthier, more peaceful option. (i think/hope mushrooms don't feel any pain when being plucked from the ground!)

here i grilled them and used them as a "burger" with sliced avocado, tomato, and bbq sauce with tots.

next, we have portobello mushroom soft tacos with asparagus, guacamole, and pico de gallo.

last, wasabi portobello steak with teriyaki millet

(and tots again- not the healthiest but so yummy! hey, i said these were transition meals!)

animal-friendly ingredients for two:

2 portobello mushrooms, stems removed
wasabi, to taste
1 C millet, rinsed
2 1/4 C.water
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 T tamari or soy sauce
2 tsp agave or organic sugar
2-3 tsp lemon juice or rice vinegar
2 tsp organic sesame oil
2 tsp grated fresh ginger, divided
1 pinch salt
1 green onion, chopped
1 T sesame seeds, toasted


preparation:
rinse millet. in a large pan, toast millet for 2-3 minutes. add garlic after 1 minute. add water. bring to boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. simmer for 20 minutes or so (until water has evaporated).

while millet is cooking, cook portobello mushrooms. season with a little tamari, wasabi, 1/2 tsp ginger, and 1 clove garlic each. i like to steam my portobellos in a pan for about 10 minutes, but they could also be baked in the oven on 350 for 15-20 minutes.

in a small bowl, whisk tamari, agave, lemon juice, sesame oil, ginger, and salt. add to cooked millet and top with green onion and sesame seeds. add more tamari if needed.

sources say portobello mushrooms are an excellent source of niacin, an essential vitamin with many benefits. you gotta love that!