Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burger

I am always looking for something nice to eat that is quick and tasty. After eating a variety of frozen and prepacked vegetable burgers, I have been testing a few of the veggie and vegan versions. Some of the recipes I have tried have been to bready and others just fell apart. I found a perfect version on FatFreeVegan that I adapted with less ingredients that worked for me. What I love is how the flavors come together and how quick the burger took to assemble and cook. Even better is how the batter is when you let it sit over night or taking the batter and making frozen patties of your own. Much better than what I've eaten in the store or bought on the fly at a fast food place.  My sweet potato cost 75 each, the black beans were .99 at the store; and the spinach is .50 per serving! I think that's a little more cheaper than the regular fast food combo meal. The fiber count is also good because of the black beans! It's a win win in my opinion.

Ingredients 

• 1 baked sweet potato 
• 1/2 cup of black beans, rinsed and drained 
• 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter 
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder 
• 1 inch minced ginger root 
• 1 teaspoon of jamaican curry powder 
• 1 teaspoon of ground paprika 
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper 
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper 
• 1/3 cup of minced onion 
• 1/3 cup of orange pepper 
• 1/3 of rolled oats or old fashioned oats 
• 1/4 cup of vital wheat gluten 

Instructions 

1. Boil or bake your sweet potato for 8-10 minutes. You can also microwave if you like. 
2. Take sweet potato and place in blender or food processor cup with the peanut butter, garlic, and all spices. Process for 50 seconds to 1 minute. (You can also mash with a potato masher in a bowl if you do not have a food processor/blender.) 
3. Take potato mix and place in bowl, add black beans, yellow or orange pepper, onions, and oats. Mix thoroughly then add the vital wheat gluten. It will be doughy not wet. If your dough is not set yet, add more wheat gluten (more or less to your liking). 
4. Set the oven to 425 degrees. Place parchment paper in the oven, so that you can lay down your patties and cook til the desired amount. 
5. Scoop and form patties (mines generated 10 nice sized ones). Bake for 30 minutes until brown and burgers are set. You should check in the middle of cooking time to flip burgers so that they are evenly cooked. 

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Servings : 8-10 patties


Post cooking note: 
You can serve on a bun or on vegetables (like collard greens or spinach like I did). Works well both ways! Also, the flavor from the spices are so good and the burger is not heavy but really nice and light. Very healthy!

(c) 2013 by Pam Osbey
All Rights Reserved 

Raw Cashew "Cheese"

Every now and again, I realize that I love cheese on my food. Actually I love some spread on things that I eat and as I'm exploring vegan dishes, I have seen this posted in several food forums. I decided to give it a 'whirl' and experienced my first batch for this vegan delight. Wasn't sure what to expect but it is nice, fresh and it does not contain any dairy at all. The base of the dish is raw cashews. Simply, you will soak them for a few hours in water, then toss a few ingredients in your food processor or blender (must be a high speed one like the MagicBullet or Nutribullet) so you can see the full effect. You can spread this dip on fresh veggies, on sandwiches, and in dishes. Get creative! I am glad I did a small batch but now that I have tasted it, I will make larger batches and use for my vegan or vegetarian dishes more. It's good to have a better alternative than the regular 'cheese'. If you try this, please let me know. 

Raw Cashew Cheese

1 cup of raw cashews, soaked
1 tsp of kosher salt
1 lemon squeezed
1 tsp garlic powder
or 1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup of water

Instructions

1. Soak one cup of raw cashews between 4-8 hours. Drain and set aside in bowl
2. Take cashews and place in high speed blender or food processor. 
3. Add all other ingredients (lemon, garlic powder, salt). 
4. Mix for 1-2 minutes.
5. Set in fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.
6. Enjoy

(c) 2013 by Pam Osbey 

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

It's almost that time of the year, Halloween! So inspired by the spooky holiday and knowing how  nice and creamy a hot soup can be, I've created a very quick recipe that will help to fill  your belly.

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

Roasted Pumpkin or canned pumpkin
Sauteed Onions
1 teaspoon of garlic powder and dried basil
1 teaspoon of nutmeg powder
1/2 cup of coconut milk
1/3 cup of water
1 tablespoon of roasted pumpkin seeds

Instructions

1. In a blender or food processor combine pre-roasted pumpkin or canned pumpkin along with the water, milk and seasonings.
2. Mix and set aside
3. Saute chopped onions and add to the mix, remix onions with the pumpkin puree.
4. Heat up pumpkin soup in pot and serve with roasted pumpkin seeds on top or in center of your bowl.

(c) 2013 by Pam Osbey

Potato & Mixed Veggie Dish

Today I had planned to fix a pea fritter meal however I realized I did not have all the ingredients so I shifted the dish into this lovely quick potato and mixed veggie collaboration.

Not only is it quick but very tasty and easy to compile.

Ingredients:

1-2 small potatoes
1 cup of mixed vegetables (corn, green peas, carrots)
1 tblspoon of olive or canola oil
Onion, chopped (to your liking)
1 teaspoon of cayenne, black, garlic and basil.
panko bread crumbs

Instructions:

1. Wash and shave the potato, chop and place in pot with oil. 
2. Saute chopped onion and then add the frozen mixed vegetables. 
3. Add seasonings and top with panko bread crumbs 
4. Eat and enjoy 

(c) 2013 by Pam Osbey 

Towards Veganland & other stuff

Lately I have not been craving meat as usual and I'm in the middle of a clean eating spree. So while I'm not eating meat I do crave protein in waves. While surfing the web, I found a great recipe on My Vegan Cookbook's website for the tasty Buffalo Wings recipe you see in the photo above. Along with my vegan wings, I fixed some vegan potato salad (no egg, used vegan mayo -- Veganise is the brand and it's the best!). A while ago I saw someone make grilled broccoli which I made in my oven with a little oil, garlic and red chili flakes. 

This week I also have made a point to eat vegan dishes every single day. I had tasty Vegan Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili on Friday night (recipe will be posted shortly); A lovely moist asparagus and red pepper frittata (no eggs or cheese used); a stuffed avocado with quinoa, stuffed cabbage rolls and so much more. Breakfast is easy -- it's normally a fresh smoothie. I have made Beet Berry smoothies, or grabbed a fresh juice on the way to work. I drink water a lot and that has helped me a whole lot. 

Although my love affair with meat is not over. In a few days, I want to have a nice salmon over some greens. I do not miss fried foods as much as I'd thought which is a surprise. I also love the websites below that have offered many other alternatives for me to try or adapt. 

www.vegweb.com 

www.myvegancookbook.com

www.veggiebelly.com

and www.vegobsession.com 

Looking forward to making the following recipes soon. 

• Creamy Pumpkin Soup
• Zero Pasta with Spicy Peanut Sauce 
• Pea and Potato Fritters 
• Super Spinach Salad 
• Zucchini Bread 
• Chive Pancakes with steamed Asparagus 

I like the variety in the foods and I like eating clean. Some recipes are raw, others organic, etc. It is nice to have a chance to eat more whole foods and I don't feel I am missing anything. Yes, there is still place for moderation of sweets (peanut butter cookies, i prefer homemade), or chips (I like the Sweet Potato Whole Wheat Tortilla chips from Jack's discount stores). I don't miss fast foods as much but I like to still have the option to grab a small fry from McDonald's. 

How ironic is it that last year when I started to juice, I really didn't feel like I could do without meat. So it is definitely is possible and time can really change your perspectives. Stay tuned for new recipes soon and my cookbook will be available in 2014. 

Thanks for stopping by. 

With food in mind, 

Pam 

(c) 2013 by Pam Osbey

Green Yum Yum Soup

Once again, I found an easy and fun way to incorporate vegetables in a smooth, tasty creamy soup without milk. It takes a little prep and when finished you can eat hot or cold, serve with home made crackers or with a light salad on the side! 

Green Yum Yum Soup 

1/2 zucchini
2-4 green collard green leaves, washed
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp of garlic powder, dried oregano and basil, sea salt
1 packet of coconut milk
2/3 cups of water (check your consistency while mixing)
1 small potato boiled
1/4 cup of chicken or veggie broth
1 small onion, chopped

Instructions

1. Wash all vegetables and set aside. 
2. Boil potato for ten minutes, then add to the blender or food processor. 
3. Chop green collard leaves, garlic clove, zucchini and onion. Use spiralizer to garnish a little bit of the zucchini for top of the soup.
4. Add everything to the blender/food processor and mix well for a few minutes. 
5. Add water gradually until you get the thickness you desire. 
6. Pour contents into a pot and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes. 
7. Serve and enjoy! 

(c) 2013 by Pam Osbey 

Collard Green Salad with Pickled Apples

Every now and again I find a recipe that I like to adapt to use. Knowing that it will be a new one is exciting. If you would have asked me a few days ago about using collard greens in a salad format I would have laughed but it turned to be pretty good and fulfilling. It also pairs nicely with steamed fish or baked chicken if you don't want to eat it as a vegetarian meal. 

If you have some collard greens, apple cider and apples at home, that is all you really need. What will you get with this is a good way to include iron and fiber in your diet. 

Ingredients 

• 4 collard green leaves 
• 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar 
• chopped almonds 
• 1 red or gala apple sliced 
• 1/2 cup of sugar 
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt 
• 1/2 cup of water

Directions

1. Wash collard green leaves and cut them length wise. Set aside on a plate or bowl. 
2. In a pot, mix water, sugar, sea salt and apple cider. Boil for 5-7 minutes. Let cool off and pour in a bowl over the sliced apples. Let it marinate for 30-45 minutes. 
3. Arrange collard green leaves with sliced apples. Toss almonds on it. 
4. Dressing is not needed but I used a 'cherry vinegrette' that went well with it. 

(c) 2013 by Pam Osbey
All Rights Reserved