Kitchen Sink Veggie Burgers + Grain-Free Flax Bun

This recipe is way, WAY overdue. I made these veggies burgers back in December and completely forgot about them…better late then never I guess! It’s one of those that slipped through the cracks but I couldn’t help but share.

Also, I want apologize to the fabulous Cara for making her wait so long for this one. She mentioned veggie burgers were one of her favorite things and I’ve since deprived her for 5 months…shame on me! I hope it was worth the wait

This recipe was born out of desperation. I was without a car for a week after first moving to Montana and I was too much of a baby to walk to the store in the middle of a winter storm.  Instead of being lazy and snacking on brownies + chips and salsa, I decided to be creative on a healthier approach while using up a few leftover veggies and canned beans. Thank goodness I did, these were delicious!

I had just made my orange-scented cranberry sauce the day before and this was the perfect topping for these veggie burgers. Along with a generous smear of Vegenaise, fresh spinach leaves and sprouts, this burger was a hearty and satisfying meal. These patties are actually on my to-cook list this week…it’s about time I whipped up another batch!

Kitchen Sink Veggie Burgers 

Patty Ingredients

1 egg or flax egg for vegan (1 tbsp ground flax mixed with 3 tbsp water, let sit for a few minutes)
1 cup cooked black beans
1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
1/2 cup small diced onion
1/3 cup green or red bell pepper, small diced
1/4 cup celery, small diced (can omit or increase the bell pepper if desired)
2 – 3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp coconut oil, butter, ghee, or Earth Balance, melted
1/4 cup sunflower seeds (I used roasted for extra flavor but raw is ok too)
1 Tbsp gluten free soy sauce, Bragg’s liquid aminos or tamari

Spice-Binding Mixture
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 to 1 tsp paprika
3/4 to 1 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp celery salt
sea salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats, ground into a flour
1 Tbsp flaxseed meal

coconut oil/butter/ghee/Earth Balance/olive oil for pan-sauteing

For Serving
Flax bun below OR your favorite gluten free bun or sandwich bread
Vegenaise or mayo
Alfalfa sprouts
Orange-Scented Cranberry Sauce  (this completed the meal! or use a sweet and tart chutney)
Fresh spinach leaves or leaf lettuce

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the spice mixture.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine egg/flax egg and beans. Mash beans with a fork until chunky (I left some whole beans but this helps keep the patty together).
3. Add in remaining patty ingredients and stir to incorporate well.
4. Sprinkle in the spice-binding mixture and stir again to combine and evenly distribute until the batter comes together.
5. Divide into 6 balls and flatten into patties about 2/3 inch thick and lay on the baking sheet. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, preheat large skillet (preferred) over medium heat or oven to 350F.
For Skillet Method: heat a small amount of oil/butter in pan and saute for 5-6 minutes on each side until slightly crispy and lightly browned
For Oven Method: Bake patties at 350F for 14-16 minutes on each side until lightly browned (this method results in a slightly drier patty but is lower fat)
7. Assemble the burger by spreading Vegenaise or mayo on bun/sandwich bread. Top with spinach leaves, patty, sprouts, cranberry sauce and enjoy!

As for the flax bun, this was an experiment that needs a little tweaking. This bun is a little crumbly…ok, a lot crumbly due to the lack of eggs or gums. While very yummy, this one is a work in progress if you are looking for a “typical” bread that holds up well. I wound up eating this burger with a fork and knife but I enjoyed every last bit!

Vegan, Grain-Free Flax Bun 

Ingredients

1/3 cup + 2 tsp flaxseed meal
dash of sea salt
1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp seasoning to taste (italian, cajun, southwest, etc)
1 Tbsp chia seed meal (I ground white chia seeds)
1 rounded Tbsp chickpea flour (could sub oat flour)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp + 3-4 Tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp olive oil/coconut oil/ grapeseed or Earth Balance melted

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. Stir in wet ingredients until incorporated.
3. Spread mixture into a circle onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes, cut in half horizontally carefully, top/fill and enjoy!

Makes 1 bun

Blueberry Hemp Snack Bars

I am learning a lot about myself, not to mention how to “deal with” and manage people from running our yogurt store and starting a new business. While managing (mostly) high school kids has proven to be a big challenge, it also brings about growth….and who couldn’t use a little stretching?

Thank goodness for the weekend though! It’s been a week of emotional ups and downs at work and I am ready a rest day to recharge.

Experimenting in the kitchen, particularly with baking, is a stress relief for me so you know where I was headed after a long week! These blueberry bars are made with oat flour, along with a bit of protein powder, juicy blueberries and earthy hemp seeds. While I planned on making buckwheat bars, I’ve been eating buckwheat like crazy and ran out so oat flour was next in line

These bars are a great snack, breakfast or a light dessert. Feel free to substitute the blueberries for your favorite berry or fruit. If hemp seeds aren’t your thing, add in chopped nuts, seeds or even chocolate chips!

Blueberry Hemp Snack Bars

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup oat flour (I grind my own using gluten free oats – buckwheat would probably work)
2 scoops of vanilla protein powder (about 65 grams)
2 Tbsp flaxseed meal
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup coconut palm sugar or date sugar (or other granulated sweetener)
1/8 tsp sea salt
2 eggs, whisked
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 Tbsp hemp seeds (if you don’t like the earthy taste of hemp, feel free to substutite 1/3  cup your favorite seeds or chopped nuts)
3/4 cup blueberries (frozen or fresh- blackberries, cherries, raspberries or a combo can be substituted)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 8×8 pan or large loaf pan with parchment paper (or grease well). Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients (flour through salt).
3. Stir in the eggs and applesauce just until combined them fold in the hemp seeds and berries.
4. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 14-16 minutes or until just firm on top and a toothpick comes clean.

*Due to the protein powder, be careful not to over bake or it will cause the bars to be dry! Depending on the size pan used, you may have to adjust the baking time. Mine were done right at 15 minutes in my little toaster oven.

Here’s to a restful rest of the weekend and a fresh start to the week!

Savory Seeds N’ Green Crackers

In anticipation of St. Patrick’s Day, I thought I would share a few green food recipes with you this week!

First up are my savory seeds n’ green crackers – I bought a bag of salad booster from Nuts.com back in the fall that I’d forgotten about and wanted to experiment with. I’ve seen other similar salad booster blends at health food stores as well and they all tend to have very similar ingredients:

Organic Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds, Organic Sprouted Sunflower Seeds, Organic Sprouted Sesame Seeds, Wild White Chia Seeds, Spirulina, Himalayan Crystal Salt, Chlorella, Organic Dulse, Organic Kelp, Organic Dill Weed, Organic Spices, Organic Lemon Peel and Organic Cayenne.

I combined the salad booster with flaxseed meal, sunflower seeds and coconut flour for a nut-free, vegan cracker that is flavorful enough on it’s own for snacking. The addition of nutritional yeast adds a light cheesy flavor without the dairy

Savory Seeds N’ Green Crackers

Ingredients

5 1/2 Tbsp flaxseed meal
3-4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
3 Tbsp oat bran (for grain-free, you could use chickpea flour)
6 Tbsp sunflower seeds, pulsed into a coarse meal (I didn’t do this and my crackers were crumbly)
1 Tbsp coconut flour
4 Tbsp grapeseed oil, coconut oil (in liquid form) or olive oil
2 Tbsp water (or more until forms a ball if needed)
1 1/2 Tbsp salad booster (mixture of spices, dulse, kelp and seeds)
ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat over to 300F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl until well combined. If the mixture doesn’t come together into a ball, add a drizzle of water until it just holds together (you don’t want mixture to be too wet)
3. Add ball of mixture onto parchment paper and place another piece of parchment on top. Roll out evenly with a rolling pin until about 1/4 inch thickness.
4. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until crackers are crisp. Remove from oven and cut into squares while still warm. Let cool and enjoy!

Serving suggestions: enjoy plain, with hummus, guacamole or simple avocado mash

Makes about 18-20 crackers

*If you do not have salad booster on hand, you can make these crackers with your favorite herbs, spices and some sea salt to taste!

Instant Chocolate Blueberry Cake for One

Yesterday, I wanted cake and I wanted it right then and there. No waiting around for it to bake, my patience wouldn’t hold out for that. To satisfy my dessert craving without going overboard on portion size, I whipped up a single-serving and instant chocolate cake studded with juicy blueberries and topped with a quick protein yogurt glaze.

Bye bye cravings, you’ve just been satisfied. A bonus – it only took me 6 minutes from start to finish.
This cake is moist, high in fiber and protein and guilt-free. Now that’s the kind of cake I could eat everyday…plus my waist line would thank me

Instant Chocolate Blueberry Cake for One

Ingredients

For cake
2 Tbsp oat flour
1 Tbsp chia seed
1 Tbsp flaxseed meal (ground flaxseeds, I grind my own)
2 tsp raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
1-2 tsp coconut palm sugar or granulated sweetener to taste or pinch of pure stevia extract
small pinch of sea salt
dash of ground cinnamon, optional
1/4 tsp baking powder
10-12 blueberries (cherries or raspberries would probably work well here too)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 egg white, beaten
2 Tbsp non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
2 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce

For protein glaze topping 
2 Tbsp plain yogurt
1 Tbsp vanilla whey protein powder

For garnish
chocolate shavings, chocolate chips or cacao nibs
additional blueberries

Directions

For cake
1. Grease a ramekin with coconut oil/butter/ghee and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix all dry ingredients (flours through baking powder). Add in remaining ingredients and stir just until moistened.
3. Spread evenly into prepared ramekin and microwave for 1 minute and 20 seconds (may need more or less time depending on microwave, always start with less and add time if needed. Let sit for 3-4 minutes while preparing glaze, then remove from ramekin or serve directly from dish.

For protein glaze
1. In a small dish, combine yogurt and protein powder and stir. Let sit for one minute and stir again until smooth (the lumps should even out after sitting). Spoon over cake and garnish with extra berries and cacao nibs/chocolate chips and serve!

*You could probably bake this at 350 F for about 25 minutes or so until cooked through but I haven’t tried this. If you do, please let me know how it turns out!