Corn and Two-Bean Burgers

Adapted from: myrecipes.com
Makes: 4 servings (serving size: 1 burger)
Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 (15oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup dry whole wheat breadcrumbs
1/4 cup canned whole-kernel yellow corn, drained
1/4 cup purple onion, chopped
1Tbsp cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lime
2 Tbsp ground flax seed
6 Tbsp water
Preparation
To prepare burgers, heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-heat.
Combine kidney beans, black beans, cilantro and lime juice in a large bowl: partially mash with a fork.  In a separate bowl, mix flax seed with water until texture is slightly gelatinous.  Add breadcrumbs, corn, onion and flax seed mixture to large bowl; stir until well blended.  Form bean mixture into 4 (1/2-inch thick) patties.  Add patties to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until crisp and beginning to brown.
Place burgers on bread or bun and garnish with toppings of your choice.  I used avocado and tomato for my burger and cheddar cheese for my husband's burger.  I served sauteed green beans and a mixture of baked sweet and white potato fries on the side.

 Enjoy!

Tensing Pen, Negril, Jamaica

We're heading back to Tensing Pen to celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary. 

Be back next week.

Cheers!

The Vegetarian Chili you must try!

I tried a new recipe (and actually followed it... for the most part) for vegetarian chili last week.  It is, hands down, the best vegetarian chili I have ever tasted!  This chili is not only a great source of protein and fiber, but it's so filling and satisfying that you won't even miss the meat.  And the best part, it's also easy to make.

VEGETARIAN CHILI

Adapted from: The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook, pg 155

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and grated

1 Tbsp Cholula Hot Sauce

3 Tbsp chili powder

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried basil

2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

1 cup canned white kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup canned great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup canned red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup canned corn kernels, rinsed and drained

2 1/2 cups water or low sodium vegetable stock

4 squares dark (75% or more cocoa) organic chocolate

28 oz canned tomatoes

Juice of 1 fresh lime

Juice of 1 fresh lemon

PREPARATION

In a Dutch oven, warm olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion, red pepper, grated carrot and saute until onion becomes soft and translucent.  Stir in chili powder, red pepper flakes, sea salt and black pepper.  Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Add all remaining ingredients.  Blend well.  Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and serve hot.  This recipe can be served over brown rice for a heartier version.  Leftovers are perfect in a wrap the next day.

Makes 6 Servings

Prep time:  35 minutes

Cook time:  40 minutes

This chili is a bit on the spicy side so adjust the seasonings to taste.  You can also temper it with some shredded cheese, sour cream, sliced avocado or all three depending on your preference.  We ate our chili with a salad and homemade corn muffins but it would be just as good with a hearty slice of sourdough or whole wheat bread.

You can freeze leftovers in single serving quart size ziplock bags. Lay flat and stack in the freezer. When you're ready to eat, simply defrost, heat and enjoy!

 

Check out my guest blog today for byrdie's magazine monday post.

Make sure to sign up to follow byrdie while you're there!

More Vegetarian Meals!

So as you know, Sean's meatless month came to an end on Oct 2nd.  He lasted exactly 1 day.  I can't really blame him though. He's been eating meat his whole life.  It's not an easy thing to give up cold turkey (pun intended).  That's the thing with most diets, people expect to change lifelong habits over night.  In my mind, that's just not realistic and it's why most diets fail.  Being healthy is a journey.  It's something you have to work on and choose every day, every meal, every bite.  So although Sean hasn't been able to give up meat entirely, he wants to continue with meatless dinners at home for the rest of the month.  After a rocky start, we got back on track and finished the first week with tacos and pasta.

Vegetarian Taco Bar

I don't have an exact recipe for the tacos as what we use varies each time we have them.  We usually use organic whole wheat wraps and/or organic blue corn hard taco shells along with a variety of fillings.  This time we had  refried beans, blacks beans, brown rice flavored with taco seasoning (these 3 help to replace some of the bulk that you might otherwise miss when omitting meat), tomatoes, shredded lettuce (or spinach), fresh guacamole (1 avocado, chopped onions, tomatoes, cilantro and fresh lime juice), shredded organic cheddar cheese for Sean and shredded zucchini for me.  Top with hot sauce if desired and enjoy!  This is a great meal if you have picky eaters in your house as everybody can always find at least 3 or 4 fillings that they like. 

Fresh Tomato Sauce
From Vitamix Whole Food Recipes pg. 139
6 medium Roma tomatoes, quartered
1 small onion, peeled, halved
1 small carrot
2 TBSP tomato paste
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1. Place all ingredients into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid.
2. Select Variable 1.
3. Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to Variable 10, then to High.
4. Blend for 2-3 minutes, using the tamper to press the ingredients into the blades.
5. Pour into saucepan and simmer for 35-40 minutes.
6. (Optional)- I chopped up some mushrooms in the Cuisinart and added them to the the sauce to simulate the texture of ground beef.

Cook Whole Wheat Fusilli according to directions on the box.
Pour Tomato sauce over pasta and mix. 
Serve hot and enjoy!

Zuchhini with Kale and Green Onions
Zucchini, quartered
Kale, small handful
Green Onions, chopped
Sautee all of the above vegetables in olive oil with salt and pepper to taste.

I hate to admit it but the garlic bread was from the freezer.  Ideally we would have had homemade garlic bread on a fresh whole wheat baguette but we didn't have any.  Sometimes you just have to make due with what you have on hand.

The meat-free menu for this week includes vegetartian chili, homemade pizza and veggie burgers.  Recipes to follow!