Black Bean and Quinoa Veggie Burgers

We've all had a bad veggie burger. They're bland and mushy and leave you unsatisfied. 

Before I made these black bean and quinoa burgers, I had only tried one other time to make vegan burgers. They were okay, but I wasn't going to hold onto the recipe. The other day I had my friend over for dinner because she was considering going vegan and wanted to pick my brain. Since I was leaving to go out of town the day after she came over I didn't have much food to work with, but thankfully I found a recipe for veggie burgers using most of the ingredients I had in the house. Overall the recipe reviews were positive, but I wasn't sure how "veganizing" the burgers would affect their consistency and more importantly if they'd hold together. Nobody likes a crumbly burger.

Thankfully, these turned out great! They actually had flavor and didn't fall apart with each bite we took. If you're okay with spice, I'd highly recommend increasing the seasonings even more to bump up the flavor. These are also great burgers to freeze and reheat throughout the week.

Black Bean and Quinoa Veggie Burgers

(Serves 5)

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup cooked black beans (or one can, drain and rinsed)
• 1/4 cup dry quinoa*
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth*
• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 2 tablespoons minced onion
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon frank's hot sauce
• 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons warm water)
• 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup corn
• 1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced

*If you already have some cooked quinoa, you can substitute the 1/4 cut dry quinoa and 1/2 cup veggie broth for 3/4 cup cooked quinoa.

Directions:

1. Prepare your flax egg by whisking together 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of warm water. Set aside to "gel".
2. In a small sauce, bring the quinoa and vegetable broth to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and let simmer for about 15-20 minutes until the quinoa is tender and the broth has been absorbed.
3. While the quinoa is cooking, place the black beans into a large bowl and mash them with a fork until there are only a few whole beans left and a paste has formed.
4. Add in the flax egg, oat flour, onion, garlic, cumin, salt, hot sauce, cilantro, corn and jalapeño and mix everything together using your hands.
5. Form into 5 patties and if possible let the patties rest for 20 minutes in the fridge.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a baking tray with cooking spray. Place the chilled patties on the baking tray and spray the tops with cooking spray.
7. Bake the patties for 15 minutes, flip the over, and bake for 15 minutes more.
8. For extra delicious patties, after the patties have baked in the oven, "fry" them on a hot skillet for 2 minutes on each side using cooking spray.
9. Serve on whole wheat buns with any fixings you desire! In my opinion, lettuce, tomato, avocado and spicy mustard are always winners.

Notes: Adapted from All Recipes.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the burgers after baking. They went too quickly!

Eat Consciously,

Faith

WIAW: Spicy Black Beans with Cilantro and Lime

Yesterday was a weird eating day. You know, those days where you're busy rushing around and end up eating meals at weird hours or just snack through lunch. These days usually happen when I'm prepping a lot of food for the week. I always want to taste test all the food I make and then I never really get hungry. 

Today I'll share with you a "weird" day of eats, some experiments in the kitchen and a Spicy Black Bean with Cilantro and Lime recipe (at the bottom!). Check out Jenn's blog for other recipe ideas!

Meal #1: My Growing Oat Bran Bowl using 1/3 cup oat bran cooked in 2 cups water. I stirred in 1/2 cup pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla extract and stevia.  Almond butter on top.

Brett and I just got back home after being in Virginia for the past ten days. We were meeting with a lot of people for work and ate most of our meals out. Now you might think I'm crazy, but I'm one of those people that would rather eat at home than eat out (usually). By the time we got home my body was craving lots of fruits, veggies and home-cooked meals. And of course I was aching to start experimenting in the kitchen.

I still wonder about when I grew to like cooking. When I was younger I would always tell my Mom that I would rather mow the lawn, clean the house, weed the garden...basically do ANYTHING other than cooking. Now I can't stop thinking about new recipe I want to create! We'll see how long this phase will last.

Meal #2: All-bran, homemade granola and banana with freshly Homemade Vanilla Almond Milk.

I think I've discovered my favorite ratio for homemade almond milk. Yum!

Since I was doing a lot of experimenting in the kitchen, I ended up taste testing and snacking most of the afternoon. I'm always looking for ways to use the almond pulp that is left over from making Homemade Almond Milk. Yesterday I tried making brownies with almond pulp and dates. Their flavorful and hold together well, but they never really "cooked" and are really moist. While delicious, I don't think they're quite right. You win some you lose some!

Meal #3: Carrots, Celery, Whole Wheat Rosemary Wheat Thins 

and Avocado Hummus (recipe coming soon!)

One of Brett's coworkers invited us and another couple over for dinner last night. She was making enchiladas and asked me to bring some type of bean dish and a vegan dessert. These beans might look like mush, but they're delicious! When jalapeños, cumin and cilantro are involved you can't go wrong. For dessert I made Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies using coconut oil. Those were a big hit.

Meal #4: Spicy Black Beans on top of Brown Rice (not pictured) 

with a side of green beans (not pictured).

Spicy Black Beans with Cilantro and Lime

(Serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 cans black beans (or 3 1/2 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin
• salt to taste 
• juice of 1 lime
• handful of cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. In a large sauce pan over medium heat, sauté the onion, jalapeño and garlic until the onion is soft.
2. Add in the black beans, vegetable broth, cumin and salt and let cook for about 5 minutes.
3. After the beans start to thicken, use a potato masher to mash the beans until about 1/2 are left whole.
4. Continue to let the beans cook until they have thickened then squeeze in the lime juice and stir in the cilantro.
5. Pour into a serving bowl, garnish with more cilantro and eat!

Right before bed I ate one of my brownies and that was it! Enjoy your Wednesday!

Would you rather eat out or eat at home?

Have you ever made homemade almond milk? What do you do with the leftover pulp?

Eat Consciously,

Faith

Rungry

Since my half-marathon on Saturday (Yay, first one! Recap here), I've been "rungry." I figured I would be really hungry the day after the race, but I didn't think the constant hunger would last so long. Now that I'm planning to keep training and run a marathon, I can only imagine how much more hungry I'll become! Any advice for a first-time marathoner? Since I have a history of injury when I increase my mileage, I'm going to take it slow and try to cross-train a couple times a week. Oh, and try out some yoga and pilates.

I was able to stay home yesterday so I'm going to share yesterday's eats and some food prep for the week. One of the reasons I started this blog was to document my experiences as a new vegan cook. It's been so cool to see how far I've come in my cooking skills and how many new ingredients I've tried for the first time. And yesterday marked a big event...vegan cheese! I always hoped I'd become good enough at the vegan cooking basics so I could start branching out to things like dairy-free cheese and faux meat and yesterday it happened! Even if you aren't vegan, this cheese recipe from Vedged Out is amazing. I'm excited to see what Brett thinks when he get's home from his work trip and tries it out.

So without further ado...

Breakfast:

Overnight buckwheat groats, oats and chia seed parfait with strawberries

I soaked 1/4 cup buckwheat groats in water overnight

In a separate mason jar I soaked 1 tablespoon of chia seeds, 1/4 cup oats, 2/3 cup almond milk, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder and 1/2 smashed banana

In the morning I rinsed the groats in a strainer and mixed them in with the chia/oat mixture and layered it with strawberries.

Morning snack:

1/2 of a homemade lara bar

Lunch:

A whole wheat tortilla with a small sweet potato, black beans, sauteed bok choy and tomato

Afternoon Snacks and Meal Prep:

I made this Cheesy Vegan Spaghetti Squash and Broccoli Casserole and ate some for a snack

It was my first time using spaghetti squash and I'm hooked!

Vegan Cheese!

I made this recipe from Vedgedout and I will definitely be making it again

I had some of it with some pretzels

Dinner:

I ate some baby carrots before heading out to my work Christmas party.

I didn't take any pictures there, but I had salad and a vegan dish of puff pastry dough filled with rice and veggies. It was delicious!

And that's it! Check out some other eats and get new recipe ideas over at Jenn's website: PeasandCrayons. Have a great rest of your week!

Eat Consciously,

     Faith

Spicy Black Bean Hummus (Oil-Free)

I got home late last night after being in Texas for the past week. It was a great trip, but I'm so glad to be home. Traveling is one of my favorite things to do - which is good, because it's a major part of my job - but some things get old after a while.

For example: I love getting to sleep in huge, comfy hotel beds, but there's nothing that compares to sleeping in your own bed. I love getting to spend time in climates other than Florida's hot and humid air, but it's hard to pack well for colder temperatures. I love getting to try out different restaurants and eat a wide variety of ethnic foods, but after a while I just want to cook my own food. And that's all I've been doing my first day home it seems! I feel like a little girl who just opened an American Girl Doll for Christmas. I'm that excited to start whipping up some new concoctions. Just today I made some date paste for baking, spicy black bean hummus and an iron rich chocolate mug cake. I'll share all these recipes soon, but for now I'll start with Spicy Black Bean Hummus.

Spicy Black Bean Hummus

 Ingredients:

· 1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

· 2 tablespoons tahini

· 2 tablespoons lemon juice

· 1 large garlic clove, minced

· 1 teaspoon cumin

· 1/2 teaspoon paprika

· 1/4 teaspoon (or less) red chili powder

· 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

· 1 tablespoon water

Directions:

1. Place all of the ingredients in a food process and process on high until smooth.

2. Serve with chopped veggies, tortilla chips or use as a spread in a veggie wrap!

Eat Consciously,

     Faith

Ground "Turkey" and Black Bean Tacos

The first few weeks after going vegan I made a lot (and I mean A LOT) of Mexican dishes. I could easily saute some peppers and onions, open a can of beans, shred some lettuce and call it a meal. I wasn't confident enough to experiment with different faux meat yet and really didn't know what types of meatless protein options were out there.

After doing some research and reading different vegan cook books I discovered TVP: Textured Vegetable Protein. Sounds lovely, right? I initially just skimmed over it's description thinking that with a name like that it had to be something complex and too hard for a newbie vegan to cook with. But I was wrong. TVP is so simple to use and is a great source of protein. It takes on any flavor you want and has the texture of ground meat. The first time I used it was for vegan sloppy joes and I was really happy with how it turned out! These tacos turned out great too. The recipe made a lot, so Brett and I were able to eat it for leftovers in wraps and as taco salad throughout the week.

Have you ever used TVP before? Do you like it? If you're new to it and you try it out, let me know what you think!

Ground “Turkey” and Black Bean Tacos

(Makes 4 servings)

 Ingredients:

· 1 small onion, sliced

· 2 cloves garlic

· 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

· 1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped

· 1 cup TVP

· 1 cup water

· 1 teaspoon chili powder

· 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

· 1/2 teaspoon cumin

· 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

· 4-8 wheat tortillas (depending on what size)

· Optional toppings: salsa, shredded lettuce or spinach, guacamole, vegan shredded cheese

Directions:

1. Bring one cup of water to a boil. Add the TVP and remove from heat.

2. Stir the spices (chili powder to cumin) into the TVP and water mixture and set aside.

3. While the TVP is soaking up the spices, sauté the onion and garlic on medium heat until the onion softens. Then add the bell pepper and cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes.

4. Add the drained and rinsed black beans and the TVP to the peppers and onions and mix until incorporated. Cook until the black beans are heated through.

5. Serve on wheat tortillas or a bed of lettuce with your choice of toppings!

Let me introduce you to TVP!

Looks just like ground turkey doesn't it?

Nutrition (without tortillas and toppings): Cals: 200; Fat: 1g: Carbs: 30g; Fiber: 11g; Sugar: 3.6g; Protein: 19.6g

Eat Consciously,

     Faith