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

Power Seed Crackers

Ever since I decided that I wanted to try making more of our staple food from home (such as bread, granola, almond milk, etc.), crackers have been one of my favorite foods to experiment making from scratch. Since I made Whole Wheat Rosemary Wheat Thins, I've realized that crackers aren't as hard to make as I had thought. I love being able to change the seasonings and it's also a perk that I know exactly what went into each little crunchy morsel. 

Whole Wheat Rosemary Wheat Thins

Lately I've seen a lot of recipes for crackers made only with seeds and water so I decided to try some out. I didn't want my crackers to be made up entirely of larger seeds like sunflower and pumpkin seeds, but wanted the base to be something with a finer texture. Ground flaxseed for the win!

The best thing about these crackers is that you don't have to roll out a stiff dough with a rolling pin, but instead get to use your hands to spread out the seed mixture. There is also no oil or butter in these and they are held together entirely with water!

Power Seed Crackers

(Makes about 50 crackers)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup pepitas 
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, chopped (careful, it "jumps" everywhere!)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl mix together the flax, chia, sunflower and pepita seeds.
3. In a separate bowl whisk together the 1 cup of water and spices.
4. Pour the spiced water mixture into the bowl with the seeds and use a spoon to stir until combined.
5. Dump the seed mixture onto your baking sheet and use your hands to push down the mixture and spread it to be about 1/4-1/8 of an inch thick. My mixture spread all the way to the edges of my baking sheet.
6. Score the dough with a knife into whatever shape you like.
7. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until dry and firm. (It depends on how thick/thin you made them)
8. Break the crackers apart and let cool.

Eat Consciously,

Faith

A Dream Come True: Ireland Sister Trip! (Plus Date-Sweetened Chocolate Chip Cookies)

It still seems surreal.

My sister and I have been dreaming of backpacking Ireland for 14 years and it finally happened! 

This trip couldn't have gone better. We never got lost and it only drizzled once for about five minutes. We landed in Dublin early Thursday morning and with heavy backpacks on our backs bussed to four different locations and stayed at three different B&Bs before Sunday. A lot of walking, eating, talking and laughing took place and we kept saying that we couldn't believe our dream was actually coming true.

I wasn't sure how trying to eat mostly plant-based would go, but overall it was never a problem. We even brought some snacks with us (oatmeal, granola bars and homemade, Date-Sweetened Chocolate Chip Cookies - recipe at the end of this post!), but I didn't need them most days. The Irish really know how to cook and Ruth and I fell in love with their Brown Bread and ate it every chance we could. Tea also became a big staple in our diet.

Lunch on our first day in Cashel

Ross Castle in Killarney

Killarney was both Ruth and my favorite city. We got up early after a deep, jet-lagged sleep and ate a big Irish breakfast before walking 45 minutes to Ross Castle. It was a perfect day and we kept on having to remove layers of clothing because we were getting too hot. After checking out the Castle we walked another 30 minutes or so into the city center of Killarney where I had my favorite meal of the entire trip.

We ate a place called Dyne and started our meal with some french-pressed coffee. We each got salads with a side of brown bread. My salad had chickpeas, roasted veggies and tahini dressing and it was fantastic. We stayed and talked for a couple of hours and enjoyed another cup of coffee with one of my Date-Sweetened Chocolate Chip Cookies. A perfect lunch.

Another one of our favorite parts of the trip was going to the Milk Market in Limerick. After showering and eating some breakfast we walking into town to scope out the huge tent full of different vendors. We were in heaven! Fresh bread and scones, coffee shops, produce out the wazoo and much more. We made sure we saw all of our options before deciding on some olive bread and oranges. Yes, a weird combination, but it was delicious!

I love the way people in Ireland do life. They never seem to be rushed and take their time at meals to savor their food and enjoy the company around them. It only took Ruth and I a day or so to get into this mindset.

The second half of our trip was actually spent with Ruth's 14-year pen pal and her family. Yes, 14 years of writing letters and they finally got to meet in person. And...they have the same name! "Irish Ruth" met up with us in Galway and we spent the evening in the city before sharing a room at another B&B. The next morning, after another filling Irish breakfast, we drove to the Cliffs of Moher.

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day! There wasn't a cloud in the sky and we no longer had to walk around with our backpacks because "Irish Ruth" generously offered to drive us to the Cliffs. I couldn't stop taking pictures. 

After soaking up the Cliffs, we drove back to Navan (a city near Dublin) where Ruth's family lives for the last few days of our trip.  We ate delicious home-cooked food, shopped around Dublin and had some awesome girl time with Ruth and her sister.

Lunch in Dublin at Bewleys

It was bittersweet to leave such a beautiful country and the people we met, but Ruth and I couldn't help but be thankful that our dream finally came true and that everything went so well. We hope it wont be too long before we go back!

Now for some cookies.

I made these cookies specifically for this trip and they turned out so well. I love the ingredients and they make the perfect snack or healthy dessert. I was worried I didn't bring enough after Ruth and I put a dent in my stash just on the plane ride over!

Date-Sweetened Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats (processed into flour)
• 1 cup pitted dates
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/3 cup dairy-free chocolate chips, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Whisk together 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and set aside.
3. In a food processor, process your oats until you get flour. Pour the oat flour into a bowl and whisk in the salt, cornstarch and baking soda.
4. Chop up your dates and place them in the food processor. Process them until they begin to break down into a sticky dough. Add in the coconut oil, flax egg and vanilla extract and process until as smooth as possible.
5. Add in the dry ingredients and pulse to combine. I used my processor's dough blade for this part, but you don't have to. Remove the dough into a bowl (or just remove the processor blade) and add in the chopped chocolate chips and mix well to combine.
6. Form the dough into balls and slightly flatten them before placing them on your baking dish.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes. They will still be somewhat soft right after you remove them from the oven, but they will harden as they cool. Place them in the fridge after they've mostly cooled to help them set.
8. Store them in an airtight container for a few days or in the fridge for longer!

Eat Consciously,

Faith

8 Ingredient Coconut Cranberry Scones! {Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free}

Does anyone else really miss cooking when you're traveling? Or is it just me? Yet again, Brett and I were gone this past week for a five-day work training and the whole week I kept thinking about cooking and baking. I always seemed to have a recipe swimming around in my head or a new flavor combination I wanted to try. It was killer!

The training was actually held where Brett works, which is only 25 minutes away from our house, but we still opted to stay on campus for the week. There were a lot of sessions after dinner and the days started early, so we figured it would be nice to not have to drive back and forth each day.  

Brett's office is right by a lake and it's actually where a KOA campground is located. We were blessed to be able to stay in "Deluxe Cabin #1" for the week which was right on the lake. We had a porch with a swing where we could enjoy the sunrise in the mornings and the cool breeze at night. One morning we even took two kayaks out to watch the sun rise on the water. The cabin itself was great too. The "master" bed was pretty small, so Brett ended up sleeping on the futon in the main room while I had the bed to myself. We like our space when we sleep.

Even though I wasn't able to experiment in the kitchen all week, I was blessed with some amazing vegan goodies. The hospitality team that cooked all of our meal for us was so sweet. One girl on the team is around my age and is vegan too, so she baked me special, vegan desserts! She made some amazing almond butter snicker doodle cookies, no-bake cookies and brownies. I definitely ate more sugar than I have in a while! Everything was delicious, which just added to my desire to experiment in the kitchen even more. 

The training finished up on Friday afternoon and I'll admit that by Friday evening I had already whipped up these Coconut Cranberry Scones as well as some Curry Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas for one of my new favorite salads. I had been thinking about making scones using coconut oil and coconut milk all week and I'm so happy with how these turned out. They're moist and flaky, easy to make and only require 8 ingredients. They're even refined sugar free!

Here's a list of some of the goodness that you'll find in these scones:

Coconut Oil

Ground Flaxseed

Craisins

Agave Nectar

Gluten-Free Flour

Coconut Cranberry Scones

(Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups gluten-free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Baking Flour)
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/4 cup light coconut milk (from a can or carton)
• 3-4 tablespoons agave nectar
• 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water)
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• Optional: 1 tablespoon coarse sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a bowl prepare your flax egg by whisking 1 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water. Set aside to thicken.
3. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Using two knives or a pastry cutter, cut in the coconut oil until there are no clumps larger than pea size. 
5. Add the coconut milk and agave nectar to your flax egg and stir to combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
6. Fold in the craisins.
7. Place the dough in the middle of your baking sheet and use your hand to flatten it into a circle about 1 1/2 inches high. Cut the dough into 6-8 equal wedges, but keep the dough together in a circle.
8. If using the coarse sugar, sprinkle 1 tablespoon on top of the wedges and gently press it into the dough so they don't rub off.
9. Bake for 17-20 minutes until the scones are cooked through and the bottom is golden.
10. Eat warm or store in an airtight container for a few days.

Fiberlicious Pumpkin Bran Muffins

Toasted wheat bran.

Plump raisins.

Pureed pumpkin.

Whole wheat flour.

With ingredients like these, you know you're gonna have some delicious and healthy muffins. 

I've always loved "bran" flavored foods and I'm one of those weird people that prefers plain cereal like All-bran and cheerios over lucky charms and captain crunch. A few weeks ago when Brett and I were in Arkansas for work we went to Cracker Barrel (Oh Cracker Barrel. So many childhood memories!) with my cousin and her boyfriend. Brett got a bran muffin to take with him as a snack for later and ever since then bran muffins have been on my mind. I just haven't been home long enough to make a batch.

Thankfully, Brett and I are home for a whole month so I've been able to cook and bake my heart out! Obviously one of the first things I made were these muffins. I had no idea wheat bran was so dang cheap! Bonus. The rest of the ingredients I already had on hand which made these really easy to whip up.

They're sweetened with pureed raisins, molasses and brown sugar and I used applesauce instead of oil which made them really moist. The pumpkin flavor is subtle, but delicious. 

If you're a fan of nuts, walnuts would be great in these.

I stored them in a zip-lock bag in the fridge and we've been enjoying them for breakfast and as a quick snack all week! If you're a meal planner, you should definitely add these muffins to your weekly menu.

Pumpkin Bran Muffins

(Makes 16 muffins)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups wheat bran, toasted
• 1 1/4 cups raisins, divided
• 3/4 cup water, divided
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup dairy-free, plain yogurt
• Zest of one orange
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and grease 2 muffin tins and set them aside.
2. Spread the wheat bran on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 5 minutes. Stir once to help it toast evenly.
3. While the bran is cooking make your flax egg by whisking the flaxseed and water together in a small bowl. Set aside.
4. In a small sauce pan, heat 1/2 cup of raisins with 1/4 cup of water. Let the raisins simmer until all of the water is absorbed. 
5. Puree the raisins in a food processor with the molasses and pumpkin puree until smooth.
6. In a large bowl mix together the toasted wheat bran, plain yogurt and 1/2 cup water. 
7. Add in the raisin/pumpkin puree, orange zest and brown sugar and mix. 
8. Stir in the applesauce and flax egg.
9. In a separate bowl whisk the flours, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Then pour these dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
10. Fold in the remaining 3/4 cup raisins.
11. Spoon the batter into the greased muffin tins and bake for 22-25 minutes or until the centers have set. 
12. Let cool in the pans for a few minutes before removing to a plate or wired rack to cool. 
13. Store in a zip-lock bag in the fridge or freeze.

Notes: "Veganized" from According to Elle.

1/16th of this recipe gives you almost 6 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein. Not bad for 130 calories of goodness!

Eat Consciously,

Faith

Homemade Vegan Protein Powder Review!

I was just starting to get into protein powders when I decided to go vegan. My husband Brett would always have some protein powder mixed with water after an intense workout so I figured I'd join in. But when I stopped eating dairy, I realized that all the protein powders we had, and most on the market, had dairy in them. So, just as I stopped eating animal products cold turkey, I stopped having protein powders. I hoped that eventually after some research I'd be able to find a protein powder that was dairy free and tasted good.

With all the traveling I've been doing this past year, it was hard to find time to research and test out different protein powders. So far I've only tried out two kinds: Arbonne and Trader Joe's Hemp Protein. One of my friends heard I had gone vegan and sent me two packets of Arbonne Essentials Protein Powder Shake, one chocolate and one vanilla. Other than the price, I love this protein powder! It tastes great and I love the list of ingredients. You can read up on my full review here. 

The first time I tried TJ's Hemp Protein was in some plain oatmeal. Dirt. That was my initial thought on the taste. It's not very sweet and there isn't a ton of protein per serving compared to other powders. I found I could enjoy it in smoothies, but on its own it's not my favorite.

So, I still hadn't found a protein powder that fit into my budget and that tasted good. 

The search continued.

Last week, however, my friends who actually played a big role in my going vegan shared with me a homemade vegan protein powder recipe that they had found on The Daily Garnish. They gave me a batch of some they had already made so that I could try it out before I bought the ingredients to make it myself. 

The ingredient list is awesome. 

• hemp protein powder
• PB2 powder
• ground flax
• maca powder
• chlorella powder
• spirulina
• cinnamon
• stevia

So many of these ingredients like the maca powder, chlorella and spirulina have been on my list of things to purchase and try, but I hadn't gotten around to it yet. So that's a win.

The smell is similar to algae due to the spirulina, but I chose to not let that phase me.

The first time I tried it was with frozen banana chunks, strawberries, blueberries, almond milk and kale. I wasn't sold on the taste after the first sip, but the more I kept drinking it, I grew to like it more and more. I has a subtle seaweed taste but the taste of peanut butter has a stronger presence which I really like. 

Even better are the stats and price it cost to make this powder:

In 1/4 serving with 104 calories there are: 

• 4 grams of fat
• 9 grams of carbs
• 7 grams of fiber
• 11 grams of protein

The cost to make this protein powder at home is only $0.53 per serving! Now that's a steal. 

The full recipe for this homemade vegan protein powder can be found at The Daily Garnish. Try it out for yourself and let me know what you think!

I'd also love to hear of any other vegan protein powders that you know of and love!

   

Eat Consciously,

     Faith

A Day of Eats

After being in Tennessee for a week, traveling long hours in a car, eating too many pretzels and not getting enough sleep it was so nice to have a day off of work on Monday to rest, recuperate and exert some energy outside. I slept in until 8:30 (I know, I'm a wild one) and started the morning with an orange and a bowl of oats with chia seeds, ground flax and a dollop of almond butter. It's hard to not have some kind of nut butter with my oatmeal these days.

After digesting I went for a 7 mile run in the beautiful Florida air. It felt so good to run long and slow after being in the car for 19 hours on Sunday. Afterwards, I refueled with some chocolate soy milk from Trader Joe's and stretched.

For lunch I made a curry quiona wrap with hummus and spinach in a whole wheat pita pocket, also from TJ's. 

I love the ingredients in these pita pockets:

I put peas and raisins in my Curry Quinoa and it's delicious. Sometimes I'll just put it on a bed of spinach for a salad.

For an afternoon snack I had an apple with "peanut butter" made from peanut flour and water...

...and an orange. We have a ton of apples and oranges in our house so I felt like I needed to do my part in eating them. Don't mind if I do.

For dinner I cleaned out some of the frozen veggies that have been in our freezer since before Brett and I got married (Yikes!). I made some brown rice and simmered the veggies with this Green Curry Sauce from TJ's.

I also made some breaded baked tofu to go with it and the whole meal was delicious and came together so quickly! 

I was still pretty exhausted from such a long day driving on Sunday so Brett and I just went on a walk around the UCF campus and went to bed early. 

There you have it. Monday's eats!

Check out other people's daily eats over at Peas and Crayons for some creative ideas!