Basic Grain Burgers with Garlic Fries

Homemade burgers are waaay better than any burger you could buy at the store. Our grain burgers are made with brown rice and walnuts and are crazy good! Thomas plays with the spices each time so feel free to do so too. However, the spices of rosemary and adobo are especially tasty. The burgers go great with a side of homemade garlic fries that are baked, never fried. The fry recipe follows the burger one below :)



Basic Grain Burgers
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1 Tbs ground flaxseeds
2 Tbs tamari or soy sauce
3/4 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 Tbs fresh or dried parsley, minced
1/3 cup vital wheat gluten flour
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 Tbs dried rosemary
1 1/2 Tbs adobo

In a food processor, pulse the walnuts to coarsely chop. Add in the flaxseeds, tamari, brown rice, onion, parsley, vital wheat gluten, Worcestershire, salt and pepper, rosemary, and adobo. Process until well combined but with some texture remaining. Shape the mixture into patties and place on a platter. Refrigerate for 10-15 minuets.

Heat 1-2 Tbs canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the patties, and cook until browned on both sides. About 4-5 minutes per side. Serve hot on a whole wheat bun with whatever toppings you like!

Makes 3-4 patties.

Garlic Fries
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs canola oil
2 large red potatoes
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Keep the skin on the potatoes and cut them into 1/4-inch-thick matchsticks.

Heat the garlic and oil together in a small saucepan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Strain the garlic from the oil and set aside for later. Toss the potatoes with the garlic oil and salt in a large bowl until well mixed.

Coat a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and spread the potatoes out on it in an even, single layer. Bake until golden crisp, about 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle the cooked garlic pieces on top of the fries along with some pepper. Serve hot!

Serves 4.

Banana Split Pudding Brownies

These brownies are gooey and wonderful with lots of yummy banana in them. They're fast to whip up and are a great way to use up all those frozen bananas in your freezer (or is that just us?). We got this recipe from Isa Moskowitz's cookbook Vegan with a Vengeance.



Banana Split Pudding Brownies
For the Brownies:
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted
1 cup mashed very ripe banana (about 2 large bananas)
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp sea salt

For the Topping:
1 cup mashed very ripe banana
2 Tbs cane sugar
1/4 cup soymilk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs arrowroot powder (cornstarch would work too)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of mashed banana, the oil, and the cane sugar. Use a handheld mixer to beat everything together for 1 minute (or use a fork and beat for several minutes). Mix in the vanilla and melted chocolate.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add this to the banana mixture in batches, mixing with the handheld mixer as you go along. Mix well.

To prepare the topping, combine all the topping ingredients in a small bowl and mix with the handheld mixer for about a minute.

Spread the brownie batter evenly into the baking pan. Pour the topping mixture over that and spread evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. After about 15 minutes, move the pan to the fridge to cool completely. Cut into squares and serve!

Makes 12 brownies.

Quinoa-Stuffed Zucchini

We love stuffed peppers so we figured we would branch out and try stuffed zucchinis. They did not disappoint! These stuffed zucchini boats make a great light dinner and they're nutritionally packed with quinoa, almonds, tomatoes, and beans! They pair well with a side of roasted sweet potatoes :)



Quinoa-Stuffed Zucchini
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
4 large zucchini
1 (15oz) can white beans (such as great northern or cannellini)
1 cup cherry or plum tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup raw, unsalted almonds, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cheese, grated (we used Follow Your Heart Mozzarella and Cheddar)
3 Tbs olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a pot, combine the quinoa with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 12-15 minutes until the quinoa is fluffy and the water has been absorbed.

Meanwhile, cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place them in a large pan, cut-side up.

Fluff the quinoa with a fork and then gently fold in the beans, tomatoes, almonds, garlic, 3/4 cup of the cheese, 3 Tbs of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Spoon the mixture into the zucchini boats and top each with a little drizzle of olive oil and the rest of the cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake until the zucchini is tender, about 25-30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the tops are golden, another 8-10 minutes!

Serves 4.

Jamie Oliver's TED Prize wish: Teach every child about food | Video on TED.com

This video is definitely worth watching! Jamie Oliver is a very passionate speaker and work like his will make a big difference in the world.

Jamie Oliver's TED Prize wish: Teach every child about food | Video on TED.com

Indian Mango Dal

Dal is a traditional Indian dish that usually consists of lentils flavored with spices and served over rice. The mangoes in this dish add a whole element of unexpected flavor! You can use both ripe and under-ripe mangoes. Ripe mangoes will add a sweetness to the dal while the under-ripe mangoes will add tartness. This recipe comes from Eating Well magazine.



Indian Mango Dal
1 cup lentils, rinsed
4 cups water
1 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 Tbs canola oil
1 tsp cumin
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs fresh ginger, minced
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 mangoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Combine the lentils, water, 1/2 tsp of the salt, and turmeric in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, partially cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the cumin and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the onions and cook till they soften and brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, cayenne, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt and cook, stirring, for another couple of minutes.

Add the garlic mixture and the mangoes to the pot with the lentils. Return to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are falling apart and the mangoes are soft, about another 15 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and serve over steamed brown rice!

Serves 5-6.

Banana Walnut Pancakes

Who doesn't like a nice fluffy pancake in the morning? These are fast to whip up and are great for a relaxing weekend breakfast (or brunch for that matter). Use whole wheat pastry flour to keep them nutritious while at the same time, keeping them light and airy. Paired with a couple patties of Gimme Lean veggie breakfast sausage and you've got yourself one tasty meal!



Banana Walnut Pancakes
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups plain soymilk
2 Tbs canola or coconut oil
1 Tbs maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 banana, thinly sliced
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, mix together the soymilk, oil, maple syrup and vanilla. Whisk the milk mixture into the flour mixture and combine well. Add in the banana and the walnuts.

Preheat a nonstick griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Add about 1/3 cup of pancake batter for each pancake to the griddle. Cook until bubbles appear on the top and around the edges of the pancake and the bottom is nicely browned (about 2-3 min). Flip the pancake over and cook another 1-2 minutes until the other side is browned as well. Repeat until the batter is gone. Serve hot with butter (we use Earth Balance or Smart Balance Light) and pure maple syrup!

Serves 2-3.




Heart-shaped pancakes Thomas made on Valentine's Day :)

California Guacamole

This is hands down the best guacamole we've ever had. The ingredients are similar to any other good guac, however, the ratio of the ingredients seem to put this one over the top. Thomas made this for our super bowl party last weekend and the recipe made so much we had leftovers for several days. Needless to say, we were thrilled :)



California Guacamole
6 medium, ripe avocados
2 cups scallions, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, stems removed and coarsely chopped
2 cups tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp sea salt
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbs olive oil

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. We mashed it a bit with a potato masher to get the consistency we wanted. Feel free to do it however you want!

Serves about 8 to 10.