veggie/bean burgers

finally, the recipe post i should have written a long time ago since it quite possibly is my favorite meal to make for the family (and often). the recipe is as simple as you want it to be since you can include whatever ingredient you really want. below is what i usually do for veggie/bean burgers. i generally use four cans of different beans which makes quite a bit of burgers for four and then some leftovers. so definitely half the recipe for two people.

enjoy !

ingredients:

burgers

• four cans beans of any variety (kidney, black, pinto)
• 1 med-large potato shredded (use cheese grater)
• 1 large carrot shredded (use cheese grater)
• 1/2 cup peas (optional)
• lots of salt 
• crushed red pepper flakes for spiciness 

how to:

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. separate all your large ingredients into different bowls; beans, potato, carrot, peas. make sure to rinse the beans very well. tip: shred the potato last
3. get another bowl you can mush these ingredients with a fork easily to later form your burger. take a handful of beans and mush them for a minute (they don't all have to be completely mushed) then take handfuls of all your veggies and put those into your mushed bean bowl. 
4. you can mix all the ingredients with a fork and then add your spices
5. now using your hands form your burgers into a patty shape, you kind of need to press hard to get the beans to stick with all your ingredients but it should go pretty easily. (beware this is the messy part)
6. continue to make more patty's by adding and mushing together more of the mixture.
7. once done oven them for 30-40 minutes on a sprayed aluminum foil over your baking tray
8. the burgers should be slightly golden and crispy on each side. you can turn them over half way.

tip: if your patty's wont stick well it might be too wet which can be fixed with more beans which will make the mixture dryer. it is usually the water from the potato that may make your mixture un-stickable. you may need to squeeze out the water from the shredded potato if you notice it is watery.

toppings

• avocado slices (personal favorite)
• tomato slices
• bell peppers slices
• spinach
• onion slices
• ketchuppp (go organic! avoid HFCS)
• cucumbers (optional)
• toasted whole wheat buns (trader joes has yummy ones)

how to:

1. put all your toppings in dishes so everyone can build their own burger later

side dishes

• sweet potato wedges baked
• it is just fine and even nutritious to eat potato skins so simply wash and scrub your sweet potatoes before you slice them into wedges 
• you can make these while your burgers are in the oven so don't turn the oven off when the burgers are done since these can also bake at 400 degrees F. 
• then prepare your baking sheet. i put aluminum foil over my baking sheet for easy clean up. spray your sheet and then put your wedges on. you can sprinkle more olive oil over your wedges here too.
• use whatever spices you like and sprinkle them over the wedges. salt is usually what i use.
• they go in the oven for about 45-60 minutes depending on your wedge sizes and oven. i never know how long i keep them in because i keep adding the time if they are not ready. aka you want the wedges to be really soft and be able to put a fork through them easily so keep checking! definitely start with 30 minutes and then check every so often.
• transfer the wedges to a plate once done

• spiced chickpeas baked (optional)
• after your sweet potatoes are done you can use the same baking sheet and aluminum foil used with the wedges. 
• first rinse your garbanzo beans really well and then simply place them on your sprayed aluminum foil on the baking sheet
• sprinkles your desired spices, i go with  cayenne pepper and salt
• bake for about 30 minutes on the same 400 degree F as the burgers and wedges.
• the garbanzo beans will get golden and crispy as well.
• transfer them to a bowl and eat them as a snack on the side!

rice and veggie dish

hello everyone, and happy menstruating day 1 to me!
i can't be too ungrateful since my cramped belly decided i needed a light and airy meal today which led to this masterpiece that everyone enjoyed thoroughly.

i love it when my whimsical creations that are mostly little bit of this and little bit of that thrown together actually end up not only edible freakin delicious! and so this recipe will be a little harder to write down...if you really want to try this recipe and need more precise measurements just comment and i will do it but yes, much of this was eye balled in.

oh and by the way i used days old rice that we had in the fridge so if you ever have left over rice definitely try and make this dish. good luck!

ingredients:

• old rice [i had about 2 1/2 cups at least after cooked]
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil for cooking
• 2 carrots chopped into smaller pieces
• 2 cloves of garlic chopped
• 1 inch of fresh ginger chopped
• 2 green onions chopped
• 1/2 cup packed kale chopped thinly [ i used two big hand fulls-the more the better!]
• 2 tablespoon organic tamari soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon earth butter (optional)
• splash of lime juice (optional)
• salt to taste

how to:

1.  in a large pan heat your coconut oil over medium heat and add in your ginger and garlic stirring it around for 2 minutes, it should be fragrant
2. add in the carrots and cook until they are soft
3. add in the old rice and stir it around to mix everything together then make a hole in the middle for the earth butter and combine with rice as it melts
4. now stir in the liquids, add in the soy sauce, vinegar and splash of lime juice, stir it around  for couple minutes so your rice is well cooked
5. do a taste test and add any salt needed
6. now stir in your chopped kale and turn the heat to a simmer, cover with a lid so the kale wilts but doesn't burn the rice
7. you're done when the flavor is right, veggies are soft and the ingredients are mixed well

* you can also substitute spinach for kale if you happen to not have it, and feel free to add more veggies or exclude things your don't have/ your own version of ingredients

+++

i had this rice side dish with giant portabella mushrooms which i fried as i made the rice.

ingredients:

• 2-4 portabella mushrooms depending on how many people eating
• 1 tablespoon earth butter [or coconut oil]
• salt
• pepper
• olive oil for drizzling 
• sesame seeds sprinkled as topping
• green onions sprinkled as topping

how to:

1. heat the butter in a pan
2. prepare the mushrooms by placing them on a plate after washing. first brush them with some olive oil both sides
3. sprinkle on the sat, pepper or any other seasonings you like on both sides (almost like meat)
4. place in pan and i turn then so cap is down, leave on for couple minutes until browned you can turn over to check, they will wilt and ooze out lots of juice
5. once done transfer them to a plate and sprinkled on some sesame seeds and green onions

^^momma picked some veggies from the garden : )

^^ i threw in some spiced garbanzo beans after the sweet potatoes, great finger food.