Things I've Made Lately: July 17

On Sunday, I really wanted a cheeseburger. This happened instead:



-(never home)maker's Vegetarian Juicy Lucy topped with Mama Pea's Mmmm Sauce
-Mama Pea's Coconut Curry Sweet Potato Fries
-Salad from my garden with dressing made from Mama Pea's Mmmm Sauce and vinegar

This was better.

Creamy Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese

I'm not going to lie to you. This dish is not very attractive (It looks just like this one specific thing that I won't mention here or else you will be totally turned off from ever giving it a shot). It is all brown. And blah. Normally I try to avoid such monochrome things, but there are veggies hidden in here (well, one veggie), so I give it a pass. You might want to serve it with something colorful though. Just sayin'.

This is a healthy macaroni and cheese recipe by Mark Bittman (I saw it linked to recently on Carrots 'N Cake). It may not be ooey, gooey, or overly cheese like the mac and cheese that you may love, but it is pretty darn good and the fact that it is good for you? That is also good. Good, good, good. Believe me. I am kind of a mac & cheese snob. My mother used to make the kind that came in a blue box with the thick liquid cheese sauce in a shiny silver packet. At some point, this grossed me out (Adult Laura is proud of you, former tiny self). The first time I ever had mac & cheese I liked was at Michael Jordan's restaurant in Chicago. It was made with real cheese. Nothing from a silver packet. It was good.

Since then, I only eat that fancy old-fashioned mac and cheese. None of that powdered microwave garbage.

Anyway, that had very little to do with this recipe, because it won't make you forget about the gooey cheesey goodness that is gourmet macaroni and cheese. There is no cream, no butter, and a modest amount of cheese. The bulk of the sauce is made up of pureed cauliflower. It tastes fantastic and won't make you feel like you are going to have a heart attack as its creamy, cheesy cousins might. In fact, it makes you feel great, like you are going to live a very long time and you can go off and run a 5K in a few hours. (which is actually what I'm going to go do).

If you're craving mac and cheese, this might not satisfy you. If you are craving a healthy, filling, vegetarian, protein-packed dish, then this is a winner (20 grams of protein if you're curious).

Creamy Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese
Adapted from Mark Bittman

2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
1 cauliflower, cored and cut into florets
8 oz. whole wheat elbow macaroni
1/2 cup cheese (I used gruyere & emmantal, Bittman also suggests sharp cheddar)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/8 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup whole grain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan

Preheat the oven and get a pot of salted water boiling. In a small saucepan, heat the vegetable stock with the bay leaves for 5 minutes, then remove the bay leaves and set aside.



Cook the cauliflower in the water for 25 minutes. Remove the cauliflower from the water. If you haven't read through this recipe well beforehand, you might just get out a colander and dump the cauliflower into it and the water down the drain. Don't do that. Use a spoon or tongs and put it into a food processor. It may be slightly annoying, but then you already have boiling water to cook the pasta in. How nifty. If there is a little bit of cauliflower still floating in the water, don't worry. It's cool.

Cook the pasta for 5 minutes. You can totally dump that in a colander when you're done and rinse it in cold water. Then put it into a greased pan. I used a 7x11 pyrex dish. Bittman suggests a 9 inch square pan. I don't have one of those.

Add the vegetable broth to the cauliflower and process until combined. Then add oil, cheese, mustard, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to the food processor and pulse a few more times.



Pour the sauce over the macaroni and stir a little. Be careful, the dish will be very full. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and parmesan on top and bake for 20 mintues. If you only have 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs, then look into your pantry and the perfect substitue might be staring you in the face.



Makes four very large and very filling servings.

Green Tomato Salsa

I don't think my expectations were too high.

I just wanted one. One ripe tomato. With 4 tomato plants in my garden, I didn't think it was too much to ask. It was my first garden ever and I just wanted to pick one juicy ripe heirloom tomato off the vine. I had "Julia Child" tomatoes, crazy banana pepper shaped tomatoes, and yellow tomatoes. At first, there were just a couple little green globes growing. I waited patiently....and then, the squirrels got to them. Then some more green balls appeared, but I went out of town in the middle of tomato season. No one really knows if any of them made it to being ripe before getting eaten by pesky critters, but I didn't get a single one.



There are still a ton of unripe green tomatoes growing though, but it's been really cold the past few weeks since we returned from our honeymoon and I gave up. Yesterday, we made fried green tomatoes. I'd never had them before and Adam hadn't had them for years. We were both underwhelmed. But what else can you do with those firm green buggers? I had no idea.

Google led me to this recipe. I was skeptical, but we decided we might as well give it a try. Plus, I got to use the jalapeno pepper I found hiding under an overgrown tomato plant. And what do you know? It actually turned out really good. So if you too have a bunch of green tomatoes still hanging on and want an option besides frying them, here you go.

Maybe next year I'll get one.



Green Tomato Salsa
Note: If you want to make it extra spicy, try this version.

5 medium unripe green tomatoes
1 small onion
2 jalapeno peppers
1 garlic clove
a small handful of cilantro
salt
pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil


Combine ingredients in a blender or food processor. That's it!

Foodie Book Club: The Butcher and the Vegetarian

The Butcher and the Vegetarian by Tara Austen Weaver was the June selection for the Foodie Book Club (Yes, June. Excuse the lateness.)

I absolutely loved this book. Weaver, a vegetarian, explores the world of meat after struggling with health problems and a few doctors suggesting she tries to eat more meat. She details her journey exploring questions like should we eat meat and if so, from where? Commercial feedlots? Sustainable, local, organic farms? How can you tell if your meat is produced 'right'? Will meat really make her feel better?

I have personally thought about these questions over and over again. I've read several books on the subject, but coming up with an answer is difficult. I am not and have never been a vegetarian, but when I was a kid, I'd almost always pass on meat, unless it was chicken fingers, bacon, or a cheeseburger. Meat on the bone? Roasted pork loin? Turkey on Thanksgiving? No, thank you. It grossed me out. I never even ate steak until I was eighteen.

Do I think it is wrong to eat meat? The answer is not as simple as yes or no. I do believe we are omnivores, with bodies meant to eat both meat and plants. However, I think eating the majority of meat that is produced in this country is wrong and the amounts in which we eat it are even worse. I have a huge problem with CAFOs and the pollution they produce, causing both the animals and humans around them to get sick. I think its wrong to keep tens of thousands of chickens crammed in hen house where each animal can barely move around. I think its wrong that we have bred animals that are so large they cannot walk more than a few steps or even reproduce naturally. But pastured cows and chickens raised on local farms? That is something I can support (as with George the chicken from my last post).

Critics say that there is no way to produce enough meat to feed the country, let alone the world, on a pastured based system. And they are probably right. But guess what? People do not need to eat meat at every meal, let alone every day. For both environmental and health reasons, this country would do a lot better for itself if it incorporated more plants into its diet. You may notice from the recipes I post here are almost all vegetarian and that is how I usually eat. I'm not perfect, but I try not eat meat at restaurants unless they are restaurants I trust. Luckily Minneapolis has plenty of restaurants with local, organic, and sustainable values (my favorites include Restaurant Alma, Common Roots Cafe, Lucia's, Brasa, and the Birchwood Cafe). If I want to prepare meat at home, I buy it from the Farmers Market or a natural foods co-op. Yes, it is more expensive to buy meat that way, but I buy it so rarely I am willing to pay the extra price. The meat that comes from a commercial feedlot is not as cheap as the price tag might indicate, its costs are externalized to subsidies, health bills, etc. There is really no such thing as cheap meat.

But anyway, I'll stop with my food beliefs and go back to the book. It was a great read, I finished it over the course of two days. It was great to read along as Weaver researched and discussed all the issues surrounding meat that I have thought of myself. There were times I cringed (like the story of the cow from a commercial feedlot that wouldn't compost...gross!) . I also related to her discussion of how to deal with eating at other people's houses. This is something I've struggled with as well. I can't really say that I'm a vegetarian, but how to explain to someone that "Yes, I eat meat, but only some meat and that meat you are serving just isn't good enough for me" and not sound like a uppity bitch? You just can't.

At the end of the book, Weaver commits herself to two-week long experiments: one week of eating meat 3 times a day and one week going totally raw. The meat week leaves her feeling gross and dreading meals. She decided to go raw for a week as a sort of detox and the first few days she says she was always hungry, but the food wasn't bad at all...and then a few days later? She starts to feel better. Energized. She realizes that for the first time in years, she isn't exhausted all the time. It's the raw diet that ends up working for her. I found myself almost laughing at the end, reading the whole book about meat to leave with her becoming a semi-raw foodist. She says it probably isn't for everybody, but that is what works for her and she finally figured it out.

The one thing I didn't really like is the fact that the title and the cover illustration led me to believe there was a love story involved, that she would eventually marry a butcher or something like that. Every time she talked about some meat loving man (like Biggles who writes a meat blog), I kept waiting for the romance, but it never came. I'm not saying there needed to be a romance, but I found that to be a little misleading and distracting. Also, the book jacket mentions a butcher daring her to eat her way through the meat counter, so I also was expecting her to try everything at the butcher and go through it piece by piece. I did enjoy the book, but these bits were a little misleading and not everyone who takes a quick glance at it might end up satisfied.

Titles and false expectations aside, the book inspired me to get in the kitchen twice. The first time I made flank steak with the chimichurri sauce she mentions so often. I would have posted that recipe here, but I almost burned the house down when I made it, not realizing there were some plastic pieces on my new roasting pan (why? I have no idea, but I didn't see them and remove them before broiling the steak the house filled with smoke). But it was delicious. After finishing the book, I was intrigued by the raw kale salad she mentions at the end. I have heard that kale can be eaten raw and is quite good if you massage it with salt until it wilts, but I never mustered up the courage to do so (as Weaver says, it sounds too "aggressively healthy" to be good). I was surprised how good it ended up being. I know it sounds scary, but try it! It's actually quite delicious.



Raw Kale Salad
From Tara Austen Weaver's site

Dressing:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp flax oil (I don't have any so I used walnut. I'm sure you could also double the olive oil instead.)
1 tbsp light miso
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp mustard powder
1 clove garlic, crushed or chopped
cayenne pepper to taste

Whisk all the ingredients together until combined.

Salad:

About 3 leaves kale, with stems removed and cut into ribbons
1 cup cabbage, shredded
1/2 avocado
sea salt
1 tbsp red onion, chopped
1 tbsp jalopeno, chopped (optional)

Sprinkle the sea salt onto the kale and massage in until slightly wilted.



Toss with the other ingredients, add dressing, and eat!

Thai-Style Corn Pancakes

Every time I pick up my copy of How to Eat Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman, I think "I should cook from this more often." When we moved into our new house a few weeks ago, I randomly grabbed it from the apartment to bring over, and for awhile it was the only cookbook here. I have about a million recipes marked with little post-it notes and this was one of them. I randomly opened the book to this page last week and decided to make them as soon as possible, which happened to be today for lunch.

They were a fantastic light lunch and would be great paired with a fresh, green salad. The Thai influence from the soy sauce and chilies was fairly subtle and I found serving them with a drizzle of soy sauce on top brought the flavors out. Bittman also recommends serving them with a fresh tomato or tomatillo salsa, cilantro pesto, or even maple syrup (although I'm not sure if that is a combination that I would like). They came together quickly and I definitely plan on making them again.



Thai-Style Corn Pancakes
Adapted from Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian"

2 eggs, separated,
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped scallions (I didn't have any on hand so I used yellow onion)
1 tsp minced fresh chile, cayenne, or hot red pepper flakes to taste (I used 1 jalapeño)
2 cups corn, fresh from the cob or thawed frozen
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3-4 tbsp butter or oil (I used peanut oil)



In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks, salt, black pepper (about 1/2 tsp), scallions, chile, corn, soy sauce, and flour.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, then fold into the corn mixture.



Heat the butter or oil on a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spoon dollops of the batter on the skillet and cook until nicely browned on one side. (I cooked 3 at a time, the first batch took 4 minutes to brown and the rest were done much quicker). Flip and brown the other side. Serve immediately.

Makes 10-12 small pancakes.

Spinach and Cheese Ravioli with Toasted Pine Nut Sauce

It has been a busy month for me, hence, not a lot of posting. I had a midterm, went to Arizona for a week, and bought a house. The latter of which has caused all the deeply buried hate I have for the kitchen in my current apartment to explode out and I refused to cook until I was in the newly renovated, cockroach-free, garbage disposal and dishwasher-possesing kitchen in my new home. But that won't be for 8 more days and I still need to eat, so the cooking strike ended.

Last weekend my friend Alex came over and we finally made homemade ravioli after postponing several times. It was definitely worth the wait though. We adapted recipes from both The Gourmet Cookbook and Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Cooking. It was not as complicated as I thought it might be, although I am definitely adding a pasta machine to my wedding registry after rolling the dough out by hand (actually, I made Alex roll it out. I am fine with rolling pie dough or pizza crust, but ever since the Great Cracker Disaster of 2009, I get scared when something has to be very thin). Don't let that scare you though, Alex didn't really have any trouble rolling out the dough, it's all in my head. The recipe seems long and work-intensive, but it's really quite simple and everything came together quickly. Don't let all the steps scare you!

Spinach & Cheese Ravioli with Toasted Pine Nut Sauce
Serves 4

Fresh Pasta
Adapted from The Art of Simple Cooking

2 cups flour
2 eggs
2 egg yolks

Put the flour into a bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour the eggs in the well and mix with a fork, incorporating the flour bit by bit. When it becomes too stiff to mix with a fork, mix by hand. (Note: If it is too crumbly, add small amounts of water until it is dough-like. You can also do this step in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment).

Turn the dough on a floured surface and knead lightly, for about 4 minutes. Shape it into a disk, wrap in plastic, and let rest for at least one hour. Meanwhile, make the filling.

Roll the dough out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured board or using a machine. Roll the dough into rectangles. Pipe or spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling along each sheet of pasta, leaving about 1.5 inches inbetween. Fold the pasta over the blobs and seal the layers together with your fingers around each blob, making sure to gently squeeze the air out of each pocket. Cut the raviolis using a knife or pastry cutter. (Note: We also re-squeezed the sides together after cutting).

When finished, cook the ravioli in salted boiling water for 5 to 6 minutes or until done. Drain and serve.




Filling
Adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook

2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1 lb. baby spinach (the original recipe calls for arugula)
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup soft goat cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese

Heat the butter in a skillet until the foam subsides. Add garlic and cook until golden, about 1-2 minutes. Add the spinach and lemon zest and cook until the spinach is wilted. Transfer to a fine-mesh strainer and extract the excess liquid. Finely chop mixture and then stir with cheeses in a bowl (Note: We chopped and added the cheese in the food processor).



Sauce
Adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook

4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup spinach leaves, chopped

Heat butter in a skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides (Note: I added the butter before realizing we had not chopped the garlic, so while Alex did that, the butter browned. This was the best mistake ever and I highly recommend browning the butter on purpose). Add pine nuts and toast, stirring frequently until pale golden, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic turns golden, about 2 minutes. Add lemon juice and oil, swirling skillet to combine. Remove from heat. Sprinkle the spinach leaves over the raviloi and drizzle the sauce on top.

Butternut Cookies

I randomly flipped to this recipe in my Moosewood Restaurant's Cooking for Health cookbook (that I am clearly obsessed with) and decided these cookies needed to be made immediately. I had some leftover squash in the freezer (I'm pretty sure it was acorn, but may have been butternut, who knows?) that was dying to be made into these little things. Plus, I had every single ingredient. Every single one. If fate was not calling, then I don't know who was.

The cookies themselves are not incredibly sweet (the chocolate chips help with that) but they are jam packed with healthy goods: squash, pumpkin seeds, nuts, raisins. Okay, yes, they are still cookies, but as far as cookies go, these babies are pretty damn healthy. According to the nutrition info provided with each recipe, they are just 103 calories a pop. Not bad, little cookies, not bad at all. This recipe is also easy to alter. If you don't have any of the add-ins or don't want to use nuts, for example, just double the amount of something else, like the raisins or chocolate chips. Anything goes!

Butternut Cookies
Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant's Cooking for Health

1 1/2 cups pureed cooked butternut squash (or 12 oz frozen winter squash)
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chpped toasted nuts (walnuts, almonds, peanuts, or pecans)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped raisins or dried cranberries (I used golden raisins)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds or chopped pumpkin seeds (I used whole pumpkins seeds because I'm lazy like that)
2 tbsp sesame seeds (optional, I did not use)



Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix the squash, sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients into the wet. Stir in the nuts, chocolate chips, dried fruit, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds (if using).



Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and use about a tablespoon of batter for each cookie. Mine didn't spread at all, so you can fit about 18 per sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Makes 36 cookies.

Open-faced Broccoli, Red Pepper, and Cheese Sandwich

Yes, another broccoli recipe. What can I say? I LOVE BROCCOLI. This is a simple sandwich recipe that is easy to customize. I plan to trying different vegetables, cheeses, and spices, but as is, it is the perfect meal for a cold winter day. It makes 4 servings that are perfect to serve with a salad or soup. If this is all you are having though, I'd serve it for two.

Open-faced Broccoli, Red Pepper, and Cheese Sandwich
Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant's Cooking for Health

1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
3 cups chopped broccoli
1 cup chopped red bell peppers
1/1 tsp salt
Red Pepper flakes to taste
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary or basil
2 tbsp water
3/4 cup grated provolone cheese
4 slices whole grain bread



Heat the olive oil on a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, broccoli, bell peppers, salt, red pepper flakes, and rosemary. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add the water, cover, and cook for about 7 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.



While the vegetables are cooking, sprinkle the cheese over each slice of bread and melt in the broiler or toaster oven. Top with the cooked veggies.

Broccoli Spinach Soup

After all those cakes and cupcakes, I really needed something green. So the other day when Joy the Baker posted this lovely little Broccoli Arugula soup, I ran over to the Seward Co-op to gather the ingredients. While I do love arugula, once I was there I decided I would rather not buy an entire package of it and be forced to eat arugula every day until I resented it. So instead, I went with spinach, which comes in bulk and the amount for this recipes came out to about fifty cents (and was probably more than a cup since I am terrible at eyeballing such things). That and broccoli were all I needed, the rest of the ingredients are staples I always keep on hand.

There aren't any pictures of the finished product. You know what that means: It. was. good. I gobbled it up before I could remember to grab my camera (and also before I added the squeeze of lemon, but that was rectified for the last half of the bowl at least). Keep this recipe in mind if you ever make an Irish Car Bomb Cake and need some vegetables in your system to counteract the sugar, stat.

Broccoli Spinach Soup
Adapted from Joy the Baker's Broccoli Arugula Soup who adapted it from goop.com

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock, chicken stock, or water (I used 2 cups veggie stock with .5 cups water. I definitely recommend using stock over water in any recipe.)
1 cup baby spinach
splash of lemon juice (fresh is best)

Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and broccoli and cook until the broccoli is bright green. Add the cumin, salt, pepper, and stock or water and simmer for 8-10 minutes, until the broccoli is tender.

Transfer the contents into a food processor or blender (two batches might work best, I did one in my food processor but made a little mess), add in the spinach, and blend until smooth. Makes two servings. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice mixed in and a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche.

PS- I did grab this shot of the leftovers the next day:

Tempeh-Quinoa Burgers

I want you to close your eyes and imagine a veggie burger. Yes, do it right now. What do you see? Is it a frozen, perfectly hockey-puck shaped gardenburger with no real discernible taste? Yes, that it what I used to see too. I've eaten my fair share of those and never thought they were bad, but I never thought they were great either. I've never called myself a vegetarian, but I believe the majority of my veggie burger eating days were during a phase of being deathly afraid of getting mad cow disease in middle school/junior high. Even last year I kept a box of frozen patties in the freezer for days when I couldn't think of anything else to eat for lunch. But like I said, they were never anything to get excited about.

Those days are over, thanks to the Moosewood Restaurant's Cooking for Health. There are five burger recipes, all completely different. I already posted about the Spinach Tofu Burgers and now I bring you the Tempeh Quinoa Burgers which are made primarily out of two of my favorite things: quinoa and sweet potatoes. They come together easily and are great to freeze and reheat later, and let me tell you, having homemade veggie burgers in your freezer is one of the greatest ideas of all time (probably second to Joy the Baker inspiring me to keep frozen cookie dough balls in there too). Plus, did I mention that these are delicious and nothing at all like the bland variety found in the freezer aisle at the grocery store. Make these once and you'll never go back.

Tempeh-Quinoa Burgers

Adapted from the Moosewood Restaurant's Cooking for Health

1/2 cup quinoa

2 cups thinly sliced peeled sweet potatoes (I used about 1/2 to 2/3 of a large sweet potato and roasted the rest with rosemary and thyme as a side)

1 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup diced onions

1 cup minced bell peppers

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

8 oz tempeh, diced

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

4 tsp soy sauce

2 tbsp tomato paste, ketchup, or tomato salsa (I used ketchup)

1 tbsp dark sesame oil (optional)

2 tsp dijon mustard

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I think I forgot the cilantro this time, if you don't have any, you can skip it)

1/4 cup sesame seeds (I skipped these because I was out)

Preheat the Oven to 375 degrees. I also recommend chopping and dicing everything beforehand, it will save you a lot of hassle.

Rinse the quinoa in a fine strainer and combine with the water and sweet potatoes in a sauce pan. Add 1/4 tsp of the salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer until the quinoa is soft and the sweet potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

While the quinoa and sweet potatoes cook, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, the rest of the salt, and cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the bell peppers and garlic, cover, and cook for another 3 mintues. Add the tempeh, oregano, black pepper, and soy sauce, cover, and cook for 7-8 minutes stirring occasionally. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

When the sweet potatoes and quinoa are finished, mash them in the saucepan and then add to the bowl with the vegetables (Note: The quinoa/sweet potato mashed together is delicious on its own. I plan to make this as a side for another meal someday). Mix in the ketchup, sesame oil, mustard, and cilantro and refrigerate until cool enough to handle. Then shape the mixture into burgers (1/2 cup each) and sprinkle each side with sesame seeds. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake until firm and golden, about 35 minutes.

Serve in a pita, on whole grain toast, rice, or salad greens. Top with guacamole, avocado, or anything you'd like. It is your burger after all.

Spinach-Tofu Burgers

My family has developed a somewhat strange Christmas tradition. It was started by my father several years ago. He would be handed a present and read the label aloud "To Dad, From Santa" and then say "Oh, I wonder what this could be...oh my gosh, look at THIS! This is GREAT! How did Santa know?" while my mother, sister, and I would look at each other trying to figure out who had gotten this gift. We'd then realized none of us had, and that he had, in fact, purchased the item for himself. In the years since, we have all given into this gag (except for my little sister). I remember the first time I indulged. It was a black lacy Free People skirt that I found while buying a purse for my sister. I couldn't resist.

The same thing happened this year. I should've known it was dangerous to enter the cookbook section at Barnes and Noble to find something for my sister. I saw the Moosewood Restaurant's Cooking for Health. I barely even looked through it, just picked it up in some sort of cookbook trance. I brought it home, wrapped it up, and snuck it under the tree.

It was definitely a good decision. Everything I have made from it so far as been absolutley amazing. Well...I've only made 3 recipes, but I am deeply in love with them all and plan to make them over and over for the rest of my life. The Banana Maple Oatlmeal I made this morning? I don't think I can ever make any other type of oatmeal again. Tempeh-Quinoa burgers with Sweet Potatoes? Perfection.

And here, I give you the Spinach Tofu Burgers. The recipe makes 6 and I froze the rest. They are great reheated, between two slices of whole wheat toast, and drenched in ketchup (I loooooove my ketchup). I used leeks instead of scallions because the scallions I had in the fridge had been there a lot longer than I realized...oops. Also, make sure you have precooked brown rice on hand, or else you will have to take a 45 minute intermission...not that I did that or anything. No, I am always incredibly prepared. Mmmhmm...



Moosewood Restaurant's Spinach-Tofu Burgers
(Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant's Cooking for Health)

10 oz fresh spinach (frozen chopped spinach works too)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped scallions (or leeks)
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/2 tsp dried oregano (or 1 1/2 tsp fresh)
1-2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
16oz firm tofu (1 cake)
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp light miso
Dash of ground black pepper
2 tbsp copped fresh dill or basil (I used dill)



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Steam the spinach and drain it well. Set aside.

Warm the olive oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat and cook the scallions (or leeks), carrots, oregano, and garlic until soft (about 3-4 minutes).

Pulse the walnuts and brown rice in a food processor until crumbly. Set aside in a mixing bowl. Pulse half the tofu and half the spinach until well combined. Add this mixture to the bowl. Pulse the rest of the tofu and spinach and add the mustard, miso, black pepper, and dill (or basil) until well blended. Add the scallion/carrot/garlic mixture and mix well. Feel free to add some more miso or soy sauce to taste (I added a bit of soy sauce).



Shape the mixture into 6 burgers (about 1/2 cup each) and arrange on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for about 35 minutes until puffed and browned (I would recommend flipping them at some point. The bottoms of mine weren't brown and fell apart a bit when I lifted then off the pan).



PS- They are completely vegan!