Recipe: Sweet Potato Burger with Avocado and Feta Cream Sauce

I have been trying for over a year now to make a proper veggie burger. And by proper, I mean that I wanted it to be vegetarian, not processed, able to hold its shape, and filling. I experimented a lot with quinoa and black bean burgers, and I could never get it quite right when I realized that sweet potato burgers could be a thing. After all, why do sweet potatoes have to only be relegated to desserts?

With some inspiration from How Sweet Eats, I set out to make my own version. There are lots of fermented goodies in my toppings, but I have alternatives as well.

Boyfriend review: Wow, this could be in a restaurant! I mean, your stuff is good and you should open your own restaurant, but a lot of it is weird. But this, this could be on a menu.

Ingredients

3 medium sweet potatoes

1 cup of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/3 cup bread crumbs

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 large egg

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

olive oil

bread rolls (I used challah bread rolls - found in the bakery)

Sauce:

1/4 cup feta, crumbled

2-5 tbsps milk kefir (or yogurt)

1 tsp fermented garlic (or roasted garlic)

Toppings:

fermented onions and peppers (or regular onions and peppers)

avocado

Preparation
Clean sweet potatoes and stab with a fork a couple of times before placing them in the oven. Roast at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes.

Once they're finished, let them cool a bit before separating the skins. They should come right off - I sliced off an end and squeezed the innards into a mixing bowl. If you're having issues, feel free to toss into a blender (along with the beans) to speeds things up.

Add in the beans, bread crumbs, flour, egg, and spices and mix. Place in the freezer while you make the sauce: combine the crumbled feta and the fermented garlic. Pour just enough milk kefir (or yogurt) to cover. The sauce will still be chunky, as the cheese is chunky.

To cook the burgers, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil to the pan. Form patties with the mix - I take a large spoonful and put it in the skillet. Then, with my spoon, I flatten it out and, if necessary, correct the shape. Sometimes you may need to add a bit more; you should be able to judge the right size and shape of your own patty.

Cook on each side for about 5 minutes, until browned.

While the patty is cooking, toast your burger buns.

After toasting, I took part of an avocado and spread it on like butter. The other side of the bun got a nice heaping of the sauce we made.

Add the burger when it's ready and top with your choice of veggies. I added fermented onions and jalapenos.

Serves 6.

Recipe: Spicy Bruschetta

I can't even tell you why I made this dish originally. I don't really care for tomatoes, nor do I like making side dishes. Or even flavorings. (Mostly, I'm just lazy.)

Spicy Bruschetta on toast, with cheese

But when I made the first batch, I had so much of it and it was so spicy that I had to do something with it to get rid of it. I then discovered that this is the most perfect addition to most meals, and as the recipe has evolved over the years, I've grown more and more attached to it. 

I try to keep some in the fridge at all times now, and if I do run out, it's a really quick recipe to make.

Side dish, with stuffed peppers

Mixed into pasta, with goat cheese sauce

Vegetable soup, with mung beans

Ingredients

3-4 large tomatoes

2-3 medium red onions

4 tbsps olive oil

2  tbsps dried thyme

1 tbsp paprika

1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper

3 cloves of garlic, diced

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Chop the tomatoes and the red onions and add to a large mixing bowl. Add in the olive oil, garlic, and spices. Mix well.

Pour the mixture into an oven safe pan, and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, stir the mixture, and then bake for another 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Verde Sauce

I was first introduced to tomatillos a few years ago; before that I had never even heard of them!

In case you're new to them like me, tomatillos are small and green; they look sort of like tomatoes with a paper husk around them. If you're picking some up, make sure the husk is good quality, and make sure the tomatillo is firm when you give it a little squeeze.

Verde sauce is one of my favorite spicy sauces. It can be added to pretty much whatever you can think of in terms of meats, especially Mexican dishes, like enchiladas, etc - but sometimes I love to mix it with pasta and make a creamy pasta sauce.

This is pretty easy to make, and the recipe yields about 2 quarts of green sauce.

Ingredients
1 large onion, minced

5-6 cloves of garlic, minced

2 green bell peppers, chopped

1-2 jalapenos, chopped

6 tomatillos, husked and quartered

1 bunch cilantro

1.5 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1.5 tsp cumin

4 cups water

olive oil

Preparation

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat.

Saute onions until soft and lightly browned, about 3-6 minutes.

While onions and garlic are sauteing, combine tomatillos, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro in a blender. Process until smooth.

Add tomatillo mixture to onions. Add garlic, water, salt, pepper, and cumin.

Bring to a boil, then cover and turn heat down. Simmer for 45 minutes. 

Serve and enjoy!

Recipe: Summer Frittata

While I'm not typically a fan of eggs by themselves and egg-heavy food items like an omelette or certain types of quiche, I do really love a frittata in the summer time with lots of fresh produce.

Look at all the delicious summer squash!

In case you're not sure what exactly a frittata is, let me explain. (It's okay, I didn't know what they were until I read the French Women Don't Get Fat Cookbook!) Essentially, you mix eggs with veg, cheese, meat, whatever you desire. You cook it a bit on the stove before popping it in the oven or under the broiler to finish.

A quiche, just for comparison, usually has a crust and some type of milk or cream added to the mix.

So to sum up: it's a quick, easy, and a delicious breakfast!

Ingredients
5 eggs
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 small yellow squash, chopped
2 tbsps fresh parsley
5 stalks of kale, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
salt and pepper
olive oil
1/2 cup parmesan, grated

Ingredients
Break the eggs into a mixing bowl and beat with a fork.

Add the squash, kale,

goat cheese, and parsely. Stir to combine.

Heat the olive oil in an oven safe pan over medium heat. Preheat the broiler.

Add the mixture to the oven-safe pan. As the eggs cook, gently lift the edges up with a spatula and rotate the pan so that the uncooked eggs run underneath. Do this for the first 1-2 minutes, until the eggs begin to solidify. Once they have, cook for an additional 5-6 minutes until the eggs are set.

Cover the mixture in parmesan and place the pan under the broiler for 1-3 minutes. The eggs will puff up, and the cheese will melt and brown slightly.

Remove from the oven and enjoy!

Recipe: Healthy Macaroni & Cheese with Butternut Squash

This chilly weather has me longing for comfort food so of course I needed to whip up some healthy macaroni and cheese.

I know what you're thinking. There's no such thing as healthy macaroni and cheese. But I assure you this is!

I suppose you could also make the argument that this isn't really macaroni and cheese, but despite the random ingredients used to create a cheesy sauce, it tastes like it!

This recipe is modified from the Whole Foods Diet Cookbook, an excellent cookbook that's all about whole, natural foods. The secret to this recipe is that you're not dumping gobs of cheese in the pan; you're creating a sauce with beans and butternut squash as the basis that is then flavored with cheese.

Don't worry, there's still a good amount of cheese in there.

If you have picky eaters, don't tell them the ingredients. They'll love it as long as they don't know.

Oh, and of course I tossed in some other vegetables to make it a more satisfying dish. This is a little more hands on than some of my other recipes, but it makes a big batch and I think it's worth it!

Ingredients

1 15-ounce can of cannellini beans
2 cups butternut squash, cut into cubes
1/4 cup kefir cheese (or cream cheese)
3/4 cup milk kefir (or milk)
3 shallots, diced
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced
3 cups chopped shiitake mushrooms, diced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Pepper
Salt
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup milk kefir (or milk)
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup Monterey Jack, grated
One tbspWorcestershire sauce

3-5 cups of cooked noodles
1/2 cup parmesan, grated
1/2 cup flax, ground
Oil

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse and drain the cannellini beans. Place them, along with the butternut squash, kefir cheese, and 3/4 cup of milk into a blender or processor and blend.

Heat a large skillet over a medium flame. (I used a cast iron skillet because this is also going in the oven - less dishes to wash!) Put a bit of oil in the pan and saute the shallots for 3-5 minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, and thyme and saute for another 3-5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the vegetable mixture from the skillet and set aside. 

(You should probably start boiling the water for the noodles around this time. If you're not sure how to cook your pasta noodles, follow the instructions on the box.)

Place a tablespoon of oil in the large skillet, along with a tablespoon of flour and stir until it thickens into a nice paste. Add the 1/2 cup of milk kefir. The sauce should continue to thicken over the next 3 minutes. If necessary, add more milk kefir to form the sauce.

After the sauce has thickened, add the butternut squash mixture and vegetable mixture into the pan. Add one tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce. 

Slowly stir in the grated cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses and stir until melted, about 5-10 minutes. Add the cooked pasta noodles.

If you're cooking this in a cast-iron or otherwise oven safe pan, that's awesome. If not, pout your macaroni and cheese into an oven safe pan.

Mix 1/2 cup parmesan with 1/2 cup of ground flax and a bit of oil in a separate container. This is your "breadcrumb" topping! Sprinkle it on top of your mac and cheese.

Bake for 10 minutes. And enjoy!

Total Time: about 1 hour and 15 minutes 

Serves: 4-8 people

Recipe: Stuffed Bell Peppers, Vegetarian Style

This is one of my favorite meals and I'm so excited to share it with you. It's vegetarian. It's very cheesy. It's a little spicy. It's worth the wait. And if there are any omnivores out there worried about not eating meat, fear not. You'll be very full and hopefully more than satisfied.

I made this last night with a lot of fermented veggies I had in the fridge, and it was the best yet. Of course, you're not getting all the probiotics that way... Below is the recipe. Feel free to sub with fermented veggies if you have them, but it's great with fresh veg as well!

That said, it's not the prettiest thing to look at, but I tried to make it somewhat appealing!

Ingredients
2 red bell peppers
1 small red onions
1/4 cup of garlic brine (or 4-6 garlic cloves)
1 jalapeno (or 1 tbsp cayenne pepper)
1/4 pound of feta cheese
1/2 cup of another soft cheese (blue cheese or goat cheese are my favorite for this!)
1 tbsp dried paprika
1 tbsp dried thyme
1-2 tbsp of yogurt (or milk kefir)
grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of quinoa

Preparation
Pre-heat the oven to 350.

Slice the bell peppers in half and remove the seeds/stem. Place them hollow side down in an oven safe pan. Put a little olive oil on them and cover with tin foil. Bake for 30 minutes.

While the peppers are roasting away, dice your onions, jalapeno, and garlic if necessary and toss them in a mixing bowl. (If you're using garlic brine, add that as well.) Add the feta cheese, your other soft cheese, paprika, and thyme. Mix well and add the yogurt - just enough to cover everything and really make a nice sauce. If you're using fresh vegetables, you might need to add up to 5 tbsp of yogurt to get everything properly covered.

Remove the bell peppers from the oven after 30 minutes. Take off the tin foil and turn the bell peppers over. Fill the bell peppers with the yogurt mixture and sprinkle grated parmesan cheese on top of each one. Place the bell peppers back in the oven for another 30 minutes.

While the bell peppers are roasting (again), it's time to start the quinoa! You can follow the directions on the packet or, if you don't have any instructions, just double the amount of water to quinoa. For example, boil 1 cup of water with 1/2 cup of quinoa and stir until the water has been absorbed.

And finally I place the stuffed bell peppers on a little bed of quinoa. Enjoy!

Total Time: Approximately 1 hour and 5 minutes
Serves: 2-4 people