Beet Burger Sliders with Lemon Garlic Aioli

February 14, 2013 8 Comments

Yesterday Eden and I drove an hour out into the country to my parent’s farm. My mom watched Eden as she methodically explored the world around her while I sat in my dad’s office working on the  cookbook. I am finding the work of this book to be extremely rewarding and I am so excited to share the final product. It is also exhausting. My mind starts hurting as I write down the procedures, edit photographs, transfer files, and most of all try to understand ebook formatting.

After putting in a good days work, I came home ready to close the computer and interact with the physical world around me. But first I wanted to stop by with an old post from the summer that is good enough for a second look.

 

Beet Sliders with Lemon Garlic Aioli

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My life is full of many blessings. I have much for which to be grateful. Eden. Jason. My friends and family. This short time in my life when my main  responsibility is to make Eden feel loved and grow healthy. The fast approaching fall. So many blessings, indeed. And over the weekend I added one more to the list: the beet slider. Yes it is that good.

beet123Beet Slider with Lemon Aioli
makes 10-12 patties

12 Slider Buns
1 bunch fresh Arugula

Beet Patties
1/2 cup brown lentils (uncooked)
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp fresh parley, minced
1/4 cup wheat flour (use potato flour to make gluten-free)
4 medium beets, ends trimmed
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp canola oil

Lemon Garlic Aoili
1/3 cup vegan mayo (such as vegenaise)
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tsp lemon juice

Bring a medium pot filled with water to a boil. Add beets and cook until tender, about 40 minutes.

While the beets are cooking, rinse and place lentils in small pot with 1 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Let lentils simmer until all the water has evaporated and lentils are soft, about 35 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile saute your onions until translucent and slightly brown. Mash lentils with a fork or potato masher until lentils are broken down.  Add olive oil, sauted onions, four, and parsley. Mix together.

Remove tender beets from water and set aside until cool enough to touch. Remove the skins and grate the beets through a food processor. Add to the lentil mixture and mix together until well combined.  Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the canola oil in a heavy bottom pan over medium heat. Scoop out between 1/4 – 1/3 cup beet/lentil mixture and shape it into a small patty. Drop in the pan and continue with remaining filling. Cook for about 5 minutes per side until browned and cooked all the way through.

*Uncooked beet patties will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or the freezer for up to 1 month.

While the beet patties are cooking mix together the ingredients for the lemon aioli in a small bowl.

Assemble and enjoy!

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You might also like:

Cuban Tempeh

Cuban Tempeh

Roasted Beet and Cashew Cheese Pizza

Roasted Beet and Cashew Cheese Pizza

Tofu Reuben Sandwich

Tofu Reuben Sandwich

Spinach and Mushroom Pizzadilla

Spinach and Mushroom Pizzadilla

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: dinner, gluten-free meals Tagged With: , , , , ,

Smoky Red and Black Chili

November 28, 2012 Leave a Comment

chili

About 9 years ago I cooked my first meal.

That’s not entirely true. I grew up cooking at home here and there but as far as I remember that involved cooking pasta and opening up a can of marinara sauce. In 2003, all that changed. Inspired by a friend, I made chili. Eating that meal I had made from scratch was so satisfying and delicious and I was eager to learn more. Over the course of the next several years I began adding more foods to my repertoire. I saw my first ginger root, made my first curry, created my first recipes. All because of that chili.

My chili recipes have morphed over the years so that this particular one resembles nothing of that first chili I made. And yet no matter the taste, the texture, the ingredients, each chili fills my kitchen with the smell of nostalgia.

chili2

Smoky Red and Black Chili
makes about 2 quarts

1 tbsp oil
1 large red onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cups cooked black beans (or (1) 15 ounce can)
2 cups cooked kidney beans (or (1) 15 ounce can)
2 (14.5) ounce cans diced tomatoes
2 cups water
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
pinch of cayenne pepper
3 tbsp liquid smoke
1 bunch of kale, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add bell pepper and saute for another 5 minutes. Combine chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and liquid smoke in the pot and stir to coat.

Once vegetables are coated, stir in beans, tomatoes and water. Bring chili to boil then reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Add kale and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve warm with you favorite chili topping.

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Do you remember the first meal you made? Is it a food you still enjoy to make? 

Filed Under: dinner, dinner, gluten-free meals Tagged With: , , ,

Thanksgiving Round-up

November 18, 2012 4 Comments

Thanksgiving week is upon us!

This holiday season is very exciting for me. In previous years, holidays have always been a time of long, busy hours at work and grouchy, stressed out people looking for pie. But for the first time in my adult life, I get to enjoy this time with my family and I will be savoring the moments.

I love Thanksgiving as a time of reflection, and this year has certainly been worth reflecting upon. Just 23 days into 2012, my daughter Eden Mae was born and every day I am learning, growing, and finding new reasons to be thankful for her. In April I created The Sweet Life and have been blown away by its reception. For years I have tried to find away to harmonize my love for food and passion for veganism and The Sweet Life has allowed me to do just that.  And lastly this year has been about family. I am fortunate enough to live within an hours drive of my entire family: parents, sisters, brothers-in-law, and nieces and I am very thankful for all the time I get to spend with them as our family continues to grow.

I will be taking the rest of this week off to fully indulge in this holiday, but before I go I leave you with a Thanksgiving Day Round-up. Also I will check the blog periodically to answer questions for anyone trying my recipes this week, so don’t hesitate to ask.

Click on the picture for the recipe.

Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Maple Caramel Sauce

Vegan Meatloaf Cupcakes with Butternut Squash Puree

Mashed Butternut Squash with Brown Butter and Sage

Almost Raw Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake

Vegan Bacon and Apple Stuffed Sweet Potato

Raw Pecan Pie Tartlets

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Caramelized Onions and Tempeh Bacon

Grain-free Walnut Mushroom Stuffing

Gluten free Mushroom Gravy

I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving enjoying good food, family, and friends. Come back next week because I’m opening with these:

Sugar-free Chocolate Pumpkin Fudge

spoiler alert: they are totally addictive.

Filed Under: dinner, Eating in Season, Fall, gluten-free desserts, gluten-free meals, sweets Tagged With: , , ,

Grain-Free Walnut Mushroom Stuffing

November 16, 2012 2 Comments

 

What’s Thanksgiving Dinner without sweet and savory bread stuffing?

An incomplete meal.

This year for Thanksgiving, I have an extra challenge because of my oddly-timed decision to go gluten-free this month. When thinking over the different aspects of Thanksgiving dinner, I had a twinge of regret realizing I would not be savoring bread stuffing.  Of course I could have bought gluten-free bread and subbed it out in my classic vegan stuffing dish, but the whole idea behind my occasional dietary restrictions is to step out of common food ruts and get back to whole foods and creativity. So after several attempts, I came up with this Grain-free Thanksgiving Stuffing recipe.

This rich, earthy nut-based stuffing is truly indulgent. Just as Thanksgiving should be.

Grain-Free Thanksgiving Stuffing
serves  6-8

12 oz portobello mushroom, chopped
2 cups vegetable broth
2 1/2 cups walnuts
2 tbsp fresh rosemary
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp fresh sage
pinch of salt
3 carrots, finely diced
2 celery stalk, finely diced
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries

In a large, shallow dish combine chopped mushrooms and vegetable broth and marinate for at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine walnuts, herbs, and salt in a food processor and blend until walnuts are a fine crumb and stick together when pressed (you may need to add 1-2 tbsp of water, depending on the strength of your food processor). Transfer to a large bowl.  Add carrots, celery, pecans, and cranberries and mix to combine. Add mushrooms and broth and mix together.

Spread stuffing into a shallow casserole dish and bake for 35-45 minutes, turning every 15 minutes, until liquid has absorbed and stuffing is browned all the way through.

Serve warm.

 

 

 

Filed Under: dinner, dinner, Fall, gluten-free meals Tagged With: , , , ,

Tempeh Bacon and Apple Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

November 7, 2012 Leave a Comment

For the rest of this month I am going to try out different Thanksgiving recipes. That means I get to eat Thanksgiving dinner all month long and you might find some vegan or gluten-free recipes that will suit you and your family for the holiday meal. Additionally, this Friday I will be writing a post on eating vegan among non-vegans for Thanksgiving Dinner. If you have any specific questions, helpful hints, or experiences please share them in the comment section below so that we can help our vegan and gluten-free communities eat AWESOME this year.

This Tempeh Bacon and Apple Stuffed Sweet Potato would make a great meat substitution or a delicious potato side for any Thanksgiving meal. For me, it made a fantastic Election Day dinner that Jason and I enjoyed as we watched the votes come in.

Vegan Bacon and Apple Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
serves 4

1 small white onion, chopped
1 apple, red variety, chopped
8 strips of tempeh bacon
1/4 cup pecans
1 tbsp fresh sage, minced
1/8 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper
1 tbsp oil

4 medium sweet potatoes
1/4 cup vegan cream cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. With a fork poke holes in the sweet potatoes, wrap them individually in tin foil, and bake for about 60 minutes, until tender. When cooked, removed from oven, unwrap and cut a slit lengthwise down the middle. Allow to cool.

Meanwhile heat a large cast iron skillet with 2 tbsp oil. Cook tempeh bacon according to package. Remove from skillet and set aside. Add chopped onion and saute until translucent, about five minutes. Add chopped apple, sage, nutmeg, and salt and pepper. Cook until apples are tender, about more five minutes. Cut tempeh bacon and add to apple mixture with the pecans, stir to fold in and remove from heat.

Once potatoes are cool, gently remove the flesh with a spoon carefully keeping the potato intact. Place flesh in a large bowl and add vegan cream cheese, salt and pepper. With a hand mixer whip the potatoes so that they are airy and creamy. Scoop the mashed sweet potatoes back into potatoes skins and evenly spoon bacon/apple mixture on top.

Serve warm.

Do you have any specific dietary issues you are dealing with for the Thanksgiving holiday? Any recipes you are looking to veganize or make gluten-free?

If so, leave a comment below and I will make sure to add in some helpful ideas over the next couple weeks.

Filed Under: dinner, Fall, gluten-free meals Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Meatless Loaf Cupcakes with Butternut Squash Puree

October 22, 2012 28 Comments

The other day I was perusing Pinterest and I found a pin for Rachel Ray’s Meatloaf Muffins. If you have been reading my blog awhile, you know I love individually portioned food. So of course I needed to make some Meatlessloaf Muffins. Then I thought…why make muffins when you can make cupcakes?

Earlier this week I made Mashed Butternut Squash with Sage inspired by this recipe. I loved them! The butternut squash was much more wholesome than mashed potatoes while adding more complexity to the flavors as well; a must remember for Thanksgiving.

I figured it would be hard to say “No” to lentil/walnut meatless “cupcakes” with a sage butternut squash puree “frosting”.  And when the kids ask, “What’s for dinner?”

You can reply, “Cupcakes.”

And it might, just might, be the perfect way to get them excited about lentils and squash.

Meatless Loaf Cupcakes with Butternut Squash Puree
Gluten & Soy Free
makes 9 “cupcakes”

“Meatloaf”

1 cup brown lentils, dry
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp liquid smoke
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup red onions, diced
1/3 cup green pepper, diced
1 (6) ounce can tomato paste
1 cup walnuts
2 tbsp chick pea flour
salt and pepper to taste

Butternut Squash Puree 

1 small butternut squash
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sage
1 garlic clove, minced
2-3 tbsp non-dairy milk
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Slice the squash lengthwise. Remove seeds, brush with olive oil and place face-down on a baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile rinse the lentils. In a medium pot combine lentils with vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer, cooking until lentils are soft (about 45 minutes). Add Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke. Remove from heat and set aside.

Reduce oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly spray or oil a muffin tin and set aside.

In a small pan heat up vegetable oil. Saute onions and peppers over medium high heat for 5 minutes, until cooked. Stir together onion mixture, lentils, and tomato paste. In a food processor blend together walnuts and chick pea flour until combined. Add the lentil mixture and mix until well combined. Salt and pepper to taste.

Scoop lentil/walnut mixture into muffin tins, filling to the top. Bake for 20-23 minutes until edges brown and begin pulling away from the edge. It’s okay if it’s still a little underdone on the inside, it will harden as it sets.

Let cool in muffin tins at least 20 minutes. When ready to serve, release by running a knife around the edge.

To make the butternut squash puree, remove cooked squash from peel and place in a food processor. Add sage, garlic, salt and pepper and mix. With motor running add non-dairy milk one tablespoon at a time just until squash is smooth and creamy.  With a piping bag, “frost” the slightly cooled “cupcakes”.

*If you don’t have a piping bag, you can use an ice cream scoop to scoop the puree atop the cupcakes.

Serve immediately.

Eden is too young to be a picky eater yet, but watching children grow up around me I know it may be a battle I will have to fight. Making food fun and interactive is one of my goals for Eden, something I write about here.

In what ways to do get your kids to eat healthy foods they may not want to eat? 

 

Filed Under: dinner, gluten-free meals Tagged With: , , , ,
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