Burgers & Fries

Just a simpler way to make burgers and fries...the healthy way!

tortillas (instead of a bun!)

Vegan Boca burgers

1/2 red onion

lettuce

pickles

6 russet potatoes

olive oil

italian seasoning

seasoned salt

1: Preheat oven to 425º F

2: Peel and cut potatoes into long vertical pieces.

3: Blanche them in a pot of boiling water for about 7-8 minutes, but watch them so they don't get too soft!

4: Strain them and place them in a bowl with 2 tsp of italian seasoning and 2 tsp olive oil.  Mix well, making sure not to break the potatoes.

5: Bake for 15 minutes, flipping midway through for even browning, adding salt and pepper if you wish.

I like to make fries this way because it involves less grease, no fillers that are found in the frozen variety...and they taste much better!

The burgers can be made by simply slicing the onions, adding olive oil to the pan to help ease the stick of the Boca patty and browning on both sides.  I opted to use tortillas instead of a big heavy bun, but you can also use a large lettuce leaf as a bun if you're trying to cut carbs.

Mint Marble Cookies

Mint Marble Cookies

Part 1:
1 1/2 cup whole wheat (or white) flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (or 1/2 cup) Earth Balance
   (you can use 1/2 cup vegetable if you need to)
1 tbsp vanilla
1 egg replacer (I like to use flax)

Part 2:
1/2 cup cocoa
Trader Joe's Mint UFO chocolates

1: Preheat oven to 375ºF
2: Very thoroughly mix all ingredients from Part 1 together, adding water a teaspoon at a time until mixture sticks together when squeezed (but is still a little bit crumbly).
3: Add 1/2 cup cocoa.  It is extremely important that you fold the cocoa into the batter and not mix it together.  You want the batter to be "marbled" not completely brown, so once the cocoa is absorbed into the batter, STOP.
4: Roll the batter out and create shapes using cookie cutters or do as I did and use a small canning jar/glass dipped in flour (to avoid sticking) to create equal-sized circles.
5: Add a mint UFO to the top and bake on a non-greased cookie sheet for 7-8 minutes.  Watch the time; remove from oven when slightly browned on the bottom.

Alternate: If you like things extra minty, you could also keep the cocoa portion of this recipe separate, mix 1 tsp mint extract with 2 tsp water into the cocoa and then slowly add the cocoa to mix as describe above in step 3.

Avocado Sandwich

Avocado Sandwich

2 medium/large avocados

1 roma tomato

1/2 red onion

ciabatta loaf (watch the labels, if buying from a bakery!)

olive oil

sea salt & pepper

1: Preheat oven to 400ºF

2: Warm ciabatta loaf for about 7-8 minutes.

3: Cut down the center, sandwich style and dip one (or both sides) in olive oil.

4: Sprinkle salt & pepper on bread and add toppings.

Yum! :)

Pizza Crisps

tortilla

tomato sauce

1/2 red onion

Daiya pepperjack cheese

salt & pepper

oregano flakes

Nate's Zesty Italian Meatless Meatballs

Earth Balance

1: Preheat oven to 400ºF

2: Spread a very thin layer of Earth Balance on the back of a tortilla.

3: On the other side, spread a very thin layer of tomato sauce on the tortilla, being careful not to add too much.  (I learned the hard way: too much sauce = soggy crisp!).  Add oregano flakes salt and pepper to sauce and mix around

 4: Add thinly sliced onions and any other vegetable toppings.  I like to use whatever is on hand.  Sometimes olives, roasted garlic, green and red peppers...whatever you like! 

5: Lightly sprinkle Daiya over crisp, but not too much, as this is supposed to be a light pizza.

6: Cook for 4 minutes (not any longer or it will burn!!).  Enjoy!

 (This is how crispy it gets after just 4 minutes)

Optional:

Nate's Zesty Italian Meatless Meatballs.

They weren't too "zesty" in my opinion, so I sauted them on the stovetop in tomato sauce, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper and oregano powder.  Then I baked them for five minutes before I sliced them up and added them to the raw crisps, which I baked for 4 minutes.

Steak & Potatoes

Steak & Potatoes

(for 2)

4 large russet potatoes

4 Vegan Boca Burgers

1 packet of Hains Vegetarian Brown Gravy Mix

Daiya pepperjack cheese

1/2 red onion, sliced

parsley

Earth Balance vegan spread

cumin

soy milk

1: Peel and cut up four russet potatoes into small squares (cooks faster) and add to medium pot of boiling water.  Cook until tender, but not too soft, maybe 7 or 8 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

2: Splash a little olive oil in a nonstick pan and add sliced red onions.  Next add Boca patties and cook for approximately six minutes on medium heat.  Sprinkle a little cumin on top.

3: Before turning, make sure that you add a little more oil, as the burgers are prone to sticking, no matter which kind of pan you use.  Cook for six minutes on side two as well, sprinkling a little more cumin on top.

4: Remove from heat. slice with a spatula, add Pepperjack Daiya, COVER and set aside.  (Covering it while it's still hot will allow the Daiya to melt without overcooking your burger pieces)

5: Make the Hains Vegetarian Gravy as instructed, which is 1 cup boiling water to one packet, constantly stirring until thick.  I like to make my own gravies too (that recipe later!), but this was a quicker alternative.

6: Mash potatoes with a potato masher adding 2 tbsp Earth Balance, a splash of soy milk, white pepper and salt with a sprinkle of parsley.

7: Pile potatoes on plate, carefully adding the "steak" strips over the top.  Drizzle the gravy over the top and I'm telling you, I even surprised myself with how delicious this was!!

Optional side dish: Cheesy Cauliflower & Broccoli

Cheesy Cauliflower & Broccoli

Cheesy Cauliflower & Broccoli

raw or frozen cauliflower
raw or frozen broccoli
Earth Balance vegan spread
Daiya cheddar cheese
salt & pepper

1: Saute vegetables in a medium sized pot with 2 tbsp Earth Balance along with a dash of salt and pepper.  Cover and cook on low-medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2: Add just enough Daiya (1/4 -1/2 cup, depending on how much vegetables you used) to pot, mixing until thoroughly melted and covered.  Try not to mix too long, as the Daiya will begin to stick to the pan!  Enjoy! :)

Chik'n & Eggs

Tofu Scrambled Eggs



1/2 twin package of firm tofu
1/2 red onion
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp Earth Balance
nutritional yeast
dash of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste


Optional:
Daiya Pepperjack Vegan Cheese
red and/or green peppers

1: Preheat pan with a splash of olive oil on medium heat.
2: Crumble tofu with your fingers as you place it in the pan, making a chunky sort of scrambled look
3: Add onions, curry, Earth balance, nutritional yeast (add a little at a time until you're comfortable with the flavor, as too much can be overwhelming) and any other vegetables you'd normally eat with eggs
4: Lightly brown the tofu, flipping and stirring occasionally until lightly browned, maybe 7-10 minutes total

5: Add Daiya either while cooking and mix it in, or like I did, after cooking, as a topping.  If you choose to add it after, place a lid over the eggs and let sit on a *low temperature* burner for five minutes until the Daiya is completely melted.

I made this particular meal with Boca Chik'n Patties as a special treat for my Vegan friend who had an intense craving for chicken and eggs upon waking.  The Chik'n patties were delicious baked in the oven until crispy with a lightly toasted onion bun!  Yum!

Vegan Mocha

1 cup drip coffee
3/4 cup Silk Very Vanilla Soy Milk
2 tbsp Hershey's Special Dark Syrup


Options:
espresso (if you have an espresso machine)
rice or soy whipped cream
Sweet & Sara mini marshmallows

1: Add Hershey's syrup and coffee to mug and stir until thoroughly mixed
2: Heat soy milk in a medium sized pot on high heat
3: Right before the milk begins to boil, remove from heat and beat with a whisk until frothy
4: Add to an extra-large, cozy, rainy-day mug, holding back foam with whisk until the very top.  Enjoy! :)


Side note: this isn't just my cheaply-fabulous way to make a mocha...Seattle has many, many coffee drive-thru cafes, many of which I discovered, used Hershey's syrup as the "mocha"!  Tricky!

Red Bean Samosa

1 cup red beans

1/2 red onion

1 cup mashed potatoes (either from scratch or instant)

1/4 cup Daiya cheddar cheese

3 large tortillas, sliced in half

1 cup romaine lettuce

curry powder

1: Preheat oven to 400°F

2: Saute chopped red onion in a medium-sized pan then add red beans.

3: Cook red beans on medium heat until soft enough to mash.  At this point, also add the mashed potatoes.

4: Curry is a very tricky spice.  If you add too little, you might as well not have added any.  If you add too much, however, you'll feel like you've taken a bite of an incense stick from your local hippy shop!  My advice: add slowly, simmer for a minute, then taste.  The flavor comes out the slower you cook the beans.  You can also add peas at this point if you'd like, however, I like to reserve peas for the more traditional samosa.

5: Take the 1/2 tortilla and cut the rounded part off the top.  You'll have to maneuver the bean/potato mixture around until you're able to make a triangle envelope out of this thing.  Do some experimenting here!

6: Bake samosa on a baking sheet for approximately 6 minutes, or until lightly browned.  You can flip it over at this point if you'd like both sides browned, or just leave as is to enjoy a softer samosa.

7: Spread over a bed of romaine lettuce and enjoy with a balsamic vinaigrette or a homemade pepper vinaigrette (if you're feeling saucy).

This is also delicious with a side of roasted pepper rice. :)

Fajitas

6" tortillas
4 Vegan Boca Burger (non GMO) patties
1 red onion
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
2 tsp cumin
Daiya Vegan mozzarella cheese


1: Preheat oven to 300ºF
2: Saute' strips of onion, red and green peppers together with a bit of olive oil on stovetop, then set aside
3: Preheat a non-stick pan on medium heat with a bit of olive oil
4: Add burgers directly to the olive oil to ensure they will not stick and sprinkle 1/2 cumin on top
5: Cook until browned on one side (usually 5 minutes), then flip the burgers, adding the rest of the cumin to the burgers
6: When both sides have been thoroughly cooked, begin to slice the burgers into long strips with the spatula
7: Carefully add the onion/pepper mix into the pan with the soy strips and cook on low for another minute or so, just to mix the flavors
8: Place torillas on a baking sheet with a bit of Daiya down the center and place in preheated oven for 1 minute (if you cook with radiation, microwave for about 25 seconds)
9: Add soy strip/onion/pepper mix to tortillas and enjoy!