Sweet Potato Veggie Burger

We both loved this burger and will be making it again soon.  I recommend adding a bit of ground flax seed or more flour to the mixture to made it a bit firmer.  Delish!

Sweet Potato Veggie Burger

Healthy Happy Vegan Kitchen CB by Kathy Patalsky

1           medium sweet potato

1 & 1/3 cups drained and rinsed canned cannellini beans

2-3        tablespoons oat or wheat flour

1            tablespoon tahini or nut butter, softened

1            teaspoon grade B maple syrup

1/4         teaspoon garlic powder or spice blend (like Cajun, lemon pepper, or other)

              Sea Salt

              Pinch of ground black pepper

              Pinch of cayenne

1            tablespoon nutritional yeast, plus more as needed (optional)

1/2 -1    teaspoon additional spice of your choice

1-3        teaspoons oil of choice

1/2        cup panko bread crumbs (optional)

Toppings of your choice

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Poke a few holes in the potato using a fork.  Bake the sweet potato until stick-sweet and super tender, about 1 hour.  Remove the skin and place the flesh in a large bowl.

Add the drained beans to the bowl and using a fork, mash the beans with the potato.

Mash in the flour, tahini, maple syrup, and all the spices and seasonings, adding the optional seasonings as desired.  The mixture will be quite soft and moist, but you should be able to form it into a patty.  ***I added some ground flaxseeds and a few spoonfuls of flour to firm up the mixture a bit.   Cover and refrigerate until the mixture firms up enough to be easily handled, 15-20 minutes.

 In a sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over high heat.  Form the potato-bean mixture into 5 patties and coat them on all sides in the panko, if desired.  Make sure the panko coating is thick.  Place the patties in the hot pan, working in batches if needed, and cook until browned, 2-3 minutes on each side.   (Alternatively, fry the patties in an oven-safe skillet until browned, then place the skillet directly in preheated 350 oven to bake for about 10 minutes.  It firms up the patty just a bit more.  ****I didn’t do this but will next time.

No-Cream of Mushroom Soup

It's hard to make Mushroom Soup look as delicious as it tastes and the combination of the 3 different mushrooms really make this soup stand out.  If you like a richer soup base, you can always substitute some of the broth with a bit of nondairy milk.  Lots of nutrition in this soup,  vitamin C and Fiber from the Cauliflower and vitamin B from the Mushrooms - Enjoy!

No-Cream of Mushroom Soup

Healthy Happy Vegan Kitchen CB by Kathy Patalsky

Roasted Mushrooms

8            ounces baby bella mushrooms, quartered

8            ounces Portobello mushrooms, (2 large) sliced

6            ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced

2-4        cloves garlic, chopped

2            tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1            tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2            sprigs fresh rosemary

              few pinches of sea salt and freshly ground peper

Soup Base

1            medium white cauliflower

3-4         cups mushroom or vegetable broth

4            cloves garlic

              sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2            tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

              splash of nondairy milk  (I used soy creamer that has a bit of sweetness)

              freshly ground pepper

For the roasted Mushrooms:  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Rinse and dry the mushrooms, making sure all the woody stems have been removed.  In a bowl, toss the mushrooms with the garlic, oil, vinegar, rosemary, and salt and pepper.

Lay the mushrooms flat on a baking sheet.  Roast the mushrooms until they begin to soften and caramelize around the edges, about 20 minutes.  They should be moist, yet fully cooked and flavorful to eat on their own.

For the Soup Base:  While the mushrooms are roasting, bring a pot of water to a boil.  Add the cauliflower and cook for 7-10 minutes.  Drain and set the tender cauliflower aside.

In a blender or food processor, or in a saucepan using an immersion blender, combine the cauliflower, about 2 cups of the broth, and the garlic.  Blend on low until the cauliflower is smooth.  Remove the rosemary sprigs from the baking sheet and reserve.  Add 3/4 cup of the roasted mushroom mixture to the blender.  Blend in a few pinches of the reserved roasted rosemary for added flavor.  Continue blending, adding broth until you reach a texture and flavor you like.

Transfer the cauliflower mixture to a large saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Add the pinch of nondairy milk/creamer, salt and pepper to taste and simmer until ready to serve.  Garnish with the left 1/4 cup of mushrooms, parsley and some rosemary from roasting the mushrooms.

Roasted Corn and Red Pepper Chowder

If you bought a bunch of corn and have a few left over, here is a good way to put those ears of corn to use.

Roasted Corn and Red Pepper Chowder

Adapted from Magazine

2            ears of corn, husked

2            tablespoons vegan butter

1/2         onion, small dice

1            celery stalk, diced

1            large sweet potato, peeled and chopped

1            jar roasted red pepper, chopped

              pinch thyme

              pinch cayenne pepper

              salt and pepper to taste

1/4         cup cornmeal

5            cups vegetable stock or water (more or less to your liking)

1/2         cup almond milk or soy creamer for a sweater taste

Preheat the broiler.  Put the corn on a rimmed baking sheet; broil, turning, until lightly charred on all sides, 5-8 minutes.  Transfer to a cutting board; let cool slightly, then cut off the kernels and transfer to a bowl.  Working over the bowl, run the back of a chef’s knife down the cobs to extract the juices; discard the cobs.

Melt the vegan butter in a large potor Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, celery, sweet potato, thyme, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper.  Cook, stirring, until softened, 3 minutes.  Sprinkle in the cornmeal, cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, 1 minute.  Add the corn, its juices,  roasted red pepper and 5 cups of stock/water.  Cook until the sweet potato is tender and the suop has thickened slightly, 15 minutes. 

Reduce the heat to medium low and stir in the almond/soy creamer.  Cook for another few minutes then serve with a nice piece of bread.

Tomato, Cucumber and Green Pepper Salad

Tis the Season for fresh veggies right from your local farm stand or market!  This really isn’t a recipe, just mixing fresh veggies with some red wine vinegar, oil and your favorite spice.

Tomato, Cucumber and Green Pepper Salad

Tomatoes, large dice

Cucumbers, large dice

Green Pepper, large dice

Onion, sliced

Just prepare your veggies and put in a big bowl.  Mix red wine vinegar with olive oil, add some salt and pepper and your season of choice (dill or oregano will work) and you have a nice, fresh salad.