Black Bean Lentil Burgers

Black Bean Lentil Burgers

Makes 5 large patties

• 1 + 1/2 cups cooked and drained lentils
• 1/3 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/5 cup "ground beef" style vegan soy or veggie crumbles (I used Trader Joe's Beefless ground beef, but I hear Morningstar is also good)
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 5 medium-sized cremini mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1 large slice of white onion, roughly chopped
• 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tbsp water)
• 1/2 tsp each of garlic powder and ground cumin
• salt and pepper

Place all ingredients except flour in a food processor and blend until fully combined. It may take a few rounds of processing to get it really smooth, but a smoother texture is worth the noisiness! Taste test the mixture and add salt and pepper as desired, processing in between additions. Transfer the mixture into a large bowl and add flour, mixing with hands or a spoon until the flour is fully incorporated. Roll a large handful of the mixture into a ball and flatten into a burger; you can either make 5 large patties like I did, or there's probably enough for 4 smaller patties. The mixture will stick to your hands a little but you should be able to form the burgers easily. If not, add flour in increments until you can form them successfully. If you don't want to cook the burgers all right away, store the rest in a plastic container with parchment paper between them so that they don't stick together. To cook the burger, grease a frying pan with cooking spray and set it over medium heat. Place the burger in the pan and cook on each side for about five minutes, or until both sides are well browned and firm but not burnt.

Magical!

The AB & J Sandwich

The AB & J Sandwich

Makes one hell of a sandwich.

• 1 or 2 slices of your favorite bread. I used one slice of Ezekiel sesame bread. 
• 1/2 a ripe avocado, sliced
• 5 or more ripe banana slices
• however many jalapeño peppers you can handle
• 2 slices vegan ham or turkey-style protein (or seitan, or tofu), optional
• salt and pepper

Toast bread. Layer vegan protein, avocado, banana, and jalapeños. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Have your world rocked. 

Eggplant Gyro with Arugula & Tofu Feta

Eggplant Gyro with Arugula & Tofu Feta

Serves 1

• 1/2 a large pita pocket (I used Trader Joe's soy pitas for extra protein!)
• Four large eggplant slices
• 2 tablespoons of my kalamata olive and sun dried tomato hummus, or your favorite variety
• 1 large bunch of fresh arugula (however much you can stuff into a pita pocket)
• 1.5 oz extra firm tofu
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• liberal amounts of sea salt, black pepper, onion and garlic powders
• olive oil or cooking spray

 First you need to sweat the eggplant. Sweating the slices will draw out the bitterness and enhance flavor. To do this, salt both sides of eggplant slices and let them rest on a plate for at least 15 minutes. You should begin to see beads of moisture on the eggplant. After the 15 minutes is up, thoroughly rinse the slices and pat dry with a paper towel. You can either remove the skin, keep it on, or carve little strips out like I did (for aesthetic value I guess). Place eggplant slices in a frying pan over medium heat with a little olive oil or cooking spray. Sprinkle with garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper. Press tofu well to release extra water and crumble into feta-sized pieces with your hands. Combine vinegars and a a dash each of onion powder, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper in a separate container and whisk. Drizzle the mixture over the tofu and set it aside to soak. As the eggplant is frying, taste test your tofu feta and add ingredients as needed. (I realize that there are more sophisticated tofu feta recipes out there, but I did the best with what I had and it came out pretty good.) At this point, the eggplant should be ready to be flipped. Flip the slices, add more cooking oil as needed and more spices. It should be soft but not soggy and browned but not burned on the flip side. While the other side's a-frying, microwave your pita pocket for about 40 seconds, or until warm and soft. Coat the inside with hummus. Once the eggplant is done, place the slices inside the pita pocket and top with fresh arugula and tofu feta. 

Clean Green Wrap

Clean Green Wrap

Serves 1

• 1 whole grain/whole wheat wrap or tortilla
• 1 tbsp hummus of choice 
• 3 oz extra firm tofu (you can also use another protein source, such as a vegan burger, a few pieces of seitan, or 1/2 cup beans)
• 1/2 medium carrot, grated
• 2 cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup kale, with stems removed
• small handful baby spinach
• 1/4 fresh avocado
• 1/2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

Place tofu in a frying pan over medium heat and pour soy sauce over it, then cut it into small chunks with the edge of a spatula. Add mushrooms and sauté for a few minutes, allowing the mushrooms to soften and the tofu to brown. Add kale and spinach, then add a small handful of water to the pan to steam the greens. While that's cooking, microwave your tortilla or wrap for 50 seconds to soften it, then spread the hummus over it. Top the tortilla with the frying pan contents and then add fresh carrots and avocado slices. Roll up your wrap and slice down the middle; enjoy immediately.