Lentil Mushroom Burgers and Bunny Fries

Oh, blogland, I have so many things I want to talk to you about! I've had some fantastic BLT's lately (more on that later, but really you just need vegan bacon and mayo and I'm sure you can figure it out). I've made some crazy-good cookies, probably the best cookies I've ever made. I promise I'll share soon, but a girl can (should) only eat so many cookies and I've been recipe-testing. I've also made some fantastic protein shakes which I'll get around to posting in a bit too. Hubby and I have been going on lots of walks and playing catch in the backyard (back-strip-of-dirt?), which has been pretty awesome. It's kinda hot today though. Anyway, I've got to get ready for church, so I'll get down to it. My dinner was pretty awesome, so I'm sharing!

No, these fries aren't made of bunnies - they're carrots (obviously?). I really love carrot fries, probably more than sweet potato fries, I really wanted some for dinner, and since Easter is coming up, I thought the name fit. And I made a new (onion/garlicless) veggie burger. So yummy! I really love homemade veggie burgers and often, though I've gotten out of the habit lately, make a batch to eat throughout the week. This recipe is a bit on the moister side, so if you want you can add some breadcrumbs, more flax, or less tomato paste. They taste really great though and can also be made into a veggie loaf super easily. Without further ado, the recipes:

Lentil Mushroom Burgers/Loaf:
Makes 8 patties or 8 slices lentil loaf

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry lentils, simmered in 2 cups of water until water evaporates
• 8 oz. button mushrooms, chopped
• 1 small can tomato paste
• salt, pepper
• 1.5 tablespoons sunflower seeds (maybe more next time?)
• 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 1/4 cup milled flaxseed

Directions:

• Cook your lentils. Cook your chopped mushrooms in a large pot or skillet with a little salt and pepper on low heat until they release their moisture and turn a little darker in color.
• Add the rest of your ingredients and mix really well.
• Form into patties (about 1/2 cup each) or scoop into a loaf pan.
• Spray a skillet (the same one you just used works) or swirl a little oil in the bottom. Cook your patties on medium heat, being careful not to break them. You can just smoosh them back together if they fall apart though. It might be a good idea to add a little extra flax, some breadcrumbs, or use less tomato paste if you're making patties. They were a little too wet to work with. Come to think of it, if you coated each patty in panko breadcrumbs before cooking, that would be amazing.
• If you're making a loaf, smoosh down the top of your mixture so it's smooth, and pop into a 350 degree (Fahrenheit) oven for, I don't know, about 40 minutes. You want the top to be a little dry and browned.
• Go make your bunny fries and enjoy!

Bunny Fries:
Serves 1 but you can multiply to make as much as you want!

Ingredients:

• 3 medium carrots, cut into fry shapes
• 1 teaspoon olive or canola oil (may not need more oil, even if you use more carrots, not sure)

Directions:

• Toss your carrot fries in the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Bake at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until browned in places, turning once.
• It's important that these get browned! That's what makes them sweet and delicious, more like a fry and less like a carrot!
• You'll probably want more, just so you know.

 

Old Bay Seasoning

With my new venture into onion/garlic free cooking, I've definitely hit a few roadblocks. But, today I have good news! Old Bay Seasoning doesn't have garlic or onion powder! They do have some other flavors, but their Original and 30% Less Sodium Original mixes don't include these pesky things!

A couple of days ago, I wanted a sandwich for lunch and didn't have a ton of ingredients in the kitchen. (By the way, Lightlife makes a vegan lunch "meat" without garlic or onions -- their Smart Deli Ham is g/o free! The turkey is not, though). I did have Vegenaise and great northern beans at home, my preferred bean for "chicken" salad type sandwich stuff. I didn't know what I was going to season it with, though. I couldn't cut up onion for the mix or use garlic or onion powder, so for a minute I wasn't sure what I would do.

Then I remembered that I have a pretty huge tin of Old Bay Seasoning in the pantry (does a teeny tiny upper corner cabinet count as a pantry if that's what I use it for?). Anyway, I don't know what made me check, because I kind of assumed it had the no-no's in it, but I did and here's what the ingredients say: celery salt (salt, celery seed), spices (including red pepper and black pepper), and paprika. So, initially seems okay but I a bit skeptical of the "spices" label. I went ahead and made my sandwich, which was super savory tasting, but didn't seem to taste like garlic or onions. You can really taste that celery seed!

The "recipe" is just 

• 1/2 can (or about 3/4 cup) great northern beans, rinsed
•  1 tablespoon vegenaise
• few shakes of Old Bay - about 1/2 tsp
• and a few turns of fresh pepper 

Then just smoosh the beans a little, pop some bread in the toaster, spread the beans on, and slice up a tomato if you feel like it. Super yummy and a complete protein, too!
So, after lunch, to make sure,  I emailed McCormick and this is what they said:

"Dear Ms. Bisset:

Thank you for taking the time to contact us. We appreciate your interest in our Old Bay 30% Less Sodium Seasoning and welcome the opportunity to be of assistance to you.

At this time there is no garlic or onion products in our Old Bay 30% Less Sodium Seasoning.

If we can be of further assistance, please call us at 1-800-632-5847. If you wish to respond to this note by e-mail, please include your name and e-mail address.

We hope to have the continued pleasure of serving you.

Sincerely,
Jaclyn
Consumer Affairs Specialist

Ref # 1801177"

Woohoo!!! Now I have a savory replacement that will hopefully work for soup! I already have a vegetable soup that includes quite a bit of this stuff. Last time I made it, it had an onion in it, but hopefully this would be enough of a kick on it's own.

Check out that spice!

This is actually the regular stuff, but I prefer the 30% Less Sodium kind because I find the Original a bit too salty for me. It's still super awesome though!

Mmmmm, sandwich.

Great Northern Bean Salad

This is what I have for lunch a lot of the time. I'm in love with bean salads-- they're high protein, high fiber, and just plain delicious. Most times I use bottled dressing which simplifies things, but when I have time I make my own vegan mayo. Veganaise is entirely too expensive around here for me, and I have a feeling it would be a bit too expensive on my waistline too, if you know what I mean. This mayo recipe is adapted from Melomeals and it's flippin' amazing. I haven't been able to find cooked white soybeans, only edamame, so my mayo always turns out green, but it's still delicious! The original recipe is here but I've modified it to make it even more low-fat and to not use lecithin, since I didn't have any.

Low-Fat Veganaise

Ingredients:

- 3/4 cup edamame
- 1.5 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1.5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1.5 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup water

Directions:
-  In a blender, blend everything together-- that's it!





Great Northern Bean Salad
Makes 2 servings


Ingredients:
- 1 (15 oz) can great northern beans, rinsed really well (you can also use chickpeas, smashed a little)
- 2 stalks celery, diced small
- 1 stalk green onion, green and white parts, chopped small
- 1/4 cup mayo (recipe above)
- salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

- Mix all ingredients and enjoy on toast or with saltines-- so yummy! To be honest, I usually eat the whole batch with a spoon.

1/2 recipe: cals: 222kcal | fat: 4.63g | carbs: 37.95g | prot: 12.76g