Recipe of the week: Nut Burgers

There are two recipes I've been looking for, for over ten years, this is one of them.  I was so excited to make it!  After calling finding something similar online and calling the restaurant, I think I have it.  Here's the backstory on this recipe....

Growing up, my Nana (my dad's mom) lived in the San Fernando Valley.  She lived near one of the first Trader Joe's, I remember going there when they had a real butcher and were mostly a wine and cheese shop.  She used to also frequent the Italian market, but her personal favorite, especially as she got on in years was Follow Your Heart (she got on the health bandwagon back in the 70's).  Follow Your Heart is a grocery store similar to Mother's because they have a cafe, and sells a lot of the same products as Sprouts and Whole Foods.  They also have a line of dressings, which you can find at Vons & most of these health food stores.  My personal favorite is the Lemon Herb but so far I've only been able to get it at Mother's.

Follow Your Heart serves this nut burger two ways.  One, on a bun with raw cheddar cheese, topped with alfalfa sprouts, tomatoes, vegenaise and special sauce.  The nut burger supreme (my favorite) is served on a bun with raw cheddar cheese, lettuce, mushrooms, onion, shredded carrot and a little sauerkraut.  I ate mine as a lettuce wrap (in romaine lettuce) with tomato & a little sauerkraut. If you want gluten free I'm sure you could use quinoa instead of cracked wheat.  Let me know what you think, I was very happy with the results.  A Votre Sante!

Nut Burger

Ingredients:

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/3 cup raw walnuts
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 Tablespoons chopped green bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped yellow squash
2 Tablespoons soy sauce (or Bragg's liquid aminos)
1/2 cup water
1 clove minced garlic
   Dash of dried basil (or 1/2 tsp fresh)
   Dash of dried dill weed (or 1/2 tsp fresh)
1/2 cup finely chopped  or shredded carrot
1/2 cup bulgur wheat (cracked wheat)



Directions:
Grind sunflower seeds, almonds, cashews and walnuts in food processor until coarsely ground. Set aside.

Combine onion, green pepper, and squash. Mix soy sauce and water in a small glass bowl. Process vegetables with garlic, basil and dill weed, adding soy sauce/water mixture a little at a time the food processor or blender.

Pour puree into saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Add carrots and bulgar, bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and add nut mixture.. Mix well. Form into 8-10 patties depending on the size you want. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or grill, or brown in a heated pan until heated through and browned on 1 side. DO NOT TURN, they will fall apart because there's no binding agent. Top each patty with a slice of cheese and melt slightly, optional.  Enjoy!

Recipe of the week: S'more Cupcakes

I love s'mores, they are hands down one of my favorite desserts.  I've looked and looked for a recipe and couldn't find one that I liked, so I had to improvise.  Last year I had dinner at a restaurant in Los Angeles called The Six, they had a very rich version of a s'more and I wanted something along those lines, not your typical milk chocolate thing, so this is what I came up with.  

The taste is every thing you remember from the campfire, only without the campfire and a tiny bit more sophisticated.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

S'more cupcakes

Graham cracker crust (base)

1/3 cup melted butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (I used Trader Joe's honey graham crackers)

Cupcakes

You can use any chocolate cupcake recipe or boxed mix you like this is my favorite recipe.  I didn't have any  unsweetened chocolate, and I try to use what I have so I used 3 oz (approx 1/2 cup) dark chocolate chips and added 2 Tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder.  Since you have the graham cracker crust you have to fill them a little less, you can probably make a few more, I think I made an extra three, just fill the empty spaces with water so they still bake even.  Bake as directed or until a toothpick comes out clean.

For the top:

I wanted to use what I had, which was large marshmallows, more chocolate and the left over graham cracker crust.  So instead of letting them cool, I cut the marshmallows in half, the first time I tried it I used 2 and 1/2 marshmallows which was too many because they slid off in the oven....second time around I used 1 1/2.  Put them back in the oven, set to broil and watch them closely.  I think mine took all of 4 minutes until they were golden brown.  While they're in the oven melt another 1/4 cup of dark chocolate (about 45 seconds in the mircrowave).  Once they're out, drizzle with about 1 tsp of the melted chocolate and top with a little bit of the leftover graham cracker crumbs.  Let cool for at least 30 minutes.  Voila, s'more cupcakes.  Enjoy!  I took them to a Fourth of July party and they were a hit!!!

This was attempt #1 with more marshmallows, I said I needed to work on the presentation....both were equally yummy so as always, play with your food, and let me know what you think!

Recipe of the week: Bran Muffins

This past week two people have emailed me about the bran muffin recipe I used to make for the coffee bar, so I told them I’d post it on my blog. I also thought it to be very serendipitous timing since the friend who gave me the recipe has a birthday tomorrow on Leap day. (We call these the Infamous Bran muffins). The original recipe came from an eighty-something year old nun who serves at a silence and solitude retreat center somewhere in Minnesota. I’ve made a couple of changes (what else is new!), the original was twice the ingredients but I no longer have a second refrigerator so I halved it, and I use the organic bran cereal from Trader Joes instead of All Bran, which has HFCS in it. We love it with the date mixture and walnuts but I’ve also made it with pineapple and flaxseed and it was very good as well. Let me know what you think. A Votre Sante and Happy Birthday, my lovely friend Lisa Marie Nygard I wish I was there to spend the day with you xoxo!


Bran Muffins

Part 1: 1 cup Bran cereal (I use Trader Joe’s organic)

1 cup boiling water

Combine, stir, and set aside to cool. Stir occasionally to dissolve


Part 2: 2 cups Bran cereal

2 1/2 cups flour (half white, half wheat)

Combine in large container.


Part 3: 1/2 quart Buttermilk (at room temp to fully acivate soda)

2 1/2 tsp Baking Soda

Combine and let stand a bit before mixing


In a very large bowl add:

2 large eggs and 1 egg white, beat well (if you double it use 5 eggs)

1 1/4 cups white sugar (vary as desired), beat well (if you double it use 2 1/4 cups)

1/2 cups cooking oil (I use half olive oil, half veg.), beat well

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp vanilla, beat well


Add part 1, beat well

Add part 2, beat well

Add part 3, and guess what? — Yes, you must beat well!


Pour mixture back into bowl, and store in fridge overnight before baking. It keeps up to 6 weeks in fridge.

Pour muffin mixture into large muffin tins, spread a line of date filling on top, sprinkle with walnuts.

Backe at 350-375 degrees about 15-18 minutes depending on size and filling.

Makes approximately 3 dozen muffins.


Date Filling:

Combine equal parts of dates, water and sugar. I like using Mejool dates, you have to pit them first but they are sweeter and plumper than the other kinds. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring often, until well cooked (approximately 3-4 hours) Add vanilla and store in refrigerator (keeps for months).


Other additions: raisins, pineapple, or anything else you want to try.

Recipe of the week: Cherry Smoothie

I love smoothies. They're an easy way to get your fruit intake for the day. For some reason its easier for me to eat vegetables than fruit so I try to make smoothies a couple of times a week. I usually put keifr in mine to make it more substantial. (Keifr is a drinkable yogurt, available at most health food stores, Trader Joes and some grocery stores carry a brand call Glen Oaks drinkable yogurt.) Flax seeds are a nutritional powerhouse full of fiber, antioxidants and rich in Omega 3 fatty acids. You can add any kind of fruit you like, this just happens to be my favorite combination. A Votre Sante!


Cherry Smoothie

4 oz Cherry Cider
4 oz keifr, flavor of choice
1/4 cup pineapple, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup frozen cherries
1/2 cup berries, fresh or frozen
1 tsp flax seeds
1 scoop protein powder, your choice


Pour keifr and juice into the blender, add frozen fruit and flax seeds, blend until smooth. (Add a little water if its too thick) Add protein powder at the end and blend until mixed. Serves one. Enjoy!