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: Farmer's Market Salad

Last week I had lunch at one of my new favorite restaurants, Mendocino Farms in Marina Del Rey.  I love their food but even more so their philosophy.  They are all about locally grown, farmers markets and eating seasonally (which I'm about too!)  I sampled this salad from the deli case and knew I had to try to recreate it at home.  I did and the results were amazing!  They used pecans in their salad, I had walnuts so I used those.  I didn't have any raspberry vinegar so I used red wine vinegar and some fresh raspberries.  If you end up trying it let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

Farmer's Market Salad
1 large plum sliced
1 pluot sliced
1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts (or pecans)
3 oz smoked Gouda sliced into small pieces
4 to 6 cups organic mixed baby greens

Place greens, plums, pluots, nuts and cheese in a large bowl, toss with raspberry mint vinaigrette and enjoy immediately.

Raspberry Mint Vinaigrette

Juice of one lemon
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp raspberries (about 6 large)
2 Tbsp fresh mint leaves
2 green onions (only the white part about 2 inches each)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp agave nectar (or sugar)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Put the first five ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth.  Add salt, pepper and agave (or sugar), taste and adjust seasoning, pulse quickly.  Add olive oil in a steady stream to mixture, a few seconds in the food processor will mix it up nicely.  Toss over salad, enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Healthier "Chunky Monkey"

Well, it's been quite a while since I posted a recipe.  It's been way too hot to cook, so I've been making lots of salads.  I think I've turned the oven on a few times to make sweet potato fries and once for cookies this summer.   It's September and it's still in the high 80's to low 90's here.

On another note, I've been tweaking my diet a bit.  Trying to eat less gluten, dairy, sugar etc.  Last night a friend and I were talking about ice cream and my favorite is Ben and Jerry's....pretty much any flavor will work, some I'm more fond of than others, one of those in Chunky Monkey.  I had some bananas that I'd frozen for smoothies, but no one has used them, so I thought I'd make ice cream out of them.  This is what I came up with. (This is dairy and gluten free so it's Paleo friendly and Vegan)  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

4 large frozen bananas
6 Tbsp unsweetened coconut milk (I got mine at Trader Joe's)
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup walnuts chopped (I left some whole)
1-2 oz dark chocolate (I used 72%)
pinch of salt

The only thing you need for this is a food processor.  You may have to do small batches depending on the size of your food processor.   Put the frozen bananas in, add the coconut milk one tablespoon at a time, add the vanilla.  (You could also use bananas that aren't frozen and then freeze the mixture later).  Once you have a creamy mixture spoon into a freezer proof bowl.  Add the walnuts, salt and dark chocolate, cover with plastic wrap and freeze until the texture resembles ice cream.  Enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Last summer I had several people give me zucchinis out of their garden, I love zucchini bread and thought what if I added chocolate? Because we all know everything is better with chocolate.  This is what I came up with  .My favorite way to eat this is with a little cream cheese    Let me know what you think. A Votre Sante!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup safflower oil
1/2 cup applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, or sliced almonds
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
In large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt, mix well. In separate bowl, combine sugar and eggs, beat until well blended. Add oil and vanilla; beat until combined. Stir in zucchini. Add flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Spoon evenly into loaf pans.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove bread from pans; cool completely on wire rack.

Recipe of the week: Banana Bread

I've been making this recipe for years but I think I perfected it when I was baking for the coffee bar at church (which sadly I'm not doing anymore). I almost always double it but this is for a single loaf. For the flour I use 1 cup of whole wheat and 1/2 cup of unbleached, but you can use all unbleached or all whole wheat. I never use all purpose in anything. I also always use non-aluminum baking powder. We like walnuts but you can try pecans. I've even added dark chocolate chips, the kids loved it, kinda like Chunky Monkey ice-cream in bread. Let me know what you think. A Votre Sante!

Banana Bread

1 cup ripe mashed bananas (about 3 medium)
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/4 cup canola or safflower oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the dry ingredients together. Make a well in the center and add bananas, oil and egg. Mix until combined, add nuts. Spray loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and fold in batter. Bake for 45 minutes or until a knife or toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Vegetable walnut pasta

This is a recipe that I originally found on a box of pasta, but as always I have modified it. It's super easy and I thought you might enjoy it. If you don't like broccoli or artichoke hearts you could easily substitute zucchini, spinach, or green beans. (Or anything else you like). Just adjust the cooking time, especially if its spinach...I'd add it as I was tossing the pasta so its not mushy. Like I've said before, I believe in playing with your food...see what you like and let me know if you try it. A Votre Sante.

Vegetable walnut pasta

Ingredients:

1 lb Farfalle or other pasta
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil and herbs, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and cut into fourths
3 cups broccoli florets
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated if possible
1/2 cup fresh basil, cut into thin strips (you can use 1Tbsp dried, but fresh is much better)
salt to taste
black pepper, freshly ground to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Toast walnuts in a small skillet for 1-2 minutes until slightly brown. Place in large bowl. Add sun-dried tomatoes, including some oil from tomatoes, garlic and olive oil and artichoke hearts.
Cook pasta, according to package directions. (Add broccoli the last 4 minutes) Drain, add pasta and broccoli to bowl. Add Parmesan cheese and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well and serve. Serves about 4. Enjoy!