Lentil burgers

We (my son and I) loved these! My son said they were really good and I needed to make a lot! My husband said if he was a vegetarian and stranded on a deserted island, he might eat them, but he'd rather have a hamburger. Here is the recipe as written. Then, I'll tell you how I did it - I didn't use all these ingredients.

This recipe is from "365 Ways to Cook Vegetarian" by Kitty Morse.

1 1/4 cups dried lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 egg
3 Tablespoons wheat germ
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
2 Tablespoons sliced black olives, drained
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 small onion, chopped finely
1 small carrot, shredded
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
3 Tablespoons butter

Coconut Relish
3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 teaspoon sugar

1. In a large saucepan, combine lentils with 4 cups of water.  Cook, covered, over medium heat, until lentils are tender, 25-30 minutes; drain.

2. In a blender or food processor, combine cooked lentils and egg.  Pulse, turning machine quickly on and off 5 or 6 times, until lentils are coarsely mashed.  Transfer to a large bowl.

3. Add wheat germ, Worcestershire, hot sauce, olives, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, onion, and carrot. Mix well to blend.

4. Spread bread crumbs on a large plate.  With hands, fashion lentil patties. Dredge in bread crumbs to coat both sides. In a large frying pan, melt butter over medium heat. With a wide spatula, carefully set lentil patties inside frying pan. Cook, turning once, until golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes on each side. Place on a paper towel covered plate.

5. Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, combine cilantro leaves with lemon juice, coconut, ginger, 2 Tablespoons water, and sugar. Process until cilantro is chopped. Transfer to a small serving bowl.

6. Serve lentil patties hot, with coconut relish on the side.

First of all, I did not make the coconut relish (skipped number 5). I did not use a blender or food processor to mash the lentils with egg. I just mashed by hand with a pastry blender. I omitted olives and instead of bread crumbs, I ground oatmeal into a flour consistency. Instead of dredging patties into the bread crumbs, I just mixed the oatmeal flour into the mixture to give it a thicker consistency. I used way more hot sauce than 1/8 teaspoon and LOTS of salt and pepper. I used salt and pepper in the bowl, then again while I was frying, than sprinkled with season salt on the plate. I used olive oil instead of butter to fry them. I also added a generous amount of cayenne pepper and we still didn't taste the heat from the hot sauce or cayenne. Next time I'll add some more. My son ate his with pickles and ketchup and I ate mine with Heinz 57 sauce. Dijon mustard would be good too. Some recipes suggest letting the mixture chill for several hours to help keep them together. I did not and didn't have trouble with them staying together. I also used almost a WHOLE bag of lentils rather than the 1 1/4 cups it called for. The lentils, wheat germ, egg, and ground oatmeal provided an abundant source of protein and other valuable nutrients and fiber.

Vegetarian Breakfast Burritos To Go

I needed something healthy, fast, and easy to eat on the go for breakfast. It needed lots of protein for my vegetarian son and able to be made ahead of time that would keep either in the fridge or freezer. I got this idea from my friend, Barb Barsch. I made a large batch for the week(s) ahead.

Protein-packed Vegetarian Breakfast Burritos To Go

4-5 cups frozen hash browns
2 cans black beans, drained
10 eggs
2 cups shredded cheese
salsa
9 large tortillas (I used sun-dried tomato and jalapeno and cheddar)
2 cups yellow and green peppers, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
minced garlic
olive oil
ground mustard (optional)
ground cumin (optional)
ground sage (optional)
seasoned salt
garlic powder
cayenne pepper
cholulu sauce

All measurements are estimates for proportion purposes. I had leftover hash brown/egg mixture.

Saute peppers, onions, and garlic (or any other vegetables you desire) with some olive oil. Add all seasoning; ground mustard, cumin, sage, seasoned salt, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, cholula hot sauce. Mix vegetable mixture, beaten eggs, cheese, black beans, and frozen hash browns in a very large baking dish. Bake covered for an hour or until hash browns and eggs are cooked. Taste. Add more seasonings, if necessary. Warm tortillas in microwave. Spoon mixture in the middle of tortillas. Add salsa on top. Make a burrito. If you want to cut in half, fold BOTH sides in. Wrap in saran wrap. Store in refrigerator or freezer. Warm up in microwave for 30 seconds (thawed) or 1-2 minutes if frozen on busy mornings and eat on the GO!

Surviving Our First BBQ As Vegetarians

Well, we survived our first BBQ cookout on a vegetarian diet! I asked Nathan a couple days ahead of the cookout if he was going to eat any hamburgers or hot dogs. These aren't just any hamburgers, either. They are double patties sealed together with Swiss cheese and ham in the middle. He didn't want any of those so we went to the health market at Hy-Vee to see what they had.We got some frozen veggie patties labeled Parmesan and bruschetta. We also found some soy hot dogs.

The thing that hit me the hardest was the smell of beef on the grill when we arrived. Oh, boy.  We ended up putting the frozen veggie patties and soy hot dogs on the grill along with the rest of the burgers and hot dogs. I'm sure they got some beef fat on them sharing grates with the greasy hamburgers.

I double-stacked two veggie burgers on a bun with onions, tomato, pickles and honey mustard. It was edible.  The soy hot dog tasted OK, but I couldn't get past biting into it. The snap of the casing of normal hot dogs wasn't there. When you bit into it, it smashed together. I couldn't get past this unusual texture of a hot dog. Nathan preferred the hot dogs to the patties. If I ever buy those patties again, they may have more flavor if I fry them in some butter in a skillet instead of putting on a grill.

By the way, if you leave those things out on the counter for an extended period of time, they turn to rubber. The doberman didn't even want it! That was the joke of the day.

Nathan - Day 8
Me - Day 7

Our Vegetarian Journey

Some of you may already know that my 12 year old son has decided he wants to be a vegetarian for the following reasons: more energy and focus, over-all better health, and animal treatment. We discussed what he had researched and I proposed a one week challenge for the both of us. I suggested that for a week we would only eat meat in the evening meal. That would be cutting our meat consumption down by about half. He agreed to try it. The afternoon of his first day back to school (after the decision), he told me he thought he could do it full time. I didn't know he had already decided that he didn't want anymore meat. I had no idea how I was going to provide him vegetarian meals, as well as meals with meat for my husband.

This particular type of cooking and way of thinking is new to me. I thought I would chronicle our adventure and some recipes that I use. We will also be observing any health effects or changes that we notice. This is my 5th day on a no-meat diet and I have lost 2 1/2 pounds.

So far, Nathan has taken pimento cheese and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, raw vegetables with ranch dressing, cheese sticks, fruit cups, and applesauce to school for his lunch. He doesn't have access to a microwave so all his food needs to be ready to eat. I will have to search for more ideas for him to take for lunch.

For dinner this week we have had; tofu burgers, meatless chili, and spaghetti without meatballs. We've also had nachos with re-fried beans, queso blanco Velveeta cheese and homemade salsa. I found a recipe for this evening's dinner for vegetable pot pie.

I would LOVE to have some suggestions for meals and snacks from any of my readers, including recipes. I do not know anyone that is a vegetarian so I need HELP!

Garden Fresh Pasta Salad

With the summer's abundance of fresh vegetables, I enjoy making (and eating) this pasta salad. I didn't measure anything. Just fix to taste.

pasta
Italian dressing
any kinds of peppers (red, green, jalapeno, banana), chopped
tomatoes, chopped
onions, chopped
parmesan cheese
olives, chopped or sliced
sunflower seeds
garlic powder
salt and pepper

Mix all together and refrigerate. This is very hearty with the chopped vegetables. I had leftover fettuccine from last night's chicken alfredo, but any pasta will do. I also used Tuscan House Italian dressing that I had on hand. Spicy Italian dressing is good, too. I used banana peppers and "orangesicle" peppers with orange tomatoes. Grape tomatoes work well because they keep their shape (1/2 or quarter them). This is a nice cold dish for those hot summer days.

Homemade Vinaigrette Dressing

There are many different ways to make a vinaigrette. This is just one way that I did. I didn't measure anything, so all amounts are estimates. It is recommended that the oil to vinegar ratio be 3-1. Fix to your taste.

1/4 cup red wine vinegar ( I like balsamic vinegar, too)
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of prepared mustard
1 Tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon of honey
ground sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper
onion and garlic powder

*ground basil, thyme or oregano could be added, if desired.

Mix well. Pour in oil and vinegar glass cruet for storage. This made quite a bit. Not much is needed for a salad. Use lightly. You may want to add more oil if vinegar is too strong or add more honey if it is too sour. It is suggested on several websites to use ground mustard, so not to run a risk of spoilage if stored at room temperature. The acid from the vinegar will probably prevent spoilage if stored at room temperature. It is also suggested to make a fresh batch every week.

Coffee Punch (Ice Cream Coffee drink)

Coffee Punch

1 1/4 cups of instant coffee

2 1/2 cups of sugar

5 cups of hot water

Mix and let cool.  Add one gallon of semi-melted chocolate ice cream, one gallon semi-melted vanilla, and one gallon milk to the coffee mixture.  Mix well.

This recipe came from Dr. Tim Mattson.

If you like coffee (even a little), this is FANTASTIC! Nathan loved it. It's a true treat.

Salads Made Interesting!

Don't want a boring 'ol salad anymore? I've got a new and fun salad for you to try! Chef salads are always a good stand-by with your traditional meat, egg, onion, cheese, peppers, etc. But, sometimes I want something a little more "interesting". Today's salad was very good and thought I'd share. 

Asian Salad - favorite lettuce or greens (iceberg is the LEAST nutritious); peppered turkey (or other lunch meat); sunflower seeds, tailgate crunch mix (see below), diced jicama, pasta and salad seasoning, light Asian sesame seed dressing. 

A few chow mein noodles would have been nice in there, too.

*tailgate crunch mix - sesame, poppy and onion sticks, roasted peanuts, small pretzel sticks, roasted almonds and cashews

The tailgate mix came from Jamesport at H & M Country Store.

White Barbecue Sauce

White Barbecue Sauce - (Big Book of BBQ, from editors of Southern Living)

 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 TBSP coarsely ground pepper
1 TBSP spicy brown mustard or creole mustard
2 tsp horseradish
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Stir together all ingredients until well blended. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Store in airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 week. Makes 1 3/4 cup.

* I made this today with real mayonnaise, not Miracle Whip. I liked it with the real mayonnaise; it's not so sweet. Also, I couldn't find white wine vinegar in the store, so used tarragon flavored vinegar. The lightest (in color) is probably the best - not red wine vinegar. I did find Zatarain's creole mustard. I'm using it as a marinade for chicken breasts and plan on basting it as I cook it with additional sauce. It tastes amazing. Reminds me of hollandaise sauce and would be good on eggs or as a sandwich spread. I might try to have on hand for a multipurpose sauce. I love it!

Chocolate Cake in a Mug

1 large coffee mug
4TBLS flour
4TBLS sugar
2 TBLS baking  cocoa
1 egg
3-4 TBLS milk
3 TBLS oil
3 TBLS chocolate chips (optional)
Splash of vanilla (optional)
walnuts (optional)

1. Add dry ingredients to cup. Mix well.
2. Add egg, mix thoroughly.
3. Pour in milk and oil, mix well.
4. Add chocolate chip, vanilla, walnuts. Mix well.
5. Microwave for 2 1/2 - 3 minutes. Cake will rise. Watch carefully.
6. Allow to cool.

*Recommend chocolate chips, vanilla and walnuts.
My son found this recipe and can make it himself. It's fun!