My Go -To Veggie Burger

Finally, a veggie burger recipe I can get behind! This has been months in the making. Many failed attempts and gross mushy burgers were consumed along the way, but it has finally arrived. My go-to veggie burger recipe. After my first failed attempt I discover Korduroy TV's tutorial here, and just kept making the recipe over and over, tweaking it a bit more each time, until I came up with one that met all my requirements. I wanted it to be fully veggie (no beans or rice) and gluten free. Oh and taste good. That's needed, right? My burger-loving, mushroom-hating husband loves these - that was proof right there that this recipe needed to be shared with the masses for veggie lovers and haters alike to enjoy together. 

The best thing about these is that you can make a batch (or several) and freeze them for up to one month! Simply pull a burger out of the freezer in the morning, defrost in the refrigerator during the day, and cook for dinner that night - or place the frozen burger in a plastic bag and thaw in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes before cooking. 

Makes 6 veggie burgers. 

Ingredients

1 cup GF rolled oats, ground 

1 cup shelled sunflower seeds, ground

1 cup sweet onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup grated carrot About 1 large carrot.

1 1/2 cups grated zucchini About 1 medium zucchini.

3 cups mushrooms, finely chopped I used white mushrooms.

1 tablespoon olive oil for cooking

salt + pepper

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

Begin by processing your oats and sunflower seeds in a food processor or Nutri-Bullet, each separately, until they turn into a flour. Place the flours in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Next, chop the onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Then grate the carrot and zucchini. Heat a large skillet to medium-low heat. Add the olive oil and onion to the pan, and cook until onion is translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute or two. Add the grated veggies and cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the diced mushrooms, mix well, and sprinkle mixture with a pinch or two of salt and pepper, if desired. Continue cooking veggie burger mixture until the mushrooms are fully cooked and shrunk down into small pieces, about another 6-7 minutes. 

Add the veggie mixture to the large mixing bowl containing the flours, give it a stir, then add the soy sauce and mix thoroughly. If you think your mixture is too wet, simply grind more oats or sunflower seeds and add until thick enough to handle. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes, then shape the 6 burger patties with your hands and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (or a plate that will fit in your freezer). Freeze, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes before transferring burgers to a large ziplock freezer bag. Use a straw to suck out the last bit of air to vacuum seal them like I did (pictured above). Thaw in the refrigerator before cooking, or cook right away without freezing. 

For cooking, I recommend heating a skillet to medium heat, adding a teaspoon or two of olive oil, and cooking the burger for 3-4 minutes on each side - or until nicely browned and crisp. Flatten out your burger with the back of a spatula when cooking into a nice patty. Serve any way you would like: on a bun, between buttered + toasted slices of bread, wrapped in lettuce, on top of a salad, etc. 

Banana Bread Waffles

I love making new traditions. When Scott and I were packing up our old place back in Arizona to move to California two months ago we decided a new tradition we should enact upon arriving at our new home was "Waffle Morning Sunday." We purchased our waffle iron online on Amazon to have it shipped to our new address in California that week, and it was delivered (no joke) the day we arrived with our moving truck at our new place! It was perfect. We were unemployed and eating waffles our first Sunday morning here, and continued to do so for the following month (unemployment was the best). But then the inevitable happened (well, bills happened) and we got jobs (so thankful). However, waffle morning Sunday ceased to exist with us both working weekends, thus waffles have been made more sparingly. But hey, it was a good run that lead to my favorite waffle recipe to boot - the banana bread waffle.

Makes 2 large waffles. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup spelt flour

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons oat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chia seeds

1 1/2 cups almond milk

1 mashed banana

optional

1-2 tablespoons agave

Begin by preheating your waffle iron. While it is heating up, mix the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Then add the chia seeds, almond milk, and mashed banana. If you would like a sweeter waffle, add in an additional tablespoon or two of agave syrup. However, I find the banana makes it sweet enough! Especially if you will be topping it with glorious organic pure maple syrup later. Once your iron is heated, generously spray with coconut oil spray to keep the waffles from sticking, and pour half of the batter into your waffle iron. Cook to your desired level of "doneness" or "crispiness" and serve with Earth Balance vegan butter and pure maple syrup (the good stuff). I highly recommend banana slices or fresh blueberries as toppings to really take your waffle experience to the next level. Happy waffle eating!

Banana Blueberry Coconut Bread

I have been craving banana bread, blueberry muffins, and anything coconut for a few weeks now. So it was time to nip all those cravings in the butt with a single bread recipe. And oh my goodness were these flavors meant to be together! This bread comes out nice and golden on the outside, and super rich and moist on the inside. The hint of coconut flavor from the coconut oil is perfect (not overpowering at all), and the shredded coconut gives it a great texture along with the rolled oats. I used frozen organic wild blueberries in this batch, but would highly recommend large and juicy fresh blueberries in the future (they were not as flavorful as the large, fresh ones!). Not to forget the banana - the wonderful, sweet, moistening banana. I need to get back in the kitchen and make this one again - right now! 

Not a fan of coconut? Substitute the coconut oil for a less healthy canola oil or softened Earth Balance vegan butter and leave out the shredded coconut. 

Craving chocolate? Substitute 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips, dark chocolate chunks, or cacao nibs for the blueberries!

This bread is low in gluten - but need it to be gluten free? Make sure to get GF oat flour, and substitute your favorite GF flour blend for the spelt flour. 

Makes 1 9x5 inch loaf. 

Ingredients

1 large (or two medium) overripe banana

1/2 cup organic brown sugar

1/4 cup coconut oil melted

1/2 cup almond milk

1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup spelt flour

3/4 cup oat flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup blueberries

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Begin by mashing the banana(s) in a medium size mixing bowl. Stir in the brown sugar, coconut oil, almond milk, shredded coconut, and vanilla. Then add the salt, baking soda, flours, and oats. Mix well. Fold in the blueberries last, and pour into a greased bread pan (I used a 9x5 bread pan, and use coconut oil for my non-stick spray). Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick entered in the center of the pan comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a plate or wire rack to fully cool before slicing or storing. I wrap mine in plastic wrap and leave on the counter to keep it extra moist. Should keep for a few days on the counter, or up to 1 week in the refrigerator. 

Raw Fig Newton Rolls

I haven't had fig newtons in years. They use to be one of my favorite treats. They were one of those treats growing up that my mom always got for herself when my brother and I would pick out other goodies for ourselves at the grocery store. Then I would beg her for a few later because I secretly always wanted what she had, and still do, because my mom is the coolest person I know. I decided to break down the fig newton to it's simplest and purest raw form, take out all the processed junk, and roll it in a spiral for fun because it looks pretty. And well, folks, it tastes so darn good I would call it even a better version of the "real thing". For you fig newton lover's out there (mom) this recipe is a must!

Ingredients

Dough

1 cup raw walnuts

1/2 cup raw cashews

Pinch of cinnamon

2 tablespoons raw agave nectar

1-2 teaspoons water

Fig Filling

2 cups dried figs firmly packed

1-2 tablespoons water

In the bowl of your food processor, make the crust by combining the raw walnuts, cashews, and cinnamon. Process until it resembles a fine meal. Then add the raw agave. Process again until well incorporated and crumbly. Now add one teaspoon of water at a time until it comes together and forms a dough ball whirling around your processor bowl. Transfer the dough to a large sheet of parchment of paper. Rinse the food processor bowl and blade off, and add the figs and water. Process until a fig paste that is smoothable is reached. My batch took 2 tablespoons of water. Roll out the dough into a rectangle between two pieces of parchment paper and spread the fig paste over the surface evenly. Now, you can either fold the entire rectangle over in half and cut into squares to achieve a more traditional looking fig newton - or roll it into a spiral like I did and slice like little cinnamon rolls - both ways would work great! If the dough it too sticky to handle, place it on a cookie sheet in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, or until firm enough for you to feel comfortable to work with. Once sliced, transfer to an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to one week. 

Raw Strawberry Ice Cream

An ice cream healthy enough to have for breakfast? That's right. I am in love. Cashew based ice cream. I would have never guessed it would taste so amazing! Really guys, I promise, this is not one of those ice creams that only health nuts with super tolerable pallets will enjoy - this is an ice cream for all ice cream fans alike! I stumbled across it in my local health food store, super ecstatic at the thought of raw ice cream, but then nearly feinted at the sight of the price. They ranged from six to eight dollars for a container that I considered to be a single serving. Ouch! So, naturally, I thought "I'll just make it!" And here you are, four times the ice cream of the tiny container for half the cost. Did I mention it is raw, vegan, gluten free, soy free, processed sugar free, and tastes freaking incredible?! Top with my favorite granola (recipe here), keep it 100% raw with a homemade or store bought raw granola, or deck it out with dark chocolate chunks and crushed Speculoos cookies (as Scott would have it, of course).

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups raw cashews soaked

3 cups cold water

10 dates pitted and chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla

10 large sweet strawberries divided

Begin by soaking your cashews in a bowl of water for 4-6 hours, or overnight. Drain the cashews and place them in a high-speed blender along with the 3 cups of cold water. Blend until smooth, around 30 seconds. Add the dates, pitted and chopped, and let soak for 10-15 minutes. Then blend for another 45 seconds to 1 minute to ensure a super smooth mixture. Add the vanilla and 5 strawberries, and blend again until smooth. Process the ice cream mixture in your ice cream maker according to its instructions. When the ice cream begins to thicken a bit (usually after about 10 minutes of processing for mine) mash the last 5 strawberries up in a bowl and add them to the mixture in the machine. My ice cream is usually ready after 30 minutes of churning, and is the consistency of a thick strawberry milkshake (mmm...) before I freeze it for a few hours. When the ice cream is finished, transfer to an airtight container and store in the freezer until ready to consume. Let thaw for 20 minutes before serving. 

Raw Samoa Cookies

I started craving these around Christmas time, and have been waiting since for girl scout cookie season to arrive so I could try to replicate one of my favorites. If you have never had the Samoa girl scout cookie, please do, they will change your cookie life. If you have had them, this is very good news because you can now have them in a healthier, raw form! The flavor was outstanding, I don't miss the real things one bit. Oh so very excited to be sharing this recipe with you all and hope you get the chance to make these cute little cookies (or have someone else who dearly loves you make them instead!). 

Makes about 30 cookies.

Ingredients

Shortbread Cookies

1 cup raw walnuts

1 cup raw cashews

3 tablespoons raw agave

1 teaspoon water

Caramel

1 cup firmly packed dates, pitted

3 tablespoons water

Dried, unsweetened coconut for topping

Chocolate Drizzle

1/4 cup raw cacao powder

1/4 cup coconut oil, liquid form

1-2 tablespoons raw agave or honey

Begin making the caramel by combining the dates and water in a food processor and processing until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed. Transfer the caramel to a small dish and clean the processor bowl and blade to make the cookie dough. 

For the shortbread cookies, process the walnuts and cashews in the food processor until they resemble a fine meal. Then add in the agave, process until crumbly, and add in the teaspoon of water. Process until a large sticky ball of dough is whirling around in your bowl. Remove the dough, place it between two sheets of parchment paper, and roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut the cookies out of the dough using a small circle cookie cutter (mine was about 2 inches in diameter), and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet that will fit in your freezer. Spoon a teaspoon of the raw caramel on top of each cookie and sprinkle/press in a pinch or two of the dried coconut on top. 

For the chocolate drizzle, combine the above ingredients in a small bowl and then freeze for a few minutes to firm up the chocolate a bit (I had my bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes, checking on it every 2-3 minutes and giving it a stir). Once the chocolate thickens up, its ready to be piped on top of the cookies. I used a fancy plastic sandwich bag with a cut corner, and it did the trick! The chocolate can be very messy and temperamental, though, and a lot of patience was needed on my part to work with it successfully. Since it contains coconut oil, it's all about working with it at the right temperature, so you may have to chill and thaw it a few times until you find the right consistency. 

Freeze the sheet of cookies for 30 minutes before transferring to an airtight container and storing in the freezer until real to serve. 

Raw Fudge Brownies with a Brazil Nut Crunch

Out of all the raw desserts I make, it surprises me that I haven't posted a recipe for raw brownies yet. You have Scott to thank for almost all of my raw dessert posts. This guy needs his dessert. Every. Night. It can become a real issue if there isn't something sweet for him to dig his teeth into after dinner. Unless I want my special bag of vegan chocolate chips devoured, or my high quality dark chocolate bar I was saving for a special unknown recipe in the future to disappear, I better have a dessert ready and waiting for my chocolate-loving-man to discover. Which I secretly love, because I could never eat all the raw desserts I crave to make on my own! I can be pretty boring when it comes to dessert, or what I call my post-dinner snack. Usually its a simple bowl of mixed raw nuts and dried fruit such as walnuts, cashews, almonds, and dried cranberries. But even I gave into these chocolate squares of goodness with Scott the other night. You just can't beat a simple raw brownie. I added in chopped brazil nuts for extra crunch, but feel free to leave them out or substitute in another one of your favorite nuts or seeds.

Ingredients

1/2 cup brazil nuts

2 cups GF rolled oats

1 cup raw cashews

1/2 cup raw cacao

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

5 tablespoons raw agave

2-3 tablespoons water

Begin by processing the brazil nuts in a food processor for 10-15 seconds until they are chopped into small pieces. Empty the brazil nut pieces into a mixing bowl. Add the rolled oats and cashews to the food processor and process until they resemble a fine meal. Add the raw cacao and cinnamon, then pulse a few times to incorporate. Add the vanilla and raw agave. Process and until crumbly, and then add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until the brownie batter is thick and sticky. With a spatula, scoop the brownie batter into the mixing bowl with the brazil nuts, and fold in the nut pieces. Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment and press the brownie batter into it firmly. Freeze for 15 minutes, then remove the brownies by pulling out the parchment lining. Slice into 16 squares, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.