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Tarragon Black Bean Sweet Potato Burgers | No Pre-Cooking Needed

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Grill-able, flavourful, quick & easy.

Perfect for spring BBQ action!

You know how burgers recipes seem easy, but then you get into it and there’s all the pre-cooking you have to do before you even start to mix things together?

WELL, not this time!


You can whip this burger up without having to pre-cook any of the ingredients.

Just blend up the ingredients in your food processor, fire up the barby, and you’re good to go.

And yes, these patties stay together enough to throw them on the BBQ, just like your omnivore days.


My favourite is romaine bunning them up. It takes some messy skills to eat this, but you get all of the benefits of sticking to a whole-food plant-based meal. If you’re using buns I recommend finding some sprouted whole-grain buns at Spud for example. Sprouted breads are super nutrient-dense.

High fives to that.


Benefits:

  • Tarragon is a delicious spice that is great for your digestion because it aids in the production of bile by the liver. Also, it’s packed with antioxidants to neutralize free radicals. Plus, it helps build muscle mass by increasing muscle creatine absorption.
  • Sweet Potato is an ingredient you should learn to love, if you don’t love it already! It’s packed with beta-carotene (antioxidant), fibre, vitamins, minerals, plant-protein. In short, they “decrease the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and overall mortality while promoting a healthy complexion, increased energy, and overall lower weight”… all hale sweet potatoes!
  • Black Beans are legumes! And, every day needs some kind of legume. Dr. Gregor’s orders. Black beans are great for your digestion, cardiovascular system (form the soluble fibre, antioxidants and inflammatory attributes), blood sugar regulation (again that fibre), and they’re packed with phytonutrients (see ya later cancer).

Tarragon Black Bean Sweet Potato Burgers

Makes: 6 patties

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Patties:

  • 1 can black beans (398ml can)
  • 1 cup sweet potato
  • 1 cup oats
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp tarragon
  • 1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce (Tamari works here instead)
  • 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
  • 1 tsp coconut oil (for cooking)

Toppings:

  • Whole wheat buns (or use romaine leaves)
  • Tomato
  • Avocado
  • Red onion
  • Dijon mustard
  • Sauerkraut
  • Dill pickles
  • Sprouts of choice
  • Dairy-free cheese (optional) – my favourite is Chao

Optional Cilantro Hummus:

  • 1 can chickpeas
  • 1/2 juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 tsp tahini
  • 1/2 cup cilantro leaves

Directions:

  1. Grate sweet potato (easiest is the grater attachment in the food processor if you have it!). Set aside
  2. Blend oats into a rough flour in food processor
  3. Add dry spices, blend to mix evenly
  4. Add beans to flour mixture, blend until smooth.
  5. Add grated sweet potato, blend until evenly mixed.
  6. Heat pan to medium heat OR heat BBQ to medium heat
  7. Form 6 patties
  8. Add coconut oil to pan OR use baster to spread coconut oil on cook side of patty if BBQing.
  9. Cook 4 minutes per side. Add slice of dairy free cheese for last 2 minutes if you want!
  10. Get your toppings ready – slice pickles, red onion and tomatoes, mash avocado.
  11. Make hummus – blend all hummus ingredients until smooth in food processor
  12. Make your burger!
  13. Cool any leftover patties to room temperature, place a piece of parchment paper in between each one, and freeze. To reheat, just pop in the toaster.

Veggies For Dayz Rice Paper Rolls with Tahini Lime Dip

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Perfect for those days that you have that urge to dive into a plate-full of cleansing, vcggie deliciousness.

This dish is part of the Vancity Virtual Potluck menu!

The #VancityVirtualPotluck includes over 30 delish recipes from amazing Vancouver (/Whistler!) bloggers. The lovely ladies over at Piquant Marketing have brought us all together to form a mega-menu to devour.

I was super excited to start off the appetizer course of the Virtual Potluck, but then, just like a real-life potluck… I went ‘AH, what do I make’?

Then, ‘ahhhhhh yes rainbows are pretty. Let’s make some.’

For the appetizer that comes after these rice paper rolls, head over to Stephanie and Kiana at Karma and Soul for their amazing Roasted Balsamic Beet Hummus recipe (inspired by Melissa at Spread’Em Kitchen)!

The link for the next dish is at the bottom.

Click this photo for the full menu!

Back to these crunchy, nutrient-dense rolls. So simple and SO fresh.

Raw.

Vegan.

Oil-Free.

Gluten-Free.

And this sauce is perfection.

You can create an endless combination of veggies and fruit to stuff into these wraps. Just pack in your favourite colours of the veggie rainbow.

(I get all my favourites from Spud – use CRVAN-MURJUB for 20 buckeroos off!)

These babies are perfect to bring as a colourful appetizer to any shindig you’re going to.

The dipping sauce is also used in the Cucumber Cups canapé recipe. It’s so versatile and can be used as a spread, dip or dressing depending on the amount of water you add.

There’s no doubt that this flavourful, oil-free sauce will become a sought after staple in your abode.

Benefits:

~ Raw produce of any kind are what makes your body thrive. Eating fruits and veggies in their raw form keeps the nutrients in tact, plus gives you the water content and fibre you need for the digestion and assimilation of the vitamins, minerals and nutrients. You’ll get mega-benefits from all the enzymes and phytonutrients in raw goodness. This leaves you with more energy for healing and life! Clearer skin, more energy, less sickness, easier weight-loss, better digestion, and less inflammation are all benefits of eating an abundance of raw fruits and veggies.

~ Tahini is one of the best sources of calcium you can consume. The calcium in sesame seeds (what tahini is made of) is easily absorbed and assimilated by your body to help create strong bones well into your 90s

~ Rice paper wrappers are gluten-free, low-calorie, low-fat and easy to use. They are a great option for creating wraps with because the only ingredients are rice, and water (maybe some salt)!

Veggies for Dayz Rice Paper Rolls with Tahini Lime Dip

Serves: 2-4

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Wraps:

  • 5-8 rice paper wrappers
  • 2 beets, grated
  • 4 carrots, grated
  • 2 mangos, sliced
  • 2 cucumbers, sliced length-wise
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 1 red pepper, sliced thinly
  • as many sunflower sprouts as you can fit
  • 1 cup water (for rice paper)

Tahini Lime Ginger Dip:

  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 4 tbsp almond butter
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp ginger powder
  • 1/2 cup water

Directions:

  1. Make dipping sauce: add all dip ingredients to mini food processor or blender. Blend until smooth
  2. Roll up the wraps: pour water in a plate. Submerge one rice paper in the water for 20 seconds. Take out and place on breadboard. Fill the wrap with some of each veggie. Fold the ends of the rice paper over the veggies, then roll like a burrito.
  3. Cut in half, and serve with dipping sauce.

 

Miso Sweet Potato Glory Bowl of Goodness | (highly addictive dressing)

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There’s something SO satisfying about eating a meal out of a bowl.

Plus, making this will turn you into a left-over magician.

Anytime I make a Glory Bowl/Buddha Bowl, I make a lot of everything. This makes it difficult not to eat healthy for the rest of the week.

So, go crazy with the cooking amounts then enjoy easy left-overs ready to stuff into a wrap to-go, add to salads, or make into another sweet bowl of goodness.

This dressing. OMG.

It never fails to impress. I’ve nailed down the right amounts of these amazing ingredients, and created one of the best sauces for any kind of bowl.

Other ideas for it? Only add a tablespoon of water to make it into a dip OR add 3/4 cup of water and make it into a salad dressing. Seriously. SO GOOD.

This is a perfect option for a vegan dinner party. Lay out all of the ingredients and get everyone to make art in their bowls. Bonus? The non-vegans will feel completely satisfied, and realize that vegans do eat more than just lettuce and carrots 😉

Benefits:

~ Whole grains are packed with soluble fibre, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. Because they’re packed with the goods, they reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer. They’re a great option to fill up on to keep your weight in check. It’s best when you soak them before cooking to reduce the phytic acid, and begin the sprouting process. This makes it much easier for your body to digest and assimilate the nutrients in the grain.

~ Miso is a fermented form of soy, rice or barley. This is GREAT because the more feremented foods we consume, the better. Feremented foods are highly beneficial for your gut, and the good bacteria in your intestinal flora. Surprisingly, 9 out of 10 of our human cells are bacteria, and only 1 out of 10 is human! So, it’s extremely imporant to keep you bacterial intestinal flora happy. Fermented foods do just that. What happens if they’re deprived, this can lead to gas, constipation, hormonal issues, PMS, chronic respiratory problems, high cholesterol, neurological problems, osteoporosis, low energy, weight gain… the list goes on.

~ Sweet potatoes of all varieties are high in vitamin C, A and manganese, plus were the staple of the longest living peoples in history, the Okinawans. They’re anti-aging because of their high antioxidant properties, and nutrient density!

Miso Sweet Potato Glory Bowl of Goodness

Serves: 6-8

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

Bowl:

  • 2 cups of your favourite grain (brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, wheat berries or…)
  • 2 cups red or green lentils, rinsed
  • 3 sweet potatoes (get different colours if you can find them!), sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
  • 1 tsp each of salt and pepper
  • 4 cups (or more) arugula or spinach
  • raw veggies of choice, grated or spiralized (I use carrots, beets, zucchini, or red cabbage)
  • 1 cup green peas, cooked from frozen according to package (optional)
  • avocado slices (optional)

Miso Tahini Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 1/4 cup miso paste
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp tamari
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup of water (or more depending on the consistency you like)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 415 degrees F
  2. Cook the grain according to package. Or check out the grain cooking chart below!
  3. Roast sweet potatoes: lay out rounds on parchment covered baking pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping once half-way
  4. Cook the lentils: For RED lentils ~ bring lentils plus 3 cups of water to a boil in your pot. Stir, then let simmer with lid slightly ajar for 10 minutes (check at 8 minutes to be sure they don’t over cook). For GREEN lentils ~ bring lentils plus 4 cups of water to a boil, then stir, then simmer 20 minutes.
  5. Grate or spiralize your raw veggies of choice
  6. Blend the Miso Tahini Dressing: Add all dressing ingredients to blender or food processor. Blend until smooth
  7. Make art in your bowl! Pack it with the rice, lentils, raw veggies, sweet potatoes and arugula, then drizzle the dressing all over!

 

Kale Pesto Zucchini Noodles with Marinated Mushrooms | Raw Vegan | Oil-Free

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So fresh and so clean, clean.

Zoodles are the new black.

If you don’t have a spiralizer for your kitchen yet – you have got to invest in one. Yes, it makes noodles out of your favourite veggies, but more importantly … the satisfaction you get from cranking the handle is something you just have to experience for your self. I giggle the whole time.

I have something like this one, but you could always go for a hand-held version like this.

Spiralizing zucchini, squash, yams, carrots, beets, cucumbers… can create a main dish or even a garnish to a meal that will create plate so professional looking that you’ll have to fight the urge to take a picture and share it with the world.

Eating zoodles, rather than your typical spaghetti, will give you a mountain of unprocessed nutrients, in fewer calories. Nutrient density people! That’s what we’re looking for!

What does this mean? You can pile your plate high with this stuff, and you’ll be all getting the fibre, water, minerals, vitamins you need, PLUS feel free to eat as much as you like! No skimping on this ‘pasta’ dish.

As for the KALE PESTO. Oh my.

Most pesto has a lot of oil, nuts, and parmesan cheese. But not this delicious sauce. Instead of going overboard on the nuts, this pesto features avocado as well. It’s a winner, this one.

In the raw-food world, marinated is a perfect trick to create super flavourful ingredients, without the heat of cooking. You’ll see when you marinate the heck outta these wild mushrooms. Flavours to the MAX.

Adding raw foods to your diet is super beneficial. The closer to unprocessed in this processed world we can get, the better. Raw foods are living foods, with all of their nutrients still in tact, and ready to be absorbed by your wonderful body, and create clean energy for all of your systems.

So, here is a great raw vegan entrée you can devour to increase your immunity, energy, and bring a glow to your skin, hair and nails.

Benefits:

  • Zucchini surprisingly has a high content of omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, niacin, and protein! Eating zucchini in it’s raw form will give you tons of fibre and nutrients, yet be low in calories. A great combination for weight loss. Not to mention the vitamin C is has for your immune system and B vitamins for blood sugar regulation.
  • Kale…. all hail the kale! Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know kale is good for us. A cruciferous, dark, leafy green. What more could you ask for? It’s packed with fibre to help with digestion and elimination. It’s got Folate for your brain, vitamin C for your immunity, vitamin K for your bones and heart, and vitamin A for your eyes, PLUS 3 grams of protein in just one cup.
  • Mushrooms (of your choice) are high in vitamin D, and antioxidants! This will help with depression, and combatting disease.

** I love getting most of my produce through Spud.ca, delivered right to my door! **

CRVAN-MURJUB is my code for you to get 20$ off your first Spud delivery. Worth a try! It’s local, organic and so easy.

Kale Pesto Zucchini Noodles with Marinated Mushrooms | Raw Vegan 

Serves: 1-2

Time: 40 minutes (includes marinating time)

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 zucchinis
  • 1 cup mushrooms of your choice, thinly sliced

 Mushroom Marinade:

  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp tamari
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp miso paste
  • 1 tbsp sambal oelek (optional)
  • 1/4 cup water

Avocado Kale Pesto:

  • 1/4 cup almonds
  • 2 cups packed kale leaves, de-stemmed and torn
  • 1 bunch basil leaves
  • 1/4 avocado
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions:

  1. Marinate mushrooms: Mix together marinade ingredients. Place mushrooms and marinade in a wide bowl or baking pan (so mushrooms are covered by liquid). Let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (the longer the better!)
  2. Spiralize your zoodles! Then let sit in a strainer while you prepare the rest.
  3. Make pesto: in food processor, first blend the almonds into a flour (or close to it), then add in the rest of pesto ingredients together in food processor and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides when needed.
  4. Mix together the zoodles and pesto.
  5. Serve with marinated mushrooms on top!

 

Cucumber Cups with Almond Lime Ginger Butter

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Simple and flavourful. Perfect for your next canapé party.

Because you throw those all the time, right?

Screen shot 2017-01-25 at 1.47.01 PM

These little cucumber cups are wayyyy too easy to make.

If you need to throw something together quickly and impress some taste buds, look no further.

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The crispy, fresh cucumber with the creamy, smooth almond lime ginger butter is a FANTASTIC contrast and a surprise burst of flavour.

The butter is a bit like thai peanut sauce, but has more of a tangy punch.

Crunchy

Creamy

Fresh

Easy

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Benefits:

Cucumbers are super hydrating and packed with vitamins and minerals. Eat the green skin people! The anti-inflammatory flavonol, fisetin, plays an important role in brain health. The antioxidants will combat disease, and the B vitamins will help lower stress.

Miso is a fermented food, which means it will do wonders for your gut bacterial health. Miso (and other fermented foods like kombucha, sauerkraut, and kimchi) will help restore the beneficial probiotics in your intestine, which then will improve mood, digestion, absorption, immunity and reduce risk for many diseases.

Carrots as most of us know are very high in beta-carotene which is then converted to Vitamin A in the liver, which will help your vision. It’s also converted into an antioxidant, which combats disease and helps oxidized cells, therefore, slows down aging and helps the skin. So, eat them up!

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Cucumber Cups with Almond Lime Ginger Butter

Serves: 6-8

Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 long english cucumbers
  • 1 large carrot, grated
  • 2 green onions, chopped thinly
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Almond Lime Ginger butter:

  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 4 tbsp almond butter
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp ginger powder

Directions:

  1. Slice cucumber discs 1/2 inch thick. Then spoon out the middle to create a cucumber cup (don’t scoop all the way through).
  2. Make almond lime ginger butter: Blend all ingredients together (mini food processor works best)
  3. Place a dollop of the ‘butter’ into the cucumber cups
  4. Sprinkle each cucumber cup with grated carrot, sesame seeds and green onion.

**Note: The almond lime butter can be made into a sauce by adding water until desired consistency. This will make an amazing ‘Glory Bowl’ dressing!  Alternatively make it into a dip by adding a bit of water and 1/2 of a zucchini !