HookedOnPlants

When getting hooked is a good thing

Winter

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.

Roasted Sweet Potato Red Pepper Baba Ganoush & Eve’s Crackers

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Warm and smooth with a kick of flava flave!

I wanted to share a recipe with my friend’s crackers, because honestly, anything goes well with Eve’s Crackers. 

Her crackers are vegan, gluten-free, with no added oil, sugar-free and delish!

She’s just starting out as a foodie-preneur, which I can relate to with my breakfast cereal, Jules Fuel. So happy for her!

She makes them by hand in Whistler, with love. You must try them 🙂

I mean, come on, look at these beauties.

And…this dip.

All the veggies with some spice.

Don’t get me wrong, I love hummus, but sometimes I want an all-veggie dip that has the same texture and satisfaction as your typical hummus. It gets you even more fab nutrients.

We’re sticking with the oil-free, sugar free theme with this dip.

All you have to do is:

Chop

Roast

Blend

Benefits:

  • Eve’s Crackers – a way to indulge in your cracker addiction without any hidden trans-fats, refined sugars, gluten, or oils. They’re held together with flax and chia, so they pack a nutrient-dense punch! Fibre, plant-protein, and omega 3s… hello.
  • Eggplant – are good for your heart because they’re packed with fiber, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and phytonutrients). Plus, they help lower bad (LDL) cholesterol by having chlorogenic acid, one of the most powerful free radical scavengers found in plants. It also works as an antimicrobial, antiviral, and anti-carcinogenic agent!
  • Red Pepper – these guys are packed with vitamin C, vitamin E, antioxidants, fibre. Yet, they’re low in calories. Perfect for shedding the pounds, warding off disease (cell protection from free radicals), and your immune system!
  • Sweet potatoes – I’ve talked about these magic spuds so much already because I use them all the time! Head over to this recipe to see the benefits, or this one.

Roasted Sweet Potato Red Pepper Baba Ganoush

& Eve’s Crackers

Serves: 4-8

Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 package of Eve’s Crackers or crackers of choice
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/3 cup red onion, quartered
  • 1 red pepper, cored and quartered
  • 1 eggplant, chopped into 1 inch cubes (stem discarded)
  • 2 sweet potatoes, chopped into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 tbsp sambal olek
  • 1 tbsp tamari
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400 F
  2. Roast veggies: spread sweet potato, eggplant, pepper and onion on parchment covered baking sheet, roast for 30-40 minutes (until potatoes are soft)
  3. Let veggies cool for 5 minutes
  4. Blend roasted veggies, garlic, sambal oelek, tamari and nutritional yeast in your food processor or blender
  5. Scoop it into a bowl and serve along side the deliciousness of Eve’s Cracker’s and raw veggies of your choice!

Cacao RawNola | Raw Vegan

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Stop what you’re doing. Make this now. Thank me later.

Too demanding? It’s worth it.

This stuff should be illegal, it’s so good. Not to mention it’s simplicity. Raw food for dummies, people!

If you’re new to the raw food world, and this happens to be the first raw recipe you make, you’ll be hooked.

Move over cookie dough… there’s a new guy in town.

This time it’s healthy, and dare I say… tastier.

Sprinkle this on your thick and creamy smoothie bowl or banana ice cream… or you could even top your Jules Fuel with some of this sweetness!

Are mornings allowed to taste this good????

Yes. Yes they are.

This recipe is inspired by Loni Jane (thank you girl!)

Granolas these days… usually they’re packed with oil and refined sugars.

With this RawNola, the nutrients are still in tact without the disturbance of heat, plus there’s no refined sugar, it’s fat-free, vegan (of course), and SO EASY.

Benefits:

  • Dates are one of those ingredients… just too good to be true. They’re naturally sweet, gooey and delicious. Plus, they’re packed with fibre, minerals and vitamins. Yup, nutrient-dense powerhouses that you don’t have to feel guilty about eating, even though they taste so sinful! Want more? They’re packed with iron to help with anemia, they keep you regular, their amino acids help digestion, and their potassium reduces the risk of strokes.
  • Oats are fibre-rich to lower cholesterol and trigger to let your brain know you’re full. The manganese boost will help with anxiety. The antioxidants will combat cardiovascular disease. Oats will also help balance your blood sugar levels. Opt for the gluten-free version if you’re gluten-sensitive.
  • Coconut is packed with heart healthy omega medium-chain saturated fats are used by the body efficiently and transformed into energy. It’s also antibacterial and anti-inflammatory to decrease bacterial overgrowth, and inflammation in the body.

CACAO RAWNOLA 

Time: 5 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup raw oats (gluten-free if needed)
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  • 7-10 pitted dates
  • 1 tbsp cacao

Directions:

  1. Add oats, coconut, cacao and 3-4 dates to a food processor or high-speed blender, pulse until dates are evenly mixed
  2. Continue to add the dates until your desired texture is reached. You may need all of them, you may not… this depends on the gooeyness of your dates
  3. Top on your Banana Soft Serve or smoothie bowl, or Jules Fuel, or just pour some Vanilla Date Almond Milk over it in your favourite bowl and call it a day.

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!