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Quarter Pounder Red Lentil Rice Veggie Burgers | Gluten-Free

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It’s burger o’clock! Maybe you caught this recipe over on my instastories (@hookedonplants)? I completely wung it, and it completely worked out (love when that happens). These red lentil rice veggie burgers are not only a complete protein, but also packed with flavour and easy to whip up.

There’s a few things you should always have in the fridge, ready to grab:

  • A cooked grain
  • A cooked legume
  • A sauce
  • Greens

Have these 4 magical ingredients ready to go, and the whole ‘last minute dinner’ freak out thing is a lot less dramatic.

And the possibility of last minute creations like this actually come into fruition is at an all time high.

The universal problem with veggie burgers is:
The squish-outta-the-bun issue. Know what I mean?

They can taste amazing, but the texture just isn’t there.

Well, after the pan-fry, the longer you leave these patties in the oven, the stiffer the texture you will have to bite down on.

The first round we did 20 minutes, without flipping half way. Not enough.

30 minutes (flipping half way through) did the trick, but 40 minutes gives you even more of a stay-together kinda patty. Crispy outside, soft inside. That’s what I’m talkin’ about!


Red Lentil Rice Burgers
 
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A flavourful veggie burger that won't squish outta your bun.
Author:
Recipe type: burgers, dinner, lunch
Serves: 6
Ingredients

  • Burger Patties:
  • 2 cups brown rice, cooked
  • 2 cups red lentils, cooked
  • 2 cloves, garlic
  • ¼ cup red onion, chopped
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp molasses
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp tamari
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika

  • Extra:
  • 1 tsp coconut oil

  • Burger Sauce:
  • ¼ cup ketchup
  • ¼ cup vegan mayo (from Hellmans or Veganaise or Sir Kensington's)
  • 1 tbsp onion powder (or chipotle!)

  • Burger fixin's:
  • Buns (or use a collard green wrap)
  • Vegan Cheese (I use Violife or sliced Gusta Blockor Sheese Cheese ~ all of the melt deliciously)
  • Tomato, sliced
  • Avocado, sliced
  • Sprouts of choice
  • Romaine or spinach
  • Sauerkraut
  • Pickles, sliced

  • Caramelized Balsamic Oil-Free Onions (optional):
  • 3-4 sweet onions, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup balsamic
  • ½ cup water (might not need it all, but have it on hand if it's sticking)
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 375°F
  2. Make caramelized onions (optional and not included in cooking time (yummy but takes some time): heat a wide pot or deep pan to medium heat. Throw in all of the onions and let brown for a few minutes. De-glaze with a bit of water. Do this a couple of times. Add balsamic vinegar. Turn heat down to low. Let them simmer for up to 1 hour (could just go for 15 minutes, but the longer you go, the deeper the caramelization). Check them every 15 minutes. If they're sticking to the bottom of the pot, just add a bit more water or balsamic.
  3. Blend all burger ingredients (except for ½ cup of the red lentils) together until nearly smooth in your food processor. Add the rest of the lentils at the end and pulse.
  4. Form the mixture into 6 patties on a parchment covered baking sheet.
  5. Heat a pan to medium heat, and melt the coconut oil.
  6. Fry the patties for 3 minutes on each side.
  7. Place the patties on the baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes, flipping halfway. Go for 40 minutes if you want a dryer, stiffer patty!
  8. For the last 2-3 minutes of baking, place cheese slices on the patties to melt and the sliced buns on the pan to get toasty.
  9. Assemble the burger to your liking!

Tag me if you make it ( @hookedonplants on instagram)! I love seeing your recipes.

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The Best Soba Noodle Salad

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This soba noodle salad will blow your taste buds’ palate!

No kidding.

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This weekend we are off on a big adventure that includes paddle boards, camping gear and a river. Yup, so we’ve got to eat the good stuff to keep us satisfied and energized for our hours of Stand up Paddling down rapids, and likely a lot of falling off paddle boards in rapids.

Exciting, right!

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With 3 days on the river ahead of us, I needed to come up with some recipes to keep us going (and ones that can live in a big zip lock bag until we’re ready for them).

This one is perfect! It’s great cold, it is packed with clean-burning energy, and it tastes DARN GOOD!! The man in my life will be impressed. And, he’s a harsh critic I tell ya. Especially since he’s still transitioning onto the vegan train (and loving it more and more with each passing meal). So, I’m always doing my best to show him how delish vegan eating can be (even more delish and creative than the traditional way in my personal opinion).

ANYways, onto the recipe! Please make this, and enjoy, because your taste buds really will thank you.

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Benefits:

Buckwheat Soba noodles are gluten free, so are ideal for those with sensitivities. Buckwheat also contains all 9 essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. Who says you can’t get enough protein on a plant based diet!?

Wakame seaweed, and all seaweeds for that matter, are SUPER high in minerals, esspecially magnesium. Magnesium is great for relaxation, sore muscles, the production of protein and the transport of energy. Plus, it inhibits the accumulation of fat in the cells and stimulates fat oxidation (great for weight loss!)

Tofu is low calorie, gluten free, contains all essential amino acids, plus is high in calcium. Great for your bones kids! Buy organic to avoid any GMO nonsense. But, don’t be afraid of soy – it’s a health food.

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Prep Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

For Salad:

  • 1 package buckwheat soba noodles
  • 2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
  • 2 green onions, finely chopped
  • 2/4 cup edamame beans
  • 2 carrots, spiralized in a spiralizer (or minced)
  • 1 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1 cup wakame seaweed, chopped to bite sized pieces (you could use sushi nori instead)

For tofu:

  • 1 package organic firm tofu
  • 1 tsp coconut oil
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder

For sauce:

  • 2 tbsp coconut aminos (gluten-free and soy-free, made from coconut sap – instead you could use soy sauce or tamari)
  • 1 tbsp tahini
  • 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

  1. Press tofu to drain liquid (for at least 30 minutes). For this, I slice the tofu in half so it resembles two patties. Then, wrap them in paper towel, and sandwich them between two cutting boards. Place a heavy book or pot on the cutting board to squish the liquid out so you can have crispy tofu, just the way we like it!
  2. Make sauce: Blend (or whisk) all sauce ingredients together.
  3. Cook tofu: Heat pan up on medium heat (so water sizzles). Chop tofu into bite sized squares, toss in a bowl with coconut oil and spices. Pan sear tofu in the hot pan for about 10 minutes, flipping every few minutes, until browned.
  4. Cook soba noodles according to directions, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside in bowl.
  5. Edamame and Wakame: In a small pot, bring water to a boil, pour in edamame and let cook for 2 minutes. At the end of the two minutes, add seaweed for 5-10 seconds. Drain in colander.
  6. Mix everything together in a large bowl.

Fully Loaded Sweet Potatoes | A Go-To Weeknight Dinner

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Nothing screams summer quite like a picnic table dinner session, especially when you top it off with these fully loaded sweet potatoes.

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OK, you’re right, the dog days of summer may be coming to an end, but stay strong… hit up a park to eat at a picnic table this week! Do it.

It’s liberating.

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And what would be better than some ooey-gooey, caramely, delicious sweet potatoes to bring on your excursion?

Well, THAT…

Plus … rice, beans, guacamole, salsa and creamy cheezy cashew sauce with a side of corn and a big ol’ salad!

That’s my kinda dinner.

A throw-it-all-together kind of thing.

Feel free to add or subtract from the toppings listed to make your own pile of yum. Or, if russet potatoes call your name, use those instead.

These goes divinely with a big salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, peaches, green onion and romaine tossed with Nutty Miso Dressing.

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Benefits:

  • Sweet Potatoes are the staple food of some of the longest living people on this planet, the Okinawans. They’re packed with beneficial carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins A, C and D. They’re a complex carbohydrate that won’t spike your blood sugar, but will fuel your cells with clean burning energy.
  • Avocados in the guacamole will give you the essential fatty acids your brain thrives on.
  • Cashew ‘Cheeze’ Sauce will replace the typical dairy cheese. No one needs that. By avoiding dairy, you’ll lower your chances of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. You’ll also avoid allergic reactions, inflammation, indigestion, hormones and antibiotics. So, here’s a way to replace your cow cheeses with nut cheeses.

Time: 1 hour

Serves: 4 (Double it so you have left overs!)

Ingredients

  • 4 Sweet Potatoes
  • 1 cup rice
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (or soak your own, and cook them up)

Guacamole:

  • 1 avocado
  • Juice of 1/2 a lime
  • 1tsp garlic powder

Salsa:

  • 5 roma tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup cilantro
  • 1/2 red onion
  • 2 garlic cloves

Cheezy Cashew Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup cashews, soaked at least one hour in water
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup-1 cup water (depending on how thick or thin you’d like it)
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

If you want to go the extra mile add this too!

Garlicy Maple sautèed mushrooms:

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Cook rice: Rinse, put in pot with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 45 minutes.
  3. Cook potatoes: Poke holes in sweet potatoes with fork, place on parchment paper covered pan. Put in oven for 45 minutes.
  4. Sauté mushrooms (EXTRA MILE, but very tasty!): add water to medium-hot pan, add garlic for 1 minute, add mushrooms and dressing, let simmer, stir every 5 minutes for about 10 minutes.
  5. Make Cheezy Cashew Sauce: Blend all ingredients in blender.
  6. Make Salsa: Pulse all ingredients in blender or food processor.
  7. Make Guacamole: Mash all ingredients in a bowl with a fork.
  8. Assemble: Layer your ingredients starting with your potatoe! Sweet potato-rice-beans-guac-salsa-cheez sauce and VOILA!