Almond And Quinoa Meatless Balls

These meatless quinoa meatballs are quite a tasty alternative to the original meatball. They are just as filling, hold together well, and taste great.
Ingredients:

• ½ cup dry quinoa, pre-rinsed
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup almond flour
• ¼ cup shredded carrots
• ½ cup diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup chopped spinach
• ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan
• 1 tablespoon parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Sea salt to taste
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 egg white
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Add pre-rinsed quinoa and water to a medium pot, cover, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking 15 minutes or until water is completely absorbed. In the meantime, in a large non-stick skillet add 1 tablespoon olive oil, heat to medium-low and sauté diced onions, spinach and carrots until tender about 3 minutes, add garlic, parsley and oregano and sauté for one more minute.

Remove quinoa from heat and allow to rest 10 minutes. Press down on quinoa with a paper towel to remove any remaining water. In a large bowl combine sautéed onion, garlic, parsley and oregano along with remaining ingredients, except oil. Mix them well. Using your hands, shape into 1 ½ meatballs, place in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate, about 2 hours.

Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to a large non-stick skillet, heat to medium-low and add quinoa meatballs. Brown meatballs, turn over and brown on the other side. Cook until browned and heated through, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from skillet and drain on a paper towel

Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich [Pin on Pinterest] Chickpeas are just about the most versatile bean I've ever come across. They pair well with so many flavors making them the ultimate bean in my book. No wonder they are loved by so many! They may not have as much protein or fiber as black beans and cannellini beans, but chickpeas come in close enough with 15 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber per 1 cup. They are a nutrient dense food with good carbohydrates the body needs and are low in fat with only 4 grams of fat per 1 cup. And the other beans are not nearly as versatile as the chickpea. You can make savory chickpea pancakes with the flour, add them to ratatouille, stews, salads, make hummus, falafels, roast them as a snack and the list goes on and on. They are the greatest bean ever and I can't wait to put them into new recipes here in the future. I have lots of ideas for these little guys! Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich [Pin on Pinterest] And we'll start by adding this super awesome Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich to the collection. If you didn't already know, chickpeas make for great sandwich fillers too! Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich [Pin on Pinterest] You may already be familiar with my 'Chickpea of the Sea' Salad and my other classic Mashed Chickpea Salad. This one is just as delicious but with a sweet flair that I just know you'll fall in love with! I assure you that this will hit the spot and satisfy your craving for a chunky, sweet, peppery, crunchy style sandwich. Full of texture and flavor this has become my new favorite. It's a hearty salad that will comfort you and leave you feeling completely satisfied. This can be served as a traditional or open faced sandwich. Or simply serve on a bed of lettuce and skip the bread. You may even find that you love the salad all by itself without any accompaniment! I can easily eat this straight from the bowl all day long. :) Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich [Pin on Pinterest] Slice your celery, feel free to add in some celery leaves if you can. For the scallions, when slicing use both the green and white parts. Roughly chop your walnuts. When buying cranberries, use organic whenever possible (I like the ones from Trader Joe's, they're so brightly colored too!). You can also use fresh chopped cranberries! Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich [Pin on Pinterest] Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich Roughly mash your chickpeas. I decided to double this batch using 3 cups of chickpeas instead of 1 1/2 so you'll have plenty of leftovers. And you'll be glad you have them! Add in the remaining ingredients and mix. About as simple as it gets, which is why I love chickpea salads! Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich There you have it...serve on your favorite bread. I have it paired here with a fruit, nut and seed loaf. Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich Ingredients 3 cups cooked or 2 cans (15oz) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed 1 cup celery, diced 1/2 cup organic dried cranberries (chopped fresh would be great too) 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped 1/2 cup scallions (green onions), thinly sliced, white & green parts mineral salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste (I used about 1/2 teaspoon each) Dressing 6 tablespoons (1/3 cup) tahini or vegan mayo 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) champagne, white wine or cider vinegar (I used Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar) 2 tablespoons water (only needed if using tahini) 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup To serve leafy lettuce of choice bread of choice Start by mixing your dressing. In a small bowl combine tahini/mayo, vinegar, water and maple syrup. Set aside so the flavors come together. This can be made a day or two ahead and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Add a tad more water, or vinegar if your a vinegar lover, to thin out dressing as desired. If using vegan mayo, you may like to add 2 more tablespoons. In a medium to large bowl, add your garbanzo beans and roughly mash with a strong fork or potato masher. Add in celery, cranberries, nuts, scallions, salt, pepper and dressing, mix well. Serve at room temp or let chill in the refrigerator for an hour before serving. Serve on your favorite bread as a closed or open faced sandwich, or on a bed of leafy greens. You may even opt to simply enjoy the salad as is. Serves 6 - 8. Notes: Add extra of anything you like, and vice versa if your not keen on an ingredient use less or omit! One particular ingredient may be the vinegar. I'm not much of a vinegar fan but I loved the orange muscat champagne vineagar and found I used quite a bit and loved it! Change up the walnuts, using pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds, etc. If using sunflower seeds, use half the amount called for. For the dressing, I have only made this using tahini since I do not use any kind of store bought vegan mayos. If using vegan mayo, adjust accordingly adding more mayo as needed, maybe 1/2 cup instead of 1/3. I do recommend trying this reicpe with tahini...it is seriously so good that you would never know and it is much better/cleaner for you than the store bought mayos! Enjoy!

Chickpeas are just about the most versatile bean I've ever come across. They pair well with so many flavors making them the ultimate bean in my book. No wonder they are loved by so many! They may not have as much protein or fiber as black beans and cannellini beans, but chickpeas come in close enough with 15 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber per 1 cup. They are a nutrient dense food with good carbohydrates the body needs and are low in fat with only 4 grams of fat per 1 cup. And the other beans are not nearly as versatile as the chickpea. You can make savory chickpea pancakes with the flour, add them to ratatouille, stews, salads, make hummus, falafels, roast them as a snack and the list goes on and on. They are the greatest bean ever and I can't wait to put them into new recipes here in the future. I have lots of ideas for these little guys!

And we'll start by adding this super awesome Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich to the collection. If you didn't already know, chickpeas make for great sandwich fillers too!

You may already be familiar with my 'Chickpea of the Sea' Salad and my other classic Mashed Chickpea Salad. This one is just as delicious but with a sweet flair that I just know you'll fall in love with! I assure you that this will hit the spot and satisfy your craving for a chunky, sweet, peppery, crunchy style sandwich. Full of texture and flavor this has become my new favorite. It's a hearty salad that will comfort you and leave you feeling completely satisfied. This can be served as a traditional or open faced sandwich. Or simply serve on a bed of lettuce and skip the bread. You may even find that you love the salad all by itself without any accompaniment! I can easily eat this straight from the bowl all day long. :)

Slice your celery, feel free to add in some celery leaves if you can. For the scallions, when slicing use both the green and white parts. Roughly chop your walnuts. When buying cranberries, use organic whenever possible (I like the ones from Trader Joe's, they're so brightly colored too!). You can also use fresh chopped cranberries!

Roughly mash your chickpeas. I decided to double this batch using 3 cups of chickpeas instead of 1 1/2 so you'll have plenty of leftovers. And you'll be glad you have them! Add in the remaining ingredients and mix. About as simple as it gets, which is why I love chickpea salads!

There you have it...serve on your favorite bread. I have it paired here with a fruit, nut and seed loaf.

Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked or 2 cans (15oz) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
• 1 cup celery, diced 
• 1/2 cup organic dried cranberries (chopped fresh would be great too)
• 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup scallions (green onions), thinly sliced, white & green parts
• mineral salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste (I used about 1/2 teaspoon each)

Dressing

• 6 tablespoons (1/3 cup) tahini or vegan mayo
• 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) champagne, white wine or cider vinegar (I used Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar)
• 2 tablespoons water (only needed if using tahini)
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup

To serve

• leafy lettuce of choice
• bread of choice

Start by mixing your dressing. In a small bowl combine tahini/mayo, vinegar, water and maple syrup. Set aside so the flavors come together. This can be made a day or two ahead and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Add a tad more water, or vinegar if your a vinegar lover, to thin out dressing as desired. If using vegan mayo, you may like to add 2 more tablespoons.In a medium to large bowl, add your garbanzo beans and roughly mash with a strong fork or potato masher. Add in celery, cranberries, nuts, scallions, salt, pepper and dressing, mix well. Serve at room temp or let chill in the refrigerator for an hour before serving.
Serve on your favorite bread as a closed or open faced sandwich, or on a bed of leafy greens. You may even opt to simply enjoy the salad as is.
Serves 6 - 8.
Notes:
Add extra of anything you like, and vice versa if your not keen on an ingredient use less or omit! One particular ingredient may be the vinegar. I'm not much of a vinegar fan but I loved the orange muscat champagne vineagar and found I used quite a bit and loved it!
Change up the walnuts, using pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds, etc. If using sunflower seeds, use half the amount called for.
For the dressing, I have only made this using tahini since I do not use any kind of store bought vegan mayos. If using vegan mayo, adjust accordingly adding more mayo as needed, maybe 1/2 cup instead of 1/3. I do recommend trying this reicpe with tahini...it is seriously so good that you would never know and it is much better/cleaner for you than the store bought mayos!

Enjoy!

http://thesimpleveganista.blogspot.com/2013/11/cranberry-walnut-chickpea-salad-sandwich.html

The World’s Most Versatile Veggie Burger Recipe

Written by Matt Frazier

Enter the veggie burger formula

It’s not that we eat veggie burgers every single day. Or even every week.
But what’s great about veggie burgers is that if you’ve got just a few standby recipes, on any given weeknight you’ve almost certainly got everything you need in your pantry or fridge to throw something edible together in 20 or 30 minutes.
They’re super healthy and a good protein source too. And most importantly, they’re substitution-friendly, making them a perfect fit for a formula — if you’ve got a can of beans and a few random veggies in the fridge, chances are you’ve got what you need.

About the formula

And so Christine got to work creating a new formula. What’s really interesting is that she started with the energy bar formula as the backbone, since the bars are based on beans as well and have a texture that’s befitting of a burger. Of course, she replaced sweet flavors with savory ones, and designed the burgers to be fried, not baked like the bars are.
These burgers work great for a weeknight meal, and they’re perfect for tucking into a pita for a lunch on the go. We like to make them slider-style, since smaller burgers tend to stay together better than large ones and have a better texture. You can also make a large batch on the weekend and freeze ahead of time, but keep in mind that they tend to defrost better in the refrigerator than in the microwave.
Alright, here we go! The master formula is below, and we’ve listed several options for each broad type of ingredient, which you can mix and match to come up with your perfect burger. We’ve also included, at the bottom, three of our favorite combinations in case you’re not in a creating mood.
Enjoy!

The veggie burger formula

Ingredients:

• 1  pound can of beans, drained and rinsed, or 1.5 cups cooked beans (suggestions: your favorite bean!)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups diced veggies (suggestions: carrots, celery, mushrooms, chopped spinach, chopped kale, corn, chopped artichokes, zucchini, squash, sweet potato)
• 2 teaspoons + 2 tablespoons oil for frying (suggestions: olive, coconut, grapeseed)
• 3 tablespoons liquid flavor (mix and match suggestions: mustard, ketchup, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, vegan worcestershire, buffalo sauce, balsamic vinegar, salsa, pasta sauce, marsala, water)
• 4 teaspoons spice (we recommend combining at least two: smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, italian seasoning, poultry seasoning, montreal steak seasoning, black pepper, cayenne pepper, fennel, oregano, curry powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (omit or reduce if your liquid or spices contain salt)
• 1 cup dry base ingredient (suggestions: buckwheat, unsweetened protein powder, bread crumbs, cornmeal, oatmeal)
• 1/2 cup texture ingredient (suggestions: chopped walnuts, olives, avocado, sundried tomatoes, leftover cooked rice/quinoa/bulgur, parsley, cilantro, basil)

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the onion, veggies, and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes.
Transfer to a food processor and pulse with beans, liquid flavor, spice, salt until combined but still chunky. Pulse in the dry base and texture ingredient.
Form into golf ball size balls and flatten into patties.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Fry patties 2-3 minutes per side until browned and heated through.
Makes about 18 small patties.

Our favorite variations

Mexican Sliders

• 1 can pinto beans
• 1/2 cup onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 cups of veggies: 1 cup canned yellow corn, 2/3 cup sweet red pepper, 1/3 cup packed spinach
• 3 tablespoons liquid: 1 tablespoon lime juice (1/2 a lime), 2 tablespoons red prepared salsa
• 4 teaspoons spice: 2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dry ingredient: cornmeal
• 1/2 cup texture ingredients: 1/4 cup cilantro, 1/4 cup white rice

Classic Sliders

• 1 can black beans
• 1/2 cup onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 cups of veggies: 1 cup mushrooms, 1/2 cup celery, 1/2 cup green pepper
• 3 tablespoons liquid: 1 tablespoon ketchup, 1 tablespoon mustard, 1 teaspoon liquid smoke, 2 teaspoons soy sauce or vegan worcershire
• 4 teaspoons spice: 3 teaspoons Montreal steak seasoning, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
•  (omit salt)
• 1 cup dry ingredient: panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup texture ingredients: 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

- See more at: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/veggie-burger-recipe/#sthash.34j3O9DO.dpuf

The World’s Most Versatile Veggie Burger Recipe

Written by Matt Frazier

After seeing how useful (and how popular) the Perfect Smoothie Formula and the Ultimate Energy Bar Formula were, my sister Christine and I set out to see what other foods could benefit from a good formula-izing. That’s a real word.
In case you haven’t seen our other formulas, the idea is simple: instead of creating just one recipe, to make just one smoothie or one energy bar (that your taste buds will surely tire of by next week), we come up with a template that can be used to create virtually limitless variations, leaving room for your ideas in the process.
Smoothies and energy bars were natural choices for formulas. These are foods we eat all the time, so we need endless variations. But what else would lend itself well to a formula?

Enter the veggie burger formula

It’s not that we eat veggie burgers every single day. Or even every week.
But what’s great about veggie burgers is that if you’ve got just a few standby recipes, on any given weeknight you’ve almost certainly got everything you need in your pantry or fridge to throw something edible together in 20 or 30 minutes.
They’re super healthy and a good protein source too. And most importantly, they’re substitution-friendly, making them a perfect fit for a formula — if you’ve got a can of beans and a few random veggies in the fridge, chances are you’ve got what you need.

About the formula

And so Christine got to work creating a new formula. What’s really interesting is that she started with the energy bar formula as the backbone, since the bars are based on beans as well and have a texture that’s befitting of a burger. Of course, she replaced sweet flavors with savory ones, and designed the burgers to be fried, not baked like the bars are.
These burgers work great for a weeknight meal, and they’re perfect for tucking into a pita for a lunch on the go. We like to make them slider-style, since smaller burgers tend to stay together better than large ones and have a better texture. You can also make a large batch on the weekend and freeze ahead of time, but keep in mind that they tend to defrost better in the refrigerator than in the microwave.
Alright, here we go! The master formula is below, and we’ve listed several options for each broad type of ingredient, which you can mix and match to come up with your perfect burger. We’ve also included, at the bottom, three of our favorite combinations in case you’re not in a creating mood.
Enjoy!

The veggie burger formula

Ingredients:

• 1  pound can of beans, drained and rinsed, or 1.5 cups cooked beans (suggestions: your favorite bean!)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups diced veggies (suggestions: carrots, celery, mushrooms, chopped spinach, chopped kale, corn, chopped artichokes, zucchini, squash, sweet potato)
• 2 teaspoons + 2 tablespoons oil for frying (suggestions: olive, coconut, grapeseed)
• 3 tablespoons liquid flavor (mix and match suggestions: mustard, ketchup, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, vegan worcestershire, buffalo sauce, balsamic vinegar, salsa, pasta sauce, marsala, water)
• 4 teaspoons spice (we recommend combining at least two: smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, italian seasoning, poultry seasoning, montreal steak seasoning, black pepper, cayenne pepper, fennel, oregano, curry powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (omit or reduce if your liquid or spices contain salt)
• 1 cup dry base ingredient (suggestions: buckwheat, unsweetened protein powder, bread crumbs, cornmeal, oatmeal)
• 1/2 cup texture ingredient (suggestions: chopped walnuts, olives, avocado, sundried tomatoes, leftover cooked rice/quinoa/bulgur, parsley, cilantro, basil)

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the onion, veggies, and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes.
Transfer to a food processor and pulse with beans, liquid flavor, spice, salt until combined but still chunky. Pulse in the dry base and texture ingredient.
Form into golf ball size balls and flatten into patties.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Fry patties 2-3 minutes per side until browned and heated through.
Makes about 18 small patties.

Our favorite variations

Mexican Sliders

• 1 can pinto beans
• 1/2 cup onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 cups of veggies: 1 cup canned yellow corn, 2/3 cup sweet red pepper, 1/3 cup packed spinach
• 3 tablespoons liquid: 1 tablespoon lime juice (1/2 a lime), 2 tablespoons red prepared salsa
• 4 teaspoons spice: 2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dry ingredient: cornmeal
• 1/2 cup texture ingredients: 1/4 cup cilantro, 1/4 cup white rice

Classic Sliders

• 1 can black beans
• 1/2 cup onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 cups of veggies: 1 cup mushrooms, 1/2 cup celery, 1/2 cup green pepper
• 3 tablespoons liquid: 1 tablespoon ketchup, 1 tablespoon mustard, 1 teaspoon liquid smoke, 2 teaspoons soy sauce or vegan worcershire
• 4 teaspoons spice: 3 teaspoons Montreal steak seasoning, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp salt (omit salt)
• 1 cup dry ingredient: panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup texture ingredients: 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

- See more at: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/veggie-burger-recipe/#sthash.34j3O9DO.dpuf

The World’s Most Versatile Veggie Burger Recipe

Written by Matt Frazier

After seeing how useful (and how popular) the Perfect Smoothie Formula and the Ultimate Energy Bar Formula were, my sister Christine and I set out to see what other foods could benefit from a good formula-izing. That’s a real word.
In case you haven’t seen our other formulas, the idea is simple: instead of creating just one recipe, to make just one smoothie or one energy bar (that your taste buds will surely tire of by next week), we come up with a template that can be used to create virtually limitless variations, leaving room for your ideas in the process.
Smoothies and energy bars were natural choices for formulas. These are foods we eat all the time, so we need endless variations. But what else would lend itself well to a formula?

Enter the veggie burger formula

It’s not that we eat veggie burgers every single day. Or even every week.
But what’s great about veggie burgers is that if you’ve got just a few standby recipes, on any given weeknight you’ve almost certainly got everything you need in your pantry or fridge to throw something edible together in 20 or 30 minutes.
They’re super healthy and a good protein source too. And most importantly, they’re substitution-friendly, making them a perfect fit for a formula — if you’ve got a can of beans and a few random veggies in the fridge, chances are you’ve got what you need.

About the formula

And so Christine got to work creating a new formula. What’s really interesting is that she started with the energy bar formula as the backbone, since the bars are based on beans as well and have a texture that’s befitting of a burger. Of course, she replaced sweet flavors with savory ones, and designed the burgers to be fried, not baked like the bars are.
These burgers work great for a weeknight meal, and they’re perfect for tucking into a pita for a lunch on the go. We like to make them slider-style, since smaller burgers tend to stay together better than large ones and have a better texture. You can also make a large batch on the weekend and freeze ahead of time, but keep in mind that they tend to defrost better in the refrigerator than in the microwave.
Alright, here we go! The master formula is below, and we’ve listed several options for each broad type of ingredient, which you can mix and match to come up with your perfect burger. We’ve also included, at the bottom, three of our favorite combinations in case you’re not in a creating mood.
Enjoy!

The veggie burger formula

Ingredients:

• 1  pound can of beans, drained and rinsed, or 1.5 cups cooked beans (suggestions: your favorite bean!)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups diced veggies (suggestions: carrots, celery, mushrooms, chopped spinach, chopped kale, corn, chopped artichokes, zucchini, squash, sweet potato)
• 2 teaspoons + 2 tablespoons oil for frying (suggestions: olive, coconut, grapeseed)
• 3 tablespoons liquid flavor (mix and match suggestions: mustard, ketchup, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, vegan worcestershire, buffalo sauce, balsamic vinegar, salsa, pasta sauce, marsala, water)
• 4 teaspoons spice (we recommend combining at least two: smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, italian seasoning, poultry seasoning, montreal steak seasoning, black pepper, cayenne pepper, fennel, oregano, curry powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (omit or reduce if your liquid or spices contain salt)
• 1 cup dry base ingredient (suggestions: buckwheat, unsweetened protein powder, bread crumbs, cornmeal, oatmeal)
• 1/2 cup texture ingredient (suggestions: chopped walnuts, olives, avocado, sundried tomatoes, leftover cooked rice/quinoa/bulgur, parsley, cilantro, basil)

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the onion, veggies, and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes.
Transfer to a food processor and pulse with beans, liquid flavor, spice, salt until combined but still chunky. Pulse in the dry base and texture ingredient.
Form into golf ball size balls and flatten into patties.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Fry patties 2-3 minutes per side until browned and heated through.
Makes about 18 small patties.

Our favorite variations

Mexican Sliders

• 1 can pinto beans
• 1/2 cup onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 cups of veggies: 1 cup canned yellow corn, 2/3 cup sweet red pepper, 1/3 cup packed spinach
• 3 tablespoons liquid: 1 tablespoon lime juice (1/2 a lime), 2 tablespoons red prepared salsa
• 4 teaspoons spice: 2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dry ingredient: cornmeal
• 1/2 cup texture ingredients: 1/4 cup cilantro, 1/4 cup white rice

Classic Sliders

• 1 can black beans
• 1/2 cup onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 cups of veggies: 1 cup mushrooms, 1/2 cup celery, 1/2 cup green pepper
• 3 tablespoons liquid: 1 tablespoon ketchup, 1 tablespoon mustard, 1 teaspoon liquid smoke, 2 teaspoons soy sauce or vegan worcershire
• 4 teaspoons spice: 3 teaspoons Montreal steak seasoning, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp salt (omit salt)
• 1 cup dry ingredient: panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup texture ingredients: 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

- See more at: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/veggie-burger-recipe/#sthash.34j3O9DO.dpuf

Best Pita Filling recipe

8 oz. softened cream cheese, 
1/2 cup plain yogurt, 
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, 
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 
juice of 1/2 lemon, 
1 can kidney beans (drained & rinsed), 
1/2 cup chopped scallions, 
1/2 cup shredded carrots, 
1 cup chopped cauliflower. 
Mix well & pour into greased casserole. 
Bake at 325 for 30-45 minutes. 
Spoon warm or cold into pitas.

Italian Pepper and Egg Sandwiches

Ingredients

	2 tsp olive oil
	1 small onion(s), thinly sliced
	1 large green pepper(s), such as a cubanelle, thinly sliced
	1 tsp minced garlic
	4 large egg(s)
	3 large egg white(s)
	1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste
	1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
	4 item(s) reduced-calorie hamburger roll(s), toasted if desired

Instructions

• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and pepper; saute until tender and light golden, about 7 to 9 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Set vegetables aside.
  
• In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, egg whites, salt and pepper. Scramble in same skillet over medium heat until almost cooked, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Add vegetables back to skillet and gently mix; continue scrambling until eggs are set but not dry, about 30 seconds to 1 minute more.
  
• Top each roll bottom with about 3/4 cup egg mixture; cover with roll tops and serve. Yields 1 sandwich per serving.  ***5 points

Vegetarian Sandwiches

--1 long loaf of French of Cuban  bread

-Pesto

-Chive cream cheese

-fontiana cheese

-carmelized onion

-sliced black olives

-roasted red pepper

-sundried tomatoes

-olive oil

-seasonings of choice

Slice bread in half, lie on cookie sheet and drizzle olive oil on bread, and sprinkle with desired seasonings.  Toast for about 5 minutes in 350 degree oven.  Take toasted bread out of oven.  Cut bread in half, spread one sandwich with chive cream cheese, other sandwich with pesto, on both sides of bread.  Assemble toppings on one side of each sandwich, topping with fontina cheese slices.

Leave open-faced, and place (still on cookie sheet) under broiler til cheese bubbles.  Remove from oven, place other half of bread ontop of sandwich, and slice diagonally into smaller sandwiches, as shown above.

This was a WINNNER!

Pesto, Fontina and Tomato Panini

• gourmet bread of choice, such as ciabatta--we used asiago
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup basil pesto
• gourmet cheese of choice, we used fontina
• 1 medium tomato, cut into 8 thin slices
• fresh basil leaves
• seasonings of choice, such as salt and pepper--(we chose an organic home-crafted sea salt blend that I found at the craft fair at our recent Water Festival)
• Other sandwich alternatives, roasted red peppers, black olives, herbed cream cheese

Slice bread (if not presliced) at an angle. Spread pesto on oneside, drizzle olive oil and seasoning on the other. Assemble the other ingredients. Grill or press your paninis til toasted nicely. I use a cast iron grill pan and a cast iron grill press. ***please note, J was practically drooling over these---they were THAT delishh. His words, "restaurants can't even TOUCH this one:D" And here you hae it folks, a vegetarian sandwich WINNER!!