Vegan Veggie Burgers That Don't Suck!

Alright, we're still going strong on this Engine 2 Diet Review, but I have no noticed that since embarking on this journey, I have received ZERO comments. Not that I was swimming in the commentary over here, but like, I at least got a shout out here or there...

So that leads me to one of two conclusion:

1) You all were abducted by aliens
2) My crazy antics on this diet are not nearly as entertaining or noteworthy as they were before.

Any thoughts?

Is anyone out there?

Is this thing on?

Anyways, I'm still cooking and still screwing up in the kitchen so none of that has changed. I also just ordered a few new cookbooks which means this diet has a definite end date in sight :)

Anyways, I made veggie burgers this past week from Engine 2 and you know what, these were awesome! Like, I loved these bad boys and would gladly bring them to a cookout. They didn't fall apart and were really hearty. I slathered them in ketchup, mustard, and green hummus and also served them with some way undercooked red potatoes. Trying to eat those taters was like trying to chew on leather.

If that makes any sense...

On a vegan blog...

Anyways, I didn't really mess anything up with this recipe which must mean it is SUPER easy. So I therefore COMMAND you to try it. The cilantro really was icing on the cake for me and I could have easily eaten these two at a time. Matt loved them as well!

(Sorry for the weird picture, this was taken at work in a tupper ware container. That's usually a tell-tale sign that something is delicious - I was way too hungry to wait to take a pic at home.)


Here's the recipe for the "New York Times Veggie Burgers" from the Engine 2 Diet:

INGREDIENTS

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can tomatoes with zesty mild chilies, drained
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup parsley or cilantro
2 cups quick rolled oats
8 whole grain buns
Fresh veggie toppings and healthy condiments

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450º. Process the first seven ingredients using an immersion or a regular blender or food processor. Remove contents into a large bowl and stir in the oats. Form into patties, place on a sprayed baking sheet (I used parchment paper...trying to go completely oil-free), and bake for 8 minutes. Turn oven up to broil and cook for 2-3 more minutes, until the tops are nicely browned. Toast the buns and pile on your favorite toppings.

The Bagel Panini that Wasn't

Here we are on day 2 of the Engine 2 recipe review (wow, that entire sentence rhymed). So far, things are moving along just fine. I won't go into detail.

This ordeal has really forced me to be more organized as I've had to cook basically three meals a day and do that the evening beforehand. In theory, this is an excellent way to spend an evening and cut down on hangry cooking after work, but in reality, if I know what the food tastes like and I'm not impressed, it ruins my whole day.

Thankfully, we've only had one really bad recipe so far, and this is not one of them.

I love lunch. I hate when people throw this meal away as if it's an unecessary distraction throughout the day. Drinking a shake or smoothie for a meal? Give me a break. Salad with only a touch of dressing? Ridiculous. Part of what I've really come to enjoy about cooking so much from scratch is that I always have leftovers and therefore always have delicious lunches that oftentimes taste better the second time around.

So, I was dreading this diet's take on lunch.

***Let me be clear again: I do not like to diet nor do I agree with dieting. I do not think that a temporary change to your meal plan will give you any sort of results and I also celebrate every person's body shape the way it is at any time. So, when Matt told me he wanted to diet, instead of launching into my soapbox about my feelings on dieting, I thought I'd be proactive and look for a "diet" plan that I could sort of get on board with. Engine 2 is more of a cleanse that teaches you the impacts of certain foods on your body and invites you to respond after the "cleanse" is complete. If this means never touching a drop of oil? So be it. But I consider this a lesson in body listening rather than a lesson in denial of certain foods. It also tells me I can eat as much as I want as long as it's a safe food, which I appreciate. Mama don't like being hungry. EVER.***

Ok, off of soapbox, back to lunch.

I wanted to make something from the book that had sustenance and have never attempted a Panini before, so I thought: now's the time, now's your moment.

Did this turn out like a panini? Well, no not exactly. I used these whole grain bagels and also was scared I was burning them so I either frantically flipped them or turned down the heat every 2 seconds or so.

This was actually quite delicious, refreshing, and filling. Mine was a bit more green than I think it was supposed to be, but that's because I was using my green hummus. Even though they weren't exactly paninis, I would make these again, even if I wasn't on the E2D.

Here's the recipe for Ann's Panini with Hummus, Mushrooms, and Spinach from Engine 2 Diet:

Ingredients:

8 ounces mushrooms
Bragg Liquid Aminos to taste
4 slices whole grain bread (or bagels in my scenario)
Green Hummus
4 green onions, chopped into rounds
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
3 handfuls baby spinach

Directions:

Saute the mushrooms on medium heat in a nonstick skillet for about 5 minutes or until soft. Season lightly with Bragg's. Spread all 4 bread slices thickly with hummus. Sprinkle two pieces of the bread with green onions and cilantro and reserve the other two pieces as sandwich tops. Using a slotted spoon to allow any liquid to drain away from the mushrooms, place them on top of the green onions. Put a handful of spinach on top of the mushrooms. Top the two sandwiches with the reserved pieces of bread, and press to seal.

Carefully place the sandwiches in a nonstick skillet. Place a heavy casserole dish on top of the sandwiches to flatten them. Cook the weighted sandwiches on one side over medium heat for about 5 minutes, taking care not to let them burn. Flip sandwiches and cook the other side in the same way. When done, paninis will be quite thin and browned on both sides (in theory).

Ay-Oh-Lee and Portobello Sandwich

I've been on a serious mushroom kick lately. I put them in EVERYTHING. Salads, soups, pastas, rice, you name it, I shroomed it. This obsession reached a fevered pitch a few weeks ago when I decided to buy bulk portobello mushroom caps.

2 containers to be exact.

If you haven't noticed this about me yet, I have eyes that are bigger than my stomach. I also get really nervous when food sits in my refrigerator for longer than 3 days. Put those two lovely character traits together and you get a wasteful person who throws out a lot of food.

But, I've been working on this.

Matt will eat things that have mold blatantly growing on them. He says it helps fight staph infections.

We'll leave that little tidbit alone for the time being...

Anyways, I had to move quickly with these mushroom caps, so I found a recipe in the "Clean Food" cookbook that utilized the mushroom caps as the star of a hearty sandwich. The only problem was that I had no idea what Aioli was.

Oh well, I decided to do it anyways.

One thing I love about this cookbook is that it allows for much variety depending on what you have in the kitchen and what you like. It even seems to allow for those moments where you realize that you've put in an entire jar of sundried tomatoes including their juices even though the recipe only called for 6 and sans juice.

Oh well.

These were delish.

And so hearty, but we served with some leftover frozen corn (dethawed of course...but barely).

And we had leftover aioli for days...which meant we could repeat this recipe again and again.

Oh yea, and I realized that aioli is just like...a mayo based sauce. Garlicky I presume. Not scary at all!

Here's the recipe for "Roasted Portobello Sandwich with Sun-dried Tomato Aioli" from Clean Food by Terry Walters.

Ingredients:
- Portobello mushrooms (1-2 per serving)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp minced fresh herbs of choice (thyme, oregano, parsley, basil)
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 slices of bread
- Roasted red peppers, sliced into 1/2 inch strips
- Avocado, thinly sliced
- Romaine or fresh spring mix lettuce
- Mustard (honey dijon)- optional

Aioli:
- 6 sun dried tomatoes
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 1 1/2 cups grapeseed oil mayo (I used Nayonaise).
- 2 tbsp fresh italian herbs of choice
- pinch of sea salt

Preparing Aioli- soak dried tomatoes in hot water for 15 mins. or until soft. With food processor/blender running, drop in garlic. Process until minced. Squeeze excess water form tomatoes and add them along with mayo to the food processor. Scrape down side of the processor as needed and blend until smooth. Add herbs, salt and process lightly. Transfer to a container and refrigerate to allow flavors to blend. This aioli will last approx. 4-5 days in the fridge.

Roasting Portobellos- Preheat oven to 400F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Wipe mushrooms with a damp towl to clean. Discard stems and rub smooth side with olive oil. Place smooth side down on cookie sheet and sprinkle insides with italian herbs, pepper and pinch of salt. Roast for about 8-10mins. until soft. Remove and set aside.

Assembling- Slice bread and lightly toast. Spread aioli on toast and top with roasted portobello, roasted red peppers, avocado and lettuce. Spread mustard on second piece of toast and top sandwich. Serve warm.