Immune System/Energy Veggie Burgers

My little man is sick. He has a mean cold and a couple ear infections, and he's just a little miserable lately.

See those dark red eyes? Rosy cheeks? Overall pitiful look? I haven't been able to get him to eat dinner in quite a few days. He just wants milk, milk, and milk (coconut milk! :)).

So tonight I wanted to make him something packed with veggies and good stuff, something he will like and eat, and also will be good for him.

I decided on veggie burgers, as I have a ton of cans of chick peas in the house.

Start with 2 cans of garbanzo beans (chick peas). Open up, drain, and rinse off in the sink.

Next, chop up one large onion. You don't have to chop it up too fine, as it's just going to go in the food processor anyway.

And then loosely chop 2 carrots

We're also going to need some garlic.

Did you know that garlic has HUGE healing properties? It is great for the immune system, and is great for you if you are sick. Ever wonder why your mom or grandma made chicken noodle soup with extra garlic every time you were sick? There's a reason for that! It is SO good for the body!

Because Caleb is sick, I added quite a few cloves (like 5....) but you don't need near that much if you prefer a more subtle taste. 2 or 3 should be good.

Add about half a can of diced tomatoes, drained. I didn't grab a picture of this one.. last minute decision. You can skip this step if you don't like tomatoes. We just like the flavor over here.

Mix it all together in a bowl and add in portions into the food processor.

You're not going to want it completely pureed, but blended very well. Once you have it all blended up real good, put it in a mixing bowl.

Add about 1/4 cup of vanilla Greek yogurt. This step can be skipped if you're going vegan, but we liked the extra flavor and nutrients.

After that is all nice and mixed in, add about 1 1/2- 2 cups flour.

This holds all the ingredients together so that you can roll it up in a ball and cook it without it falling apart.

You're going to want the texture to be like this:

It's going to be similar to the texture of gooey dough but thick and dry enough to roll into balls (will still stick to your hands, you can spoon it onto the pan also if you wish).

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat, add add the dough as so:

Doesn't look like anything special yet, but after a few minutes when you notice the bottoms browning and you turn it over you will get..

This.

Pretty, right? Nice and crunchy outsides.. warm and soft insides. Full of yummy healthy goodness.

Once both sides are nice and browned, remove and place on some paper towels to let the oil drain a bit.

We like these best served on a hamburger bun or bread, topped with lettuce and tomato, and a bit of ketchup.

Best part?

Kid approved. The sickest, pickiest 2 year old I have ever met, that hasn't eaten in days... is now eating greek yogurt, chick peas, carrots, tomatoes, and most importantly, garlic.

He'll be feeling better in no time :)

Official List of Ingredients


2 cans garbanzo beans (chick peas)
1/4 cup Vanilla greek yogurt
2 carrots
1 1/2- 2 cups flour
2-3 cloves garlic
Half a can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 large onion, chopped
Oil, for frying

One chicken, 2 meals

Chicken Pot Pie

As a mom, I have to say my favorite kind of recipe is one that is quick, easy, cheap AND tastes good.

Of course, a perfect recipe like that would come from no where else but from my mom.

I loved eating this as a kid, and now I love making it for my own two year old son...and still love eating it.

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

First, you need a pie pan.

No need to grease or spray it, just lay the first half of a pre-made pie crust into the bottom of the pan.

As for the chicken, I usually use this dinner as a 2-part meal plan.

The first night, I bake a whole chicken for dinner. Use the leftovers (about half the chicken) to shed and save for the chicken pot pie the next night.

Take those leftovers, and place them at the bottom of the dish, on top of the pie crust.

Next, add one can Cream Of Celery. You can use mushroom or chicken if you prefer, but my mom used celery, and you don't mess with mom's recipes.

Next, add some frozen, mixed vegetables.

Then smother those veggies in another can of celery.

After that is all spoon'ed on top, add on the other crust, and crimp the sides.

Next, take one egg

Beat it and brush the egg wash over the crust.

This gives the pot pie that beautiful brown tan.

And who doesn't love a nice tan?

Bake it in the oven for about 35-45 minutes, or until the crust is all nice and tan and crunchy, like above.

Mmmmm. Creamy, yummy vegetable and chicken goodness.

Official recipe:

Chicken Pot Pie

Shredded chicken

2 cans cream of celery

About 2 cups mixed vegetables

1 pckg of 2 refrigerated pie crusts (next to the butter and Pillsbury biscuits usually)

1 egg

Bake 35-45 minutes until golden brown at 350 degrees and enjoy!

The Everything-Wonderful Fudgy Brownie.

First of all, let me just tell you that these are the best freakin' brownies I have ever had.

With that said, if you like a more traditional, fluffy brownie, you might want to try recipe we got this from: http://www.scharffenberger.com.

But if you're like me, and like the gooey, warm, fudgy stuff, you have GOT to try this.

We weren't trying to divert from the original recipe (and we really didn't that much.), but halfway through when we realized we had no baking powder, we knew we weren't going to get quite the same result.

The Everything-Wonderful Fudgy Brownie

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (we used 2 ounces cocoa powder, and 2 ounces bakers chocolate, plus 2 tbsp oil)

2/3 cup butter (about 10 1/2 tbsp)

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour (but we used 1 2/3 b/c of high altitude)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Melt chocolate and butter over low heat.

Remove from heat and mix in sugar with wooden spoon. Crack eggs into pot, add vanilla, and mix (dirtying a whisk is optional).

Gently lay the flour and salt on top of the gooey chocolate mixture. Gently mix in the flour and salt with a fork without digging into the chocolate (this is important!).
Grab your wooden spoon and stir everything together (still gently) just until all flour is incorporated. Do not over beat.






Pour into greased 9" x 12" (or 8" x 12") pan. Bake for 25 minutes (check at 20). Brownies are done when toothpick comes out pretty clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pan, then cut into squares.

Stuffed falafels

The other day Sarah asked me if there was anything that was made of meat that I missed eating. I said no, because anything that is made with meat I can replicate (and make it better). But one thing I haven't had since my vegetarianism is cheese filled burgers. So I wanted to make some. And since I've been crazy about falafels lately, I thought stuffed falafels would be a good experiment. And man were they delicous.

I used three types of cheese, mozzarella, pepper jack, and sharp cheddar. I would say the pepper jack was my favorite, I have a thing for spicy food. But it was all good, the cheddar worked well with the chives and tomato and of course mozzarella is always good in anything.

Pulse chickpeas, tahini, and chives in blender or food processor until mostly smooth, but still chunky. Transfer to bowl, and stir in flour, onions, and tomatoes.

Shape chickpea mixture around two pieces of diced cheese, into 1-inch-thick patties

Of course, traditional falafels are not this big.

But I am not traditional.

And this is not a traditional recipe.

It is a cheese-stuffed one.

Pour enough olive oil into large skillet to have 1/4 inch in bottom. Heat over medium-high heat. Place patties in pan, making sure patties don’t touch. Cook 2 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Transfer to paper-towel-lined platter to drain.

Eat a few plain when no one is looking, serve the rest over salad.

Enjoy

Official list of Ingredients

1 16oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 Tbs. Tahini

1-2 tomatos diced

1 onion, diced

1 Tbsp cut chives

1/3 cup flour

Diced cheeses of your choice.

Olive oil, for frying

Grilled Cheese

I know, I know. Grilled Cheese isn't exactly something to get too excited about. Well, my grilled cheese it. I could live off these sandwhiches, and occasionally I have.

Grilled Cheese

Whole wheat bread (I prefer to use honey oat)

Mayo

Butter

Cheese of your choise (I like using asiago or pepper jack)

Coriander

All-purpose seasoning

Baby Bok Choy

1 Large Tomato

Spread mayo on both sides of bread. Put about 3 pieces of bok choy leaves, a few slices of tomato and 2 slices of cheese on sandwhich. I also put a vegetarian chicken patty on mine, which is shown in the pictures.

Spread a little bit of butter on both sides of the sandwich, sprinkle coriander and seasoning over bread and lightly spread it so it stays on bread. A panini maker or frying pan would work fine, heat over medium heat and cover the pan to melt the cheese. ....And yes it is necessary to cut it into two triangles before eating.

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Falafels

I love making falafels. I'm seriously addicted to them because they are so easy to make, you can be creative with them, and you don't have to eat a lot to feel full. I got my first falafel recipe from vegetariantimes.com. It was a pretty basic recipe but it gave me my base for my falafels so I'll include a link to the recipe here.

This is my own recipe for this specific batch of falafels, but really you can add anything you feel like to them.

Falafels

1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2 Tbs. Tahini

1 orange, 1 yellow, and 1 red mini sweet peppers, diced.

1 Tsp. Coriander

1 Tsp. chives

1/3 cup flour

Olive oil, for frying

1. To make Falafels: Pulse chickpeas, tahini, coriander and chives in blender or food processor until mostly smooth, but still chunky. Transfer to bowl, and stir in flour and peppers.

2. Shape chickpea mixture into 1-inch-thick patties. Pour enough olive oil into large skillet to have 1/4 inch in bottom. Heat over medium-high heat. Place patties in pan, making sure patties don’t touch. Cook 2 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Transfer to paper-towel-lined platter to drain.

We served them on a salad with tomato and Caesar salad dressing, which I think made them even better as well as adding a lot more nutrients. It's a good hearty meal loaded with protein and I am going to make it a few more times while I'm still in Colorado :)