Quinoa Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of quinoa, rinsed
• 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 large carrots, peeled and grated
• 1 zucchini, grated and drained (wrap in a paper towel and squeeze out the water)
• 2 tsp. of minced garlic
• 1/2 cup of plain bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup of reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 tablespoon of ground cumin
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. of paprika
• 1 tsp. of ground black pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Whole grain sandwhich thins
• Brown mustard

Directions:

1. In a small pot, bring 3/4 cup water to a boil. Add quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 12-15 minutes and set aside.

2. Add the black beans to a large mixing bowl and mash with a fork (doesn't have to be pureed, just mashed up). Next add the grated carrots, zucchini, garlic, and bread crumbs and stir until all of the ingredients are combined.

3. Place the egg and egg white in a seperate small bowl and whisk together with a fork until smooth. Add the eggs to the large bowl of beans and vegetables and stir. Next add the cooked quinoa  and the shredded cheese to the mixture and stir until everything is well incorporated.

4. Next season the mixture with cumin, salt, garlic powder, paprika, and ground pepper. Form the mixture into patties (1/4-1/2 cup of mixture per patty depending on how big you want them). In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat and add patties. Cook for about 5-8 minutes per side (or until browned).

5. Toast sandwhich thins and add mustard to one half of the bun. Place patty on the bun and enjoy!!

*Recipe adapted from Whole Living*

Baked Vegetarian Egg Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

This recipe was made up last night by my sister, Kendall. These were absolutely delicious!! My husband and I had them leftover for lunch today and they were still just as yummy. We paired these egg rolls with a Thai marinated flank steak on top of a udon noodles and vegetables. Hope you enjoy!!

 

Ingredients: (makes 10 egg rolls)

Egg Rolls

• 1 package of all natural egg roll wraps
• 1 bundle of bean threads
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned (matchsticks)
• 2 cups of cole slaw mix
• 2 medium carrots, shredded
• 1 zucchini, julienned
• 2 green onions (scallions), diced
• 2 Tablespoons of light soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons of light olive oil

Peanut Sauce

• 2 1/2 Tablespoons of natural crunchy peanut butter
• 2 Tablespoons of honey
• 1 Tablespoon of soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon of rice vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon of minced garlic

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a large cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Bring a small pot of water to boil and add 1 bundle of bean threads. Immediately after adding the bean threads, remove from heat and let sit for 20 minutes or until softened.

3. In the meantime, in a large saute pan (on medium heat), add 2 teaspoons of olive oil, julienned bell pepper, zucchini, cole slaw, and carrots and saute until soft and lightly browned. Next stir in the green onions and soy sauce and mix until combined. Reduce heat to low.

4. Drain the bean threads and give them a rough chop. Add the bean threads into the vegetable mixture and stir until ingredients are well incorporated. Let this mixture cool for about 15 minutes or it will break through the egg roll wrapper.

5. Once the mixture is cooled, add about 1/4 cup of mixture to the end of each wrapper. Fold in the sides and roll. Place the egg rolls seam side down onto the cookie sheet. Spray the top of egg rolls with cooking spray.

6. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the tops are browned and crispy.

7. While the egg rolls are baking, prepare the peanut sauce by adding all of above ingredients into a bowl and whisk together until combined. ENJOY!!

Creamy Spinach Enchiladas

Ingredients:
(Makes about 7 enchiladas)

• 1 package of soft flour tortillas (if you use corn, use less filling)
• 2 packages of chopped frozen spinach
• 1 cup of corn (canned or frozen)
• 1/4 cup of low-fat ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup of fat free cream cheese
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 Tablespoon of garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 cups of salsa (any kind you would like)
• 1/2 cup of low-fat sour cream
• 3/4-1 cup of low-fat mexican shredded cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove frozen spinach from the package and place in a microwave safe dish. Microwave on high for about 5 minutes or until the spinach is thawed (it does not need to be hot, just thawed). Squeeze as much water out of the spinach by placing the spinach in paper towels or a dish towel. Set the spinach aside until ready to use.

2. Make the sauce by adding 2 cups of salsa + 1/2 sour cream to a small bowl and stirring. Set aside.

3. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and chopped onion to a medium saute pan and cook on medium-high heat for about 5-8 minutes of until the onion is soft and slightly browned. Next, turn the heat down to medium and add the minced garlic and stir until the ingredients are well incorporated (be careful not to burn the garlic).

4. Add the spinach to the garlic and onion, breaking it apart while stirring (you don't want all of the spinach to be stuck together).

5. Next add the corn, ricotta, and cream cheese and stir into the spinach, garlic, and onion until the cheese is melted and all of the ingredients come together.

6. Assemble the enchiladas by first adding about 1/2-3/4 cup of the sauce to the bottom of the dish. Next, make each enchilada by stuffing the tortilla with a couple of spoon fulls of the spinach mixture, rolling the tortilla, and placing it seam side down into the bottom of the pan. Repeat this same step for the remainder of the tortillas.

7. Lastly, pour another 3/4 cup of sauce on top of the enchiladas and top the sauce with shredded cheese. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the top is melted and bubbling. Enjoy!!

Sweet Potato, Kale, & Black Bean Quesadillas

This recipe is from www.carrotsncake.com blog and its so yummy and easy to make. This recipe has a lot of good-for-you nutrients including: Vitamin A (sweet potato), Iron (black beans & kale), Calcium (cheese, black beans, and kale), and Fiber (whole-grain wrap, sweet potato, beans, and kale). Hope you enjoy! :)

Ingredients: (makes 2 wraps)

• 2 small sweet potatoes
• 1/2 can of low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup of fresh kale, chopped
• 2 Mini-Babybel Light cheese circles
• Whole-grain wraps (burrito size)
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• Pinch of garlic powder

Directions:

1. Place washed and dried sweet potatoes on a microwave safe plate. Punture holes around the sweet potatoes with a fork. Microwave on high for 7-10 minutes or until the sweet potato is soft in the middle. Once the sweet potatoes are finished cooking, slice them open and spoon out the potato into a small bowl (you may need to mash them a little bit more with a fork or a masher to get a smooth consistency).

2. Place rinsed and drained beans into a small bowl next to your mashed sweet potaotes.

3. Place chopped fresh kale into a small bowl and add it your assembly line of ingredients.

4. Cut Mini-Babybel cheese circles into small pieces.

5. Assemble your wrap: place your wrap on a large plate and spread mashed sweet potato onto one half of the wrap. Top the mashed sweet potato with black beans, chopped kale (~2 Tbs), and cheese. Sprinkle the top with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Fold the other half over so it looks like a half-moon. Follow the same steps for the other wrap(s).

6. Place the quesadillas into a panini grill or a saute pan and cook until the cheese is melted and the contents inside are hot. Enjoy!! 

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Looking for a recipe that is full of flavor but does not contain any meat? These enchiladas are a great source of protein and fiber, are easy to make, and are budget friendly! Sweet potatoes contain vitamin A, which is especially good for your vision. Sweet potaoes also contain fiber which mainly comes from the skin of the potato, so if you would like to leave the skin on in this recipe feel free to do so, it will still be delicious!

Ingredients:

• 10 corn or flour tortillas
• 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
• 1 small can of green chilies
• 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 2 cups of salsa verde
• 1 cup of 2% (low fat) shredded mexican cheese
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil or canola oil (whatever cooking oil you like to use)
• 2 teaspoons of ground black pepper
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place peeled and cubed sweet potatoes on a large non-stick cookie sheet and add 1 tablespoon of oil, 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper, and pinch of salt and toss together with your hands. Bake for 25 minutes, flipping in between.

2. While the sweet potatoes are roasting, add diced bell pepper and onion and 1 tablespoon of oil to a large skillet and saute the vegetables for about 10-15 minutes on medium-high heat until the vegetables are soft and slightly browned. Turn the heat down to medium-low and stir in the minced garlic with the vegetables.

3. Turn the stove off and next, add the can of green chilies, black beans (rinsed and drained), and chopped cilantro and stir until all of the ingredients are well incorporated. Season with 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper and 1 teaspoon of ground cumin.

4. Gently fold in the roasted sweet potatoes with the vegetable/bean mixture making sure the sweet potatoes do not get mashed up during the process.

5. Add 1 cup of the salsa verde to the bottom of the baking dish, spreading it out so that the entire bottom of the baking dish is covered with salsa. Fill each tortilla with about 1/2 cup of the sweet potato/bean mixture, roll it up, and place in the baking dish seam side down. Repeat with each tortilla until the entire baking dish is filled. Add the remaining 1 cup of salsa verde on top of the tortillas and then top it off with shredded mexican cheese.

6. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes. Once the enchiladas are finished baking, sprinkle any remaining cilantro you have on top for presentation.  Enjoy!!

Greek Yogurt Protein Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of fat-free Vanilla Chobani Greek Yogurt
• 1 1/2 cups of whole-wheat flour
• 1/4 cup of vanilla protein powder (brand of your choice)
• 1 1/2 tsp. of baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. of baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. of salt
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup of milk
• 1/4 cup of chopped almonds

Directions:

1. Combine all of the above ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk together until there are no longer any clumps.

2. Heat a large non-stick griddle pan or skillet to medium heat. Scoop out 1/4 cup of pancake mix onto the pre-heated griddle pan (you can cook 2-3 at a time depending on the size of your pan). Flip the pancake once the top starts to bubble and puff up (about 1 1/2 min-2 min per side).

3. Top your pancakes with your favorite toppings. My toppings included: sliced bananas, a drizzle of sugar free maple syrup, and a sprinkle of homemade granola! Enjoy!!

Note: This recipe was modified from Chobani's greek yogurt pancake recipe.

Spinach Bean Burgers

Oh how I love reading food and fitness blogs! Seriously, it has become one of my new hobbies...I don't know if that is good or not? Anyway, this recipe is from one of the food blogs that I read called The Daily Crumb. It was a very cheap, easy, and delicious recipe, and it made about 8 burgers! I served them on a Whole Foods Seduction Bread Roll and a spinach salad on the side. You really don't miss the meat in this recipe either....very satisfying!! Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 can (15 oz.) of cannelloni beans (white beans), drained and rinsed
• 8 oz. of chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 cup of fat free ricotta cheese
• 1 egg + 1 egg white
• 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
• 1 cup of plain bread crumbs
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mash the cannelloni beans with a fork, leaving some small chunks.

2. In a medium bowl, add the ricotta cheese and eggs and whisk together until smooth and well incorporated. Next, stir in the thawed spinach, breadcrumbs, and garlic powder.

3. Add the mashed beans to the cheese and spinach mixture and season with salt and pepper.

4. Take about 1/4-1/2 cup of the mixture and form into burger patties. Saute on a large non-stick griddle pan or skillet for about 5 minutes (just until they are browned on the outside). Then place them on a large non-stick cookie sheet and bake them for about 15-20 minutes.

5. Serve on a bun or on top of a spinach salad. Enjoy!!

You can also find this recipe at: http://www.thedailycrumb.com/2011/11/30/baked-spinach-ricotta-cakes/