Monday, April 21, 2014

Oh How It Can Crumble!... Figuring Out the Quinoa Burger and Plant Domination

Hello Bloggers! My it has been sometime since the last post. With school starting up and work, life seems to get in the way! Rest assure though, this brain has been cooking up many recipes for you all to try out! My latest kicks: More raw and plant based foods and the Quinoa Burger Patty! I am taking it back to that crazy weird protein filled grain again! First things first; after much research and talk with different peers who are in the Health and Fitness world I have began to switch some things up and take a new stride to the way I eat. This new stride is not just one to try out for me, this is going to be the new me. I am turning a new leaf... or few leaves.. Yes, I am taking a more Plant Based diet now, however No, I am not going Vegan, and No, I am not going vegetarian. What I am working on is a more Plant Dominated Diet. I like to use ideas of both Vegans and Vegetarians and even use their different tools and ideas. I am working on consuming nearly all foods that are Plant Based and limiting all meat intake. If it does not need meat, and can be just as delicious, than meat won't be necessary. If meat is on my plate at all, it's the smallest portion of the meal and is completely surrounded by Fruits and Veggies of all sorts. As I continue on with the future post you will see how all of this forms together more and more. Since I have decided to nearly give up all Red Meats (despite my two real burgers a month) and Pork (except the bacon that goes on that burger) and most dairy (you know... except the cheese on that burger or occasional pizza) I have been creating recipes to fill my voids. The first thing to work on has replacing those ground beef burger patties into Quinoa and Black Bean Patties, filled with all sorts of delicious Veggies creating an amazing healthy alternative! Now I have created a few different patties, however I shall start with my personal and tested favorite.
Ok so here we go, ingredients:
Bag of Quinoa, Black Beans, 2 Red Potatoes, 2-3 Anaheim Chilis, Whatever Bell Peppers you like, Brussels Spouts, Carrots, Red and White Onions, Salt, Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, EVOO.

The process is a little lengthy, but so worth it. First, wash all your Veggies that need washing. Cook your Quinoa however you desire too. I cook it with water, but to add flavor I add Salt, Garlic Salt, and Chili powder. I than chop my red potatoes and roast them on 425 degrees for about 15-20 minutes with EVOO drizzled along salt and black pepper with a sprinkle of Garlic Powder. I than roast these Anaheim Green Chilis on 425, or you can grill them until the skin is nice and roasted on the outside. They key to the chilis is, you have to peel the skin away after they're cooked. The way go about this, once the chilis are done, immediately put them in a bowl and cover it with foil and let them steam for about 20-30 minutes. After thdn, slice the chilis in half and peel the skin off, it should peel off easily. Chop them up and you're ready. I than take the Brussels Sprouts and dice them up, it should a pile of Brussels leaves everywhere. Chop and dice the red and white onions.Chop or shred your carrots. Once your Quinoa, Potatoes and Chilis are done, add them to a bowl. For each Patty, you want about 3/4 cups of Qunioa, along with about 1/4-1/2 cup of black beans. Add your raw veggies in the desired amount you want, just don't over load it too much, if you do, just add more quinoa or black beans to help it bind together. Once you have found the right consistency, put your helping into a bowl and form your patty. From here, throw it on a pan and let it cook on each side. Carefully flip it over and once each side has a nice brown crunch to it, eat and enjoy! I eat them on whole grain or whole wheat bread sometimes, but I also eat them without any bread as well. In the future, I will show how to replace bread with grilled eggplant/portobello mushroom sliced. I also roasted kale as a garnish on top of the patty.
I did not have many pictures of this process, I sometimes just get these ideas in my head and cook them up and realize I forgot to take pictures, but as I continue to work on the blog, better pictures and maybe even some videos will be shared on how to this. I also promise to get a little more accurate on the serving amounts. Cooking is fun especially when you don't really know what you're doing, and is even more enjoyable when it's delicious and healthy! Have fun with it, take away and add things you like or don't like!
Green chili is raw, but that's the skin of a roasted green so you can get an idea of what you want it to look like when it's roasted and ready to be steamed. 



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