Spicy Vegan Burgers with Sriracha; Meatless Monday

At the outset I would like to inform you that this post is sponsored by Gardein and is a review of their vegan products. 

I try to be equivocal about most things in life.. however, there are some things that I am passionate about. One of them is healthy eating. Therefore, I am a staunch proponent of the Meatless Monday Movement. If people make a start by going vegetarian atleast once a week, it will go a long way towards a healthy body and a healthy lifestyle. The issue for most people is that they have difficulty finding or preparing vegetarian food that is palatable to them to the same extent that meat is. Most vegan products that are used for substituting meat/chicken available in the market are dry, chalky, cardboard-like and tasteless, therefore not appealing to the masses. When I was approached by Gardein Brand via Meatless Monday to try their vegan products, I was curious and interested. I signed up for it and soon a nice cooler package arrived with the following items in it: 

• Ultimate Beefless Burger
• Black Bean Burger
• Veggie Burger
• Meatless Meatballs
• Crispy Chick'n Patty
• Barbecue Chick'n Wings
• Mandarin Orange Chick'n
• Seven Grain Crispy Tenders
• Teriyaki Chick'n Strips

Gardein is committed to provide high quality vegan, plant based products that are kosher and do not contain any artificial flavor, color or preservatives in them. So far I have tried the Seven Grain Crispy Tenders, the Veggie burger, the Ultimate Beefless Burger and the Crispy Chick’n Patty. All of them are quick and easy to prepare items, making them perfect for a weeknight dinner. 

The first item I tried was the Seven Grain Crispy Tenders. It was so good that my kids ate it without realizing that it was not chicken. This is high praise indeed coming from my 6 and 9 year olds as both of them are very picky eaters who don’t really like to try anything they are not familiar with. They polished their plates off in no time! The crispy tenders are made with primarily from grains such as Kamut, khorasan wheat, amarnath, millet and quinoa. This takes these Tenders to a higher nutritional level and more bang for the buck. Check the other ingredients here.

Barbecue Chick'n wings were easy to make. I transformed them into hot wings by mixing a little bit of Sriracha into the sauce and basting the wings just before serving. It would make for a great appetizer or as a side for a BBQ. The taste was quite close to the boneless chicken wings. The primary ingredient used in these wings is the ancient grain flour, potato starch and other ingredients which you can check here. 

I have made these spicy burgers on three different occasions, all of them for weeknight dinner when I was rushing. I have used the Veggie Burger, The Beefless Burger and the Chick’n Patty. Each one of them had it’s own unique taste and was delicious in it’s own way. We were not disappointed by any of them. 

The first burger I tried was the Veggie Burger. I made it with Sriracha Vegan Mayo and it was truly delicious! The burger was light and tasty. This is one of the 4 gluten free products from Gardein. The burger patty is made from brown rice, roasted vegetables, rolled oats and some spices. 

The next one was the crispy chick'n patty which came out nice and crisp. I served it with ketchup for the kids and made a burger for us. It was really good with the Chick’n patty crispy with the texture similar to that of a chicken patty. The patty is made from ancient grain flour similar to the one used in Tenders. Check out all the ingredients here.

The third one was the Ultimate Beefless Burger which when cooked and made into a burger, had the appearance of a regular Burger. The patty was moist with a meat-like texture. I layered this one with spicy vegan mayo, onion, tomato, pickle and lettuce and served it with grilled asparagus. The end result was one of satisfaction. This is made from soy and ancient grain flour among other ingredients which you can find here. 

You can use any of these burger patties or any other made by Gardein and transform it into this delicious spicy vegan burger for your Memorial Day barbecue or any summer barbecue. If nothing you can make this for your weeknight dinner, sit on your porch/terrace and savor the summer evening. 

Servings: for one burger. Each packet of burger has 4 patties in them which can be used to make 4 burgers.

Ingredients:

Burger patty of your choice from Gardein: 1 

Burger bun of your choice: 1

Sliced onion ring: 1 slice of onion cut in a circle.

Tomato slice: 1

Lettuce: 1-2 slices the size of the burger bun. 

Pickle: 1, sliced 

Sriracha spiced Vegan mayo: 1 tbsp 

To make the spiced Vegan Mayo, mix together 1 tbsp Sriracha with 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise. 

Method:

Toast the burger bun lightly on a skillet. 

Spread 1 tsp spicy vegan mayo, place the lettuce, one slice of tomato, burger patty of your choice, onion ring, pickle if you wish. 

Top it with some more spicy vegan mayo.

You can always serve ketchup on the side or on top of the burger if you wish. 

Serve this to your guests. I will bet that most won’t notice the difference. 

Gardein products and definitely that good!! 

Enjoy! 

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

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Three Bean Salad.. and a Mother’s Day Giveaway!

What better occasion than Mother’s Day to share this very informative post with you all. As mothers we do everything for everyone else but us. We forget about our health, our well-being and “me” as an individual. In this day Cancer is ubiquitous. Every family has atleast one person who has been diagnosed with some form of cancer or the other. For us as women, breast cancer is most concerning. Breast cancer has become quite commonplace today. We can however fight it with good, healthy food and lifestyle. These are also the topics that Dr Kristi Funk addresses in her latest book “Breasts, an owner’s manual" which was released onto the bookshelves on May 1st , 2018. 

For those of you who are not familiar with Dr. Kristi Funk, she is a leading board-certified breast cancer surgeon and specialist in comprehensive wellness, including nutrition, fitness, and stress management. Best known as the breast surgeon for Angelina Jolie and Sheryl Crow, Dr. Funk has compiled her accessible and powerful strategies for reducing cancer risk and achieving optimal overall health into this much-anticipated book, Breasts: The Owner’s Manual. 

To get your own free copy by participating in the giveaway, all you have to do is enter your email Address. 

Dr. Funk embraces meat reduction for healthy living. She personally provided a selection of delicious Meatless Monday recipes exclusively for us bloggers to try. Today I am sharing with you another of her very healthy, quick and easy recipe which is right up my alley: a three-bean Salad! This is a salad that can be rustled up within minutes. It would make for a delicious weekday meal, perfect for potlucks, parties, picnics and barbecues!! Do try it. 

I have tried not to alter anything and I am presenting Dr. Funk’s recipe verbatim.

Three beans walk into a Salad..

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 can black beans (rinsed well)

1 can kidney beans (rinsed well)

1 can chickpeas (rinsed well, save chickpea liquid)

1 avocado cut into half inch cubes

2 Persian cucumbers chopped into 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 cup tomatoes (chopped)

1 tsp fresh oregano (preferred) or 1/2 tsp dried oregano

2 to 3 T of red wine vinegar

1-2 T chickpea liquid

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine beans, veggies and avocado and toss gently. Add oregano, then toss, add chickpea liquid, then red wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Tip: Chill the beans before making this if you are planning to eat it right away. Or you can make it (minus the avocado), chill for an hour, then add the avocado right before serving.

I am bringing this salad to all my friends at Angie's Fiesta Friday #223. Her cohost this week is the amazing Mollie @ The Frugal Hausfrau.

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

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Pineapple Couscous Baby Greens Salad.

When I saw Angie's Healthy Recipe Challenge I was intrigued. When I saw that the primary ingredients that she wanted in the dish were pineapple and greens, I was challenged. I wanted to think out of the box and create something that had these ingredients. I was in the process of making Couscous salad with cranberries and walnuts  for dinner . I decided to encompass these two ingredients and come up with a more nutritious salad. The resulting salad was exotic and delicious! My husband loved it! Him saying something is good is a big compliment in itself.

So try this salad when you get a chance. You will be hooked. My neighbor loved it too.. I got the couscous that cooks in just 10 mins. This is perfect for a weeknight dinner! The leftover makes for a perfect lunch.

Here is the recipe:

Servings: 3

Prep time: 5 minsCook time: 10 minsTotal time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Couscous: 1 cup
Water: 1 & 1/4 cup
Salt: a pinch
Olive oil: 1 tsp
Dried cranberries : 1/3 cup
Roasted Walnut pieces : 1/4 cup
Pineapple pieces: 1 cup, diced small
Parsley: 1/3 cup, finely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper:1/4 tsp
Extra Virgin olive oil: 1/3 cup
Lemon juice: 1/4 cup, freshly squeezed
Sea salt: 1/2 tsp
Sriracha or hot sauce: 1/2 tsp ( optional)
Minced garlic: 1/4 tsp
Baby greens: 4 & 1/2 cups

Method:

Take 1 & 1/4 cups water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add salt, olive oil and couscous. Cover and cook on low for 10 mins. When done, turn of the flame and fluff it. Keep aside to cool.

Add into a small jar, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, minced garlic, Sriracha/ hot sauce. Close the jar and mix thoroughly. Keep aside.

Take the cooled couscous in a salad bowl. To this add the pineapple pieces, chopped parsley, dried cranberries, roasted walnuts & the prepared dressing. Mix thoroughly. Keep it refrigerated until ready to serve.

For serving:
Divide the baby greens equally among 3 plates. Then divide the couscous salad on it. Sprinkle some walnuts &/or parsley on top.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

If you intend to make/ pack this for lunch, then pack the greens separately in a container. Make sure you wrap the greens in papertowel.

Use another container for the salad. I you want the walnuts crunchy, pack it separately in a small container/ ziplock.

Tip for healthy living:

A salad like above can be quite nourishing and filling. It has pretty much all the food groups in it making for a complete balanced meal that is satisfying, yet low in calories.

Food for thought:

A little patience goes a long way. Unknown

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

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Beans Ani Batate Upkari ( Sautéed green beans and potatoes); Meatless Monday.

I believe that our traditional Konkani cuisine is very simple without much pomp. It is also very healthy and easy on the gastrointestinal system. The reason for this is that there is very little oil used for cooking the food, there are not many spices and the procedure itself is very simple, yet the result is a delicious dish that could relished by kids and adults alike and with rice or roti.

 Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 15-20 mins

Total time: 30-35 mins

Servings: 3-4

Ingredients:

Green beans : 250 gms or 1/2 lb
Potatoes: 2 medium sized.
Coconut oil: 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Dried red chillies: 1-2 medium sized, broken into two pieces.
Salt: as per taste
Water: 1/4 cup
Freshly grated coconut: 1 tbsp ( for garnishing)( optional).

Method:

Peel the potatoes. Wash them and dice them medium.

Wash the green beans  thoroughly. Chop/snap the tips off at both ends of the string beans. Repeat this with all the string beans. Chop the string beans into 1 cms wide pieces.

In a saute pan or frying pan, heat coconut oil on medium heat. add mustard seeds to the pan. Once the mustard seeds crackle, add broken dried red chillies.  Now add the chopped potatoes & string beans. Add salt, water and mix well. Cover and cook on low flame until both the potatoes & green beans are tender( around 15-20 mins), sautéing once in a while. If the water evaporates and the vegetables are not cooked, add water in between, little at a time.

Turn off the flame. Garnish with freshly grated coconut.

Serve hot with rice or flatbread/ roti.

Enjoy.

Cooking made easy:

Certain types of potatoes may take longer to cook. In this case, add the diced potatoes cook and when they are half-way done, add in the green beans. Cover and cook until done.

Tip for healthy living:

Try to use organic potatoes whenever possible as they have the highest accumulation of pesticides. This is because they have pesticides that are sprayed on the plants and the chemicals already present in the soil.
Whenever possible, peel the potatoes and use them.

Food for thought:

Things start happening when you start believing.  Unknown

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

Chili Garlic Asparagus Rice

Summer is here!! Which means I don't want to spend hours slaving in the kitchen!! Not that I ever did! ;) You guys know me.. If it isn't quick and easy, it is not happening in my kitchen!! It is more so now than ever as the kids want to be more outside the house than inside! This recipe that I am sharing with you today is another of my accidentally invented recipes!! Or rather spontaneously put together recipes!

My husband likes to take his lunch from home. He loathes to eat outside food. However, his home-cooked lunch has to follow certain guidelines:
A. It cannot be a sandwich
B. Rice item is preferred.
C. It has to be vegetarian.
D. It should not smell of spices while reheating!!
E. It cannot have any kind of sauce/gravy or any other liquid component to it that may possibly leak from the lunch box!!

Well, I have been very creative and innovative with his lunches. Usually I put together some kind of fried rice/ pilaf sort of thing together for him. This particular rice is another such innovative dish which happened to come together due to a tired me on a weeknight . I had made spicy garlic sauteed asparagus and Basmati rice for dinner. I decided to rice into it. Then I remembered that I had some grilled corn in the refrigerator. I took it out, shucked the corn and added it into the rice! And voila!! A delicious dish was born!!

My husband just loved it! Here is the recipe for you to try!

Prep time: 8 minsCook time: 12 mins
Total time: 20 mins

Servings: 2-3

Ingredients:

Asparagus: 6-8 nos
Garlic cloves: 4-5 nos
Red chilli powder( medium spice level): 1/2 tsp ( the amount of chilli powder can be adjusted based on the level of spiciness of the chilli powder and of the individual.
Olive oil: 2 tbsp
Water: 2 tbsp
Cooked rice: 3 cups
Vinegar: 1 tsp
Grilled corn: 1
Black pepper powder: 1/8tsp
Scallions: 2, green part only, chopped.
Salt: to taste

Method:

Wash the asparagus. Snap off the woody stem. Break the remaining stem into 2-3 pieces depending on the length of the asparagus. Keep aside.

Mince the garlic. Keep aside.

Shuck the corn. Keep aside.

In a sauté pan/frying pan/wok, heat 1 tbsp of oil. Add the minced garlic. Sauté until garlic is fragrant. Do not burn it. Add the red chilli powder. Sauté for 10 seconds. Add in the asparagus. Sprinkle 2 tbsp water, stir fry for couple of minutes on medium-high flame. Add salt as per taste. Now lower the flame and cover and cook for 5-6 mins or until the asparagus is tender.

You can stop at this stage if you want make just chilli garlic asparagus.

To continue making the rice, add the shucked corn to the pot. Mix well. Now add the  cooked rice  ( preferably cold rice) into the pot. Fold in the rice until it is mixed. Add vinegar & black pepper powder. Toss.

Garnish with chopped scallions.

Serve hot.

Enjoy!!

 I am bringing this to Throwback Thursday #46, Fiesta Friday #127  and Saucy Saturday #52. Angie's co-hosts this week are Suzanne @ apuginthekitchen and Jess @ Cooking Is My Sport.

Cooking made easy:

When I cook rice, I always cook a little more than I actually need. This way, I have some rice in the fridge on hand to rustle something up together in a hurry!

Tip for healthy living:

Eating healthy and exercising on a regular basis is a great way to keep your body in good shape and condition. 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 days a week or 75 mins of vigorous exercise spread through the week is recommended. A minimum of one hour of physical activity every day is recommended for all individuals from 5 years of age!

Food for thought:

It is nice to have valid competition; it pushes you to do better. Gianni Versace

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

Grilled Tofu with Sriracha

Today is an extra-special day as I have been given the privilege of co-hosting Angie's Fiesta Friday #107,with a seasoned co-host and an excellent blogger Margy @ La Petite Casserole. I hope I can stand up to the trust placed by Angie on me. If you don't yet know what Fiesta Friday is yet, it is time to check it out! It is one of the friendliest blogger parties ever! I joined Fiesta when I first started blogging two years ago. Over the past two years, I have made several friends at the Fiesta, learnt a lot from all the wonderful bloggers who party there. The best part about Angie's Fiesta is that everyone is so willing to impart whatever they know to you. This place is a blessing to new bloggers.Check out the guidelines here for coming to this party. Link up your posts at Angie's Fiesta and to both the co-hosts!

 I have created this recipe especially for my friends at Angie's Fiesta Fiday! I am looking forward to tons of chit-chat, sharing and caring over the next few days!!

Tofu and I have a kind of a love-hate relationship. What is tofu? Tofu is basically bean curd that is made by curdling soy milk and then pressing I into a solid block, just like the way cheese ( paneer is made).

 I like the concept of tofu and all the good things that it stands for, but I have never come to like the taste of it; until now! I have tried incorporating tofu in my diet on several different occasions. I have made scrambled tofu, I have substituted it in place of paneer and made our traditional paneer dishes like malai paneer, paneer chilli, I didn't like it. I have made stir-fry using Tofu; didn't like it. For some reason, it just didn't appeal to me. It tasted bland, weird.. I don't know.. Just not right. I used to often see my very good blogger friend, Sonal @Simplyvegetarian777 rustle up amazing tofu dishes. I would just look at her posts and let them pass.

Then one day, I went out to dinner at this Korean restaurant downtown. One of the dishes that we ordered was rice with vegetables and something. The name was quite fancy. When the dish was served it looked great and tasted out of this world! One of the items in that dish was slices of Tofu. It was so flavorful and delicious,  I cannot even describe! Looking at that dish, I realized that the trick for cooking Tofu and making it flavorful is marinating it right. Tofu is essentially bland with no particular taste. It is askin to an empty canvas. It imbibes the taste of whatever sauce that you put it in. This gave me a renewed determination to try Tofu again!

 I marinated it in a spices honey barbecue sauce and grilled it in my grill pan over the stove top. The result was a delicious tofu steak that is super-flavorful and made a wonderful side for my meal! The best part is that there is not much prep involved and is super quick and easy to make! Perfect for a weeknight dinner. All you would need to do is at some point ( read previous night)  marinate the tofu steaks in the sauce and leave it in the fridge. Extra firm tofu works best for this recipe.

Servings: 6  ( One 1.5 cms thick steak per person)

Ingredients:

Organic Extra-firm Tofu : 1 package
Honey barbecue sauce: 1/4 cup ( any brand will do. ( I used some leftover gourmet honey BBQ sauce that I had).
Soy Sauce: 1 tbsp ( use gluten-free if gluten-intolerant ).
Sriracha sauce: 1 tsp ( you can use any hot sauce if you don't have Sriracha)
Olive oil: for greasing the grill pan.

Method:

Slice the tofu into 1.5 cms thick slices ( steaks). Keep aside.

Add honey barbecue sauce, soy sauce and Sriracha sauce to a bowl. Mix well.

Brush each tofu slice with the marinade and place in a bowl. 

Pour the remaining on top of it. Cover and keep in the refrigerator to marinate a minimum of 30 minutes.

Heat the grill pan on the stove stop on medium heat. Grease the pan using olive oil. When the pan is hot enough, place the tofu slices on the pan. Cook for 5 mins on low flame. Flip it over and cook for another 4-5 mins.

Serve hot with grilled vegetables, noodles or fried rice.

Enjoy! I am also bringing this to our friends at Throwback Thursday.

Cooking made easy:

As you can see, any combination of sauces with flavors that you desire could be used. I usually take a little bit of this and a little bit of that and see what comes out of it. If it is good, I share it with you all. You win some and you lose some. But you won't know until you have tried! Be creative!

Tip for healthy living:

Tofu is a great source of protein for vegetarians and vegans as it is one of those few foods that contains all eight essential amino acids. It is also an excellent source of iron and calcium and the minerals manganese, selenium and phosphorous.  It is also a good source of magnesium, copper, zinc and vitamin B1.  However, I personally prefer to use organic and non-genetically modified tofu.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofu
http://www.livestrong.com/article/378597-is-tofu-healthy-to-eat/
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/ingredient-focus-tofu

Food for thought:

Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them. Albert Einstein

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!