Mushroom Tofu Loaf

Mushroom Tofu Loaf

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3 1/2 Tbs chopped walnut or Brazil nuts
3 1/2 Tbs rolled oats
1/2 cup chestnut mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
17.5 oz firm tofu, pressed of excess water and crumbled
3 tablespoons arrowroot or cornflour
1/2 cup stale brown bread crumbs

In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally until soft and golden brown. Transfer to a bowl. Set aside
In the same pan, heat the remaining oil. Add the nuts, oats and mushroom. Saute for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are tender. Stir in a small amount of stock, turn up the heat and loosen stuck on bits. Add the remaining stock and cook for 10 minutes . Add the soy sauce, mustard, tomato paste, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Continue to cook until the mixture is thick. Add to the bowl with the onions and set aside. Season to taste.
Add the tofu and arrowroot or cornflour to a food processor; puree until smooth. Add to the onion mixture and blend in enough breadcrumbs to make a thick paste; mix well/ tip gently into a non-stick or lightly oiled loaf pan measuring 9 by 5 by 3 inches. Press down firmly to pack in the mixture into the pan. Bake for 40 minutes. For optimal result, let the loaf cool for an hour or two before slicing; or make a day ahead and reheat.

Dear Mr IHOP :)

Most of my readers will already have this link, but for those who don't....
Magical Loaf Studio. Enjoy :)

Loaded Nachos

The combination of black beans, salsa, and nonfat Greek yogurt makes this version of nachos a multicultural feast without the fat. Serves 4

4 ounces baked tortilla chips,
8 ounces ground MSF burger crumbles and sausage patties
¾ cup fat-free spicy black bean dip
Salt and black pepper
1 cup reduced-fat Mexican style four-cheese blend
1 cup store bought fresh salsa
2/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil, and spread the tortilla chips out on the prepared sheet.
3. Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the burger and cook it until it is just cooked through, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Stir the bean dip into the burger, and season it with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Spoon the burger mixture over the chips, and sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake for 6 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
5. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and top the chips with the salsa. Drop small spoonfuls of the yogurt on top of the nachos (or serve the yogurt on the side if preferred), and scatter the cilantro on top. Serve immediately.

Oat Nut Burgers

Got this recipe from a friend. When she makes them, I tell ya, I could eat the whole pan. They're delicious!!!

Ingredients

4 c. water
1/2 c. soy sauce (I use Bragg's Aminos...tastes the same but healthier)
1/3 c. canola oil (olive works well too)
1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts
1/4 c. nutritional yeast flakes
1 t. garlic powder
1 T. dried sweet basil
2 t. onion powder
1 t. Bakon seasoning
1 t. ground coriander
1 t. dried sage
4 c. rolled oats (the old fashioned kind...not instant)


Instructions

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients except oats in large pan. Stir and bring to a boil over med/low heat. Stir in rolled oats and remove from heat. Cover and set aside to cool. Make into 3 inch patties and bake for 15 minutes on each side on oiled baking sheets. May serve with mushroom soup gravy or spaghetti sauce topping.

Veggie Bierocks

I've been wanting to make these for a while now-- going to give it a go this weekend. Mine will be using pie dough instead of bread dough, and half of them will be using w shredded potatoes instead of cabbage. Posting the original recipe first, with my notes at the end :)




Bierocks

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup sugar
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs

1 pound MSF burger crumbles
2 small onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups chopped cabbage - quick trick: use bagged coleslaw mix!
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 TBS Worcestershire sauce - I'll be using concentrated vegetarian beef stock, less salt, same flavor!

In a large mixing bowl, place 1 3/4 cups flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Heat milk, water, and shortening to 120-130 degrees F. Pour over flour mixture; add the eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low until blended. Beat 3 additional minutes on high. Stir in the remaining flour; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl; cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, brown beef, onions, and garlic in a skillet. Add the cabbage, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper; cook until cabbage is wilted. Punch dough down; roll into twelve 6-inch squares. Top each square with 1/3 cup meat mixture. Fold into triangles. Pinch edges tightly to seal, and place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes: If you don't want to make the dough, try two tubes of Pillsbury Crusty French Bread unrolled, flattened, and divided each tube into 8 squares with a pizza cutter. (I like my bierocks in squares rather than rectangles.)

For the cabbage, I'm substituting most of one 14-ounce bag of shredded coleslaw mix. Put 1/4 cup of filling in each bierock before pinching the edges closed. You may have extra filling, which you may promptly devour by itself as the bierocks are baking.

Also, I'll be using pie crust instead of bread dough -- makes them a little lighter. If you're trying the potato version, add a bit of gravy to the filling to keep it moist. And don't forget, they're amazing w brown gravy over the top of the finished product. Enjoy! :)

Greek Burgers w Tzatziki

In the absence of vegetarian pastitsio (I haven't given up yet!), we've had Greek Meatloaf, Greek double baked lemon potatoes, lemon scallops, and Greek rice pudding straight from Papui. Why not add one more :) I LOVE Greek food!!

Greek Turkey Burgers With Tzatziki Sauce
Start to Finish: 20 min
Ingredients

Tzatziki Sauce:

1 container (6 oz) plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup chopped cucumber
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill weed or 1 teaspoon dried dill
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Burgers:

1 lb your favorite turkey substitute. I'm trying MSF California Turkey Burgers this time, but I'm looking ahead to using leftover Thanksgiving Tofurkey. So Good!!!
1 cup crumbled feta cheese (4 oz)
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
4 whole wheat burger buns, split
1 medium tomato, thinly sliced

1. In small bowl, mix 1/2 cup yogurt and remaining sauce ingredients; refrigerate until serving.

2. Heat gas or charcoal grill. In medium bowl, mix all burger ingredients and remaining yogurt. Shape mixture into 4 patties, about 1/2 inch thick.

3. Place patties on grill over medium heat. Cover grill; cook 8 to 10 minutes, turning after 5 minutes, until thermometer inserted in center of patties reads 160°F. Place burgers in buns with tomato slices and sauce.

How-To Broil patties with tops about 6 inches from heat 4 minutes; turn patties. Cook 6 to 8 minutes longer or until meat thermometer inserted in center of patties reads 160°F.

Substitution Finely shredded Monterey Jack cheese can be substituted for the feta cheese.

Vegan potluck burgers

I always fuss over what to make for potluck. I'm gonna do a dessert for sure to satisy the potluck police, but also want to bring a main dish. I decided on burgers.... 3 diff kinds. I'm doing the touchdown burgers from last year's Super Bowl Party, Greek burgers (same idea just w feta and kalamata and oregano), and these. Something for everyone. I hope my newly vegan friend is there this week to enjoy these.



Vegan Lentil Walnut Burgers

2 cans drained lentils
1 c chopped walnuts
1/2 c mashed potatoes or 6 TBS instant potato flakes
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp mustard
12 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 c minced onion
1 c wheat germ
3/4 c soy milk
2 TBS EVOO S/P to taste

Mold and pat into hefty burgers. About 4 minutes each side in a HOT skillet.

Touchdown!

Very rarely do I use people as guinea pigs, but last night I felt fairly confident no one would die from flavor boredom :) Aaaaaand, we have a winner! I give you:

Superbowl Sliders

(Picture will be posted asap)

4 Boca Burgers, cooked (original flame-grilled)
6 Morningstar Farms Sausage Patties, cooked just under done
2 cups taco flavored cheese
4 pieces whole grain bread, broken up and crumbed
4 eggs
3 Tbs quick-mixing flour
1 med onion, chopped
1 can chopped green chiles
1/2 c butter or margarine

Dinner roll size buns
Guacamole
Fresh salsa
Cheese, if desired

Saute' onion and chiles in butter til tender. Meanwhile, microwave or cook sausages and burgers until just under done, then crumble roughly. In large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. (I used my hands. Easier.) Form large soup spoon size patties and fry til done on both sides, approximately 5-7 minutes.

Most people last night ate them with just a healthy slathering of guac across the inside of the bun. Not a guac fan? How about French onion sour cream instead?

I was also thinking how this would also be yummy as a meatloaf. Throw some taco sauce or salsa in the loaf pan and then pour the burger mix on top. Served with cheddar jalepeno mashed potatoes and fresh green chile and lime roasted corn on the cob... sounds delicious to me anyway.

Feedback is welcome and very much appreciated :)

Falafel Burgers

Falafel Burgers

• 2 (400g) cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 onion, chopped
• ¼ cup parsley
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• Olive oil for frying
• Bisquick or all purpose flour
• English Muffins/Italian crusty rolls
• Sour cream/Mayo

1. Put the first 5 items in a food processor and whiz to a chunky paste.
2. Mix with about a cup or more of bisquick and mould into burgers.
3. Fry for 2 minutes on each side
4. Top with sour cream and serve in a bun or pita