"Spicoli" Burgers

Recipe from eat, drink & be vegan by Dreena Burton.  wheat-free, gluten-free, oil-free option

These wholesome patties made with brown rice and hemp seeds are a little crisp on the outside, and soft and moist on the inside.  Serve on their own with a slurry of balsamic vinegar and flax oil, or inside pita bread with veggies and condiments.  

splash of water or 2 tsp olive oil

1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups onion, diced

1/8 tsp sea salt

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3/4 cup red bell pepper, diced

2 cups cooked short-grain brown rice (see note)

1 cup shelled hemp seed nuts 

2 medium cloves, garlic, quartered

2 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp tamari

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried sage leaves

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 cup cooked short-grain brown rice (see note)

1/4 cup millet flour or other whole-grain flour (to lightly dust patties)

smidgen olive oil (for pan-frying, or can bake in oven, see note)

In a non-stick pan on medium heat, add water/oil, onions, salt, and black pepper and sauté for 3–4 minutes until onions start to soften. Add bell peppers, and sauté for another 5–6 minutes, until onions are fully softened. In a food processor, combine 2 cups rice, hemp seeds, garlic, ketchup, tamari, mustard, oregano, thyme, sage, and salt and purée until fairly smooth, scraping down sides of bowl if needed. Transfer to a bowl and stir in remaining rice. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up. Remove from fridge and form patties with your hands. Place flour evenly on a plate and lightly dust both sides of each patty, shaking off excess. Wipe out same non-stick pan to lightly clean, then add a smidgen of oil over medium-high heat (see note for oven-baking).  Add patties, 3 or 4 at a time, and lightly flatten with a spatula. Cook for 6–9 minutes on each side, until golden and a crust has formed.  Makes 8-10 patties.

Note: You need 3 cups total cooked brown rice for this recipe. I like these patties tender, but you can make them firmer adding oats (regular or gluten-free) or breadcrumbs after chilling if you prefer.

Note:  I use very little oil to pan-fry these, just a wipe of oil on a non-stick skillet.  If you prefer to oven-bake, place patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 8-10 minutes on each side.  To brown a little more on the outside, set oven to broil for just a minute.

Note: Don’t know what to do with left- over cooked patties? Refrigerate for a sandwich filling; mash and stir in chopped fresh veggies and condiments to taste.

hippie haven highlights & hemp sauce

Well folks, I have returned from Tofino on Vancouver Island. 

It was an awesome vacation that was much needed, and I wish more than anything I was back there right now... listening to the ocean, walking in the rain, hiking through old-growth forests, laughing til my abs hurt with the fam, and drinking smoothies on the beach. Instead, I'm back here studying for midterms and worrying about trivial matters. 

Ah well. C'est la vie. 

I won't give you too many details about the trip because you probably don't care, but here's some highlights: saw a pet pig, watched a fire dancer, played hours of Settlers of Catan, laughed until we all cried, my brother bought me a vegan cinnamon from The Common Loaf, gave my mom a foot massage when she got poisoned by a sketchy calzone, hugged a lot of wise old trees, made delicious veggie meals every night, survived a wind storm, watched my brothers do dishes, visited the all-new vegan health food store/gallery and bought RAW JUNGLE PEANUTS! 

(Only in Tofino will some guy come to your door and say:

"Hey dudes, my buddy's a fire dancer if you wanna watch.")

A couple crazy things that happened - I saw a guy from one of my university classes at The Common Loaf! C'mon, what're the chances. 

Also, avocados are 5 for $5 at the Tofino Co-op!!! ARE YOU KIDDING? That's cheaper than here. How does that happen!?

My mom let me bring the Vita-Mix this year so I was able to make green smoothies every morning =)

The family had some too! You can see their fruit smoothies in the background. Mmm.

This smoothie was a bunch of dino kale, a banana, 1 cup of frozen blueberries, raspberries, peaches and water.

I also ate a lot of seaweed, since it's delicious and stuff... ya know. Plus, we're surrounded by it on the beach so how could I NOT? My brother said it looked like stained glass in the sun - I agree. It amazing how often I have the thought "Wow, I am eating art."

Tofino is such a great place. Everything is local, hand-made, organic and friendly - landscape included.

All the people are so chill, and predominantly hippies. So it's makes sense that the health food store is all vegan, and substantially raw. It's called Green Soul Organics, and they're expanding! This year they added a top floor, which is a total chill zone. It's got funky tunes, tons of old couches, vegan potlucks, 420 Sundays, and a gallery of what residents think "humanity" means to them. 

Yeah. I belong here. 

We bought prayer flags, raw jungle peanuts, and were GOING to buy glass straws; but they were too small for my thick smoothies. So we're gonna buy them online at Upaya. 

Besides our trip to town, we basically just relaxed in our cabin, visited beaches, and went on some hikes. 

Now, on to the stuff you're really interested in: food! While we were in Tofino, I brought along some killer hemp sauce, and used it to make some awesome raw veg wraps for dinner one night. The whole family liked them so I KNOW you will. 

And I have some special news! I am going to be featured in an E-Book! I will give you more details soon =) For now, just enjoy these wraps. 

NOTE: You can use this hemp sauce on ANYTHING. Dip, sauce, marinade, add more water and an avocado to make soup, use it on kale chips, and anything else you could possibly think of. Seriously. This is a go-to sauce. 

Hippie Hemp Sauce: makes about 1 1/2 cups or so

1/4 cup plus 2 Tb hemp seeds

3 Tb nutritional yeast

2 Tb miso

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 date (or 1 t honey, agave, or maple syrup)

1 Tb mustard 

2 Tb nut butter (or 3 Tb nuts)

2 Tb tamari

1/2 cup water

1/8 - 1/4 t chili powder/cayenne

2 t sun dried tomatoes (optional)  

1 t hot sauce (optional) 

Pinch salt & pepper

3 Tb black sesame seeds 

Blend all ingredients EXCEPT black sesame seeds together until smooth. Also, be sparing with the water; add it only as needed to get a creamy, saucy consistency... you can always add more. Then mix in sesame seeds with a spoon. They add nice contrast and texture. Taste it! Sooooo good, right?

Veggie Seaweed Wraps: serves... ?

Avocado

Corn

Bell Pepper

Mushrooms

Hippie Hemp Sauce

Nori Sheets

Chop all the produce and mix in enough hemp sauce to coat them all. Add salt & pep to taste. Wrap in seaweed. Enjoy! Best served by the ocean.

Hemp-anola

recipe modified from eat, drink & be vegan wheat-free, gluten-free option, soy-free 

3 cups rolled oats (use certified gluten-free for that option)
1 cup hemp seed nuts
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup almond slivers (or can use chopped almonds or other nuts, eg pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts (skins removed) or cashews)
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg or ground cardamom
1⁄4 tsp + 1/8 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
½ tsp blackstrap molasses
2/3 cup brown rice syrup
3-4 tbsp organic neutral-flavored oil (see note)
¾ - 1 cup raisins or chopped apricots (or other dried fruit)

Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, hemp seeds, coconut, almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, and stir until well combined. In another bowl, mix vanilla and molasses to thin out, then stir in brown rice syrup and oil. Add wet mixture to dry, stirring to combine well. Line a large-rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer to baking sheet and spread out evenly. Bake for 28–33 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure granola browns evenly. Remove from oven, stir in dried fruit, and let cool completely. Makes about 6 1/2 cups.

Notes:

1) You may use whole almonds, chopped, or other chopped nuts such as pecans, walnuts, or hazelnuts (skins removed).

2) For a lower fat version, you can reduce oil to 2-3 tbsp.

3) Try storing larger clusters of this cereal in bags or small containers for snacking on the go.