Favorite Veggie Burger

Now, don't get me wrong. I enjoy a boca burger now and then, but the best veggie burger my mom and I have ever had is at Honey Cafe in downtown Glen Ellyn. http://honeycafe.net/ I love this place, because of it's great atmosphere and delicious, locally grown food. Our rendition of the Honey veggie burger was not as good as the real thing, but it still tasted really good and I'd make it again.... so here goes!

Here are the ingredients we used:

2 Sweet Potatoes

1 Banana Squash

1 Zucchini 

1 Carrot

1 Tomato

3 Green Onions

 1/2 cup Breadcrumbs

1 Teaspoon Minced Garlic

Salt and Peppa

French's French Fried Onions (Very Important! :)

Wheat buns

Trader Joe's Sweet Potato Fries

3/4 cup Mayonaise

1 Teaspoon Harissa (Found at Mediterranean Oasis store)

2 Teaspoons Heinz Chili Sauce

Vegetable Oil

At Honey they have this 'Harissa Mayo' they serve on the burger and with the fries as a dipping sauce that is... amazing... but we have not been able to successfully recreate it (but we still like the version we made). Also, Harissa is somewhat hard to find, my mom found it at a Mediterranean grocery store.

Now, before you start, it is VERY important that you have a 1980's food processor. One from the 2000's just will not do.

First, peel the two sweet potatoes. Chop the sweet potatoes, squash, carrots and zucchini into 2 inch pieces and shred in the food processor. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, add in finely chopped green onions, minced garlic, salt and peppa. 

Now, add a few teaspoons of vegetable oil to a large pan on medium heat. Saute the vegetable mixture, mixing it periodically for about 6-7 minutes. Then allow the mixture to cool. 

Mix in the breadcrumbs, yo. Hand-pack the mixture into 4 large patties and carefully place onto a plate. Refrigerate for 1 hour to cool down the little babies and help them keep their form.

Now rinse out your large pan and add some mo' vegetable oil to it. Time to cook the burgers! Cook until each side is golden brown. Be careful when you flip them because they are very... mushy (for lack of a better word) and have trouble keeping their shape.

When they are done, they should look something like this...or else you really messed up. Just kidding.

To make the harissa mayo, simply mix the mayo, harissa and chili sauce in a small bowl. The sweet potato fries are easy to make- just follow the directions on the bag and bake for about 20 minutes. Toast the buns and place about a tablespoon of mayo on the top bun with a bunch of french fried onions. Place your burger on the other bun with a slice of tomato (if you like them).

Position the plate so that your food looks like a face (necessary step) and enjoy!

Simple Vegetarian Tacos

"How do you get your protein?" This is often the first question I am asked when someone finds out I am vegetarian. While my favorite protein-rich food is black beans, I also enjoy some of the 'fake meat' products that you can buy. Some of the ones I like are Boca Original Vegan burgers, Traders Joe's Meatless Meatballs and Smart Ground Original Veggie Protein Crumbles.

Smart Ground crumbles have the same appearance and texture as cooked ground beef and take on the taste of foods that are heavily spiced. I love them in tacos and chili. *They also have 12 g of protein per 1/3 cup serving*

Simple Vegetarian Tacos


Here is a list of the ingredients I used:

Trader Joe's Taco Shells
Smart Ground Original Veggie Protein Crumbles (located in the produce section at Jewel or Meijer)
Lawry's Taco Seasoning 
2/3 cup of Water
Small Velveeta Cheese + Can of Rotel
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheddar Cheese

I know Velveeta is not... real cheese and is terrible for you, but microwaving a small brick of Velveeta with 3/4 a can of drained Rotel is one of my guilty pleasures. And when it's only Tuesday and it feels like it needs to be Friday.. Bring on the Velveeta! I made this before the tacos so that I could snack on it with chips while the Smart Ground is cooking. :)

To cook the Smart Ground, pour about a tablespoon of vegetable oil into a large skillet and turn it up to medium heat. Pour the bag of veggie crumbles into the skillet, break it apart with a fork, and let it cook for 6-8 minutes until browned (it starts out brown so... more brown? haha), stirring occasionally. Once it's browned, add 2/3 cup of water and the Lawry's seasoning packet and mix thoroughly. That's it! Simple, no?

Now it's time to load up your tacos however you like! I like to load mine in the following order... sour cream at the bottom, then veggie crumbles, velveeta dip and cheddar cheese. Then I microwave them for 20 seconds to make the cheese melt and the hard shells a little chewy! (Rocket science, I know).