Yesterday could not have been a more gorgeous day here in Ohio! The weather is being nutty but I really cannot complain! Another thing that brightened my day? PEEPS Candy!! A coworker brought some in to share with us and I knew once I ate one, it would be all downhill from there. I know it’s either Love/Hate with those little bunnies o’ fluff and sugar but I LOVE them! After noshing on four, it was time to call it quits, I was beginning to go into a sugar coma. Delicious!
After work, Brandon and I made a dynamite dinner. Before I start in on our dinner though, I thought I would share my experiment with Kale Chips first. The prep is so so simple: clean the kale, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with a little salt, and bake 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees. Voila! Kale Chips. The taste test?? Not good. I’m not sure if I over cooked them or what but they were just not my “bag of chips.” The taste was okay but the texture was like eating ash. Anyone know how to make them better? I have ALOT of Kale leftover, so I’m hoping to use it in another recipe tonight. Sorry Roni, just didn’t get it right! But I still love your blog, Green Lite Bites!
So clean! I didn't even bother with an "after" picture.
Now to the Mushroom Almond Burgers (substituted almonds for pecans). Phenomenal! I was so thrilled!! They turned out to be perfect patties of goodness and even better? Brandon loved them!!! And he thought he would never eat tofu!
The recipe has lots of ingredients but it truly comes together quite quickly, so please don’t be intimidated. I thought they were a little daunting at first, but that’s why I experiment for you! It was all very easy and the end result was extremely appetizing! Oh! and don’t be scared off by the tofu because it honestly has no taste and adapts to whatever you are cooking it with. So it adds bulk and texture but the flavoring is left to the other ingredients. Plus, it’s a source of protein, iron, copper, and omega 3′s!. I topped my burger with some olive slices and we baked sweet potato fries as a side. Such a fantastic meal!
Last minute I realized the recipe called for cooked rice and I forgot to start it! Thank goodness I had some 10 minute boil in a bag rice! 10 minutes vs 45 minutes. Convenience saved me!
Ready to go into the saute pan! I like to prep my ingredients first so I'm not scrambling around.
The completed Mushroom Almond Burger: slice of American cheese and Olives! I also added ketchup and mustard.
We finished the night by taking a lovely stroll around the neighborhood. It’s becoming our nightly routine and I have to say that since I can’t formally exercise, light walking throughout the day is helping to keep my sanity! I don’t know about you but I just FEEL better when I keep active. Hoping my doctor appointment Friday afternoon will bring me some piece of mind with what the heck all this pain I’m having is! We got back just in time for LOST and then I was exhausted so called it a night!
Do you have any nightly routines that help you unwind for the evening??
Mushroom Almond Burgers
Adapted from MooseWood Restaurant’s Mushroom Pecan Burgers
Makes 9 servings (FYI: the original recipe says the recipe below makes 4-6 patties but after HALVING the recipe last night and getting 4 LARGE patties, I increased the number of servings for the whole recipe)
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
1 T Olive oil
1/2 tsp Oregano
1 T chopped fresh Parsley
4 cups finely chopped organic mini bellas
1/3 cup toasted, finely chopped almonds
2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 cup plain breadcrumbs (I could not find whole wheat!)
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup oats
1 T fresh dill
16 oz firm tofu
salt and pepper to taste (omitted)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.
Saute onions in olive oil until softened (~5 minutes). Add oregano and mushrooms. Cook ~ 5-10 minutes. Stir in parsley.
Spoon into a large mixing bowl and add nuts, soy sauce, breadcrumbs, rice, oats, and dill. Mash in tofu with your hands and form into 6 patties. (Add salt and pepper if you like).
Bake at 350 degrees for ~30 minutes.
Nutritional Profile per patty: 165 calories, 7.6 g fat (0.9g sat, 2.6g poly, 3.1g mono), 0mg cholesterol, 185 mg sodium, 23.5g carbohydrate, 3.4g Fiber, 10.4g protein, 1.7g sugars
Calcium: 29%
Iron: 13.2%
Selenium: 13.4%
