Homemade Veggie Patties

In my quest to go more vegetarian, I've tried different veggie burgers and loved some more than others. But one thing I didn't love was the cost! So I thought it'd be fun to try making my own.

I looked up some recipes online and launched my efforts from those ideas. Basically, you can use whatever ingredients you want and each time I make them, I throw in something different. They are packed full of protein vitamins, minerals and great nutrients! They may not be pretty but they're tasty and good for you!
Whatever spices and herbs you add give them yummy flavor. I like to serve mine with a little mayo that I've blended with a little chipotle in adobo sauce.

I didn't give you quantities of each but there should be about 1/4 as much bread crumbs as beans. the rest is done to your taste.
I make up a big batch and bake them on parchment or foil. When they cool I cut the paper/foil so that they stay separate and freeze them for future use.

Black bean Veggie Burgers by CJ 7-11

Black beans
Opt. White beans (sometimes I add some beans other than black)

Bread crumbs
Eggs, lightly beaten (1 per 2-3 cups of beans)
Onion
Garlic
Grated carrots
Sprouted wheat
Creamed corn (my hubby loves corn!)

Cilantro
Crimini mushrooms
Jalapeno
Zuccini

Salt & pepper
Cayenne pepper
Smokey paprika

Soak beans (and wheat) overnight/8 hours. Drain and cover beans again with water in pot or slow cooker and cook for 4 hours or until soft.
Put vegetables of choice into food processor or chop finely with a knife. Mix all ingredients together well in a large bowl.
Line baking sheet with parchment or foil. Shape patties and place on prepared sheets.

Bake at 300 F for 40 minutes
You can also bake them for only 30 minutes if you want to cook them on the grill for the additional few minutes.
Serve with Mayo & chipotle in adobo sauce or favorite condiments.

When the Moon hits your eye...that's amore´....

Sometimes you just gotta have a big pizza pie!

What a great vehicle for your favorite veggies, sauce and bread...well, okay I added a few slices of pepperoni to please my husband.

I started by making some homemade bread dough...but wait! Don't be held back if you're not into making bread. Just pick up some Rhodes dough and use it for your foundation. In fact, you can use the Rhodes rolls and make individual pizzas. Set out various toppings and let everyone build their own pizza. FUN! [Let's face it, not everyone is gonna love spinach, tomatoes and chopped basil under their layer of grated parmesan and mozzarella.]

When the dough is ready, just roll & stretch it out and place it on a baking sheet or pizza stone. For the sauce you can use any pasta sauce from a jar or can or make your own. I started by brushing on some of my herbed olive oil. Top with your favorite toppings and bake in a 450F oven for about 15-20 minutes and build a big salad while it's baking.

YUM!

WE had a few slices leftover so when my husband heated them up and ate them the next day for lunch he commented "that's good pizza!"

I say, "...that's amore´!"

Rawsome!

It has been a while since I posted on this blog, and here's why...

I found out (as a result of routine mammogram and subsequent testing) on May 12 this year that I had breast cancer. It wasn’t a huge shock because I have a family history on both sides of breast cancer. My sister had it at age 46 so I felt I dodged the bullet longer than she did.

A year or two ago my daughter told me about making green smoothies and about a blog greensmoothiegirl.com. She and her husband and 3 children have green smoothies at least once a day. [I've mentioned this in earlier posts on this blog]In the past I had shunned “smoothies” because I thought they usually used dairy in them and I have an allergy to dairy. She told me about using carrot juice and such so I gave it a try and liked it, but I had a pretty shallow understanding of the health benefits.

After my cancer diagnosis I started a journey of looking for natural treatment options to augment my fight with cancer. A friend I work with loaned me a copy of a Suzanne Somers book, Knockout which got me pretty worked up about the drug company and conventional medicine approach but it was just a beginning. I started reading The China Study which opened my eyes more to governmental controls on information about diet and cancer and the negative effect of animal protein. Next I reconnected with my “rawsome” friend and college roommate, Lynn, who has been eating 60% raw/whole foods for 25 years and looks and feels fabulous! She inspired me and connected me again with the green smoothie girl and with WISH (Women's International Summit on Health and Raw Divas) calls which has furthered my education and motivated me to start to make changes.

My choice/decision was to combine conventional treatment with natural.
I had lumpectomy surgery May 31 and have been eating more vegetarian and raw and exercising more. I was thrilled when the second oncologist I went to said I didn’t have to have chemo!!! It was an answer to many prayers!

On Monday I begin six and a half weeks of daily (5x/week) radiation therapy. But what I wanted most to share with you and some of you younger followers was something my radiology oncologist said to me when I told him I was combining natural diet and exercise changes to help prevent a recurrence of cancer. After his initial recoil at my statement. He told me that it could help improve my health but it wasn’t going to prevent me getting cancer again. He said that here in the US, if you don’t die of heart disease or an accident, you’ll most likely die of cancer and there is no avoiding it. Now I understand his bias and I may not agree with him but what he also said was that I’d have had to be eating like this (raw/vegetarian) my whole life for it to make a difference. He also said that if I taught my children to eat this way it could make a difference for them. Well, although I think it will still help me at my age, I’m glad he at least validated the teaching of young people how to eat healthy!
If we can spare our children and grandchildren the misery of cancer and prescribed treatments, then LET’S DO IT!

By the way, since I started making changes, and I’m talking baby steps, I’ve lost about 10 pounds and feel more optimistic and healthy. I'm a living testimonial to early detection so be sure to get your mammograms and do self-exams.

Start by adding a green smoothie or 1-2 fresh fruits, veggies and legumes to your diet everyday and cutting back on the amount of animal protein in your diet. Increase your exercise too. We can do it!

Sorry for making this so personal but I wanted to give you some background behind the direction I may be going with this blog.

Eat well and prosper!

A Choice diet

Well, my daughter does a better job at this than I so I thought I'd share the link to her blog with you!I'm sure those of you with young children can relate to it!
http://achoicediet.blogspot.com/

Sushi Sweet Sushi!

Before I get started on Sushi, I wanted to share a link with you Mom's out there. http://www.momsmenuplanner.com/ is a great resource for menu planning, recipes and shopping lists.

Now, back to Sushi like you've never seen it before Candy Sushi!. My first exposure to this was some time ago when Becca posted pictures on facebook of a candy sushi party she went to.
This week my sister was asking me for ideas for fun snacks for a Young Women event and I mentioned this idea. We looked up candy sushi on the internet and saw some pretty crazy fun creations! I think the creative aspect of this is even better than the sweetness of eating it. It's a great birthday party activity.

There are even some ideas from Rachel Ray, a video and ideas for kids if you google it. One site with several other links is http://www.notmartha.org/tomake/hostesssushi/ .

This is also a fun family activity! Check out this family's blog with pictures of their creations http://www.bufordfamily.com/sushi.php

Enjoy the sweetness without the fish ;)!
....and I didn't even mention CHOCOLATE Sushi......

The POWER of a worthy Nurturer

It's Mother's Day and many women, though celebrated and honored on this day, feel a bit unworthy. We can tend to undervalue our power as nurturers. I love the perspective and valuation given by Julie Beck, general Relief Society President....

Julie B. Beck wrote "True power is found in the hands of a worthy nurturer, especially at mealtimes...
“The Family: A Proclamation to the World” states, “Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.” A good nurturer carries power and influence. The Latin word nutrire, from which the English word nurture originates, means “to suckle or nourish,” or, in the full interpretation, “to feed, foster, care for, or rear.” True power is found in the hands of a worthy nurturer, especially at mealtimes."
"… As a young mother I did not fully understand my power as a nurturer. Though we were a busy family, I considered everyone’s presence at dinnertime nonnegotiable. It was our most consistent gathering time, and everyone planned to eat together before going on to other activities. I learned of the influence of my nurturing when our youngest daughter wrote in a college paper: “Dinner in our home was not just an eating ritual, but a special time for the family to communicate and to share our thoughts and stories of the day. … We often sat together for over an hour as we savored the conversation as much as the food.”
"I thought I was just cooking casseroles and soup. But I had created the venue, the reason to gather. Because I prepared a meal to share with my family, something special happened. It was a simple process, and our style changed with the ages of our children. When they were young we could discuss a picture from the Gospel Art Picture Kit or memorize a scripture. When they were older we asked more questions and shared experiences. Over the years our children grew and matured, and we loved each other."
"Mothers, who are “primarily responsible for the nurture of their children,” can be a powerful force for strengthening families when they use mealtimes to gather loved ones. They follow the example of the Savior to calm, teach, and help their families remember important things as they feed, cultivate, educate, and rear at the consecrated tables in their homes."“Powerful Nurturing,” Ensign, Dec 2005, 36–38

Family mealtime is an excellent outlet for nurturing power. Plug into your power by planning delicious, nutritious, fun and meaningful meals.
A fun tradition we've had in our family is the kids make and serve Mom a mother's day breakfast in bed. Sometimes this consisted of cold cereal and toast, other times more elaborate. They had fun doing it and got upset with me when I thwarted their plans by getting up before they did. It was a good way for them to express their love without having to spend any money. I was always pleased that they found their way around the kitchen enough to do it!

So power to the women/mothers of the world...plug in and light up the lives of your families with your nurturing!

Sweet is the...Tradition!

What are your family traditions? Do many of them center around food? It could be as simple as this...when I was pre-teen age, every Saturday night my Mom would make hamburgers. You could count on it.
There are many family food traditions I'd like to share on this blog but the one on my mind today revolves around General Conference. Twice a year our church convenes for a general conference broadcast over cable, satellite, internet around the world.It is a spiritual feast. One of the great things about it is that we can view it in our own home. [There are four hours on Saturday and four on Sunday and the men have two more hours Saturday evening.]
A tradition I've carried on from my Mom is that we have a big family breakfast meal to eat while we watch conference. Mom usually made "Cosby pancakes" which are basically crepes with brown sugar and orange juice squeezed from a wedge sprinkled over them. We called them Cosby pancakes because we had them for the first time when visiting the Cosby's in California. Here's the recipe.

Jackson/Williams Crepes AKA Cosby Pancakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or butter, melted)
Brown sugar and oranges

Beat eggs and milk together. Add flour, sugar, salt and beat until smooth…
Put a little veg oil in bottom of pan and spread around and heat the pan over medium heat. Pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup batter in bottom of pan and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Cook 1-2 minutes until you can flip it and it is lightly brown on that side. Cook just a bit longer so second side is lightly browned.
(butter optional)Sprinkle with brown sugar, then squeeze juice from a wedge of orange over all. Roll it up and enjoy!
Other fillings like fruit & whip cream or meat and veggies can be used.

I've added some of my own recipes to the menu like my husband's favorite- French Toast and mine, buttermilk scones.

Buttermilk Scones
3 cups flour
1/3 c. sugar
2.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. Soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter/margarine
1 cup buttermilk
Cut butter into flour mixture. Add buttermilk and stir to incorporate milk. Turn it onto floured surface and knead once or twice.
Divide and form into two balls. Flatten them, leaving them higher in the center. Slice each round into quarters/sixths like a pie.
Place pieces on cookie sheet. Bake @ 425 for 12 minutes.
Makes 8/12 scones. Serve with honey or jam. I often fold into the dough fresh berries or dried currants or cranberries.

In recent years for the Fall Saturday morning Conference session, my husband helps me peel apples( I know! Isn't it great?! He rarely helps in the kitchen except with dishes but since he grew up in Yakima and loves apple pie...). Then during the 2 hours break between sessions, I make and can apple pie filling. To keep the apples from browning after peeling, I put them in a big bowl filled with cold water with a tablespoon or two of salt in it.

APPLE PIE FILLING FOR CANNING
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup cornstarch
2 teas. cinnamon
1/4 teas. nutmeg
1 teas. salt
3 Tbs. lemon juice
2-3 drops yellow food coloring
8 lb. (3 different kinds is best) tart apples pared, cored & sliced
In large sauce pan combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir in 10 cups water: cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add lemon juice and food coloring. pack apple in to hot quart jars, leaving 1-inch head space. Fill with hot syrup, leaving 1/2 in head space. (use spatula to help distribute syrup) Adjust lids. Process in boiling water bath for 20 minutes. Make 6-8 quarts.
TO MAKE PIE:
Prepare pastry for a 2 crust 8 or 9 inch pie. Line pie plate with pastry: add 1 quart pie filling. Adjust top crust, cutting slits for steam to escape. Bake at 400 for 45-50 minutes.

This year I've added another recipe to my Conference menu, thanks to my friend Lynne McLean. They invited us over for Sunday afternoon session of conference. I made crepes and a fruit melange. Lynne showed me her mastery of Popovers and boy, were they gorgeous and yummy!She has blended a couple of recipes (family and professional)together to achieve greatness! It was such fun to work with her in her fabulous kitchen and create this delicious fare for our extended families.

Lynnie's Popovers
Preheat oven to 425
Place in a blender:
4 eggs
2 cups whole milk
1 1/4 cup sifted flour
3/4 tsp salt
butter, softened (Lynne puts out a whole pound of butter in a dish with pastry brush)

Preheat two 6-cup popover pans (or two 12-cup muffin tins)in the oven for 5 minutes, then quickly brush cups generously with butter. Fill each cup with batter. Bake 20 minutes.
DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR!
Reduce the heat to 350 and bake an additional 25 minutes until golden brown. (STILL NO PEEKING!) Remove from oven,. Let stand for 5 minutes. Turn out popovers and serve warm. They can be split down the middle and opened up to receive whatever topping is your favorite- syrup & butter, jam, fresh fruit & whip cream...DELICIOUS!
Of course these can also be served with a main course as more of a savory treat.

For Fun and to keep kids engaged, search for Conference Bingo online and print out cards for kids to find key words as they listen to the speakers.
http://lds.about.com/od/generalconferencegames/General_Conference_Activities_and_Games.htm

So think about it for the next few months and plan to establish (if you haven't already) a family Conference tradition of your own. Maybe invite another family to eat and view with you if you think it won't be too chaotic. Or consider getting some women together to prepare food while the men are at the Priesthood session and enjoy it when they get home.I remember when I was at BYU my sister-in-law Lynette invited all the women over while the men were at Priesthood session to make a big batch of holiday bread and form it into rolls & different shapes and adorn with various fruits and nuts.[I think Lynette had already made and risen the Basic dough]It is a recipe now yellowed and oil-stained that I often pull out and use during the holidays.My favorite is the braided bread.
Holiday Breads

Basic Roll Dough
2 cups scalded milk 6 eggs (lightly beaten)
1 cup sugar 1 cup warm water
2 cubes soft margarine 3 Tbsp. yeast
10 cups flour (approx) 1 tsp sugar
3/4 Tbsp. salt
Add milk to sugar & margarine. Beat eggs. Add yeast and 1 tsp sugar to warm water. When margarine & sugar are dissolved, add egg & dissolved yeast. Fill sifter with flour & salt. Beat enough flour into milk mixture until firm enough to knead. Knead enough flour in to make smooth soft dough. Put dough into greased bowl. Let rise till dough is double in bulk. Shape & let rise again.
Bake at 350 until golden brown.

Danish Rolls
Divide basic dough into 6 equal parts. Roll into rectangle shape. Spread 1 cup raisin filling on dough. Roll dough as for jelly roll. Form into circle on oiled pan. With scissors cut dough every 1 1/2 inches on outside of circle, cutting 3/4 way through. Turn pieces on side. Brush entire top with beaten egg then decorate with sliced almonds. Dribble icing over top after baked & cooled.
Raisin Filling for Danish Rolls
Cook together:
1 cup raisins 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups water 1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. vinegar
Mix together 1/4 cup water, 2 Tbsp. corn starch. Add to raisin mixture. Cook to thicken. Remove from heat, add 1 Tbsp. butter, 1/2 cup pecans, 1 tsp lemon flavoring, 1 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp nutmeg. Cool.

Onion Cheese Rolls
Basic dough
Use long finger-shaped pieces of dough. Tie into knot, tuck one end in top, other in bottom. Place on oiled pan. Brush with beaten egg. Top with chopped onion & shredded cheese. For plain hamburger roll, top with beaten egg & sesame or poppy seeds.
Use for sandwich or hamburger buns.

Orange Crescent Rolls
Basic dough
Shape into triangles. Spread with melted butter, then sprinkle with cinnamon & grated orange peel. Roll into crescent shape. Brush with beaten egg. Bake. Ice with orange icing.
Orange Icing
Powdered sugar
Canned milk
1 tsp vanilla
grated orange/orange flavoring
Make thin icing & ice rolls when cool

Braided Bread
Make Basic dough. Shape dough into 16 inch long ropes about 1 1/2 inch diameter . Braid ropes like you do hair, then pressing together & tucking under the ends. Let rise & bake at 350F until brown.
Ice and decorate.

I make several of these up and give them as gifts in December.