04.10.15 DECONSTRUCTING DINNER

When I'm out of ideas for dinner, I like to pick apart some standard meals to figure out what specific ingredients I feel like eating. Then when I catch on something I love, say, sweet potatoes, I start to think up all the things that go well with sweet potatoes.

Sometimes I don't piece back the ingredients into a blended meal. In fact, I love to leave the meal deconstructed. Each ingredient stands alone. It is perfect just the way it is. And I'm not by myself in this, the explosion of the "lunch bowl" concept proves that!

Next time you are looking for dinner inspiration, try it yourself! There are tonnes of lunch bowl variations if you decide to google it. I've seen some good ones on the Oh She Glows website like this one (what an appetite!) and this one (inspired my dinner tonight). Make sure your meal is a well balanced blend of food groups to maximize nutrition. It's super easy, and trust me - you'll love it!

Meal pictured above: roasted cauliflower, roasted sweet potatoes, hummus, naan bread, quinoa and asparagus.

02.26.15 RECIPE TESTING: VEGGIE BURGERS

Veggie burgers. Last weekend I explored the territory of making my own. I googled a recipe and found this simple one from the blog She Likes Food: Smokey sweet potato, black bean & brown rice veggie burger.

Here is the recipe for your quick reference:

Ingredients for the patty:

1 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup cooked brown rice

3 cups roasted sweet potatoes, see recipe below

2 tablespoons chopped red onion

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

¼ teaspoon paprika

Ingredients for Roasted Sweet Potatoes:

3 cups diced sweet potatoes

1 teaspoon olive oil

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Directions:

"Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F. On a large sheet pan, place the diced sweet potatoes, olive oil, and all the spices. Toss until sweet potatoes are coated and place into the pre-heated oven. Roast for about 25 minutes, flipping once, or until sweet potatoes are fork tender. Let cool for a few minutes.

Place all of the veggie burger ingredients into a food processor and process for about 10 - 20 seconds until everything is mixed together but still has some texture to it. Form patties (you should get about 6 of them depending on the size you make) and place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.

Heat a large pan over medium heat and coat the bottom with a thin layer of olive oil. Place burgers in the hot pan and cook for about 10 minutes, flipping once, until burgers are heated through.

If grilling the burgers, grill over medium heat and rub a little bit of olive oil on the grill to ensure that the burgers don't stick. "

- She Likes Food blog

I made a few of my own modifications. I didn't add onions, reduced amount of beans, omitted smoked paprika and cilantro, and didn't use a food processor. But they still turned out fab! I found that they broke apart a little bit, but I think that was maybe because a) didn't use a food processor, and b) didn't let them sit in the fridge like I should have...

But the flavour? Totally bang-on. I definitely recommend this recipe. Now I shall return to the She Likes Food blog and continue to go through their mouthwatering food recipes.

Do you like veggie burgers? Or are you a beef-burger-lover through and through?