Watercourse Foods Tempeh Burger

This isn't the first time I've linked to Watercourse Foods in Denver, CO. I have only been there once, but I am now making it my personal mission to visit every time I visit Denver!

I did not try the veggie burger when I went, but I have heard raves about it. Their recipe has now been published, and since my wonderful husband loves veggie burgers, I thought I'd test it out. I took some liberties with the recipe*, and the burgers came out a little dry. Other than that, they were super tasty, and these sweet potato fries were the perfect accompaniment! There was a lot of prep work, but my food chopper gets the job done (or if you have a nice sous chef, that works also).

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Macintosh Apple Chick'n Sandwich

My husband and I recently ate here, and absolutely fell in love. At first glance, the menu was nothing special for a vegetarian; they only had the obligatory veggie burger. When we looked a little more, we realized that everything can be made vegetarian (turns out, one of the owners is a vegetarian)!! So if you are ever in Winston-Salem, I highly suggest checking out Finnigan's Wake.

At lunch, I had the Granny Smith Chicken Sandwich, and they subbed the chicken breast for a Quorn naked Chik'n Cutlet. Of course, I wanted to recreate this sandwich when I returned home, and recreate I did! And I LOVED the result! This will probably be my staple lunch sandwich for quite a while.  The cheddar cheese goes great with the apple slices, and the honey mustard adds the tanginess that every sandwich needs. These cutlets can be a bit dry, so the sauce helps a lot with that, also.

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Pantry Challenge Day 3 - Chick-pea salad pitas

Obviously I wouldn't cook something that I didn't think would turn out good. I was interested in how these would turn out, but I was blown away when they ended up being AH-MAZING. I wish I had about 3 more cans of chickpeas so I could eat these every day! The carrots and onions give it that kick and crunch, though I do wish I had some celery to chop up in there. If you so desire, add a bit of relish to the recipe (I strongly dislike pickles and relish). A potato masher worked well for the smashing, if you're making a large batch (which you should) a blender or food processor on a pulse setting might be better.

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas
1/3 cup fat free mayo (or vegan mayo)
3 tbsp fat free ranch dressing
1/4 cup matchstick carrots (mine were quite long so I broke them into smaller pieces by hand)
scant 1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 tsp thyme
several shakes of garlic and onion powder
about 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
a few pinches of salt (to taste)

1. (This is easy) Mash everything up in a bowl. Taste to make sure you like the flavor combo. Spoon into a pita pocket and enjoy!! If you have some lettuce or tomato to put in the pocket as well you should definitely go for it!

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Seitanic Sandwiches

Truly one of my favorite recipes.

These sandwiches are a must for any vegetarian - or for that matter, any non-vegetarian who wants a healthier alternative to steak and cheese. EJ and have them about once a week - sometimes more. They are very tasty and very easy to put together. Seitain is extremely versatile and uber healthy. This is super low fat and simply packed with protein. It is made from wheat gluten protein. Youo can buy seitain pre-packaged (I get mine at New Leaf), or you can make it. I've done both, and its just easier to buy it, but making your own does have advantages (you can flavor it yourself - packaged seitan has no flavor).

Ingredients:
1 package seitain
1 green bell pepper (sliced or diced)
1/2 a white onion (sliced or diced)
2 sub rolls (some weird people call them hoagie buns)
2 tbsp vegan worchestershire sauce (or any steak sauce)
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp soy sauce
a drop of two of liquid smoke
a couple of shakes of garlic and onion powder
shredded cheddar cheese (or whatever you like in your steak and cheese sandiwches!)

Have oven preheated to 350.

1. Saute the peppers and onions in a non stick pan with a little cooking oil for about 304 minutes, or until slightly tender.

2. Add sliced seitan.

3. Add all other ingredients. Saute until everything is hot and peppers and onions are tender.

4. Lay out sub rolls on a baking sheet. Top with desired amount of seitain mixture and add shredded cheese.

5. Put in oven for about 5 minutes, or until bread is lightly crispy and cheese is melted.

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Apricot and Brie Sandwiches

These sandwiches are simple, yet still have an elegant feel to them. They would be a nice addition to a picnic platter, or could be served as an hors d'oeuvre at a dinner party (here's the thought - slice them into bite size pieces and spear them with a toothpick).

APRICOT AND BRIE SANDWICHES

Ingredients:

Ciabatta bread
Apricot preserves
Pecans (roasted)
Brie, sliced

1. Assemble sandwich. Gaze at it longingly. Take first bite. Be surprised and pleased.

E.J.'s Favorite Sandwich

Really, he loves it. I love it because its flavorful and super easy.

Ingredients:

ciabatta bread
1-2 squash (cut in half then sliced lengthwise)
1-2 zucchini (cut in half then sliced lengthwise)
fresh spinach, a handful
fresh mozzarella
pesto
garlic powder (sprinkle)
onion powder (sprinkle)
salt, pepper, to taste
olive oil

1. Roast the vegetables. There are a couple of ways to do this. The easiest thing is to put them on a cookie sheet with a little spray oil (very little, but make sure they won't stick to the pan). Sprinkle with the spices to taste. A very light sprinkle will do. Roast them in the oven at 350 degrees for ~10 minutes. You could also grill the vegetables. I saute them in a cast iron skillet that has grooves like a grill. Whichever method you choose, be sure to not cook them too long, because they can get soggy. The goal is to have them soft, but not too soft.

Also, don't feel limited to only using squash and zucchini. Mushrooms, eggplant, carrots and other squashes would all be great in this sandwich.

2. Sandwich assembly. Spread a light layer of pesto on each slice of bread. Layer the zucchini and squash, add some fresh spinach and a few slices of fresh mozzarella. Any cheese will do, but I think the fresh mozzarella really brings the sandwich together.

3. Wrap each sandwich in tin foil. Stick them in the onion (hot from roasting the veggies) for about 10 minutes. Unwrap the tin foil (its not hot) and serve hot. The cheese will be all melty and the bread warm. Mmmmmm......

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