Recipe -- Homemade Veggie Burger Mix

Homemade Veggie Burger Mix (vegan)

Yummy homemade veggie burger mix that is hyper-packed with vitamins, can also be used as "ground" or rolled into sausage, etc. A great meat substitute. Very low calorie, low fat, no cholesterol, and high in potassium and protein.

Minutes to Prepare: 30

Minutes to Cook: 90

Number of Servings: 40, this makes a huge batch. Nutritional information based on an 8 oz. serving. Recipe can easily be cut in half or less for smaller batches.

Ingredients

Split Peas, 2.5 cup

Lentils, 2.5 cup

Barley, Quaker Quick, 1 cup

Brown Rice, long grain, 1 cup

Steel Cut Oats, dry, 3 cup

Oat Bran, .5 cup (remove)

Pumpkin Seeds, 2 cup

Beans, black, 1.5 cup

Black Olives, 10 jumbo

Mushrooms, fresh, 2 cup, pieces or slices

Scallions, raw, 1 cup, chopped

Garlic, 3 cloves

Baby Spinach (raw), 2 cup

Carrots, raw, .5 cup, chopped

Hot Pepper Sauce, 10 tsp

Curry powder, 5 tbsp

Chili powder, 1 tbsp

Basil, 2 tbsp

Paprika, 10 tbsp

Salt, 2 tbsp

Sweet peppers (bell), 1 cup, chopped

Directions

Quick-cook the split peas and lentils, and any other beans that are dry, in advance of adding other ingredients, with 5 tsp hot sauce, the salt, chili powder and curry powder. Allow beans to cook for 45-60 minutes, then add barley, rice, oat bran, and 2 cups of the oats. Cook an additional 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed. Mixture will be thick and sticky, be careful not to burn the bottom. It should have enough water to still bubble up water to the top and sides. While the beans are cooking, chop and roast the peppers and pumpkin seeds together, turning occasionally, no more than 90 minutes, approx. 300 degrees. When the bean mixture is cooked to just beyond al dente consistency, remove from heat and allow to cool. Combine the remaining ingredients in food processor and pulse down to a grainy paste, this will take multiple batches. Combine all ingredients together and mix well. Stir in the last 1 cup of dry oats at the end to help the mixture stiffen enough to form patties. Allow to stand until cool all the way through, then refrigerate overnight. Form patties, balls, crumble or any other way, wrap individually in plastic wrap, then package and freeze. 

Also find this recipe here at SparkRecipes.com : Homemade Veggie Burger Mix (vegan)

Day 6 and 7

Day 6. All of that, all good.

Day 7........

I want a f***ing omelette SO bad it's almost funny. Last day of the vegan fast....

UG. Being vegan is hard.

Like..... I had no problem staying on the diet, but I did feel deprived. Like, poor vegans. They're missing out. On cheese. And eggs. And Yogurt. Those are my 3.

Weighed in this AM at 228.8, so... what? I "gained" less than half a pound. Overall it means I dropped 5 lbs. in 7 days. No surprise, as I've been shitting like 8 times a day. Thank you fiber. However -- EXACTLY the point of the 7-day vegan fast.

Um, and being vegan is HARD. I'd think of or see some food that is "vegetarian" (ova-lacto) and be like, "Um, I want that. Mmmmm." And then, "Oh, f**k. It's not vegan." And then it was instantly off-limits, but I still was all, Damn. Thank God I'm not actually vegan.

OK, so the real, true, vegan report:

2 actual non-vegan slips: I ate some sherbet. Probably a cup. Ish. And at work I have put a splash of milk in my coffee a couple times a day, like a tablespoon or less. Not too bad.

Hm.

So. The real challenge is coming up. Re-incorporating dairy into my diet without going over on my fat intake........

Day 5 (yesterday)

Yesterday was Day 5.

No smoking, check.
Vegan diet, check.

I did not do any exercise yesterday. My whole body was sore, I figured I needed a day off.

I am starting to have a hard time with the vegan fast. No staying on the diet, I just really, really want some dairy. I'm having a hard time getting enough protein, which you get quite a bit of from cheese and yogurt. LOL -- I have one of those mixed veggie & cheddar "steamers" in the freezer and every time I open the door, I think, God, I want that.

Saturday. Saturday, I will go back to ova-lacto. And I'm gonna eat an egg. Mmmm.

Recipe -- Vegan Chili with "Veggie Ground Round" (TVP)

VEGAN CHILI WITH VEGGIE GROUND ROUND (TVP)

Vegan Chili With Veggie Ground Round (TVP)
A healthy, vegan chili made with TVP (textured vegetable protein)

Minutes to Prepare: 60
Minutes to Cook: 120
Number of Servings: 10

Ingredients

TVP Yves Veggie Ground Round, 1.5 cup
Onions, raw, 1 cup, chopped
Green Peppers (bell peppers), .5 cup, strips
Garlic, 1 clove
Red Ripe Tomatoes, 2 cup, chopped or sliced
Sweet Corn, Fresh, 1 cup
Mushrooms, fresh, .5 cup, pieces or slices
Carrots, raw, 1 cup, chopped
Spinach, fresh, 2 cup
Salt, 1 tbsp
Basil, 2 tbsp
Oregano, ground, 1 tbsp
Chili powder, 2 tbsp
Curry powder, 1 tbsp
Allspice, 1 tbsp
Paprika, 1 tbsp
Pepper, black, 1 tbsp
*Hot Sauce, Tapatio Salsa Picante, 10 tsp
Lentils, 1 cup
Barley, pearled, cooked, 1 cup
*Brown Rice, long grain, 1 cup
Beans, red kidney, 2 cup
Tomato Sauce, 3 cup
Water, tap, 5 cup (8 fl oz)
Brown Sugar, 2 tsp packed
Black Olives, 170 grams
Bouillon, Knorr Vegetable, 1/2 cube, 1 serving

This recipe can be adapted to use any vegetables you like, it is also a great way to use up leftovers. It is a little high in sodium, but chock full of nutrition and has almost no fat, and is cholesterol-free, a great source of dietary fiber and protein. It is a soup that can easily be served as a main course, or cut the serving size in half and use it as a side dish. Also can be added to tacos, burritos or wraps.

Directions

Quick boil the red beans, rinse and reserve.
Begin with slow cooker on high setting.
Cook onions, green peppers, and garlic until slightly browned and soft. Add half the hot sauce and the TVP and cook for 10 min., stirring occasionally.
Lower heat to medium, add all other ingredients, stir to combine, cover and allow to simmer 90-120 min.
Add water as needed to develop the thickness you prefer; I like a really chunky chili, so I keep the water to as absolute minimum -- enough that you can stir it, but only a minimum amount of standing water when it boils. Be careful not to burn the bottom.

Serving Size: Makes 10 2-cup servings

You can also find this recipe here, at my SparkPeople.com profile: Vegan Chili with Veggie Ground Round (TVP)

Day 2

Welcome to Day 2.
Weighed myself at 231.6, so I gained 0.8 lbs. which is negligible. Coming off a day of fasting., I'm surprised I didn't gain more.

Had NO problems whatsoever not smoking until the battery died in my rechargeable eCig. And I was supposed to go over to Lysa's house for our standing appointment, Sunday Happy Hour. And then I was all, Um, I can't hang. I gotta deal with this. So, I dashed off to the store and bought a disposable. I just knew -- we're gonna drink, I HAVE to smoke. So, I spent some moneny ($9) I didn't need to, but... then maybe I did need to.

Vegan Fast Day 2:

Just fine.
Breakfast: Vegan smoothie with 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk, 1/2 cup "green machine" fruit and veg green drink, 1/2 of banana, 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, 1 Granny smith apple, pureed.

Lunch: "Tofu Scramble" from work -- curry tofu, red and green peppers, onion, and I had them add sundried tomato, and put it in a spinach wrap, with 1/3 cup homefried potatoes on the side.

Dinner: Red and green bell peppers, broccoli, cucumber, white vinegar & table salt, hummus, wheat crackers, and fresh tomato.

"Snack": also drank 4 oz. Sauza tequila, 2 Corona and 1 tequila & ginger ale.

Not too bad. I went over about 110 calories overall, and I'm under on my protein by about 20 grams. Gotta find some more protein in my diet. But I knew I was gonna drink with Lysa so I budgeted. It's OK as long as I keep my protein high overall.

I'm finding (two days in with some time of preplanning...) that being vegan makes the protein intake harder. I'm not getting the protein I would normally be getting from dairy. Hm. With only 7 days on the vegan fast I'm not that worried about it, but if I were going to be vegan all the time it would be a concern. And it's worth looking into alternate high-protein sources.

Recipe: yummy vegan burger

Boca Burger with spinach and tomato
2 Boca burger
2 English muffins*, toasted
2 thick slices of fresh tomato
1/2 cup fresh spinach
1/2 cup onion
1/2 cup bell pepper
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms
1 tsp. salt
1 tbl. vegetable oil
1 tbl. hot sauce

Sautee onions, bell pepper and mushrooms with salt, oil and hot sauce. Grill Boca burgers in same pan. Pile on toasted English muffins and top with tomato and spinach.
*English muffins are not entirely vegan, as they may contain up to 2% buttermilk

614 cal / 83 g carbs / 18 g fat / 39 g protein