Quinoa Burgers/Nuggets {Vegetarian}

Quinoa Burgers

Original Recipe Found HERE

1 cup dry quinoa
3/4 cup shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese
1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese
1 cup carrot or zucchini, finely grated
2 green onions (including white parts), chopped
3 eggs
3 TBS flour
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
olive oil for frying/baking

For burgers:
whole wheat buns
fry sauce (mayo, ketchup and sometimes mustard - all to your own taste)
thinly sliced onion
thick sliced tomato
crisp lettuce leaves

1. Place quinoa in a bowl of cold water and let soak about 20 minutes and then rinse thoroughly. Bring 2 cups of salted water to boil, add quinoa and turn down heat to medium low. Cover and cook for 18-20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. While quinoa is soaking/cooking, prep. the carrots, green onions, and cheddar cheese.
3. Also combine flour, sugar and spices in a large bowl. Add the eggs, carrots and green onions and mix together well.
4. Once the quinoa is cooled add it to the mixture and using your hands fold the egg into the qunioa very well.
5. Add both cheeses and once again fold cheese throughout the quinoa/egg mix.

If pan frying:

1. Heat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat.
2. Take 1/4 - 1/3 measuring cup (depending on how big you want your burgers) and pack it full of the mixture. Drop mixture into the hot pan and then press the mixture into a burger patty with the back side of the measuring cup.
3. Cook low and slow on each side so it gets brown and crispy on the outside and done on the inside with out burning (this also helps when it comes to flipping).
*I cook one at a time but that's just because I have a really old electric stove top and only a small little pan to cook them in.

If baking:

1. Either rub pan with oil or non-stick spray OR use a Silpat (baking mat - I LOVE MINE!).
2. Form patties on pan and bake for 25 minutes at 400º flipping halfway through.

I made fry sauce and topped each burger with tomato, onion and lettuce. I served them with roasted cauliflower and a spring salad with hemp seeds and craisins. Yum and yum.

FOR NUGGETS:

1. Using non-stick spray or a Silpat baking mat, drop 1-2 TBS of mixture onto baking sheet. Press down and form little nuggets with your fingers. I fit about 12 on one baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes at 400º flipping halfway through.

I made a bunch of nuggets at this size. My 3 year old at 3 of them along with some roasted cauliflower and was filled up. I am going to freeze the rest for lazy dinner days :)

Kid Friendly {Vegan} Quesadilla's

And you will love these too!

I was in the middle of making dinner when my son asked me for a quesadilla. I'd only ever made him a quesadilla once and it was a while ago. He also sat in his chair for at least an hour not wanting to touch them, but the rule in my house is you sit there until you eat a fair amount of dinner. If you really don't like it you don't have to eat it all but you have to eat something and if you don't finish it - nothing else for the rest of the night. I'm a mean mom. After that time he picked it up and finished the whole thing and thought it was delicious but I was surprised he remembered how good they were rather than the fact that I made him sit there for an hour crying.

Anyway, I decided to make him a quesadilla since the dinner I was making would be a little hard for him to eat.

I came up with this filling and oh.my.gosh I wish I would have made these for my husband and I too! SO GOOD and very healthy. I seriously hoped my son wouldn't finish his dinner tonight.
OK, ready?

Kid Friendly {Vegan} Quesadillas

16 White corn tortillas (just use what you like - this is what I had on hand)
3/4 cup salty pinto beans, drained and pureed
3/4 cup brown lentils, drained
3 cups vegetable broth
salt, to taste
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 small yellow summer squash, finely diced

1. Rinse lentils, put them in a small pot with vegetable broth and salt to taste. Bring to a boil and then turn heat to low and simmer for 45 min to an hour. You want the lentils to be pretty soft.
2. In the meantime, add onion and squash to a hot pan. Fry them up until slightly browned and tender. Remove from pan and wipe it clean.
3. Then add pinto beans to food processor or blender and puree. Add lentils to the puree and pulse until combined.
4. Assemble quesadillas by spreading bean mixture onto one side of each tortilla. Spoon squash and onion mixture onto every other tortilla and then top it off with the left over tortillas. Really squish them together.
5. Use cooking spray or brush each tortilla with a little oil. Place each tortilla in a hot pan until browned on each side. Cut into quarters and ENJOY!

Kid Friendly Breakfast

(forgive this poor excuse of a picture)

Freddy loves eggs. He still asks for them in the mornings sometimes so the other morning I wanted to give him something that I felt good about but also something he would think was a treat. I started looking to see what I had and this is what I came up with.

Freeze Dried Apple Slices
Raisins
Sweet Cereal
Almond milk

You don't want to just fill up a bowl with sugar cereal and call it good. Choose a sweet cereal your kids like but that is still made with all whole grains and doesn't have sugar as the 2nd ingredient. I chose this CinnaSnap one and tossed a tiny bit of the cinnamon-y "snaps" into a bowl and added the dried apple slices and the raisins. I tossed them all up so that everything had a little bit of cinnamon coating and gave him a tall sippy cup full of ice cold almond milk to go with it. He thought he was getting a "nack" for breakfast. Snacks around here are a special treat, (since he has never been the best eater and I always try to feed him when I know for sure he's hungry). I know not all kids think of snacks as a treat but I think most kids like sweet dry cereal. Serve this with a piece of whole wheat toast with a little cinnamon sprinkle on top and your kids will love you!

(another bad picture - but he's very excited. I promise!)

*Dear Beloved Readers of The Vegetarian Tree,

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LOVE - Amy & Ronda*

Hemp Seeds

Hemp Seeds

(Not to be confused with Marijuana)

Hemp seeds are a new staple in our household. So is Almond Butter. You see, I'm trying really hard to incorporate as many raw things as possible into our daily diets. Raw almond butter is a super easy thing to replace peanut butter with. It tastes delicious, it is much more nutritious and it can be bought fresh from Whole Foods or made easily at home in your food processor (just process the nuts...that's all).

The hemp seed, like the chia seed, is a super food. In fact it has been said that The Hemp Seed is the most nutritionally complete food source in the world. The reason for this is that it is a perfect protein. It contains all of the essential amino acids our bodies need but cannot make. There is no other protein source that is so easily digestible. These seeds also have the perfect balance of Omega-3 and Omega-6. They are also a good source of Omega-9. These fatty acids are very important for good health but are not stored in the body so it is important to consume them on a regular basis (hemp seeds taste MUCH better than fish oil). Among all of this the hemp seed is a great source of FIBER and many vitamins and minerals including antioxidants (vitamins A, C and E).

I have been adding hemp seeds to just about anything and everything. They don't really have much of a taste (obviously a little nutty) and they have a silky smooth texture. I put them in oatmeal, in my yogurt with granola, on my salad...etc. But I think my favorite place to put them is in our almond butter and jelly sandwiches.

Get yourself some good soft whole wheat bread. Spread a healthy helping of Raw Almond Butter on one slice of bread. Sprinkle an enthusiastic helping of hemp seeds on top of that. Spread your favorite jelly on the other slice of bread and then gently squish those two pieces of bread together. ENJOY! You won't even know it - but you will be eating the most healthy and most delicious "peanut butter and jelly" sandwich EVER.

I feel so good about this quick easy lunch option for my two year old and guess what? He loves it too!

*Dear Beloved Readers of The Vegetarian Tree,

Did you like this post? Do you have a comment or question? Let us know! Comments help us know what you want to read about. Don't be shy, we want to hear from you! Also, if you like this post share it with your friends using the sharing toolbar at the bottom of the post!

LOVE - Amy & Ronda*