Spicy Black Bean Burgers, vegan

If you have read my blog, or if you know me in person, you are probably aware that I am battling hypertension (high blood pressure) and I have also moved towards a Meatless Monday meal plan. Although honestly the Meatless Monday is more like a Roving Veggie Day as it's not always on Monday. But at least one day a week, my diet is plant based, though I do still include dairy usually. 

Anyway, the doc said maybe 30% of my blood pressure issue is from my lifestyle--diet, exercise and stress namely. So I am attacking (or at least attempting) those head on. I already don't use salt when cooking, but I've been buying more prepared and processed foods lately, especially my veggie burgers. While the Morning Star Spicy Black Bean Burger is my fave and is loaded with protein, it also has 330 mg of sodium. So this week, I decided to make my own spicy black bean burgers with a mind for getting that sodium content in half (so 165 mg). It is definitely not under 165 mg, I think it is hovering near 200-250. Still not great, but better! And I think next time I'm going to leave out the soy sauce entirely and see what it tastes like. That would bring it down to less than 100 mg of sodium per burger! (this is me doing my math, certainly not certified or whatever. I'll do the breakdown shortly). Not to mention, they were so delicious, with ZERO preservatives, using REAL and FRESH produce (for the most part), and as an added bonus--they are kid approved! 

Read the labels.
Small changes add up!

I'll post the recipe but I want to be clear that I did NOT make this
recipe up, I got it from the following blog: The Savory Vegan (that link takes you directly to the recipe, I'll post my version below including modifications I did and will do next time). bon apetit!

Ingredients

1/2 yellow onion roughly chopped
4-6 cloves garlic roughly chopped
15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed*
1 cup quick cook oats
1/2 cup bread crumbs*
1-2 jalapenos diced
1/2 cup corn
2 tbsp spicy brown mustard
1 tbsp sriracha
1 tbsp cumin
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
1 tbsp chili powder
pinch of salt and pepper plus more for topping*
6 burger buns*
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS: lettuce tomato, onion, spinach, jalapeños, banana peppers, BBQ sauce, vegan ranch, etc.

* on the advice of a friend, I dried out the beans a little on low heat (225) in the oven. Another friend stopped over and I forgot the beans so they got too dry. Next time I'll set the time for maybe 10 minutes. I had to add more water back in. 

I used panko instead of bread crumbs as they're lower in both sodium and carbs

We don't eat burgers with buns, again sodium and carbs plus it takes away from the flavor in my opinion. 

I don't salt anything I cook. 

Step 1:

I saute'ed the onions and garlic in water, not butter (as per the recipe), I think next time I'll add some EVOO instead, the burger lacked any fat and EVOO is a "healthy" fat anyway. 

Step 1: 

Meanwhile mash up the beans (I think I'll mash them a little more next time). 

Step 3: 

Mix remaining ingredients in another bowl well (I think I'll give the oats a whirl in the blender next time for a smoother texture that holds together better). 

Step 4: 

Blend the onions/garlic in a blender. 

Step 5: 

Mix ALL ingredients together. 

Step 6: 

Pat out, the recipe says you can get six, but I got seven. My son and I ended up eating 1.5 each, topped with avocado slices and a side fruit salad. This filled us up thoroughly, but not so much we didn't have time for ice cream a little later, of course! 

Jazz Up Your Salad

In the past, when I heard the word salad I thought dull, boring, iceberg lettuce DROWNED in dressing maybe with a few slivers of carrot and radish. Toss on some Bacos Bacon Bits if I was really fantasizing. 

So it is easy to understand why salads were...unappealing to me. UNTIL I began to jazz them up! 

Now my regular salad ingredients include the usual suspects (mixed greens, carrots, tomato, bell pepper, etc.) along with:

Blueberries

Sliced strawberries

Apple pieces

Smoked salmon (OMG y'all, forreal!)

Smoked gouda cheese (see a theme?)

All kinds of nuts and seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, almond, walnut)

Cranberries (fresh or dried)

even certain flower petals (pansies, nasturtium, squash/zucchini) can be added! 

Since redefining what a salad can include, I really CRAVE them sometimes. I try to have at least 3-4 "colors" and 5 different ingredients in each of my salads. This ensure I have a variety of vitamins and nutritional intake as well as increasing my fiber intake. As I am approaching 40, I have been doing some research on the health benefits of proper fiber levels and they seem to be plentiful including lowered risk of heart disease, diabetes, and possibly some cancers, too!  An added bonus, because of all the delicious flavors, I usually only add less than 1 Tablespoon of salad dressing, reducing calories, fat, sugar and most importantly to me salt content! 

So what are your favorite salad additives? I am ready to jazz it up even more! 

Marathon Grade Stock

I think that perhaps I failed at my most recent attempt to train for and run a marathon because I relegated it to just that: Running a marathon. It's so much more. It's a way of life that merely includes running as a conduit to the rest.

It's about being a healthier, whole person.

I say this from a lazy position on my couch, covered in a warm & fuzzy blanket that I have NO idea where I got it. Oh, and turkey stock is simmering on the stove, now entering it's second hour. Both times I've been successful at a full marathon I approached it with all my might. I drank smoothies for dessert, I ran with other runners, I cross trained and stretched, I got into the zone and stayed there all 26.2 miles. This time, I did none of that with much commitment or determination. I just ran. And then I stopped.

So as most Americans (myself included) are still in a post-gluttony stupor, suffering from indigestion and lethargy might I broaden this blog to include how to be healthier so you can finish whatever marathons you may literally or metaphorically be facing?

My turkey stock recipe:
First enjoy as much meat from the turkey as you and your family can. THEN...

Scrape off any remaining meat you can, you can use this in sammiches, pot pie, stir fry or putting in turkey soup later.

Throw the bones, fat, juices, etc. into a BIG ol pot.
Cut up an onion (or two, whatever you have)
Put in a couple things of celery (be sure to keep the celery leaves on, they add so much pizazz!)
Slice up some garlic (I love garlic and it's REALLY good for you, so I add double what most people do, I use 4 cloves, NOT bulbs mind you)
couple shakes of peppercorn (if I had to guess, I'd say at least  teaspoon maybe a tablespoon?)
Three FRESH Bay leaves (the trick to good flavor from bay leaves lies in their freshness)
Chopped herbs which may include: cilantro, thyme, oregano (I avoid sage as I can my stock and sage does not can well)
10-14 cups of cold water.

Simmer on LOW heat for 3-4 hours. Let cool. Strain (I just put through my pasta strainer, some recipes call for expensive sieve things)). Let sit in fridge overnight. Skim fat. (sometimes I'll reheat, recool, reskim...depends on how low fat you want it). Be mindful the stock will congeal due to the natural bone simmering as opposed to the gross stuff from the store). Before I started canning, I would freeze in two cup amounts in zip lock bags. Lay them flat to freeze, then stack on top to conserve space. Now I can them at 10 lbs pressure for 75 minutes.

Voila, you have fresh, organic (if you choose), low fat and low sodium marathon-grade stock. I hope you enjoy! Remember...running a marathon is about WAY more than running...it's about completing a marathon. or at least that's my 26.2 cents worth and hey, that's about what the serving of stock cost too!