I definitely watched this film too young in my life. My father, who does not like cartoons but likes John Travolta, rented this film not knowing much about it. Travolta had been in films we watched as a family like Grease and Saturday Night Fever so my father figured it would have the same kind of tone. My step brothers and sister all sat down to watch it one Sunday night, popcorn bowls ready, and we were all taken a little by surprise. My father eventually stopped the movie but not right away. Watching Uma Thurman snort heroine was fairly terrifying but I was spared any details about the film’s later plot line until I was older. Pulp Fiction stayed with me for a long while after that, mostly because when I told my friends I watched it, I became instantly cooler.  I was always curious about the infamous Big Kahuna burger. It looked pretty basic: thin beef patty, melted cheese, and ketchup but Samuel L Jackson seemed to really enjoy it, you know, before killing that guy who will remain nameless for the sake of spoilers. While Tarantino’s movies aren’t appropriate for 9 year old, I do appreciate the story lines as an adult.  This burger is unlike the Big Kahuna burger since it is not from a Hawaiian burger join, is vegan, and is fully loaded with veggies but you can do the Samuel L Jackson impression when you take your first bite.

Who’s a bad motherf**ker? 

Huge thanks to Laura Wright from The First Mess who allowed me to adapted her recipe, “the veggie burger of my dreams,” for this post. It is now the veggie burger of my dreams too. 

7 recipes down, 23 more to go! See you tomorrow for Day 8: Reach out! Make a new vegan friend & tell us about it. Missed Day 6? Check it out here.

Stay connected on the daily by following me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.  Made this recipe? I would love to see it! Use the hashtag #screcipe on your social media. 

P.S. I know this recipe is more than 12 ingredients but the ingredients are not only important for the flavour but also the structure and texture of the burger. I do not recommending skipping ingredients. 

Food Favs of Week 1 of Vegan MoFo:

Marinated Eggpland Sandwich {Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day} by Seitan is my Motor

Quick and Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge by Spabettie

Salted Caramel Ginger Kombucha Floats by Ichiban Vegan

Kimchi ‘Bella Burgers’ by Plant Crush

The Big Kahuna Burger: Vegan

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

8 mins

Total time

28 mins

 

This recipe is inspired by Pulp Fiction's The Big Kahuna Burger. It is vegan, loaded with veggies, and protein-packed. Serve with your favourite burger fixings! This burger do not do well on the grill so it is best to cook them in a sauté pan. This recipe is adapted from The First Mess "veggie burger of my dreams"

Author: Jessica DeMarra

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: vegan

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked brown basmati rice
• ¼ cup raw cashews
• ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
• ¾ cup roughly chopped red onion
• ½ cup grated sweet potato (peel first then grate)
• ¾ cup roughly chopped tempeh
• 1½ tbsp tamari soy sauce or low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp GF flour blend* or all purpose flour
• 2 tsp organic arrowroot powder
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• ½ tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
• 1 teaspoon sumac
• ¼ - ½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1-2 tbsp water
• Pepper, to taste
• Oil, to cook
• 
  Burger Fixings:
• Lettuce
• Pea shoots
• Avocado
• Thick slices of tomato
• Thin slices of red onion
• Sriracha
• Eggless Mayo
• Spicy Burger Sauce: 1 tablespoon eggless mayo + ½ tablespoon ketchup + fat pinch of ancho chili powder, all mixed together

Instructions

1. Combine brown rice with 2½ cups of water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add a pinch of salt. Bring this mix to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes. The rice will still be chewy. Transfer the chewy rice into a large bowl and set aside to cool.
2. In a food processor, combine the cashews, sunflower seeds, chopped onion, sweet potato, and tempeh. Pulse the mixture until it is cohesive and well combined. Transfer the tempeh/veg mixture into the large bowl with the rice.
3. Add all of the remaining ingredients to the bowl except for the water. Stir the ingredients together until thoroughly combined. The mixture should hold together when you pinch it with your fingers. If it is not binding properly, add 1-2 tablespoons of water, mix again, and pinch the mixture again.
4. Form 6 large or 8 smaller patties with your hands and place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and set them in the fridge for one hour. If you wanted to freeze them, line them up on a baking sheet and freeze for about an hour. Wrap the frozen burgers individually and place them in a Ziploc bag for later use.
5. To Cook:
6. Heat 3 teaspoons of coconut oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan. Gently transfer 2-3 patties to the pan and cook until golden on the bottom, about 3-4 minutes. Flip the patties over and cook until golden on the other side, another 3 minutes.
7. Repeat with remaining patties, adding a little more oil with every batch.
8. Keep the cooked ones warm on a baking sheet in your oven set at 200 degrees.
9. Serve the hot veggie patties with whichever burger fixings you like. Enjoy!

Notes

* I used Bob Mill's 1:1 GF Flour Blend

3.3.3077

The post Day 7 Vegan MoFo: The Big Kahuna Burger appeared first on Sprouts & Chocolate.

Recently, I read this article called Dear Polly: “Why is everyone succeeding but me?” in NY Magazine and it hit the nail right on the head.

I have always felt that someone I know is always one step ahead of me or if I started something after me, they instantly became a pro at it while I struggled in the background. I know this all sounds so whiny but bear with me here. The person that wrote in to Dear Polly could have been me. It wasn’t but the things they wrote about easily apply to my life, especially about setting goals. I think it is great to have goals, something to aspire to. However, setting mini-goals like “I am going to go for a run everyday” or “I am going to start eating super healthy….tomorrow,” are the kind of goals I seem to make to distract myself from pursuing real life changing goals. Mini goals should be tools to pursuing your main goal, not crutches or distractions. 

I admit, I am terrified of pursuing these things out of fear of rejection and feeling unqualified or inadequate. It is easy get sucked into the trap of feeling comfortable, and that is where I am at. The restlessness I feel about not pursuing what I want is now too much to handle. Setting these mini-goals is great but what is it going to do for you long term? Is it distracting you from pursuing other things?

“It takes a lot of stops and starts to figure out what you’re really committed to and what you really love enough to work hard on without much reward in sight,” -Quoted from Dear Polly. 

I have had a lot of stops and starts in my life to figure out what I want to do and I still haven’t figured out all of them but that is ok. It means I started at all but I haven’t started those life changing ones- not yet anyways. I am giving myself this month to make the arrangements I need to make before starting my life changing goals. I need to write some emails, make some phone calls, polish up some documents, and then start. This is not another distraction but required steps I need to make in order to pursue what I want. I am tired of waiting for things to happen, I need to make them happen for myself. I have to stop comparing my journey to other people’s successes.

Comparative anxiety is so real to me and it makes me feel like trying new things isn’t always worth it since there are so many people who are so much better at the things I want to pursue. This is just that little voice telling me I am not good at anything, like somehow experts weren’t once beginners.

I hope you find the NY Magazine article inspiring or at least, comforting to know that others do not always feel successful. Ask yourself what you want to do. What is your main goal? What thoughtful steps can you take to pursue them?

5 recipes down, 25 more to go! See you tomorrow for Day 6: Recreation of a Restaurant Meal. Missed Day 4? Check it out here.

Stay connected on the daily by following me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.  Made this recipe? I would love to see it! Use the hashtag #screcipe on your social media. 

Sweet Potato Sandwich w/ Sumac Miso Mayo

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Vegan MoFo Day 4: Sweet Potato Sandwich with Sumac Miso Mayo. A vegan sandwich does not have to suck. Sweet potatoes dressed with salty and earthy mayo.

Author: Jessica DeMarra

Recipe type: Sandwich

Cuisine: Vegan

Serves: 3

Ingredients

• For the Sweet Potatoes:
• 1 medium sweet potato
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon sumac
• For the Sumac-Miso Mayo:
• 3 tablespoons vegan mayo
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon white miso
• ½ teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil
• ¼ teaspoon sumac
• Sandwich Toppings:
• 6 slices of your choice of bread
• Tomatoes, sliced
• Avocado
• Pea shoots
• Lettuce
• Sriracha

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Slice the sweet potatoes into about ½ inch coins with the skins left in tact. In a bowl, toss the sweet potato coins with oil, salt, and sumac. Bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through cooking time. The potatoes should be soft but have some brown spots.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the mayo. In a small dish, add all the ingredients for the mayo and mix well until fully incorporated.
4. Spread the mayo onto the top slice of your bread of choice, I used grape spelt bread but sourdough would be good. Add sweet potatoes to the bottom slice and pile on your additional toppings. I used pea shoots and tomatoes.

3.3.3077

The post Vegan MoFo Day 5: Sweet Potato Sandwich w/ Sumac Miso Mayo appeared first on Sprouts & Chocolate.

My potted plants could have waited and I did not need those groceries right that second. I needed to take care of my body since it was in need of some rest and repair. I would have scolded a friend if she told me that she had surgery one day and ran errands like a crazy person the next day. Why was it so easy to let myself do these things?

Now, I am fully recovered from my surgery and back to my routine but with a little more balance. There are two important things I have learned from this experience: I do not need to do everything in a day and I do not need to do it alone. Will I survive if I didn’t accomplish X amount of things on my list? Yes. Would it be an epic failure on my part if someone helped me out? Not even a little. Over the next few days of recovery, Mark was helpful with things around the house that I committed to do exclusively myself over the past three years. I had rejected his help in the past. He also helped ensure I stayed in bed by bringing me tea, watching some Brooklyn Nine-Nine together and he took my glasses off my face when I fell asleep reading. Sure, it isn’t the stuff of a paperback romance novel but it was romantic to me. Along with the importance of balance, I realized that romance did not have to be grand gestures but the sweet little things that someone does for you to make your life better. Thank you Mark xoxo.

Stay connected on the daily by following me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! 

P.S. Though I am behind from the surgery, the eBook is scheduled to come out on Thursday, July 16th and it is FREE to any subscriber! Subscribe by adding your email address to the right side bar and click subscribe!

P.P.S I used my Maple Sriracha Tempeh Bacon recipe for this one as well. If you like, add a few dashes of liquid smoke to the marinade for a really bacon-y flavour. 

BLT + Potato Chip Salad {Vegan & Gluten-Free}

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

This dish reminds me on a super healthy version of the classic deli style meal of a BLT served with potato chips. Turns out potato chips in a sandwich are totally boss but totally terrible for you. Put it on a salad. Vegan and gluten free.

Author: Jessica DeMarra

Recipe type: vegan, gluten free

Ingredients

• 1 batch Maple Sriracha Tempeh Bacon + a few dashes of liquid smoke (optional)
• 1 sweet potato, unpeeled
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• ½ pint of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• ½ ripe avocado, pitted and sliced thin
• Greens of your choice, I used baby spinach but romaine would be good too
• Creamy Garlic Dressing:
• ¼ cup eggless mayo (I used Follow Your Heart Brand)
• 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 small garlic cloves, grated fine through a microplane
• A few cracks of black pepper
• Finely chopped chives, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. While the oven is preheating, marinate the tempeh, flipping once. Slice the unpeeled sweet potatoes very thin; I used a mandolin. Toss the sweet potatoes chips with oil + salt. Transfer to the baking sheet and line in a single layer. Transfer the marinated tempeh to the other baking sheet.
2. Bake chips and tempeh for 17-20 minutes, turning halfway. If the chips or tempeh look too dark, remove from the oven; the chips will further crisp up as they cool to room temperature. While the chips and tempeh are cooking, prepare the dressing.
3. Add all the ingredients to a large measuring cup or bowl and whisk until fully combined and smooth.
4. Divide the tomatoes, avocado and greens amongst your serving dishes. Top with chips and tempeh. Drizzle with Creamy Garlic dressing and sprinkle with chives. Serve!
5. Any leftover tempeh bacon can be stored for about 5 days in the fridge.

3.3.3077

The post BLT + Potato Chip Salad {Vegan & Gluten-Free} appeared first on Sprouts & Chocolate.

Now before my American readers get offended, it isn’t because I am a Canadian snob or dislike the U.S. but I genuinely believed that as a vegan I would starve. Seriously….

My fear of hunger drove my belief that I would never travel to the deep south of the United States.

I have always had a romantic ideology of the South: the dirt roads, pickup trucks, cowboy hats, beating the midday heat on a porch swing with a cold glass of lemonade, sun-kissed skin and in particular: the accents. I have the weirdest obsession with a good Southern drawl, when words just hang in the air to dry and time moves just a little bit slower. Less romantic note: sometimes when I maybe am drinking that red wine I pretend to have a Southern accent and in my head I am really good at it. Also I may have had a crush on one particular eyeglass wearing legitimate cowboy that I served once at the restaurant I work at but that is a different story.

Why all this talk about the South? Because on May 29 I am headed to Austin, Texas for Vida Vegan Con! I surprised myself when I hit the confirm button on my ticket and flight but the more I think about it, the happier I get about my decision. It is wild to think I will be meeting fellow vegan bloggers in person, going to seminars and demos and if the authors don’t find it super lame, getting my cookbooks signed. How heavy can my carry-on be anyways?

Turns out Austin, Texas is one of the most vegan/vegetarian friendly cities in the U.S. and I plan to eat my fill. I love going to a new place for the learning experience and making connections but mostly its an excuse to eat more than I normally would. Apparently tacos are a really big deal there, especially when served out of a restaurant trailer so I plan to eat a lot of tacos sitting on a blazing hot sidewalk. Please forgive me in advance for my possibly very sweaty, taco-eating selfies on Instagram while I am there. It will be ugly.

During all this excitement of booking my travels, I wanted a dish that was Texas-inspired. This is probably not on any menu of any restaurant in Texas but it is pretty darn good. I was experimenting with a nut-free nacho cheese on Instagram a while back and people were thrilled with the idea! On my account, I drizzled (more like globbed) the sauce onto a big pile of cumin-roasted potatoes and they were delicious however I wanted to lighten things up a little. I decided it needed more greens and a lot more protein to make this meal more balanced than a big pile of potatoes. It may seem crazy, it may seem wild but I just went for it- why didn’t I use the nacho cheese sauce as a salad dressing? Say what?? Oh yes, I went there. I drizzled it on my barbeque baked tempeh, roasted cumin sweet potatoes, fresh avocado and red pepper and dannnng it was banging. All the ingredients in the nacho cheese are pretty good for you and it is no different than any other sunflower dressing so just go for it!

See y’all in Texas! I promise not to wear a cowboy hat. Maybe….

The post Big Ol’ Texas Bowl with Nut-Free Nacho Cheese appeared first on Sprouts & Chocolate.

My brain has been drained a little bit lately as I get ready for another round of exams coming up and with the weather being particularly freezing lately I have wanted to go into full-fledge hibernation mode. Homework has been piling up because I am the worst at doing any sort of homework during Christmas break. As much I curse my procrastination, I did need the downtime to relax and not overthink everything to death. But now we are the second week of 2015 and I had to get right back into the full-schedule, juggling school and work full time. Blasted adulthood!

Mark has also returned to school and started his internship at a Toronto fine dining restaurant to complete his culinary degree. Nights at our house have become pretty lonely when I am not working and I usually have dinner by myself (with the exception of Barb snuggling on my lap). I haven’t really wanted to cook for myself too much since it always seemed like a waste but I asked myself why I thought like that. Perhaps I read too many women’s magazines in my youth (thinking that adults actually did these things) and thought that the phrase “Cooking for One!” was pathetic. Just because they put an exclamation point at the end and in a cheery bright font does not make the phrase any better. However the act of cooking a proper healthful dinner for myself should be a priority and I must devote some time in my evening to do so. A daily devotion to myself and my well-being. A dollop of hummus, peeled carrots and some pita sometimes doesn’t cut it as a proper dinner since I usually use the hummus container lid as a plate for the veg and pita. Oh how my mother would cringe.

Roasting vegetables with some chickpeas is pretty easy, comes together quickly and is versatile when you get tired of the same vegetables you have been eating all week. You can make this dish go even further when served on a bed of cooked grains like brown rice, quinoa or millet (all gluten free grains!). I cook my grains on a Saturday morning before work so I can eat them for my long shifts on the weekends and have some left over for school. I soak my grains on Friday night after work to get them all sprouted to cook the next day. Living it up. “Sorry guys can’t go out, I have to sprout my grains…” Don’t worry I have never said that.

Mark is appreciative of the leftovers he gets when he comes home late from his internship and I get an actual dinner. Double win.

P.S. I am digging this new addition to my pantry: za’atar, a savoury Middle Eastern spice blend that I have been sprinkling on everything. I also made this hummus with it.

The post Roasted Chickpea + Vegetable Bowl w/ Za’atar Tahini Sauce appeared first on Sprouts & Chocolate.