How does your garden(burger) grow

Oh I crack myself up sometimes!  :p

Before I get into how I take my veggie burger I just have to sing the praises of the gardenburger!

I’ve said several times how much I adore gardenburgers.  And THE kind to get is the California Burger!  (Come on- do it!  All the cool kids are doing it!)

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I don’t usually get into brands around here, because let’s face it- I’m not getting paid to endorse anyone, so why should I do their advertising for them, right?  But when it comes to veggie burgers it can be hit or miss.  So I’m going to make a recommendation.  Gardenburger California Burger!  And my runner up favorite is the Amy’s Texan Burger (though I haven’t had any in quite a while so I’m not 100% sure they’re vegan).  Go to costco to get them- they come in 12 packs and they’re around 5 bucks for the 12 packs.  Score!

Now let’s talk ingredients.  Not only do I love the California Burger Gardenburger for the awesome taste, but take a look at this ingredient list…

COOKED BROWN RICE (BROWN RICE, WATER), BROCCOLI, CORN, CARROTS, ONIONS, GREEN BELL PEPPERS, ROLLED OATS, CANOLA OIL, WATER, RED BELL PEPPERS, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF WATER CHESTNUTS, CARRAGEENAN, SALT, SOY SAUCE (WATER, WHEAT, SOYBEANS, SALT, VINEGAR, LACTIC ACID), ONION POWDER, BLACK OLIVES, KONJAC FLOUR, GARLIC POWDER, SPICE, SOY LECITHIN.

The only thing there that might seem weird is the soy and the carageenan.  Carageenan is a vegan alternative to gelatin.  It’s a seaweed extract.  And you all know what soy is I’m assuming.    But look at all of those vegetables!  And you actually get huge chunks of veggies- it’s not weird ground up stuff like most other veggie burgers!

 

So anyway!  I love these things!  So how do you eat a gardenburger?  My number one favorite way is right off the grill!  They get all nice and crunchy with that nice grilled smokey flavor- mmm!

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And when I am cooking them inside I put them in the toaster oven.  Seriously!  That way they still get that nice crunchy texture on the outside just like they do when you grill them.

Normally I like to cover it in mustard and ketchup and throw on some pickles, lettuce, and onions.  And of course I serve it on a whole wheat burger bun!

But yesterday I felt like doing something different.  I call it the Tex-Mex garden burger!

1/2 of a small avocado, mashed.  Couple of big spoonfuls of SALSA.  Then the standard veggies.

knocked. my. socks. off!

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Well that’s it for now I guess! 

 

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Birthday Bash

Long time no see!  Sorry about that- it’s been a really busy couple of weeks!  Lots of fun stuff coming up too, but let’s talk about birthdays!

I’m not much of a birthday person- it’s really just another day to me.  I don’t usually care much about them, but this year I thought it would be fun to celebrate since I turned THIRTY!!! 

So my best pal put together a fun little evening out.  It started with manis and pettis for us gals.  When we were pampered out we headed downtown for MARGARITAS!!  And there we met our other halves (aka the boys).  And we had some great Mexican food (veggie tacos, chips and salsa, and margaritas to my hearts content!) and we just sat and laughed and talked for hours.  The PERFECT birthday celebration!!

Picture time!  (thanks Katy for the pics!)

The gang’s all here!!  My favorite peeps in the world (minus one little brother who was out of town)  (Oh, and Joe is taking the pic so he’s not in it.  Thanks Joe!)

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This is definitely a don’t ask.  LOL!

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Wish I could remember what was so funny!  haha.

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And yay for presents!!

A Bamboo cutting board!  It’s gigantic and I love it!!

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Cutie little horse Katy got me when she went to Sweden!  Don’t know the story behind it yet, but it’s a big deal over there.  I need to look it up! 

DSCF2689Earrings made with love!  The pictures don’t do them justice- they’re way cuter in person!

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Cute candle set.  LOVE candles!  And it smells SOOO good!

DSCF2685Look- it holds matches!  FUN!

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Any friend of mine knows how much I love my starbucks!

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And I got a little donation from my parents, grandmother, and In-Laws for my new camera fund!  My camera super sucks and I NEED a new one.  Unfortunately the one I want is quite expensive, so I’m saving up!  

 

Wow, after typing all of this I realize how seriously blessed I am!  Thank you so so much to my friends!!   I love you guys!

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Top o’ the morning!

I realize it’s not morning any more, but what a lovely one it was!  I didn’t really want it to end.  Mostly because it was just really nice outside this morning.  The kind of morning where you just hang out outside on the patio with a book and a big mug of coffee.  And that’s exactly what I did!!

mmmmmm…..coffee!!!

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I can and sometimes do drink my coffee black, but I’m a creamer kind of girl at heart.  It just gives it a great smooth taste and I just heart it!  Here’s what I’m using at the moment- LOVE this stuff!!!

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And breakfast!

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Whole wheat blueberry banana muffin!  It’s a recipe I’ve been using for quite a while and I tried to Vegan-ize it.  It just needs another tweak and I’ll share the recipe!  And it tastes even better with a bit of Earth Balance- yum!

And can’t forget a good book!  I’m a chronic re-reader- I’ll admit it now.  I LOVE to read, but not really the “good” stuff- I like fun stuff, especially vampire stuff!!  I think I’ve read the Twilight Series about 10 times.  The Harry Potter books even more than that(I realize that’s not about vampires, but you know what I mean).  And this is my third time through the Sookie Stackhouse series.  The only book I’ve read more than the Twilight’s is A Wrinkle In Time.  I’ve read that probably a hundred times over the years!  It’s always been my favorite book ever since I was a wee lassie!  Though The Secret Garden and Little Women are right up there (although those ARE considered the ‘good” stuff, LOL).  Ahh, the good ole days!  I am a speed reader- I seriously DEVOUR books.  I can read read read all the live long day!  Oh how I love to read!!

Anyway, this is what I read this morning.  Love that Sookie Stackhouse!  I’ve already finished it and I’m looking for something else- maybe I’ll re-read A Wrinkle in Time again! 🙂

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After that I did my discussion for my business class and took my quiz (96- woot!!).  Then I played around in my little garden.  Here’s the latest harvest…

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A New Mexico Green Chile and a handful of yellow pear tomatoes!

 

And here’s how my garden’s looking…

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Basil and Rosemary

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Bell peppers (yellow I think)

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Hello little cucumber!!

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Yellow Straightneck squash

DSCF2632Okra! 

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Beefsteak tomato

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A wee little watermelon!  Isn’t it cute?!  (I don’t really have any place for my watermelon vine to go since it’s hanging out in a pot, so it’s just kind of curled around the pot, LOL!)

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Zucchini time!

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And my yellow pear tomatoes.

Looking good huh?  This little garden has been a bigger success than I thought it would be- I’m planning an even bigger one for next spring!  And thinking about what I want to do in the fall- maybe broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and some lettuce.

 

Now I’m going to make some cookies!  I’m Vegan-izing one of my mama’s old cookie recipes!!  Ranger Cookies- mmmmmm!!!!!!  I may or may not post it.  I may keep it secret- every gal needs a few secret cookie recipes right?!  😀

Later Alligators!

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Not much to say

Not much to say, but for some reason I thought I should be blogging, so here I am!  My summer classes started this week.  I just got all of my books in, so I really haven’t done much yet except read for my business class.  I’m taking Principles of Management and Nutrition for Women this summer session.  And the TA for my Nutrition for Women class was my teacher for food prep and I loooooved her!  So glad she’s my TA!  She’s a fair grader so at least I know what to expect from that stand point.  Other than that there’s pretty much nothing going on right now.  Yep.

Well, that’s about it.  Peace out!

Holy comfort food Batman!

If there ever was a comfort food, mac and cheese it is!!  And this is truly the best of the best!  It’s creamy.  It’s cheesy.  It’s got a delicious crunchy topping.  It’s heaven on earth!!  AND it has absolutely no dairy in it!  Oh how I’ve dreamed about mac and cheese since I became a vegan.  Cheese is the only thing I’ve missed since I became a vegan, but it’s just not worth it.  I was so so happy when I found Daiya cheese.  Vegan cheese can be scary.  For the most part it’s not good…with the exception of Daiya.  This stuff is seriously revolutionary!  Anyhoo, here’s the recipe for mac and cheese!

 

Vegan Mac and Cheese (makes about 8 generous servings)

(Print this recipe!)

Ingredients:
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound elbow pasta (I use whole wheat)
4 tablespoons Earth Balance Buttery Spread
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
4 cups soymilk or almond milk
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
2 1/2 Cups Daiya Vegan Cheese, cheddar style
Breadcrumbs (I like whole wheat Panko bread crumbs for this)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente; drain and reserve.

Meanwhile, in a 5-quart heavy pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Whisk in flour. In a slow steady stream, whisk in milk until there are no lumps.

Cook, whisking often, until mixture is thick and bubbly and coats the back of a wooden spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in cayenne, if using, and cheese. Season with a little salt and pepper.

Toss pasta with cheese mixture. Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or individual dishes.

Top pasta with breadcrumbs. Bake until top is golden, about 30 minutes.

 

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