We interrupt your regularly scheduled Weekly Wednesday Wrap-Up to bring you the best vegan burger in the world.

So sorry to skip WWW, folks, but a combination of too much work and this delicious burger, has convinced me to give it a miss this week. But you will not be dissapointed with this burger as a replacement. It really is pure win.

To me, texture in a veggie burger is just as important as taste. And it always seems that the only veggie burgers that please me with their texture contain TVP or vital wheat gluten. Unfortunately neither of those things sit well with my hubby’s tummy, so I’m always looking for healthier alternatives…and I’ve finally found it!

This burger combines a savory background of black beans and liquid smoke with the bright tang of sun dried tomatoes to create a mind blowing, taste bud thrilling Mediterranean extravaganza! The texture is nice and chewy all thanks to a healthy dose of quinoa, chickpea flour and flax seed. When you plop this patty onto a toasted bun and top with the rich herby goodness of the aioli and serve with a side of lemon rosemary fries you’ve got a dinner you won’t soon forget.

Black Bean Burger
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed and roughly smashed
2/3 cup cooked quinoa
1/4 cup chickpea flour (with additional 2Tbsp if needed)
1/3 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes, the soft kind marinated in oil
1 Tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 3 tbsp water, microwaved for 20 seconds
2 tsp liquid smoke
salt and pepper to taste

- Combine all of the ingredients and form into 4 large patties

- Allow the patties to chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, then fry in a drizzle of olive oil until brown and crispy on both sides

Red Onion Basil Aioli

No specific recipe here, just mix a chopped red onion, a few diced garlic cloves and chopped fresh basil with lots of vegan mayo and there you go! Easy and delicious.

Lemon Rosemary Potatoes

Again, no recipe needed. Just chop 4 potatoes into fries, toss well with olive oil and bake on 400F till they are all nice and crispy. Pull them out of the oven and, right onto the pan, squeeze out the juice of one lemon and toss with a handful of fresh chopped rosemary. Beautiful!

And when it gets cold outside what does every vegan want? A bowl of soup, of course!

I wish I could invite you all over for a steaming bowl of this simple yet delectable soup. Its flavors are subtle, but perfectly married to create an absolute symphony of YUM in your mouth. I haven’t had soup this good in a long time.

Whereas I usually prefer spicier, bolder flavors, when I created this soup I was craving something simple and soothing, a hearty dinner to enjoy after a long and fun day spent playing outside. The miso swirled into the broth infuses this soup with a very authentic ‘chicken’ flavor while the leeks and green onions impart a buttery, onion taste to every bite. This is one of my favorites, I hope you make it and love it!

Ingredients

½ lb of farfalle noodles boiled separately according to package directions, drained and set aside (feel free to use more traditional buckwheat soba noodles, we just don’t get those here!)

1 bunch of leeks, chopped

3 cloves garlic, diced fine

5 liters of water

4 carrots, chopped

1 large bunch of chard, chopped

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

½ cup of white miso

Green onions for garnish

Recipe

- Boil the farfalle pasta by itself according to directions, drain and set aside

- In a large soup pot in a drizzle of olive oil, saute the leeks and garlic with salt and pepper for about 10 minutes

- Add in 5 litres of water, and the carrots, and bring to a simmer and cook until the carrots are soft, about 15 minutes

- Add in the large bunch of chard and the can of chickpeas

- Remove 1 cup of the simmering broth and whisk the miso into it, combining completely

- Add the  miso/water mixture back into the soup pot and stir everything to make sure the miso is dissolved throughout the broth

- Serve topped with green onions

I served mine with a side of vegetable spring rolls drizzled with sweet and sour sauce, and steamed broccoli.

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Don’t forget to enter my Grand Opening Giveaway #2 for your chance to win a whole batch of awesome Vivapura goodies!

The weather has finally gotten wintry here, with chilly breezes and nighttime temperatures in the 60s and 70s. We even had a bit of a drizzle the other day, the first of the season! Of course, other than that one cloud it has been clear skies and sunshine as usual.

But with the sweater weather and chilly evenings I have been in major soup mode lately, and this is my favorite creation yet! It is creamy, smoky and veggie filled, but the absolute best part is the crispy zesty chili lime croutons. I could eat them by the handful!

Ingredients

- 4 roasted red bell peppers, chopped (drizzle them with olive oil and pop them in the oven under broil until their skin is black. Let cool, and remove as much of the black skin as you can, then chop.)
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
- 2 cans diced tomatoes
- 2 liters of water
- 1/2 Tbsp cumin
- salt and pepper
- 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can corn, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup rice, cooked according to package directions
- Juice of 3 limes
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 and 1/2 tsp liquid smoke

- In a large soup pot in a drizzle of olive oil saute the onion and celery for about 15 minutes, then add the garlic, salt and pepper and continue cooking for another 15 minutes till it is all soft and tender. While cooking the veggies boil up the cup of rice by itself.

- Add the roasted bell peppers, 2 cans of tomatoes, 2 liters of water, salt, pepper and cumin, and bring to a boil, then lower the temperature and keep at a gentle simmer for about 30 minutes.

- Remove soup from the heat and allow to cool a bit. Blend everything to a creamy consistency with a hand blender and then put back onto the heat.

- Add the black beans, corn, cooked rice, lime juice, cilantro and liquid smoke. Bring back up to heat, top with the croutons, and serve!

Chili Lime Croutons

- Chop up 4 pieces of bread (1 piece for each person eating) and fry it in a tiny bit of vegetable oil til it is very crispy.

- Remove bread from the pan and toss with 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp chili powder and the zest of several limes.

I was lucky enough to have a ‘seasonal visitor’ drop by to help out with the cooking!

After spending hours poring over the exquisite Silk Road Cooking, one of the most beautiful and educational cook books I have ever seen, I decided that I just had to try the recipe for the Scicilian Fava Bean, Garlic & Dill Crostata. I had to veganize the original vegetarian recipe, but it was surprisingly easy and turned into an impressive and delicious dish. This was so good. The buttery crust is crumbly and flaky and the inside is filled with savory beans, spicy garlic and bright dill.

Ingredients:
store bought pie crust
1 onion – chopped
4 cloves garlic – diced
1/3 cup of fresh dill – chopped
2 Tbsp ground flax seed simmered in 6 Tbsp of water for a minute or two (will have the stretchy, runny consistency of an egg)
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp butter
2 cans fava beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup soymilk
1 tsp cumin
pinch of salt and pepper

-Saute the onion and garlic until tender

-Combine cooked onion and garlic in a bowl with the beans, dill, nutritional yeast, butter, soy milk, spices and the simmered flax seeds in water

-Stir mixture until everything is evenly incorporated and spoon it into the store bought pie crust

-Bake on 350F for about 45 minutes. Don’t wait until the crostata is totally firm and done because then it will be burned. Pull it out when a clean knife inserted into the center comes out almost clean. Pull it out slightly before it is done when it is nicely browned and golden and then allow it to sit and finish cooking by itself, out of the oven.

-Once the crostata is at room temperature, slice, and serve topped with more fresh chopped dill.