Crispy Carrot Hummus Burger

Crispy Carrot Hummus Burger, inspired by a recipe from Daily Garnish, is a fun, vegetarian twist on the quintessential American dish of burger and fries. This tasty Mediterranean variation  on the classic combination piles the burger, fries, and ketchup all into one massively delicious sandwich. Far from traditional, the burger patties in this recipe are composed of two amazing hummus-esque vegetarian chickpea burgers while the fries are perfectly spiced and oven roasted carrot fries. The burger and fries are then piled between toasted gluten free bread that’s smeared with a fiery tomato sauce instead of ketchup. The resulting burger creation is the perfect blend of flavor and spice!

Crispy Carrot Hummus Burger
Gluten Free
Serves One
Adapted from Chickpea Hummus Burgers
Click Here for Printable Recipe



Ingredients--
Burgers:
1 tablespoon gluten free oats
1/3 cup canned chickpeas, drained
1/4 of a medium carrot, roughly chopped
2 sundried tomato halves, (not packed in oil), rehydrated* and chopped
3/4 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon liquid egg substitute
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Salt, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
2 Slices Light Gluten Free Sandwich Bread (such as Light Tapioca Loaf by Ener-G)

Carrot Fries:
1/2 of a medium carrot
1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
Salt and Pepper

Spicy Tomato Sauce:
2 tablespoons fire roasted crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon ketchup, check for gluten
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Dash of cayenne, to taste
Salt & Pepper

1. To prepare the burgers-- Add oats to a small food processor and pulse until coarsely ground.

2. Add all of the remaining burger ingredients except for the fresh parsley to the food processor ( chickpeas, sundried tomatoes, dijon, lemon juice, egg substitute, garlic powder, cumin, coriander,  paprika, and salt). Pulse until ingredients are combined and mixture is smooth but still has some texture to it. Stop to scrape down sides of a processor with a spoon, as necessary.

3. Pulse in parsley, just until incorporated into burger mixture.

4. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl and divide in half. Use your hands to form mixture into 2 equal patties and place on a wax paper lined plate. Place burgers in fridge to set while you prepare the rest of the components.

5. To prepare the carrot fries--Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick spray.

5. Cut carrot into lengthwise planks, then cut the planks in “fry” shapes.


6. Place carrot fries on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with garam masala, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to toss carrots until evenly coated in oil and spices.

7. Transfer baking sheet to oven and roast carrot fries until deeply golden and crisp, 30-35 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking.


8. While the fries are roasting, prepare the Spicy Tomato Sauce by stirring together all of the ingredients (crushed tomatoes, ketchup, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper) in a small dish until combined. Set aside until ready to use.


9. Once the fries have about 20 minutes left, remove burger patties from fridge. Spray a medium oven safe skillet with nonstick spray and heat to medium-high heat.

10. Add burgers to skillet and sear until golden on the bottom,  3-4 minutes. Flip patties and sear on the other side, until golden, 2-3 minutes more.


11. Transfer skillet to oven (beside carrot fries). Roast burgers until heated through, 5-7 minutes.

12. Once burgers and fries are both finished roasting, begin building the burger--













~ Toast bread slices, then spread with Spicy Tomato Sauce.



~ Place a burger patty on one of the bread slices.













~ Pile on as many carrot fries as possible (you will probably have extra).



~ Top with remaining burger patty.


~ Finish the burger with remaining slice of bread & enjoy!




Nutrition Information--approximately 285 calories per serving (entire recipe)

* To quickly rehydrate sundried tomatoes, place in a microwave safe dish and cover with water. Microwave for 30 seconds, then continue to microwave at 10 second intervals until tomatoes are tender.

Brussels Sprouts & Butternut Squash Curry

In my opinion, you can never have too many curry recipes- they’re the perfect way to transform any vegetables you have on hand into a comforting meal packed with flavor. This tasty curry recipe, inspired by VeganRicha.com, features tomatoes, butternut squash, and brussels sprouts, that are slowly simmered together in a perfectly spiced broth. This simple and scrumptious one-pot meal tastes amazing  served on it’s own, over rice or you could even enjoy it with  Toasted Cauliflower Rice like I did.  If you find yourself obsessed with curries like me,  try Acorn Squash and Spinach Curry or Eggplant and Black Eyed Pea Curry too.

Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash Curry
Gluten Free
Serves One
Adapted from Brussels Sprouts and Potato in Tomato Gravy
Click Here for Printable Recipe



Ingredients--
1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 of a small jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped (reduce amount of jalapeno for a less spicy curry)
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
8-9 Brussels sprouts, halved
4 ounces butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 cup vegetable broth (check for gluten)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Salt

1. Add oil to a medium nonstick skillet and heat to medium- low heat.

2.  Add ginger, garlic, and jalapeno to skillet and saute for 2-3 minutes.

3. Stir in cumin seeds, turmeric, garam masala, and salt (to taste). Saute for 1 minute more.

4.  Add in the tomatoes, brussels sprouts, and squash. Mix well to coat vegetables in spices.

5. Pour in vegetable broth and bring mixture to boil over high heat, stirring occasionally.

6. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and let curry simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until vegetables are fork tender. Stir from time to time.

7.  Transfer curry to serving dish, garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy!

Nutrition Information--approximately 178 calories per serving (entire recipe)

Sweet & Smoky Mushroom Loaf Sandwich

If you have any leftovers after making the   Mini BBQ Mushroom Loaf, this recipe a delightfully simple and tasty way to change up the original dish just a little bit but still maintain the delicious flavors. To make the sandwich, the mushroom loaf is thinly sliced, layered on gluten free bread, then smothered in an amazing sweet and smoky sauce. After that, the sandwich is simply broiled to warm and toasty perfection!

Sweet & Smoky Mushroom Loaf Sandwich
Gluten Free
Serves 2
Click Here for Printable Recipe



Ingredients--
1 Mini BBQ Mushroom Loaf
4 slices light gluten free sandwich bread
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Sweet & Smoky BBQ Sauce:
1/4 cup HG BBQ Sauce
1/2 teaspoon molasses
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon hot sauce, adjust according to heat preference

1. Preheat broiler to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spritz with olive oil spray.

2. To make the Sweet and Smoky BBQ Sauce--In a small bowl, whisk together BBQ sauce, molasses, liquid smoke, and hot sauce until combined.  Set aside.

3.  Cut mushroom loaf in half crosswise, then cut each half into 6 thin slices (you should end up with 12 slices total).

4. Arrange bread slices on one side of baking sheet, then place mushroom loaf slices on the other side. Spray the tops of both with a layer of olive oil spray.

5. Broil bread and mushroom loaf 2 minutes, then remove baking sheet from oven and carefully flip all pieces. Spritz again with a layer of olive oil spray and return baking sheet to oven.

6. Broil 1-2 minutes more, watching carefully, until bread begins to crisp along the edges.

7. Remove baking sheet from oven but leave all ingredients are baking sheet (you will have to broil the sandwiches again once assembled).

8. To build the sandwiches--sprinkle garlic powder evenly over bread slices.  Arrange 3 mushroom loaf slices on each slice of bread, then spoon prepared sweet and smoky sauce over top of mushroom loaf. Spread out sauce into an even layer.



9. Broil sandwiches 2 minutes more, or until bread is golden and loaf is heated through. Plate 2 slices of bread on each serving dish and enjoy the sandwiches open-faced!


Nutrition Information--approximately 260 calories per serving (1/2 of the recipe; 2 slices of bread/ 6 pieces of mushroom loaf per serving)

Mini BBQ Mushroom Loaf

Mini BBQ Mushroom Loaf, inspired by a recipe from Healthful Pursuit, is an amazingly tasty vegetarian “meat” loaf dish. Packed with mushrooms, lentils, spinach, and the best BBQ sauce imaginable, this hearty and delicious mushroom loaf will make you forget about regular meatloaf forever. Best of all, the majority of the work for these personal sized meat loaves, is done in the food processor. Try this simple and delicious recipe immediately!

Mini BBQ Mushroom Loaf
Gluten Free
Makes Two Servings (2 Mini Loaves)
Adapted from Gluten Free + Vegan Lentil "Meat" Loaf
Click Here for Printable Recipe



Ingredients--
2 garlic cloves, minced
11-12 small cremini mushrooms, halved
1 cup baby spinach
1 cup cooked lentils*, divided
1/2 cup gluten free oats, divided
1/4 cup quinoa flakes
1/4 cup liquid egg substitute
6 tablespoons HG BBQ Sauce , divided
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
Salt & Pepper
Optional: Additional BBQ sauce or hot sauce for serving

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray two mini loaf pans with nonstick spray. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper and leave extra hanging over the sides to form "handles" so the loaves are easy to remove.













2. Add garlic, mushrooms, and spinach to the base of a food processor and season with salt and pepper. Pulse until ingredients are chopped, then scoop mixture into a medium mixing bowl.

3. Add 1/2 cup of lentils and 1/4 cup of oats to (now empty) food processor (don’t worry about wiping out food processor after pulsing vegetables, it won’t make a difference). Pulse mixture until smooth, then scoop into bowl with spinach mixture. Stir until combined.

4. Add quinoa flakes, egg substitute, 4 tablespoons of the BBQ sauce, fresh thyme, and salt/pepper, to taste,  to the mixing bowl. Stir well to evenly incorporate ingredients.

5. Evenly divide mixture between prepared loaf pans and smooth out the tops. Spread the top of  each mushroom loaf with 1 tablespoon of BBQ sauce.



6. Transfer both loaf pans to the oven  and bake mini mushroom loaves 33-36 minutes or until golden brown on top, and a crust begins to form around the edges.

7. Remove pans from oven and place on cooling racks. Let  mushroom loaves cool in pan for 5 minutes before using “parchment handles” to carefully removing and placing on serving plates. Serve with additional BBQ or hot sauce, if desired. Enjoy!


Nutrition Information--approximately 265 calories per Mini Loaf

*To cook lentils, simply place in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer lentils until tender, 20-30 minutes. Drain lentils and measure out 1/4 cup for burgers. (1/2 cup of dry lentils will yield about 1.5 cups cooked. Since you only need 1 cup for this recipe, you can save the rest for another use).

Zucchini Socca with Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes

Socca is a delicious flatbread that is typically gluten-free thanks to the use of chickpea flour. Traditionally found in Southern France, this easy to make bread can be found in many variations with a endless amount of toppings. In this version of socca from Tasty Yummies, shredded zucchini is folded into the batter for a fresh and delicious twist. For the finishing touch, I decided to top my socca with perfectly roasted balsamic glazed tomatoes. Simple yet amazing!

Zucchini Socca with Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes
Gluten Free
Serves 8
Slightly adapted from this recipe--Zucchini Socca from Tasty Yummies
Click Here for Printable Recipe


Ingredients--
Socca:
1 cup gluten free chickpea flour (l used Bob’s Red Mill)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup lukewarm water
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 medium zucchini, grated and excess liquid squeezed out
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic  Roasted Tomatoes:
4 cups grape tomatoes
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
Salt and Pepper

Optional:
Additional Balsamic Vinegar
Fresh Parsley for Garnish

1. Sift the chickpea flour into a medium mixing bowl, then stir in salt and red pepper flakes. 

2. Slowly whisk the water into batter until all lumps are removed and batter is smooth.

3. Stir in olive oil until combined. Cover bowl, and let batter sit for at least 30 minutes or up to a few hours.

4. Place a 12-inch cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees.

5. After the batter has rested and oven is preheating, stir parsley and grated zucchini into socca batter.

6. Once batter is ready, begin the roasted tomatoes--line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick spray. Place tomatoes on baking sheet then drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with thyme leaves, salt, and pepper. Stir to evenly coat tomatoes. Set aside.

7. After the oven is preheated, remove cast iron skillet and spray with nonstick spray. Pour socca batter into preheated skillet.

8. Place socca and tomatoes side by side in the oven. Bake for 13-16 minutes or until socca is beginning to turn golden on the edges and feels firm in the center and tomatoes begin to shrivel and burst. (The tomatoes may need a few minutes longer than the socca).

9. Once both socca and tomatoes are ready, cut socca into 8 wedges. Top each wedge with a serving of roasted tomatoes. Drizzle with additional balsamic vinegar and finish with an extra sprinkle of fresh parsley, if desired.

        

 Nutrition Information:

Zucchini Socca--approximately 92 calories per slice (1/8 of the recipe)

Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes-- approximately 35 calories per serving (1/8 of the recipe)

Gluten Free Molten Chocolate Oatmeal Bake

Molten Chocolate Oatmeal Bake is a super decadent and delicious breakfast combination of oats and chocolate. For this tasty oatmeal delight , cocoa, Truvia, and  pumpkin puree are combined to create a silky and fudgy batter that isn't loaded down with fat and calories. The oat filled batter is then baked until it has a perfectly crispy and sugary crust on top yet is still molten chocolate in the center. No one will ever believe that this sinfully rich creation is so healthy or acceptable to eat for breakfast!


Molten Chocolate Oatmeal Bake
Gluten Free
Serves One
Click Here for Printable Recipe



Ingredients--
Oatmeal:
3 tablespoons Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder
3 tablespoons granulated Truvia
1 teaspoon Torani Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup
2 tablespoons Mrs. Butterworth’s Sugar Free Pancake Syrup
1 cup pure pumpkin puree
1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup gluten free oats
Topping:
1 teaspoon granulated Truvia
Special Equipment:
Large Ramekin (approximately 10 ounces)

1. Tear off a small square of aluminum foil (about 6” x 6”) and place on  top rack of oven (this will catch any spillovers). Preheat oven to 425 degrees and spray a large ramekin lightly with nonstick spray, then wipe with a paper towel to ensure all sides are coated. Set ramekin aside.

2. To make the oatmeal--In a small mixing bowl,  stir together cocoa powder, Truvia, Torani syrup, pancake syrup, pumpkin, milk, vanilla extract, and water until ingredients are combined and a smooth batter is formed. Stir in oats.

3. Pour oat batter into prepared ramekin and sprinkle the top evenly with Truvia topping.

4. Place ramekin in oven and baked for 38-45 minutes or until a crust begins to form on the top and batter is no longer liquid-y when tapped gently.

5. Enjoy right out of the ramekin!


        Nutrition Information--approximately 215 calories per serving

Seared Banana French Toast

Seared Banana French Toast with Pumpkin Cinnamon Infused Syrup is a recipe that popped into my head when I saw the adorable "baby bananas" at the grocery store and wanted a dish to highlight them! According to WiseGeek.com, the baby banana is native to Columbia, and is a sweeter and smaller variety of the traditional banana. For this dish, I sliced the baby bananas in half and seared them to carmelized perfection, which only enhanced their sweetness. The bananas are then placed on top of deliciously golden french toast and drizzled with a pumpkin-cinnamon infused maple syrup to create a decadent breakfast treat!

Seared Banana French Toast with Pumpkin-Cinnamon Infused Syrup
Gluten Free
Serves One
Click Here for Printable Recipe

Ingredients--
Syrup:
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup Mrs. Butterworth's sugar-free pancake syrup
1 Truvia packet
3 tablespoons unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or original unsweetened almond milk)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cinnamon stick

French Toast:
3 tablespoons liquid egg substitute
1 tablespoon unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or original unsweetened almond milk)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 slices light gluten free sandwich bread
3 baby bananas, peeled and halved lengthwise into "planks" (about 3-4 ounces once peeled)
1 Truvia packet


1. To prepare the syrup, stir together pumpkin, pancake syrup, Truvia, milk, and nutmeg in a small saucepan.   Add in cinnamon stick and bring to a low boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, and let syrup simmer, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the french toast.

2. In a small bowl (large enough to fit a bread slice), whisk together egg, milk,  cinnamon, and vanilla extract until combined.

3. Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and heat to medium.

4. One at a time, dip bread slices in egg mixture, and flip to coat on both sides. Place bread slices on one half of the skillet.

5. Cook french toast 3-4 minutes or until it is golden and starting to crisp on the bottom, then use a spatula to  flip the bread, and cook 2-3 minutes more or until golden on both sides.

6. Once the french toast is cooking on the second side, sprinkle bananas with Truvia and add to other side of the skillet. Cook bananas 1 minute per side, or until golden on both sides.


7. After the bananas and toast are finished cooking, place toast on serving plate and arrange banana slices on top.

8. Remove cinnamon stick from maple syrup then drizzle on top of french toast. Enjoy!

 Nutrition Information--approximately 270 calories per serving (entire recipe)

* NOTE--If you can't find any baby bananas, just use a small-medium sized regular banana. Peel the banana and cut in half lengthwise, then cut each half into thirds, so you still end up with 6 slices of banana. You should have about 3-4 ounces once peeled.