Sweet Potato Burgers

I found this recipe in the Plant Based Meal Solutions magazine. The sunflower seeds add a crunchy tecture, and the oatmeal binds them together.  The pineapple barbecue sauce adds a Hawaiian flare.

1 sweet potato, cooked (1 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp dried parsley
Olive oil cooking spray

Pineapple Barbecue Sauce (see below)

Pre-cook the sweet potato, (I usually bake it in the oven for an hour.  I preset the oven to bake before I go to work and time it so they will be done right when I get home.  You can also just peal them, cube them, and boil them.)  Peal and mash the sweet potato, and then add the other ingredients. Form the mixture into 4 patties.  Line a cooking sheet with parchment paper.  Place the patties on the paper, and then spray lightly with olive oil cooking spray.  Bake at 400 degrees, for about 15 minutes, remove from the oven and gently turn over the patties. Spray the other side with cooking spray and return to the oven for another 15 minutes.  While they are cooking mix up the Pineapple Barbecue Sauce

Sauce

1/2 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
1/3 cup pineapple bits, drained. 

Put in a small food processor and pulse a few times.  The sauce shouldn't have big chunks, but it shouldn't be completely smooth either.

Remove the patties from the oven and serve on wheat or multi-grain buns.  Garnish with your favorite greens (I like fresh spinach) and the pineapple barbecue sauce. 

*Note: The magazine I got this from suggested you could make similar vegan patties using potatoes or refried beans instead of sweet potatoes. 

Applesauce Breakfast Cake (not vegan)

 This morning I had some leftover Mussleman's applesauce I wanted to use up so I made up this recipe.  It isn't super healthy or low fat, but at least a little better than a regular coffee cake (6 T rather than 8 T of oil) or a store-bought muffin.

1/2 cup Kodiak Flapjack mix
1 cup white or wheat flour (or you could use all Kodiak mix, and not add the salt, baking powder and baking soda)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3 T olive oil (or other vegetable oil)
1 egg (if you wanted to you could leave out the egg)
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup chunky applesauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the dry ingrediants in a bowl.  In a separate bowl wisk egg, and then add the rest of the ingredients.  Wisk some more, and then add them to the dry ingredients all at once.  Pour into a prepared 8X8 square pan.  

6 TB applesauce

Spoon the applesauce onto the batter in six evenly spaced dollups (like dots on dice).  Don't stir in.  Place in the oven and set the timer for 25 minutes.  Then prepare the topping.

Topping

1/2 cup flour (white or wheat)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 TB butter or margarine

Mix together topping until it resembles course crumbs.  When there is 15 minutes left on the timer, remove the cake and spread on the topping.  Return to the oven and finish cooking

Glaze

1/2 c powder sugar
1 T butter or margarine
1 tsp soy milk (or however much you need to make a runny glaze)

Mix together the powder sugar and butter.  Add the soy milk and mix, adding enough liquid to make a runny glaze.  Drizzle over the warm breakfast cake.

Variation: I have made this same recipe but substituted frozen berries for the apple sauce.  I thawed the berries first.  When I did I had to add a little extra soy milk to the batter because it was too stiff.

Sweet Potato Glass Noodles

I am a big fan of Cup Bop so I decided to try my hand at Korean Glass Noodles.  I ordered the noodles online, though it is probably cheaper to get them at an Asian food market.  I looked up several sauce recipes, but then mostly invented my own.

8 oz dry Korean Glass Noodles (cook according to package directions and drain)
2 carrots, grated coursely
1 cup raw spinach, cut into thin strips
1 zucchini, sliced very thin. 
1/2 block of extra firm tofu
Sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 T fish sauce (Choose a vegan variety if you are strictly vegan)
1/2 cup water
2 T sugar
1 T coconut oil

Cook the noodles according to package instructions.  While they are cooking, stirfry vegetables in a skillet or wok  Remove them from the pan and keep warm.  In the same pan add crumbled tofu and stir fry until lightly browned.  Return vegetables to the pan.  Add the cooked (and drained) noodles and the sauce.  Simmer for 5 minutes until most of the liquid from the sauce is absorbed. 

If you are not too concerned about being vegan, you can substitute fried and chopped egg for the tofu.