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Super Fast Red Bean Burgers

In need of a veggie burger fast? Last week I made some of these for Meatless Monday and they were fantastic.

Materials:
1 can red beans
1.5 cups Italian bread crumbs
1 egg
vegetable oil

Tools:
Food processor
frying pan
mixing bowl
Methods:

Drain can of beans place in food processor. Use food processor to smash beans. Don't over do it you just want them mashed not creamed. place smashed beans in mixing bowl and bread crumbs and egg. form mixture into pattys and fry. They go good with BBQ sauce. Don't have red beans ? black beans work as well. Try what ever beans you have on hand it will probably work.

Manhatan Deli

While post a few recipes that have taken me I created or found this year. Most people eat out more than I do. That bring up the vegetarian problem of finding a place that offers a good meal. While we do eat fish, I prefer to eat a more strict vegetarian diet when out and about. I feel that doing so helps raise awareness that some people want a good meatless option. You can get by veggi many places but a meatless big mac is so unsatisfying and I can make something better at home.

The Manhattan Deli on Ingersoll In Des Monies has two great meatless options. This is a sandwich shop with where they pile meat in to the sandwiches so bring your carnivore friends. They make a great veggie reuben. It is a sandwich that would even satisfy a meat eater.

The egg salad sandwich is great as well.

To Early For Christmas Shopping ?

Well I when to pick up a few things from the store today. Halloween costume were nearly sold out. It feels really early maybe they we just setting it up. Then again we bought our two year old his costume about a month ago. It got me thinking of other things that sell out. Good gag Christmas gifts can be gone before you know it. I really don't know why I am thinking about Winter already. I still have ripe Tomatoes in the garden to pick.

I am going to try some new home veggie burgers tomorrow.

Iowa State Fair... Part Duex ... Food On a stick

Say what?? Deep Fried Oreo's, Deep Fried Twinkies, Deep Fried Snickers. Yes you can find the all at the Iowa State Fair. We have gone for a few years and resisted the power of the fried candy bar. But this year we decide to jump in and give it a try. There was a bit of a wait for the deep fried Oreos But they were worth the wait. I tried the snickers too yum. The snicker comes on a stick with a light dusting of powder sugar and almost looks like a corn dog.

Iowa State Fair...

Well we did it again. We ventured out to the Iowa State Fair. Eating is always a big part of going to the fair. It seems food on a stick is rarely vegetarian. However as I was walking in the upper level of Ag Building there was someone selling salad on a stick. I never have been a big fan of ice Burg lettuce salad. The crunchy ribs of ice burg can be great, If it is fresh.

After seeing countless people chomping on huge turkey legs and pork chops on a stick. It was time to find mythical Veggi state fair corn-dog. Of course we have bought the frozen veggie corn dogs and corn dog bites you can find at the store. Fresh dipped, deep fried veggie corn dog are far superior to any thing I have yet to find in the grocery story freezer. This year I watched them making them and it looked like the were using morning star farms dogs. I might try to deep fry some corn dog bite in the wok some time soon.

If your going to the Iowa State Fair in 2010 the fried veggie booth is likely to be near where it has been for the past two years. We found it in front of varied indutry building. They also served up a veggie combo which was a mixture of fried veggies like cauliflower.

Journey to Waukee for some good tofu

Last Friday we headed west to Waukee, Iowa. We wanted to try Chopsticks. They have vegetarian egg roll and a good selection of vegetarian dishes. We had the House tofu. The house tofu at Chopsticks is really Yummy. It was crispy tofu in a brown sause with brocholi, water chesnuts, snow peas and bamboo shoots it was very yummy. It can be made spicy upon request. They have a buffet on weekdays for lunch and on Sundays.

Favorite Cook Book

Last Night Once again I decided to try a new recipe. So I turned to an old favorite The Moosewood Cookbook. My mother had an old spiral bound version of this cook book. The Recipe I made was tart and tangy baked beans. I use great northern beans instead of pintos. I think I will try it again with pinto beans. The Moosewood cook book has lot of great vegetarian recipes. If you have a new vegetarian in your household I would recond buying this cookbook. It has many dishes that apeal to non-meateaters and carnivos alike. One of our family favorites is spanakopita. Here is a quick link to amazon.
The New Moosewood Cookbook (Mollie Katzen's Classic Cooking)

Zuchinni Mufins

http://cookingforassholes.blogspot.com/2009/06/rockstar-zuchinni-muffins.html

Cool out tacos

It is hot out side. Time for some veggi tacos with a twist. Instead of a hot filling and and cool tortilla.
Do This:

1. Toast your wheat tortilla til puffy and brown
2. Add rinsed and drained black beans (canned)
3. Top with lettuce, thinly sliced carrots and radishes, salsa, sharp cheadder cheese and sour cream or guak
4. Bask in the inner peace created by a home made meal, that didn't overheat your spot.

Peace,


Deja

Catch Public Property when they come to your town !

Veggi Grub at 80/35 Music Festival

Anybody know the name of the people who had the vegetarian food booth at 80/35 Music festival ? I think they were from Iowa City?

Traveling Veggy

Summer is creeping up. With summer comes hitting the road to visit friend and family. It seems to me that this has been the hardest time to stick to a vegetarian diet. Truck stops and gas stations don't often offer falafel. Having trips planed around dropping in to vegetarian or ethnic restaurants seems to waste a bit of time. So i usually end up getting a bean burrito from taco johns or the baked potato at Wendy's. As the family grows packing a cooler will likly be added to the list of things to do before a big trip. Having food prepd for the raod saves time and money once you are out there. I just never have time to do it.

Intresting New Social Network

In the most recent issue of Mother Earth News I read about a Urban Homesteader in Pasadena, Ca. They have the goal of growing 10,000 Pounds of fruit and vegetables on a tenth of an acre. They have also started a social network focused on home gardening it is at http://www.freedomgardens.org

A month vacation

Back From the northwoods.

Over the last month we checked out a few places that we might live in the future. It got me thinking about a lot of different random things. Well I am always thinking of different random things but here are a few.

What was it like to be a vegetarian in the early sixties?

Has PETA's stance on fishing harmed the chances of getting a true vegi meal in more than one community.

Why does so much low quality tofu get sold?

Will Mark Bitmen's idea of just eating a few more meat-less meal to save the planet catch on.
listen here

Thank You !!!

Big thanks to Heidi Hengel for making a new header for my blog. If your interested you can see some of Heidi's other for at her art blog. I have a really busy month. I will be back posting next month.

Everything is Polictical

So yesterday Peta spoke models came to town. They handed out tofurkey sandwiches for free, while clad in only lettuce leafs. They even made it on the news at ten.

While that awareness of a vegetarian life style is good. I really don't think that traveling protester will really change much. I personally find that fake meets like tofurkey are uncreative and tend to make meet eaters look down on vegetarians. I feel that vegetarian food can be very creative tasty and enjoyable. exaple last nigh I went to an Italian resturant and had some yummy butternut squash raviolis

I have more thoughs on peta but i will leave that for another post

Tempeh

So as a begin the year of vegetarianism I decides to cook up some tempeh tonight. I have only had tempeh once before in my life. Not really to sure what it is. It tastes good and has texture It really didn' t stand out at all in the stir fry I made tonight. I think I will try it again. bbq tempeh is suposed to be good. I really have not craved meet. I am really digging vegweb.com right now. They have some great resipies. On Thursday I made some enchilidas. They were really good. If your looking for a good whey to fix up some extra beans this is a great way to cook them up.