You Feelin' Lucky?

So on Monday, my lovely boyfriend proposed that eating junk food in moderation would still allow one to lose weight. The obvious response to this is that, while of course you would lose weight since this really is just a matter of physics, the point of my approach to weight loss is to be healthy. Since I am a diabetic and have high cholesterol, eating junk food is not the way to go for me. However, I propose a challenge to you, Michael! We'll continue our opposite approaches to weight loss, and in 6 months time we shall get blood work and see who has the healthier blood work! You game, or you chicken? YOU FEELIN' LUCKY?

Okay, enough of the tough guy act, it's time to share some amazing food with y'all.

About a week or two ago, I tried my hand at making my own veggie broth.

Yes, I love onions.

It turned out okay, but a bit bland.

This week I tried again and succeeded in making a phenomenal broth.

At the end of making the veggie broth, I was left with a bunch of soggy veggies that I wasn't sure what to do with.. there was no way I was gonna throw out all those veggies! I decided to go with veggie burgers. As per my  usual creation routine, I searched my pantry high and low to see what I could find and I came up with chickpeas! I'm calling these burgers Falafel Veggie Burgers; I'm not sure how accurate a name that is, but I think it has a nice ring to it.

These burgers turned out so phenomenally that I am going to write a legitimate recipe up for y'all so you can try it yourself. You won't regret it.

Falafel Veggie Burgers

[makes about 8-10 burgers]

3c Leftover veggies from broth

1c dry chickpeas

1/2-3/4c flaxseed, whole

3T tahini

1T curry powder

1t cumin

1t dry cilantro

1/2t coriander

1/2t cardamom

1/2-3/4c sesame seeds, lightly toasted

olive oil for frying

1. Begin by boiling about 2-3 cups of water. Add the dry chickpeas and cook for about 30-45 minutes.

2. Puree the veggies in a blender or food processor and pour into a large mixing bowl. 

3. Add the cooked chickpeas to the blender or food processor and process/blend until they're fairly well chopped up but still have some bigger pieces. Pour about half of the chickpeas into the bowl with the pureed veggies then process the rest of the chickpeas again until they're a finer consistency. Add the remaining chickpeas to the large mixing bowl.

4. Add the tahini, curry powder, cumin, cilantro, coriander, and cardamom. Mix well.

5. Process the flaxseed in a coffee grinder (food processor or blender might work) until it's a fine flour consistency. Add to the mixture, and let it set for a couple hours in the fridge. The amount of flax you need may vary, so start with 1/2c and if you need more, add more.

6. Form 8-10 patties and cover them with the lightly toasted sesame seeds on both sides.

7. Heat some olive oil in a skillet and fry each patty for a few minutes on both sides. I over cooked mine on purpose because I like the crispy outside and slight burnt flavor, but to each their own!

These burgers are so yummy! You must try them.

After frying these up, I was trying to think of a sauce that would work well with them. I decided to make my own Ginger Tahini dressing and WHOA did it turn out delicious. It's creamy, sweet, tahini-y. Delicious. Once again, I love this dressing so much that I'm gonna post an official recipe! Look at me, being all chef-like.

Super Yummy Ginger Tahini Dressing

[makes about 3/4c]

1/4c tahini

1T maple syrup

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 inch ginger root

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1t soy sauce

water for thinning

1. Blend all the ingredients, except the water, in a food processor or blender.

2. Add water slowly until you reach a consistency you love!

Folks, this sauce/dressing is pure joy. Pure delicious. Pure YUM.

Go forth, try these recipes. Love me for it. :)