It was a Tuesday night. I had just gotten back from my speedy run and I was famished. I had two choices. Spoon a cup of hummus into my mouth straight up like yogurt or exercise some patience and make veggie burgers. Hummus…veggie burgers…hummus…veggie burgers. Hmmmm.

I was leaning towards demolishing the hummus. Patience flies out the window when I’m hangry! Food…NOW!

But I was really really craving a veggie burger, so I dug deep and told myself to wait just a few minutes. Okay okay, I wolfed down some almonds to tide me over.

Thanks in large part to my grumbling tummy, this recipe was invented in less than 60 seconds and took no time to whip together. It was one of those open the fridge/freezer, grab the first 3 things I see and go type of recipes. I didn’t know what to expect, but it turned out quite well.

*Gives self a pat on the back*

I know you’re looking at those quinoa flakes and thinking this recipe is a no-go because you don’t have them but fear NOT, you can substitute the ingredients in this recipe like crazy. It’s very flexible! I’ll guide you through it.

What you’ll need…

I got these Quinoa Flakes from Whole Foods for baking, but I wanted to incorporate them in the burger recipe for some extra protein. You could easily substitute oats, flour, bread crumbs…whatever you want.

Quinoa flakes are high in complete protein and gluten free. I like that they’re light and thin, so I can throw them in my smoothie (did that yesterday) or process them and make quinoa flour in a jiffy.

Alright here we go…60 seconds. Ready?

In a blender/food processor/magic bullet, combine chickpeas, quinoa flakes (or whatever flour), spices, egg white, defrosted chopped veggies, and tahini (optional).

Blend it all up!

Ta da!

If you prefer chunkier burgers, set aside some chickpeas and mash them in after blending.

Spoon the batter into a hot pan with oil/cooking spray and flatten with the back of your spoon. You don’t have to mold them with your hands (and get them all messy). WIN!

It’s just like making pancakes. Seriously, if you can make pancakes you can make these burgers.

After ~5 minutes, flip ‘em over!

Wait another 5 [agonizing] minutes and then you’re DONE. I mean, how easy was that? Too easy.

The texture of these burgers is similar to that of hash browns. They’re like hummus patties. If you want a nuttier burger, you can throw in some sunflower seeds (which I totally forgot! daaarn) or even cooked brown rice.

The recipe makes 2 medium burgers or 4 small burgers. If you double the recipe, go ahead and throw in the entire egg.

Chickpea Veggie Burgers

Makes 2 large burgers or 4 small burgers

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chickpeas, cooked
• 1/3 cup carrots, chopped (or other veggies, see note below)
• 1/4 cup frozen spinach, defrosted
• 3 T quinoa flakes (or oats/bread crumbs/flour)
• 1 egg white
• 1 T tahini (optional)
• salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Directions

In a blender/food processor/Magic Bullet, combine all ingredients and process until mostly smooth (or at desired consistency). Spoon ~1/4 cup of the mixture into a pan coated with oil on medium heat. Flatten the batter with the back of the spoon. Repeat with the rest of the mixture. Cook burgers for 5 minutes or until brown and then flip. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve with ketchup (optional, but highly recommended).

Notes

• If you prefer a nuttier burger, reserve half of the chickpeas and mash in with a fork after processing. You can also add sunflower seeds and/or cooked brown rice.
• If you are doubling the recipe, use the whole egg.
• You can substitute other frozen veggies (i.e. peas, broccoli, peppers, etc.) for the carrots and spinach.
• You could probably bake these burgers instead of pan-frying.
• The tahini gives it a hearty dose of fat and protein. You can leave it out if you want. I made them without tahini the first time and it turned out well.

These burgers are a delicious way to get in some veggies and they’re packed with protein. If you use quinoa flakes or GF oats, they are gluten free.

What are you waiting for? Go make these. It’ll take you less time than it did to read this post!

You all know Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday, right? I look forward to it more than I do Christmas, 4th of July or even my birthday. This Thursday, I plan to celebrate all day long starting with breakfast. I mean, really, why wait until dinner to chow down? Thanksgiving only comes once a year. Live it up!

For Thanksgiving breakfast, we’ll be enjoying these Gingerbread Scones. I made yet another variation on my favorite Double Sunflower Seed Scones to make it appropriate for the holiday.

This is my go-to scone recipe because not only is it a quick, it’s very difficult to mess up. Unlike typical scone recipes, this one relies on almond butter instead of butter for it’s richness. Butter is great, but not a whole stick of it in the morning, ya know? There will be plenty of butter in the rest of our Thanksgiving dishes!

These scones are perfect for Thanksgiving breakfast because they’re filling. You know, so you won’t be tempted to nibble too much while cooking. The almond butter and soymilk give these extra protein and fiber.

I used pumpkin spice soymilk, but you can certainly use original if you wish.

This recipe is one of those “mix dry, mix wet and combine” recipes.

It’s quick, so you can make it the morning of and eat them right out of the oven. It’s easy, so you’ll have plenty of energy to devote to mashing potatoes.

I added candied ginger and pecans, but you could use raisins, dried cranberries and/or walnuts instead. Whatever your heart desires!

Gingerbread Scones

Adapted from Cinnamon Raisin Pecan Scones

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 2 TBSP cold butter, diced
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1/2 cup pumpkin spice soy milk (or original soymilk)
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 TBSP blackstrap molasses
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/4 cup candied ginger, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 400*F. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice). Cut butter into small pieces and toss with dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients (almond butter, soy milk, egg, molasses, vanilla). Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add chopped pecans and candied ginger. Knead a few times with hands.

Form dough into a thick, circular patty and place on a greased cookie sheet. Cut into the dough (but do not separate) to make 8 triangular scones. Bake at 400*F for 15 minutes. Separate scones and bake for another 2-3 minutes.

Tell me: What are you eating for breakfast this Thanksgiving?

This post is part of the Soy Simple campaign (you can read more about the campaign and my disclosure statement here).

A couple of years ago when I backed off from eating meat for several months, I discovered many vegetarian/vegan dishes made with ingredients that were not only high in nutrients, but delicious as well. Though I am not a vegetarian, I still enjoy meatless meals regularly.

One of my favorite vegan dishes is the tofu scramble. Tofu made to taste like scrambled eggs!

Tofu scrambles are a great way to get in protein at breakfast. Add in some veggies, serve it with a slice of bread and you’ve got a nutritious start to your day.

It’s best to get extra firm tofu but firm will work too.

Drain the water and wrap tofu in a paper towel + napkin/washcloth. Gently press out the water.

After you’ve pressed out as much water as possible, crumble the tofu with your fingers or a fork.

Throw the tofu crumbles in a pan with some olive oil.

Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika (or whatever seasonings float your boat).

You can add bell peppers, tomatoes, cheese, or whatever your heart desires. I topped my tofu scramble with salsa.

This post is part of the Soy Simple campaign (you can read more about the campaign and my disclosure statement here).

I’ve gone nuts.

Nuts about nuts. My consumption of almonds has skyrocketed since increasing my mileage. I depend on almonds to keep me full these days…and to get enough calories in my body!

I have a canister of almonds in my glove compartment in case of emergency. My fingers find their way into the canister every day while driving home from work. Yes, there is an emergency every single day.

Last night, while staring at our basket of leftover Halloween candy, it suddenly dawned on me. I needed to make candied nuts!

Literally, CANDIED nuts made with candy. Heath Bars to be exact.

Instead of just using almonds, I went with a combination of pecans, walnuts and almonds.

Go nuts or go home…

I unwrapped the leftover Heath Bars and placed them in a Ziploc bag. I used a glass spice shaker to crush them into tiny pieces. I recommend using something that won’t crack like a mallet.

I lightly coated the nuts with honey and then stirred in the Heath Bar pieces and sea salt (a must!).

Then it was time for the oven to work its magic.

The Heath bars melted and coated the nuts in gooey chocolate and toffee (!!).

When the nuts cooled, clusters formed (!!!).

Nuts bound together by a lace of chocolate and toffee. Magic. Or I should say, fuel for my next long run. That is, if an emergency doesn’t come up first.

Chocolate Toffee Candied Nut Clusters

Ingredients

• 3 cups raw mixed nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts)
• 2 oz. Heath Bars (8 mini bars)
• 2 TBSP honey or maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 275* F. In a medium bowl, gather mixed nuts and stir in honey until evenly coated. Unwrap Heath Bars, place in a plastic bag and crush with a hard object. Add the crushed Heath Bar pieces to the nut mixture. Sprinkle sea salt and stir until fully combined. Transfer nut mixture to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring every 5-7 minutes. Allow nuts to cool before serving.

Try not to go nuts…

Man oh man the weather peopleo were NOT kidding about the snow this time around. It snowed/sleeted non-stop for almost 12 hours today. As a result, my mind has been wandering all day, thinking about Christmas, Santa, Rudolph, sugar cookies, egg nog, candy canes and all things winter.

I had to remind myself it’s not even Halloween yet and if we skip over Thanksgiving, I’ll cry.

Despite being miserably cold, I must say the snow was pretty magical today. I’d like for fall to come back though…like, tomorrow!

I drove over to the gym (and almost crashed even though I was driving slower than molasses!!) and ellipticalled for 30 min. and lifted weights for 20 min.

I came home, stretched, foam-rolled, and did some hip exercises. I saw a physical therapist in college when I had my stress fracture and he told me my running injuries were likely due to my weak hips. He show me exercises to do with a band. I kept it up for a few months and then got lazy.

I probably should’ve started them up again this past summer when my mileage was starting to creep up. Oops. Better extremely late than never, right?

We decided that it would be too dangerous go anywhere today, so we sat around and ate! It worked out well because yesterday’s run definitely caught up with me and I was ultra hungry all day long.

In between feedings, I snuggled up with The Best of Me in my bed. So far so good! You know you’re reading a Nicholas Sparks book when you start to get all gushy about love.

Not before long, I was hungry again…and cold! Soup was the only logical solution. I’ve been eating this veggie and seafood soup all week long, but it was finally bright enough today to take photos.

Ready?

First, boil a small pot of water and make the soup base. You can use vegetable/chicken broth or find something salty in your kitchen. I used miso and oyster sauce.

Next add your leafy green of choice. I’ve been using Chinese broccoli, which I ate a trillion times in Hong Kong. Remember? I’ve been making it with leaf spinach too and it’s equally as delicious.

When the veggies are 3/4 cooked, add frozen seafood. If you’re using spinach, you can add everything all at once because spinach cooks super fast. You could throw in tofu instead of seafood if you want.

I would’ve added an egg (runny yolk in soup is unbelievable!), but it doesn’t make for a very photogenic bowl of soup!

Oh the sacrifices I make for this blog…

When the seafood is fully cooked, you’re all done. Like I said last week, it takes less than 10 minutes to prepare from start to finish.

Alrighty, I’m gonna go faceplant in a tub of almonds and snuggle up with last last last week’s episode of Glee!

Have a great night.

Tell me…your comfort food of choice!

Run in the cold today or in the warmth + wind tomorrow? That was the question of the morning.

After going back ‘n’ forth in my head for a good half hour, I decided the last thing I wanted to do was go to the gym (snooze!). It was outside or nothing.

I had a serious moment on our front step while I questioned my sanity before going off on my merry way. I cursed under my breath for a solid 10 minutes straight. Brrrrr!

Before I knew it, my goosebumps turned into beads of sweat. At mile 3, my iPod died and it started raining (!!!).

It ended up being a great run in spite of it all. Surprisingly fast and relatively easy. Who woulda known?

For lunch, I made a Tuna Salad with a Twist.

A couple weeks ago, I was instructed to make tuna salad for the kiddos I watch. The mom told me they usually add mayo, relish and salt. Relish?!

I didn’t grow up with relish in our fridge. We just never bought it. Relish to me was the strange green stuff reserved for hot dogs that I never actually put on my own.

I tried it in the tuna salad that day and I was hooked after the first bite. Mark my words, I will never make tuna salad without relish…ever again.

Life changing, I’m tellin’ ya!

I went out and bought a jar of relish so I could recreate this tuna salad at home. Instead of mayo, I used 2 TBSP Homemade Basic Hummus and 2 TBSP Greek yogurt. I added 1 TBSP relish plus salt and pepper to taste.

All mixed up and served with mini peppers!

Do you make tuna salad with relish? Am I just totally out of the loop?!

I’m obsessed.

Chipped tooth update!

Last night while lying in bed, it suddenly dawned on me that I had to fix my chipped tooth myself. You see, the dentist office is far away and I have no patience when it comes to these things. I couldn’t wait another minute (my tongue is raw from licking my tooth so much!).

I had to take matters into my hands…

I filed the tooth down myself!

There’s still a teeny bit of the chip left. I didn’t want to go too far. I’ll wait and see if it smooths out on it’s own. Better safe than sorry, you know? I can always file more later. And by later, I mean tonight.

It’s an improvement from before though. See the difference? This is the before shot…

I shoulda gone to dental school.

Alright, time for me to pull on some sweats and brew some hot tea. Have a great night, y’all.

You know it’s getting chilly when…

You can’t figure out if you have a cold or you’re just cold.

Your space heater never leaves your side.

You can’t stop drinking hot tea because if you stop, your goosebumps will make a triumphant return.

The most dreadful moment of your day is when you have to turn off the water and step out of the shower.

The most wonderful moment of your day is when you faceplant in a pile of fresh laundry.

All you want to do is fire up the oven and BAKE!

I wanted to bake something that required minimal ingredients. 5 ingredients to be exact.

Don’t forget the vanilla! We got this vanilla extract in Mexico last year and it is the bomb. I used to think good quality vanilla didn’t make a difference, but boy was I wrong!

This recipe is a simple one. Whisk together ingredients and shape into cookies. Easy, I told you.

I made them into thumbprint cookies, so I could fill them with fig butter. I also made them into regular cookies and they actually tasted better that way (don’t tell my thumb that).

Along with fig butter, I filled some cookies with orange marmalade just for kicks.

They cookies turned out darker than I envisioned because well, I used dark brown sugar. Duh. It also meant they tasted a little gingersnappy. Mmm!

These cookies are very delicate. And by that, I mean they’re crumbly and they melt in your mouth.

Almond Butter Thumbprint Cookies (gluten free)

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond butter
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Jam, marmalade, fig/pumpkin/apple butter (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350* F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl or stand mixer, whisk together all ingredients except jam/marmalade until smooth. Shape dough into 1.5 inch balls and place on baking sheet 2 inches apart. Press down in the center of each ball with your thumb. Fill indentation with 1/2 tsp. jam/marmalade. Bake at 350* F for 15 minutes or until cookies are set. Allow the cookies to cool before serving. Enjoy with a mug of tea.

Stay warm!

Man oh man, the rain just won’t quit!

There is one good thing about rainy/cloudy days though. You know what that is? Perfect lighting conditions for food photography.

Gotta look at the bright side, even when the sun ain’t shining…

Today, I merged two of my favorite salads into one dish. My favorite Cool as a Cucumber Salad and a mixed seafood salad, which I’ve had from several salad bars in the past.

Like the cucumber salad, the mixed seafood salad is usually tossed in a tangy vinaigrette.

What took me so long to combine the two?!

First I made the vinaigrette using rice vinegar, sesame oil, salt and sugar, just like l did in the original recipe.

Next, I chopped up the cukes into bite-sized chunks.

I tossed the cukes in the vinaigrette and let ‘em marinade while I prepared the seafood.

I stir fried ~1 cup mixed frozen seafood in olive oil until just cooked. You don’t want to overcook these guys!  Add salt to taste.

I tossed the seafood with the cucumber + vinaigrette mixture and added fresh garden tomatoes.

The combo worked like a charm! Tangy, salty, and slightly sweet. I’m tellin’ ya, that simple vinaigrette works wonders.

This salad was cool, crisp and refreshing.

I’m not done with you yet, Summer! Don’t you dare leave us early.

My parents want to know who I am and where their daughter went. I’d like to know, too. Who the heck is this girl granny who wakes up before the sun (without an alarm!)? I was up and at ‘em at 5:59 AM today. I’m not kidding when I say that used to be more like my bedtime.

[Peter walks downstairs to leave for work]

Where are you going today?

Uhh, nowhere…? I woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep, Dad.

[Mom walks downstairs to leave for work]

You really ARE a granny!

Thanks, Mom.

Well, Granny Allie fulfilled her duties last night by cooking dinner for her family.

I know what you’re thinking. A recipe? A savory recipe? Oh yes, the recipe drought has finally come to an end, folks!

I didn’t know what my parents wanted to eat last night, so I made something that I would want to eat myself. Makes sense, right? Sure.

I’ve been dying to try this brown rice spaghetti for awhile now, but haven’t had the chance. And by that I mean, I’m always ravenous when I’m making myself food and can’t bare to spend an extra second waiting for water to boil.

It’s been forever since I last made pasta. How much do I cook?

Enough.

I also added a can of wild Alaskan salmon along with 2 tomatoes to give it some bulk.

We had no pasta sauce of any kind in the house, so I used Sabra Roasted Red Pepper Hummus.

I mean, why not?

I really didn’t know what to expect…hummus pasta?

It tasted fabulous though. You’ve gotta try it. It was creamy like alfredo, but without the weigh-you-down-like-a-bowling-ball effect. Oh and you can totally make the hummus from scratch if you want.

As for the brown rice pasta? I asked Peter what he thought…

Hey, you know that pasta was made entirely from brown rice? Is that not just SO cool?!

Cool? Well, it was good…really good. Much better than I expected, actually.

(FYI Peter is a die hard white rice fan…emphasis on the white)

Granny’s Hummus Pasta

Ingredients

• 8 oz. brown rice spaghetti (or pasta of your choice)
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1-6 oz can boneless wild Alaskan salmon
• 2/3 cup prepared roasted red pepper hummus (or make your own!)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Bring 6 cups of water to boil in a large pot. Cook pasta on high heat for 12 minutes or until al dente. Drain. In the same pot, sauté chopped tomatoes with extra virgin olive oil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cooked pasta, salmon and hummus and stir until fully combined. Serve with extra hummus if desired.

***

I’m on the lookout for a little girl in a red riding hood to bring this granny some muffins!!

Let me state the obvious here. It’s freaking hot outside. Like really really really freaking hot. It’s steamy-sunglasses hot. It’s beady-sweaty-forehead hot. It’s I-can-hardly-breathe-and-my-skin-is-searing hot.

The solution? Grab an ice cold bevvy and make this cucumber salad. Your body will thank you.

This salad is a little tangy, a little sweet, a little salty and best of all…a lotta COOL! It’s refreshing and hydrating, perfect for when it’s 100*F outside.

This salad requires a few simple ingredients. Cucumbers (duh), rice vinegar, sesame oil, salt and sugar. You could use another type of vinegar and another type of oil if you so desire. Like red vinegar and olive oil or apple cider vinegar and canola oil. I recommend rice vinegar and sesame oil for best results.

But please do not cut out the salt and sugar. They are critical for this salad.

First, chop up the cucumbers into bite size chunks.

Then mix together rice vinegar, sesame oil, salt, and sugar to make the dressing. Toss with cucumber chunks and let sit for a few minutes to marinade. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and serve cool.

Cool as a Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

• 8 small or 3-4 large cucumbers
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• Sesame seeds (optional)

Directions

Chop cucumbers into bite-size chunks and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients for the dressing. Add in cucumbers and toss until fully dressed. Allow to sit for 10-15 min. to marinade. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and serve cool.

STAY COOL, Y’ALL!