Better for you; Better for your taste buds.

This week was all about upgrades. Progressively, I’ve seen my food transform from the traditional vegetarian fare (let’s just say…boxed mac and cheese served with a Morningstar burger) to something a little more complicated. I guess I’m now classified as a “flexitarian,” but really, I like to see it as a plant-based diet, with a big sweet tooth.

My first upgrade was a recipe from a fellow culinary student. My friend Emiko designed these veggie burgers as a way to eat whole grains and simply put, to eat real food. They definitely aren’t a weeknight quickie, but can easily be molded into patties and frozen so you can have them on hand whenever needed.

Mediterranean Burgers:

Yield: About 30 2-inch burgers

1 cup dried french lentils
1 cup short-grain brown rice
6 cups vegetable stock
1 carrot, grated
1 onion, small dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, small dice
1 red pepper, small dice
1 yellow pepper, small dice
1 tablespoon dried cumin
1 teaspoon all-spice
1 teaspoon paprika
1 and 1/2 cups bread crumbs
1 egg
Extra virgin olive oil, for sautéing
Canola oil, for burgers
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Bring lentils and 3 cups stock to a boil in a small sauce pan. Reduce heat to a simmer for about 25 minutes, cook until tender.
2. Boil 1 and 3/4 cup stock. Toast rice in a small sauce pan, and then pour boiling stock over the rice. Bring back to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 40 minutes.
3. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan and saute onions until caramelized. Add remaining vegetables and saute until tender. Add and adjust seasoning
4. Combine rice, lentils, and vegetables in a large bowl. Add egg and 1 cup bread crumbs. Mix until all ingredients are fully incorporated. Let sit in refrigerator for an hour.
5. Mold patties into 2 inch discs*. The mixture should make about 30 patties.
6. Heat about 1/4 cup canola oil in a saute pan. Fry burgers about 3 minutes on each side, until browned and warm.

*I used an ice cream scoop to ensure uniformity, and then pressed them down into a flat burger shape.

The grilled cheese. The token vegetarian sandwich or ideal choice for a 3AM run to Steak and Shake. My upgrade transformed a simple, usually not health-supportive-served-on-white-bread meal and upped it to a classy, filling, and plain old yummy meal. The typical tomato-basil-mozzarella combo is a classic, and I served it on sprouted whole grain bread. I choose to sauté some kale for the side dish, but I think kale chips would go great with this.

Lastly, the chocolate chip cookie. All of my friends (and I mean…all of them) are constantly asking me to mail them treats. Due to time and financial obligations, I’ve saved this for special occasions. A friend’s birthday called for something that was easily able to shipped, and of course something that was super yummy. I choose to sandwich my version of the tollhouse cookies between a layer of teal-dyed whipped, non-overly sweet, frosting. Hopefully they’ll help her celebrate another year!

The Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie:

Yield: About 4 dozen 1 inch cookies
2 1/3 cups organic, unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup organic butter
2/3 cup organic cane sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon organic, fair trade vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans
Yield: about 4 dozen 1 inch cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream together butter, sugars, and vanilla. Once butter is light and fluffy, add eggs.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients in. Once combined, add chocolate chips and pecans.
5. Using a sheet tray lined with parchment, scoop cookies onto tray, about 12 per tray. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
6. Fill sandwiches with your favorite buttercream frosting. I choose the one posted on this blog:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/desserts/thate28099s-the-best-frosting-ie28099ve-ever-had/