Healthy Recipes for Memorial Day
Happy Memorial Day Weekend everyone. With the massive beef recalls going on this week, it would be the ideal time to serve and encourage your family to enjoy a delicious meatless holiday. There are so many yummy options including this plant based burger as the piece de resistance. Sides could include baked beans, grilled vegetables, potato salad and the tasty quinoa black bean recipe below. I also love serving a buffalo wing cauliflower appetizer for all my parties.
Besides the food, let not forget what Memorial Day is really about. A day on which those who died in active military service are remember and thanked for their service. Thank you to all the men and women serving and protecting our country. Freedom is my favorite word and I thank you for it.
Hope you enjoy these healthy recipes as much as I did. Wishing you a peaceful and compassionate weekend.
Hot & Spicy Cauliflower Buffalo Wings
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Author: Ordinary Vegan
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce
- 1 head of cauliflower, leaves removed, cut into florets
- chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spread baking paper on a cooking sheet or lightly grease one.
- In a large bowl, combine the oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar and Sriracha sauce.
- Gently add the cauliflower to the bowl and coat with marinade.
- Arrange the cauliflower on a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes. Turn and roast for another 10 minutes, or until tender.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve.
Edamame & Black Bean Quinoa Salad
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Author: Ordinary Vegan
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 2 cups water
- 1 carton black beans, rinsed
- 1 cup frozen cooked edamame
- ½ red onion, chopped
- 2-3 radishes, sliced thin
- ¼ cup chopped almonds (optional)
- Fresh chopped cilantro for garnish
Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
- ¾ cup fresh, chopped cilantro
- 3 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
- 3 tablespoons of white wine vinegar (or champagne vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon of water (add more if too tart)
- 1 garlic clove chopped
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin oive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
Instructions
- Bring two cups of water to a boil. Add quinoa, cover and lower heat to simmering. Cook until all the water is absorbed, keeping a close eye so it doesn't stick. Approximately 13-18 minutes. Leave covered and set aside.
- In a food processor, add the cilantro, lime juice, vinegar, water, garlic clove, dijon mustard, salt, pepper and olive oil. Process until somewhat smooth. Taste for seasonings. If too tart, add a little more water instead of more oil.
- Combine the quinoa with the chopped red onion, black beans and edamame. Add some dressing. Mix gently. Taste for seasonings. Add more dressing if needed. Top with some chopped cilantro and / or slivered almonds.
No Beef Burger
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I like to bake these burgers or cooked on a stove top grill. If you put them on a barbecue grill, make sure the grill is well oiled or you put them on a grill pan so they don't fall apart.
Author: Ordinary Vegan
Recipe type: main
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients
- 2½ Tbsp ground flaxseed
- 1 cup cooked lentils
- ¾ cup cooked white short grain rice
- 1 cup of pecan nuts, finely processed
- ½ cup chopped green onion
- ½ cup finely chopped portabello mushroom
- 1 cup cup oat flour, or other flour of your choice (oat will keep it gluten-free)
- 2 slices wholewheat bread (or gluten-free), finely processed
- ⅓ cup sunflower seeds, finely processed
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- a sprinkle of red pepper flakes
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ teaspoon dry mustard
- 2 teaspoons Tajin clasico seasoning or taco seasoning
- ½ teaspoon habanero or other chile powder and some for dusting
- 2 Tbsp smoky chipotle barbecue sauce (or your favorite)
- 4 fresh jalapeno peppers, grilled, sliced
- 4 slices vegan pepper jack cheese
- a few twists of fresh ground pepper
- Burger buns
Accompaniments could include hot sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, grilled poblano pepper, avocado, mustard and ketchup
Instructions
- Make your flax egg mixture. In a small bowl, whisk together powdered flax seed & ½ cup warm water until well blended and thick. Place your flax egg mix in the fridge for at least 15 minutes but ideally closer to an hour.
- Meanwhile, boil your rice and lentils seperately making sure they don't get too mushy
- Process seperately (but using same processor) the pecan nuts, sunflower seeds and whole wheat bread - place in large bowl
- Finely chop your onion and mushroom and add to large bowl.
- Add all the remining ingredients except for flax-seed egg mixture and combine well
- Then add in the flax egg mix, and using your hands continue to mix until well combined
- Form into tight round patties and transfer onto a pre-greased baking tray, and place in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes. This helps bind them.
- Dust the burger on both sides with habanero powder. Place on barbecue grill for 5 to 6 minutes on each side, until they have a deep golden colour - add cheese on first turn cover grill to melt.
- Meanwhile grill your jalapeno peppers.
- Lightly toast the inside of the burger bun, place the patty on the bottom bun and layer with grilled sliced jalapenos. Top it off with some avocado and hot sauce.
- You can also bake the burgers in a 400 degree F oven for approximately 15 minutes on each side until golden.
- Freeze extra uncooked burgers for another day.
I love the recipe for the cauliflower “wings”.
In response to Brenda about substitutes for mushrooms. If it’s for the texture/filling type, then zucchini, squash, eggplant, and sweet potato are all great. You can even use some sort of marinated tofu to get the same sort of filling. If it’s for just tasting, then something like miso or a broth of some sort also works well!
The no-cook lasagna posted last week was one of the best dishes I have EVER eaten – Thanks! However, I couldn’t find vegan ritocca – what is the brand and where do you get it?
Hi Dee – Tofutti makes a vegan ricotta but I used a new product that isn’t on the market yet. You can also make your own vegan ricotta – recipe here
Thanks for the kind words Dee and thanks for being part of our community!
Hi,
I’m allergic to flax seed, which means I must read every ingredient label on vegetarian and vegan foods, breads, etc. What can I substitute for it in your Memorial Day burger recipe? Would chia seed work? Is there a vegan egg replacer commercial product I could try? Thank you for your site–I recently discovered it and everything I’ve tried so far has been delicious!
Sincerely,
Beth B.
Hi Beth – I have never tried chia seeds as a binder but you have me thinking – why not? I will try it and report back. The most popular egg replacer is Ener G – You can buy it online if you don’t have a whole foods or trader joes close to you, but I am not sure that flax is not in the ingredients. Other egg replacers include:
1 egg = 1/4 cup soft tofu pureed
1 egg = 2 Tbsp. potato starch
1 egg = 1/4 cup mashed potatoes
1 egg = 1/4 cup canned pumpkin or squash
1 egg = 1/4 cup puréed prunes
1 egg = 2 Tbsp. water + 1 Tbsp. oil + 2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg white = 1 Tbsp. plain agar powder dissolved in 1 Tbsp. water, whipped, chilled, and whipped again
Desserts and Baked Goods: Try substituting one banana or 1/4 cup applesauce for each egg called for in a recipe for sweet, baked desserts. These will add some flavor to the recipe, so make sure bananas or apples are compatible with the other flavors in the dessert.
Hope that helps. Thanks for the kind words and for being part of our community!