April 18, 2010

These took just a little bit of preparation, but not nearly as much as I anticipated. Because they’re dehydrated, the buns and burgers do need to be started the day before.

burgers ~ $.56 each

1 cup walnuts, finely chopped ($1.50)
9 tbsp flax meal ($.20)
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped ($.40)
1 rib celery, finely chopped ($.15)
1 small onion, finely chopped ($.20)
1 jalepeno, minced ($.10)
pulp from one juiced carrot
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp curry powder ($.10)
1 tsp onion powder ($.10)
1/2 tsp garlic powder ($.05)
pinch of thyme

The flax meal, when soaked, becomes very sticky and will help everything together. Start the flax meal soaking in about 3/4 cup water. Chop everything very finely. I tried this first in the food processor and it got too soupy for my liking. It really doesn’t take much effort to hand chop everything and the results seem far superior. Add in the soaked flax meal and stir until well incorporated. Form into six patties, about 3 inches across and dehydrate on plastic or teflex sheets overnight. The outside will be a little crispy and the insides just a little bit moist.

flax buns ~ $.26 per serving

1 cup flax meal ($.50)
1 red bell pepper ($.80)
1 medium onion ($.20)
1 clove garlic ($.05)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water

I actually preferred the burgers on a couple of romaine leaves. Adding in more flax in the form of buns makes it quite heavy, but that would work out great on a day when you’re feeling more hungry.

I use a grain grinder to grind flax seeds, but an herb grinder works well. And I keep them stored in the freezer to keep them fresh until use.

In a blender, puree the bell pepper, onion, and garlic, adding in the water to get things going. Put the flax meal in a medium bowl and pour in the bell pepper mixture from the blender. Let soak for about a half hour, adding more water as needed to make a sticky but spreadable mix.

Spread into twelve 3 inch rounds on a plastic or teflex sheet and dehydrate for 4-5 hours or overnight. Remove from dehydrator when the buns are still a little bit pliable.

toppings ~ $.99 per serving

1 tomato ($1.50)
2 avocados ($2.98)
1 red onion ($.89)
6 leaves romaine ($.60)

And this is the fun part. I kept it simple, with a bit of mashed up avocado as “mayo” and lots of tomato slices.

calories: 372
fat: 30 gr
carbs: 22 gr
protein: 9 gr
  

1 cup sunflower seeds, soaked ($.80)
4 tbsp onion powder ($.20)
1 tbsp garlic powder ($.05)
1 tsp salt
about 1 cup ice water (for blending)

Put all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth and creamy. I enjoyed this today topped with onions and served on cucumber slices.

ingredients

1/2 head romaine ($.95)
1/2 bunch (or bag) spinach ($1.50)
12 radishes ($1.00)
2 medium onions ($.30)
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons olive oil ($.20)
3 tablespoons agave ($.30)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

The spiciness continues. There was an onion dressing I remember using a long time ago and I thought maybe I’d try to replicate it to go with this salad of greens, radishes and onions. It was perfect.

For the dressing, puree 1/2 onion, the garlic, agave, olive oil, salt, black pepper and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper. It can be hard to make this in such a small batch because the blender just doesn’t work on such small amounts. I get around that by using a pint sized canning jar attached to the blade part of my blender. But, you could easily double or triple the amount and it should store in the fridge for at least a few days.

The salad is just the romaine and spinach tossed with thinly slices radishes and onions and topped with the onion dressing and some more red pepper flakes.

6 dates ($3.00)
1/2 cup walnuts ($.50)
1/2 cup finely shredded coconut ($1.00)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons agave
pinch salt

2 avocados ($1.49)
3 bananas, dehydrated ($.45)
4 limes, juice and zest ($2.00)
4 tablespoons agave ($.40)

These are just insanely good. I really don’t think there’s a conventional dessert that could be any better tasting than these.

They certainly didn’t last long in these parts, although theoretically they can be covered and frozen for up to a week.

Make the crusts first. In a food processor with the “S” blade, process the dates until mush. Add the coconut, coconut oil, agave, and salt and process until it begins to clump. Last, add the walnuts and process until the walnuts are fully incorporated and the mixture sticks together.

I used paper cupcake cups and a cupcake pan … the paper lined pans seemed to make just about perfect sized tarts. Divide the crust mixture evenly into and press into the bottom and sides of eight paper lined cupcake cups. Put in the freezer for about a half hour, until firm.

For the filling, in the food processor with the “S” blade, process the avocados, bananas, lime juice and zest, and agave. It takes a minute or two, but this will become velvety smooth and the consistency of thick pudding.

A note about the dehydrated bananas … these need to be just dehydrated enough to take some of the moisture out but not hard. I dehydrated my gently for about 6 hours and that seemed to work out well.

Spoon the filling into the tart crusts and chill well before serving.