Butternut Squash Vegan Lentil Burgers

The lentil burgers are inspired by one of my favourite healthy vegetarian recipes from Chef Michael Smith. It's also 21 Day Fix friendly and is incredibly cheap! I never have certain ingredients he uses on hand though - for example miso paste isn't something I keep in the fridge so it's not in this recipe. I wanted to make this recipe for vegan Easter dinner so I modified it to make it simpler.

 I suggest using frozen butternut squash (look for it in the frozen veggie section) which makes the prep much easier. It's also a lot cheaper than buying a whole butternut squash in Canada these days. Instead of the butternut squash and potato you can also substitute 2 cups of grated sweet potato or 2 cups of grated carrots. I've tried both and it works great. All of these orange veggies have the same sweet flavour that goes great with the savoury flavour of the sage, lentils and mushrooms.

The mushrooms, peanut butter and black lentils give the burgers a rich hearty taste which is reminiscent of a burger and goes well with typical burger toppings. I love topping mine with aged cheddar, avocado, tomato and lettuce on a whole wheat bun. To chop all the veggies I use my food processor with the grater attachment but you can also use a box grater or chop them with a knife. The food processor makes things a lot quicker. To mix things together you can also use your food processor with the regular blade but don't process the lentils or potato - mix those in afterwards.

For the lentils be sure to choose black, beluga, french or dupuy lentils. You may have to make a special trip to the bulk barn, whole foods or a health food store to find these since they usually aren't in the regular grocery store. Black lentils hold up better and don't fall apart so I like them better in most recipes. To make the lentils just soak them for a few hours in a large bowl covered with water (they will expand in the water) then boil them for 15 minutes like you're making rice. When they are done you'll be able to smash them with a fork. Drain off any excess water and let them cool a bit before using them in the recipe.

If you can't make a trip to the bulk barn the next best lentil type would be canned lentils - you don't have to boil these, just drain and rinse them and they're ready to go in your recipe. The pink lentils you see in the grocery store can be used in a pinch but they are kind of flavourless and don't have the same oomph as the other kinds.

If you think of lentils as coming from India (I thought myself that they were imported) you would be wrong. Lentils actually grow extremely well in Canada. Canada is actually the World's main producer of lentils believe it or not and 80% of lentils come from Canada! So in fact by eating more lentils you're supporting the Canadian economy! I hope with this recipe you'll be able to incorporate more lentils into your diet. Not only are they tasty, cheap and local to Canada but they're also healthy and packed with fibre and protein. If you're still scared of cooking lentils explore Chef Michael Smith's website as there are a lot of short youtube videos on how to cook them - don't worry though it's not rocket science!

Butternut Squash Vegan Lentil Burgers       Makes about 12 patties Ingredients  2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil 1 Onion, Chopped 200 gr Mushrooms, Chopped 4 Cloves Garlic, Diced 2 Cups Black, Beluga, French or Dupuy Lentils, Cooked 1 Cups Cubed Butternut Squash, Cooked (or frozen squash defrosted) 1 Cup grated Potato 1 Cup Breadcrumbs (or almond flour to make it gluten-free) 2 Tbsp Dried Sage 1 Tbsp Chili Powder 1 Tbsp Curry Powder 1/2 Cup Peanut Butter 1/4 Cup Chia Seeds 1/4 Cup Ground Flax Directions Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat and fry the onion, mushroom and garlic until golden brown (10-15 minutes). Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.  Form into patties with 1/3 Cup of the mixture in each patty. Fry over low heat, cook on the BBQ or cook for 20 minutes at 400F in the oven. Serve hot with cilantro and avocado on a whole wheat bun. * The raw patties can be frozen and cooked at a later date.

You also might like: How I lost 15 Lbs in 60 Days or 11 Ways to Actually Complete a Workout Program

Vegan Superfood Mocha Latte Recipe

Guys, I have to admit to you I used to have a bad Starbucks addiction. I worked at Chapters and my treat for every shift was a latte or London Fog. I willfully ignored the nutrition information but when I finally checked it I was shocked. Back then they were still making their lattes with whole milk and with the whipped cream on top drinking a latte was more like eating a Big Mac but without the protein! 

Because a latte is so high in calories but provides very little nutritional value I would put it in the "empty calorie" category along with pop! Empty calories are calories that provide no vitamins or protein - things that keep your body going - along with the calories. Empty calories may provide a spike in your energy from sugar but you'll soon experience a "crash" and feel more tired and hungry than you started leading you to eat more and crave more empty calories. This is why you should avoid empty calories in the first place! 

The Starbucks website uses some sly tactics like making their list of small treats in the biggest font which leads the reader to go their first and assumes their treats are healthy. When you see the "mini scone" they advertise in person though it's flippin tiny! I would never just eat one single mini scone. They also list the smallest drinks first on the menu and make the large drinks hard to read in a giant chart. They also don't include the whipped cream in their calorie calculations. 

Nowadays, the odd time I'll go to a Starbucks, I'll order an Americano and add my own milk. I've also sworn off any sweetener in my coffee. It was hard at first - I used to take double sugar in my coffee but now I can't stand the taste of a double double. It's amazing how our taste buds adjust. I first switched to stevia to replace the sugar and then slowly reduced the stevia until I was used to no sweetener! Why did I remove the stevia too? Studies show that even artificial sweeteners like stevia cause people to crave more sweet things and therefore people don't lose weight when they switch to artificial sweeteners. 

Instead of a latte filled with empty calories I have concocted this latte filled with a balance of protein, healthy carbs, vitamins and even hormone-balancing maca root. This is a perfect drink in the morning because the variety of plant-based protein (eg. rice, quinoa and amaranth) in the Shakeology provides long-lasting energy throughout the day unlike other protein powder that are whey-based. I also find whey-based protein powder bothers my stomach - especially early in the morning. You can drink it in the place of breakfast which is what I do if I'm in a rush and what my dad does every day! 

When you're feeling full and energized you'll be more likely to stick to your healthy diet and feel more energized for your workouts! 

Vegan Superfood Mocha Latte Recipe           Makes 1 Serving Ingredients  1 Scoop Chocolate Vegan Shakeology 1 Cup Almond Milk 1 Cup Freshly Brewed Coffee 1 Tsp Vanilla 1/2 Banana Directions Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend on high until the ingredients are combined and the almond milk is frothy. Drink warm!

You also might like: How I lost 15 Lbs in 60 Days or 11 Ways to Actually Complete a Workout Program

Moroccan Stew - My Weight Loss Secret

My favourite healthy food is from my dad’s celiac repertoire Moroccan Stew from Crazy Plates. It’s a great health recipe because it’s full of fibre, the chickpeas add some protein plus the sweet potato contributes some vitamin A! Better yet the peanut butter makes it hearty. I believe this is my first post which I took the pictures with my new 50mm prime lens. It takes much brighter and crisp pictures than my stock zoom lens plus it focuses much quicker! If you’re planning on getting an SLR I would recommend getting the body-only option and buying a 50mm prime separately - much better value for money than the stock zoom that most SLR’s come with!

Vegan Curried Risotto with Lentils

Curried Risotto: In an effort to be healthy and incorporate more vegetarian protein into my diet I came up with this recipe using basmati rice, red lentils and broth.

Power Balls (DIY Cliff Bars)

Since starting P90X (and figuring out I was allergic to whey protein powder) I’ve been looking for whey-free ways (ha!)  to get my protein into my diet. Since Clif bars have about 10g of protein per bar I had been eating them obsessively - not the most frugal obsession (they’re cheapest at Costco if you were wondering). I was already lamenting the preservatives and various other unpronounceable ingredients in the bars when a friend informed me of the concern over hexane used to extract the soy protein they used in Clif bars. Serendipitously I stumbled upon an Energy Ball recipe from the Healthy Foodie - a fellow Canadian! I used Vegan protein powder like Vegan Shakeology because it contains a balance of different plant-based proteins.

Curried Lentil and Chickpea Dip

Curried Lentil & Chickpea Dip

Inspired by finding lentil chips (pictured above - they were tasty but not as good as rice chips) at the Bulk Barn one day I took on the challenge of making some lentil hummus. It turned out to be a tasty change from our normal hummus experiments. Any excuse to add lentils to a recipe is a good thing in my mind.

Easy Gluten-free Seed Crackers

The best thing about these crackers - other than the fact that my gluten-free friends can eat them and my gluten-loving friends actually love the taste too - is that the recipe is so easy you can pretty much memorize it after attempting it once. It basically just includes a half cup of four types of seeds - the crackers bind together through the magic of Chia Seeds (cha-cha-cha-chia!). When you add the water to the chia seeds they excrete clear jelly an stick the whole mixture together. Chia seeds are also magical because they are packed with all sorts of nutritional value - hence the name Endurance Crackers.

Faux-Cheese Vegan/Paleo/Gluten-Free Kale Chips Recipe

Homemade Kale Chips - so addictive!

Just in time for the Christmas season I present: Something red and green! This recipe is vegan, gluten-free paleo and dukan diet friendly. It's an awesome substitution for chips when you want to eat healthier or need to lose weight. I also love using up kale because it grows really easily in Ontario and I like to eat local whenever I can. Kale keeps growing into the fall when other leafy greens get bitten by the frost. Kale contains tons of nutrients like other leafy greens and the nutritional yeast provides extra B vitamins which are essentially if you're a vegan or vegetarian. Vegetarians don't get B vitamins from meat so if you're vegetarian consider adding nutritional yeast to your daily diet. It has a cheesy buttery taste so is great to add on to popcorn or make your own vegan cashew cheese.