Greek Spinach Veggie Burgers

One of my favorite meals as a vegetarian are veggie burgers. I'm a huge fan of finding new recipes for them or finding them out at restaurants. One of my new favorite burgers is a Greek Spinach Veggie Burger. It's an amazing recipe because it has very few ingredients and it's pretty healthy. 

After gathering all my ingredients I measured out the necessary amounts of each. For the spinach I first opened the package and pressed it between paper towels. The last time I made this recipe I forgot that step and the burgers were really watery and didn't make easy patties. If you take the time to pat dry the thawed spinach it mixes much better. 

Start out by mixing together Olive Oil, Dillweed, Garlic, and Oregano in a medium bowl. 

Next stir in the stuffing mix to coat thoroughly. As I was stirring I also used my spoon to mash up the stuffing even more. This again is another step that helps to make it much easier to create patties. 

Now add 2 eggs and stir to combine. The eggs are an essential part because they help to make the recipe more sticky. In recipes like veggie burgers or desserts eggs are pretty essential. 

Now add in the thawed spinach and mix together. As you can see since I took the time to pat dry and drain the spinach of some of it's water this mixture doesn't look soaking wet. 

Finally, add in the crumbled Feta Cheese and combine everything together. I love the smell of Feta Cheese. I'm contemplating next time trying out Blue Cheese to see how those flavors meld rather than the Feta Cheese. 

Once everything was combined I molded them into round patties on a pan that had been sprayed with Pam. I cooked them at 375 degree for 10 minutes per side. This helped my patties to be nice and slightly crunchy to make the perfect veggie burger.

What's your favorite non-meat recipe? Do you have a creative veggie burger recipe that others always ask you to make?

Italian Orzo Spinach Soup

Now that it's so cold out here in Georgia all I want to do is sit in front of the fireplace with my hubby and eat soup. I really think the only thing I like about cold weather is snuggling, hot cocoa, holidays, and soup. Other than that I truly dislike being in the cold. One of my favorite warm soups is Italian Orzo Spinach Soup. I found the recipe originally on Pinterest. It's a vegetarian soup, but obviously you can add chicken or sausage if you'd like. I especially like this soup because it's healthy with all the veggies and whole wheat pasta. It's delicious. The smell alone had my stomach growling as it was cooking. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, peeled and diced
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 6 cups low sodium vegetable stock
• 1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) DeLallo whole wheat orzo pasta
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 4 cups loosely-packed spinach (thawed)

DIRECTIONS:

• Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 4 minutes, until soft. 
• Add carrots and garlic and saute for an additional 3 minutes. 
• Add vegetable stock, tomatoes, orzo, thyme, oregano, rosemary and stir to combine. Bring soup to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente.
• Stir in the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes until it is bright green and wilted. Serve warm & ENJOY!

I think next time I make this soup I'll try adding other veggies like peas, corn, and broccoli. I'm a huge fan of my vegetables, so the more the better to me.

My Thursday Top 10 - Cauliflower Recipes

I love finding new healthy recipes to make for my husband and I. My favorite new ones to try out are Cauliflower recipes. There are so many ways you can switch up Cauliflowers to use as your sides, entrees, and even as dessert. I wanted to share a few of my favorite ones I've found as I do my meal planning each week. 

10. Buffalo Cauliflower Bites - Who doesn't love buffalo chicken? It's amazing while you're watching the game or celebrating with your friends. What I don't love about Buffalo Chicken however is how unhealthy it usually is. That is why I was so happy when I found this recipe for Buffalo Cauliflower Bites. It's AMAZING and it's only 2 grams of fat for 6 Cauliflower Bites.

9. Cauliflower Mac and Cheese - This awesome recipe is low on carbs and so deliciously cheesy. It would be great for a holiday side since it serves 8-10. Plus it would be a very sneaky way to help your kids get their veggies in without them ever suspecting it.

8. Skinny Mashed Cauliflower - Here's another amazing side recipe for those watching their carbs. I love any recipe that is healthier for me and delicious, and this one here definitely fills both needs. Now it's okay to give into your all American craving and eat some mashed cauliflower.

7. Cauliflower Tots - Here's another great recipe that will give you a great way to sneak in healthy vegetables for your kids. These Cauliflower Tots aren't only healthy, they are also super easy to make. Many, if not all of the ingredients are items that we all normally have in our kitchen. 

6. Crispy Orange Cauliflower - This recipe is a new favorite of mine because it allows me to finally be able to give in to my Chinese cravings without feeling super guilty afterwards. Now I can drive by Panda Express without feeling the urge to pull-in. This Crispy Orange Cauliflower recipe is definitely one you will want to add to your list of favorite recipes.

5. Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice - Here is another amazing treat to allow you to have your favorite side while still staying low in carbs. These are also Gluten Free and Vegan friendly. Now you have the perfect side for your next Mexican meal. These will definitely be made the next time I make burrito bowls or tacos for dinner.

4. Cauliflower Brownies - Because who doesn't love chocolate and brownies? I know the idea of chocolate and cauliflower together sounds terrifying, but they are amazing. They turn out so rich and chocolatey and delicious. Next, I'll have to try avocado brownies and black bean brownies. 

3. Spicy Cauliflower Stir Fry - This stir fry is amazing! It's low carb, delicious, and superbly easy to make. The whole thing took a whopping 15 minutes to throw together. This works great on a busy night where you want something healthy and quick. Plus it has a nice spicy twist with the addition of Sriracha.

2. Healthy Fettuccine Cauliflower Alfredo - Fettuccine Alfredo is one of those recipes that are comforting and delicious all at the same time. The warm cheesy ness of the sauce with the noodles is always perfection. However, typical Fettuccine Alfredo is not always a friend to your thighs. Therefore, when I found this recipe for Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce I jumped for joy. This is definitely a must try for all the Alfredo lovers out there. 

1. Cauliflower Pizza Crust - And last but not least there's pizza made with Cauliflower Crust. As seen here I've made my own Cauliflower Pizza with Pepperonis and Banana Peppers. This one is a definite favorite in my household.

I hope you enjoy these recipes. Let me know what's your favorite or if you have a different cauliflower recipe you love.

Crockpot Skinny Tortilla Soup

Here in Georgia our seasons don't really make sense. It's usually either Winter or Summer and sometimes both happen in one week. This week we seem to be having Winter weather with cold rainy days. All these cold days lately are making me want to eat soup for every single meal. Add to the crappy weather the fact that this week is full of Christmas celebrations and I need to desperately find some Crockpot recipes. Lately I've been craving Mexican food. The idea of an enchilada or tacos makes me salivate. Therefore, I ended up deciding to make a Crockpot Tortilla Soup. With my healthy lifestyle I'm working on now I decided to switch it up and make a "skinny" version of my favorite tortilla soup. 

It was really super easy to make. I normally wake up at 6:00am to leave my house by 6:30am for work. Based on that time range I don't really have a ton of time to meal prep, etc. in my mornings. Therefore I wanted something super easy. This recipe is one of those. The time it took me to prep the soup before throwing it in the Crockpot was probably a total of 5-10 minutes max. 

The ingredient list really wasn't that bad either for this recipe. I bought organic where possible and reduced sodium for anything that wasn't organic. This helped to minimize the salt count and calorie count on this recipe. You can make this recipe even healthier by making homemade pico instead of rotel, or boiling dry beans instead of using the canned version.

The only prep I had to do was open the cans or containers and dice my onion in my food processor. This seriously is the easiest recipe ever. Once everything was in my Crockpot I stirred everything up and set it to cook on Low for 8 hours. 

My Crockpot has a "warm" setting that it goes to once the time is up and it's finished cooking. This keeps anything I cook in the Crockpot from over cooking and burning to the edges. My Crockpot is really my best friend during the Winter. If you don't have one I highly recommend one.

The warm setting kept the soup at the perfect temperature for my husband and I to eat our dinner as soon as we finished working and working out. The smell alone of the house was amazing. I almost expected to be greeted with chips and salsa at our dinner table since we had the smell of Mexican Tortilla Soup radiating throughout the house. 

I served ours with a scoop of Wholly Guacomole 100 Calorie, Sargento Reduced Fat Cheddar, and Garden of Eatin Blue Corn Tortilla Chips. You could also top it with Sour Cream, Tortilla Strips, sliced Jalapeno Peppers, Lime wedges, or Cilantro garnish. 

Crockpot Skinny Tortilla Soup

Serves: 6

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Cook Time: 4-8 hours

Ingredients

• 2  Tbsp minced Garlic
• 1 medium Onion, diced
• 16 oz can reduced-sodium Black Beans, drained & rinsed
• 16 oz can reduced-sodium Kidney Beans, drained & rinsed
• 8 oz can Organic Tomato Paste
• 10 oz package of Yellow Corn, frozen
• 2 - 10 oz cans RoTel Diced Tomatoes with Chilies
• 4 oz can Green Chilis
• 1 packet Reduced-Sodium Taco Seasoning
• 1 Tbsp Chili Powder
• 32 oz Reduced Sodium Vegetable Broth

Optional Toppings

• Guacamole
• Reduced Fat Sour Cream
• Sliced Jalapeno Peppers
• Reduced Fat Shredded Cheese
• Cilantro, chopped
• Lime Wedges
• Tortilla Strips

Instructions

1. Dice the onions and place at the bottom of the slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients. Mix Well.
2. Cook on high for 4 hours on High or 8 hours on low.
3. Spoon soup into bowls and top with optional toppings, if desired.

One Pot Vegetarian Chili

There are some nights where all you want to do is cozy up to whoever is near you in front of a fireplace and watch TV. This was one of those nights. It's very chilly outside and it's been raining all day. Therefore, I thought why not make some Chili for the hubby and myself while we relax in our warm house. I found this great recipe for Vegetarian Habanero Chili on Beachbody's site. My hubby and I aren't huge fans of super spicy food so I decided to alter it just a little bit. It still came out great! This chili is wonderful for vegetarians and even the most avid meat eaters around. And it has 31 grams of protein in it!!!! That's amazing for a vegetarian meal. Plus it's healthy too.

Total Time: 35 min.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: 20 min.
Yield: 10 servings, about 1 cup each

Ingredients:

• 12 oz Meatless Crumbles
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 oz Green Chiles
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• ½ tsp. paprika
• 1 dash ground black pepper
• 1 14.5 oz can black beans, do not drain
• 1 14.5 oz can kidney beans, do not drain
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped

I used a giant pot to avoid splashing while the food was bubbling. I probably could've used a skillet.

Preparation:

1. Heat large skillet, lightly coated with spray over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until translucent.
3. Add garlic, green chiles , and meatless crumbles; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until meatless crumbles are fully brown.
4. Add chili powder, paprika, and pepper; cook, stirring frequently, for 2 more minutes.
5. Add black beans, kidney beans, and tomatoes; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until mixture is heated through.

Tip: Any remaining chili can be frozen to be reheated at a later time.

Tip: If you like your Chili more spicy substitute with jalapeños or habaneros.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

 

Source

I am here to admit that I am a pizza addict. It is literally my favorite food. Back when I used to order Dominoes, just the doorbell ringing would make my mouth water. Then my husband and I would split a medium cheese pizza with spinach, pepperonis, and banana peppers. Somehow being a foot shorter and almost 70 pounds less I was still able to eat just as much as him. I don't think that was a good thing. Especially since usually I would feel pretty stuffed afterwards. I think that was half my problem most of the time. I enjoyed the taste of the few foods I really liked so much that it was hard for me to stop eating them once I started. That eventually led to me just not being happy with what I saw in the mirror. That was not a good thing. That is why now I am making a change. And one of my changes is to find healthier ways to eat the things I love. Therefore I decided to try out a Cauliflower Crust Pizza. At first thought I was like "Uh, no..." I love vegetables, but using them to make a crust just didn't seem like it would give my favorite dish that same yummy taste. Well, I was so WRONG! Cauliflower Crust Pizza is amazeballs!! [I obviously know that's not a word, but it's the best way to describe how good it tasted]

 

First I had to decide what kind of cauliflower to buy. I did not realize there were so many colors. I'm wondering if anyone knows the difference in the colors. Is one color of cauliflower more nutritious than another? Do the different colors of cauliflower have different flavors? I'm so curious!

Now time to assemble my ingredients. For my crust all I needed was Dried Oregano (you can also use fresh oregano), minced garlic, fat free mozzarella, large eggs, and one large head of cauliflower. I started by chopping off the leaves on the bottom then roughly chopping the cauliflower into florets. I made sure the florets were small enough to fit inside my Food Network Food Processor. I then threw the pieces into the processor and pulsed until the cauliflower resembled rice.

 

I then placed a lid on top of my microwave safe bowl and microwaved the cauliflower for 10 minutes. While this was microwaving in a separate bowl I mixed the 4 eggs, garlic, oregano, and 2 cups of mozzarella cheese. Once the cauliflower was done "steaming" I carefully took it out of the oven and added the eggs, garlic, oregano, and mozzarella cheese mixture to the cauliflower. I stirred and mixed until the cheese was melted and everything was mixed nicely.

The mixture seems pretty soggy right now, but don't worry it will harden while baking. I then spread the dough onto a greased pan. I used a spoon and my hands to spread the crust to the edges or as close as I could to the edges of my pan. I was hoping for thin crust, so I spread my dough pretty thin.

Doesn't it look nice? To me it basically looks like I used regular dough, but nope I did not. I am cutting out a good portion of the carbs for this recipe option. Lowering your carbs is great for getting rid of the "wheat belly" look. After spreading out my dough I popped the crust into the oven for around ~25 minutes at 425 F. I wanted to get my crust to a light golden brown.

The crust looks so tasty. If I was following the recipe I found I would throw some more cheese on it and cook for 5 minutes. However, I wanted to make this into a pizza. So I added my toppings. I added pizza sauce, turkey pepperonis (for my husband), fat free mozzarella, banana peppers, cherry tomatoes, red peppers, and oregano. Once I got all my toppings placed I popped it back in the oven for 5 more minutes to cook.

Now it's time to enjoy the rewards of my "hard" work. YUM! It was delicious. My husband and I both loved it!!

Ingredients

• 4 cups of riced cauliflower (about 1 large head of cauliflower)
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups of mozzarella cheese
• 3 tsp oregano
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 to 2 cups mozzarella cheese (for topping)  
• Optional extra toppings: turkey pepperonis, cherry tomatoes, red peppers, green peppers, banana peppers, spinach, pineapple, ham, chicken, onions, etc...

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 F degrees. Prepare 2 pizza dishes or a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Make sure your cauliflower is roughly chopped in florets. Add the florets to your food processor and pulse until cauliflower resembles rice.
3. Place the cauliflower in a microwavable container and cover with lid. Microwave for 10 minutes. Place the microwaved cauliflower in a large bowl and add the 4 eggs, 2 cups of mozzarella,oregano, garlic and salt and pepper. Mix everything together.
4. Place the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and shape into either a pizza crust, or a rectangular shape for the breadsticks.
5. Bake the crust (no topping yet) for about 25 minutes or until nice and golden. Don't be afraid the crust is not soggy at all. Once golden, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and other pizza toppings and put back in the oven for another 5 minutes or until cheese has melted.
6. Slice and serve.

Recipe adapted from: Jo Cooks

Do you need any help figuring out how to meal plan or coming up with ideas for healthy eating? Or just need some help figuring out workouts? Ask me!

<3 Kelly Jean