Meatloaf Burgers and Jerk Roasted Veggies

Yesterday, I received three vegan cookbooks.  Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet by Joni Marie Newman, and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.  (YES!!! I AM a vegan cookbook ho and damn proud of it! :)  Rarely will I pick recipes out of multiple new cookbooks to make for Sunday dinner, but I did just that today.

First, I made Jerk Roasted Veggies.  This is a variation of a recipe from Appetite for Reduction.  I took liberties with the Jerk Asparagus recipe in Appetite for Reduction.  The Jerk Asparagus recipe calls for asparagus (obviously) and sauteing the veggie on top of the stove.  I didn't use asparagus and I didn't saute my veggies.  I did use the spices in the recipe, but I used a 2 pound bag of broccoli, cauliflower, and baby carrots.  I upped the olive oil to 2 tablespoons and doubled the spices.  Then I roasted the veggies on a jelly roll pan in a 400º oven for 40 minutes.  I stirred the veggies after 20 minutes.  They were extremely tasty.

The second thing I made was Meatloaf Burgers out of The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet.  I followed the recipe pretty closely, but I also added a few spices from my meatloaf recipe that I made before I started a vegetarian, then vegan diet.  I added 1½ teaspoons of horseradish, 1½ teaspoons of vegan Worcestershire Sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon of celery salt.  My sons actually agreed to eat these burgers, so I wanted the burgers to taste closer to the way my meatloaf tasted.

First, I boiled some veggie broth and Tamari sauce.  Then I added 3 cups of TVP and let it sit while I measured the dry ingredients in a big bowl and sauteed the onion.

The burgers were pretty easy to pull together.  I used the fine dice grid for my Vidalia Onion Chopper to chop the onion before sauteing it.  The onion was all uniform little squares.

After the onions were translucent, I added them and the TVP to the dry ingredients, added the horseradish, celery salt, Worcestershire, and ketchup.  I kneaded the mixture for several minutes and then let it rest for 20 minutes.

I used my 30 year old Tupperware hamburger mold to make the burgers.  Gotta LOVE that thing.  It makes the most perfectly shaped burgers.  I threw the burgers into the oven and then removed them after 15 minutes and spread the tops of the burgers with ketchup.  I debated on whether I should use BBQ sauce instead, but my oldest son is not a BBQ fan, so I stuck with the ketchup.

I actually thought the ketchup would darken more than it did, but the bottom of the burgers were definitely done, so I couldn't leave these in the oven any longer.  Besides, they actually look good and ready to eat.  I'll eat mine with warmed up with the jerk roasted veggies I made.  I stuck a pan of Tater Tots in the oven for my sons.  Afterward, I'm sure they'll have a few brownies from the batch I baked up for them this afternoon.

 

Jordan and Kobe Bean

I'm leaving you with a shot of the girls. They just love to play.  This picture captures the intensity that they can have while fighting over a sock or other toy.  It never gets out of line, but they are funny.  Kobe's expression is priceless.  She's generally my more mild mannered dog that rolls with the punches.  Jordan is usually the hyper dog, but you can't tell that in this picture.  I just wanted to share because I love these girls. :)