Veggie Burgers -- 4 Smart Points

I've tried commercially prepared veggie burgers and, to me, they're pretty much edible but "meh!" nothing to write home about.  Since I've been investigating the concept of a whole food plant based diet, I bought Rip Esselstyn's book "The Engine 2 Diet".  He advocated a totally plant based diet for health reasons.  This recipe is from the book.

I used diced onion in place of the green onion, garlic powder and a combination of parsley and cilantro.  You definitely need to add some salt to the mixture.

These are on a large dinner plate.  They make a pattie about the same size as a 4 oz. beef pattie.

NEW YORK TIMES VEGGIE BURGERS

Makes 8 patties - 4 Smart Points per patty

 

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can mild tomatoes and green chilies

1 garlic clove, minced or 1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

2 green onions, chopped

1 cup parsley or cilantro

2 cups quick rolled oats

Process the first seven ingredients using an immersion blender or food processor.  Stir in oats and form into 8 patties.  Saute burgers on medium heat in a sprayed nonstick skillet for 5 minutes on each side, until both sides are browned.

Zucchini and Tomatoes - 0 Smart Points

Although I've eaten canned zucchini and tomatoes, I'd never tried to prepare them myself until today.

I had purchased a few zucchini and after fixing the same recipe a few times, I decided to try something different and it turned out really delicious.

The Smart Points total for the entire recipe is only one, so unless you eat the entire pan full, it's going to be zero points.

ZUCCHINI AND TOMATOES

Makes 3-4 servings -- 0 Smart Points per serving

1 can Hunt’s diced tomatoes

2 T. tomato paste

1 small zucchini, cut into chunks

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

¼ tsp. garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.  Cover and

simmer until zucchini is tender.  Top with grated

Parmesan cheese, if desired---add points for cheese if 

you decide to use it.

Smart Points

Tomato  paste      1

Macaroni and Cheese - 9 Smart Points

This recipe was one I came up with today to use some different ingredients I'd found.

This is a vegan cheese made from seeds, nuts and vegetables.  I'd seen the chef that developed it on an episode of Shark Tank a few years ago and wanted to give it a try.  It was found at Sprouts in the refrigerated section.

I was extremely pleased with the flavor when I tasted it on a cracker.  It tastes like cheddar cheese so I knew it would make good macaroni and cheese and no saturated fat.

This product is mentioned frequently as a good addition to foods as a substitute for butter or cheese.  I bought it to put on popcorn and decided today to incorporate it into the macaroni and cheese to enhance the flavor.

MACARONI AND CHEESE

9 Smart Points

2 oz.  dry weight Skinner elbow macaroni

1 oz. Heidi Ho Creamy  cheese

1 tsp. Bragg Nutritional Yeast Seasoning

1 T. Member’s Mark Real Crumbled Bacon pieces

Cook macaroni in salted boiling water until tender.

Drain well.  Stir in the cheese and yeast.

Cook bacon pieces in microwave approx. 20 seconds

to crisp and remove some of the excess fat.  Stir

in to the macaroni and cheese mixture.

Makes a generous single serving.

Smart Points

Macaroni                              6

Cheese                                 1

Yeast                                    0

Bacon                                   1