Banana Chai Smoothie

This is a tasty, healthy smoothie perfect for breakfast.  Whenever I add oatmeal to a smoothie I just feel like it's made for breakfast.  Since this smoothie also has chai tea, it's great to wake up and enjoy this smoothie first thing in the morning!

I actually adapted my recipe from a few different recipes I found online, taking parts of each recipe or adding more or less of certain ingredients I liked.  Here's my recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 chai tea bag
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup almond milk
• 1 frozen banana
• 2 tbsp GF rolled oats
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Brew chai tea bag in 1/2 cup boiling hot water.
2. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

Notes:  Feel free to add about 1/4 tsp guar gum (for creaminess) and 1/8 tsp xanthan gum (for thickness) if desired.



Sorry, but picture will be coming soon.  I didn't get a chance when I first made this smoothie, but I will definitely be making this again sometime very soon!

Broccoli Cashew Quinoa Salad

Simple. Quick. Easy clean-up. Light. Healthy. Delicious.  Those 6 things are inspiration enough to make this recipe!  This meal is full of protein, fiber, veggies, and flavor.  I made some this past weekend; it didn't last long and I wish I had more.  Since I already have all the ingredients and it was just that good, I'm making it again for dinner tomorrow night!

This recipe was adapted from Whole Foods:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 cup red onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups small broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup roasted cashew pieces (I recommend crushing gently with the side of a knife)
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Soak sundried tomatoes in hot water for 15 minutes to soften them.  Then drain and chop.
2. Bring 1/2 cup water to a simmer in a medium pot over medium-high heat.
3. Add onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add chopped sundried tomatoes, broth, wine, and lemon juice and bring to a boil.
5. Stir in quinoa. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
6. Stir in broccoli and simmer until all liquid is absorbed.
7. Serve garnished with cashews and green onions. 

Notes: After the first 20 minutes of simmering, all my liquid was absorbed so I just cooked my broccoli seperately then stirred it into the quinoa.  I also was preparing this meal for later in the week so instead of garnishing, I just stirred in the cashews and green onions at the end after cooking and before storing and it still turned out great!

Light Granola

I don't ever buy granola since most aren't gluten free (or if they are they contain honey) and I like to control what I put in mine.  Here's a great simple recipe that makes a good granola topping, can be used in a trail mix, or just pour almond milk over some and eat as a cereal.

This recipe was adapted from Oh She Glows:

Ingredients:

Dry:

• 2 cups GF rolled oats
• 1/2 cup almonds, chopped
• 1/2 cup uncooked millet (I didn't have millet and used quinoa, but want to try with millet)
• 2 tbsp ground flax
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Wet:

• 2 heaping tbsp applesauce
• 1/4 cup brown rice syrup (I didn't have this so used 2 tbsp molasses)
• 3 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together the wet ingredients, except for the extracts, then microwave for 30-60 second.  Stir in the extracts until combined.
4. Add wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir well until everything is coated.  Scoop onto baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes, stirring once halfway through baking.
5. Allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes on the making sheet.

This recipe makes about 5 cups of granola and should be stored in an air-tight container for 1-2 months.

Close up! You can really see the oats, almonds, and quinoa that make up this healthy granola!

This is one way I used the granola, for a yogurt parfait - I sprinkled some of the granola over sliced strawberries and Silk Vanilla Yogurt!

Another simple breakfast idea - I put some of the granola in a bowl and poured almond milk on top for cereal.  This granola works great for this breakfast since it is a lighter version granola and makes a very filling breakfast, it kept me full for 4.5 hours.

Chickpea Salad with Basil

Chickpea salad! I love chickpeas and this salad is another light meal for the summer.  Plus it is super fast to toss together and very flavorful!  My mom makes a version of this with chickpeas, tomatoes, and balsamic vinaigrette.  Here's a version that uses basil and a different combo of vinegars for the dressing.

This recipe was adapted from Green Light Bites:

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
• basil leaves, chopped (I didn't measure how many, just estimated)
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp agave
• pinch of salt

Directions: Mix everything together in a medium bowl and chill for at least 20 minutes to allow flavors to merge.

This picture looks like a TON of tomatoes, but really I just took the picture real fast and didn't take the time to mix it better.

Strawberry Chia Jam

I've been creating a lot of my own nut butters lately and even though I'm not as big of a jelly or jam fan, I knew I would love to try out a recipe anyway.  The thought of being able to use fresh fruit instead of canned (possibly with tons of added sugar) was inspiration enough.  I came across a recipe that sounded amazing and exactly what I was looking for (plus I had some strawberries that needed to be used up) so I made some jam and definitely will be making this again.

This recipe was adapted from here:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups strawberries
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chia seeds

Directions:

1. Blend strawberries in a food processor for about 10 seconds (just to roughly chop them unless you want more of a jelly consistency, then blend longer).
2. Add chia seeds and mix with a spoon.
3. Pour the mixture into a mason jar and put in the fridge to set for at least an hour before using.

You can even try making this jam with other fruits like blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, peaches, or maybe even a mixture of fruits for a mixed berry jam!

This jam is good just on bread for breakfast, for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, on crackers, or any other way you would use store bought jam or jelly.

Salsa Chickpea Lettuce Wraps

Want a light and filling meal perfect for the summer with lots of protein and flavor?  Try this one!

I've never used lettuce wraps before but they are very easy to use.  They can be quite messy, but hey that's part of the fun!  They are also very versatile; there are SO many things you can fill these wraps with and there good for trying a typical favorite meal in a different way.  Like normally I would put chickpeas and some kind of sauce over brown rice or quinoa, but now I have a new way to enjoy it!  And the lettuce wraps are much lighter than grains in the summer!

This recipe was adapted from Happy Herbivore:

Ingredients:

• 1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 12 oz salsa (I love spicy so used medium)
• large lettuce leaves

Directions:

1. Combine chickpeas and salsa in a medium saucepan.
2. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has absorbed into the chickpeas (about 8-10 min).
3. Spoon desired amount of chickpeas into lettuce leaves.

These are great warmed right off the stove or served cold straight from the fridge.

Vanilla Avocado Ice Cream

Last week was super hot, I had an avocado that needed to be used and some frozen bananas in the freezer.  Avocados and bananas can make anything creamy and frozen bananas can make ice cream.  Searching the internet I found a recipe for ice cream that I knew I had to try on those hot summer days!

This recipe was adapted from here:

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 medium frozen banana
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/4 tsp guar gum (optional)
• 1/8 tsp xanthan gum (optional)

Directions:  Blend everything together in a blender until smooth.  Eat immediately (more of a smoothie or soft serve) or pour the mixture into a container and put it in the freezer.  When you're ready to eat or after at least an hour, let it thaw for about 5 minutes then reblend to form ice cream.

Notes:

• Your bananas don't have to be frozen, but if they aren't add ice cubes.
• The gums are optional but the guar gum adds creaminess and the xanthan gum adds thickness.

I ate this two ways.  The first I actually ate right away, more as a smoothie.  I think I preferred this way.  It was still cold but actually more like soft serve (after freezing it, it had some ice crystals.)  And since I added the gums it was really creamy and thick.

Not the best picture since I used a teal colored bowl and was not planning on sharing this picture, but since I enjoyed the "soft serve" ice cream better I had to show what it looked like.

Another not great picture, but look how thick it is - not even falling off the spoon!

A few days later, I ate it like ice cream.  I guess I was impatient and should have waited for it to thaw more, maybe then I would have liked it better.  Next time I think I'll just store it in the fridge and eat it as a smoothie or soft serve.

Strawberry Banana Overnight Oats

On Monday, I made Mango Almond Overnight Oats, which was delicious and a great filling breakfast.  Since the recipe only called for 1/4 cup yogurt, I had some extra and decided to make a different flavor and would have breakfast already prepared for a different day!  For my second jar of overnight oats I decided to make Strawberry Banana.
This recipe is adapted from here:
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup GF rolled oats
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup yogurt (I used Silk vanilla)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dried chia seeds
• 1 teaspoon agave
• 1 small mashed banana
• 1/4 cup sliced strawberries 

Directions:

1. In a mason jar, combine oats, milk, yogurt, chia seeds, almond butter, and agave. Put lid on top and shake to combine.
2. Add mashed banana and strawberries and stir with a fork until mixed throughout.
3. Return lid to jar and place in the fridge overnight or up to 2 days. Eat chilled!

Not the greatest picture since everything had been stirred together before I took the picture, but you get the idea.

Doggy Ice Cream

A few weeks ago we lost power for three days from a huge thunderstorm and of course it was right during some of the hottest days that week.  To keep our dogs cool, we bought some Frosty Paws by Purina.  Recently, my mom came across a website for making your own doggy ice cream.  Since it has been in the high 90s with high humidity, I figured this would be a good time to try these homemade dog treats out.

This recipe was adapted from here.  I only made half the recipe from the original and filled one whole ice cube tray.  That is plenty for two dogs!  Here's how I made mine:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 mashed banana
• 1 tablespoon honey

Directions: Combine all ingredients together in a medium bowl and mix until combined.  (You may need to melt the peanut butter separately in the microwave first to make mixing easier.)  Spoon into an ice cube tray and freeze until set.

Since these were for the dogs I didn't make them vegan; however, feel free to use a soy based yogurt and use agave instead of honey or just leave this ingredient out.


More reasons to feed your dogs this homemade ice cream instead of store bought:

1. Purina's "Frosty Paws" cost over $4 for one box.  Homemade is much cheaper, especially since these are common food items anyway.
2. Frosty Paws have only 4 containers in the box.  This recipe makes 12 ice cube sized treats.
3. Frosty Paws have tons of added ingredients that I cannot even pronounce.  This homemade ice cream has all natural and healthy ingredients.

Mango Almond Overnight Oats

Overnight Oats!  It's another very popular breakfast I hear about all the time.  I'm not the biggest oatmeal person, but every once in a while I like to change up my typical breakfast or just need something more filling to get me through the morning.  Since it's summer and these oats are eaten cold, I knew this would be the best time to try this recipe out.

My overnight oats aren't as thick as the original.  I think it's because I didn't use greek yogurt.  Maybe next time I'll add less yogurt or milk so it's thicker. But it was still very tasty!

This recipe was adapted from here:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup GF rolled oats
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup yogurt (I used Silk vanilla)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dried chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon almond butter
• 1 teaspoon agave
• 1/2 mango, diced

Directions:

1. In a mason jar, combine oats, milk, yogurt, chia seeds, almond butter, and agave.  Put lid on top and shake to combine.
2. Add diced mango and stir with a fork until mixed throughout.
3. Return lid to jar and place in the fridge overnight or up to 2 days.  Eat chilled!

The original recipe actually calls for 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, but since I had a nearly empty jar of almond butter I just used that and combined all my ingredients in that jar!  Great way to get every last drop of that almond butter!

I can't wait to try other flavor varieties!

Nutella

I know I say this a lot, but Nutella is another food I really missed when I began a vegan diet.  I really don't know why I never think of these things myself but when I came across homemade Nutella online, I added it to my list of must make foods and finally got around to making this amazing dip!

This recipe was adapted from here. I did make quite a few changes to my recipe below:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup hazelnuts
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons agave
• 4 tablespoons almond milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Roast hazelnuts on a baking sheet in a 350F oven for 8-10 minutes.
2. After the hazelnuts are done roasting, gently rub off the skins from the hazelnuts with a towel. (They should come off easily.  It is okay if they do not all come off though.)
3. Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and combine until smooth and creamy.
4. Store in a jar in the fridge.

This Nutella is amazing eaten on anything! Spread on bread, fruits, crackers, or just eaten right out of the jar off a spoon!

Quinoa Almond Berry Salad

A week ago I made this Red Quinoa-Avocado Salad for a tasty vegan, gluten free option at a party.  Here is another quinoa salad that is perfect for taking to a picnic, outing, or party.  With all the fruits and the sweet dressing, this salad will definitely be a hit even for non-vegans.  When I brought this to a party last night, I had a lot of requests for the recipe.

This recipe was adapted from Oh She Glows:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup dry quinoa
• 1 pint strawberries, sliced (I used 3 cups)
• 16 oz. fresh blueberries (I used 2 cups)
• 1 cup cherries, pitted and sliced
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• juice from 1 lime
• sea salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions.
2. Chop the fruit and place in a large bowl.  Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, lime juice, and salt.  Set aside.
4. Add cooked and cooled quinoa to the large bowl with the fruit.  Add almonds.  Gently fold all ingredients together until well combined.
5. Pour on dressing and gently combine until well mixed.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

The hardest part of this recipe was pitting the cherries and slicing the fruit.  After that, all you have to do is mix everything together!

Yum! Love this close up of all the ingredients!

Update: Here's another way to enjoy this delicious berry salad - try it for breakfast over yogurt!  It's a great way to start your day with protein and fruit!  You can even layer it for a yogurt parfait!

Here I just made a yogurt bowl by topping Silk Vanilla Soy Yogurt

with the Quinoa Almond Berry Salad! Yum!

I am very roughly estimating that this recipe yields 10 1/2 cup servings.

Based on one 1/2 cup serving:

Approximately 119 calories and 5g protein. 



PB Strawberry Yogurt Bowl

Several blogs I follow list what has been eaten each day for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.  One very common breakfast I always see are these yogurt bowls.  I always think they sound absolutely amazing and very nutritious plus they have all my favorite ingredients: yogurt, nut butter, fruits, and chia seeds! Yum! I decided to finally try one of these yogurt bowls out this morning and I think this breakfast is going to be happening a lot more often!

Here's the ingredients I used:

• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1 container Silk vanilla yogurt
• 3 sliced strawberries
• 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds

I had about 1 tablespoon of peanut butter left in the jar so I just tossed in the yogurt, strawberries, and chia seeds and ate it right out of that to get every last drop of peanut butter!  This was a great filling breakfast, especially preworkout!

This picture is after I mixed it all together!

Some of the strawberries I left right on top instead of mixing them in

Thai Peanut Sauce

I've made spring rolls 3 times before.  This past Tuesday, I made my most favorite version.  I do not know if it was because I really liked the ingredients I put inside the rice paper wraps (raw shredded carrots, raw shredded zucchini, and raw kale), if I'm just becoming better at wrapping them, or if it's because instead of just dipping them in regular tamari sauce I actually made this amazing Thai Peanut Sauce!

I cannot remember where I saw this recipe online, but here's the recipe I followed: 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/2 tablespoon tamari
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice (you can use lime)
• 1/2 tablespoon pure maple syrup (you can use agave)
• 3/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 cup almond milk

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together until smooth. (This makes enough for 12 spring rolls)

Baked Beans

I love baked beans! I buy them canned from the grocery store all the time.  When I found out I could make my own...OMG! I will probably never buy store bought baked beans again! These were super easy and much tastier than the canned version.

This recipe was adapted from Happy Herbivore.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 15 oz can navy beans, drained and not rinsed
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp molasses
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp tamari
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300F. 
2. Cook onion and garlic in 1/4 cup water over high heat until the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes.
3. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
4. Once boiling, transfer to a casserole dish, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and let beans rest for at least 15 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.  Stir beans just before serving.

These can be eaten alone as a side, or enjoy them over brown rice!

Berry Fruit Pops

Here's a quick easy recipe perfect for the hot summer weather. 

Ingredients:

• Fruit, any kind or a variety
• Liquid, such as orange juice, pineapple juice, apple juice, lemonade, etc.

Directions: Choose whichever fruit you want to use (I used strawberries and blueberries) and chop them into bite sized pieces.  Fill popsicle molds with the berries.  Pour juice (I used coconut water) over the berries in each of the popsicle molds until full.  Put the popsicle sticks in and freeze.

What I love about these fruit popsicles is there is an endless amount of variations to this summer treat just by changing up the fruit and the liquid.

Sweet Potato Rice and Tofu

Here's an easy dinner that was pretty quick to make.  The brown rice, sweet potato, and tofu all take about 45 minutes to make, but all you have to do is put them on the oven or in the stove and let them cook while you do other things.  Once those are all baked, all you have to do is mix everything together and season!

I cannot locate where I found this recipe, but as soon as I do I'll link the original recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sweet potato, oven-baked and cubed
• 1 pkg firm tofu, cubed and baked
• 3 cups cooked brown rice
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• nutrional yeast
• garlic powder
• salt/pepper to taste
• optional: kale

Directions:

1. Cook sweet potato at 375F for 45 minutes or until tender.
2. Cut tofu into cubes.  Marinate (if desired) then bake at 375F for 20 minutes. Toss the cubes, pour some marinade on top (if using) and continue to bake 10 more minutes.  (For extra chewiness, broil for an additional 3 minutes).
3. Cook brown rice according to directions on package.
4. Once everything is baked and cooked, put the brown rice in a large bowl and stir in maple syrup.  Take half the sweet potato cubes and mash with a fork, then fold it into the rice.
5. Gently fold in the remaining sweet potato cubes and the tofu.  If using kale, gently fold this in as well.
6. Add garlic powder, nutrional yeast, salt, and pepper to taste (or use whichever seasonings you desire).

Very Berry Cashew Cake

I have been wanting to try making a raw vegan cheesecake ever since I first discovered it was possible.  After eating Great Sage's Raw Blueberry Cheesecake, I knew I had to try making a raw cheesecake dessert.  Their's was amazing!

I am calling this a Cashew Cake because even though it's a vegan cheesecake, I do not want people making this and biting into it expecting that typical cheesecake flavor. Instead, this "cheesecake" is so fresh tasting with the fresh berries that the juice just flows into your mouth with every bite and the cashews give it that perfect creaminess instead of using milk and butter. This dessert is also perfect to make in the summer because it's raw! No oven necessary :)

This recipe was adapted from the blog, Fragrant Vanilla Cake.

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 3/4 cup raw hazelnuts
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 3 soft medjool dates, pitted and chopped

Filling:

• 2 1/2 cups raw cashews (soaked for 4-6 hours)
• 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp coconut water
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/3 cup + 3 tbsp agave nectar
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (warmed to liquid)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup fresh blackberries

Directions:

1. Grease an 8 1/2 inch round cake pan and set aside.
2. To prepare the crust, process hazelnuts and sea salt in a food processor until fine crumbs form.  Add the dates and process until the mixture is well combined and holds together.  Firmly press the crust into the bottom of the prepared pan and set aside.
3. To make the filling, drain the cashews and combine them with coconut water, lemon juice, agave nectar, coconut oil, sea salt, and vanilla in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.  Remove the filling from the food processor and divide evenly between 2 bowls.  Place half back into the food processor and add the strawberries and raspberries.  Blend until smooth then put in a bowl and set aside.  Place the other filling into the food processor and add the blueberries and blackberries.  Blend until smooth and put in a separate bowl. 
4. To assemble the cheesecake, drop a spoonful of the pink filling mixture on top of the crust.  Next, drop a spoonful of the purple filling mixture on top of the crust.  Continue alternating between each filling in a checkerboard fashion until the filling mixtures are all used up.  Tap the pan on the counter to keep the cheesecake level, if needed.
5. Take a knife and swirl the filling to create marbling.  Place in the fridge overnight to set.  (If you need the cheesecake that day, you can place it in the freezer for 6 hours.)

I am so amazed at how much this recipe tastes just like the cheesecake at Great Sage, just different berry flavors!

 

Red Quinoa-Avocado Salad

Wegman's just recently opened near my house and I have been loving all the food choices! My mom came across this one recipe on their website that had amazing reviews.  She had been looking for a dish she could bring to a picnic she would be attending and thought this Red Quinoa-Avocado Salad would be a perfect vegan, gluten free meal that everyone could enjoy!  I followed this recipe exactly, but here's the recipe to follow if it is not possible to get your hands on the Wegman's brands of ingredients called for in the original recipe.

This recipe is adapted from here.

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups cooked red quinoa (7 oz)
• 12 ounces frozen sweet corn, thawed
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 cup green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 plum tomatoes, diced
• 2 avocados, cubed
• 1/2 cup lemon vinaigrette
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Directions: Combine cooked quinoa, corn, cilantro, green onions, and tomatoes in a large bowl.  Fold in avocados and lemon vinaigrette and carefully mix until everything is well-combined.  Season with salt and pepper.

This meal was quick and easy to prepare with very little clean-up. Next time I think I will make it without the cilantro, and maybe a different herb.

Look at all those delicious ingredients!! Yum!

Rice and Bean Garden Burger

Here is another great burger recipe! This patty holds together very well once cooked and was quite simple to make.  Also a fast clean up which is always a plus!  Below is the recipe I used (I changed a few seasoning things) and cut the recipe in half which worked out perfectly for me, I was able to make six regular sized burgers.

This recipe is adapted from here.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups pre-cooked brown rice
• 1 1/2 cups canned black beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1/2 cup shredded zucchini
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 tsp ground garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 tbsp dill weed

Directions:

1. Cook rice according to package directions if not already prepared.
2. Preheat oven to 375F.
3. In a large bowl, mash black beans with a fork.  Add the brown rice and combine.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together.  Put in the fridge for about 20 minutes to chill the mixture and help soak up the flavors, if desired.
4. Form patties and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 15-20 minutes.
5. Carefully flip patties and bake for another 10-15 minutes.