Tag: carbohydrates

Recipes

Black Bean Burgers

Sara Mastrangelo

One of my favourite plant based meals to eat is black bean burgers!! Just one cup of black beans will set you up with 41 grams of carbohydrates, 15 grams of fiber, 15 grams of protein, and various other nutrients that all aid in healthy digestion and keep you feeling full for longer!

Cooking with dried black beans is also very cost efficient, with one cup only costing about $0.30 you can’t really go wrong!

The key is to use an Instant Pot if you have a bit of time to spare. Instant Pots are amazing because they can cook dried beans under 40 minutes without having to soak them overnight. They also retain nutrients and are one of the best methods for cooking dried beans, lentils and raw veggies into fresh delicious meals!

But if you don’t have an Instant pot or are short on time, you can use one can of black beans instead.

Ingredients:

For the bean burgers:

  • 1 cup of dried black beans
  • 3 mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 medium white onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1 carrot, grated
  • 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons of liquid smoke flavouring

Toppings:

  • 2 tomatoes, sliced
  • Romaine lettuce (I used 3 pieces)
  • Half a cucumber, sliced
  • 1 avocado, mashed
  • Ketchup
  • Vegan Mayo
  • Burger buns

Preparation time: 45 minutes using dried beans or 20 minutes using canned beans

Serving size: Makes 4 burgers

Directions:

  1. Start by measuring one cup of dried black beans and placing them in your Instant Pot. Select Pressure Cook and set the timer to 35 minutes.
  2. In the meantime, start preparing your veggies and toppings. Chop the mushrooms, white onion and garlic. Grate the carrot and slice the cucumbers and tomatoes. Set aside.
  3. When the Instant Pot has a few minutes left, heat up a saucepan on medium heat with a bit of oil.
  4. Add in the mushrooms, onion, garlic and half of the grated carrot. Let simmer with the soy sauce and smoke flavouring for about 5 minutes.
  5. Drain the black beans and add directly into the saucepan. Mix until all of the ingredients are combined within the pan. Cook for a few more minutes.
  6. Remove from heat and preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
  7. Start forming 4 nicely sized patties with your hands and place them on a baking sheet. No need to oil the pan!
  8. Bake for 8 minutes.
  9. Remove from the oven and now it’s time to assemble your masterpiece! Add your favourite toppings and enjoy!
  10. You can store the other patties in a container in your fridge and re-bake them again! They will stay fresh for about 1-2 days.

Quick Tips:

  • If you have never cooked with liquid smoke flavouring before- you should totally start! I order mine from Amazon or buy it at Food Basics. It’s a great addition to any food and adds that delicious smoky flavouring 😛
  • You can also add cheese to the bean burger mix and bake it in! It tastes delicious and is a great substitute to a regular cheese burger ⚡️
  • Thank you for reading my recipe! Be sure to check out my Instagram page for more healthy lifestyle and nutrition tips 💪🏼
Recipes

Chickpea Tuna

Sara Mastrangelo

I’ve never been a huge fan of fish, but I’ve always loved the creaminess and texture of tuna! Something about the way that mayo tastes in combination with the flakiness of tuna is just soo good. Here’s the thing though: there’s a much healthier alternative that doesn’t harm our fish friends!

I stopped eating tuna when I learned that for every pound of fish caught, up to five pounds of aquatic life is discarded and killed (this includes dolphins and turtles!) And I’m sure that we have all heard the statistic that we will have fishless oceans by 2048.

Now is the most important time to make sustainable life choices that do as little harm as possible. That’s why I love this recipe- it’s 100% vegan, tastes just like tuna and is even easier to prepare! It’s also a rich source of vitamins, minerals, fiber and contains 26 grams of plant-based protein. Say goodbye to that fishy smell, and hello to the freshness of chickpeas 😎

Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients:

  • 1 small white onion
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 can of chickpeas
  • 1 tablespoon vegan mayo
  • 2 sheets of sushi seaweed
  • half of a lemon

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Serving size: Serves 1-2 people

Directions:

  1. Start by preparing your ingredients: chop the white onion and garlic into small cubes. Strain and rinse the chickpeas.
  2. Heat oil in a medium sized pan and cook the onion and garlic for a few minutes on medium heat.
  3. Add in the strained chickpeas and continue cooking for about 5 minutes while stirring occasionally.
  4. Remove pan from heat and pour the ingredients into a large glass bowl (this is where you’ll mash them!)
  5. Use a masher to mash the chickpeas to a consistency that you like. You can mash them completely or leave some chickpeas whole- it’s up to you!
  6. Break up the sushi seaweed with your fingers and add in along with the mayo. Mix all of the ingredients together.
  7. Add lemon, salt and pepper to taste.
  8. Now you have some nice chickpea tuna! You can put it on a vegetable wrap, in a sandwich or even have it plain as a side. The possibilities are endless! Enjoy 🙂

Quick Tips:

  • I used canned chickpeas in this recipe because it speeds up the preparation time, but cooking dried chickpeas in an instant pot is healthier and a lot more cost efficient. So if you’re not short on time, pressure cook them instead!
  • I find that this recipe tastes better when it’s been chilled first, but serving it warm tastes good too!
  • Thank you for reading my recipe, now go put some good music on and have fun cooking🥳❤️