I've been hearing about the idea of 'personal work' for a long time now. Creative people often get stuck because we are called on to constantly be creative in one area - and it's easy to get burnt out! Personal work is an outlet for the pent-up creativity in other areas of life that we aren't always able to express - and it took me awhile to find mine! So what is my other creative passion? Cooking!
I love cooking. My mom taught me how to cook not only delicious but healthy food since the time I was young. Now I love creating something out of nothing - Nathan's favorite dishes usually happen when I have no recipe, and just start pulling out ingredients and spices to blend together. This is where I can get extremely creative!
In light of that, I recently bought the latest cookbook from Angela Liddon called Oh She Glows Every Day. I had become fascinated with her vegan lifestyle (even though I have no plans to become one) through her first creation, The Oh She Glows Cookbook. My plan to boost my creativity, have fun, and of course eat well is to cook my way through the entire thing! She has a ton of recipes, most of them gluten free (I'm skipping the ones that aren't, of course), and all delicious so far - even if meat and dairy are regular parts of your diet.
Because I want to keep this as creative and open as possible, I'm not promising to publish a blog on a consistent basis about the recipes - but I will post as I can with pretty pictures taken by me and it will be on Fridays so I can have a cute name: Foodie Fridays! Until then, enjoy this recipe with some pretty incredible vegan burgers.
Oh Em Gee Veggie Burgers (from Oh She Glows Every Day)
- 1 1/4 pounds sweet potato
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoonsextra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
- 2/3 cup finely chopped onion
- 6 or 7 large cloves garlic
- Two 14-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 to 3 tablespoons 9-Spice Mix (click here for an approximate recipe)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
- 1/4 cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup gluten-free oat flour
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- Cut the sweet potato into 1/2-inch cubes. Toss with 1 tablespoon of oil, spread over a baking sheet, and season with salt. Roast for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Toast the walnuts for 5-6 minutes either in a large skillet or a toaster oven, transferring them afterward to a big bowl.
- Heat the remaining oil in a skillet over medium. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes until softened. Add the mixture to the walnuts.
- In a food processor, pulse the beans for a few seconds at a time. Don't over-process them, as you still want a bit of texture. Add the beans to the bowl.
- Add 2 cups of the roasted sweet potatoes to the bowl, and use a fork to mash it until almost smooth. Add the 9-Spice Mix, salt, parsley, bread crumbs, and oat flour, then stir until thoroughly combined. Adjust the seasonings if needed.
- Scoop about 1/3 cup of the dough and shape it into a round patty, packing it tightly as you rotate the patty in your hands. Place the patty on the lined baking sheet. Repeat until you finish the batter, spacing them a couple inches apart.
- Bake for 15 minutes, gently flip with a spatula, and bake for 10-20 minutes more until they are golden and lightly firm. Cool for about 10 minutes before serving with your desired toppings (we chose tomato, onion, avocado, and barbeque sauce) and in a bun if you want!
