Veggie Burger Chronicles: At Home Southwestern

Have you even been struck by a brilliant food idea, only to have to wait all day to execute it? Well that's what happened to me at work the other day. While I was eating lunch, I was planning out what I was going to make for dinner. Yes, my whole life really does center around food.  I had just gotten some avocados on sale, and was making paninis with them. But then it hit me: avocado veggie burgers! I spent the rest of my day at work thinking about how I would accessorize it, and I decided on a southwestern style.



What you need:



2 Slices of bread
Half of an avocado
Any veggie burger of your choice
Mexican cheese
Ketchup
Tapatio

What to do:



Toast the bread.
Scoop out half of the avocado and layer it on.
Layer on the veggie burger, cheese, ketchup, and tapatio sauce.
Top with the second piece of bread.







This was well work the all day wait, because it was so good! The burger had a nice meaty flavor, while the cheese and avocado gave this a Mexican flare. This was packed with heat from the tapatio sauce.  I love this sauce. It not only has the perfect amount of spicy, but its super flavorful too. The avocado was creamy and buttery, and acted almost like a sauce. Topping this burger with ketchup made it super classic, but with a Mexican twist.

How do you make your veggie burgers at home? Will this southwestern one be on your menu?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Pasta with an Avocado "Cream" Sauce

Oh avocados. Such precious little gems.  They are truly a super food, filled with all kinds of good-for-you things. But sadly, they are quite expensive. Once in a while they will go on sale and I always stock up! Since avocados are a rare and special treat, when I get them I usually like to eat them on their own, and really enjoy them for what they are. However, once in a while I like to go a little crazy, and actually turn my avocados into something, and its usually pretty good.

A friend of my friend, Sara, commented that I should try spaghetti squash with this avocado cream sauce recipe. Well, I'm kind of over the spaghetti squash thing, but that doesn't mean I wasn't going to try the recipe out anyway!



What you need:



1 box of pasta
3 ripe avocados
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1.5 teaspoon salt
1.5 teaspoon basil
6 tablespoons olive oil
Black pepper

What do to:
Start by cooking the pasta according to the instructions.
While the pasta is cooking, scoop out the meat of the avocados into a medium bowl.
Add in the garlic, olive oil, lemon, basil, and salt, and mix it all up.



Once the pasta is done, drain it and add in the avocado sauce. Top with black pepper and serve hot.











I just want to start off by telling you that I was thiiiiiis close to ditching the pasta, and eating the sauce right out of the bowl with some tortilla chips, it was SO GOOD! The avocado was so buttery and fresh, with a nice mild taste. Since the lemon and garlic are pretty strong flavors compared to the avocado, the avocado acted more like a cream sauce, without adding any cream. Actually, this sauce is completely vegan! The original recipe calls for a food processor, but I really liked the chunkiness of just mashing it up with a fork. It was nice getting a bite with a big piece of avocado in it! The garlic added a bit of a spicy note when biting into it, and the lemon gave it a nice tang. Overall, this was some incredibly amazing pasta!

What are your favorite ways to eat avocados? Will you be trying this avocado "cream" sauce?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Southwestern Panini - My First Panini Press!

Hello everyone! This marks a special post for a few reasons. First, this is my first post that I am writing from my new apartment in Virginia! Moving away from home was one of the hardest things that I have ever done, but each day that I get settled in my new place, the easier it gets.

This is also the first post that I am going to show you food I made in my brand new kitchen, on my brand new plates, with my brand new panini press. My dad's girlfriend gave Ben and I a panini press for a housewarming gift, but since Ben was going to use it to cook his meaty foods, the panini press was basically just a gift for me. Ahh, the perks of living with your boyfriend!

I had never used a panini press before, but I was too excited to open it up and start using it that I decided to forgo the instructions and just wing it.  We had just had vegetarian tacos for dinner, so I decide to put the leftovers together and make my first Southwestern panini.



What you need:


2 Slices of bread
Salsa
Avocado
Mexican blend cheese

What to do:


Start by cutting your avocado in half and opening it to remove the pit. Scoop out half or the meat and press it to one slice of bread.



Layer on a few spoonfuls of salsa and top with lots of cheese. Add the other slice of bread on top and its time to press!



I was really proud of my first panini!  The bread was perfectly cooked with the perfect amount of crunch that matched with the creaminess of the avocado.  The salsa and the Mexican cheese gave it that Southwestern flavor.



I loved how beautifully melted the cheese was. This tasted just like it was made in a little sandwich shop!



I decided to take the other half of the avocado and add it to a little salad on the side.



I really loved making my first panini. It was so much fun finding ingredients to add and it looked so cute. I am so excited to try even more combinations!

Do you like making your own paninis? What kind should I try next?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Avocado and Pesto Pasta

Hello everyone! Rabbits, rabbits, happy first day of June! I hope the weather has been nice in you neck of the woods.  It had been really bipolar here.  Some days its sunny and beautiful, and the next its grey and rainy.  I'm hoping the weather can stay nice!  With the summer here avocados are popping up in my grocery store, which just fills me with joy! I can't get enough the the creamy and buttery taste.  They are pretty expensive here in NY so I don't get them too often, so when I do its a really nice treat.  I love them so much I usually just eat them on toast with a little bit of lemon juice so I can really enjoy them.  But I wanted to break out of my shell and try something new!