Former Fat Guy Blog

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Recipe: Ultimate Green Lentil Vegetable Burger

These lentil burgers with kale, walnuts and flax are a convenient food for us around our house. The flax seeds and kamut flour hold the burgers together without egg or other unhealthy options while kale is one of the you can eat. More often than not, we make a triple batch of these, cook them all and then store them to be re-heated later or used as the filler in a wrap along with avocado, fresh greens and Franks Red Hot sauce.

Each lentil burger is roughly 7.5 grams of fiber or more (depending on how much you use for each burger), so they are both filling and nutritious.

Ultimate Lentil Vegetable Burger

The Ultimate Green Lentil Vegetable Burger

1 Tbsp ground flax seeds
2 Tbsp
1/2 cup walnut pieces
3/4 cup cooked green lentils, well drained
1/4 cup grated onion
1/4 cup minced green kale
1/3 cup kamut flour
Celtic sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a large blender, combine the flax seeds and Braggs, blending until viscous and then set aside.

In a food processor, pulse the walnuts to a coarse mixture. Add the lentils, onion, kale, kamut flour, flax mixture and the salt and pepper. Process until well combined but with some texture remaining. Shape the mixture into patties and place on a platter. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Have a cup of green tea.

Heat a small portion of coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the patties, cook until browned on both sides – about 4 minutes per side.

Serve hot, or if you make a large amount, store them in a container in the fridge to be reheated later or to be used as filler in a veggie wrap.

We found that no oil is required in these lentil burgers lowering their fat content even further. 1 cup of cooked lentils has less than 1 gram of fat in it so the only fat in this recipe comes from natural sources, the walnuts and flax seeds, both a good source of essential omega fats.

Serve with steamed Swiss chard and a salad, to add even more of the desired greens into your menu plan. Pictured here is Quinoa Salad from a few weeks ago.

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Ultimate Green Lentil Vegetable Burger Photo Credit: Her View Photography

Top 10 Super Foods

One consideration for good health is that of increasing the amount of nutrient rich food that we consume. If our diet is filled with high nutrient density foods like kale, collards, turnip greens or bok choy, then our body is satisfied, has less cravings and eats less. The weight loss implications of this are easy to understand because with high nutrient density foods, we are more fulfilled on less calories.

The following 10 super foods are based on Dr Joel Fuhrman’s research. The more of these you can put into your diet, the way they were brought to you (raw or lightly cooked), the better your health should be.

Top 10 Super Foods

super food kale

  1. Collard, mustard & turnip greens – Nutrient Score: 1000
  2. Kale – Nutrient Score: 1000
  3. Watercress – Nutrient Score: 1000
  4. Bok Choy – Nutrient Score: 824
  5. Spinach – Nutrient Score: 739
  6. Brussels sprouts – Nutrient Score: 672
  7. Swiss chard – Nutrient Score: 670
  8. Arugula – Nutrient Score: 559
  9. Radish – Nutrient Score: 554
  10. Cabbage – Nutrient Score: 481

There are actually 30 super foods in Dr Fuhrman’s list of nutrient dense foods but for the next , you’ll have to visit my other weight loss website.

Notice that there are no fruits, dairy products, meats, nuts or seeds in the top 10 foods, just dark green leafy vegetables. Shows you the powerful nutrient punch they provide.

Recipe: Steamed Kale With Chicken

Kale freezes well and actually tastes sweeter and more flavorful after being exposed to a frost.Kale is a very good source of iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin K and Carotenoids (which provide vitamin A). Kale is considered to be one of the most highly nutritious vegetables, with powerful antioxidant properties and is anti-inflammatory. In Japan, kale juice is a popular dietary supplement. In this recipe, chicken is the main protein source with steamed Kale as a side dish.

steamed kale with chicken

Steamed Kale With Chicken

Ingredients (use organic when possible):
– small bunch of kale
– 2-3 cloves garlic
– sesame oil
–
–
– sesame seeds for garnish

Wash kale thoroughly. De stem with scissors or a knife. Peel garlic and mince or slice finely. Add a tsp or so of sesame oil to a pan. Add garlic and kale stems when hot. Stir fry on low until stems start to soften. Meanwhile – chop or cut the kale leaves into pieces 2×2” or so. Add to pan with a bit of water and cover to steam. Kale is done when leaves are wilted and stems are tender.

Remove from pan and put on plates to serve. Add a couple squirts of Braggs, a tsp of Udo’s and sprinkle some sesame seeds over it.

More About Kale

Tender kale greens can provide an intense addition to salads, particularly when combined with other such strongly-flavored ingredients as dry-roasted peanuts, tamari-roasted almonds, or red pepper flakes.

Subscribe to my recipes by email: Make sure you get my recipes emailed to you every weekend by subscribing to my recipe email service. Every weekend, one new whole food recipe posted for you to enjoy and then comment on.

Recipe Photo Credit: Her View Photography

Recipe: Kale Soup with Quinoa

Quinoa originated in the Andean region of South America, where it has been an important food for 6,000 years. The Incas, who held the crop to be sacred, referred to quinoa as “chisaya mama” or “mother of all grains”, and it was the Inca emperor who would traditionally sow the first seeds of the season using ‘golden implements’. During the European conquest of South America quinoa was scorned by the Spanish colonists as “food for Indians”, and even actively suppressed, due to its status within indigenous non-Christian ceremonies. I hope you enjoy this Kale Soup With Quinoa.

kale soup with quinoa recipe

Kale Soup With Quinoa

1/2 Cup Green Lentils
1/2 Cup Quinoa (I like to use half-and-half)
1/2 Medium Onion, finely chopped
4 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Small Bunch Kale
5 cups water (or make your own veggie soup stock and use it in place of water and bullion cube)
1 Vegetable Bullion Cube
3 Tbsp Tahini
2-3 Tbsp Tamari or Soy Sauce (I used Bragg’s all purpose seasoning)

Spices
1 tsp Cumin, heaping
1/2 tsp Curry Powder

Wash and de-stem kale (I use kitchen scissors to cut along the sides of the stems)
[***Note: I used the stems too], tear the leaves into smallish pieces. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat, and add quinoa and lentils. Sautee for a few minutes, add spices and kale. Mix well. Add water and bullion cube (or your own stock) and bring to a boil. Cover and turn down heat to low. Simmer for 35-40 minutes.

Carefully blend the hot soup in a food processor or blender and return to pot. You can skip this step or blend only half of the soup if you want some texture, but I think it’s nicest smooth.

Add tahini and tamari to taste.

To garnish, mix 1-2 Tbs of tahini with a small amount of water until it becomes smooth and bright. Drizzle on top of the soup and serve.

More About Quinoa

Quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, being secondary only to the potato, and followed in third place by maize. In contemporary times this crop has come to be highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content (12%–18%) is very high. Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete foodstuff. This means it takes less quinoa protein to meet one’s needs than wheat protein. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered as a possible crop in NASA’s Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned space flights (from Wikipedia)

How To Pronounce Quinuo:

This crop is known as “quinoa” in English and is pronounced with the stress on either the first or second syllable (keen-wa)

For Quinoa nutrition profile see Nutrition Data

Subscribe to my recipes by email: Make sure you get my recipes emailed to you every weekend by subscribing to my recipe email service. Every weekend, one new whole food recipe posted for you to enjoy and then comment on.

Recipe Photo Credit: Her View Photography
Recipe Idea Credit: Vegan Yum Yum

Recipe: Tofu Scramble With Veggies And Dulse

Dulse is a red algae (seaweed) that grows on the northern coasts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It is a well-known snack food, and in Iceland and has been an important source of fiber through the centuries. Dulse is a good source of minerals and vitamins compared with other vegetables and it contains all trace elements needed for humans with a high protein content. This tofu scamble with veggies and dulse can be eaten as a substitute for scrambled eggs.

tofu scramble with veggies and dulse

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