When it comes to creating easy, summery meals that are quick and get your fill of plants and nutrients while reducing food waste, one renowned food creator and cookbook author knows how to do it.
Plant-based recipe developer and sustainable cooking content creator Carly Bodrug regularly garners millions of views across her social media channels for her advice on how to use up items that most home cooks would typically throw away, like carrots, strawberry leaves and date seeds.
Her cookbook, “PlantYou: Scrappy Cooking: 140+ Plant-Based, Zero-Waste Recipes that are Good for You, Your Wallet, and the Planet,” was inspired by her hit digital content series, and Bodrug appeared on “Good Morning America” on the Fourth of July to help promote a plant-based meal plan for the patriotic holiday.
Check out her full recipe below:
Black bean burger
time: half an hour
What we offer: 4-5 burgers
material
3/4 cup canned black beans, drained, rinsed, and dried with paper towels or a clean cloth
1 garlic clove
3/4 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 chipotle pepper from a can of chipotle in adobo
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
1/4 cup oatmeal
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil (for cooking)
4 whole wheat hamburger buns
Choice of burger toppings: Thinly sliced lettuce, vegan cheese, red onion, ketchup, mustard, bean sprouts
direction
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet or reusable silicone baking sheet.
In a food processor, combine all ingredients except the bread and toppings and process until a moldable dough forms.
Using your hands, form 4 to 5 thin burger patties, a little thicker than an oatmeal cookie. Place on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and spray with oil if needed.
Bake for 10 minutes, then flip the patties and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cooked through.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serve on a whole wheat bun with your favorite burger toppings.
Curly Tips
– The secret to a great veggie burger is the texture, so don’t overmix the batter until it’s mushy – you need to keep it well formed to get the perfect texture.
– If you want a different flavour, try substituting chickpeas or kidney beans for the black beans, or use up whatever you have in your pantry.
– Have fun with toppings on your fourth BBQ. Pickled jalapeños, creamy cashew mayonnaise, and bean sprouts will really elevate your burger.
Jam jar cocktail
time: 5 minutes
Serve 1
material
To a nearly empty strawberry jam jar, add the following ingredients:
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 ounce tequila or non-alcoholic spirits
1/4 cup grapefruit juice (or orange juice if using marmalade jars)
1 cup ice
1/2 cup carbonated water
direction
Add lime juice, tequila, grapefruit juice, and ice to jar.
Put the lid on and shake vigorously. Remove the lid and top off with soda water if desired. If your jam jar is almost empty, you can also pour 1-2 tablespoons of jam or marmalade into the glass.
Curly Tips
– If you don’t have a nearly empty jam jar, you can use a shaker cup with a tablespoon of jam instead.
– These mocktails go great with almost any jam, including apricot, blueberry, raspberry and many more.
– This is a great recipe to reuse jars, be sure to save the jars to make more mocktails in the future.
Red, White and Blue Cobbler
What we offer: 6 to 8
time: 1 hr
material
5 cups mixed berries (I use strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 lemon (squeezed)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
For the drop dumplings:
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
1 cup + 1 tablespoon canned full-fat coconut milk
For serving: Vegan ice cream or whipped cream
direction
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, add the mixed berries, sugar, vanilla, lemon and cornstarch. Stir and set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the coconut milk and apple cider vinegar and mix until the batter thickens.
Transfer berry mixture to a 9×13 casserole dish. Drop batter by 2 tablespoons, about 1 inch apart, onto berry mixture.
Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes until the berries are bubbly and the crust is golden. Remove from the oven and let sit for 20 minutes before serving with vegan ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
Curly Tips
– This recipe for Cornmeal Drop Dumplings can be used in sweet or savory recipes. Try them with a delicious savory pot pie.
– Experiment with whatever seasonal fruit you have on hand – peaches, apples, or even blackberries would work well.
– Serve with your choice of vegan vanilla ice cream or whipped cream
Excerpted from PlantYou: Scrappy Cooking: 140+ Plant-Based Zero-Waste Recipes That Are Good for You, Your Wallet, and the Planet by Carleigh Bodrug. Copyright © 2024. Available from Hachette Go, a publication of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
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