Sunshine Burgers, part 1

You are probably thinking, "She makes her own burgers, so why would she review frozen veggie burgers??" Well, I have 4 kids, and we get busy, and sometimes even I need a break from cooking. But I try not to compromise nutrition for convenience and taste.

I've tried most of the packaged vegan burgers out there. I don't mind soy products if it's soy flour or whole soybeans, or tempeh, or miso...but I try to avoid buying too many things made with soy protein isolates. Sunshine Burgers are soy free, gluten free & vegan. The ingredients are surprisingly simple, made with only organic whole foods. And they taste terrific. An all-around win. They even taste fine if prepared in the microwave.

Check out our friday night addition to preschool's opening night buffet of appetizers:
These Sunshine Burger
canapes were made with
Barbecue and Garden
Herb varieties. Both were
sandwiched in between
toasted wheat english
muffin rounds spread with
Veganaise and homemade
guacamole. The Garden
Herb burger appetizers
also contained thinly sliced
mini red & yellow tomatoes,
arugula, & red onion. The
Barbecue style had melted
Daiya cheddar, red onion &
a tiny bit of organic ketchup.

There was lots of leftover
food when the evening was over...but no Sunshine Burgers!

This morning we were getting ready for homevisits from both Nate's and Maia's preschool teachers. They begin school tomorrow, and the teachers always visit each student at home before the beginning of the year. I needed a quick lunch to make for Ryan and AJ, and I already had the oven preheated from baking breakfast muffins. But the store was out of healthy burger buns this week, so I rummaged around and found some not-so-nutritious crescent rolls that I could warp into an entree.Ryan & AJ's lunches: burger rolls; green grapes; steamed broccoli; baby carrots.

First I pinched together
the refrigerated crescent
roll dough, scored it with
a rotary cutter (like a
pizza cutter), and nuked
a Garden Herb Sunshine
Burger for 30 seconds.
I cut the burger in half,
then into eighths, added
a few drops of ketchup &
cheddar Daiya, then rolled
them up.

I baked them in a 375
degree oven for 11 minutes,
and while they cooled I
prepped the rest of the
lunch food.

I cut one in half and ran
it by AJ to try...he is
quite picky, not so much
about taste, but about
texture. He is the only one
in the family who doesn't
adore veggie burgers.

But he said it was fine, so
I made his lunch the same
as Ryan's and crossed my
fingers. His lunchbox came
home mostly empty; he
ate half of the burger rolls,
so for him, I consider that
successful.

Stay tuned for more Sunshine Burger lunches this week!

Eat in, Eat Out

Lots of great meals this
week--almost too much to
post! We ate well at home
and were out for dinner 3
times this week. Wow.

Saturday: whole grain pasta
with spinach, broccoli &
lemon pepper sauce; meat-
less meatballs; tomato slices;
beets w/Goddess dressing;
green grapes; blueberries.

Sunday: salad w/tomato &
balsamic vinegar; orange
slices; banana walnut bread;
spinach rice pilaf; red &
green bell pepper strips;
teriyaki tofu; peas & corn.

Monday:
Canadian "Bacon" Quiche

1 lb. firm water-packed tofu
1 T. nutritional yeast
1 tsp. turmeric
1 T. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
1 T. olive oil
4 rounds veggie Canadian
bacon
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/4 cup bell pepper, diced
2 scallions, diced
4 oz. vegan "cheese", grated
thinly slices tomato for garnish (optional)

In a food processor, puree first 5 ingredients until smooth.
In a saute pan, heat olive oil and briefly cook veggie Canadian bacon over medium heat until it just begins to brown. Remove it from the pan and cool on a paper towel. Add onion to pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add bell pepper and cook for 1 more minute. Add scallions and cook for 1 more minute.
Cut veggie Canadian bacon into 1/2 inch squares.
Grate the "cheese".
In a bowl, combine tofu mixture, "bacon", onion, peppers & scallions, & "cheese". Mix with a fork. Spread in an oiled round glass baking dish, smoothing top with a spatula. Add tomato slices on top for a garnish.
Bake in a 375 degree over 35-40 minutes.

Ryan's lunch: slice of tofu quiche; steamed broccoli; strawberries & kiwi; slice of banana walnut bread; spinach rice pilaf.

AJ's snack: saltine crackers;
pumpkin miso muffin;
grapes; broccoli; apple
slices; a carrot.





Husband's lunch: slice of
tofu quiche; broccoli;
strawberries & kiwi;
pretzels; 1/2 an avocado.




I veganized an appetizer from
a Pillsbury appetizer magazine
I got at the supermarket to
make these stuffed tomatoes:
avocado, cucumber, lime, salt,
cilantro...topped with Tofutti
sour creme mixed with a tad
of plain soy yogurt & a little
more salt & lime, garnished
with cilantro.

Tuesday:
Ryan's Mardi Gras lunch: rice; nori mask w/cucumber feathers; broccoli; "beads" made of peas, corn & purple grapes; a Thermos of pasta & bean soup.
AJ's snack (in his new coveted "pet" bento box): rice triangle w/black sesame; broccoli; mini banana blueberry muffin; soy cheese cubes; grapes; pretzels.

Nate's lunch: mini banana
blueberry muffin; rice ball
w/black sesame seeds;
peas & corn; broccoli.




We went out for haircuts
after school, then to Hana
Sushi for dinner as usual.
Nate loved "sleeping" on
their satin pillows and
watching the new water-
fall display.

The boys scarfed down
some oshitashi, 2 bowls
of edamame, inari, and
lots of sushi. Maia had
avocado from the
nigiri sushi.

One of the waiters just
dotes on the kids every
time we're there. He
made each of them
training-chopsticks out
of the chopstick wrapper
and a rubberband. Nate
became quite handy with
his for the first time...
until now he'd just stabbed
the sushi or used his hands.

Our sushi order usually
includes kappa (cucumber),
oshinko (takuan), and a
variety of permutations of
avocado.





Wednesday:
Garden Tofu Spring Rolls

12 spring roll wrappers
a few cups of salad greens
4 oz. Westsoy Garden Herb
tofu, sliced
1/4 of a red bell pepper, sliced
1/4 of an english cucumber,
sliced
1 scallion, sliced in half and
lengthwise

Rinse spring roll wrappers
one at a time under
lukewarm water until soft
& pliable...you want them
rollable, but not so soggy
that they'll stick to your work
surface like plastic wrap. Rinse one and use it right away, finish a roll, then rinse the next, etc.

Place some greens, followed by the tofu, bell pepper, cucumber & scallion, and top off with a few more greens.
Roll starting on one side (like a burrito), fold over the top & bottom, then continue rolling the rest.

Ryan's
lunch:
spring
roll;
"cat"
rice
balls;
grape
halves;
orange
gel cup;
blood
orange
slices.





AJ's snack: grape halves;
rice balls; cucumber
slices; cubed garden herb
tofu.





Thursday:

Ryan's
Lorax
lunch:
rice;
broccoli;
salad
greens
(hiding
3 meat-
less
meatballs;
carrot &
takuan
Lorax;
takuan
& nori
tree
trunk;
red bell pepper tree; soy cheese letters. Not shown: side of strawberry applesauce.

I was running low on frozen rice...I actually reheated a rice heart that I didn't end up using for Valentine's week and spread it on the bottom of the bento, filling in the rest of it with the meatless meatballs and covering it with greenery. Since it wasn't as full as usual, I added a side of applesauce to make sure Ryan had enough to eat!

AJ's snack & Nate's lunch:
mini pumpkin miso muffin;
grapes or strawberries;
broccoli; a pickle; meatless
meatballs.

Nate was very excited to
choose what picks to put
in his lunch. He made sure
that both his meatballs had
an apple fork.

In the evening we all went to
the elementary school's birthday
celebration for Dr. Seuss. The
boys all signed their names on
a poster that was going to be made
into a giant birthday card.






After that they listened to stories read by the staff. Ryan was excited that his teacher was one of the people reading. The Cat In The Hat and Thing 1 and Thing 2 were also there.

Friday:
Ryan's lunch: pbj burger sandwich; Lake Champlain dark chocolate; a carrot; green beans; fruit salad.

Valentine fun

Monday:
Ryan's lunch: mini cinnamon raisin bagel w/Tofutti cream cheese; Macabee kosher eggplant sticks & ketchup for dipping; a pickle; a carrot; strawberry applesauce.

AJ's snack:
mini cinnamon
raisin bagel w/
Tofutti cream
cheese; a pickle;
a carrot.


Tuesday:
Ryan's lunch: blueberry Whole Soy yogurt w/snowflake sprinkles; avocado, lettuce & tomato sandwiches; carrots; a pickle; a strawberry.

Nate's lunch: avocado,
lettuce & tomato
sandwich; strawberries;
a carrot; a pickle;
chicken-free nuggets.

AJ didn't need a snack
bento since Dada was
parent helper. They brought pretzel rods, carrots & cranberry apple cider for the class.

Wednesday:
Ryan's "Twisted" lunch: portobello spring rolls; pbj sandwich rolls; spinach roll; Tofurky, soy cheese & tomato roll; cucumber twirls; carrot twirls; flax lavash roll-up with Tofurky, raw spinach & Tofutti cream cheese; spicy spiral fries.

This was my submission to Jewelmaker's 1st bento contest! She's giving away a fabulous stainless steel bento lunch set.

Portobello Salad Spring Rolls

12 spring roll wrappers
bag of mache or other greens
2 portobello mushroom caps
2 T. olive oil
1 T. balsamic vinegar
pinch of salt
small tub The Bridge Tofu
Salad*
1/4 red bell pepper, julienned
1 scallion, julienned

Wash or wipe portobello
mushrooms and slice into
thin strips. Heat olive oil &
balsamic vinegar over
medium-low heat, add
mushrooms, sprinkle with
a pinch of salt, and saute
until soft but not mushy.

Rinse spring roll wrappers
one at a time under
lukewarm water until soft
& pliable...you want them
rollable, but not so soggy
that they'll stick to your work surface like plastic wrap. Rinse one and use it right away, finish a roll, then rinse the next, etc.

Place a little mache, followed by the mushrooms, tofu salad, bell pepper, scallion, and top off with a few more greens.
Roll starting on one side (like a burrito), fold over the top & bottom, then continue rolling the rest.

FYI, mache is an heirloom green with a unique taste. It's is worth it if you can find it, but if you can't, some baby greens/mesclun or even regular lettuce will suffice.
Another nice addition to these spring rolls is radish sprouts. They are often available at asian markets, or you can buy seeds and grow your own.

*I buy The Bridge tofu salad at Whole Foods. It is made here in New England (Middletown, CT) so I'm not sure it's available nationally. I like the tart vinegary taste it has along with a nice crunch from some onion, carrot & celery. A complete list of ingredients is available on their website.

It was also Ryan's 100th
Day of Kindergarten. His
class was having a party,
but I wasn't sure what was
going to be served (his
teacher's father passed away
the previous day so there
was a substitute teacher
all week), so I sent an array
of junk with him for the afternoon...a dutch pretzel, fruit roll, lollipop, chocolate sandwich cookies. He ate the cookies & fruit roll but brought the rest home.

And here's AJ and
his Maia as he likes
to call her.






Thursday:

Just as big brother Ryan
did last year, AJ got to make
a special "Valentine Party In
A Box" for a friend in his
preschool class. He did a great
job decorating with stickers
and writing his friend's name.

Even though his friends aren't
vegan, all the treats in the box
are, so we tried to picked things
that are well-liked by most
kids...a Glenny's chocolate
marshmallow crispy bar, a
Dum-Dum lollipop, a dutch
pretzel, a Lake Champlain
dark chocolate heart, a cherry
fruit strip, a small juice box,
a Play-Doh display globe, &
a Valentine stamp set.

AJ ate most of the treats
from his gift box at school,
but he told me he received
an apple juice, some chips,
a lollipop, & a bar, along with
3 Maisto cars.

I included a small heart
sandwich & chocolate just
in case, but he saved them
to eat when he got home.
Nate's lunch: 3 mini heart sandwiches, strawberries, Veggie Booty.

Nate's class also had a
Valentine celebration.
I included a vanilla
cupcake for him with
pink frosting & heart
sprinkles. Here it is
before transport in a
Cup-A-Cake container.

Ryan's lunch: pickles; sunflower butter & raspberry jam heart sandwich (propped up by 2 mini ones underneath); carrots; strawberries; grape tomato; mini pumpkin muffin; mini banana Craisin walnut muffin; Lake Champlain dark chocolate square.

While Ryan was at school still,
we went to do some shopping
at Whole Foods. I usually shop
on fridays & the weekend, but
I needed a few extra things for
the preschool Valentine party
in the evening...plus it's got to
be easier to shop with 3 kids
instead of 4, right??












At home, Nate opened all
of his Valentines from his
friends and teachers. He
was very proud before
school to be able to tell
me all of his friends'
names in his class.


Here's Maia having a break
in AJ's classroom during the
evening Valentine party.
We had a family photo
taken in a giant heart, ate
pizza (that I made for us) &
cookies, did crafts, and
donated food to the local
food pantry. Maia got to
wear her "Kisses" shirt given
to her by her great aunt.
Maia is 7 months old today!

Friday:
Ryan's lunch: a strawberry; blueberries; a Lake Champlain dark chocolate heart; grilled chreez sandwich with tic-tac-toe made of ketchup, soy cheese & black olives; broccoli; peanuts.
I thought this was a cute boy-ish theme for a Valentine lunch for a kindergartener.