Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Veggie Burger Breakfast

I like savory breakfast most of the time.
Howdy! That pic up there was my breakfast this morning. I am super into making veggie/bean burgers right now. Using all different vegetables, beans, grains and spices, I mix it all up, grill it in a pan and make it a burger or a loaf. This lovely combo was bulgur, kidney beans, sun-dried tomatoes, leeks, garlic, parsley, rutabaga, spices and some gluten flour to bind it all up. I'm working out the recipe because the first batch I made was HUGE. Oops.

This has been a busy and great week for me and food activism. A mom at my daughter's aerial dance class needed help bringing a vegan and gluten free birthday treat to a school party. The mom and her family aren't vegan, but her daughters have all gone to a vegan school. (hello, portland!) So I referred her to the book Health By Chocolate and she made a chocolate avocado mousse that was a huge hit! She told me this as I ran into her at Foodfight  - and I'd never seen her around the mini mall before, so that was a cool coincidence. I coax them into my web and transform them... Mmmwwaaaaaa......

Other super cool news! Josh and I are getting involved in the food program at Ruby's school. The school is in financial straits, like all schools are, and they quit the national school lunch program. It's good they quit, since the program is expensive and laborious, and it was difficult for us to meet the wonky requirements because the meals were vegetarian. It's sad though, because the wonderful hot lunches are no more, but the school is now offering free cold lunch. For the first week it was primarily cheese sandwiches everyday....but this week I got my food handlers card and we added carrot sticks, hummus and pita, and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches to the mix. I went in there and made 6 pounds of hummus yesterday morning and they ate it all! So it's getting better! And I have plans/dreams of creating a plant based food program over the summer and bringing back hot lunch. Any ideas you have would be welcome. Here's to giving a damn!

11 comments:

  1. I am working at a camp this summer as the assistant head cook, as a vegan I will be creating large scale hot vegan meals and I will more than happily send you some recipes!

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  2. How cool! Is it an all-vegan menu? Where are you? Thanks so much!

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  3. My dream is to help overhaul school lunch programs, hospital menus and other USDA funded kitchens...... keep doing such great work! Yay for hummus!

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  4. You and Josh are so selfless/awesome! :D

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  5. The camp is not even vegetarian, but all food (I don't see animal products as food, if only the rest of the world saw it in the same light...) is grown on-site and organic. I live in Portland but the camp is in Vermont. It will be my job to create delicious vegan food (and hopefully convert people, luring them by the stomach... bwahahaa) for the camp vegans/vegetarians/people with other dietary restrictions.

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  6. that's a lot of hummus! wow. you should get the kids in there counting little chickpea spheres as they go in...

    xo
    kittee

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  7. Michelle I am *totally* interested in helping with a hot lunch program this summer. I would love to volunteer! My time, my hands, recipes or brainstorming or whatever you need.

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  8. sorry all the comments from this post disappeared! blogger was down for a few days & now that it's back, the comments have disappeared. boo.

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  9. Michelle, as far as curriculum, you might consider "Food is Elementary" by Antonia Demas, if you haven't heard of that. I have a copy you're welcome to borrow.

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  10. marsha, i've heard her speak through a class i took! i loved her stuff. i would also really like to see the curriculum. thank you!
    sayward, i'm taking you up on the offer, most certainly!

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  11. healthy and yummy food. so cool! i like this post.

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