In honor of the Minimalist as he exits the Times’ Dining section, I made one of Mark Bittman’s recipes from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian (with a very minimalist photo to match!).  Leave it to Bittman to come up with what must be the world’s healthiest veggie burger. This recipe is pretty much just beans, greens and sweet potatoes – you can’t get much more nutritious than that.

I eat some variation of beans & greens several times a week, usually with whole wheat pasta. This recipe gives me a good reason to skip the pasta for a change. Plus, you can make a big batch of the mixture one day, then form and cook the burgers for several days after.

Note that I’ve pictured this burger sans bun. Since they’re are a little on the soft side, I think “patty” might be a better name than “burger”.  I can’t quite imagine eating one on a bun. But served simply on a plate with a topping like Bittman’s onion chutney? Fantastic. I’ve included the chutney recipe below, too.

A few recipe notes:

– The original recipe calls for cinnamon, but I thought that might add a bit too much sweetness. So I’ve substituted ground coriander and paprika for the cinnamon, to good effect. I also included a jalapeño pepper for added kick.

– The recipe calls for 2 cups of cooked greens. I used two very packed cups of greens, making this a greens heavy (and therefore quite light) burger.

Spicy Vegetable Burgers
Adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

2 packed cups cooked kale, squeezed dry and finely chopped
2 cups cooked or canned cannellini beans (about a can and a half)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sweet potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and grated (about 1 cup)
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh (not dried) bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

Mash the cannellini beans in a large bowl, so they are mostly mashed but with some beans still holding their shape. Stir in the greens and mix well. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the grated sweet potato and peppers, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly to prevent sticking, for about 5 minutes or until just tender. Stir in the bread crumbs and spices and cook for 1 minute longer. Stir the sweet potato mixture into the bean mixture. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, then let the mixture stand for a few minutes (or refrigerate for up to a day). Form into 4-6 patties. Heat the remaining oil in the skillet and saute the burgers until browned on one side, about 4-5 minutes. Flip and cook another 4-5 minutes to brown the other side. Serve with onion chutney (below) or other topping of choice.

Caramelized Onion Chutney
From How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

1 large yellow onion, sliced
Salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 jalapeño or other fresh green chile
1 fresh hot red chile, or another jalapeño
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Put the onions in a large skillet and cook, covered, over medium heat, for 20 minutes. Add spices, and salt to taste. Cook, uncovered for 15 minutes longer. Stir in sugar, then process in food processor until semi-smooth.

This strawberry banana almond smoothie is my attempt at cutting down on my morning bread habit (mmm…toast.)

Some smoothie recipes call for added sugar, maple syrup, apple juice or sugary-sweet vanilla yogurt, and in my book that almost turns a smoothie into dessert. (This recipe from Food & Wine includes 3/4 cup of maple syrup and has 60 grams of carbs per serving!) I wanted to create one that was lower in sugar and calories, so I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk as a base, and added no additional sweetener. I was worried that the result would be too un-sweet to be appealing, but it’s actually perfect. The natural sweetness of the fruit is quite enough, and the addition of almond butter provides a hint of complexity. You won’t feel like you drank a milkshake after drinking it, you’ll just feel virtuous and refreshed. Not a bad way to start the day.

For you DIY types, why not use this recipe as an excuse to make your own almond milk?  My friend Don made his own a while back, and said it’s easy and delicious, so it’s definitely on my must-do list. Homemade almond milk is far less expensive, and there’s no wasteful packaging – so what are we all waiting for? Plus you can make vegan almond cheese with the leftover almond meal!  

Substitutions and variations: I like almond milk, but the downside is that it doesn’t contain much protein. The almond butter does add some, but to really boost the protein content of this smoothie, you can substitute soy milk, or a mixture of plain nonfat yogurt and milk, for the almond milk. For some Omega-3 action, add a teaspoon or two of flax oil. A little vanilla extract is a nice addition, too.

Strawberry Banana Almond Smoothie

1 1/2 cups chilled unsweetened vanilla almond milk, plus more if needed
1 heaping cup of chopped strawberries
1 1/2 medium bananas
1 tablespoon almond butter

Puree in a blender. If the smoothie is too thick, add additional almond milk as desired.

Serves 2

Recently, I needed a vegetarian centerpiece for an Italian-themed meal (my own birthday dinner, as a matter of fact!). Beans might not be the first thing that comes to your mind, but these cannellini beans were special enough to impress all the meat lovers at the table. It all starts with the beans you use. I’m sure regular old store-bought cannellini beans would be fine here, but Rancho Gordo’s amazing Runner Cannellini beans took this dish to a higher level of deliciousness. They’re huge, with a mild, earthy flavor and soft but substantial texture. I wanted to infuse the dish with the flavors of fresh herbs, so I added sage, thyme and rosemary. I’m sure fresh marjoram and Italian parsley would also be great. I also used an entire head of garlic, but the flavor is very mild when the garlic is stewed this way, so don’t you even think of skimping.

The dish comes out slightly differently depending on the tomatoes you use. The can of chopped tomatoes I had on hand were imported from Italy and packed in tomato puree. That made the stew quite tomato-y, as you can see from the photo. If you use tomatoes in juice, the dish is a bit more bean-centric. I can’t say which is better, because I absolutely love both.

So, how to serve these beans? For my special dinner, I served them on soft polenta, which was just about perfect. I could also envision them on a bed of cooked spinach or kale. Of course, I could happily eat a plain bowl with some crusty bread. However you eat them, they’re heart-healthy comfort food to the extreme.

Cannellini Bean Stew with Fresh Herbs

1 pound large cannellini beans, soaked overnight and drained (I used Rancho Gordo Runner Cannellini beans)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
One head garlic, cloves peeled and lightly crushed
1 large stalk celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
4 cups vegetable stock (I recommend Imagine No-Chicken stock; otherwise. Use gluten-free stock if you are gluten-sensitive)
1 14-oz can chopped tomatoes in puree or juice (see note above)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350. Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven (one with a tight-fitting lid). Saute the garlic, celery and onion for 10-12 minutes, until beginning to brown. Add the beans, herbs and stock. Bring to a boil, cover and bake for 1½ hours, or until tender (this can vary depending on your beans). Check every 20 minutes or so and if necessary, add additional water to keep the beans covered (they can get a little drier near the end of the cooking time, since you will be adding tomatoes). Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and return to the oven, covered, for 20-30 minutes. The beans should be very tender and somewhat saucy.

Serves 8

Why do oatmeal cookies conjure up warm, fuzzy memories of Grandma’s cookie jar? They just seem so wholesome and innocent. They’re like the cookie equivalent of a yellow lab puppy. Of course, their wholesome reputation is mostly an illusion – I mean, they’re still cookies loaded with sugar. Then again, the soluble fiber in oatmeal does lower cholesterol. There, I’ve justified this treat as being heart-healthy. Damn, that was easy.

My fairly low fat, vegan version of oatmeal cookies includes molasses and toasted pecans for a deep, dark flavor, and the optional chocolate chips complement the molasses nicely. Best of all, they’re crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, so they won’t cause any fistfights between the crunchy cookie people and the chewy cookie people in your house. Grandma would be happy about that.

Backstory: When I first developed this recipe, it contained twice the oil, twice the nuts, and half an egg instead of the vegan “flax egg.”  The result was delicious – but I felt that the cookies were too high in fat to post on my heart-healthy blog. So I made some adjustments and brought both versions to my office of trusty testers. Surprisingly, most everyone liked the lower fat version as much as or even more than the original. So I’m declaring the low fat cookies a big winner!

Vegan Oatmeal-Pecan Cookies

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 ¼ cup rolled oats (old fashioned, not quick)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Scant ½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4  cup chopped pecans (or substitute macadamias or walnuts), toasted
1 tablespoon ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons water
½ cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup organic canola oil
¼ cup dark chocolate chips, optional

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together the flax and water, and heat in a microwave for 1 minute, or simmer for a minute on the stove. Combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and nuts in a bowl.

In separate bowl, whisk together flax mixture, brown sugar, maple syrup, molasses, vanilla, and oil. Add to dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in the pecans and optional chocolate chips.

Drop by the tablespoon on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the cookie sheet while still warm and place on a rack or a plate to cool.

Makes about 30 cookies

Blood Orange and Watercress Salad from the blog Leek Soup. Photo: Dina Avila

After a month of holiday gorging, I am craving salad. I especially love those that include winter fruits like pears, oranges and pomegranates. Here are five of my latest favorite fruity winter salads from fellow bloggers.

A Celery Root and Apple Salad from Recipes to Save a Marriage By

Lettuce with Oranges, Fennel and Pomegranate from Good Life Eats

Blood Orange and Watercress Winter Salad from Leek Soup

Tropical Winter Salad from Diary of a Nutritionist

Winter Quinoa Salad with Squash, Pears and Almonds from Daily Unadventures in Cooking

I love french toast, and it has been one of the things I’ve missed the most since switching to a more heart-healthy diet. For years, I’ve hesitated to make a lowfat or vegan version for fear that it would be disappointing. But the other day my cravings got the best of me and I gave it a shot. Many vegan french toast recipes call for tofu to give the batter body, but tofu is not something I want in my french toast. Instead, I used a combination of oats, flax and banana to create a thick, rich batter based on almond milk, and added orange juice and cinnamon to boost the flavor.

The result isn’t exactly like traditional french toast, since it doesn’t have the same kind of eggy crust. However, it’s delicious in its own right, with the banana creating a nice caramelization on the outside. Add maple syrup  and fruit, and you’ve pretty much achieved breakfast nirvana.

Note: choose bread that is airy enough to absorb the liquid; if you use a very dense and heavy whole grain loaf, this won’t work quite as well. And it’s better to cut your own thick-ish slices here rather than using pre-sliced bread. I used an artisan whole wheat loaf that was crusty but light.

Vegan Banana-Oat French Toast

2 cups vanilla almond milk
1 tablespoon ground flax
1/4 cup quick oats
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 banana
8 slices whole-grain bread
Organic canola oil
Fresh fruit of choice and maple syrup, for topping

Combine the almond milk, flax, oats, orange juice, cinnamon and banana in a blender and process until well blended. Pour the mixture into a baking dish and soak the slices of bread for a minute or two on each side,until the liquid has completely penetrated the bread. Rub canola oil onto a griddle and heat on medium-high. (Note: if you have a nonstick griddle, do not use cooking oil spray, because the soy lecithin in it does ugly things to nonstick surfaces!) Cook until well-browned on one side, then flip and brown the other side. Serve with fruit and maple syrup.