Blog Archives - HAPPY VEG

White Bean Burgers

11/29/2017

Scratch made burgers are super simple and so delicious. It's a perfect opportunity to put your own twist on things with different spices, herbs, and ingredients.

I recently whipped these up and found them to be absolutely perfect. Canned white beans along with spices like chili powder, cumin, and fresh cilantro are smashed together and formed into patties. I suggest keeping the size of your bun in mind when forming the patties to make sure the bun to burger ratio is just perfect.

These burgers fry up beautifully when prepared but I also found that they fried even better after having been frozen so don't be afraid to freeze them! Just make sure to separate them with parchment paper in the freezer to prevent them from sticking together!

Head to the RECIPES page!

HAPPY VEG

NEW POST

11/28/2017

Head to the PRODUCTS & FACTS page for a review on GARDEN LITES Kale and Brown Rice Bites!

HAPPY VEG

Spinach, Cremini, & Ricotta Stuffed Potatoes

11/27/2017

All day, every day potatoes, that's my unofficial motto. If you eat potatoes as often as I do, you have to try and switch your flavours up to keep the humble, versatile potato, exciting every time you eat it.

Today's recipe has a mixture of cremini mushrooms, fresh spinach, and onions sauteed and folded into ricotta cheese with fresh herbs. The creamy, flavourful mixture is then stuffed inside crispy, roasted potatoes and finished off in the oven.

The potatoes come out with a little brown action happening on top thanks to grated parmesan. If hollowed out properly, you'll end up with lots of the delicious filling inside each and every potato which is ultimately the best part of this dish. Am I right?

Get your ovens preheated and head to the RECIPES page!

HAPPY VEG

3 Years <3

11/25/2017

WOWZERS! Time sure flies when you're having fun! 3 years ago I decided to start this blog in an effort to distract myself from my mother's illness when it all started to become too much to bear. I intended to use my blog as a way to learn more about food, being a vegetarian, and animal rights, and I couldn't be happier with how far things have come since I began. I'm so proud of how things have developed over the years and I couldn't have done any of this without all of you!

It gives me such great pride to continue to share my vegetarian journey with all of you. I've grown so much in the kitchen but most importantly, I've gained a much stronger appreciation for animals and the fight involved with seeing them treated better in the world. My goal in life is, and always will be helping animals in any way that I can and I'm super blessed to have so many people supporting me.

Sharing my kitchen tips, commentary on animal rights stories, and product information, gives me great pleasure and ultimately, if I help even one person who is struggling to adapt to the change over to a Vegetarian diet, I feel incredibly content. I wouldn't be here without all of you so helping and giving back is the least I can do.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you all so very much for sticking with me these past few years. Thank you for growing with me, caring about animals, and giving me feedback on social media. I appreciate you all so very much and am eternally grateful for your continued support. Here's to many more years together <3

T H A N K Y O U

Next Week's New Recipes

11/25/2017

SPINACH, CREMINI, RICOTTA STUFFED POTATOES

Spinach and mushrooms are what I like to call a perfect pair. There's just something about the two of them together that makes for a delicious dish. Add potatoes into the mix and we've got a winner!
Sauteed spinach, onion, and cremini mushroom are folded into an herby ricotta cheese mixture and stuffed inside delightfully crispy potato bowls.

WHITE BEAN BURGERS

A good burger is probably one of my favourite things. There's no limit to the combination of toppings you can enjoy when it comes to burgers which makes them pretty versatile.
This week's burger is 100% vegan and 100% delicious with hints of chili, cumin, and cilantro flavouring every bite.
Making burgers from scratch is super simple and super rewarding. The best part is that they freeze really well so you've got burgers for later in the week / month on a lazy night!

Happy Thanksgiving!

11/23/2017

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the United States! Have an enjoyable day with family and friends <3

Rigatoni in a Roasted Veggie Tomato Sauce

11/22/2017

Want to take basic tomato sauce and spruce it up? Roast your veggies before blending your sauce! It makes a world of difference when it comes to the flavour of the sauce and really adds a lovely roasted flavour to it.

I roasted some bell pepper, onion, carrot, and celery until tender and slightly charred and blended them into my tomato sauce along with a bunch of basil. The resulting sauce was super flavourful and vibrant thanks to the additional colours from the roasted veggies.

You could technically use any kind of pasta you'd like but I strongly suggest going with a pasta that has ridges so the sauce can seep into them. I went with Rigatoni because of the ridges and also because it's such a hearty pasta. One of my personal faves!

Head to the RECIPES page for this tomato sauce inspiration!

HAPPY VEG

New Animal News Video Coming

11/21/2017

I finally finished compiling my newest animal news recap and I'm about ready to film the latest episode. This would be the seventh episode thus far and we've got big topics to discuss. Here's what you can expect from my newest video!

MP's in UK voted that animals are not sentient beings post Brexit - In an unfortunate turn of events, MP's in the U.K. have voted 313 to 295 that animals are not sentient beings. Despite science repeatedly proving that animals are aware and feel emotions much like we do, this move negates years of work from animal advocacy groups. Ultimately, denying animals are sentient and dropping their protections will inevitably lead to more cruelty. I say this repeatedly, but the government will always be an animal advocates biggest hurdle. They continue to work against animal rights despite the fact that citizens are becoming more aware.
President Trump & the elephants - Trump's administration set the wheels into motion to remove a ban on bringing back elephant trophies from two African countries this past week. The President halted this until more information on conservation was acquired and he has since called elephant hunting a "horror show". Does this mean we can expect Trump to maintain the ban?
Canada's very first conviction of animal cruelty on a fur farm - The owner of a fur farm east of Montreal was convicted of multiple cases of animal cruelty after an investigation took place. There were dogs seized, foxes euthanized that were in extremely poor condition, and minks crammed into cages with infections from the ammonia in their urine. With this conviction comes the question, why are fur farms even still operating? Canada has a very poor track record with animal rights and this is a damned good opportunity to join Poland in banning fur farming entirely. It's literally an industry built upon exploitation and cruelty and frankly, has no place in today's society.

Chili Polenta Lasagne

11/20/2017

Precooked polenta is a wonderful ingredient to have in your kitchen. You can do so much with it and it's a big time saver when you want to eat in a flash.

This recipe is super simple and super delicious. Leftover chili finds a perfect home nestled between slices of cooked polenta and melty cheddar. The resulting bake is extremely creamy, hearty, and satisfying. Did I mention that because the polenta is already cooked you really save on cook and prep time as well! What's wrong with that?

I've always got leftover chili lying around because I typically make a massive batch and refrigerate / freeze some for future meals. That's a really great thing to remember when making something like chili, soup, or even pasta sauce, make lots because they freeze well and they'll make dinner one evening super easy!

HAPPY VEG

2 New Recipes Next Week!

11/18/2017

CHILI POLENTA LASAGNE

Precooked polenta is a big time saver in the kitchen. I've enjoyed it baked and pan fried which I enjoyed best, but I wanted to try and do something different with it. This recipe was literally inspired by having leftover chili in the fridge and wondering how I wanted to enjoy it. I layered the sliced polenta with chili and shredded cheddar and baked it until bubbly and delicious. The polenta became nice and creamy and paired beautifully with the spices from the chili. Polenta is pretty neutral so you can really infuse it with so many different flavours and have it tasting wonderful.
This recipe is so simple and delicious. I can't wait to share it with you guys!

RIGATONI with ROASTED VEGETABLE TOMATO SAUCE

Rigatoni is the perfect pasta for a blended sauce in my opinion. It's super dense and hearty which I love but it also has plenty of ridges for sauce to find its way into. I roasted some onion, carrot, celery, and bell pepper and blended it into a basic tomato sauce which infused some serious flavour into it. The resulting sauce had depth and layers of flavour that were delicious. Look for this recipe next week!