Veggie Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries and Salad

From the top clockwise: Roasted Corn Salad, Sweet Potato Fries and Veggie burger on Spinach with grilled onions

So my goal right now is to write about what we are eating and how to have a plant based diet that is delicious and full of flavor and variety. Also to do this as frugal as possible without spending a fortune and without being a slave to the kitchen too. So for dinner last night we had Veggie Burgers, Roasted Corn, Broccoli and Red Bell Pepper Salad and Sweet Potato Fries


Veggie Burgers
14 oz Organic Tofu-Extra Firm-$2.68
1 c Brown Rice cooked-$.25
1/2 Onion-$.25
1Tb Yeast
1/3 c Brown Rice Flour-$.20
1 tsp Herb Salt
1/2 tsp Seasoning Salt
Total $3.38

Preheat oven at 400 degrees
In your blender or food processor add onion, tofu, and brown rice. Mix on low to medium until fairly mixed. Don't blend to much. Put mixture in a bowl and combine all other ingredients. Mix with a spatula/wooden spoon well. Using a 1/3 measuring cup scoop out onto a baking sheet with parchment paper on it. Makes about 10-12 patties. Bake for 40 minutes turning once after 20 minutes. I like our veggie burgers a little on the crispier side so I cook them a little longer and eye ball the color.

I topped the burgers with grilled onions, spinach and avocado
1/2 Onion sliced-$.25
3/4 c Spinach-$.50
1 ripe avocado-$.50
Total $1.25
We do not use buns as they are expensive to buy GF ones. I guess you could say we eat them "protein style".

Once your burgers are in the oven slice up your sweet potatoes for oven fries.
I use the thick slice side of my cheese grater. I have three slices on one side and it makes them really thin and they cook evenly.

I usually use three medium sized sweet potatoes-$1.19. Now on a separate baking sheet with parchment paper lay down sweet potato slices evenly. The parchment paper really keeps them from sticking without using oil. You can use regular potatoes or yams too.

I bake them for about 20-30 minutes turning them once. If you like them crispier bake longer.

Once they are cooked I place them in a large bowl and and drizzle about 1 Tb of Olive oil and season with seasoning salt. Now the seasoning salt I use has a sea salt, pepper, paprika and a little nutmeg. It is so good. If you don't have something like it just add a dash of nutmeg to them, and I mean a dash, not too much. So tasty!

Roasted Corn, Red Bell Pepper and Broccoli Salad

1/2 Bag of Trader Joe's Frozen Roasted Corn $1.15
1/2 Red Bell Peppers diced $.99
1 Broccoli crown (1 cup) chopped $.50
1 Green onions chopped $.10
Olive oil
Juice from one lemon
Mary-Ann's Seasoning salt to taste
Mary-Ann's Herb salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients and serve when corn is thawed
Or keep it in your refrigerator and and snack on it, just add a little olive oil each time to your portion to refresh it. Serving size about 1 cup and serves 4
Total $2.74


Burgers- $3.38
Toppings -$1.25
Fries-$1.19
Salad-$2.74
Total $8.24

Per Person $2.14

You definitely can not get out of a Mother's Market or Whole Foods for that let alone McDonald's and this is a boat load better for you. I usually have leftover salad and eat it for lunch the next day. These burgers are really good chopped up and put on a salad too. They freeze nicely also.