Recipes!

So I've had many people ask, "Karin, now that you don't eat meat, what exactly do you eat?"

And then when I tell people I have almost cut out dairy, they are flabbergasted! Well, here's the deal with the dairy. I eat as vegan as possible at home, with the exception of the occasional egg or mozzarella cheese stick. When we eat out, I will get food that has cheese on it (or some type of milk-based sauce) but occasionally I ask for no cheese. Anyway, making the switch to a vegetarian diet can be intimidating, especially when you have certain meat recipes you've followed for your entire adult cooking life. Fear not! Somehow my family has survived for a year on healthy, plant-based dishes.

This is one of my favorites from Sandra Lee. It is a black bean burger that tastes very yummy and doesn't take long to prepare. The recipe does call for one egg (which I've used) but I've also used an egg substitute (called Ener-G) and you can't even tell the difference! Here's the link:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/black-bean-burgers-recipe/index.html

I top these burgers with half an avocado and some salsa. Yum! Then, on the side, I make a veggie like broccoli or asparagus (anything green will do) and fresh sweet potato fries. For the fries, simply cut up an uncooked sweet potato into fry-like strips, put a little olive oil on top with some salt and pepper and then bake them in the oven for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. So good!