Thai Quinoa Burgers

I'm not really big on vegan burgers. Of any kind. Homemade, store-bought, restaurant. I have nothing against the vegan burger. I'm pretty sure it just has something to do with my disdain for sandwiches. I'll just say it...I don't like sandwiches. I know. Am I even human? I don't know anymore.  Well, these Thai Quinoa Burgers, if only for a moment in time, make me forget how much I don't prefer an entree squished between two wads of bread. These are the freakin' bomb, people. They're just as a vegan burger should be. Delicious, hearty, full of flavor, and they stay together beautifully. There's nothing worse than a crumbling vegan burger patty, truly.  

What I especially love about these burgers is that they are very healthy, super easy to make, hold together well, protein-packed, crispy on the outside, and not at all dry.

What's not to love? You have to try these!

My new favorite vegan burger.

Thai Quinoa Burgers

Makes 6 patties

Notes: You'll have a bit of leftover quinoa. That's a good thing! I put mine in the freezer and then when we need it, you're already good to go!

• Flax egg:
• 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed
• 2 Tbsp. water
• Quinoa:
• 1 cup quinoa, dry (I used red)
• 2 cups water
• Patty:
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats, dry
• 1 15 oz. can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 cup fancy snow peas, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. red curry paste
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. agave nectar
• 1/2-1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, chopped
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. fresh chili paste
• Assemble:
• 6 burger buns
• BBQ sauce
• spinach or lettuce
• mung bean sprouts

In a small bowl, whisk together the ground flax and water. Set aside to rest for at least 10 minutes.

In a medium saucepan, bring the rinsed quinoa and water to boil over high heat. Turn down to a simmer, cover and allow to cook for about 15-20 minutes or until tender. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

In a food processor, pulse the oats until they are coarsely ground. Add the remaining patty ingredients, including the flax egg. Process well, until smooth and thick. Once the quinoa is done cooking, measure out 1 cup and process that in as well, until well combined. Freezer or refrigerate the leftover quinoa.

Preheat oven to 350 F and coat a baking sheet with a non-stick cooking spray.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat with a splash of olive oil. Using a 1/3 measuring cup, form the burger mixture into patties and fry for 1-2 minutes on each side, until browned. Repeat until all the mixture is gone. This should make about six patties. 

Once they are browned on both sides, place on the baking sheet and bake at 350 F for about 10 minutes, until golden and crispy. 

Assemble with a bun, and topped with BBQ sauce, spinach or lettuce, and sprouts if you wish.

Or, it's just as fabulous without the bun! They'd be great in a wrap too, I should think!

Bonus points for sprouting your own mung beans, like I did. I'll try not to be too excited or smug about that. In all honesty, I had no choice. Our stores up here in Alaska don't sell them anymore!

Birdseed Cookies

There's a cute little coffee shop in my hometown and they make some amaze-tastic seed cookies. This recipe is based off their crazy good cookies. If you're all like, "Ugh, why would I want a bunch of seeds and millet in my cookies?" I will tell you that you know nothing, Jon Snow Dear Reader. People are straight up obsessed with these little guys. No joke.

These cookies kind of remind me of no-bakes. Chock-full of seeds, millet, oats, peanut butter, coconut, and chocolate chips, you won't want to toss these to the birds. Trust me. Every time I make them, I'm hounded on when I'm going to post the recipe on Produce On Parade. Well...here you go! 

Birdseed Cookies

Makes 50 cookies

--Notes-- This recipe makes a lot of cookies, so feel free to halve it if you're so inclined. Also, I know these measurements are obnoxious...just go with me.

• Wet:
• 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. agave nectar (or maple syrup if you're super rich)
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. olive oil (or coconut oil if you have a trust fund)
• 1/2 heaping cup creamy peanut butter (no palm oil please!)
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• Dry:
• 3 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats, dry
• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut flakes
• 1 cup hulled sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup millet, dry
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional)
• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
• End:
• 3 Tbsp. fresh water

Start by mixing together the ground flax seed and water in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Add in the combined flax and water. 

In a separate large bowl, combine the dry ingredients

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients while mixing on low, until just combined. 

Add in the fresh water and mix until well combined. The dough should hold together well and not be wet. It might even be a tad crumbly, and that's okay. 

Preheat oven to 350 F. Form into half balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I use a tablespoon to do this but a little ice cream scoop with a release arm would be perfect, alas, I do not have one. The dough can be a bit sticky. The cookies will not spread at all when baked. 

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until they start to turn golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven and allow to rest on the pan for a minute or two before transferring to a cooling rack.

Try not to let any animals, birds or otherwise snatch them up! Store in an airtight container. 

I'm so great, I even calculated the nutritional information for you! Normally, I do not do this, but I was so curious I just couldn't help myself. Don't worry, the only not-s-good calories come from the brown sugar, agave nectar, and chocolate chips. Just, don't go eating five at once. 

I love this song. The musician, Zach Sobiech, recorded it as a way to express his battle with cancer (osteosarcoma), in which he only had one more year to live. He died at age 18 in May 2013. 

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/93431338" params="color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]

[yumprint-recipe id='73']

My Favorite Deodorant - Death By Lavender Review & Giveaway

That's kind of a big deal; to be my favorite deodorant. A deodorant has to be pretty damn sweet to get that title. I might one of those obnoxiously super moderately quasi clean people. You know, always needing to have an excessive amount of shampoo lather when washing my hair (how else will I know it's clean?!) Also, I have a very keen sense of smell. I enjoy a good fragrance as much as the next person, but if it's overpowering or disagrees with me...I'll get a headache. As if that isn't enough, I am particularly persnickety about deodorant. I'm a Mammographer and that means I'm on my feet a lot during the day not to mention it's actually pretty physically demanding! There's a lot of lifting, crouching and moving about. In addition, I run for an hour each day on my lunch break. No one wants a stinky, sweaty mammographer all up their breasts face. Trust me.  I've only permanently changed deodorants three times in my life. I first used Secret, then Dove, and most recently, Ban. I never changed the smell. It has to be a solid too, none of that goopy gel-like stuff. Ick! Wet underarms? No, thank you. It has to go on smooth and even and it can't get all encrusted in my shirts, or causing staining. It must have good scent and last all day. The list, shockingly, goes on and on. Sadly, I only discovered the cruelty inflicted upon animals from the product testing of deodorants when I went vegan. Funny how that happens, huh? I decided there was absolutely no way I would vote for animal cruelty with my wallet by purchasing from these big brand companies that were not cruelty free...no matter how stinky it made me!

I researched and researched cruelty-free deodorants and I finally settled on one brand that had pretty good reviews, compared to others. I won't name names. It was only used it a handful of times. It didn't really keep me very dry and it didn't have any deodorant power at all. So, I ended up getting Ban. I read that they don't test on animals but I still was kind of leery about the controversy over the negative health implications of using deodorant/antiperspirant with sketch ingredients. Most conventional deodorants:

We all know that cosmetic and toiletry companies around the world are pulling triclosan and parabens from their products, which is great news. As for aluminum, there happens to be a lot of controversy over it's potential to cause cancer. There hasn't been any research to absolutely support that the build of aluminium in the body from extended use of an antiperspirant causes breast cancer. Also, more research is needed to determine whether or not aluminium from antiperspirants could be contributing to alzheimer's disease.

However, as a mammographer and someone who deals with a family member with alzheimer's, I can say that using a deodorant made solely from coconut oil, carnauba wax, arrowroot powder and baking soda is no skin off my back. For more information from The National Cancer Institute regarding the toxicity of aluminium, click here. 

So, if you're looking for a non-sketchy deodorant that goes on a like a typical deodorant, will keep you absolutely so fresh and so clean, and that's also vegan and cruelty-free...search no more! Without further adieu, here is my North Coast Organics Deodorant review!

North Coast Organics Deodorants 

There are three varieties: Revolver, Naked and Death By Lavender. 

The travel size is 0.35 fl oz for $3.49 and the full size is 2.5 fl oz for $8.99. It's a little spendy, but it's not something I would go back to conventional deodorants over. I love that they come in recyclable and reusable containers. Also, the labels are printed with vegan ink on 100% Tree Free and Fair Trade Certified Paper.

I expected to be a little sweatier than I would be if I was using a conventional deodorant/antiperspirant. This deodorant is not an antiperspirant and I'm okay with not that. I only noticed myself sweating a little on a few occasions. One time involved a skull radiography exam, an orbits/nasal bone exam, and when my boss informed my co-worker and I that we'd have to start working evenings and Saturdays. Bye, bye blog. Not, not really, but we should probably start a petition right?

My contact with North Coast Organics told me that he thought of the idea to start the deodorant line as an alternative for patients with cancer because they cannot use antiperspirants when undergoing radiation. What a great guy, eh? Who wouldn't want to support that?!

Bottom Line

Did I like this deodorant enough to become my coveted (or...maybe not so much) deodorant of choice? Yes, indeed! In fact, I think it's so awesome I'm going to get some for my lavender-loving friends! I can't get enough of the Death By Lavender!

I like to keep my little lavender lovely in this cute bowl with my synthetic pearls and (vegan) makeup brush. Of course, I'll need to get the regular size!

Giveaway

For 15% off North Coast Organic's wonderful products, use promo code POP2014 on their website. Also, they are generously gifting two lucky readers one travel size set of Revolver, Naked, and Death By Lavender, like you see above.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway Coffee sipping to:[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/113324557" params="color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]

*DISCLAIMER*  PRODUCE ON PARADE IS A PERSONAL BLOG WRITTEN AND EDITED BY MYSELF AND TODD ONLY, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. OUR REVIEWS ARE COMPLETELY BASED ON OUR OWN OPINIONS OF THE PRODUCT REVIEWED. WE ARE NOT PAID TO WRITE POSTS. THESE PRODUCTS WERE SUPPLIED TO US AS GIFTS BY THE COMPANY TO TEST AND REVIEW. OTHERWISE, IF WE MENTION A COMPANY BY NAME AND THERE IS NO DISCLAIMER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST, WE ARE MERELY WRITING ABOUT SOMETHING WE LIKE, PURCHASE AND/OR USE. THE FACT THAT WE DO RECEIVE A PRODUCT AS A GIFT TO TEST AND REVIEW, WILL NEVER POSITIVELY INFLUENCE THE CONTENT MADE IN OUR POST.