As I was mulling over what to post today from my cooking adventures this week, I came across a post proclaiming it National Burger Day. That shouldn't surprise me as the Memorial Day holiday this week generally marks the unofficial start to summer and with it the grilling season. Well wouldn't you know, I put my boyfriend on grilling duty this week for some vegan burgers and market veggies for our own holiday meal at home. Normally for the holiday (Memorial Day, not Burger Day, haha) we would have been going over to spend time with friends at the pool and grilling out together, but with things still as they are we stayed at home for the day. I did whip us up a little treat, though, as I'll share for a sweet finish to my post.
Though the summer squash and zucchini had already started to pop up at the farmers market a few weeks ago, this week marked the return of my favorite little patty pan squash from Hearts of Harvest Farm. We are trying to grow some in our own garden, but until we find out if ours come to bear fruit I'll happily buy some from my farmers. I think my favorite way to eat squash is grilled. That smoky flavor just adds to the sweetness of the squash. Plus it means less dishes for me if I can get the boyfriend to grill the entire meal for me.
We both enjoy onions off the grill, as well, so the patty pan went on with sliced spring onions and zucchini. I used a bit of the BBQ sauce from the chickpea burgers below for flavor and seasoning. Can't let any of the good sauces go to waste!
My other side dish for the Memorial Day menu was a version of my vegan potato salad. This time around I used silken tofu instead of white beans for a really creamy dressing. I also added fresh blanched green beans (another new spring find at the market) and dill from the backyard garden. I was never a potato salad fan until going vegan, but now I do really enjoy it as an easy BBQ side!
Of course I can't claim to use the goofy holiday as my muse today without an actual burger in the post, so behold my flavorful and satisfying chickpea burger! Well, actually this is just my version of the fantastic Vegan Richa's Chickpea Veggie Loaf. I got the recipe from her Everyday Kitchen cookbook, but I'm happy it's on her website so I can direct you there, as well. I always enjoy her recipes, and she's got plenty of great vegan loaf and burger options that hold together well and are packed with flavor. I highly recommend this one for your grilling this season, whether you are vegan or just want a great option for your herbivore friends and family. The boyfriend put his on a couple of slices of fresh baked bread from a local bakery, but I tend to like mine as a topper for a salad so I can eat more sides. 😜
They do take a bit of prep work to get all of the ingredients together, but well worth it for such a good outcome. With only the two of us enjoying them, the eight patties meant leftovers to last most of the week! You know I do love my weekly meal prepping to make dinners that much easier throughout the week. Even if it was a short work week!
I did promise a sweet treat for dessert, so here's a luscious bowl of nice cream for you guys! I did post this up on my other social media sites, but it's worth noting here because it was so darn delicious. I have a hard time saving enough brown bananas to pop in the freezer, but I finally have a little stash going for the perfect warm weather healthy treat. Nice cream, for the uninitiated, is basically blended up frozen bananas.
The bananas create a wonderfully creamy base. So much so it is hard to believe it's just blended up fruit. I love trying different flavor additions, so this time around along with a half cup of unsweetened soy milk I added a spoonful each of instant coffee and raw cacao. Four sliced frozen bananas got tossed into the blender to mix it all together. I love it right out of the blender when it is more like soft serve, but you can also stick it back in the freezer for a firmer consistency. This made us each a serving, but you could make it stretch for smaller appetites. 😉
I do hope we can get back to some of those holiday and summer get-togethers soon, but until then we'll keep putting together satisfying meals in our home. At least I can still virtually share them with you all!
What are your favorite items to pop on the grill for the summertime?
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