I am so excited! The sun is still warm and the nights are cooling off and this weekend I am going to be escaping into the woods to do some camping! I personally love camping and not that RV nonsense, the sleeping in a tent, cooking over a fire, snacking out of a cooler camping!

There is something so satisfying and serene about hiding out in the woods, I often fantasize about becoming a survivalist and escaping deep into the forest with no technology, no noise and no stress. I am a total nemophilist and love to partake in werifesteria and have incredibly romantic notions about living off of the grid.

This camping trip is not the serene escape that I usually enjoy but instead is a time of celebration and a gathering for a number of friends from far and near so some planning does need to take place. It always seems that camping in general revolves around food and drink and this time is no different. As a vegetarian, I cannot just rely on hamburgers and hotdogs to see me through so I have to become a little creative especially since I want to share my bounty with others.

Not only have I packed up some veggie burgers and marinated some carrot dogs but I decided to throw together a batch of my delicious, hearty, and warming Cocoa Chipotle Chili filled with sprouted beans, TVP, corn, and a touch of cocoa powder to mellow that spicy little kick. TVP, better known as Texturized Vegetable Protein is made from soybeans and is a wonderful meat substitute that will likely trick all of you meat eating friends. I always let everyone taste it before I let it out of the bag that it is a Vegetarian/Vegan meal as I like people to embrace eating healthy even if trickery is involved.

I like to pre-make a few things when going camping so that way I can spend more time with friends soaking in the atmosphere, hiking, kayaking or meandering instead of chopping veggies in the woods. This way I can throw the pot on the fire, do a little stirring and then divvy it up and enjoy. I hope that you try this awesome warming Chili as fall descends on us. Enjoy and healthy eating!

Cocoa Chipotle Vegetarian Chili with Sprouted Beans and TVP

2 cups of TVP

2 cups of Water, boiling

2 tbs Olive Oil

2 medium Onions, chopped

2 Sweet Peppers, chopped (you can use a mix of colors, I used 1 bell and 2 Italian peppers because I had them on hand)

4 large cloves of Garlic, chopped

1 -2 Chipotle Pepper in Adobo, chopped (the rest reserved for another purpose)

1 Jalapeno, seeds removed and chopped

1 tbs Cumin

1 1/2 tbs Chili Powder

1 1/2 tsp Oregano

1 pinch of Cinnamon

1 tbs of Lime or Lemon Juice

6 cups of Sprouted Beans or 4 cans of Beans (I used a mix of black and kidney beans)

1 1/2 cups of fresh Corn

3 (14oz) cans of Stewed Tomatoes in their juice

1 tsp Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

1 tbs Cocoa Powder

Place the 2 cups of TVP in a large bowl, pour the boiling water over top and let hydrate. Put aside.

In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions, peppers, garlic, and chipotle to the oil, sauteing for 5 minutes or so until tender. Add the spices, lime or lemon juice, beans, corn, TVP, and stewed tomatoes. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to simmering for 30 minutes.

Stir in cocoa powder and salt to taste. Divide into bowls or cups and top with your desired condiments. Enjoy!

I always let my chili rest for a few days in order to develop the flavors. This chili is awesome the first day but even better after 2 days so if you can make it ahead, do so.

I love a good veggie burger, not those store bought hockey pucks, but one that is bursting with flavor, has a number of textures and is colorful to boot. I think a lot of times that people have the misconception that veggie burgers are difficult to make but in reality all you are doing is mixing a few things together and binding it up before cooking them. As far as simplicity goes, if you make a big batch and freeze them then you will always have a quick dinner on hand.

I have a favorite veggie burger, one that is my old standby. It has beans and habanero peppers so its got a kick that sets your mouth on fire, but in a good way. I also love my beet burgers because beets are amazing and I wish I could eat them everyday and sweet potato burgers are delicious as well. i think there is just something about a patty of wholesome goodness that speaks to our need for versatility and eating using our hands.

Even though I have so many veggie burgers that I just love, I felt the need to experiment with something knew. Experimentation is the zest of life, and in actuality this experiment had more to do with using flax as a binder as opposed to an egg. Eggs are amazing binders, they keep everything together and do not change the flavor or consistency of your creation, however, I am always looking for a vegan alternative and flax eggs have recently been all the rage.

Flax, when combined with water creates a gel that binds quite nicely my only issue is that sometimes the texture is off, its almost as if it doesn't cook all of the way and can be slightly slimy. In order to combat that texture issue, I added slightly under cooked quinoa for crunch and placed the pan in the oven after pan searing.

I hope that you enjoy these great burgers and continue to experiment on your own as well!

Vegan Chipotle Red Quinoa and Zucchini Burgers with Broiled Pineapple

Makes 4 Burgers

1 Small Onion

3 Cloves Garlic

1 can Chickpeas

1 cup Cooked Quinoa

2 small Zucchini, Shredded and drained

1 Chipotle Chili in Adobe

1 tbs Chili Powder

Handful of Fresh Parsley

Pink Himalayan Sea Salt to taste

1 tbs Ground Flax

2 tbs Water

4 tbs Olive Oil

4 Pineapple Slices

Optional: Hamburger Buns, Goat Cheese, Avocado, Tomato, Spinach

Shred the zucchini and place into a colander with a sprinkle of salt in order to get eliminate some of the moisture. In a small bowl combine the flax and water until a gel forms

In your food processor add the onion, garlic, chickpeas, quinoa, flax egg, chipotle pepper, parsley, and chili powder. Pulse until combined and then place in a mixing bowl.

Squeeze the water out of the zucchini and then add to the bowl, combining all of the ingredients and adding salt to taste. Form into 4 patties.

Preheat the oven to broil while heating the oil in a frying pan. Broil the pineapple slices until browned and sweetened. Change the oven to 350 degrees.

Once the oil is hot, add the patties and cook until browned on each side, about 5 minutes each. .Place the frying pan into the oven and bake for another 15 minutes or until the patties seem solid.

Top with pineapple, avocado and goat cheese if desired. These are great because you can eat them on a bun, in a pita, in a wrap, or topping a salad. Enjoy and healthy eating!