I’ve been using a website called Calorie-Count to track the calories in what I eat. It has a recipe analyzer that I like since I never eat just “1 med. banana” or anything else like that which are generally your only options in other programs. It also has nutritional info on lots of restaurants. Be sitting down before you look up your favorite meals. My small (that’s being good, right?) chocolate chip cookie dough blizzard from Dairy Queen? 768 calories.

In tracking my food I’ve noticed that my sodium intake is high. That’s odd. I hate salt. I don’t use it when I’m cooking. When I eat pretzels I knock all the salt off first. But I eat preserved food that has a lot, even though it is fairly healthy food – soup, veggie burgers, occasional Lean Cuisine. So I decided to make my own veggie burgers yesterday to control the salt.

Mexican Veggie Burgers

15 oz canned kidney beans (I used pinto beans because I had them)
1/2 cup onion chopped
1/2 cup green pepper chopped
1 carrot – steamed (I didn’t. I was in a hurry.)
1/8 cup salsa
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 t. salt – if you want
chili powder to taste

Mix it all up in a food processor. Form patties and cook at 450 for 15 – 20 minutes. I grilled mine. The recipe made 8 burgers. Then I layered them in a container with wax paper in between and froze them. They microwaved ok after being frozen but I wouldn’t recommend the waxed paper. It occured to me as I was peeling the paper off that the rolls of freezer paper I own are in fact not just a fine quilting accessory but do have a kitchen use, hence the name.

According to the calorie program, they have 117 calories per burger. Morningstar’s Grilled Veggie type of burger is smaller and has 100 calories and over 300 mg of sodium. These have 200 mg but I listed the salt and I didn’t use as much and the beans were soaked first and a low sodium brand. The program calculated with regular sodium canned beans.

Another recipe I made lately that I like is Sweet Potato – Peach Bake. From Feral Vegetarian.
I used McCain’s Roasters frozen Sweet Potato chunks because I hate peeling fresh ones.

6 med sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
16 oz frozen peach slices
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 t ground ginger
cashews (opt)
2 T butter

Layer 1/2 of the potatoes and peaches in bottom of 8 inch oiled pan. Mix brown sugar and ginger and sprinkle half over dish. Add other half of the potatoes and peaches. Cover with brown sugar mix. Dot with butter. Cover and cook for 45 minutes at 350. Uncover, stir, and add cashews if using. Cook uncovered for 15 more minutes.