Recently my siblings and I were passing online messages about my father. At one point, my older brother Mike said, "Dad's cooking broke down into two categories: it either tasted good, or it was healthy, but generally not both. Or more that his thinking was, if it's healthy, there's no reason to be concerned with it tasting good or not."

This was the 1970s and "health food" was not what is today. Besides my father's tendency towards "more is more" ("Dad, raw oats in the hamburger? Really?"), his Sunday specialty was, no lie, seaweed-soybean waffles. Good God, that was dreadful. [Ed. note: That sounds worse than disco in bell-bottoms.]

Truth told, he was ahead of his time, very disciplined about exercise and nutrition. During WWII, as a teenage Austrian refugee in Shanghai, he took up boxing and sparred with US Marines stationed there. Growing up with my siblings, we never witnessed him missing a workout, no matter the weather or how late he came home from work. He'd jog a couple miles, hit the punching bag, skip rope double-time while running in place, do countless push-ups. Something. Every single day.

We ate 14-grain bread (which tasted like brick and mortar back then), when all I craved was that soft, white Wonder bread that was popular at the time. Now, this is not to say that we didn't have delicious food and sweets at home, just not on Sundays.

​Dad passed away on September 23, 1979. Forty years gone. If he could only see us now. See, Dad, we were listening! I'd like to think that he would have loved these veggie burgers.

These days, the BF and I eat healthy, but it has to taste good. [Ed. note: Oh hecks no, inject those soybean-seaweed waffles directly into my veins. :-/ ] And we both love a healthy veggie burger. Am not trying to make this taste like a beef burger, it's not a beef burger, but I will say that I've made hundreds of variations of veggie burgers and the BF and I absolutely adore this one from the talented women at Pollan Family Table.

PS: A year ago I lamented the scourge of jury dury and the terror of a broken refrigerator, survived both, and made Mom's apple cake (www.moveablefeast.me/blog/moms-apple-cake).

Adapted from: Pollan Family Table
Number of servings: 4

Ingredients

• ¼ cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• ½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 cup organic canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped scallions
• 1 serrano pepper (optional, I added it)
• ½ cup peeled and finely chopped carrots
• ¼ cup plain breadcrumbs (Panko used here)
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large egg 
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 multigrain hamburger buns
• 1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced (optional)
• Your favorite burger toppings for serving (tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, onion, etc.)

Directions

1. Combine the quinoa and vegetable broth in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, set aside and let cool slightly.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mash the beans with a potato masher, making sure to leave a few chunks. Add the scallions, carrots, breadcrumbs, garlic, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ⅛ teaspoon of pepper. Mix well. Add the cooked quinoa and the egg and combine all. Using your hands, form the mixture into four individual patties and place on a platter. Put in fridge for 10 minutes.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Reduce heat to medium, place the patties in the pan, and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side.
4. Assemble the burgers and buns on a platter with your favorite toppings (I went heavy on avocado).

Dad's boxing gloves, 2019.

Some San Francisco bay area transplants complain of the "loss of seasons" from whence they came [Ed. note: hey we've got fire, earthquake, mudslide, Cal not getting The Axe...], but won't lie, Septembers are pretty much meteorologically perfect. Warm, but not too warm, and an ideal time to get on with fall food. Hey, it's the Oregon in me.

And this is my gateway meal into fall. The combination of sweet and smoky spices that perfectly complements the salmon, always a hit. We love it with coconut rice, but that's optional.

Now that school has begun, if you're being pulled in a million different directions, you need dinners to be easy. It's not only easy, but I love meals that look fancy enough for company, but yet are super casual, delicious and healthy.

A word about salsas. Mango or tomato salsas are quite common, but don't hesitate to try other fruits and veggies as well. Some of my favorites include: cantaloupe, peach, pineapple, papaya and corn. They all  make delicious salsas to accompany meat and fish.

PS: A year ago we launched into autumn with grilled naan, mango chutney pork, chili and yogurt (www.moveablefeast.me/blog/grilled-naan-with-mango-chutney-pork-chili-yogurt).

PPS: Momala's roast chicken was channeled to break last year's Yom Kippur fast, in a decidedly non-traditional style (www.moveablefeast.me/blog/mexican-marinated-chicken).

Adapted from: Pinch of Yum
Number of servings: 4-6

Ingredients
Salmon

• 1 ½ -2 lbs. fresh salmon
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• Pinch of cayenne (optional)
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Mango Avocado Salsa

• 2 mangoes, diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• ¼ cup minced cilantro
• ¼ cup minced red onion
• Minced jalapeno (optional, to taste)
• Drizzle of honey (optional, not used here)
• Squeeze of lime juice, a little lime zest
• Salt to taste

For Serving

• Rice (optional, coconut rice was used here)

Directions
Salmon

1. Preheat oven to 475 ºF. Line a baking sheet with foil. 
2. Mix the spices and olive oil to make a paste.
3. Place salmon skin-side down on the baking sheet. Rub paste liberally over top part of salmon.
4. Place salmon on the middle rack. Bake for 6-10 minutes depending on the salmon thickness and your desired done-ness.
5. Turn oven to broil and move the salmon about 6 inches below the element. NOTE: do not step away from your oven. Watch the salmon closely and remove when it has a nicely crunchy outer layer (the sugar and spices are partial to burning).
6. Spoon up some rice, pull off some of salmon, and dollop that mango avocado salsa over the whole thing. 

Mango Salsa

1. Toss all ingredients in a bowl to combine. Taste, adjust.