Black Bean Burgers

I have been searching for a good homemade veggie burger.  I really like the one Dave makes for me, but I couldn't duplicate it at home.  After a couple bad tries of a few different recipes, I decided to refocus my efforts on black bean burgers.  That's what I eat from Morningstar anyway, may as well have one that's just as easy to make myself.  This is it.  Well, it's not as easy as unwrapping a frozen patty and popping it in a skillet for a few minutes, but it comes close.



Black Bean Burgers

Makes 6

directly from My Recipes.com 

2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 medium jalapeño pepper, finely chopped

2 large egg whites

1. Preheat oven to 350°.  Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. Place black beans in a medium bowl; mash with a fork. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Shape bean mixture into 6 (1/2-inch-thick) patties. Arrange patties on prepared baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes, carefully turning once.

 

The link to the recipe I've provided above pairs this burgers with a mango salsa.  We've done that once and it was ok.  I've also topped it with sliced avocado and some sour cream mixed with hot sauce.  Plain ol' ketchup is another topping option.  Last night we topped it with a green tomato relish/salsa* that tasted really good.  I served it with corn on the cob and homemade tortilla chips. 
 
One thing we want to experiment with is putting these burgers on the grill.  It's not much fun to have a summer burger and have to cook it in the oven.  We think we can probably do it in those little aluminum pans, but haven't tried yet.  I'll keep you posted on that when we get around to trying it.
 
*I made and canned the green tomato relish last year after a July storm knocked over our tomato plants full of unripe tomatoes.  I'm sure I'll have some green tomato recipes to share with you later this summer.  Anyone ever had green tomato pie?

Grilled Cheddar, Apple & Herb Sandwiches

Looking back at the items that Ryan and I have posted so far, there's a theme - sandwiches.  I guess that's because I love sandwiches.   I try to not make too many sandwich-y things in a week, but sometimes it's hard because I love sandwiches that much.  Good thing there's lots of ways to make sandwiches different, even if you are vegetarian.

Grilled Cheddar, Apple & Herb Sandwiches

A true Kelly creation

Slices of bread, 2 for each sandwich you are making (just in case you didn't know that)
Softened butter
Cheddar cheese slices, 1 1/2 for each sandwich, or more if you like your sandwiches extra cheesy
1/2 apple, sliced very thin (we used Fuji this time and it was very tasty)
Small amount of herb, fresh or dried - I generally use rosemary, but have used chives, thyme and oregano before

1.  Spread the softened butter on one side of each slice of bread.  Place bread, buttered side down, on a hot skillet or grill pan.

2.  Top bread with 1 slice of cheddar, several thin slices of apple, a small amount of herb (you just want a subtle taste of the herb), and the remaining half slice of cheese (this is important because it holds the whole sandwich together).  Finally place the last slice of bread on top, buttered side up.

3.  Cover and cook until browned on one side, about 1-2 minutes depending on your heat setting.  Flip sandwich, recover and cook for another 1-2 minutes until both sides of the sandwich are GBD (golden, brown, delicious) and the cheese is melted.  Remove from the pan and enjoy.

We usually enjoy this with a salad and crispy roasted potatoes. 

There's lots of ways you can change this sandwich - different cheeses, herbs, fruit or other add ins.  I just tend to always have cheddar, apples and rosemary on hand though.  I'd love to know if you have any fun grilled cheese variations that you make.

Mexican Monday: Tortas

Well, it's Monday and in our house that means Mexican food.  Tonight we had one of our regulars - tortas.  The torta we make is our version of Rick Bayless's version of tortas.  Baby bonus:  tortas have all of Oliver's favorite things - bread, beans, avocados and cheese.  Mom bonus:  tortas are quick and super easy.

Black Bean Tortas

Black beans

Guacamole

Bread

Queso fresco

Hot sauce

1.  Make the black beans.  Heat one can black beans and liquid in a saucepan over low heat until thickened, mashing the beans to make them thicker.  I usually get the beans going first and just let them cook until I have everything else ready.  Also, you can season the beans however you like.  I usually add some cumin and/or garlic.  Carnivore variation:  Cook up some chorizo and then mix in with the black beans.
2.  Make the guacamole.  Mash 1 avocado with the juice of 1 lime and garlic powder and salt (both to taste). 
3.  Slice the queso fresco into triangle-shaped wedges.
4.  Slice bread.  Traditionally you'd use bolillo rolls and pull out the extra bread "stuffing" to give your beans and guacamole a place to rest.  We use our sandwich bread and toast it in the toaster to give it a little crispiness.
5.  Assemble tortas.  Place black bean spread on one side of bread.  Place a few cheese wedges on the beans.  Add the hot sauce of your choice (ours in Cholula).  Spread guacamole on other side of bread place on top to complete your torta.  Eat and enjoy! 

We usually eat our tortas with cactus soup.  Nick & Bethany brought cactus soup over to our house right after Oliver was born and we've been making it regularly ever since.  Tonight I also made some rice with mixed vegetables in an attempt to get Oliver to eat more veggies.  (It didn't work.)

Our Favorite Wraps

Sometimes when inspiration does not strike, we decide we're just going to have wraps for the week. They're super versatile and we serve them with chips, cottage cheese and pickles. We do most of the prep ahead of time, chopping the rotisserie chicken, shredding the lettuce, sauteing the veggies and we do keep chopped bacon frozen just for wraps, ready to be fried up at a moment's notice. Then all we have to do is assemble.

Our top 3 are:

1. Chicken Caesar. Warm the cubed rotisserie chicken in the microwave. In a separate bowl, combine shredded romaine, grated Parmesan, tomatoes and Caesar dressing (our favorite is Newman's Creamy Caesar). Add chicken and assemble wrap.
2. BBQ/Ranch Chicken. Warm the chicken with your favorite BBQ sauce (for the wraps we like Sweet Baby Ray's Honey -- it seems to go better with the smokiness of the bacon) and chopped bacon. In another bowl, combine shredded romaine, tomatoes, shredded cheddar and ranch dressing. Add a layer of the lettuce mixture onto the tortilla and top with the chicken mixture. Wrap and enjoy.
3. Farmer's Market Veggie. Saute your favorite farmer's market finds. We enjoy yellow squash, zucchini, and mushrooms. Add cooked brown rice. I like to top mine with Feta, Dave likes his with goat cheese and a squeeze of Srirachi sauce.

I would love to know what you put in your wraps!

Chunky Egg Salad

I love Lisa's initiative with 2 posts in 1 day so we figured we should get wit it. We'll start off with Kelly's egg salad. We (almost entirely Kelly) have been making this for a long time now. Did a little research. Apparently it's based on Rachael Ray, but whatchagonnado? I hope you click on some of the links in the ingredients. They are carry-overs from copy/paste from foodnetwork, but if you need to find out what celery or a saucepan are, go ahead and click, you'll learn something.

Ingredients
1/4 medium red onion, chopped
12 large eggs
2 ribs celery (with leaves), chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 heaping tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (Kelly uses 1/2 lemon or to taste)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

*Recipe actually says 1/2 cup mayo, but we also split it up between yogurt and mayo

Directions
In a small bowl, soak the onions in cold water, for 15 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, with a tight-fitting lid, place the eggs and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Cover the eggs, remove from the heat, and set aside for 8 minutes. Drain the water from the pan and cool the eggs in the pan under cold running water. Peel the eggs and cut into sixths.
In a large bowl, mix together the onion, celery, mayonnaise, yogurt, dill, mustard, lemon juice, and salt.
Add the eggs to the mayonnaise mixture and gently mix them together. Season with pepper to taste. Use in sandwiches, with lettuce and tomatoes, or in a salad.