White Bean Veggie Burgers

Okay, I'm moving forward, and just going to pretend that last post ever happened.  I'll deny it, there's no proof.  Let's eat something healthy now.

I saw these a while back on Reeni's blog, Cinnamon Girl and thought they looked delicious.  What's not to love?  They're full of delicious things like beans and sauteed veggies.  

They really made the house smell wonderful.  We didn't eat ours burger style, just with a fork.  They were so flavorful, and the whole family actually liked them.  That's saying a lot!  

Here is Reeni's recipe....hope you like it :)

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

4 large garlic cloves, minced

1 roasted red pepper, diced  (I didn't roast mine)

1 teaspoon dried thyme

sea or kosher salt and fresh black pepper

2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup baby spinach, finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

½ cup seasoned bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

olive oil or vegetable oil, for pan-frying

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium low heat and saute onion until translucent, add garlic, saute until fragrant, add red pepper and thyme, season well with salt and pepper and saute 4-5 minutes, remove from heat.

 2. In a large mixing bowl mash the beans with a potato masher leaving them a little chunky. Add spinach, lemon juice, bread crumbs, egg and sauteed vegetable mixture. Season well with salt and pepper. Use a fork to mix well. Refrigerate 1/2 - 1 hour

.3. In a large skillet heat enough oil to generously cover bottom of pan over medium heat. Shape into 6 equal-sized patties. Fry 3 patties at time, about 5 minutes on each side or until browned.

Makes 6 patties 

Desperation Dessert

You know guys, I've been trying to be good...I really have.  I've been eating the whole grains.  I've been eating a lot less meat, and even eating the veggies (sorta).  But sometimes I just need something big and gooey and chocolate.  I'm a sweets girl at heart.  People who say they don't like sweets...I just don't get them.  I could eat them morning, noon, and night.  It was time I had a big chocolate treat, but since we've been trying to eat healthier there really wasn't anything in the house.  That's how this desperation dessert was born.

I starting scrounging through the cabinets, just looking for something I could throw together to resemble dessert.  I found some ladyfingers but they smelled like they had been in the cabinet too long.  I found some buttercream frosting that had been unsealed then stuck back in the cabinet to see what sort of things would grow on it.  Then I found this stuff....

....and some cool whip way back in the freezer.  So the layering began.

The girl was more than happy to help since she hasn't been eating as many sweets either, and I'm afraid she's inherited the old sweet tooth.  Or picked up my bad habits (sure, blame the mom!).  

So in a nutshell, here's what we did...

Start with:

1 box of instant pudding (mix according to directions)

Graham crackers (or ladyfingers if you've got them)

Cool whip

peanut butter chips

chocolate frosting

Layer graham crackers in bottom of 8x8 baking dish.  Pour in half the pudding, sprinkle with peanut butter chips, then cover with half the cool whip.  Repeat this process once, top with graham crackers, and smear frosting all over it.  Sprinkling with pb chips on top of course.  Chill for as long as you can resist eating it.  In our case it was about an hour.

And voila...dessert is born!  I suppose this is a lot like the potluck favorite eclair cake, just simplified using what's on hand. 

I'm not giving up on the healthy stuff, just a side trip now and then :)

Noodles with Spicy Cabbage and Pork

It seems the food I'm cooking lately is just so very...brown.  Maybe I should just call it "earthy".  Could be part of the reason I've switched to this pink and blue background since my food is somewhat lacking in color.  But the flavor of this noodle dish (once again from Mark Bittman's "Food Matters" cookbook) made up for the lack of color.

I really liked just about everything about this dish.  I loved the texture of the rice noodles; it had just about the right amount of heat for me.  I think the only thing I might do different is just go all vegetarian and omit the pork, maybe add some mushrooms.  It was pretty good left over too.  Here's the recipe. 

Printer-friendly Recipe

Salt

2 tbsp vegetable oil

8 oz ground pork or thinly sliced pork shoulder

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp minced ginger

1 head Napa cabbage, chopped (I used regular cabbage)

8 oz rice, buckwheat, or wheat noodles

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tsp chile oil

black pepper

chopped cilantro

lime wedges

1. Put the oil in a large deep skillet; add pork and brown it, sprinkling with salt.  Remove from pan with slotted spoon and lower heat to medium low.

2.  Add garlic and ginger to skillet, stirring occasionally cook about one minute.  Add the cabbage, along with 1/2 cup water and cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat and cook about 5 minutes more until cabbage begins to brown.  In the meantime cook noodles according to directions, making sure they don't get mushy.  Drain the noodles and reserve some of the cooking water.

3.  Toss the noodles in the skillet along with the pork, soy sauce, sesame oil, chile oil, and black pepper.  Add some of the cooking water if the mixture seems too dry.  Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.  
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Grilled Beef Pita Sandwiches with Spicy Tahini Sauce

I was given the opportunity to review "The New Sonoma Cookbook" recently.  I found this book to be chock full of beautiful pictures and delicious sounding recipes made with real food.  

I really do like the sound of these recipes; nothing too fancy, just simple, easy to find ingredients with a lot of vegetables.  Some of the things I'm looking forward to making are balsamic red onions, Spanish Rioja country soup, and tomatoes with crispy bread topping.  But the first recipe I chose is called Grilled Beef Pita Sandwiches with Spicy Tahini sauce.  I was happy to find this recipe since I had leftover tahini from when I made hummus.  

This recipe assumes you have already prepared 8 ounces of flank steak by rubbing it with a mixture of seasonings (cumin, garlic, chile flakes, salt, pepper and lemon) and grilling it.  I had already prepared that the day before so it made it really easy.

Here's the recipe for you:

Grilled Beef Pita Sandwiches

1/2 cup chopped tomato 

1/2 cup chopped cucumber

1 cup shredded romaine

1 tbsp lemon juice

4 whole wheat pitas

8 ounces leftover flank steak, sliced

2 oz feta cheese, crumbled

Toss the tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce with the lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Lightly toast the pitas and cut each in half.  Divide the sliced beef among the pitas.  Sprinkle 1/2 ounce feta into each pita.  Top with tomato mixture and tahini sauce.

Spicy Tahini Sauce

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1/2 cup tahini, mixed well

1/3 cup lemon juice (I think this may have been a bit too much)

1/4 cup water

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

1 tbsp chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Combine garlic, tahini, lemon, water and spices in food processor.  Mix until smooth.  Add olive oil, pulse just to mix.  Add herbs, salt and pepper.  Thin with more water if necessary.

Peanut Butter Balls & Chicken Chilaquiles: Part 2

My daughter takes her lunch to school almost every day, and it's safe to say we are in a bit of a *rut.  I've tried the wraps, she usually hates them. I've tried sending soup in a thermos, that takes more pre-planning than I'm able to muster.  And I'm sure she's definitely sick of the same old granola bars and snack bars.  I'm sure she'd love it if I filled her lunch box with peanut butter cups, so I'd say these are the next best thing.  

Not to imply they taste like a pb cup, but they are pretty darned good.  In fact I'm having a little bit of a hard time right now not scarfing down the remainder of them while she's at school.  I'm not sure it's the absolute healthiest recipe around, but at least you can pronounce everything that's in it.  And it's definitely something the kids can help with.  

Here's the recipe I found at Mommy's Kitchen.

1 cup honey

1 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

2 cups dry powdered milk

3 cups oatmeal (instant or old fashioned) uncooked

1-2 tbsp wheat germ (I didn't have any but I had some flax seeds so I ground up a couple tablespoons and threw them in)

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips 

or

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

Mix it all together with a hand mixer.  Form balls by hand and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  Freeze until firm then store in a large ziploc in the refrigerator. 

I know I just made chicken chilaquiles a few weeks ago and shared them with you, but I made a slightly different version this past week from my new cookbook I keep talking about, the "Food Matters Cookbook".  I think I like this version slightly better because of the bell peppers and fresh poblano in it.  I have to confess I didn't go to all the trouble of deep frying my tortillas,  I just toasted them; and I think bagged tortilla chips would be just fine.  

8 small corn tortillas (stale is ok)

1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs (I used 3 breasts)

2 poblano (or other fresh mild chiles) seeded and sliced

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 onion halved and sliced

1 tbsp minced garlic

8 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped (canned are fine, instructions read to strain them but I preferred it with the juices)

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

lime wedges

1. Cut tortillas in half then into 1 inch wide strips.  Put the oil in deep skillet over med-high heat.  Fry the strips, turning frequently until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels. 

2.  Pour off all the oil except 2 tbsp.  Add the chicken and cook until done.  (I have to also confess I just boiled the chicken, just seemed easier)  Add the poblanos and bell pepper, onion and garlic.  Cook about 5 to 10 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.  Add tomatoes and simmer for 2-3 minutes. 

3.  When the chicken is cool enough to handle chop and return to the pan with vegetable mixture.  Along with the tortillas.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.  Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.  


*Any lunch box advice is very appreciated!

Pasta with Caramelized Fennel and Onion

As one of Mark Bittman's newest fans, I now bring you the first thing I made from his book, "The Food Matters Cookbook".  I think fennel is so pretty as well as being crunchy and delicious, and I'm always happy to find a way to use it.  (okay so this only the second time I've ever used it, but who's counting?)

 

I really liked this dish, and all members of the family managed to eat some, so that's saying a lot.  I added some ground chicken sausage, and sauteed spinach for color.  

Here's the recipe for you:

Makes: 4 servings

• Salt
• 3 large or 4 medium fennel bulbs, cored and sliced
• 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
• Black pepper
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces any pasta, preferably whole wheat
• 1/2 cup white wine, optional

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put the fennel, onion, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper in a large, deep skillet over medium-low heat. Cover and cook, stirring every 5 minutes, until the vegetables have given up their liquid and are almost sticking to the pan. Add 3 tablespoons of the oil, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook, uncovered, until the vegetables are nicely browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.

2. Cook the pasta in boiling water until it's tender but not mushy.  When it's almost done, turn the heat under the skillet to medium, add the wine or some of the pasta cooking water to the pan, and stir to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom.  Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water.  Toss the pasta in the pan with  the fennel and onion, adding a little of the pasta cooking water if the dish seems dry.  Season as desired and drizzle with the remaining olive oil.  Serve immediately. 

BTW...I'm really enjoying this cookbook.  There are so many things I'm looking forward to making, I don't even know where to start!

Birthdays and Hummus

Those two things just go hand in hand, don't they?  Where have I been lately, you may be asking?  Just letting the little things all overwhelm me.  Back to school stressed me unnecessarily, I'm trying to diet, and have been a little down in the dumps.  Coincidence, I think not!  But it does bring me to the hummus.

I'm a brand new Mark Bittman convert.  I took some of my hard-earned FoodBuzz money and purchased his book "Food Matters" and the cookbook that goes along with it.  I guess Mark's story is he was getting older and fatter, bad stuff was happening to his health, and his doctor told him he needed to become a vegan.  Which sort of clashed with his line of work, being a food writer and all.  But he decided to try a plan where he is a "vegan until 6" everyday...eating no animal products, just plants, plants, plants.  Then after 6 eat a normal dinner without gluttonizing, and it worked for him.  

So I thought to myself, if he can do it, maybe I can do it.  I like plants.  So I spent this past Sunday prepping veggies, and making beans and oatmeal and brown rice in mass quantities so I would have easy access to things I can eat and so far so good.  I've taken a few pounds off, and feel like it's something I can live with.  Why am I telling you all this?  Beats the snot out of me; here's Bittman's recipe for hummus.

2 cups drained well-cooked or canned chickpeas, liquid reserved

1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste), optional, with some of its oil

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus oil for drizzling

2 cloves garlic, peeled, or to taste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon ground cumin or paprika, or to taste, plus a sprinkling for garnish

Juice of 1 lemon, plus more as needed

Put it all together in the food processor and blend it together, adding more liquid from the chickpeas if needed.  

So mine came out a little dry, guess I should have added more liquid.  And it made way more than I needed since I'm the only one who eats it.  Wonder if it freezes well.

And as for birthdays, my little 5th grade flute-playing chickadee turned 11 today.  She's growing up so fast!  

This was the first year she requested a homemade birthday cake, and she wanted the same one I made for her dad back in June, without the raspberry sauce.  So obviously that required extra frosting on top!  

Just as delicious as I remembered.  And there's no chickpeas in it!