The Best Bean Burger Ever. Period.

If any of you watch the food network, you'd know that Guy Fieri isn't know for his vegetarian offerings. That's why I was suprised when he had a show last November devoted to this veggie burger recipe, which I must say is by far the easiest and best tasting veggie burger I have ever had. This recipe is so good, so perfect, I haven't even altered any ingredients, though I am tempted to put some fresh cilantro in them next time I make them. According to reviewers on the FN website, these burgers freeze well (which would be done before pan-frying them) and they will also hold up on a grill. Also, I didn't have all the seasonings on hand, so feel free to play with those as well.

Makes three large patties.

Saute until translucent
2 oz of Olive Oil
3 T of diced red onion
2 T of diced black olives
2 T of diced red bell pepper
1 t of diced jalapeno
1 1/2 T of minced garlic
1 T of diced artichoke
Meanwhile, mash with a potato masher, or just process
1/2 cup of garbanzo beans
1/2 cup of white beans
1/2 cup of black beans
Add slightly cooled sauted veggies and
3/4 cup of rolled oats
1/2 t of Hungarian Paprika
1/2 t of chili pepper
1 t of dried oregano
1 T of chopped fresh parsley
1/2 t of red chili flakes
1/2 t of cumin
1/2 t of celery salt
1/4 t of ground sage
2 t of seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg
Make into 3 large or 4 small patties. Refrigerate 30-60 minutes.
Pan fry patties in a few ounces of olive oil over medium heat. Do both sides, about 3-5 minutes per side until slightly brown.

Deliciousness. . . . .

all sunday enchiladas

Mexican food. . . the original fusion cuisine, which is why I love it. This is my take on enchiladas. . . feel free to tinker with the ingredients. I called them "all sunday" because it will probably take you a while to make these, but they're worth it!

Serves 3-4

Enchilada Sauce
You can certainly buy a can of enchilada sauce. . . but that's no fun! This sauce recipe make double of what you will need, which is fine, just freeze half of it for the next time.

Saute for five minutes
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 large white onion, coarsely chopped
2 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
3 gloves of garlic, coursely chopped
Add
2 T of chili powder
2 t of oregano
2 T of cumin
3 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup of white wine
2 T of honey
2 bay leaves
2-4 Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce*

Cook for about thirty minutes. Let cool and discard bay leaves. Process or blend, or don't if you like it super chunky.

*Note: For those whose only experience with these peppers are the chipotle mayonanaise at Subway. . . These peppers are intense! More habanero than jalepano. You can get a can of these in your "ethnic" food aisle. I would recommend using half of the can and then freezing the rest for the next time you make chili.

For Filling:

Saute until browned, being careful not to cook entirely (or they'll fall apart in the filling)
1 T of olive oil
1/2 medium sweet potato, cut into small chunks, perhaps 1/4"
Remove from pan. In same pan, saute for ten minutes
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 package of Trader Joe's Soy Chorizo (one casing) or a cup of canned black beans
1/2 Cup of white wine
Let cool and add to mixing bowl with sweet potato.
Thaw out
1/2 cup of frozen corn
Add to chorizo mixture. Defrost
10 oz Frozen spinach, or fresh spinach that's been wilted in pan with garlic and olive oil
Chop up spinach and add to chorizo mixture. Whenever mixture has cooled, add
1 cup of Monterray Jack cheese, or cojita cheese


To Ensemble Enchiladas:

Preheat oven to 375.
If you want your enchiladas to fit perfectly like mine, then find a 8x12" pan. Put a ladleful of sauce on the bottom of the pan.
Take out
Ten corn tortillas
Microwave for 30 seconds three at a time. Let cool for ten second, then dip each in sauce to make more pliable and fill with a large spoonful of the mixture.
Whenever all enchiladas are in the pan, top with the rest of the sauce and
1/4 cup of Monterrey Jack cheese
1/4 cup of Cheddar Cheese
Bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

Top with (what else?)
Sour Cream
Avocado
Fresh Cilantro

alcoHolidays

Sid and I had our annual Christmas party last Friday. The theme was alcoHolidays. Sounds fun?

Anyways, here's the food I made.

Guacamole w/ Stacy Pita Chips
Mint Goat Cheese Spread with Cucumbers and Crackers
Pesto'ed Veggie Cups


Guacomole

I pride myself on my guacamole and how good is usually turns out. Perhaps it's because (a) avocados are my favorite food or (b) my secret ingredient. . .Jack's Special Salsa. This stuff can be found in the produce area and will be refrigerated. It's adds a nice cilantro-y, fresh taste to this gift from the gods. And remember, you can't have good guacamole without good, ripe avocados. Learning how to buy avocados and have them ready and ripe on the day your planned day in is an art in itself.

Mash together
2 Hass Avocados
A good sprinkle of Garlic Salt
Juice of one lime
1 or 2 spoonfuls of Jack's Special Salsa
Dash of red pepper flakes
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

Serve with Stacy's Naked Pita Chips

Mint Goat Cheese Spread
from Nov 08 Bon Appetit, adapted for my tastes

Mix
12 oz of Goat Cheese
3 T of whole milk
1/2 t of ground pepper
Place in shallow dish
Drizzle on top
2 T of olive oil
Top with
20 Leaves of fresh mint, chopped

Serve with crackers and sliced up Cucumbers. I got the baby cucumbers from Costco and they tasted delicious with this.


Pesto'ed Veggie Cups

I pretty much eyeballed everything for this, so adjust the quantities as you see fit.
Saute for about five minutes
2 T of butter 2 sliced shallots
Add and saute another five minutes
1 cup of baby bella mushrooms, chopped
1/2 Green or Red Pepper
Remove from pan into bowl. Let cool for a minute and then add
1/2 cup of basil pesto, fresh* or store-bought
1 cup of shredded fontina cheese
1 vine-ripe tomatoes, chopped with seeds removed
Spoon into
15 Phyllo Cups
Sprinkle with
Panko Crumbs
Dried Parsley
Bake at 350 for twenty minutes.
Serve right out of the oven.

indian luv: Jalfrezi Curry Stir-Fry

I would like to introduce you to perhaps the most divine piece of India ever put in a bottle. . . . . . . Patak's Jalfrezi Curry Cooking Sauce! Patak's is a brand out of England, so I would question the authenticity, but who cares when it's this good? Imagine a Tikka Masala Sauce with a Tamarind and Coconut Flavor. Harris Teeter carries the brand, though I've seen it at Target also. A $4 jar will lasts you about 3 or 4 big dishes. I've included my super quick and super easy stir-fry that I made last night.


makes 2-3 servings

For rice:
Make rice so you end up with 6 cups. I use
2 cups of short-grain rice
2 cups of water
2 cups of light coconut milk
Boil 40-50 minutes until tender

For stir-fry:
Saute in a little oil
1/2 white onion
1 T of minced Ginger
Add
1 cup of frozen okra
1 cup of Dark Red Kidney Beans, drained (about 1/2 a can)*
1/2 cup of frozen corn
3/4 cup (more or less) of Patak's Jalfrezi Curry Cooking Sauce
Simmer for 5-10 minutes
Put rice in bowl, top with curry mixture, and then, for each dish, top with
1/4 cup of fresh, chopped cilantro

*I'm not a Whole Foods fan, however, I love their 365 brand of canned beans. These beans are the only canned beans I have ever found without tons of salt added during the canning process.

first season of the soprano's tomato soup

Cold weather + the first season of the Sopranos (watched over the course of the last three days) made me pine for something Italian and something hot. Just like the Sopranos are a very loose translation of how Italians act, this is a very loose translation of how Italians cook.



And I wouldn't even dare be as sacrilege to call this minestrone! Enjoy . . .

Saute for five minutes
1 T of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
Add and incorporate flavors
1 T of a mixture of dried herbs, perhaps basil, oregano, and sage
14.5 oz petit-diced tomatoes
8 oz tomato sauce
4 cups of vegetable broth
Add
14.5 oz can of Cannelini Beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup of French Lentils (sometimes called Green Lentils)
1/2 cup of fresh chopped italian (or "flat leaf") parsley
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup of red wine
Cook until lentils are tender, about 45 min - 1 hour.
Ladle in bowls and top with
Parmesan Cheese
Serve with bread.

tj luv: soy chorizo

If you haven't already guessed, I love Trader Joe's. The only one in the area is about 20 minutes away, so I only make it there about once a month. Whenever I do, I'm sure to stock up on goodies.

On my last trip, i got some "TJ's Soy Chorizo" to try. I'm not a fan of meat "replacements;" however, this one is exceptionally delicious. The seasoning is just right. Simply saute it for a minute, then put in on chili (like I did last week), or in quesadillas (like I did this week), or in enchiladas (like I will do sometime in the near future).
Makes 1, or perhaps 2, servings
Saute in a little oil for ten minutes
1/4 of white onion, sliced
1/2 link (1/4 package) of TJ's Soy Chorizo, casing removed
1/2 tomato, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced (though the chorizo by itself is pretty spicy)

Set mixture aside. In the same skillet, place one tortilla, then layer
2 T of cheddar cheese or more (I'm a health nut, so I like to keep my cheese consumption at check)
Chorizo Mixture
a haldful of fresh spinach
Top with tortilla that's been spread with
Refried Black Beans
Flip quesadilla (or whatever this thing is) by inverting on plate, then sliding back onto pan.
Cut in quarter, top with
Dollop of Fat Free Sour Cream
Cholula Hot Sauce

rajma apple curry

continuing my localvore theme, I thought I'd do something with the big bag of apples that we got from the farmer's market. apple pie will come later this week. for now, how about a curry, using eggplants, peas, and peppers, three other things that are still at the farmer's market (though not for long)!

makes 3 to 4 servings
Saute for five minutes
1 white onion, choppped
2 apples, finely chopped, almost minced
2 T of minced ginger
1 T of minced garlic
2 red peppers, chopped
mix in and saute another 1 min

1 T of curry powder
1/2 t of cumin powder
1/4 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
add
1 12 oz can of light coconut milk
2 cups of vegetable broth
2 cup of sugar snap peas or green beans
2 medium to small cubed eggplants
1/4 t of red pepper (will make mildly spicy, 1/2 t will make very spicy)
1 15 oz can of light red kidney beans, rinsed

1/4 t of pepper

salt to taste (depends on what broth you used), perhaps 1/2 t

Let simmer for 30-45 minutes until eggplant and peas are tender. After simmering, add
1 t of garam masala*

Top with
big dollop of unsweetened yogurt or tzatiki sauce
Serve hot. Will keep for a few days. Serve with naan, or any type of flat bread.
*garam masala should not be added during simmering, but rather after. this is news to me, just check out my old post for daal soup where i added it beforehand.