Black Bean "Burger" with Beet and Sweet Potato Roasted Fries

I finally found the time to spend a few hours in the kitchen, taking my time, making some good good food.  Last evening as a Spring rainstorm, that's been happening off and on all week, stormed on, I cooked up a storm in my happy kitchen.

Shout-out to my husband for helping me clean up the colossal mess that came with dinner.

I modified a black bean/quinoa burger I've made a few times before and here's the recipe I ended up using:

ingredients:

1/2 Cup uncooked quinoa

roughly chopped vegetables:
     2 carrots
     1/2 red onion
     1/4 of a small purple cabbage

2 cloves garlic

spice blend:
     1.5 tsp. paprika
     1.5 tsp cumin
     1 tsp Italian seasoning blend
     1/2 tsp. cayenne

1 can black beans, drained

2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. sriracha

1/2-1 cup breadcrumbs

olive oil
salt and pepper

cook quinoa with water or vegetable broth.
meanwhile, wash and roughly chop the vegetables.
heat olive oil in a pan and cook vegetables until they begin to soften.
add cooked vegetables, spice mixture and beans to a food processor and begin to mash them together.  (the length of time you process the mixture depends on how chunky you'd like your burger.)

next, mix the tomato paste, soy and sriracha. then add to the bean and vegetable mixture in the food processor until combined.
transfer mixture to a large bowl.

the quiona should be finished by now.  add quinoa and mix everything together with your hands.  slowly add breadcrumbs until the mixture starts to hold together if you ball it up, and loses most of its moisture.  it will be slightly sticky.  make into round patty shapes and set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

while the burgers were chilling and settling in the fridge I made beet and sweet potato roasted fries.

ingredients:
one beet & one sweet potato, both peeled and sliced into thin rounds

salt, pepper, olive oil

optional:  spices such as rosemary, cumin, cayenne...

I saw a recipe for beet chips with rosemary, salt and cayenne here, which I tried.

mix up a small amount of olive oil, a pinch of rosemary, cayenne and salt.
let the beets sit in this mixture for about 10 minutes.

I kept the sweet potatoes plain except for a small amount of salt, pepper and olive oil.

roast at 375 for about 20-25 minutes, turning the veggies over halfway.

Before I cooked the burgers in a pan on the stove, I chopped up some more purple cabbage, red onion and a half of an avocado to top the burgers with.  I also chopped up one adobo pepper (great fridge item to have on hand)... the kind that come in little cans that can be found in the Hispanic section of the grocery store and mixed it with mayonnaise.

Then, I heated some olive oil in the pan and cooked each burger for about 3-5 minutes per side.  The ingredients are all pretty much cooked, the mixture just needs to heat through.

Get that burger on a bun with some toppings and dinner is served!

Another Quinoa Bowl Idea

Happy New Year!!

This week I finally feel like I'm getting back on track after the weird schedules of Christmas and New Years plus winter blizzard/snow day craziness!  Was it just me or did it seem like there were more Christmas cookies around than usual? It was wonderful to be able to spend time with family and friends, but I'm also grateful to be getting back to a normal schedule, though I'm still on semester break from school.  On Sunday I planned, shopped and have been cooking again!!

I haven't been using a lot of recipes lately.  Either out of just convenience or instinct, I'm not sure which it is yet, I've been doing more ingredient combining rather than following others written recipes.  A couple recipes I know quite well by now as they've been popping up at the table many times this season (for instance: butternut squash soup, roasted Brussels sprouts, and black bean soup).

Here's a dish I made last night.... a tasty quinoa bowl that comes together quickly.  I like to use quinoa in a dish where I might use rice and vice versa.  Lately I have been just throwing things together that sound good.

On Winter evenings  I find myself just wanting to eat something steaming hot that comes in a big bowl and can be eaten with a fork or spoon rather than the sandwiches, salads and grilled items that are so good in the warmer months.

What ingredients would you put in a quinoa or rice bowl?  

ingredients:
1 c quinoa, rinsed
1 1/2 C vegetable broth or water

1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 C frozen corn
a handfull or two of raw spinach
1/4 lb. pork sausage
1 C black beans, drained and rinsed

salt, pepper, olive oil

condiments:  hot sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream (salsa might also be good!)

Set the water/broth on the stove on high heat, then rinse the quinoa.
Add quinoa and heat to boiling.  Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to low.

Prep other ingredients.

Heat olive oil in large skillet and add onions, salt and pepper.  Cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add sausage breaking it up into small pieces.  When sausage begins to brown, Add corn and beans.  Stir and cook on medium heat.  Add spinach last right before plating.  Cook until lightly wilted. Season with salt and pepper and add hot sauce if desired.

Check on the quinoa.  It should be done and the water should almost be gone.  Keep covered and if it's done turn off the heat, if not quite done, keep it on low for a few minutes more.

Mix quinoa and other ingredients in a large bowl.

Serve with toppings such as cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, or salsa... perhaps avocado!

Enjoy!

Weekly Menu: April 29-May 5

Wow! I can't believe I'm planning a menu for the end of April/first week of May!
In planning this week's menu, I went to our binder of favorite recipes. We keep it organized by type of dish (vegetarian, soup, desert, etc.) and protect the recipes torn from magazines or printed from the internet in plastic sheet protectors.  

I'm not that great at keeping this updated as far as removing recipes we no longer consider favorites, or adding new favorites ones that have made it onto our table countless times (black bean and sweet potato burrito anyone?) but it's on my perpetual to-do list.  Regardless, this book is a great place to look when I just don't know what to make this week. It always inspires me.

This week's menu includes two dishes that are designed for leftovers. Things are getting hectic as the end of my semester at school draws near (two weeks!!) 

Ryan's Pick of the week:  Ryan's chili

Awesome veggie lasagna (I think this was adapted from the back of the Creamette pasta box-- regardless of origin, the recipe follows)

Real Simple ravioli with apples and walnuts

Veggie quinoa bowl: there was an array of produce on my grocery list... I will let you know what makes it into the bowl this week! 

Friday night:  We are planning on dinner out at Proof!

Also, I borrowed my mom's juicer... adventures to follow.


Awesome Veggie Lasagna

ingredients:

cheese mixture:
15 oz. ricotta
2 C shredded mozzarella
1/2 C shredded parmesan
1/2 lb. frozen spinach (this is what I believe makes this veggie lasagna go from great to awesome)
salt and pepper

veggies (I encourage you to mix, match and get creative with this mix!):
1/2 C green pepper, diced
1/2 C onion, diced
1/2 zucchini, sliced in small rounds
1/2-1 C frozen corn

1/2 box of whole wheat lasagna noodles
26 ounces of your favorite tomato sauce

thaw the spinach by placing in the fridge a few hours prior or for a few minutes in the microwave.
preheat oven to 375.
bring water to a boil for lasagna noodles, cook according to package directions.
meanwhile, assemble cheese mixture in a bowl and prep veggies. mix your vegetables in a separate bowl from the cheese and prepare for assembling the lasagna!
when noodles are done, in a 9x13 pan, spread a layer of sauce, then noodles, cheese and vegetables.  repeat until ingredients are gone!
cover with foil and bake for 30-50 minutes.

Veggie Quinoa Bowl in 30 Minutes or Less

Here is a very quick, delicious dinner you can prep after a long day of work!  Here's what I did.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
2/3 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/2 can chickpeas, drained
1 red bell pepper, sliced lengthwise
1/4-1/2 red onion, sliced
1/2 bunch of asparagus, stalks broken into thirds
3 handfuls washed spinach
olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions: 
Bring veggie broth to a boil.  Add quinoa and set stove to medium-low heat.  Cover. 

Wash and prep veggies. Wait until quinoa has about 5-7 minutes left to cook (quinoa usually takes about 15-20 minutes, and at the 5 minute mark most of the liquid should be gone, if you still have a lot of liquid remaining, turn up the heat, just be careful not to burn it.).

Heat olive oil in a sautee pan on high, add peppers, onions and asparagus.  Cook for about 5 minutes.  Add spinach in the last minute and cook until wilted.  Add chickpeas.  Turn heat off.
By this time, the quinoa should be done.  If all the liquid is not yet gone, drain the quinoa if you don't like it brothy.  Transfer your vegetables to a bowl and mix in the quinoa.

Weekly Menu April 22-28

Some spring vegetables are starting to creep into the menu!!

quinoa with carrots, asparagus and spinach

frittata with asparagus and goat cheese

stacked enchilada
(it appears that this recipe is only available online now to subscribers of Taste of Home ) this dish has appeared here a few times now and is proving to be an easy to prep, tasty dish. I look forward to adding some things to make it better... but not this week.

pasta with the leftover cilantro pesto from Sunday and a salad

roasted chicken, red pepper and mozzarella panini with salad
    note:  I bought a rotisserie chicken to use in lunches and salads this week, and will use some for this sandwich.   I have been doing this a lot lately and decided that one of my "as soon as this semester is over" cooking projects will be to roast a chicken on my own!  It's about time I learn some new kitchen skills, and I need to find out if it's a lot cheaper and tastier than buying an already cooked rotisserie chicken at the grocery store for $6.99. 

I am also hoping to try one of Cara's healthy Spring recipes for lunch... the creamy pea soup with avocado!

Gingery Cranberry Breakfast Quinoa

Its spring and while I love hot cereal for breakfast in the morning, I'm so over the same old oatmeal I've been eating all winter long. This morning I switched it up with quinoa with cranberries, spiked with crystallized ginger. It was so nice I thought I'd share it with you.

 Ginger Cranberry Breakfast Quinoa

1 cup red quinoa, rinsed
2 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup crystalized ginger, chopped
1/3 cup dried cranberries
honey, to taste
splash of milk of your choice (almond, soy, rice or dairy)

Bring quinoa and water to a boil. Add ginger and cranberries, lower heat and cover with a lid. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until quinoa is soft and 'splits' open. Serve with a splash of milk (I love it with almond milk) and a drizzle of honey.

Do you have any Easter plans? I'll be spreading my kitchen table with some of my favorite spring foods, rhubarb and asparagus. What are you cooking up for the weekend?

A Sweet Quinoa Snack

As I wrote yesterday, most of what I blog about is dinner.  However, I make lots of other fun stuff too, it's just not as strategic as my weekly dinner preparations.  So here's something different.

I decided to make this quinoa recipe that several of my friends pinned on their Pinterest pages (which I don't use that much for food because I have the blog!).  It looked sooo delicious.  In my kitchen, quinoa is usually cooked in vegetable broth and eaten with savory things like cheese and vegetables.  Making a sweet more breakfasty, or after school snack in my case, version was very intriguing.   I didn't have any of the ingredients the recipe used (she even used a different kind of quinoa), so I made my own version which is basically the same method, just different flavors.

1/3 C quinoa (yellow/white)
1 C vanilla almond milk
half a bananna, sliced
a handfull of walnuts, crumbled
a generous drizzle of honey
several sprinkles of cinnamon to taste

rinse quinoa.
bring almond milk to a low boil (careful not to let it boil over, keep the flame medium and watch it) when milk starts to bubble at the sides, add the quinoa.
add cinnamon.
return to low boil and turn the heat to medium.
cover.
cook for about 10 minutes or until quinoa is done and desired amount of liquid remains.
add to boil and sprinkle with toppings and honey!

I like mine a little soupy.

It tasted like breakfast (and this is very similar to the hot cereal that I eat most mornings for breakfast). Which is ok with me because I like breakfast and don't mind eating breakfast foods as snacks one bit!

Enjoy on a cold winter afternoon. I did....

It was delicious.

Weekly Menu February 13-18

It's Winter.  I'm taking 12 credits this semester. And, I work. It's a busier than usual week at my house. So, let's use the crock pot!  This week's menu includes two soups to warm us up... and should be relatively easy to prepare with limited time.  In planning the menu this week I browsed food gawker and came up with recipes from some other food blogs out there.  I also "phoned a friend",  actually we Skyped, for a recipe.  I love hearing about others' go-to recipes..

chunky tortilla soup with black beans

slow cooker squash stew with chickpeas

salmon Patties and steamed broccoli (one of my go-to meals)

Jordan's go-to baked fish with veggies.

    

Goes well with white fish such as sole, tilapia, etc.  Cut up a few medium sized tomatoes, one good sized zuchinni, chopped onion.  throw in about half a can of chickpeas and throw it all in a baking dish, drizzle all over with olive oil, cumin (go heavy on the cumin!), paprika (also consider using turmeric, coriander, garlic, and/or fennel) and a little bit of cayenne pepper, cover and throw in the oven, 450° for about 35 min. 

I mostly blog about dinner here, but thought I'd include a breakfast or snack recipe for a sweet, cinnamon quinoa.  I'll probably try it sometime this week.  

Have a great week everyone.

I Made Your Dinner!

I made the sweet potato black bean burritos tonight.  I will admit that at first I was a bit leery of the sweet potato and black bean combo for what reason I cannot understand since I LOVE both ingredients.  The aversion was 100% foolish.  What a terrifically tasty combination.  This is a delicious and easy dinner.  Just be careful not to burn the cumin seeds or the potatoes (I almost did!) the outer edges of those potatoes will brown before the rest is tender.  Watch the heat carefully and you'll be all right. 

sweet potatoes with cumin seeds

sweet potatoes combined with corn, beans and diced tomatoes

A couple things I did differently...  I made about a half recipe (our fridge is full of leftovers!).  Ryan had 2 small burritos, I had one and there was a little left over.  Also, I had some leftover diced tomatoes with green chiles from the last time I made black bean soup so threw those in.  I also didn't have any cilantro or fresh limes wedges so I omitted them.

I paired the burritos with a side of quiona with golden raisins and chopped almonds.

Bring 1 Cup water + 1 tsp veggie bouillon to a boil.  Add 1/2 Cup quinoa.  Cover and reduce heat to medium-low.

Toast a teaspoon of ground cumin and a some red pepper flakes in a hot skillet.  Add about a handful each of chopped almonds and golden raisins to the skillet and heat until raisins begin to puff up (don't walk away it doesn't take long).  Add to quinoa.  The quinoa is done when most of the liquid is gone and the quinoa has grown larger and formed little rings around the outside.

This quinoa dish is a perfect example of my "well-stocked pantry" mentality. I hadn't really planned a side for this dinner and threw this together by taking a quick peek in the pantry while thinking about the spices included in the main dish.  I usually stock up on walnuts (I put them in so many dishes), almonds and other dried fruits for snacking, to toss in with my hot cereal, baking whims, etc.  I like to keep a variety of versatile grains on hand: several kinds of rice, lentils, quinoa, bulgur, barley, etc. to mix with veggies or other ingredients as I have done here. 


I highly recommend this dish to everyone!

Your Kitchen Table Friend,
Allison 

Weekly Menu December 19-23

With Christmas looming and lots of last minute preparations taking place, dinners this week have a common thread.  Simple dishes I can make without much recipe consultation.

But first, a quick re-cap of last week's menu:

slow cooker sweet potato and lentil soup: did not live up to my expectations, the picture looked more delicious than it was. With a lot of good ingredients, this is a recipe that could use some tinkering... 
black bean burritos with salad:  This was a winner.  See my previous post about how great it was.
Bombay sloppy joes: hits the spot every time. Try this, it calls for turkey instead of beef (which you could easily swap, or use lentils!) and you can adjust the spices for more or less heat!
Pasta with arugula/spinach, white beans and walnuts: I didn't make it... so it's rolling over to this week's menu.
spicy turkey and bacon stirfry also from Everyday Food December '11: this was not good. I thought it was kind of boring and weird.  I may have had some recipe mishaps, I forgot halfway through that I was making a half portion and made a whole portion of sauce which made it way too salty. But, overall, the photo was deceivingly delicious the dish was not.
carrot ginger soup:  Again, see my previous post. I hope to try this again next week with coconut milk.

On to this week:
roasted butternut squash and quinoa with salad
This is easy to put together, delicious and filling. I can multi-task while the squash is roasting.

Pasta with arugula/spinach, white beans and walnuts 
We still have quite a bit of spinach!

veggie lasagna
I am planing for leftovers!

frittata with potatoes and leeks and rosemary
Have you made a frittata yet?

maybe carrot and ginger soup attempt #2
we'll see if I get to this

Whew! It's going to be a bit hectic, between work and preparing for Christmas weekend.  But, more on that later.  Have a great week!
Allison