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Carrot-y Veggie Burgers

14 May

We got a juicer not too long ago and I LOVE it. We usually compost the pulp that remains after you make juice but a friend told me that there are tons of recipes that use the pulp. She said that carrot pulp can be used to make carrot muffins, so I originally set out to find a muffin recipe. I found these burgers instead and they were delicious.

Carrot-y Veggie Burgers

Ingredients
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup carrot pulp
2 cups crushed cornflakes
2-3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
salt and pepper to taste
Butter or olive oil (just to grease the skillet)
Burger Buns

Directions
I put the carrot, onion and celery in a food processor and the fine chopping was quick and easy. Combine the chopped carrots, onion and celery with the carrot pulp, crushed cornflakes, and eggs in a bowl. The recipe originally called for two eggs but we thought the burgers weren’t sticky enough so we added a third egg. Add a little salt and pepper and mix well.

Form the mixture into patties – once this recipe made four patties and once it made five. Who knows what you’ll end up with.

Melt a bit of butter in a skillet over medium heat and cook patties for a few minutes on each side or until browned.

Patties on the griddle

I think we’ll also try cooking these on foil on the grill this summer.

Top with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles – whatever you like! Serve on your favorite buns.

Burger

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Herbed Polenta with Tomato Bean Sauce

17 Feb

We’re not doing so great on our one recipe a week challenge, but we are trying some new recipes, just not nearly one a week. Oh well. Here’s our latest new adventure: Herbed polenta with an amazing tomato sauce topping.

We wanted to make polenta and I found this recipe on Care2, a website which aims to “make it easy for everyone to live a healthy, green lifestyle and impact the causes they care about most.” We made a few small changes to the recipe and, while it was pretty easy to make and the sauce was incredibly delicious, the polenta was kind of bland and not nearly as creamy and fluffy as the polenta at our favorite restaurant down the street. I know we’ll make the sauce again, but we’ll be on the lookout for a recipe that promises creamier polenta.

Ingredients

For the polenta:
1½ cups polenta (coarse yellow cornmeal)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons parsley
4 cups hot water
Olive oil for greasing
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese

For the tomato sauce topping:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 chopped onion
3 cups chopped Swiss chard, kale, or spinach, or a combination (we used kale)
1 28-ounce can of chopped or diced tomatoes with basil
1 15-ounce can navy beans
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a 3-quart pot, combine the polenta, salt, parsley, and water, making sure there are no lumps. Bring to a boil and lower the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, 30 minutes or until the polenta is thick and comes away easily from the sides of the pot.

Next grease a large sheet of aluminum foil with the oil and place it on a baking sheet. With a rubber spatula or with wet hands, slide the polenta onto the baking sheet, guiding it into a rectangle measuring approximately 8 inches by 12 inches. Make the corners as square as possible. Lay a second sheet of aluminum foil of top and allow the polenta to set for at least 30 minutes.

While the polenta is setting, you can begin the sauce topping. In a large, deep frying pan, heat the oil. Add the garlic and saute until it turns golden. Add the chopped onion and saute until translucent. Add the greens and stir until wilted. Add in the can of tomatoes with their juice, then add the beans and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Polenta 045
Cut the polenta in to four equal rectangles and then cut each rectangle into four triangles. Place the triangles on oiled aluminum foil and bake at 400 for 5 to 6 minutes. Flip over the triangles and bake for another 5 to 6 minutes or until they start to become brown.

Polenta

Put two triangles on a plate and add some shredded parmesan cheese on top. Ladle the bean mixture on top and add a bit more cheese if you’d like. Enjoy!

Herbed Polenta with tomato and bean topping

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Quinoa Collard Wraps

20 Jan

Andrew thought it’d be fun if this year we tried to make one new recipe each week. This was our first attempt and it’s three weeks into the new year, so we’ll see how this goes…

The original recipe is called “Quinoa and Collard Leaf Dolmas” and is from The Moosewood Restaurant: Cooking for Health, which has all vegetarian and vegan recipes. We made a few small changes and although the finished product was tasty, the recipe was a little cumbersome to make.

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped small

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 pepper (any color you want, but I like red or yellow), chopped small

3 stalks celery, chopped small

1 small zucchini, chopped small

1 tsp dried oregano

3 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

3 tbsp lemon juice

8 large collard leaves

1 cup pasta sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Cook the quinoa according to the package directions. While the quinoa is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet and add the chopped onion. Cook until the onions become translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, peppers, celery, zucchini, oregano, and mint.

Veggies on stove

Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add the cooked quinoa and lemon juice to the vegetables and stir well.

Quinoa on stove

Cut the large part of the stem out of each collard leaf. Steam the leaves until they soften enough to manipulate easily. Let them cool and then lay them, one by one, on a cutting board and slightly overlap the leaf where the stem was removed. Add 1/2 cup of the quinoa/vegetable mixture on top.

Quinoa on Leaf

Fold the sides of the leaf over the filling and then roll it up, making a neat package. Place the little package, seam down, in an 8×8 pan. Repeat with the rest of the leaves, using the rest of the quinoa/vegetable mixture. All eight leaves will fit perfectly in the pan.

Wrapped in Pan

Top the 8 leaves with your favorite pasta sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until hot. We ate these with a salad topped with feta and they were delicious!

Finished with Salad

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The Best Vegetarian Chili

26 Nov

I found a recipe for crockpot vegetarian chili on The Lazy Vegetarian and have been adding some different vegetables and spices to it ever since. I think I’ve come up with the perfect combination for this easy and incredibly tasty cold winter day chili.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 small zucchini
  • 1 small summer squash
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 can (15.5 oz) each black beans, garbanzo beans, and kidney beans (you can use whichever kinds of beans you like and you can, of course, you dried beans rather than canned)
  • 1 can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can Muir Glen diced tomotoes – Fire roasted with medium green chilis
  • 1 small can tomato paste
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 packet chili seasoning mix – I like Simply Organic or Casa Fiesta

I think the real kicker in this chili recipe is the can of Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes. I’ve made this chili with and without it and with it is SO MUCH BETTER.

The recipe is incredibly easy:

  1. Chop all the vegetables (except the corn) and add them to the crock pot. The corn will be added later, since it takes much less time to cook.
  2. Rinse beans and add them to the crock pot
  3. Add the cans of tomatoes and tomato paste, along with the chopped garlic and chili seasoning mix to the crock pot
  4. Add the cup of water and stir well
  5. Heat for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low
  6. About 15-20 minutes before serving, add the cup of frozen corn and stir well
  7. Enjoy!

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Quinoa Burgers

19 Sep

This summer we ate a lot of burgers – black bean, chick pea, and quinoa. Sitting at the small table in the back yard, eating fresh tomato and mozzarella, sipping craft beers – it was a lovely summer.

Quinoa Burgers

(adapted from Eating Well Living Thin)

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cooked quinoa (cook according to package directions)
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup feta cheese + a little water
  • 1/2 onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup spinach, finely chopped (you can try out other vegetables too – just make sure to grate or shred them well)
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 /4 teaspoon sugar
  •  1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

In a large bowl combine the cooked quinoa, cheddar and feta cheeses, onion, spinach (or other vegetable), egg, flour, sugar, pepper, cumin, salt, and garlic powder. If the mixture seems a little too watery, add some more flour. Our biggest battle with these burgers was them starting to fall apart during cooking so getting a good consistency will help with that.

You can cook these on the grill (on aluminum foil) or fry on the stove, using a bit of olive oil and keeping the heat at medium. We topped ours with fresh avocado and ate them with a side of pasta salad.

Enjoy!

 

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Black Bean Burgers

15 Aug

We’ve kind of been on a burger kick recently. First the chickpea burgers, then quinoa burgers (post coming soon!), and now black bean burgers. Of all three, the black bean burgers held together the best and we were able to make them on the grill, which is such a plus since it’s been so hot and humid. I got the recipe from All Recipes; they are a touch spicy, but nothing too crazy. Next time you fire up the grill, give them a try!

Ingredients:

  • 1 16-oz can black beans
  • 1/2 pepper (I used a yellow pepper because I had it on hand, but you can use whichever you like)
  • 1/2 onion
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon sriracha
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions:

Drain and rinse the black beans, put them in a bowl, and mash them with a potato masher. Put the pepper, onion, and garlic into your (new! yay!)  food processor and chop. It was super chopped in a matter of seconds, so be careful! Add the pepper mixture to the mashed black beans and stir together. In a separate bowl, mix together the egg, chili powder, cumin and srirach until smooth-ish. Add the liquid mixture into the black beans and then add the bread crumbs. Stir together until mixed well.

Form into four patties. Place the patties on a piece of aluminum foil on the grill (not directly onto the grill slats).

We topped ours with some quick guacamole, spring mix lettuce, and tomato. Yum!

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Amazing Chickpea Burgers

28 Jul

I got the idea to make chickpea burgers from one of my favorite eating healthy blogs, Two Blue Lemons. I didn’t have all the right ingredients and really wanted guacamole so I came up with something a little different. So easy to make and completely delicious. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Burgers:

1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup finely chopped spinach
4 stalks green onions, chopped
zest of 1/4 lemon
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
thyme

Super easy guacamole:

1 avocado
1/2 tomato
1/4 red onion
cilantro
juice of 1/2 lime

Directions:

Place the rinsed chickpeas in a large bowl and add the eggs, salt, chopped spinach, green onions, lemon zest, bread crumbs,  a bit of thyme, and olive oil. We started mashing the mixture with a potato masher, but that didn’t work so well, so we switched to a mixer. If you have a food processor I think that would work perfectly. But, alas, I don’t have one, and the mixer worked just fine.

Once the chickpeas are mashed to a lumpy paste, you can make them into burgers. We made four from this recipe. Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a pan and add the patties. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side, or until brownish.

While the burgers are cooking, you can  make the super easy guacamole. Dice up the avocado, tomato and red onion and mix well with some cilantro. Top with the juice of 1/2 lime and mix well. Easy! Place the cooked burgers on a slice of toast, and top with the guacamole. Add spinach, tomatoes, red onion – whatever you’d like!

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Spicy Chickpea and Vegetable Casserole

14 Apr

This recipe is from my Essential Vegetarian Cookbook, but there it calls for pumpkin and button squash. I’ve made it lots of times, but actually never with pumpkin and button squash. I always swap those out and add in some other vegetables. I’ve tried it with lots of different combinations, but the below recipe is one of my favorites. Whatever vegetables you have on hand will usually do.

Ingredients


1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas, or 1 14.5oz can of canned chickpeas

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

3 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1 14.5oz can of crushed tomatoes

1 1/2 cups vegetable stock

3 purple potatoes, chopped bite-size

1 carrot, chopped

1 cup chopped green beans

1 summer squash

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon oregano

Soak the chickpeas overnight or, if you forget to set them out the day before, you can quick soak them. There is a lot of differing information online about how the quick soak works, how long to boil for, then how long to let sit for, but the general jist is that you add three times as much water as you have beans and bring to a boil. Some sites say boil for a minute, some say as long as 10 minutes. Then you set the beans aside for an hour to an hour and half and they should be ready to add to your recipe. Or, you can just use a can of chickpeas (rinsed), which is a ton easier than all that soaking.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add the onion and the garlic, stirring for a minute or two. Add the cumin, chili powder, and allspice and stir well. Add the soaked chickpeas, can of tomatoes, and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Let that simmer for an hour, covered.

You're right - these are not chickpeas. I substituted dried heirloom beans that were at the Farmer's market.

About 15 minutes before the hour of simmering is complete, add the purple potatoes and the carrot. When the hour is up, add the green beans, squash, tomato paste, and oregano.

Stir well and simmer covered for another 15 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for another 10 minutes to let the sauce thicken.

I like to eat this with a whole grain roll or slice of bread, since it’s perfect for dipping in the sauce. We ate ours with a piece of garlic naan because we didn’t have any other bread and, well, who doesn’t like naan?

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New Food: Tagine

4 Mar

I’ve heard good things about Sabur in Teele Square and we finally got a chance to check it out last week. The day before starting my new job (yay!), we decided to celebrate by having dinner at Sabur. I had read this Tufts Now review and thought that I would try the tagine because I’d never had it before.

Tagine is the name of the dish as well as the name of the pot in which it is cooked. It is a North African dish and it’s pretty much a stew. It includes ingredients that need to, well, stew for a while. wiseGEEK says that “after several hours of cooking, the ingredients in the tagine are extremely tender and very intensely flavored, and diners can ladle the tagine over rice or scoop it out of the dish with hunks of bread.” Sometimes tagine is spelled “tajine” and it usually incorporates foods and spices like like saffron, raisins, cinnamon, various nuts, citrus fruits, olives, paprika, turmeric, cumin, and coriander. The tagine at Sabur is vegetarian but it can sometimes include meats like lamb and chicken.

It was a rainy night when we celebrated at Sabur, so there were just a few diners at the restaurant. The ambiance at Sabur is terrific – two rooms of tables, low lights, lots of comfortable seating. For drinks, I ordered a cosmopolitan and Andrew got a Harpoon Munich Dark, both of which were great.  We almost didn’t order an appetizer, but we ended up with the hummus and pita bread and I’m so glad we did because it was so tasty. For our main courses, I got the tagine as planned and Andrew ordered the seared sea scallops, which came with crab polenta cakes and asparagus.

The tagine

The tagine at Sabur is vegetarian and served over couscous. And it was amazingly, fantastically wonderful. I absolutely savored every single bite and kept saying, “this is the best thing I’ve ever eaten.” It honestly was. It was cinnamony (but not in a dessert-y way, which I was nervous about) and just so delicious. I loved loved loved the tagine.

Andrew loved the scallops and raved about the asparagus and the polenta cakes. We will frequent Sabur, I’m sure, but I love the tagine so much that I’m not sure I’ll ever order anything else.

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Lentil and Kale Slowcooker Soup

12 Feb

I decided I should eat more greens. So that means a refrigerator full of kale and no clue what to do with it. I added some to a salad, but the greens are a bit tough to be the base of your salad. So I did some googling and found a great recipe for lentil and kale soup. I changed it up a little bit and ended up with this. I put  my crockpot to use and arrived home to wonderfully smelling house and a nearly finished dinner. Sounds perfect to me!

Ingredients:

  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 3 ribs of celery, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 potato, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 8 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 cups lentils, rinsed
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 bunch kale, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • salt and pepper

Add the carrots, celery, onion, potato, garlic, lentils, vegetable broth, and thyme to the slow cooker. Stir, mixing well. Set on low for all day cooking or high for half day.

About 20 minutes before you plan to eat, add in the chopped kale, balsamic vinegar, and some salt and pepper, if you’d like.

Stir in the kale and let cook for another 20 minutes. Serve up a heaping bowl and enjoy!

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