Bean Burgers in Paradise

As you may recall, I have an intense, passionate, and extraordinary love for vegetarian sandwiches. Nothing gets me dancing in the kitchen like a thick, loaded, fork-and-knife, meatless sammie.

Amongst the most classic of veg-head sandwiches is the bean burger. The variations you can create with these protein-packed patties are endless. Bean burgers provide the perfect base to get infinitely creative with your mix-ins, whether it's roasted red pepper and parsley, or chickpeas and shredded carrot.

When we set forth to do our weekly menu plan on Saturday, I had a bean burger craving that was roaring loud. And I'm not just talking any bean burger, friends. I'm talking about Greek White Bean Burgers. Did I mention there's feta cheese in them? And crunchy, toasted walnuts? Oh, for the love of beans!

These puppies are simple, awesome, and oh-so-healthy. Bonus: they also double as a topping for your lunch salad the next day. You can "soup up" your bean burger with whatever toppings your heart desires. We topped ours with spinach, tomato, chopped avocado, a little goat cheese, and some roasted garlic hummus.

We enjoyed our burgers on Adam's homemade bread, as somebody (me?) forgot to pick up buns. They'd be great in a pita or flattened and rolled into a tortilla (yep, I seriously just suggested flattening them).

I'm singin', bean burgers in paradise...

Greek White Bean Burgers

(Adapted from a recipe found in Simple & Delicious Magazine)

Who says a vegetarian can't enjoy a burger? These flavorful patties are perfect in a bun, on a pita, or crumbled over your salad.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (toast them first for even more flavor!)
• 1 medium carrot, shredded
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 of a small onion, diced
• 2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
• about 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 can (15 oz.) white beans (like Great Northern beans), rinsed and drained
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• a little splash of lemon juice (if needed)
• a little olive oil (for the pan)
• Burger fixins' : spinach or lettuce, tomato, avocado, (goat!) cheese, etc.

Directions:

1) In a food processor, combine walnuts, carrot, feta cheese, onion, garlic, parsley, black pepper, and salt. Pulse until thoroughly mixed. Remove from the food processor.

2) Place white beans in the food processor and pulse until smooth (well, as smooth as you can make food-processed beans.)

3) Combine first mixture with the beans in a large bowl. Add a small splash of lemon juice if any moisture is needed to hold them together. (Note: You can add dried bread crumbs to bean burgers if they're too wet to form into patties, or a splash of liquid--water, broth, etc.--if they're too dry). Form into 4 patties.

4) Lightly oil a skillet with olive oil (about 1 TBSP?), and place over medium heat. Add patties and cook on one side until lightly browned (about 3 - 4 minutes, but watch carefully). Flip patties and cook on the other side until lightly browned.

5) Load your burger up with all the tasty fixings you can find. Doesn't it feel like paradise?

Apple Pie a la Yum

Remember that little apple conundrum I found myself in this week? Yep, I'm still there. Working on cooking and baking my way through that bushel of apples.

As I attempt to dig myself out of this "problem," I realized that I had no other option than to bake an apple pie. With from-scratch pie crust. And a crumb topping.

Don't you love problems where the only good solution is pie-baking?

Now, let's briefly chat pie crust before we begin. I had never made a from-scratch pie crust before. The delicate art of pie crust terrified me--there's so much hype about keeping things cold, maintaining a tender dough, and reaching a flaky consistency. Talk about intimidating. I just want some pie, okay?!

Sunday night, however, the courage came. I'm not sure if it was the bushel of apples sitting on the counter, begging me to give them from-scratch goodness, or if it was my fearless amateur baking self that was urging me on. Regardless, I pulled out the food processor, iced a bowl of water, and put on my pie-baking hat.

The result? A yummy pie crust filled with a delightfully oozing, cinnamon-infused, Apple Pie a la Yum. This little number was the perfect addition to our Labor Day family picnic spread.

My secret? National Public Radio's "The Splendid Table." Their recent feature on pie crust inspired me, and I'm happy to share their top two secrets for a perfect pie crust:

• Keep everything cold! Use cold butter and iced water, and refrigerate the dough between every step.
• Don't pulse the dough too much in the food processor. It should look a bit crumbly, like little pea-shaped, crumbly mini butter balls :)
• To see Lynne's complete guide to pie crust on NPR (and her amazing, full description on how to make one), check out the show's transcript here

If you've got an abundance of apples on the counter, it's time to get baking. Pull out your pie-crust making courage and join me for some Apple Pie a la Yum. Well, "a la mode" wouldn't be so bad either :)

Apple Pie a la Yum

When it comes to desserts in early fall, nothing beats the classic apple pie. Forget that pre-packaged, store-bought crust--you don't need the yucky extras they add! Bake this simple crust from scratch...and consider topping with a scoop of double-churned vanilla ice cream :)

Ingredients:

Crust:

(from Lynne Rossetto Kasper on NPR's "The Splendid Table")

• 1- 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 TBSP sugar
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into chunks
• 4 - 5 TBSP ice cold water
• 1 TBSP vinegar (makes the crust tender)

Filling:

(from A Hungry Spoon herself :)

• About 8 cups thinly sliced apples (I leave the peels on. Love my fiber!)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Crumb Topping:

(from All Recipes.com)

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 TBSP butter
• Sprinkling of cinnamon to taste

Optional (but is it really?): A scoop of french vanilla ice cream on top

Directions:

1) Combine filling ingredients in a large bowl until evenly coated. Set aside. (Optional: If you love nuts, you could always add some chopped, toasted walnuts to the filling!)

2) To make crumb topping, combine flour, cinnamon (to taste), and brown sugar in a small bowl. Cut in butter with a knife or fork until crumbly. Set aside.

3) To make the crust: Combine the flour, salt, and sugar. Place in the food processor. Place butter chunks in the food processor and pulse until you get a rough mixture that looks like little peas in crumbles of flour. Place the crust mixture in a bowl, and add the ice water and vinegar. Lightly mix it in using your hands until you can form the dough into a ball (Don't over-mix!). Refrigerate the dough (if needed) for 20 minutes to keep it cold before rolling.

4) To prepare the pie: Use a flour-coated rolling pin to roll the pie crust out on a flour-coated surface (or a piece of wax paper works!). Place the pie crust in a 9 inch pie pan and flute the edges to fit. Pour apple filling into the crust. Sprinkle the crumb mixture to cover the top of the apples.

5) Cover the pie with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove foil, and bake for another 25 - 30 minutes until the top is lightly browned.

6) Allow pie to cool completely before cutting and serving. Don't forget the vanilla ice cream...

Farewell, Summer Grilled Veggies

Let's face it: You can sauté them, roast them, stuff them, or eat them raw, but does any cooking method really compare to grilling your vegetables?

With Labor Day weekend upon us, it seemed appropriate to bust out our little Smoky Joe charcoal grill and give it one final heat-up before the summer comes to a close. On the menu? Grilled Veggie and Goat Cheese Quesadillas--a recommendation from one of the Hungry Spoon's wonderful readers :)


As a side note, I must remind you of my die-hard love for grilling all things vegetarian. That's right: charcoal and grill marks aren't just for the carnivores. Forget the kielbasa and ribs, my friends--it's bean burgers, pizza dough, and veggies on this little grill! Remember those awesome Grilled-Veggie Pesto Pizzas? Oh, the delicious-ness. And how could we forget S'Mores?


Last night grill-icious quesadilla dinner was easy-peasy, full of fiber (woo-hoo!), and super filling. It's based on a blending of two recipes: one sent by reader and friend Jamie (found at this link on Family Fun's website), and the other found in Andrea Chesman's cookbook 365 Delicious Ways to Cook Rice, Beans, and Grains (recipe titled "Black Bean & Goat Cheese Quesadillas").


So, friends, let us bid farewell to Mr. Smoky Joe until next spring. We'll be trading in his beautiful grill-marks and smoky flavor for soups, casseroles, and the classic stovetop veggie saute. He'll be missed for sure.


Happy Labor Day!


Grilled Veggie and Goat Cheese Quesadillas
(adapted from recipes in Andrea Chesman's cookbook and the Family Fun website)


Goat cheese on quesadillas? Unbeatable. We're so used to using cheddar on these tasty grilled delights that we forget about the wonders of smooth, delicious chevre. Goat cheese has got it going on.


Ingredients:

• 2 bell peppers, sliced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 - 2 zucchinis, chopped
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• a little olive oil
• a little lime juice
• Smoked paprika (or other smoke seasoning)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 can (15 oz.) black beans
• Goat cheese (yummmm)
• Tortilla shells
• Your trusty outdoor grill
• For garnish: chopped avocado, salsa, chopped tomato, shredded lettuce or spinach

Directions:

1) Prepare grill for cooking.


2) Place bell pepper, onion, zucchini, and garlic in a bowl. Drizzle a little olive oil and lime juice over the veggies. Sprinkle with smoke seasoning, pepper and salt (to taste). Thoroughly mix until veggies are evenly coated.


3) Spray a grill pan with non-flammable grill cooking spray. Place veggies in grill pan and place on the grill. Cook until tender, or until they get those awesome grill marks (about 5 - 8 minutes?). Remove from grill.

4) On one half of a tortilla, spread a little goat cheese and sprinkle some black beans (about 1/4 - 1/3 cup?). Top with grilled veggies and fold other half of tortilla over.


5) Heat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place folded quesadilla in pan and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom. Flip quesadilla and cook until the other side is golden brown (about 1-2 minutes).


6) Top with chopped avocado, salsa, chopped tomatoes, and shredded lettuce or spinach.

Garden Quick Bread

What to do with a bushel of apples?

It's the quite the predicament, isn't it?

Fortunately, these are just the kinds of predicaments I love finding myself in :)

My mom dropped a full bushel of apples off at our house last week--she'd gone overboard during an afternoon apple-picking session and found herself with more fruit than she could handle. I gladly stepped in to "save the day."

While I truly love all things autumn--pumpkins, potted mums, leaves changing color--my absolute favorite component of this season is the baking. Pumpkin muffins, apple pie, and mashed sweet potatoes galore! (okay, I took it too far with the "galore," didn't I?)

With a bushel of apples sitting on the counter, today kicked off the first official day of fall baking (never mind that fall is still 3 weeks away). On the menu? A sweet "garden quick bread," chock full of shredded apple, carrot, and zucchini. (Side note, given that this recipe only called for one apple, it looks like I've got a lot more baking ahead of me...)

I will post the recipe as it was published in Cooking Light, which is amazing as is. However, below I have noted some changes that I often make to quick bread recipes when I'm seeking to make a healthier "snack," as opposed to a dessert. It's important to note though that many of these changes can significantly impact the flavor, density, and texture of your bread! So, consider your audience before experimenting with them (You and a pal? Green light! The annual office bake-off? Not so much.)

Options for making a quick bread healthier:

• Substitute half of the oil with applesauce
• Use egg whites instead of whole eggs (usually 2 egg whites to 1 egg)
• Use a portion whole wheat pastry flour
• Reduce the sugar and/or use natural sweeteners (like agave nectar)

Do you have any suggestions for making your baked goods "healthier?"

Garden Harvest Quick Bread

(from Cooking Light. I know--I've been cooking a lot from them lately! I recently found several old recipes I clipped from their magazines over a year ago. Gold mine!)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup grated apple
• 1/2 cup grated carrot
• 1/2 cup grated zucchini
• 1/4 cup chopped, toasted walnuts
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup nonfat buttermilk (I just used skim milk)
• 2 large eggs

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 8 x 4 in. loaf pan.

2) Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add grated apple, carrot, zucchini and walnuts. Toss until combined.

3) Combine oil, milk, and eggs in a small bowl. Add to flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. (Note: I always start checking quick breads 5 minutes before the expected finish time, just to make sure they don't over-bake)

4) Now, ask yourself what to do with the remaining bushel of apples, minus one, sitting on the counter.

Breakfast of Champions

(That's right. You and your breakfast-eatin' self are champions. Visualize yourself running to the top of those famous steps in Philly and pumping your arms above your head with shameless pride.)

I absolutely love breakfast. I'm also a ridiculously predictable and structured person (think: opposite of spontaneous). As such, my weekday breakfasts are always the same (Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal) and my weekend breakfasts are consistently a variation on a theme (some sort of fruit-and-nut-filled pancake or waffle).

*Enter Rocky theme music*

Today, however, I busted out of the predictable box and went wild.

Loaded Vanilla-Almond Oatmeal. mmmmmmmm...

And I'm not talking about a wimpy packet of just-add-water "oatmeal." I'm talking OATS!

My new weekday breakfast (which strangely debuted on a Saturday morning) is a bowl of chunky, filling, and oh-so-healthy loaded oatmeal. Inspired by other food bloggers who tout their love of morning oats, I decided there's no better time to try a new breakfast than during my 5K training period (which will finally come to an end on September 17!).

So, this morning's recipe is simple, quick, and will definitely get your day off to a healthy start.

Some common oatmeal add-ins include:

• Milk (regular, soy, or almond) as the liquid
• Nut butters (of course!)
• Chopped, toasted nuts
• Ground flaxseed
• Fresh fruit (bananas, peaches, strawberries, or bluberries)
• Dried fruit
• Honey or maple syrup
• Cinnamon, vanilla, other seasonings of choice

Enough talk. Let's get to work on your breakfast of champions.

Loaded Vanilla-Almond Oatmeal

(Inspired by fellow food bloggers!)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (use less milk if you like thicker oatmeal)
• 4 small strawberries, chopped
• 1/4 cup blueberries
• 1 TBSP almond butter (my favorite is pictured on the right)
• 1 tsp. flaxseed
• sprinkling of cinnamon
• dash of vanilla

Directions:

1) Combine oats and milk in a bowl and microwave for about 2 minutes.

2) Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

3) You're a champion :)

Pesto Power

It's glorious, it's green, and it's mighty good: It's pesto, and I love every last hungry spoonful of it.

It goes well with pasta, baguettes, and a good ol' panini. If you called it a condiment, I'd say it was my favorite.

Although I'm a loyal lover of chunky marinara sauce over my pasta as much as the next girl, there's something about the green goodness of pesto that just tastes like summer. Fresh green herbs, grated parmesan, and touch of garlic make the beginnings of something beautiful, don't they?

(Brief Intermission for Childhood TV Memory: Does anyone remember the "Full House" episode when Danny's girlfriend/co-host Vicki made the family pesto pasta with goat cheese pizza? It was likely my first exposure to "pesto." Oh, the memories.)

Tonight's pesto recipe is a new twist on the old and familiar. I clipped it from a Rachael Ray Magazine, attracted to its surprising addition of some unexpected greens: fresh spinach and parsley. Who would've thought?

If you've never tried making your own pesto, today is the day! It's really quite simple, and it looks fancier than it is :) I often make it thicker than recipes suggest because I don't like to use very much oil (you'll find that store-bought pesto has a shiny, smooth, spreadable consistency, but it typically has a high oil content). If you're looking for a "saucier" pesto though, you can always increase the amount of oil until you reach your desired consistency.

Tonight's homework: Clip some fresh basil, dust off the food processor, and invite Danny Tanner over for a pesto power dinner.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Pesto and Ricotta

(adapted from a Rachael Ray Magazine recipe)

I recommend serving your pesto with a smaller tubular pasta, such as whole wheat penne or elbow macaroni. While the linguine was tasty, I found it clumped together a little much!

Another addition I recommend (but forgot tonight): Add a coarsely chopped garden tomato to your pesto-pasta....mmmmmmmm

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. whole wheat penne pasta
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1 cup fresh spinach leaves, stems removed
• 1/3 cup chopped, flat leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 - 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan or asiago cheese (this one is approximate! I didn't measure)
• Part-skim ricotta cheese (for topping)
• Fresh tomatoes, coarsely chopped (I forgot to add these tonight!)

Directions:

1) Cook pasta according to package directions.

2) Meanwhile, place the following ingredients in a food processor and process until thoroughly combined: pine nuts, spinach, parsley, basil, garlic, olive oil, and parmesan or asiago cheese. Now you've got pesto! (see picture above)

3) Combine individual servings of pasta with desired amount of pesto. Mix in chopped tomatoes if desired, and top with a dollop of ricotta cheese. Rachael Ray recommended a tiny drizzle of honey on the ricotta. I tried it and it worked out quite well :)

4) Did Danny Tanner like your pesto as much as he liked Vicki's?

Ode to Grain Salads

Tonight when I opened the refrigerator, desperately seeking inspiration for a dinner salad to go with our leftover chowder, the grain-lover in me took over.

My wisdom for today: When nothing is going right in the kitchen, when you're blankly staring in the fridge for answers, or when your foodie brain is just fried from a day at work, grains are the answer to your prayers.

As most of you know, I'm quite obsessed with grain salads--quinoa and bulgur in particular. Grains are nutritional powerhouses, and I urge you to experiment with them in your cooking! Quinoa is high in protein, as well as manganese, magnesium, and iron. Bulgur also has a very high mineral content, and is high in fiber (regularity without prunes...hooray!).

Tonight, I had no recipe and no clear picture of what was happening on the cutting board, but I miraculously produced a smorgasboard salad using anything I could find. I call this masterpiece my "Every-Veggie-in-the-Fridge/Grains-Save-the-Day-Salad" (pitiful, I know). It was quick and easy, and delightfully tasty! (see recipe below).

Here are a few quick tips and creative ideas to get you started with grain salads:

• To enhance flavor, use liquids other than water to cook your grains in, such as chicken or veggie broth. I've also made recipes that called for part orange-juice-part-water combos, or even apple or pineapple juice.
• Add toasted nuts or seeds to your grains for more toasty-yum crunch. Toast walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or almonds.
• Mix and match fruit and veggies with your grains. Nectarines, apricots, apples, and pears make great grain salad add-ins. Just about any vegetable will work!
• Dried fruits are a great addition--raisins, dried apricots, and dried cranberries.

Now, let's get grain-happy!

Every-Veggie-in-the-Fridge/Grains-Save-the-Day Salad

(From my fridge to yours)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked bulgur
• 1 can (2 cups) broth (veggie or chicken)
• 1 onion, diced
• a little olive oil
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1-2 cucumbers, chopped
• 1 large carrot, shredded
• handful of chopped, fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

(courtesy of Cooking Light)

• 3 TBSP white wine vinegar
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (or more if you love garlic!)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1) In a small saucepan, bring the broth to a boil. Remove from heat, add bulgur, cover, and allow to sit until all liquid is absorbed (about 20 minutes).

2) OPTIONAL STEP IF YOU DON'T LIKE RAW ONION (like me): Heat the "little bit of olive oil" in a small skillet. Add onion, and lightly sautee for 2-3 minutes until softened. Remove from heat.

3) Whisk vinaigrette ingredients together in a small bowl.

4) Combine bulgur, vegetables, cilantro, pumpkin seeds, and vinaigrette.

5) Love your grainy-lovin' self :)